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Dear Parents,
We trust that the grade 6 and 7 student-led advisory conferences have been informative and helpful. Thank you, parents, for your participation. Nearly 95% of our grade 6 and 7 parents were able to participate in the conferences, and we are pleased with this level of participation. As we look ahead, our grade 8 students will be preparing a similar reflection about their learning and growth over their three years of Middle School. In early June, grade 8 parents will have the opportunity to come to school to listen to grade 8 self-reflection presentations.
I am sharing again here an appeal about school attendance and punctuality. Recently, we have seen an increase in requests for absences outside the established school calendar. While we understand that circumstances sometimes arise, frequent absences can disrupt students’ learning and their connection to the school community. As a reminder, we contact families when a student’s absences reach what we consider a critical level—18 days.
We have also noticed a growing number of students arriving late in the morning. When tardies accumulate to a critical level, students receive a school consequence and may lose recess time. Additionally, we often find that the office is not notified when students are absent or when families plan extended absences. Clear communication helps us support students and maintain accurate records.
I kindly ask families to make every effort to follow our school policies regarding attendance and punctuality and to communicate promptly with the office when absences occur. Regular attendance and arriving on time each day play a vital role in students’ success and in maintaining a strong learning environment for everyone.
As always, please check out This Week in Advisory and the weekly announcements below.
Kind regards,
Mike Nugent
THIS WEEK IN ADVISORY
GRADE 6 ADVISORY
This week in advisory, students continued preparing for their student-led conferences with a strong focus on reflection, honesty, and growth. They spent time thinking about their progress across classes, celebrating strengths, recognizing challenges, and building slide decks to help them share their learning journey with families. Students also practiced how to present clearly and confidently, reviewed what makes a meaningful goal, and set new goals for finishing the year strong. Throughout the week, we encouraged students to be thoughtful and proud of how far they have come, while also being open about the support they still need as learners.
GRADE 7 ADVISORY
Middle school is a time of huge growth, and this week in Advisory, our 7th graders took a moment to reflect on it! In every class, students spent time building a digital slide deck to showcase their "learning journey," celebrating their biggest wins while also identifying where they’ve faced challenges. In Advisory, we have been practicing public speaking skills to ensure they feel confident sharing their goals with you. We’ve encouraged them to be thoughtful, honest, and proud of their progress.
GRADE 8 ADVISORY
We shifted our focus toward the future this week as Grade 8 began official preparations for the transition to Upper School. To provide an authentic look at what’s ahead, we were joined by student visitors from Grade 10 and 11 who shared candid advice and personal stories about navigating the high school experience. Hearing from these "veterans" helped demystify the next chapter and gave our students a relatable roadmap for the social and academic shifts they’ll encounter next year.
On Thursday, we officially launched Academic Success Time, a new weekly block modeled after the High School’s "Multipurpose Time." This dedicated session is designed to foster independence by encouraging students to practice self-advocacy—whether that means seeking out a teacher for clarification or learning to prioritize a complex to-do list. By mirroring the Upper School structure now, we are helping our 8th graders build the confidence and autonomy they’ll need to hit the ground running in Grade 9.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Parents, please mark your calendars for these key MS events.
April 20: Rising grade 7 and 8 parents receive 26-27 course registration information.
April 21: Rising grade 6 PARENT “Intro to MS” Information meeting, 18:00-19:00, MS Steps
April 30: Cause for Concern Reports issued on PowerSchool, 4:00
Digital Wellness at ASM
Supporting student wellbeing has been one of ASM’s strategic priorities for the past four years, and digital wellness is an important part of that commitment. As educational technology has evolved rapidly, so too have the opportunities, and challenges, it presents for problem solving, collaboration and communication as well as focus, distraction, and healthy development.
Over the past year, our faculty and leadership team studied current research, learned from other schools, and analyzed our own Day in the Life of a Lancer data to better understand how technology is currently used across our campus. This thoughtful process informed the creation of our ASM Digital Wellness Progression, a developmental framework that informs instructional practices and directs student experiences with technology at ASM from early, protected experiences with technology toward increasingly purposeful, balanced, and responsible use as they grow.
This progression will help ensure that technology at ASM enhances learning rather than replaces human connection-supporting problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, and wellbeing at every stage. It also provides clear guidance for age-appropriate expectations, digital citizenship, and healthy habits, so students are prepared to use technology effectively and ethically both in school and beyond.
Lost and Found
We have many lost PE items hanging outside the MS/US PE change rooms. Some items have student names on them. If you have lost an item, please check here asap! Any items not collected by the Winter Week break will be donated to charity. Thank you!
Absence Reminder
As a reminder, parents, please let us know at least two days in advance if you plan on taking your child out of school early for vacation. You can email our attendance clerk at msattendance@asmadrid.es. I also want to repeat the importance of planning vacations around our published school calendar. Every day of school counts, and it is often difficult for students to catch up with their learning when they are absent from school.
MS Health Units Overview
Our PE/Health teachers have updated the Middle School Health Units Overview 25-26 document. The overview provides a look at the key health topics covered in the MS curriculum.
MS Advisory Program Overview
We have updated our Middle School Advisory Program Overview 25-26. This document provides an overview of our MS advisory program, including topics that are pertinent at each grade level.
THE PULSE! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
The Middle School communicates important information to students through the MS Lancer Pulse. Students are asked each week to read the announcements in "The Pulse" during advisory time.
AFTER-SCHOOL SUPPORT: BUILDING STUDENT SELF-ADVOCACY
Helping students learn the art of self-advocacy and taking responsibility for their own learning is essential for their growth and success. We encourage students to take charge by seeking extra help when needed. Our after-school extended learning labs and teacher office hours provide excellent opportunities for students to demonstrate this responsibility and get the support they need. Please read this document for more information about after-school support.
ATTENDANCE AT AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Our students have been reminded that they must attend their after-school activity. We have noticed that some students have chosen to skip their ASA. The ASA sponsors take attendance, and parents will be contacted if their child does not attend the ASA regularly.
AFTER-SCHOOL PROCEDURES
Parents and students should be familiar with our MS After-school Procedures. Please ask the Middle School Director if you have any questions about these procedures. Please also note that students must leave campus after their ASA, sport, or private music lesson is completed. Students are not allowed to remain on campus unsupervised. We ask that parents make arrangements to pick up their children as soon as the activity ends.
FROM THE ADMISSIONS OFFICE
If your family is being transferred during this academic year, please contact Admissions - admissions@asmadrid.es
BIRTHDAY SNACKS IN MS
Students are welcome to bring in a snack to share with their advisory to celebrate their birthdays. We ask that students not bring in snacks to share with their friends, as this can lead to students feeling left out or food frenzies during break and lunch times. Parents are kindly reminded not to bring surprise treats to their children during the school day, including at lunch time.
PUNCTUALITY IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Punctuality is very important in the Middle School. We kindly ask that parents drop their students off at no later than 8:45 A.M. This allows the students plenty of time to walk from their car to the MS building, pick up their materials from their lockers, and move on to their first class.
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