We Are South, We Are One!

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

May 23, 2025 - Oriole Flight (May 27 is the rain date)

May 30, 2025 - LAST DAY of School!!

Do you have a son or daughter interested in STEM? If so, the Engineering & Tech teachers at AHS are putting on a STEM Summer camp for students through 7th grade. Please see the link provided for more information regarding the camp and who to contact if interested.

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1742305776/avonschoolsorg/yhy1cllpnvdh7sbnarog/STEMCampFlyer.pdf

Year-End Laptop Procedures and information can be found below or you can follow the below link to our webpage with more information.

Scott Adams - Athletic Director

Joni Johnson - Athletic Trainer

5/19 AWAY vs. Horizon Christian 5:30PM

5/22 HOME vs. AMS North 5:30PM

Good luck!

Avon Middle School South will be offering an online ticket option for all athletic events. Online tickets will be available for purchase on the platform EventLink. These tickets will become available for purchase ten days prior to the date of the event. We encourage you to download the EventLink application on your mobile device from the App Store or Google Play Store.

All athletic tickets cost $5. Children between the ages 0 and 5 years old will be free in addition to adults who are 62 years old and older. When purchasing a ticket online through EventLink, there will be a service fee included.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU:

Esther Shodeinde

Brooklyn Stansbury

Kamryn Angilecchia

Haleigh Holland

Pape Pene

Corbin Ruffner

Eiven Meles

Faith Robinson

Kinsley Gurka

Vanessa Medina

Blake Dugger

Keegan Nunamaker

Bradley Thompson

Abi Hidalgo Pedroso

Meredith Jenkins

Enna Staten

Mason Staten

Quinn Wilmot

Alan Alvarez Sierra

National Junior Honor Society will offer after school study help sessions on Wednesday’s after school from 4:10 - 5:00PM.

During this time, there will be a NJHS teacher sponsor 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. Students will then go to the front commons area and wait for the late bus or parent pick-up.

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.

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.

Ms. Costello, Mrs. Dugan, Mrs. Williams & Mr. Uhl

In Language Arts, students will research and learn about different Poe characters and become one for the final quest of the year! Math will begin learning about angles. Pre-Algebra will begin reviewing Pythagorean Theorem and take the Unit Test on Wednesday (5/21). They will then begin learning about different ways to display and measure data. Next week in Social Studies we will be discussing the discovery and colonization of Australia. In Science, we will continue to learn about Thermal Energy and how it is transferred through conduction, radiation, and convection. Our FINAL test will be Wednesday, May 28th.

Mrs. Barnes, Mr. Blackmore, Mrs. Boroff & Ms. Weinstein

In Science, we have started our last unit on thermal energy. We will be conducting some shorter labs in relation to conduction, convection, and radiation heat transfers. Our last large unit test will be on Wednesday, May 28th. Students will receive a required study guide that will count towards their overall test grade. Math students will be learning about vertical, adjacent, supplementary, and complementary angles. There will be a quiz on angles on Thursday, May 29. Pre-Algebra students will be solving system of equations using graphing, substitution, and elimination. There will be a quiz on solving system of equations and linear functions on Thursday, May 29. Next week in Language Arts students will be concluding their study of Edgar Allen Poe's body of work before we start on our 'Poe Quest' activity throughout the final week of classes. Our final Unit Test will be taken on Friday, May 16th, and this is also the final day for any late or missing work for English Language Arts to be submitted. Social Studies students will be diving into the last part of our year with Australia and New Zealand! We will learn about this history, Aboriginal and Māori people, colonization, the discrimination of natives and how the countries have moved into modern times. Mrs. Weinstein’s last day will be Monday 5/19. She will be out for the rest of the year. Mrs. Clark will be the permanent substitute for the remainder of the year. All assignments have been prepared by Mrs. W and are ready to go. All grades will be updated directly through Schoology assignments. Mrs. Weinstein will not be able to respond to parent square or Schoology messages after 5/19. The final unit test over Southeast Asia and Oceana is on the last day of school. All AMSS students will take the test at the same time on 5/30 in their I-learn testing rooms. It has been a pleasure to get to know and teach your students this year. I hope you all have a wonderful summer!

Mrs. Blaske, Mr. Leach, Mrs. Ringham & Mrs. Schaffer

Mr. McDonald, Ms. Schaber, Mrs. Shambaugh & Mr. Thoennes

Language Arts

Mrs. Ringham - Language Arts students will read The Raven and begin the Poe Quest which is a murder mystery activity culminating with a “who-done-it” presentation by each group.

Mr. Thoennes - Students will be reviewing different stories by Edgar Alan Poe.

Math & Pre-Algebra

Mrs. Schaffer - In Math, Students will continue Module 8, focusing on lines and angles. Pre-Algebra will continue working on Module 4, which focuses on systems of linear equations.

Mrs. Shambaugh - Students will continue learning about triangles and angle relationships.

Science

Mrs. Blaske - Science students are continuing with the unit on thermal energy. We will perform an experiment this week on the best method of transferring energy to marshmallows.

Ms. Schaber - Students will continue to learn about heat transfer!

Social Studies

Mr. Leach - Social Studies students are learning about the Vietnam War and are making propaganda posters.

Mr. McDonald - Students will learn about Australia and New Zealand’s geography.

Mrs. DeBow, Mr. Goson, Mrs. Mellen & Mrs. Zimmerman

Mr. McDonald, Ms. Schaber, Mrs. Shambaugh & Mr. Thoennes

Language Arts

Mrs. Zimmerman - Students will continue reading Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly.

Mr. Thoennes - Students will be reading about animals that went in to space during the space race.

Pre-Algebra & Algebra

Mrs. DeBow - Pre-algebra students will introduce quadratic and exponential functions (two topics they’ll spend MUCH more time on next year in algebra!). Algebra students will learn a variety of strategies to solve complex equations.

Mrs. Shambaugh - Students will explore the differences between linear, quadratic, and exponential functions.

Science

Mr. Goson - Science students will be finishing up their weather event projects. We will be presenting our posters on Tuesday, May 20. The rest of the week, we will be reviewing for our final which student will take the following Tuesday, May 27. Biology students will be reviewing for their biology final. We will be taking the final on Tuesday, May 27.

Ms. Schaber - Students will finish their weather project on Tuesday 5/20. We will then begin preparing for their semester 2 final which is on Tuesday 5/27.

Social Studies

Mrs. Mellen - Next week, we will be studying Reconstruction and its impact after the Civil War.

Mr. McDonald - Students will learn about Reconstruction and the aftermath of the Civil War.

Mrs. Warthan, Ms. Kegley, Mr. Casey & Mr. Osen

Science: Students will be presenting their weather events with a gallery walk.

Biology: Students will be preparing for their quarter 4 final.

Pre-Algebra: Students will solve problems involving function machines.

Algebra: Students will alternate methods for solving equations.

Social Studies: Students will analyze how America rebuilt & moved forward after the Civil War.

Language Arts: Students will be analyzing JFK's speech given at Rice University and Nixon's speech that was never given.

Mrs. Cadle, Mr. Garrison, Mrs. Hood & Mr. Williams

Science: Students will finalize their poster projects over major weather events and then begin presentations. A study guide will also be given for the final. Extra copies are available on Schoology. Our Final in Science will be on Tuesday 5-27.

Biology: Students will prepare for the final exam with 2 review days and then we begin the dissection paperwork process. Our Final in Biology will be on Tuesday 5-27.

Language Arts: Students will complete a series of Space Race readings on Tuesday. They will review and take their Space Race unit test on Thursday.

Social Studies: Students will finish their learning on the battles of the Civil War and take a quiz over the battles on Thursday.

Pre-Algebra: Students will be expanding their understanding of functions by working with linear and nonlinear functions. We will also begin our preparation for the Final Exam! The Pre-Algebra Final will be taken on Thursday, 5/29.

Algebra: We will continue exploring strategies for solving different types of equations and being our preparation for the Final Exam. The Algebra final exam will be 2 parts and will be taken on Wednesday and Thursday, 5/28 & 5/29.

Señora Barker (Spanish), Mrs. Hauptmann (Japanese), Mr. Parr (Computer Science),

Mrs. Leonard (Art), Mr. McFarlin (Engineering and Technology), Mr. Wolf (Robotics),

Mrs. Snyder (Flight & Space and Medical Detectives),

and Mr. Tarnowski (Digital Literacy & Communication)

Spanish

Next week students will have a vocabulary quiz on unit 4B then will receive a study guide for the final exam. They will be reviewing for the final throughout the week. The final will be May 28th and 29th.

Japanese

The Japanese class topics will be: recognizing kanji characters, , asking, giving and refusing permission.

Computer Science

7th graders will be finalizing their games and create a way to present them to the whole class.

8th graders will be working on their Shark Tank presentations, and wrapping up the build process.

Art

This week in art we will be using watercolors to create mosaics. If there are any missing projects or practices, they are due by Thursday 5/22.

7th grade Engineering and Design & 8th grade Gateway to Technology

7th Grade - Students will start to work on Project 3 the Air Blaster Car this week. Students are encouraged to take ideas from the aerodynamics of different vehicles to create the best possible wooden car to win a class tournament at the end of the project.

8th Grade - Students will start to work on Project 3 the Crash test Project. Their goal for this project is to create a wooden car that can get as close as possible to 10 mph or over while keeping an Egg in the car safe from all harm. Students will then use the Air blaster to send their car into the wall from 5 feet away to see if it can survive the impact similar to that of an actual car wreck.

Digital Literacy & Communication

This week in Digital Literacy we are completing the final steps in our argumentative projects. 7th graders are creating their PowerPoints for their Shark Tank Presentation and 8th graders are writing their examination questions and conclusions for the Mock Trial.

Robotics

Robotics 1 – Students will work to design, build, code a spinning billboard.

Robotics 2 – Students will work with groups to finish coding and testing elevator projects.

Flight & Space

Flight and Space will be finishing up their final project-The Mars Lander Egg Drop.

Medical Detectives

Medical Detectives will continue working on their final project.

Below are some photos from Mrs. Snyder's Medical Detectives classes dissecting sheep brains, enjoy.

Mrs. Lucas, Mr. Jackson & Mr. Van Winkle

This week, we are excited to continue our Quarter 4 units. Dressing out is crucial for participation, accounting for 30% of the overall grade. Students should wear grey shirts, black shorts, and tennis shoes to every class.

Study Resources Matter!

Students who utilized Blooket and study guides for test preparation have seen great success. We encourage all students to continue using these resources to prepare for upcoming assessments.
✅ Blookets are posted and available for students to review.
✅ Study guides are posted and available for students to review.

Quarter 4 Units

Students have transitioned to their last unit of the quarter, and will continue participating and building skills in:

• Ultimate Frisbee
• Pickleball
• Fitness

Upcoming Assessments

• Unit Test: Wednesday, May 21
• Final Exam (covering all 3 units): Thursday, May 22
  Please make sure students are reviewing and using the provided resources to prepare.

Reminder

PE is a high school credit course, and the grade will be part of your student’s academic record. Please encourage your student to come prepared and actively participate each day.

Thank you for your continued support!

Mr. Basso (Band), Mr. Miller (Orchestra) & Mr. Nelson (Choir)

Band

We had an awesome spring concert!

Band parents: for more specific information, please consult Mr. Basso's band newsletter.

Choir

We are enjoying our post-concert week, looking into musical theatre. We've filled out some notes and watched some examples of mid-20th century to modern musicals.

Orchestra

Congratulations on a great concert and fun King's Island Trip!

Starting this week, we will be continuing in our books, sight-reading new music, taking our orchestra finals, and learning to clean and care for our instruments.

SUMMER CAMP: Registration and money is due no later than Friday, May 22nd. Thank you!!

*If your student is not continuing in orchestra and rents from Paige's Music, please have them leave their instrument with me on Wednesday, May 28th so I can send it with our Paige's rep at 8am Thursday morning.

Thank you to everyone in attendance at our Orchestra concert this week! The students loved seeing you in the audience.

Please enjoy our concert video here: https://youtu.be/-YCZpy_bKmM

Mrs. Sever

Please have your students double-check the bottom of their lockers, their bookbags, and their classrooms when looking for library books. Parents and guardians will continue to receive notices until the books are found and returned OR paid for. Payments for books will be accepted starting Wednesday, May 21st to avoid unnecessary refunds if books are found before then. Books can be paid for with exact cash or a check made out to Avon Middle School South. If you need to pay with a credit or debit card, please let Ms. Sever know first so she can get the amount owed to the treasurer before you call to pay over the phone.

Hopefully, lost books will find their way back to the library soon. Teams will be doing locker cleanout soon, so books are usually found then. Please reach out to Ms. Sever at casever@avon-schools.org during school hours if you have any further questions about your student's missing book(s). Thank you!

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 leaving early for a doctor/dentist appointment, please provide doctor/dentist verification to ensure that the absence is excused.

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 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.

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.

If your child will be absent from school due to a virtual doctor appointment, whether leaving early or coming to school late, to ensure that the absence is excused we will need you to provide written documentation of the appointment from the doctor. Please be sure to ask your doctor to email you a note to provide to school for the appointment. You can either print the email out and send to school with your child to bring to the office, or you can email it to our attendance line at

msattendance@avon-schools.org.

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 will not be granted during the following circumstances:

• NWEA and ILEARN testing
• End of Quarter Assessments
• Last three days of a semester
• 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.

You can either print this form out and complete the information requested and send into school with your child to bring to the front office, or you can fill it out and email it to our attendance email address at msattendance@avon-schools.org

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

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, 2024 - July 18, 2025
  • It is up to you to renew yearly.
• Enrollment Deadline: September 6, 2024
• Cost is prorated for policies purchased after September.

Need help with Math and Science homework?

Call the Homework Hotline

1-877-ASK-ROSE

Click below to visit their website

www.askrose.org

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, see district calendar for these dates) at Avon Intermediate School East, southside of building enter door #13.

Please do not arrive before 4:30PM due to AIS bus/school traffic

Enrollment is simple. Please complete your 2024 - 2025 enrollment before you shop. Below you will find more information for enrollment, please click the link below.

Please click on Community Flyers below to take you to the ACSC web page of all the Educational Flyers and Community Events Flyers happening in our community.