Congratulations to our April Staff Member of the Month - Dr. Graefe!
Staff Member of the Month is voted on by students, and students are given the option of sharing why they believe their chosen staff member deserves recognition. Along with making learning fun, these are some things students had to say about Dr. Graefe:
“She is always willing to help even when she’s not feeling her best she’s always here. She teaches really strongly and I think that she makes everything so much easier because she works it out with us.”
“She is a great teacher and is very passionate about her job.”
“She is kind to everyone and she has been helpful for any work and had explained them to me where I can learn it more clearly.”
We are so grateful to have Dr. Graefe as part of our Longhorn team!
Staff Member of the Month is voted on by students, and students are given the option of sharing why they believe their chosen staff member deserves recognition. Along with making learning fun, these are some things students had to say about Dr. Graefe:
“She is always willing to help even when she’s not feeling her best she’s always here. She teaches really strongly and I think that she makes everything so much easier because she works it out with us.”
“She is a great teacher and is very passionate about her job.”
“She is kind to everyone and she has been helpful for any work and had explained them to me where I can learn it more clearly.”
We are so grateful to have Dr. Graefe as part of our Longhorn team!
Check out this FREE family fun event on April 22 at 5:30pm, starting in the Eisenhower Elementary Parking lot. Food, games, and prizes at the end of the course! Don't forget to wear a white shirt to get colorful along the route!
Congratulations to our AMS Students of the Week for April 7, 2026. The 8th graders in this group all interviewed to be the speaker at this year's 8th grade Recognition Ceremony, and this was the largest group to ever sign up for the chance. We are proud of them for putting themselves out there and trying something new! The 6th & 7th graders in this group are being honored for their efforts in the classroom - from improving work ethic to always maintaining an excellent work ethic, despite the volume that sometimes comes with middle schoolers, we are proud of their academic efforts!
6th grade - L. McCoy, S. Jaimes
7th grade - K. Smith, F. Kevern, S. Sulser
8th grade - J. Sinclair, G. Smith, C. Geering, P. Immel, E. Jermark, A. Kraft, G. Ogden, C. Klein, K. Caffrey, Z. Bogart, B. Pekarek (the chosen speaker!), B. Ebersole
6th grade - L. McCoy, S. Jaimes
7th grade - K. Smith, F. Kevern, S. Sulser
8th grade - J. Sinclair, G. Smith, C. Geering, P. Immel, E. Jermark, A. Kraft, G. Ogden, C. Klein, K. Caffrey, Z. Bogart, B. Pekarek (the chosen speaker!), B. Ebersole
Congratulations to our AMS Scholars Bowl teams on their performances at the NCKL Tournament today in Marysville. The 7th grade team is bringing home the 2nd place medals!!!
The AMS Robotics Team competed at Ft. Hays State University on Monday. Challenges their robots had to compete included climbing over rungs of a ladder, following a map line, sorting colored items, and making it through mazes, among other categories. T. Taylor and G. Ogden created a robot that won 4th place in the "mystery maze" competition! Congratulations to these girls and to Mrs. Millican and the whole team on a great day of sharing their robotics knowledge :)
Congratulations to our AMS Students of the Week! This group has two types of students included - half of them were nominated because they have turned around their efforts in classes and have been showing initiative and growth, and the other half were nominated because they are showing that they are just genuinely good human beings - in classes, out in the community, etc. Both groups make us proud!
6th grade - S. Lawrence, V. Thorp
7th grade - H. Madden, L. Wallace, J. Reifsnyder
8th grade - T. Medina, W. Black, B. Huhman, E. Bartley, N. Gonzalez, J. Jones, D. Avig
6th grade - S. Lawrence, V. Thorp
7th grade - H. Madden, L. Wallace, J. Reifsnyder
8th grade - T. Medina, W. Black, B. Huhman, E. Bartley, N. Gonzalez, J. Jones, D. Avig
Hello AMS Families,
All students at AMS will take the reading and math state assessments starting next week, so we need your help to make sure they arrive at school every day between March 30 and April 10 well rested, having eaten something protein-based for breakfast (or eating school breakfast), and carrying in fully charged iPads. We will follow a block schedule each day for these two testing weeks, so the first day will be hours 1, 3, 5, 7, & STAR and the second day will be hours 2, 4, 6, LH #1, LH #2, and STAR, and then we will rotate through days 1 and 2 through the end of testing. Thank you for your support to help our students focus and show off all they have learned this year!
All students at AMS will take the reading and math state assessments starting next week, so we need your help to make sure they arrive at school every day between March 30 and April 10 well rested, having eaten something protein-based for breakfast (or eating school breakfast), and carrying in fully charged iPads. We will follow a block schedule each day for these two testing weeks, so the first day will be hours 1, 3, 5, 7, & STAR and the second day will be hours 2, 4, 6, LH #1, LH #2, and STAR, and then we will rotate through days 1 and 2 through the end of testing. Thank you for your support to help our students focus and show off all they have learned this year!
Thank you to those students and families who dropped in for conferences and/or attended Related Arts Night! It was a successful evening sharing information, celebrating student work, and getting to see some great student performances.
Enjoy your break, Longhorns!
Enjoy your break, Longhorns!
AMS families - we look forward to seeing you tonight from 3pm-7pm for drop-in Parent/Teacher Conferences and to celebrate the work our students are doing in Related Arts classes. Make sure to plan for special performances by our band and vocal students from 6-7pm in the commons. See you there!
Congratulations to this week's AMS Students of the Week. This is a group that shows kindness to others, stands up for their peers when someone is less than friendly, and works hard to excel in their classwork. Great job, Longhorns! Keep it up :)
6th grade - M. Norton, O. Avig
7th grade - J. Rouse, N. Garza
8th grade - B. Huhman, N. Pelfrey, W. Hageman
6th grade - M. Norton, O. Avig
7th grade - J. Rouse, N. Garza
8th grade - B. Huhman, N. Pelfrey, W. Hageman
We are celebrating "Start with Hello" week at AMS - focusing on inclusion within our school community. Mrs. Wilkins grabbed this picture during our outside activity time at lunch - a small circle of kids tossing the volleyball around kept getting bigger and bigger as kids joined in. Everyone was welcome - no one turned away. It is an excellent example of our goal this week!! We get to work with some pretty amazing students at AMS!
Congratulations to our March Staff Member of the Month - Mr. Rose!
Staff Member of the Month is voted on by students, and students are given the option of sharing why they believe their chosen staff member deserves recognition. Along with being chill, these are some things students had to say about Mr. Rose:
“He makes Social studies fun and easier to learn and he is a great football coach and makes every thing more fun.”
“He is a very entertaining enjoyable person and teacher, he makes learning about our history fun and easy! He cares about us and wants to help us learn.”
"He helps everyone when people don’t know what to do and is very kind."
We are so grateful to have Mr. Rose as part of our Longhorn team!
Staff Member of the Month is voted on by students, and students are given the option of sharing why they believe their chosen staff member deserves recognition. Along with being chill, these are some things students had to say about Mr. Rose:
“He makes Social studies fun and easier to learn and he is a great football coach and makes every thing more fun.”
“He is a very entertaining enjoyable person and teacher, he makes learning about our history fun and easy! He cares about us and wants to help us learn.”
"He helps everyone when people don’t know what to do and is very kind."
We are so grateful to have Mr. Rose as part of our Longhorn team!
Congratulations to this week's AMS Students of the Week! Several of the kiddos in this group have been studying hard for vocabulary tests AND taking advantage of every extra credit opportunity! Other in this group are working hard to adjust their work ethic from the past and are seeing the difference in their grades. Keep it up, Longhorns!
6th grade - P. Ferris, V. McNutt
7th grade - G. Foster, J. Loucks, H. McCoy
8th grade - S. Fortner, L. Riffel, C. Depew, J. Ottensmeier
6th grade - P. Ferris, V. McNutt
7th grade - G. Foster, J. Loucks, H. McCoy
8th grade - S. Fortner, L. Riffel, C. Depew, J. Ottensmeier
Please join us for Spring Parent/Teacher conferences March 11 and 12 AND Related Arts night on March 12.
Come work with us at AMS! We need a Lead Custodian for daytime and management AND an evening custodian. Both positions are benefits eligible and starting custodial pay is $14/hour (experience will boost that number). Please help us spread the word!
Good morning, Longhorns! This is a reminder that students may not consume energy drinks at AMS during the school day. This rule is in place for student health and student success!
While caffeine can give short bursts of energy, large amounts more often lead to negative side effects which can make it difficult for students to be successful at school. Additionally, the AAP recommends avoiding caffeine entirely for children under 12 and limiting caffeine to 100 mg for adolescents aged 12-18. All of the energy drinks we see students with here at school exceed that.
Dr. Delay and Dr. James have recently had to confiscate a lot of energy drinks from students. When this happens, students are given the choice of throwing away the energy drink or being able to pick it up in the office at the end of the day. Students are allowed to have juice, flavored water, and soda during their lunch period, and, while soda does have caffeine in it, the amount is often 2-4x less than what is in an energy drink. For the rest of the school day, students may only have water.
We have also had many students share how many energy drinks they're consuming outside of school. For some kids, they are drinking as many as 3-4 a day. Depending on which energy drink they're consuming, that much caffeine exceeds the FDA's recommended limit for adults! Please take a chance to talk with your kids about healthy habits and why it's important to limit caffeine intake!
While caffeine can give short bursts of energy, large amounts more often lead to negative side effects which can make it difficult for students to be successful at school. Additionally, the AAP recommends avoiding caffeine entirely for children under 12 and limiting caffeine to 100 mg for adolescents aged 12-18. All of the energy drinks we see students with here at school exceed that.
Dr. Delay and Dr. James have recently had to confiscate a lot of energy drinks from students. When this happens, students are given the choice of throwing away the energy drink or being able to pick it up in the office at the end of the day. Students are allowed to have juice, flavored water, and soda during their lunch period, and, while soda does have caffeine in it, the amount is often 2-4x less than what is in an energy drink. For the rest of the school day, students may only have water.
We have also had many students share how many energy drinks they're consuming outside of school. For some kids, they are drinking as many as 3-4 a day. Depending on which energy drink they're consuming, that much caffeine exceeds the FDA's recommended limit for adults! Please take a chance to talk with your kids about healthy habits and why it's important to limit caffeine intake!
AMS Families - please join our Parent Planning Committee's Social Media pages to sign up for concession stands this Thursday (basketball NCKL) and April 9 (track) and to watch for sign-ups to help with Night of the Stars!
SportsYou Code: MTDH-SMHD
On Facebook: Search for Abilene Middle School Parent Planning Committee
SportsYou Code: MTDH-SMHD
On Facebook: Search for Abilene Middle School Parent Planning Committee
We are getting an early start on asking for volunteers to drive for this year's Night of the Stars. If you are interested in driving one of the brand new cars loaned to us by Holm Automotive to deliver students to the red carpet on May 20, starting at 5pm, please call the AMS office at 785-263-1471 to get on the list. Thank you in advance!
Congratulations to this week's Students of the Week! This is a group of brightly shining souls who bring happiness to our classrooms and who work hard to earn their grades by learning, especially when they have to miss classes. Keep up the hard work, Longhorns!
6th - H. Collie, A. Davis
7th - K. Geering, Z. Ross
8th - T. Cornell, D. Day
6th - H. Collie, A. Davis
7th - K. Geering, Z. Ross
8th - T. Cornell, D. Day
The Abilene Middle School Parent Planning Committee is meeting on Monday, February 23 at 6pm in the AMS Library. We NEED your help to cover the home track meet concession stand AND to plan the decorations, meal, and drivers for Night of the Stars. We would really love to have 6th grade parents join in the fun and maybe even step into the role of PPC President or Treasurer for next year. Please join us Monday at 6pm after the home basketball game :)