Oriole's Nest
September 16, 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!
Multilingual Family Fun Night
Multilingual Family Fun Night at the OLC on September 22nd from 5:30-7:00PM
The OLC (Outdoor Learning Center) is located on the south side of Maple Elementary,
7237 East U.S. Highway 36, Avon.
8th Grade Visit to Area 31
Avon Middle School South will be taking 8th grade students to tour the Area 31 Career Center on October 3rd and 4th. Area 31 is a Career Center located on the Ben Davis High School campus. It provides juniors and seniors from Avon and other surrounding area schools with real-world work experience and prepares students for a high-wage, high-demand career right out of high school OR gives them a head start on a college degree. Students can earn college credits that can be transferred to a two or four year college.
Area 31 students attend career preparation classes for a half-day – either morning or afternoon – everyday. The other half of the day is spent at Avon High School. We are excited our 8th grade students will get to tour this facility and begin thinking about whether or not this is something that interests them as they progress through high school. Please direct any questions to Kasey Baughn, 8th Grade School Counselor (kmbaughn@avon-schools.org).
NOTE: If you would like for your child to opt out of the field trip, please contact Kasey Baughn by September 26, 2022.
You can learn more about the Area 31 program here: https://area31careercenter.com/
UPCOMING ATHLETIC EVENTS
Football
7th grade: 9/22 HOME vs. Zionsville 5:30PM
8th grade: 9/22 HOME vs. Zionsville 6:15PM
Good luck!
Volleyball
9/20 HOME vs. Center Grove North 5:00PM
9/22 AWAY vs. Tri-West 5:00PM
9/24 HOME vs. Conference 9:00AM
Good luck!
Cross Country
9/19 AWAY vs. Cascade 5:00PM
9/21 AWAY vs. Zionsville 5:00PM
9/24 AWAY vs Conference @Brownsburg East MS 9:00AM
Good luck!
Girls' Golf
9/22 HOME vs. Zionsville 5:00PM
9/24 AWAY vs. Conference @Pebble Brooke 1:00PM
Good luck!
Boys Basketball Announcement
Boys Basketball will begin pre-season open gyms on Wednesday's from 8:00 - 9:00AM before school. 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:
Journie Stone
Halle Babinec
Dayamin Abdelhaq
Thomas Robor
Harneet Kaur
Carlynn O'Maley
Sienna Jefferson
Gracelinn Grider
Malia Faylor
Sophia Smith
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 Math, we will be multiplying decimals as well as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers. In Pre-Algebra, we will be starting Unit 3. Next week’s focus will be to continue solving algebraic equations using the Distributive Property. In Science, we will work to review the Scientific Method and Engineering Design Process. The first half of the week will consist of creating a comic strip detailing the Scientific Method and we will redesign our mousetrap catapult the last half of the week! In Language Arts, students will be finishing Red Scarf Girl on Monday! The Unit 7A test is on Tuesday, and they will be writing narratives during the second half of the week. In Social Studies, we will begin learning about our world's economies!
Grizzlies News
Mrs. Barnes, Mrs. Boroff, Mrs. Schroer & Ms. Weinstein
Math students will be continuing their work with rational number computation using the order of operations. Pre-Algebra students will be solving multi-step equations and start to discover the connections between graphing and solving equations. Next week in Language Arts, we will be taking our Unit 7A Assessment on Tuesday, September 20. This date will also be the last opportunity for students to submit late and missing work for this first unit we have completed. Following the Assessment, we will work on our first Summative Essay of the semester. Social studies students will be starting our unit over economics! Learning about developed and developing countries, the industrial pyramid, and different types of economic systems. Last day to turn in missing or late work is Tuesday, September 20th. This week in Science, we have continued our work on the Scientific Method and learned how to use a triple beam balance. The kids all seemed to enjoy learning this new skill. We have also been working on an extension of our Gummy Bear Lab and learning about osmosis. Next week, we will have our Unit Test on Monday over the Scientific Method and look forward to another lab to help our understanding of the scientific method. Students are doing better at turning in assignments, but there are still several missing assignments that need to be turned in. Grizzlies’ teachers are accepting late work until Tuesday, September 20th.
Jaguars News
Mrs. Cassida, Ms. Hatton, Mrs. Ringham & Ms. Schaber
Ms. Costello, Ms. Gawrys, Mr. Thoennes & Mr. Walker
Language Arts
Mrs. Ringham - Language Arts students will be taking their Unit 7A assessment then writing a narrative essay.
Mr. Thoennes - In Language Arts, we will have a Unit 7A Assessment on Tuesday (9/20) and we will be starting Unit 7B: Character & Conflict.
Math & Pre-Algebra
Mrs. Cassida - In Math 7, students will continue with integer operations in Chapter 3. In Pre-Algebra, students will start Unit 3 over Linear Equations.
Ms. Costello - In Math, we will begin learning about multiplication and division of integers.
Science
Ms. Schaber - Students in Science will be completing a comic strip on the scientific method, re-making the mouse trap catapult and then starting to review for the Q1 review.
Ms. Gawrys - In Science, we will be completing a scientific method comic strip and revisiting one of our early labs... the mousetrap catapults!
Social Studies
Ms. Hatton - Social Studies students will begin talking about the basics of economics: good/services, supply/demand, and trade.
Mr. Walker - In Social Studies, we will start learning about economies.
Foresters News
Mrs. DeBow, Mr. Gullion, Ms. Tobin & Mrs. Zimmerman
Ms. Costello, Ms. Gawrys, Mr. Thoennes & Mr. Walker
Language Arts
Mrs. Zimmerman - Language Arts students will begin reading the autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave.
Mr. Thoennes - In Language Arts, we will be starting Unit 8B, where we read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave.
Pre-Algebra & Algebra
Mrs. DeBow - Next week, Pre-Algebra students will use equations to solve application problems. Algebra students will learn to multiply binomials and solve equations with many variables.
Ms. Costello - In Math, we will continue learning about solving equations.
Science
Ms. Tobin - We will start our unit on the classification of life by studying the characteristics of living things in Science.
Ms. Gawrys - In Science, we will be taking a test over the Scientific Method on Tuesday 9/20 and then beginning characteristics of life.
Social Studies
Mr. Gullion - Social Studies will be looking at the beginning of the American Revolution.
Mr. Walker - In Social Studies, we will be learning about the French and Indian War and the leading up to the revolution.
Greyhounds News
Mrs. Warthan, Ms. Kegley, Mr. Casey & Mr. Osen
In Science, students will investigate the characteristics of life. Biology students will investigate ecological population dynamics. Algebra students will multiply polynomials and solve multi-variable equations. In Pre-Algebra, students will problem solve with equations and use the distributive property. In Social Studies, students will be identifying various causes of the Revolutionary War. Language Arts classes will begin the first chapters of The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
Greyhound Team Information:
Please make sure to have a charged computer every day!
Panthers News
Mrs. Hood, Mr. Rodgers, Mrs. Taylor & Mr. Williams
Language Arts classes will begin a new unit in Amplify, Unit 8B. They will receive copies of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. We will read and do work related to the first two chapters. Pre-Algebra classes will begin working on analyzing growth patterns and writing rules for those patterns as a lead into rate of change/slope. We will continue to solve equations and will take our unit test over these topics on September 28th. 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 are continuing our unit on Solving Systems of equations. This week we will be solving by elimination. Students will be exploring when to use each of the methods. While all of them will work, certain situations make using one method easier than another. Our unit test will be September 28th. Science, a Study guide was handed out last week for our first test which will be on Tuesday, 9-20. (Extra copies are available on Schoology) The remainder of the week we will work on classification of life. Biology we will focus in on population growth and graph the effects of two populations who are impacted by predation with our lynx vs. hare lab. In Social Studies, students will be introduced to the French and Indian War and the causes of the American Revolution. We will begin our book study; King George: What Was His Problem?
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 preparing for a unit test, which is on Wednesday and Thursday. A parent square message with more detailed information was sent out on last Wednesday, September 14.
Japanese
Students will be continuing with hiragana characters, because, and immediate family members vocabulary.
Computer Science
7th grade: Students are wrapping up their final game project.
8th grade: Students will be starting their building and presentation for final project.
Art
7th grade: Next week students will choose their own subject matter to draw realistically, abstract it in a collage, and paint it in a non-objective style. We will mount them together in a tryptic format to show the same subject matter made in three different styles in three different media.
8th grade: Next week students will finish glazing their bisque-ware and move into creating a shadow box landscape made out of paper. We will have a root beer float pitch-in on September 30 to drink out of the functional mugs we made. Students can bring Ice cream to me any time in the morning so I can store it in the refrigerator. I will write them a pass to first period if they need it.
7th & 8th grade FACS
7th grade: Students will learn hand sewing and button sewing and continue their sewing projects.
8th grade: Students will practice hand and button sewing and learn how to use the sewing machine. They will then create a pillow to take home!
7th grade Engineering and Design
Students will be starting designs on their middle houses.
8th grade Gateway to Technology
Students will begin construction of their hydroponics gardens.
Flight & Space
7th Grade Flight & Space students will finish Project 2.7 and begin their final class project 3.1.
Medical Detectives
8th Grade Medical Detectives students will work on Activity 3.1 and then begin their final class project 3.2.
Robotics
Students will begin their final major build of the quarter by designing, building, and programming a spinning billboard sign.
PE/Wellness News
Mrs. Fair, Mrs. Lucas & Mr. Jackson
PE students are beginning their final rotations of the quarter. We will also continue our fitness tests during these final weeks of the quarter. Please make sure clean clothes are coming back on Monday! We have numerous “no dress” students on Mondays.
Music Department News
Mr. Abbey (Band), Ms. Szymkow (Band), Mr. Zimmerman (Choir) & Mr. Miller (Orchestra)
Band
Band students had an equipment check this past week and are expected to have all of their rehearsal materials going forward. If a loaner instrument is needed, we have gone over how to acquire one in class. All students are expected to have an instrument to play in class, every day of school unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Choir
Students are getting new December concert pieces this week. The men’s national anthem event is happening after school on Friday, September 23rd.
Orchestra
Orchestras are working really hard on their first pieces of the year. Mr. Powell, Mr. Ziolkowski and Miss Barnett have been over working with our outstanding orchestras. We will be recording our music and placing it on Schoology for parents in the next few weeks.
Media Moments with Ms. Sever
Media Center
Ms. Sever
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th each year. In the library and on Sora, we have a variety of books written by Hispanic authors and featuring Hispanic characters and culture. This week, I would like to highlight a Pura Belpré Author Honor Book called The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya.
Save the restaurant. Save the town. Get the girl. Make Abuela proud. Can thirteen-year-old Arturo Zamora do it all or is he in for a BIG, EPIC FAIL?
For Arturo, summertime in Miami means playing basketball until dark, sipping mango smoothies, and keeping cool under banyan trees. And maybe a few shifts as junior lunchtime dishwasher at Abuela’s restaurant. Maybe. But this summer also includes Carmen, a poetry enthusiast who moves into Arturo’s apartment complex and turns his stomach into a deep fryer. He almost doesn’t notice the smarmy land developer who rolls into town and threatens to change it. Arturo refuses to let his family and community go down without a fight, and as he schemes with Carmen, Arturo discovers the power of poetry and protest through untold family stories and the work of José Martí. – Provided by Penguin Random House.
To read about Arturo and his family’s life in Miami, check out a copy of The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya from the AMS South library!
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
Homework Hotline
Need help with Math and Science homework?
Call the Homework Hotline
1-877-ASK-ROSE
Click below to visit their website
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.