Message from Principal
Shelly Camp
Dear Altar Valley Middle School Community,
We are thrilled to share some exciting updates and achievements from our school. It's been a fantastic journey, and we're proud to have such a dedicated and supportive community. Here are some highlights from our recent activities:
Parent-Teacher Conferences: Our teachers had the opportunity to meet with 84% of our parents during the recent parent-teacher conferences. These meetings, held both in-person and virtually. Conferences are a crucial way to strengthen the school-home partnership and ensure we're working together to support our students.
Family Fun Night: We were delighted to see 250 attendees at our recent Family Fun Night. This event provided an opportunity for our school families to come together, have fun, and build a sense of community. Parents had the opportunity to learn ways they can support their children in reading and math.
Sports Success: The first quarter of sports, volleyball and flag football, ended on a high note, with our teams performing stronger than ever. Congratulations to all our student-athletes for their dedication and hard work. We look forward to the upcoming 2nd quarter, which will feature girls' soccer and boys' basketball.
Kids at Hope Masters Institute: AVSD administrators had the privilege of attending the Kids at Hope Masters Institute, where our team gained valuable insights and ideas on how to motivate and encourage all of our students to grow, flourish, and succeed. We are committed to providing the best support for each and every student.
Data-Driven Goals: Two of our teachers and I participated in a 'data dig' professional development training, where we examined our school's data and set goals to bring us even closer to our aspiration of becoming an A-rated school. This data-driven approach ensures we are continually striving for excellence.
Our staff is thrilled to be part of such an incredible team and community, and we're dedicated to fostering a positive and nurturing environment where all our students can thrive.
Thank you for your ongoing support and involvement in our school. Together, we can achieve great things for our students.
Sincerely,
Shelly Camp
Altar Valley Middle School
Principal
Despite only being at AVMS for two months of school, the sixth graders have demonstrated that they are resilient and eager to learn.
Recently 6th grade teams competed in the 22nd Annual Student Design & Build Contest KIDStruction 2023. For this year's theme, "We Are the Champions," competing teams must select a sport-related field, then design and build a structure in one of five categories: America's Favorite Pastime, Are you ready for some football?, On your Mark..., Nothin' but Net!, and Faster, Higher, Stronger Together."
Saturday, September 30, 2023, projects were displayed in Park Place Mall. Two of the fourteen sixth grade teams
received two of the awards. The Pitchers knocked it out of the park, taking third place in the "America's Favorite Pastime" category. The Grizzlies finished third in the "Nothin' but Net" category, thanks to a hauntingly impressive basketball scene.
This year in math, 6th graders were introduced to Illustrative Mathematics, Altar Valley School District's new math curriculum. They are learning about ratios, including how to write a ratio, equivalent ratios, and unit rates. They appreciated how useful the topic was, especially when we had the lemonade drink mix activity, in which they were able to taste test a variety of lemonade mixtures/recipes.
How does Ancient Mesopotamia affect the world we live in today?
That is the same question our 6th grade researchers are asking as they go back in time and explore what the first civilization discovered and invented. Both classes expanded their knowledge regarding intriguing Mesopotamian facts such as irrigation, the construction of the Ziggurat of Ur, the Code of Hammurabi, the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon, cuneiform, the Epic of Gilgamesh, innovations such as the Archimedes screw and so much more! They also solved math using the ancient symbols. Every week, each group had to give an update on the status of their project, set new goals and plan out as a team on how to be successful and bring out the best in each other.
This project-based learning also aimed to develop their creativity as they create slide presentations and miniature models of the people, things and buildings of the “Cradle of Civilization”. All of this happened in Social Studies in the first
Quarter of school and are part of the application of the writing mechanics they learned in English Language Arts.
And so to answer the big question, Mesopotamia made major contributions in the most important developments in human history including agriculture, mathematics, and the fields of science, technology and writing.
