Avonworth School District News
January 2021
January is School Board Recognition Month
Thank You Avonworth Board of School Directors!
Bottom Row: Yu-Ling Cheng, Vicki Carlson, Beau Blaser, Danielle White, Sandra Bolain
Governor Wolf's Proclamation - School Board Director Recognition Month, January 2021
Avonworth Students Recognize our Board of Directors During the January Board Meeting
Getting Back to In-Person Instruction
Welcome Back Students!
Now that we are back to in-person instruction, we ask that everyone remain vigilant with monitoring their health and staying home if necessary. What we have learned about COVID is that symptoms are very similar to illnesses like the common cold. So, please monitor health closely and keep children home if they experience any of the following symptoms. We want to limit the potential for the spread of COVID and keep our buildings open for in-person instruction.
Has shown any COVID-19 symptoms, including:
Fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, repeated shaking with chills, achiness, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
Active vomiting or diarrhea
Fever (100 degrees or higher), chills, or general body aches
We also want to remind you of Governor Wolf's travel order in November and updated in December. Click HERE to find information related to this order.
For information related to the reopening of our school buildings for in-person instruction and how decisions will be made following the identification of cases of COVID in our schools, please visit our COVID-19 webpage.
Recognizing Our Amazing Students
Chintha Kathiresan Participates in the I Look Like a Cardiologist Program
We are thrilled to recognize Avonworth High School student Chintha Kathiresan who was chosen to participate in I Look Like a Cardiologist. Two UPMC cardiologists created this program to help close gender and racial gaps in medicine.
Chintha stated the following regarding her participation in I Look Like a Cardiologist.
"I am most eager to learn from my assigned mentor and other physicians about the journey it takes to become a cardiologist or any medical profession for that matter. I am excited to learn the basics of cardiology, work through case studies, and make meaningful connections with the professionals I encounter. Since I am very interested in medicine and have been since I was little, I think this program will provide me with more knowledge surrounding the healthcare field and allow me to make connections with my mentor that will help me as I pursue medicine."
Learn more about the I Look Like a Cardiologist program by clicking on the following link.
Keyaira Cameron Recognized for Her Photography
Avonworth Middle School Writers Recognized
This year, four Avonworth Middle School students worked tirelessly to develop their own original writing pieces for consideration by the judges. After weeks of drafting, editing, revising, and editing, again and again, they were ready to submit their work. In the end, their efforts definitely paid off! More than 500 submissions were received in the Pittsburgh Regional Competition, and when the winners were announced in January, all four AMS student writers were among them.
Congratulations to these students on the awards they received: Vanessa Amayo (Gold Key, poetry and Silver Key, short story), Emma Noss (Gold Key, novel), Joanna Odebode (Honorable Mention, poetry), and Elena Zimmerman (Honorable Mention, poetry.)
Gold Key winners will now move on to the National Scholastic Award Competition.
Lea Helsel Selected to the All-East Honors Orchestra!
Avonworth Students Named A.W. Beattie Students of the Month
Senior Showcase
A Look At What's Been Happening in Our Schools
Virtual Academy Kindergarten Students Explore Ramp Building
Click on the links below to check out some of the ramps built by our kindergarten students!
What We Can Learn from Martin Luther King Jr.
Library Lessons Celebrate the Life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Avonworth Elementary School March Madness Book Brackets
Books can also be found on the sora app https://soraapp.com/library/aiu3 to read independently at home or requested from the AES library! Voting for the books will take place each week in March. We can't wait to see which book comes out as the winner!
Use the link below for a preview of all of the books on this year's bracket!
8th Grade Students Study the Bill of Rights
As part of this unit, Officer Chris Simcoviak of the Ohio Township Police Department joined the class as a guest speaker on January 22. Before his visit, students submitted questions to Officer Chris about various topics they'd like to discuss during his visit. For nearly an hour, Officer Chris responded to students' live questions on all topics, including political protests, police reforms, the 2nd Amendment, student privacy, and many others. The students greatly appreciated the open and honest dialogue with Officer Chris.
To conclude this unit, students will exercise their First Amendment rights through a writing assignment. Students will each select a Bill of Rights topic of their choice and write a letter to one of Pennsylvania's U.S. Senators. After peer revision and editing workshops, the letter's final draft will be mailed to our senators to call for action on their desired topic.
Avonworth Students Speak with Government Officials
Winter Athletics
Varsity Boys' Basketball Undefeated!
Swimmers Finally Able to Make a Splash
COVID kept our swimmers out of the pool until recently, when they were finally able to take on rival North Catholic. The evening started off celebrating this year's seniors during Senior Night. Seniors Clark Bernauer, Cooper Groll, Hugo Eadie, Graham Herzig, Danica Raich, and Carly Spahr were recognized and accompanied by their parents as their accomplishments were shared with the swimmers' audience.
Once in the pool, the Avonworth/Northgate swimmers did what they do best - swim fast! At the end of the night, the girls registered a victory with a score of 106-64, and the boys also came out victorious with a score of 103-63.
Contributing to those scores were wins in the girls 200 medley relay (Kendall McKelvey, Danica Raich, Elise Nardozzi, and Anna Neiss), 50 free and 100 free (Anna Neiss), 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke (Elise Nardozzi), 500 free (Kendall McKelvey), 200 free relay (Carly Spahr, Anna Kohler, Danica Raich, and Catrina Raich), 100 breaststroke (Danica Raich) and the 400 free relay (Anna Neiss, Amelia Hardiman, Kendall McKelvey, and Elise Nardozzi).
Records were also broken, with swimmers Cooper Groll, Matthew Purcell, and Elise Nardozzi setting team records. Groll broke his own record in the 50 free, Purcell broke Luke Tomczak’s record in 500 free, and Nardozzi broke Karen Siddoway’s 100 fly record.
For the boys, it also started with a win in the 200 medley relay (Matthew Purcell, Zach Schuster, Cooper Groll, and Clark Bernauer) followed by 200 free and 500 free (Matthew Purcell), 50 free, and 100 butterfly (Cooper Groll), 100 free (Clark Bernauer), 200 free relay (Graham Herzig, Hugo Eadie, Andrew Baldauff, and Clark Bernauer), 100 breaststroke (Jack Blaser), and the 400 free relay (Zach Schuster, Matthew Purcell, Clark Bernauer, and Cooper Groll).
Girls' Varsity Basketball Off to Great Start
Varsity Wrestling Having Strong Season
Announcements
Spring Musical Information
The musical director is pleased to announce that this year’s production will be the 2017 Broadway stunner War Paint! Starring Broadway giants Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole as cosmetic giants Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden, respectively, War Paint traces these colossal female entrepreneurs' careers, the men who lived and worked for them, and the impact of both on women, history, and business. The title indicates their decades-long rivalry in an industry they virtually created.
Auditions will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 3, for actors in grades 7 – 10; and on Thursday, Feb. 4, for actors in grades 11-12. Music and a piano recording are available through the War Paint Google Classroom site.
Through a mixture of virtual and in-person preparations, we will be filming an onstage production streamed at the end of April.
Calling all performers!!! Fame awaits!!!
Musical auditions for actors will be held next week, in person, in the auditorium. Each student must sign up for an audition time on Sign up Genius:
Wed., Feb. 3—grades 11 & 12 @ 5:00 PM
Click here to schedule a time slot:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054BAAA72EABF49-auditions
Thurs., Feb. 4—grades 7 – 10 @ 5:00 PM
Click here to schedule a time slot:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409054BAAA72EABF49-auditions1
All students will be required to learn brief cuts from the show—NO other music preparations! Use code ada7f56 for the Musical Auditions Google Classroom to access music cuts and piano tracks for auditions and information.
Announcements and meets for parents and students interested in tech crew and orchestra will be announced in the coming week! Break a leg!!
Virtual Valentine Bingo
Click here to register: Valentine Bingo Registration
Click on the link below to view the flyer for this event.
Kindergarten Registration for the 2021-2022 School Year is Open!
Mark Your Calendar
2/8: Athletic Committee Meeting, 6:30 PM
2/8: School Board Work Session, 7:30 PM
2/15: President's Day, No School
2/15: School Board Meeting, 7:30 PM
2/16: K-3 Students Begin Full-Time In-Person Instruction