Friday Falcon
Avon High School Newsletter - March 2018 - Volume 1:12
Principal's Newsletter
Dear Students, Parents, Guardians, and members of the Avon High School Community,
Represent
The nature of the work of being a high school principal has its highs and lows. These past two weeks have been mostly highs. There is much to celebrate here at Avon High School.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks since our last newsletter. I would first like to congratulate the Avon, Farmington and Burlington Coop Hockey team which won the Division II Connecticut State Championship last Friday down at Yale University with a 7-3 win over last year’s champion, Guilford. There was tremendous student and fan support for the team. See pictures below.
Meanwhile, our eighth seeded Boys’ Basketball team upset several higher seeds before falling to a very talented Waterford in the Class M state championship game held at Mohegan Sun last Sunday. Once again the fan support was awesome, including two student fan buses. Thank you to the Avon High Athletic Booster club for their support.
That same week Brendan Downey from the Avon Swimming and Diving team placed fifth overall in the state open.
Congratulations are also in order for the following for making all conference:
Winter CCC All Conference Athletes 2018
Abby St. Onge - Girls Basketball
Jordan Williams - Boys Basketball
Peter Hoffman - Hockey
Eric Schweitzer - Hockey
Trevor Paluso - Hockey
Andre Richard - Swimming
Chris Chute - Swimming
Justin Arroyo - Swimming
Alec Traktovenko - Swimming
Brendan Downey - Diving
Abhi Bhabad - Wrestling
Chris Gens - Wrestling
Justin Meador - Wrestling
Jack Coleman - Wrestling
Henry Schrecengost - Wrestling
Carly Carpino - Indoor Track
Zach Tisch - Indoor Track
Haley Gens - Indoor Track
Rhiannon Richmond - Indoor Track
All-State Winners
Jordan Williams - Boys' Basketball
Peter Hoffman - Hockey
Now we transition to spring sports, all of which have started and competition starts next week. Hope to see you there.
Meanwhile, back at the high school 145 colleges and universities were represented at our college fair earlier this week. Thank you to Peter Ettlinger and the school counseling department for all their hard work and effort in organizing such a successful event.
Yesterday, Sarah Panzau presented to the juniors and seniors on the dangers of drinking and driving. Sarah was 21 back in 2003 when she was involved in an accident which cost her her left arm, and has resulted in more than 30 surgeries. She encouraged our students to be brave enough to call their parents for a ride rather than taking a chance and driving drunk, as she did.
Earlier this week the PTO presented “How to survive and thrive in your junior year” in which former Avon High School students explained how their academic choices at Avon High impacted their career options.
Last week, despite the best efforts of mother nature, more than 100 seniors presented their capstone projects to faculty panels, mentors, parents and underclassmen. Thank you to faculty members Jenna Aylsworth and Betsy Sanborn for organizing this tremendous undertaking.
Warmest Regards,
Dave Peling Sr.
Principal Avon High School
UpComing Events
- March 30th - No School - Good Friday
- April 6th - Early Dismissal - Teacher In-Service
- April 9th - 13th - No School - Spring Recess
- April 24th - SAT Test - reschedule
- April 26th & 27th - Early Dismissal - Parent/Teacher Conferences
- May 22nd - Career Expo - AHS gymnasium
- June 2nd - AHS Prom
- June 5th - Awards Night - AHS Auditorium
Congratulations Due
Intern of the Month
Emma McLellan, a Winter Intern, has had a fantastic experience working at Hopmeadow Animal Hospital. Here is a quote from one of her journals:
“After this, we saw a new rescue puppy, which was getting its first checkup. It was discovered that the dog had an ear infection so Dr. Mooney prescribed ear drops which then need to be rubbed in. From this I learned where a dog’s ear canal was located. To determine that this really was an infection, Dr. Mooney took a swab from the ear and prepared a slide. He then showed me how the ear looks like “little footprints” under a microscope… and exposed me to more of the behind the scenes aspects of being a Veterinarian.”
Reminders
AHS Career Fair Invite
We are reaching out to see if you would be willing to participate in our Second Annual Career Day on Tuesday, May 22, 2018. The event is scheduled to take place at Avon High School from 8:30 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. This event will provide our freshman and sophomore students with an invaluable opportunity to explore a variety of careers so that they may better plan their educational and career goals.
The Career Fair will be held in the gymnasium at Avon High School. The fair will be in “expo”
format, so each presenter will have a table space. Presenters are encouraged to bring tabletop
visual aids, career handouts, and/or “freebies” for approximately 100 students. Students will be divided into two groups of roughly 250, and will spend approximately 30 minutes conversing with presenters. During their time with presenters, students are expected to visit at least four separate tables. At the conclusion of the event, students will complete forms documenting the information they were able to gather from their conversations.
As a presenter, you would simply speak informally with students about your profession and related professions. You would cover topics, such as: job responsibilities, training/education required, salary range, average day and work week, opportunities for advancement, critical skills needed for success, and most/least attractive aspects of the work.
Last year we had approximately 40 presenters representing a wide array of careers. Feedback from both students and presenters was overwhelmingly positive. We hope that you will be able to participate this year. Please RSVP either yes or no using the following four question survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/53BW9WK, or by calling the School Counseling Office at 860-404-4740. If you have any questions about the event, please feel free to contact Peter Ettlinger at (860)404-4740 ext 1183, or via email at pettlinger@avon.k12.ct.us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Attention Seniors: Avon Dollars for Scholars applications are available now. Please create an account and begin the application process.
Follow this link: ADFS for directions on how to set up your account for scholarships.
​Specific scholarship info includes:
At least 3 scholarships for students going into the military.Rotary Vocational scholarship - student going directly into a career path (ie job), trade school, or 2 yr associates program.
Scholarships for students interested in: law enforcement; elementary education; performing arts Scholarship - second generation immigrant, or going to Trinity
Parents & Students: Be sure to "like" the Avon Dollars for Scholars Facebook page to stay up to date on deadlines, events, and fundraisers.
Link to the Facebook page: ADFS Facebook
Save The Date
- CT School Day SAT Test has been rescheduled to April 24th. All juniors will sit for the SAT test during the school day. No preregistration is required.
- On May 22nd, all grade 9 and 10 students will attend a Career Expo hosted in the AHS gymnasium.
PROM!
Avon High School Updates
National Honor Society
Attention all juniors
Those that have obtained a 3.4 GPA have been sent a letter in the mail which invites them to apply for National Honors Society. If you believe you should have received a letter and you have not, or you have any concerns or questions, please contact Mr. O’Sullivan.
Additionally, for current NHS members - We look forward to our group spring project in which we help run a soccer tournament here in Avon! Please keep that in mind as we move forward.
Thank you,
The NHS Officers
Avon High School Scholarships
School Counselling News
Seniors
- There are a number of exciting scholarship opportunities that are still available, including Avon Dollars for Scholars. Please be sure to check the AHS School Counseling website, and your Naviance accounts for additional details.
- As you continue to hear back from your colleges, please be sure to stop in and share the news with your school counselor, as well as updating the outcomes in your Naviance accounts.
Juniors
- If you have not done so already, be sure to schedule your Junior Planning Meeting with you school counselor. Parents are welcome to attend, and if they choose to do so, they should plan on 45 minutes to and hour. If you need assistance setting up your appointment, please visit here.
- As follow up to our annual College Fair, which was held at AHS on March 27, take some time to not only research colleges online/in Naviance but, visit campuses throughout the spring semester.
Grade 9 and 10 students
- On April 24, you will be meeting in small groups with your school counselor to complete some career exploration activities in Naviance. These activities will be valuable preparation for our Career Day, which will be held in May. Your name and room number will be posted outside of the main office. Your morning on April 24 will be split between a study hall in the Cafe and in a small group with your counselor, so be sure to bring work with you.
Check Out Our Students
Avon High School Music Service Society
On February 23, The Avon High School Music Service Society held an Acoustic Night for Charity in the AHS Gallery. The Music Service Society, whose mission statement is "Serving the Community and Unifying Students Through Music," raised $1,001.00 for the Immacare Homeless Shelter located in Hartford. 17 Student musical acts independently prepared and performed their musical selections in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Another 60 Music Service Society members helped in baking snack foods for a bake sale and helped plan an organize this wonderful evening. Special thanks to AHS Friends of Avon Music Education, the parent music booster organization for their help to make the evening a success!
Bandapalooza
AHS Band at the Lydian Festival held at CCSU
Student Government
AHS Student Government prepared and served dinner for Immacare Men's Shelter
In Our Classrooms
Art
Interdisciplinary Field Trip to the Wadsworth
On March 15th, students in Madame Brand’s AP French class and Mrs. Glick’s AP Studio Art class traveled to Hartford, CT to the Wadsworth Atheneum to study French Impressionism and Modernism. Students engaged in docent-led discussions and an opportunity to sketch from the masters. Students were able to see the Monet painting recently placed on display at the Atheneum.
AHS Hockey
Ice Hockey Wins State Championship!
AHS Boys Basketball
The winning shot vs. Enfield!
Finals at Mohegan Sun!
Avon High School's Athletics Booster Club
Please click here to see the latest Bulletin from the Booster Club and all of the exciting and informative news they have to share.
Avon High School PTO
The Avon High School PTO Board would like to express our sincere appreciation to the following businesses and individuals for their support of our 2018 AHS PTO 5th Annual Auction.
Our auction raised $4,800 to benefit the students of Avon High School!
We are fortunate to have YOU as a part of our school community as we all work together to excel in educating our children. Thank you for your generosity and continued support!
Entercom/96.5 WTIC
Dave Pelling, AHS Principal
AHS PTO
AHS Booster Club
Amici Italian Grill
Angel Tips
Avon Driving School
Avon Motophoto
Bridgewater Chocolate
Chili's
da Capo
Hartford Yard Goats
Huntington Learning Center
Hoyts Simsbury Commons 8
Jill Paterson, AHS Drama Teacher
Liquid Nirvana
Max Restaurant Group
Milkcraft
My Secret Garden
Noella Nail Spa
Oasis European Skin Care
Power 10 Indoor Rowing Center
Shihan Skin Pro & Day Spa
ShopRite
The Hair Loft
The North House
Recently funded projects granted by the AHS PTO
Avon Athletic Records Boards (in conjunction with Avon High School Booster Club)
Videocam Equipment for Avon High School Internship Program
Jane Doe No More Program
Cinema Projector
Cafe Microphone
Poetry Out Loud Program
Makerspace in Library: Silhouette and Studio Heat Press and Printer
Acoustic Band Shells for the AHS stage (in conjunction with 3 other Avon organizations)
Two TV Monitors for Guidance Office to provide information to students
AHS Project Graduation’s all-night grad party
GO AVON, our upperclassmen-led Freshman Orientation program.
F.A.M.E.
F.A.M.E. will meet on Monday, April 23rd at 7 pm in the Orchestra Room. Please note room change for this month. 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
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.
Avon PTO
The AHS PTO introduces Konstella!
Publishing a directory is an extremely labor intensive project and finding volunteers to take it on has been difficult. It is also costly as we have had a decreased numbers of members over the years and our printing costs go up. Other Avon schools have utilized the online directory and have had great success. The concept is growing and we are in the learning stages, so I request your patience in getting this all together. So without further ado...welcome to the world of Konstella...
Konstella is a communication channel for parents of school-aged children. This website/app allows parents to efficiently reach other parents and teachers, and participate in school-wide discussions and activities. Avon High School PTO will have a secure site that can only be accessed by verified members of our school community. We hope to have Konstella used as the vehicle for communication throughout the Avon School District by next year - so sign up today! It will be so efficient to have directory information at your fingertips on your smartphone or tablet as well as on your home computer.
With Konstella, you will be able to:
- Volunteer for PTO committees and events
- Access the online student/family directory (there will be no printed directory this year!)
- Receive communications from the PTO
Steps to sign up for Konstella:
- You will first need to set up your Konstella account via computer, but after you have the account - you can download the Konstella app to your tablet or smartphone
- Type this URL into the address bar https://www.konstella.com/cd/xjg05i
- Enter your email in the provided space.
- You will then be sent an invitation email.
- Follow the directions in the email to complete the registration for Konstella.
Some notes on using Konstella:
- Please add Konstella.com to your email program's safe list..
- Once you are registered, please be sure to customize your privacy settings within Konstella by clicking your NAME, then SETTINGS. You may enter in as much or as little personal information as you prefer. In order to get PTO communications this year, you must include your EMAIL at a minimum.
- Use Konstella online and/or download the app to your tablet or smartphone.
- It is FREE to be listed in the directory, but to access other families' contact information, we request that you please contribute to the AHS PTO membership with a $30 donation by check made payable to AHS PTO.
If you have any questions, please let us know. Thank you!
Heather Maguire