Oriole's Nest
September 9, 2022
Avon Middle School South
Email: msattendance@avon-schools.org
Website: https://www.avon-schools.org/mssouth
Location: 7199 East US Highway 36, Avon, IN, USA
Phone: 317-544-5700
Twitter: @avonsouth
ACSC 2022 - 2023 School Calendar
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
October 6, 2022 - Picture Retake Day
October 10 - 21, 2022 - Fall Break - NO SCHOOL!
November 8, 2022 - E-Learning Day - All students work from home this day
November 23 - 25, 2022 - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL!
UPCOMING ATHLETIC EVENTS
Football
7th grade: 9/15 HOME vs. Tri-West 5:30PM
8th grade: 9/15 HOME vs. Tri-West 7:00PM
Good luck!
Volleyball
9/12 AWAY vs. Brownsburg West 5:00PM
9/14 AWAY vs. Center Grove Central 5:00PM
9/15 HOME vs. Brownsburg East 5:00PM
Good luck!
Cross Country
9/12 HOME vs. Brownsburg East 5:00PM
9/15 HOME vs. Danville 5:00PM
Good luck!
Girls' Golf
9/12 HOME vs. Plainfield 5:00PM - Oak Tree
9/15 HOME - County 5:00PM - Oak Tree
Good luck!
Boys Basketball Open Gym - Date Change this Week!
This week - Open Gym for Boys Basketball will be
Monday, September 12th instead of Wednesday, 9/14.
Boys Basketball will begin pre-season open gyms will be from 8:00 - 9:00AM before school on Wednesdays. These workouts are optional and will be held every Wednesday. Please enter door 14.
A physical must have been completed after April 1, 2022 and uploaded to your PRIVIT account. If the student-athlete is not cleared in PRIVIT, they will not be able to participate. The required paperwork can be found by clicking on the links below.
STUDENT INFORMATION
Student Laptops
Please remind your student(s) to charge their computers each night.
2022 - 2023 Yearbook Cover Contest
CALLING ALL ARTISTS!
Yearbook Cover Contest!
We are inviting students to show their school spirit by designing the front and back covers of the 2022-2023 Yearbook! Review the attached document with all the information for the contest!
Any questions should be sent to Mrs. Boroff and entries are due Tuesday, October 4.
Order a 2022 - 2023 AMS South Yearbook now!
Yearbooks for the 2022 - 2023 school year are now on sale!
Below is more information for ordering this years yearbook, there is a flyer and a link to Josten's webpage.
Celebrating Birthday's This Week!
Happy Birthday
to our students celebrating a birthday this week:
Franck Ruhamanya
Andre Warfield
Victor Osuna
Divine Uwingeneye
Bryce Eagen
Trew Holbrook
Hayden Sherman
Eric Majors
Kendall Aspling
Haley Clephane
Richard Bolen
Breanna Padilla
Adriano Rodriguez
Amritpal Singh
Justin Hernandez Palacios
Grace Lentz
Anir Benayad
Lucas Dorothy
Zane Echard
Giovany Flores Arteaga
Gurshan Singh
NJHS Study Tables
National Junior Honor Society will offer after school study help sessions on Wednesday’s after school from 4:10 - 5:00PM. Students will then go to the front commons area and wait for the late bus or parent pick-up. During this time, there will be a supervisor with the students while they wait for the late bus to arrive. Students that will be a car rider home on these days can be picked up at door 1 at 5:00PM.
If your student will be staying for the study session and they need bus transportation home they must sign up for the late bus in the Guidance Office at lunch that day. For those students taking the late bus home, the bus will leave AMS South at 5:10pm.
TEAM NEWS
Each week your child's team will give an update about the current week or week ahead. Please find your child's team below for that information. In addition, you will find news from our Encore teachers, Media Center, and PE/Wellness teachers.
Cardinals News
Mrs. Dugan, Mrs. Williams, Mr. Schubert & Mr. Uhl
In Social Studies, we will finish learning about the different types of governments before testing on Thursday! In Science, we will use the scientific method to investigate how different liquids impact mass. In Math, we will be starting Chapter 3 with adding and subtracting integers (positive and negative numbers). In Pre-Algebra, we will be finishing up solving algebraic equations and expressions and getting ready for the Unit 2 Test on Friday. In Language Arts, students will work on improving their ToSEEC writing with more practice and read chapters 13-15 in Red Scarf Girl. We will visit the library on Friday!
Grizzlies News
Mrs. Barnes, Mrs. Boroff, Mrs. Schroer & Ms. Weinstein
Next week in Language Arts, we will be reading Chapters 13-16 of our narrative novel, Red Scarf Girl, and beginning our preparations for our Unit 7A Assessment on September 20. Students have been informed (beginning on 9/6) that they have until the 20th to submit missing and late assignments for this unit before grades are finalized for Unit 7A that week. After September 20th, I will no longer be offering credit for late work from 7A. Until the 20th, I am offering full credit on most, if not all, 7A assignments in the gradebook. Social Studies students will be learning about the different governments of the world! We will end the week by having a test over population, migration, Culture/Ethnicity/Race, and governments. Students will receive a review sheet on Thursday and access to review games online as well to help student study. Math students will be starting their integer computation unit. Pre-Algebra students will be preparing for and taking a test on Wednesday. Are the test we will be starting the unit on solving complex equations. This week, in Science, we have focused on the Scientific Method and understanding variables – independent, dependent, control, and extraneous. We will continue with this into next few weeks through activities and videos. We have also spent time understanding on how grades work and how missing assignments can affect grades. Several students had missing assignments and seemed confused about why it was affecting their grades. Students should get these assignments in as soon as possible to improve their grades. These will be marked as collected and then graded as time permits for a final update of grades.
Jaguars News
Mrs. Cassida, Ms. Hatton, Mrs. Ringham & Ms. Schaber
Ms. Costello, Ms. Gawrys, Mr. Thoennes & Mr. Walker
Language Arts
Mrs. Ringham - In Language Arts, students will close read a scene in two sections, selecting concrete details that convey mood, and collaborating to analyze what those details reveal about Ji-li’s internal conflict between her commitment to family and to the Cultural Revolution.
Mr. Thoennes - In Language Arts, we will be continuing to read Red Scarf Girl while working on our ToSEEC Constructed Responses.
Math & Pre-Algebra
Mrs. Cassida - In Math, students will be starting Chapter 3, operations with rational numbers. Pre-Algebra students will wrap up Unit 2 with a test on Friday over equations and inequalities.
Ms. Costello - In Math, we will be beginning our unit on arithmetic properties.
Science
Ms. Schaber - Science students will be doing a gummy bear lab and the scientific method. We will also be preparing for our upcoming unit quiz.
Ms. Gawrys - In Science, we will be doing a Gummy Bear Lab and begin reviewing the scientific method.
Social Studies
Ms. Hatton - Social Studies students will be learning about different types of governments, including democracy, monarchy, and dictatorship. There will be a Unit 2 test at the end of the week over the topics of population, culture, and governments. Students will be receiving study information towards the beginning/middle of the week.
Mr. Walker - In Social Studies, we will be learning about culture and governments.
Foresters News
Mrs. DeBow, Mr. Gullion, Ms. Tobin & Mrs. Zimmerman
Ms. Costello, Ms. Gawrys, Mr. Thoennes & Mr. Walker
Language Arts
Mrs. Zimmerman - Students will begin exploring narratives and will begin writing their personal narratives.
Mr. Thoennes - In Language Arts, we will take our Unit 8A Assessment on Friday (9/16) and we will be wrapping up writing our own Personal Narratives.
Pre-Algebra & Algebra
Mrs. DeBow - Students will develop their equation solving skills by learning the distributive property. Algebra students will discover exponent rules for monomials.
Ms. Costello - In Pre-Algebra, we will be continuing our unit on graphs and equations.
Science
Ms. Tobin - We will be taking our scientific processes test on Friday, Sept. 16. A study guide is already posted on Schoology.
Ms. Gawrys - In Science, we will be doing a Speeding Car Investigation and taking a quiz over our Math in Science unit.
Social Studies
Mr. Gullion - Students will be studying the causes of the American Revolution.
Mr. Walker - In Social Studies, we will be going over Benjamin Franklin and his impact on history.
Greyhounds News
Mrs. Warthan, Ms. Kegley, Mr. Casey & Mr. Osen
In Science, students will be taking their Scientific Method Unit exam Friday 9/16. Biology students will be taking their Ecology Part One exam Friday 9/16. Next week, in Algebra, students will use the laws of exponents to simplify monomial expressions. Pre-Algebra students will be using graphs, tables and rules to represent linear relationships. Students will also learn to determine the number of solutions when solving an equation. Social Studies students will begin Unit 3 (The Revolutionary War) by learning about Ben Franklin & his major accomplishments.
Greyhound Team Information:
If your child is absent, please make sure they are checking into Schoology for assignments.
Panthers News
Mrs. Hood, Mr. Rodgers, Mrs. Taylor & Mr. Williams
In Pre-Algebra, classes will continue solving equations with variables on both sides of the equal sign. We will have our Review/Preview on Friday. As always students will be working on IXL this week. They must complete 10 diagnostic questions and move 4 skills to 90. In Algebra, we will be starting our unit on Solving Systems of Linear Equations. This week we will be solving by graphing and substitution. We will be using this method to solve real world applications as well. Language Arts classes will be finalizing and submitting their personal narratives. They will review and take the Amplify Unit 8A test. Time permitting, they will be introduced to Unit 8B and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Science classes continue to work on conversions both English and metric. Friday, 9-16 there is a quiz over Conversions, mean, median, mode, and range. A Study guide will be handed out this Tuesday for our first test which will be on Tuesday, 9-20. Biology classes will graph the radish lab, learn the impacts of succession on our ecosystems, and understand the importance of biodiversity. A study guide was handed out last Friday for the test that will be on 9-16. This week, in Social Studies, we will be studying the amazing Ben Franklin and his many contributions to our modern society. We will also begin studying the French and Indian War.
Encore News & World Languages
Señora Barker (Spanish), Mrs. Hauptmann (Japanese), Mr. Parr (Computer Science), Mrs. Leonard (Art), Mrs. Gleissner (FACS), Mr. Hamsley (Engineering and Technology), Mr. Wolf (Robotics) and Mrs. Snyder (Flight & Space and Medical Detectives)
Spanish
Next week students will be practicing telling the weather in Spanish. We will be starting to review for our unit test as well. I will send more information on that via ParentSquare later in the week.
Japanese
Next week, students will be working on additional kanji and hiragana characters, numbers and ages.
Computer Science
7th grade
Students will be starting their final project of creating a video game.
8th grade
Students will be starting their final project “Shark Tank”.
Art
7th grade: Students are working on their Monochromatic landscape paintings focusing on the elements and principles of unity, scale, emphasis, and depth.
8th grade: Students are glazing their slab mugs, pinch pot animals, and lidded coil building vessels.
7th & 8th grade FACS
7th grade: Students will begin the sewing unit where they will learn laundry basics, hand sewing and how to sew a button.
8th grade: Students will wrap-up the Nutrition and Cooking unit and begin the sewing unit where they will learn laundry basics and machine sewing. They will also review hand stitching and button sewing.
7th grade Engineering and Design & 8th grade Gateway to Technology
7th Grade: Students will be beginning design of their mini houses.
8th Grade: Students will be beginning their design of their hydroponics garden.
Flight & Space
Students will learn what it takes to survive in space-how astronauts eat, exercise, and grow food in space.
Medical Detectives
Students will continue dissecting a diseased sheep's brain. This will lead into their second big project of the semester.
Robotics
Students will continue using the VEX V5 programming to learn how to code motors, digital sensors, and analog sensors.
PE/Wellness News
Mrs. Fair, Mrs. Lucas & Mr. Jackson
Students will finish their second rotation on Monday and take a written assessment on Tuesday. Study guides are posted on Schoology. Students will then begin their final rotations of the quarter on Wednesday. As a reminder, please make sure your child is bringing home their uniforms on Friday for washing and returning on Monday with clean clothes.
Music Department News
Mr. Abbey (Band), Ms. Szymkow (Band), Mr. Zimmerman (Choir) & Mr. Miller (Orchestra)
Band
Band students are reminded to take home their instrument daily and practice for 15-20 minutes. All band students will have an equipment check on Wednesday, September 14th. They need to have their instrument in good working order (or a loaner instrument), their music, 2 pencils, and their method book.
Choir
In choir, students will be finishing Unit 1 in their theory books. All pages 3-9 should be turned in by the end of the week. 8th grade is continuing to work on Veteran’s Day music. 7th grade will continue to work on December concert repertoire.
There is a men’s national anthem singing event on Friday, September 23rd. More info will be coming out in paper copies and ParentSquare.
Orchestra
Chamber Orchestra starts next week on Thursday, September 15th at 8:10am. You can drop your students off at Door 7 starting at 8am. After 8:10, students will need to be dropped off at the front of the building.
Media Center
Ms. Sever
Students visiting the library this week and next will learn about using Sora, a reading app, to access our digital collection of eBooks and audiobooks through the library. Students can access Sora through an app on their phone/tablet/other home device or through a website on their school laptops.
Homework Hotline
Need help with Math and Science homework?
Call the Homework Hotline
1-877-ASK-ROSE
Click below to visit their website
OFFICE PROCEDURES
AMS South's Attendance Policy & Early Dismissal Proceedures
ABSENCE PROCEDURE
If a student is absent from school, the PARENT must call the school by 10:00 A.M. to report the absence. If no call is received, the automated school system will make an effort to contact the parent, but if NO PARENT CALL has been received by 3:00 P.M. the day following the absence, the student will be charged with an unexcused absence. You may also send an email to us to notify us of your child's absence at msattendance@avon-schools.org.
EARLY DISMISSALS
** Please be advised that we cannot take early dismissal information over the telephone. **
If your child needs to leave school early during the school day please send a note in with your child to bring to the office first thing in the morning or email us at
msattendance@avon-schools.org with all the necessary information: students name, date and time picking up, and the name of the person picking your child up if someone other than a parent or guardian will be picking up. This email will go directly to the front office secretaries and they will be able to get your child an early dismissal pass so that they can be in the front office when you are ready to pick them up. If you are unable to email us we will need you to come into the office with your valid ID, once we verify it is a parent/guardian picking up we will be able to call the student down for dismissal.
If someone other than a parent or guardian will be picking up your child we MUST have this information in writing from a parent/guardian. Please include his or her name on the note or email. Once we verify their photo ID then the student can sign out and leave.
If leaving early for a doctor/dentist/orthodontist appointment, please provide verification note from the appointment to the main office to ensure that the absence is excused.
Using this email will ensure your child will get a pass out of class to be in the office. Please do not use Parent Square to send a message to your child's teachers as we cannot guarantee that this message will get to the front office to get your child a pass. Our teachers are very busy throughout the day and may not be able to check Parent Square often, or if the teacher is out that day we would not get that message in the front office in time to get your child an early dismissal pass.
We want to make sure that your information is getting to the right person in a timely manner, and hopefully prevent any miscommunication or missed messages.
Pre-Arranged Absences
It is our belief that students can best achieve academic success by being in school every day. We also understand that a student may occasionally have an opportunity to experience extraordinary opportunities that may result in a missed day of school. The principal or designee may grant a pre-arranged absence, if the absence provides an extraordinary opportunity for the student and/or family. The request must be submitted at least five school days in advance of the requested absence. The student will be required to complete all missed work upon his/her return to school.
No more than three days of pre-arranged absences will be approved each year. Pre-arranged absences may not be granted during the following circumstances:
- I-Learn
- During semester exams
- When the requested absence would push the student’s attendance record into excessive absence status or if the student has surpassed the allowable number of absences.
AMS South Visitors Policy
For Visitors to our Building
Avon Schools require all visitors to check-in at the front office using our visitor management system, Safe Visitor. This system requires visitors to scan their driver's license or state identification card for a check of their record. A temporary badge is provided to all visitors to wear while in our buildings. As our visitors leave school, they scan and return that badge to front office staff.
Entering the Building
Anyone entering our building beyond the front office will need to have a valid photo ID with them so that they can be checked in through our Safe Visitor Solutions system. You will be given a badge to wear while in the building so that you are identified as a visitor. When leaving you will return to the front office so that we can check you out of Safe Visitor Solutions and take your badge.
Visiting Students during Lunch
At this time, we are allowing parents/guardians to have lunch with their child during their specified lunch time in our commons area outside of the cafeteria. Parents must follow our policy for entering our building listed above; present a valid photo ID and be checked into our Safe Visitor system. Please take note that this process may take a few minutes to get you checked into our system so please allow for a few extra minutes for that process.
**If someone other than a parent/guardian would like to have lunch with your student, we MUST have that information in writing in advance from a parent/guardian. You can either send a note in with your student to bring to the office when they arrive at school in the morning, or you can email our attendance line with the information at msattendance@avon-schools.org
BUILDING ACCESS
Please be prepared to identify yourself, provide a valid photo ID, and provide a reason for your visit when you arrive. Thank you for your patience in adapting to the updated and more secure system.
21st CENTURY SCHOLARS
7th and 8th grade parents: Your children may be eligible for a college scholarship!
View the form below for more information.
STUDENT LAPTOP RENTAL INSURANCE
Worth Ave. Group Laptop Insurance
Avon Community Schools has chosen Worth Ave. Group as the vendor of choice to insure school-issued laptops rented by students. Insurance with Worth Ave. Group will protect the device against: Accidental Damage, Theft, Fire, Flood, Natural Disasters, Power Surge and Vandalism. This insurance policy will provide full replacement cost coverage and will protect the item worldwide (on and off school grounds). The policy is also transferable to a replacement unit. Insurance plans may be purchased online.
- Coverage Term: July 18, 2022 - July 18, 2023
- It is up to you to renew yearly.
- Deadline to Purchase Coverage: September 5, 2022
- Yearly Insurance Rates:
- 6th-12 Grade: Lenovo 11e Laptop $45.00
- Costs are prorated for enrollment after September 5.
STUDENT HANDBOOK
COMMUNITY NEWS
Avon Education Foundation Upcoming Events
Avon High School Athletic Events
The Avon High School Athletic Administrators asked us to pass along the following information regarding middle school students attending football games. Please read carefully as students must purchase tickets online prior to showing up at the stadium.
Students must have a digital ticket or All Sport Pass for entry. Tickets are $7 this year for Varsity events. To expedite entry, the ticket should be purchased ahead of time via the link with a credit card. Ticket info for purchasing online single event tickets and/or All Sport Passes (which will be sent to the purchaser’s phone) can be found at https://websites.eventlink.com/s/avon-high-school/Tickets. Tickets can be purchased on the link provided for Home and Away events throughout the school year.
K-8 STUDENTS ATTENDING FOOTBALL EVENTS AT AVON HIGH SCHOOL - It is highly encouraged that all elementary and middle school students be accompanied by a paid adult. Unsupervised students will be required to sit in the middle school section on the SW corner of the Football Stadium and will not be allowed to wonder around. Backpacks, shoestring bags, and sports equipment (footballs, frisbees, etc.) are not permitted at AHS athletic events.
Mary Lee Maier Community Pantry Information
The Mary Lee Maier Community Pantry is available to Avon school families and employees.
Every Thursday from 5:00 - 6:00PM (when school is in session)
at Avon Intermediate School East
Please do not arrive before 4:30PM due to AIS bus/school traffic
Enrollment is simple. Please complete your 2022 - 2023 enrollment before you shop. Below you will find more information for enrollment, please click the link below.