Oriole's Nest
February 17, 2023
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
ACSC 2023 - 2024 School Year Calendar is now available.
Click the 2nd link below to view.
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
February 20, 2023 - President's Day - NO SCHOOL!
March 20 - March 31, 2023 - Spring Break - NO SCHOOL!
UPCOMING ATHLETIC EVENTS
Mr. Will Mahan - AMS South Athletic Director
Girls Basketball
2/21 7/8 B Team Only AWAY vs. Franklin Central 5:30PM
2/22 7/8 B Team Only HOME vs. Monrovia 5:30PM
Good luck!
Wrestling
2/21HOME vs. Paul Hadley 5:30PM *Tailgate and Teacher Appreciation Night*
2/25 AWAY vs. Westfield 9:00AM
Good luck!
Wrestling Tailgate - February 21st!
Students wanting to attend the tailgate can purchase tickets during their lunch period on Friday (2/17) and Tuesday (2/21), this is the only time that money will be collected.
$5 will get students a ticket to the Wrestling match, 2 slices of pizza, and a drink.
Students will need to be picked up no later than 7:15PM at door #14
Spring Sports are almost here!
Track - 3/6 first day of practice (Call-Out date TBD)
Girl's Tennis - 3/7 first day of practice (Call-Out date TBD)
Boy's Golf - 3/6 Call-out meeting at 4:15 after school & 3/8 first day of practice
2024 Fall Cheer -
3/9 – Tryout call-out meeting – 6:00 in the cafeteria
4/7 – Clinic 6:00-8:00 in gym
4/11 – Clinic 6:00-7:30 in gym
4/14 – Tryouts – incoming 7th graders at 5:30 and incoming 8th graders at 6:30
Practices will be starting at the beginning of March. Students should listen to morning announcements for when the call-out meetings for these sports will be.
We will also post that information here in our newsletter as the time gets closer.
Sports Physicals
A physical must be dated after April 1, 2022, uploaded to your PRIVIT account and cleared by the Athletic Trainer before an athlete is eligible to participate in any tryout or workout.
A copy of the ISHAA Physical Form can be picked up in the offices at school, or there is a link below that you can download/print out.
Athletic Fees
The following fees will need paid prior to participating in each sport:
- $50.00 for Avon School Corporation (This fee is paid per sport)
- $25.00 for Avon Middle School South (This fee is paid once per year)
STUDENT INFORMATION
Student Laptops
Please remind your student(s) to charge their computers each night.
Order a 2022 - 2023 AMS South Yearbook now!
South Families! Don’t miss out on getting your yearbook.
The deadline for ordering is February 28!!
If you have any questions reach out to Mrs. Boroff at mvboroff@avon-schools.org
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:
James Jean Mary
Robert Losier
Abraham Minuto Cabrera
Dylonte Sullivan
Norah Halon
Harmony Omoshewo
Peytan Denagall
Rhyan Pendygraft
Xiomara Rodriguez Alacon
Eli Solomon
Adeline Thornberry
Nicholas Stafford
Alonzo Ibanez-Trinidad
Miley Miller
Blaine Haile
Samantha Serrano
Charles Kamel
Giovanni Sanchez
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 begin discussing modern conflicts throughout sub-Saharan Africa! In Science, we will finish our unit over Earth’s Interior and testing on Thursday, February 23rd. In Math, we will start Chapter 7 talking about rates (speed), distance, and time as well as scaling quantities and solving percent problems. In Pre-Algebra, we will be finishing up Unit 7 by revisiting scatter plots and how to analyze their data. Test is on Wednesday, March 1st. In Language Arts, students will be connecting brain function to music lyrics, reading a sonnet, and studying text features. They will also continue to work on their writing skills.
Grizzlies News
Mrs. Barnes, Mrs. Boroff, Mrs. Schroer & Ms. Weinstein
Social Studies students will begin learning about the Apartheid in South Africa and the leadership of Nelson Mandela that led the South African people to independence. In Language Arts, we are moving away from Phineas Gage’s story into our nonfiction look at the adolescent brain. This portion of the unit will take several weeks and will prepare us for our essay at the end of the unit when students will compare Phineas’ brain to an adolescent’s. In Science this week we have covered tectonic plates and continental drift. Earth’s Layers projects were due on Friday, February 17th. Next week, we will continue our study of continental drift. We will have a quiz over the Earth’s Layers, Plate Tectonics, and Continental Drift on Thursday of next week. Math students will begin their unit on real-world computation of percent’s and proportions. IXL homework is SPN and DMB – test corrections are due on Thursday, February 23rd. Pre-Algebra students will continue to work on slope, graphing, scatter plots, and making predictions using the line of best fit. IXL homework is AVL and BG7 – upcoming test is Friday, March 3rd.
Jaguars News
Mrs. Clark, Ms. Hatton, Mrs. Ringham & Ms. Schaber
Ms. Costello, Ms. Gawrys, Mr. Thoennes & Mr. Walker
Language Arts
Mrs. Ringham - Language Arts students will write to explain how their understanding of the brain has changed through reading about the life of Phineas Gage.
Mr. Thoennes - In Language Arts, we will continue to read Phineas Gage.
Math & Pre-Algebra
Mrs. Clark - In Math, students will be starting Unit 7: Proportions and Percents. In Pre-Algebra, students will be studying slope in different representations and then reviewing solving proportional equations.
Ms. Costello - In Math, we will begin their unit on scale factors and percent’s.
Science
Ms. Schaber - In Science, students will be reviewing and taking their quiz over plate tectonics, layers of the earth and continental drift.
Ms. Gawrys - In Science, we will be wrapping up our intro to Earth science with a quiz on Thursday.
Social Studies
Ms. Hatton - Social Studies students will be learning about South Africa and the Apartheid era in the country's history. Students will also be examining the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.
Mr. Walker - In Social Studies, we will be continuing their unit on Africa.
Foresters News
Mrs. DeBow, Mrs. Mellen, Ms. Tobin & Mrs. Zimmerman
Ms. Costello, Ms. Gawrys, Mr. Thoennes & Mr. Walker
Language Arts
Mrs. Zimmerman - We will continue working through the Space Race Collection. Students will begin gathering information for their argumentative essays.
Mr. Thoennes - In Language Arts, we will be continuing the Space Race unit and will be looking at different astronauts’ trips to space.
Pre-Algebra & Algebra
Mrs. DeBow - Pre-algebra students will learn to solve and graph inequalities. Algebra students will begin to apply solving quadratic equations.
Ms. Costello - In Math, we will begin their unit on inequalities.
Science
Ms. Tobin - We will be looking at the different properties of elements found on the Periodic Table.
Ms. Gawrys - In Science, we will be jumping into the periodic table and taking our element quiz on Friday.
Social Studies
Mrs. Mellen - We are going to be looking at the Age of Jackson and the Election of 1824.
Mr. Walker - In Social Studies, we will be moving into the Jacksonian Era.
Greyhounds News
Mrs. Warthan, Ms. Kegley, Mr. Casey & Mr. Osen
In Science, students will be investigating the periodic table. Biology classes will be studying DNA replication. Pre-Algebra students will solve and graph inequalities. In Algebra, students will solve quadratic equations and simplify radical expressions. Social Studies classes will be learning about Andrew Jackson’s presidency. In Language Arts, students will be reading about the first cosmonauts in space.
Greyhound Team News: Please make sure your students are charging their computers every night and they are well stocked with writing utensils.
Panthers News
Mrs. Hood, Mr. Rodgers, Mrs. Taylor & Mr. Williams
This week, in Pre-Algebra, we will be working with inequalities. Students will be writing inequalities, graphing inequalities, and solving word problems involving inequalities. The end of the week we will complete a review/preview for this chapter. Algebra students will continue to solve quadratics using the 5 different methods we have learned. We will discuss when it is best to use each method and times specific methods should not be used. We will begin to make sense of why these are important and how we can use them to answer real world questions. In conjunction with the quadratic formula, we will be writing our answers in simplest radical form. Students have been offered a bonus opportunity if they sing the quadratic formula to a song of their choice. Language Arts classes will begin a new unit: The Space Race. They will be reading about the battle between the Soviet Union and the United States of American to conquer space first, and ultimately the moon. In Science, we will investigate the arrangement of the periodic table. On Friday, 2-24 we will have our Elements Symbols quiz. (a blooket is on Schoology for additional practice) Biology students will practice transcription and translation of DNA. Begin the movie GATTACA. In Social Studies, students will be learning about the Jacksonian Democracy and the Age of Jackson.
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 have a unit 3a assessment. I sent a ParentSquare On Thursday, February 15th with more details on the test.
Japanese
In Japanese, students will be working on polite expressions for visiting a Japanese home; katakana characters.
Art
Next week 7th grade students will create a lidded vessel with a sculptural lid out of plaster. Next week 8th grade students are glazing all three clay projects. At the end of the week, we will begin our three-dimensional landscape painting. Our root beer float pitch in is on March 10. Students can start bringing in ingredients.
Computer Science
7th grade students will be working on their final project which is creating their own video game. They will be using class time to finish this up before the end of the quarter.
8th grade students will be starting their Shark Tank project and working on coding and creating their own devices. They will then be working on presentations.
7th & 8th grade FACS
7th grade students will learn about table manners and etiquette and research ChooseMyPlate.gov. They will prepare fruit pizza in the food lab. 8th grade students will research health conditions that require special diets. They will collect data in order to create a visual to present to the class. They will prepare fried rice in the food lab.
7th grade Engineering and Design & 8th grade Gateway to Technology
Flight & Space - 7th grade
Students will be wrapping up our unit and will begin our final project. Students will have everyday in class until Thursday, March 2nd to complete the project.
Medical Detectives - 8th grade
We will be wrapping up our unit and will begin our final project. Students will have everyday in class until Thursday, March 2nd to complete the project.
Robotics
Students will begin the design and construction of their spinning billboard project.
PE/Wellness News
Mrs. Fair, Mrs. Lucas & Mr. Jackson
Students this week in Physical Education will be having their last week of their current units and will be preparing for their unit test. Next week will be geared towards our post fitness test. Students were tested during our first week of the quarter and we strive for improvements in each category. Fitness test will consist of sit and reach, push-ups, sit ups, and our pacer test. Students will also have a comprehensive final of all three units. Please continue to send students with gym clothes back on Monday and ready to be active.
Here are some photos of students enjoying speedball throughout this week:
Music Department News
Mr. Abbey (Band), Ms. Szymkow (Band), Mr. Zimmerman (Choir) & Mr. Miller (Orchestra)
Band
Band students took their pictures in class on Friday. Students are reminded that assignments are posted on Wednesday afternoons and evenings, they are due Monday nights at 11:59PM. On Wednesday, 8th grade low brass, low reeds, and horns will be meeting in the band room after school for sectionals in preparation for contest.
Orchestra
Orchestra Contest Preview Concert: February 28th at 6:30pm
More information about the concert on ParentSquare and linked HERE
ISSMA Contest is either Friday, March 10th in the evening or Saturday, March 11th in the morning. More info when we get it.
High School Orchestra Auditions will be in April. 8th Graders have been working on getting ready for that in class. If you have questions, please let Mr. Miller know.
As always, keep checking in on your students practicing at home. Thank you!
Media Moments with Ms. Sever
Media Center
Ms. Sever
February is Black History Month. In the library and on Sora, we have a variety of books written by Black authors and featuring Black characters and cultures. In honor of this celebration, I wanted to highlight Ghost, the first book in the middle grade Track series, by Jason Reynolds.
Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team—a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.
Running. That’s all Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons—it all started with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems—and running away from them—until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who sees something in Ghost: crazy natural talent. If Ghost can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed, or will his past finally catch up to him? – Blurb courtesy of Simon & Schuster
To read more about Ghost and friends (Lu, Patina, and Sunny – the other 3 books in the series) on the track team, check out Ghost from the AMS South library and Sora!
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.
Guidance Office Information
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
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.