In bad weather and other emergencies, Appomattox County Public Schools

(ACPS) notify parents and staff about the status of school schedules in

several ways. We utilize the following TV and radio stations:

WDBJ TV 7 APPO Cable 21

WSLS TV 10 WKDE 105.5 FM & 1000 AM

WSET TV 13 WROV 96.3 FM

WWBT TV 12 Richmond Spirit 103.7 FM

WRLV 88.3 FM WSLQ 99.1 FM

WFLO 95.7 FM & 870 AM K92 FM

WSNV Sunny 93.5 WJJS 104.9 FM & 102.7 FM

WYYD 107.9 FM WSFF 106.1 FM & 101.7 FM

WVBE / VIBE 100.1 FM WODI 1230 AM

WSLC Star Country 94.9 FM WFIR 960 AM

Please note the following codes:

Code I—Administrators, teachers, clerical, maintenance, and custodial personnel report

Code II—12-month personnel report

Code III—Designated central office administrators, custodial , maintenance, and bus shop

personnel report

Code IV– No one reports

November 2011

November 2011

Raider’s Rendition

Coffee With the

Principals

1

School Closings and

Delay Information

1

Guidance News 2-4

Technology Know-

How

5

Anti-Bullying

Contest and more..

5

Inside this issue:

Coffee with The Principals

Please join Mr. Todd Reichert, Principal and Mr. David Read, Assistant Principal and see what’s brewing at AMS. We will have coffee and homemade pastries. Our next monthly forum will be Friday, November 18th @ 9:00 a.m.

Appomattox Middle School

2020 Church St.

Appomattox, Va. 24522

434-352-8257

Fax 434-352-5621

Todd Reichert, Principal

David Read, Assistant Principal

School Closings and Delay Information

Guidance News

(Day 1) Monday -- Students and staff wore Red Ribbons. Students signed a Pledge Card indicating that drugs and

alcohol will not be a part of their lives.

Today's message: Let's put an end to drug use in Appomattox. Teachers: Please turn in your signed homeroom rosters

to guidance.

(Day 2) Tuesday-- “Sock” bad drugs away from our lives.” Everyone wore a pair of silly, funny, odd, cute, fancy or

sporty socks to school with your shoes. Today’s Message: Enjoy your life by choosing the right time to be silly, funny,

happy and serious.

(Day 3) Wednesday-- Teachers: Encouraged their students to wear red because the homeroom teacher who has the

most kids wearing red will be entered in a drawing. Each grade level will have a winning class for wearing red.

RULES for wearing RED:

Clothing that counts will be shirt, pants, dress or skirt, shoes, and socks.

Ribbons, bows and other accessories will NOT be counted. The majority of the clothing article must be red.

For example: if the shirt is half red and half blue it will count, if a shirt is white with red lettering it will

NOT count.

(Day 4) Thursday--“I’m too cool to ever use DRUGS”—Students and staff looked cool by wearing sunglasses, fake

glasses, or silly glasses. They were removed during instruction. Today’s Message: The good choices we make every day

are what really make us COOL. Remember you make choices in your life every day, and you have the right to change

your mind if you feel the choice you have made will lead to negative consequences.

(Day 5) Friday--“Team Up Against Drugs” Students and staff wore something showing support for the Appomattox

Raiders or their favorite sports team. Students and teachers teamed up for a drug-free life style. They wore their team

shirt and/or jewelry supporting your favorite team.

Today's Message: Students need to know several ways to say – "No. Drugs are not for me!" We need to make positive

and safe choices in selecting our activities.

Announcements:

Monday, October 24

The Red Ribbon Celebration brings millions of people together to raise awareness regarding alcohol, tobacco and

other drug and violence prevention, early intervention, and treatment services. It is the largest, most visible prevention

awareness campaign observed annually in the United States.

Appomattox Middle School rallied and wore red ribbons symbolizing a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. Last week was

known as Raiders’ War on Drugs Red Ribbon Week. Everyone present received red ribbons and wore them all week.

This year our theme is, “I Vote to be Drug-Free!” There was a theme for each day.

Student names were entered in drawings for free prizes.

Page 2 NOVEMBER 2011

Tuesday, October 25

Red Ribbon Week: The Story Behind the Symbol

Enrique “Kiki” Camarena grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a difference. Camarena

worked his way through college, served in the Marines and became a police officer. When he decided to join the U.S.

Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out of it. “I can do this,” he told her. “I’m only one

person, but I want to make a difference.” The DEA sent Camarena to work undercover in Mexico investigating a major

drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police and government. On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year old

Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent’s side and shoved him in a car. One

month later, Camarena’s body was found in a shallow grave. He had been tortured to death. In honor of Camarena’s

memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, sick of

the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena

as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference, and wore red ribbons. Since the first

Red Ribbon Campaign in 1988, the campaign has reached millions of U.S. children.

Wednesday, October 26

Alcohol is a drug found in beer, wine, and liquor. It is the most widely used--and abused-- drug in the United States.

Nearly 10 million American adults are alcoholics--people who can't control their drinking. One study found that three of

every ten students in grades 7 to 12 drink alcohol at least once a week. Drinking and driving is especially deadly. More

than 25,000 people are killed each year in car accidents caused by people drinking. Accidents involving drunken drivers

are the leading cause of death among teenagers.

Youth who start drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholics than young people who

do not drink before the age of 21.

The brain does not finish developing until a person is around 21 years-old, so the risks of losing memory and learning

capacity as well as slowing the capacity for good judgment can be severely affected by the use of alcohol at early ages.

Thursday, October 27

Scientist have found more than 3,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke. At least seven of these chemicals are known to

cause cancer. One of the poisons in cigarette smoke is nicotine. Nicotine is the chemical that hooks smokers and makes

it difficult for them to quit. Studies show that people who smoke have a greater chance of getting cancer and heart

disease.

About 400,000 people die in the U. S. each year from diseases caused by smoking. Some of the chemicals found in

tobacco or smoke include ammonia (used as a household cleaner), arsenic (uses as a poison to kill rats), benzene

(found in paint), cadmium (found inside batteries), carbon monoxide (a gas in car exhaust), formaldehyde (used to

preserve dead bodies), phenol (used in making explosives), and tar (the gooey stuff from smoke that sticks to your

lungs).

Friday, October 28

Scientists have found 400 chemicals in marijuana . Some studies have shown that certain harmful chemicals in

marijuana smoke can stay in a person's body for up to a month. Marijuana has more cancer-causing chemicals than

tobacco, and it can cause lung problems as well. The health risks include lung cancer, inhibits short term memory and

slows reaction time, and impairs visual tracking (the ability to follow moving objects accurately). Marijuana also speeds

a person's heartbeat as much as 50%, increasing the risk of heart disease. Researchers found that users' risk for a heart

attack is four times higher within the first hour after smoking marijuana, compared to their general risk of heart attack

when not smoking. Marijuana is known as a gateway drug which leads to other stronger, harmful drugs such as heroin,

cocaine, and other illegal drugs.

Page 3 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

“No, to

Alcohol,

Drinking

and

Drugs”

An important message from Mr. James and Mrs. Cooter, AMS Guidance Counselors:

Cheating: Here, There, Everywhere

When it comes to cheating, we've all heard the same old songs:

• "It's only cheating if you do it on a test."

• "Our teacher doesn't seem to care or notice, so it's okay to cheat."

• "I'm only cheating this one time because I didn't have a chance to study."

"Everybody's doing it, so it's alright for me to do it, too!"

Being a student means being exposed to all sorts of cheating situations, and deciding what's

right and what's wrong can be pretty confusing. Even if you're super-serious about school, it's

normal to find yourself tempted to cheat, especially when you're under a lot of pressure. It's

also common to think that since so many other students are cheating, it's really not a big

deal…especially if nobody gets caught.

But no matter what you've heard or what excuses you can come up with, cheating IS a big deal.

It can make mega-trouble for you not just in school, but also with your family, friends, and,

sometimes most importantly, yourself.

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife

Copyright © 2005 CastleWorks, Inc. All rights reserved.

~

Volunteer Opportunity

Teen Volunteer Program (Lynchburg General Hospital) - Students must be 14 years old by

January 1 of this year to participate. For more information, please call Anita Lowe, Teen

Coordinator at (434) 947-3228.

~

Mr. James and Mrs. Cooter are very proud of all the students for their participation in Red

Ribbon Week from October 24-28. Your pledge to say "No to Alcohol, Drinking and Drugs" is

very commendable. Thank you for your support in wearing the crazy socks, all the red apparel,

the sun glasses and the team jerseys. A special thank you is extended to the SCA officers,

representatives, sponsors, and principals for their contributions in making the campaign such a

huge success.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY

The Appomattox Middle School Student Council and student body would like to honor our

veterans by inviting them to a free luncheon on Thursday, November 10, 2011, beginning at

12:00 p.m. in the AMS library. We want to say THANK YOU for your service to our country! The

menu will be as follows: meat loaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, roll,

fruit cobbler and an assortment of beverages. Please RSVP by returning

a form that is provided by the students’ homeroom teacher no later

than Monday, November 7 to make your reservation.

Page 4 NOVEMBER 2011

Have you heard? Appo-

mattx Middle School is lead-

ing the way in applying re-

newable energy sources to

our basic transportation

needs. Mr. Sullivan’s Tech-

nology Classes in conjunc-

tion with the 6th

grade sci-

ence classes have been

learning about renewable

and nonrenewable energy

sources and what it takes to

get that energy to do work.

The 6th

grade students built

simple machines and cars

that used photovoltaic cells

AntiAntiAntiAnti----Bullying ContestBullying ContestBullying ContestBullying Contest

The Anti-Bullying Contest began Friday October 21, 2011. Each Raider Room was asked to design a poster with an anti-

bullying theme for Appomattox County Public Schools. The winning poster design will be used for the new refrigerator

magnet for the Appomattox County Public School system. The deadline was Friday, November 4th.

The anti-bullying rules and the new hotline phone number must be on the design and are as follows:

Rule #1 -Raiders will not bully others.

Rule #2 - Raiders will help students who are bullied.

Rule #3 - Raiders will include students who are left out.

Rule #4 - Raiders will tell an adult at school or home if they know someone is being bullied.

The new hotline phone# 434434434434----352352352352----2071 2071 2071 2071 must be on the design.

Technology KnowTechnology KnowTechnology KnowTechnology Know----HowHowHowHow

Would you like to learn about renewable and nonrenewable energy sources?

Page 5 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

Have you heard? Appomattox

Middle School is leading the

way in applying renewable

energy sources to our basic

transportation needs. Mr.

Sullivan’s Technology Classes

in conjunction with the 6th

grade science classes have

been learning about renew-

able and nonrenewable en-

ergy sources and what it

takes to get that energy to do

work.

The 6th

grade students built

simple machines and cars that

used photovoltaic cells to har-

vest the suns energy, which

generated electricity to

power their machines.

Advanced eighth grade Eng-

lish students had a unique

opportunity to gain insight

into the realities behind

George Orwell’s Animal

Farm. After completing a

unit, reading the novel, stu-

dents conducted research

on the key historical charac-

ters portrayed in the story.

Links between were the

novel and the rise of com-

munism in Russia were

noted, particularly as it im-

pacted European and

American history.

Jim and Liz Baker, who re-

cently moved to the area

after being long-term resi-

dents of Kiev, Ukraine, vis-

ited Appomattox Middle

School to further enhance

the students’ exploration of

the novel and history. Draw-

ing on their first-hand ex-

perience of life in a post-

Soviet society, they intro-

duced students to the catas-

trophic results of the Stalin

regime. Students also

learned about aspects of

the culture that was once

known as the Bread Basket

of the Soviet Union. Stu-

dents sampled blinis

(Russian pancakes), exam-

ined Soviet propaganda

posters, watched a short

video about the holodomor

(forced famine) of 1933,

deciphered Soviet news

headlines, explored artifacts

of everyday peasant, farm

life, and wrote their names

in the Cyrillic alphabet

(Russian alphabet). Their

presentation brought to life

the period of history that

inspired the writing of this

novel.

The SCA held it’s annual tennis/

baseball game on Wednesday, Octo-

ber 26th. It was a gorgeous day to be

outside. The students and staff were

excited to be able to put the books

down and pick up a tennis racket for

a day of fun and sun.

Jim and Liz Baker visit AMSJim and Liz Baker visit AMSJim and Liz Baker visit AMSJim and Liz Baker visit AMS

THE

TEACHERS

WON

19-5

Page 6 NOVEMBER 2011

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

Report Cards

2 3 4 5

6

Daylight

savings time

7 8 9 10

Veteran’s Day Luncheon 12:00 in AMS Library/AMS Make-up Picture Day

11

Veteran’s Day Holiday

No School

12

13 14

Dress Code Committee @ SBO 4:30

15 16 17 18

Coffee w/ the Principals 9:00 a.m.

19

20 21

School board meeting @5:30 pm

22 23

1:00 Early dismissal

24

Thanksgiving Holiday—No School

25

Thanksgiving Holiday—No School

26

27 28 29

AMS PTO @ 7:00 p.m.

30

AMS 2011 November Calendar

Page 7 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1

Coach Doug Marshall for being named Coach of the

Year for the

District and Region!

Girls AMS Basketball Try Outs will begin November

14 at 3:15 at the AMS gym. Please be sure you have a

valid VHSL Physical and your academic standing is

good in your classes. Try Outs are open to any girl in

grades 6-8. For more information contact Coach

Marshall.

Doug Marshall

Appomattox Middle School

434-352-8257(school) ext 4252

434-944-0223(cell)

ACHS Head Golf Coach

ACHS Head Boys Tennis Coach

AMS Girls Basketball

A special thank you to everyone from Senora Margaret Donghia who joined the Spanish Club @ Wendy ’ s in Appomattox on Thursday, October 6th. Part of the proceeds will go to the Spanish

clubs at AMS and ACHS.

fÑtÇ|á{ fÑtÇ|á{ fÑtÇ|á{ fÑtÇ|á{ VÉÜÇxÜVÉÜÇxÜVÉÜÇxÜVÉÜÇxÜ Appomattox Middle School Fall Sports

Schedule for Basketball

December 1 vs. Altavista 5:00 pm/6:15 pm

December 5 vs. LCA 5:00pm/6:15 pm

December 7 vs. Cumberland 5:00/6:15 pm

December 12 @ William Campbell 5:00 pm/6:15 pm

December 14 @ Nelson 1:00 pm/2:15 pm

December 15 @ Altavista 5:00 pm/6:15 pm

December 19 vs. Westwood Middle 5:00/6:15 pm

January 4 @ Cumberland 5:00/6:15 pm

January 9 vs. William Campbell 5:00 pm/6:15 pm

January 11 vs. Nelson 1:00 pm/2:15 pm

January 19 @ LCA 4:00 pm/5:15 pm

January 26 vs. Linkhorne Middle 5:00 pm/6:15 pm

February 1 @ Cumberland Tournament 7:30 pm (Girls only

Vs. Goochland)

February 2 @ Cumberland Tournament 5:00 (Boys vs.

Goochland)

6:15 pm (Girls vs. Cumberland)

7:30 pm (Boys vs. Cumberland)