Principal’s Corner
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 12:59PM 
Dear Middle School Parents,
Welcome back for another exceptional academic year at the ACS Athens Middle School. I would like to welcome all of you and introduce myself to the parents of newly enrolled students. For those parents whom I met at Back to School Night, I speak not only for myself, but also for faculty when I say that your help and support is truly appreciated. Your positive comments and kind words of encouragement simply make us want to reach even higher standards.
Allow me to share with you some information regarding my background and credentials. My name is Mary-Ann Augoustatos and I am from Manhattan, New York. It is my pleasure to be returning for my fourth year as the Principal of the ACS Athens Middle School. I have spent 22 enjoyable years as an educator, most of which was spent at ACS. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Manhattan College in New York and a Masters of Arts in Education from the University of La Verne, California (Athens campus). I am a certified International School Administrator and a High School Mathematics teacher from the State of New York. I am currently seeking to enroll in a Doctoral program in Education.
My teaching experience consists of High School Mathematics courses throughout all academic levels with an emphasis on IB and Honors level courses. I have 19 years of mathematics teaching experience with ACS Athens. In addition to my responsibilities as a teacher and a principal, I have held a variety of professional positions within the ACS Athens community. For 16 years of my instructional career I acted as the JK-12 Mathematics Department Chair at having created the position of Elementary School Math Specialist and the ACS Mathematics Competition as a few of my highlights. Two years prior to becoming principal, I assumed the position of JK-12 Technology Department Chair concurrently.
I also served as a team member on the Committee of Institution- wide Accreditation of the Middle School Association of Colleges and School (MSA). In addition, I was also was invited to attend an MSA Chair training Workshop and shortly after its completion I acted as a Co-Chair of the MSA.
For the past two years, I have also held the position of JK-12 Academic Department Chair Council Coordinator.
Here at ACS we believe that student learning is a shared effort of the student, their teachers and their family. Our teachers aim to cultivate a sense of responsibility, belonging and enthusiasm in each class they attend or activity they are a part of. At ACS Athens we insure that your child/ren will develop skills that will equip them for the future as life-long learners and global citizens.
It is my belief that continual support from parents and teachers and each child’s unique curiosity create the leaders of tomorrow. A teacher’s role is to facilitate the learner’s path to becoming autonomous life-long learners. Having high expectations and challenging students to reach their full potential, is the foundation of a child’s education. In this way, we build strong assertive leaders of society whose hard work will then inspire the generations to come. My faculty is a group of compassionate and dedicated individuals who are enthusiastic about working with young adults. Nothing pleases me more to be a part of a community that has as its focus a child’s successful future.
Thinking back to the beginning of the year, it is impressive to count the many successful activities that have taken place at the Middle School due to the consistent hard work and dedication of our faculty to our school. The first day of school, Student Council elections and Bonding Day were all incredible learning experiences for our students. Let’s try to keep this incredible momentum going. We are looking forward to this year’s events including: UN Day, Spirit week, the Bowls, Art Exhibitions, and Middle School Awards ceremony.
I look forward to this productive and gratifying academic year. Please remember to check “Skyward”, the Middle School Principal’s corner, our website for athletic events and announcements as well as our school calendar so that you are kept abreast of all recent developments. We are also available by phone in the main office for any clarifications at any time.
I wish both to you and your child/ren the best for this year and the following years to come.
Sincerely,
Mary-Ann Augoustatos
ACS Athens Middle School Principal