Friday Falcon
Avon High School Newsletter September 2017 - Volume 1:1
Principal's Newsletter
As the newly appointed principal of the school, one of my prime responsibilities is to communicate with the stakeholders of the Avon High School community. With that idea in mind, we are very excited to produce our first edition of the the Friday Falcon. Going forward, we expect to send out the Friday Falcon every other Friday. Our mission is to help publicize all the great things that are happening in our classrooms, on our athletic fields, and in our extracurricular activities each month. We also hope to share important information about the school as needed.
In each edition of the Friday Falcon, we have asked the various departments of the school to share their news, photos, and upcoming events. There are links to the Avon PTO and to the Athletic Booster Club. The school counseling department will also share information.
Enjoy the rest of the newsletter.
Best Regards,
Dave Peling
Principal, Avon High School
Avon High School Updates
CAPSTONE PROJECT - Graduation Requirement for Class of 2018
All Avon High School students are now required to complete a Capstone project as part of their graduation requirements. Through the Capstone project, students will independently tackle a complex real world problem or engage in an intellectual pursuit that is guided by a personal passion or intellectual curiosity. Students will ultimately demonstrate that they have acquired the requisite knowledge and skills through developing and implementing an action plan, and defending their process and product, results, or position to an authentic audience. The Capstone project is taken in student's senior year, but can be started in the summer prior to senior year. Completion of a Capstone project is a graduation requirement. Full details, including the timeline, are available in The Capstone Handbook, which is available on our website.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Last spring the Avon Board of Education revised the high school graduation requirements, moving from the required 25 credits for the class of 2019 back to the original 22.5 credits. The original requirements were maintained with four additional requirements to be managed within the 22.5 credits. These include a 1.0 credit of World Language, a 0.5 credit of personal finance, a 1.0 STEM elective credit, and a 0.5 credit for a Capstone project. With these changes the elective choices dropped from 7 credits to 4 credits. A complete breakdown of the credit requirements and elective choices can be found in the Course of Studies, which is available on our website.
UpComing Events
September 17th - AHS Booster Club Ticket Drive at 12:00pm
September 18th - AHS PTO Meeting at 7:45am
September 25th - F.A.M.E. Meeting at 7pm
September 28th - AHS Open House at 6:30pmOctober 2nd - AHS Financial Aid Night at 6:30pm
October 16th - AHS PTO Meeting at 7:45am
October 16th - AHS Booster Club Meeting at 7pm
October 23rd - F.A.M.E. Meeting at 7pm
AHS Reminders
Avon MotoPhoto
11East Main Street
Avon, CT 06001
860-470-7939
AHS Parking
Parking applications are available for pick up in the main office for juniors who wish to have their names entered into the lottery for junior parking Session I. There is a very limited number of parking spaces due to the increase in senior parking permits given this year. In order to be equitable for the allocation of these spaces, there will be two lotteries, where applications will be chosen at random. Session I will run from October 2 to February 2 and Session II will run from February 5 to June 11. If the number of applications exceeds the number of parking spaces available, there is a possibility that a junior may not get a parking permit this school year. In this case, juniors may park at Avon Middle School as is past practice.
Parking applications must be filled out completely and returned with proof of a current operator’s license and vehicle registration, as well as a check for $75.00 made payable to Avon High School (cash may be used, if the application is delivered in person). Proof of license and registration means the student must submit a copy of their license and car registration. The registration should be of the car mostly likely driven to school. If a student only has a learner’s permit, they may apply for a parking space to get into the lottery, and indicate they have a permit (include number where it says license number). Permits will only be handed out to students who possess a valid driver’s license. All applications must be turned into the office no later than Monday, September 25, 2017. Students who are chosen will be notified September 27, 2017 and will be able to pick up their permits on Friday, September 29, 2017. Any outstanding obligations must be cleared in order to receive parking permits.
Community Conversation: "Your Voice Matters - Selecting the Avon Superintendent of Schools"
The Board of Education will be hosting two evening opportunities for community members to share their insight on the selection of the next Avon Superintendent of Schools.
The Avon Board of Education has contracted with search consultant, Dr. Joseph Erardi, to facilitate one hour meetings dedicated to gathering community input for the superintendent's hiring process. These meeting are open to the public and will be held on October 4th and October 11th in the Community Room of Avon High School, 510 West Avon Road, and begins at 7:00pm.
If you are unable to attend the above mentioned gatherings, you are invited to drop in anytime between 7:00pm and 8:00pm on either October 16th or 23rd to share your thoughts with Dr. Erardi.
Any Avon resident needing additional information on the community conversation should contact Dr. Erardi at 860-417-3111.
Congratulations Due
National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
Congratulations to the following AHS National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists: John H. Carroll, Ayushi U. Hegde, Caroline S. Nisbet, Maitreya Vyas, Alec Wang, Erin T. Weston and Kelly Y. Zheng. This is an amazing achievement!
Congrats to Dr. Eileen O'Neil for completing her doctorate early this summer.
School Counseling News
Welcome back Class of 2018 and Families!
It is finally here- Senior year! We have an exciting and busy year ahead of us. Your School Counselors look forward to meeting with you individually to discuss your college/post-secondary process. We ask that seniors coordinate these individualized meetings with their parents, and set up an initial meeting with their School Counselor using the Avon Gmail Calendar. We ask that after the student/parent/counselor meeting, each student follows up with the counselor on a regular basis.
In addition to these individual and family meetings, we will be hosting a Financial Aid Night presented by the University of Hartford on Monday, October 2, at 6:30 in the AHS Auditorium. We are encouraging senior and junior students and parents to attend this program where helpful information will be distributed, including updates regarding the new FAFSA timeline. To best plan for the evening, we ask that you please RSVP, by clicking here. Also, just as a reminder, if you are preparing for additional ACT/SAT testing, there is a free personalized prep program for both tests embedded into Naviance. These can be accessed by clicking “Test Prep” on your Naviance home page.
To complement our meetings throughout the year, we are including links to a few important documents:
The first is a timeline that outlines many important topics and dates throughout the year.
Finally, we have two very important documents that are related to the college application process: College Planning Checklist and our electronic Transcript Request Form.
In addition to these resources, we ask that you regularly visit our department website (http://avonhighschoolcounselingdepartment.weebly.com/) for important information/updates, and helpful links. As always, if at any point in time you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your counselor, as we are just a visit, phone call or email away.
-Your AHS School Counseling Team
Peter Ettlinger, Andrew Ellrod, Lissa Irvine, Laura Sullivan, and Heather Toyen
Lucia Esposito (School Counseling Secretary)
Welcome back Class of 2019 and Families!
Junior year is a time for you to continue to build upon your academic and personal resumes. Your School Counselors look forward to working with you as we begin the transition planning for the next chapter after AHS. In January, at the end of the first semester/start of the second semester, we would like to meet with all juniors and their families to walk you through the college/post-secondary process. We ask that juniors coordinate these individualized meetings with their parents, and set up an initial meeting with their School Counselor using the Avon Gmail Calendar. We ask that after the student/parent/counselor meeting, that each student follows up with the counselor on a regular basis.
In addition to these individual and family meetings, we will be hosting a Financial Aid Night presented by the University of Hartford on Monday, October 2, at 6:30 in the AHS Auditorium. We are encouraging senior and junior students and parents to attend this program where helpful information will be distributed, including updates regarding the new FAFSA timeline. To best plan for the evening, we ask that you please RSVP, by clicking here. We will be hosting a Post-Secondary Planning Night designed for juniors and their families on December 11, 2017. We are excited to announce that we will once again be hosting a joint college fair with Simsbury High School at AHS, with a tentative date of Tuesday, March 27. For updates on this event and more, please visit our department website by using the link below.
Regarding standardized testing, there are a few dates that are important to note. On Wednesday, October 11, all juniors will complete the PSAT at no cost. This will provide valuable practice and feedback for the SAT. You can click on the following to access additional information on the PSAT program. We are in the third year of the state of Connecticut requiring all eleventh graders to take the SAT without writing. All juniors will test on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. No pre-registration is required for either of these two assessments. As you start to prepare for the ACT/SAT, we wanted to let you know there is a free personalized prep program for both tests embedded into Naviance. These can be accessed by clicking “Test Prep” on your Naviance home page.
To complement our meetings throughout the year, we are including a few links to documents that we thought you might find of interest. The first of which is a timeline that outlines many important topics and dates throughout the year. The second is a reminder of the many academic resources that are available to all students at AHS.
In addition to these resources, we ask that you regularly visit our department website (http://avonhighschoolcounselingdepartment.weebly.com/) for important information/updates, and helpful links. As always, if at any point in time you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your counselor, as we are just a visit, phone call or email away.
-Your AHS School Counseling Team
Peter Ettlinger, Andrew Ellrod, Lissa Irvine, Laura Sullivan, and Heather Toyen
Lucia Esposito (School Counseling Secretary)
Welcome back Class of 2020 and Families!
As you start the mid-way point of your time at AHS, it is a time for you to continue to build upon your academic and personal resumes. Your School Counselors look forward to working with you as you continue to explore your strengths and how they might relate to post-high school planning. We will be hosting a Post-Secondary Planning Night designed for juniors and their families on December 11, 2017, but sophomores are welcome to attend. We also will be meeting in small small groups in early March to complete and review a personality and interest inventory located in Naviance.
Tentatively scheduled for March 28, we look forward to hosting our annual Career Fair. While we have many programs scheduled during the year, our doors are always open.
Regarding standardized testing, there is a noteworthy date. On Wednesday, October 11, all sophomores will complete the PSAT, in school, at no cost. No pre-registration is required. This will provide valuable practice and feedback for the SAT. You can click on the following to access additional information on the PSAT program.
To complement our meetings this year, we are including a few additional links to documents that we thought you might find of interest. The first of which is a timeline that outlines many important topics and dates throughout the year. The second is a reminder of the many academic support services that are available to all students at AHS.
In addition to these included resources, we ask that you regularly visit our department website (http://avonhighschoolcounselingdepartment.weebly.com/) for important information/updates, and helpful links. As always, if at any point in time you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your counselor, as we are just a visit, phone call or email away.
-Your AHS School Counseling Team
Peter Ettlinger, Andrew Ellrod, Lissa Irvine, Laura Sullivan, and Heather Toyen
Lucia Esposito (School Counseling Secretary)
Welcome Class of 2021 and Families!
As you begin your high school journey, we want to introduce ourselves and highlight some of the interactions we will have this year. Your School Counselors look forward to working with you as you explore your strengths and grow, not only as a student, but as a person as well. Part of this will include small group meetings with your Counselor in October and March. During these meetings, we will discuss the transition to high school, supports that are available to you, goal setting, and the importance of getting involved at AHS. You will also complete and review a Learning Styles inventory located in Naviance. While we have these meetings scheduled during the year, please know that our doors are always open.
To complement our time together this year, we are including a few links to important documents for your use and reference this year. The first of which, is a timeline that outlines many important topics and dates throughout the year. The second, is a listing to help you become aware of the many academic support services that are available to all students at AHS. The final attachment is a brochure that highlights the transition to the high school.
In addition to these included resources, we ask that you regularly visit our department website (http://avonhighschoolcounselingdepartment.weebly.com/) for important information/updates, and helpful links. We look forward to meeting you and working together this year. As always, if at any point in time you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your counselor, as we are just a visit, phone call or email away.
-Your AHS School Counseling Team
Peter Ettlinger, Andrew Ellrod, Lissa Irvine, Laura Sullivan, and Heather Toyen
Lucia Esposito (School Counseling Secretary)Avon High School's Athletics Booster Club
F.A.M.E. - Avon's Music Booster Club
Come join F.A.M.E., Avon High School's Music Booster Club. Friends of Avon Music Education (F.A.M.E.) is a music and theater booster club at Avon High School which supports each of the music disciplines along with the theater department. Our organization was founded in 1996 by a group of parents who were interested in supporting the AHS music program.
Our first meeting of the school year will take place on Monday, September 25 at 7 pm in the Choir Room. All are welcome. Any questions? Please contact any of our board members:
Robin Lazinsk (rdlazinsk@hotmail.com ), President
Gwendolyn Hahn (Gwenhahn64@gmail.com), Vice President
Lynne Zemaitis (lzemaitis1973@gmail.com) and
Susan Lybeck (susanlybeck@hotmail.com), Secretaries
Meredith Jobe (the4jobes@gmail.com), Treasurer
Student Activities and Clubs
Avon High School GSA - The meetings for the Gay Straight Alliance at Avon High School will be on Friday after school in room W202. All are welcome. See Mrs. LaBrosse or send an email to jlabrosse@avon.k12.ct.us for more information.
The Avon High School Math Team has started practicing for it first meet on October 11th at Bristol Eastern High School. The team is practicing on Tuesdays after school in Mr. Lukowicz's room, W210. See Mr. Lukowicz or Mrs. LaBrosse for more information.
Science Olympiad
The AHS Science Olympiad team is currently looking for grade 9-12 students that have enthusiasm for science and a competitive spirit. We will be competing in the CT Science Olympiad competition at UCONN on April 7, 2018. Students will prepare for competition in 23 different STEM focused events. Events vary in format including written test, laboratory inquiry, and some require to students to build a device to bring to competition to compete with. Our first team meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 18th at 2:30 in Room N200. Please contact our faculty supervisors with questions.
Andrea Galuska - agaluska@avon.k12.ct.us
Janet Loynes - jloynes@avon.k12.ct.us
Greg Dunford - gdunford@avon.k12.ct.us
AHS Theater
Preparations begin....
Language Arts
By Jenna Aylsworth
We are excited to be rolling out a brand new Capstone project at Avon High School! All AHS graduating seniors will be completing an inquiry-based research project that will culminate in a presentation during which they will reveal their “product” and defend their position. Possible inquiry areas--and the related research questions and sub-topics--are wide-ranging and open-ended, so students have the flexibility to acquire new learning and demonstrate the skills they’ve learned throughout their years at Avon Public Schools, all while focusing on something they’re excited about. So far, students have proposed projects ranging from a thesis-driven paper examining how (and how should) the FDA regulates the cosmetic industry to writing a graphic novel to best portray the Filipino-American experience to discovering the best and most environmentally sound way to refit an engine.
Important due date: 9/22 all students must submit proposals via google classroom.
For more information, see the handbook at the link below.
World Languages
A special moment took place in the heritage honors class. The students had the honor and unique opportunity to interview Patricia Fuenmayor, a famous Venezuelan news anchor and former Miss Venezuela 1997. The students asked relevant questions regarding the current economic and political crisis taking place in Venezuela. They asked questions about her migration to the U.S., the risks of being a news reporter and how she has been able to maintain the language and culture in her own children now that they are United States residents. They asked about the Venezuela of her childhood and how it compares to Venezuela today and about how the crisis is impacting Venezuelan youth. The students showed much composure despite their obvious excitement! It was very inspiring for the students.
Below you will find the interview with Ms. Patricia Fuenmayor.
Carrera: Reportera
Miss Venezuela 1997
Fecha de la entrevista
Por Spanish Heritage Class
El 13 de Septiembre, 2017
1. ¿Cuál fue el cambio más grande que sufriste al mudarse a los EE.UU?
Las costumbres...Las costumbres son muy diferentes pero lo más importante es tener fé y una buena actitud.
1.What was the most difficult thing you experienced when you moved to the U.S? The customs and traditions are very different so it’s important to have faith and have a positive attitude
2. ¿ Cómo mantienes la identidad cultural de tus hijos?
Uno cría a sus hijos como a uno los criaron...tienen que hablar en Español...En casa les hablamos español.
2. How do you maintain the cultural identity of your children?
People raise their children the way they were raised. They have to speak in Spanish. At home we speak in Spanish.
3. ¿Cómo era Venezuela cuando eras niña y cómo se compara ahora?
Era un país como los Estados Unidos con muchas libertades y oportunidades ahora es una dictadura. Hay mucha inseguridad, no hay acceso a comida, dinero...no hay oportunidades. El gobierno se basa en la estructura política...el Chavismo.
3. How do you maintain the cultural identity of your children?
People raise their children the way they were raised. They have to speak in Spanish. At home we speak in Spanish.
4. ¿Cómo está afectando la crisis económica a la juventud en Venezuela? ¿Y a la educación?
Muchos planean irse del país. Tienen que dejar sus carreras ya que no pueden ni comprar comida.
4. How is the current crisis affecting the youth of Venezuela?
Many are planning to flee Venezuela. They have to leave their jobs and their schools. They are leaving because they can’t even buy food.
5. ¿Qué debe saber la juventud Estadounidense sobre la crisis?
La importancia de ejercer su derecho al voto, deben elegir bien a sus políticos, y prepararse bien en la escuela para el futuro.
5. What should the United States youth learn from the crisis in Venezuela?
They should exercise their rights and vote in elections. They should choose their leadership well. They should also prepare themselves as much as possible for their future in school.
6. ¿Por qué te has dedicado a ser reportera, es peligroso?
Estudié periodismo en Venezuela, soy ancla, uno toma sus riesgos...pero hay a quién les gusta y quién tiene esa actitud que se presta a la carrera y se les hace facil.
6. Why did you become a journalist, is it dangerous?
I studied journalism in Venezuela, I’m an anchor. As journalists we take our risks. But for some this is easy because they have the attitude that it takes to be able to succeed in the field.
Visual Arts
By Sara Glick and Jill van Slooten
Welcome to another exciting year in Art! Students have been working on collaborative and installation pieces. The first was "We are Visual Arts Students and We Are..."
The display shows the amount of students involved in the Visual Arts at AHS!
The second installation piece is a Color Theory Tree where students decorated leaves according to specific color schemes. The various classes then collaborated and added their leaves to the tree and create a larger work that has brightened our AHS lobby.
Music
By Andrew Brochu