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

Aug. 15 - Back to School Night - 6:30PM - 8:00PM

Sept. 2 - NO SCHOOL - Labor Day!!!

Sept. 4 - School Picture Retake Day - more information below

Sept. 26 - 27 - Parent/Teacher Conferences - more information to come

Parents please join us on August 15th for our Meet the Teacher Night.

This time is set aside for parents to connect with their child's teachers, please do not plan on bringing your student.

Parents will start out in their child's 1st period class and follow their schedule to meet all their teachers. You will spend about 10 - 15 minutes with each teacher being dismissed to the next class by the bell, just like your child does, with the exception of period 2, WINN.

Watch your Parent Square for a message from Dr. Peo with more information regarding Back to School Night.

August 15, 2024 from 6:30 - 8:00PM

Below are links to our AMS South Spirit Wear order forms. The form is 2 pages of options to choose from.

Order forms are due to the Main Office by Wednesday, August 28th.

Additionally, extra order forms can be picked up in the main office.

Our 7th grade Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Weinstein and 8th grade Spanish teacher, Señora Barker, are offering an international travel experience for Spring Break 2026. Students will have the opportunity to travel to Panama in collaboration with EF Tours. This is a student-focused educational tour, with an emphasis on learning about the country, its history, culture, biodiversity, and language. Students will be accompanied by veteran teachers who have a passion for Spanish, Science, and Social Studies. Educational travel will help your child gain a more global perspective, shape their independence, and broaden their horizons. Highlights of this hands-on learning experience include seeing the modern and colonial areas of Panama City, visiting the Panama Canal, ziplining, jungle hikes, nature talks, surfing, whitewater rafting, and more. This opportunity is open to students in the Class of 2026 to Class of 2030.

Meeting date: Wednesday September 4, 2024, 6:00-7:00 PM in the AMS North Media Center (Door 27)

Please RSVP for the Panama meeting here: https://rsvp.eftours.com/vmrar5g , Questions? Email Mrs. Weinstein at eaweinstein@avon-schools.org or Señora Barker at habarker@avon-schools.org

*This opportunity is not school sponsored.

Our picture retake day at AMS South will be on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.

Order pictures online at mylifetouch.com with your student ID or Picture ID: ECTGC4BZK

If your student missed Oriole Preview Day they will need to have their picture taken this day.

If interested in joining us, see the information below.

If interested in joining the AMS South Book Club see information below!

Scott Adams - Athletic Director

Joni Johnson - Athletic Trainer

8/15 AWAY vs. Paul Hadley 5:30PM

Good luck!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU:

Raigen Brisentine

Camryn Cooper

Ghufran Al Neis

Kyan Heathman

Ayden Plouchard

Esther Windapo

Mayrin Guevara Soto

Mandy Khomlasaben

Bini Leulseged

Gurjot Saini

Yaphet Gurmu

Kailey CLark

Jaeleigh Parsley

Omari Reed

Sara Majors

Audrey Fitzwater

Isabella Stucker

Myriah Coleman

Jack Goodwin

Bram Jacobs

Shine Adeniyan

Federal School Lunch Guidelines do not allow students to have food from local restaurants in the school cafeteria. A few students have recently asked their parents to drop off food for them and their friends to eat during their lunchtime. Please say no if your child asks you to do this.

We can only allow parents to bring in food from a nearby restaurant for your child when you are staying to eat lunch with your child during his or her scheduled lunch time. Your child's friends will not be allowed to eat lunch with you and your child.

Thank you for helping us follow the school lunch guidelines.
Dr. Peo

National Junior Honor Society will offer after school study help sessions on Wednesday’s after school from 4:10 - 5:00PM, starting the Wednesday after Labor Day, Sept. 4, 2024.

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 Social Studies, we will continue learning about Climates and Landforms and how we interact with the world around us. We will finish the week with our first test on Friday. In Math, students will begin learning about multiplying and dividing positive and negative integers. They will have IXL homework due Friday night. Pre-Algebra students will begin learning about operations involving rational numbers. They will have IXL homework due Friday night. Next week in Science, we will dive into the rock cycle and how different types of rock change through geologic processes. ln Language Arts, students will read the script, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and continue working on elements of short stories.

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

In Math, we are working on multiplying and dividing integers and applying the order of operations to integers. In Pre-Algebra, we will be working with operations related to rational numbers. The unit test in both these classes will be on August 22nd. Social Studies students will be finishing Unit 1, our first unit test will be Friday 8/16. Students will be continue learning about landforms and world climate zones. All study materials can be found on Schoology. Next week in Language Arts, the Grizzlies will be continuing their work reviewing the foundations of storytelling through analyzing various Short Stories as a class. We will also be having our first Stems and Skills quiz on Friday the 16th! In Science, we completed our first lab on weathering. Quick reminder that students without a parent/guardian signature on the lab safety form may not participate in labs and will be given alternate book work to complete. This upcoming week we will continue our study of weathering, erosion, and deposition as well as starting to look at different types of rocks. We will learn how the sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks are formed during the rock cycle.

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

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

Language Arts

Mrs. Ringham - In Language Arts students will read the play “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” and will have a quiz over their first Stems list which was handed out August 5 and is also on Schoology.

Mr. Thoennes - Students will continue reading short stories and analyzing theme and plot structure.

Math & Pre-Algebra

Mrs. Schaffer - In Math, students will begin learning about multiplying and dividing positive and negative integers. They will have IXL homework due Friday night. Pre-Algebra students will begin learning about operations involving rational numbers. They will have IXL homework due Friday night

Mrs. Shambaugh - Math 7 students will continue to evaluate integers using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Science

Mrs. Miller - Next week in Jaguar’s Science we will be talking about the Hypothesis step of the Scientific Method. We will also will be working in our unit of Dynamic Earth studying different types of rocks and how they were formed and connecting these topics with Erosion, Weathering and Deposition.

Ms. Schaber - Next week in science, students will be continuing to learn about earth science and the scientific method. We will be specifically learning about hypothesizes and different types of rocks.

Social Studies

Mr. Leach - Social Studies students are learning about landforms, climates, types of maps, latitude and longitude. Our first test is on 8/16. Students are given a study guide that will be filled out in class next week. All study/review materials will be posted on Schoology.

Mr. McDonald - Students will finish learning about the effects landforms have on climate and take their Unit 1: Geography test.

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

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

Language Arts

Mrs. Zimmerman - Students will continue reading Flowers for Algernon and exploring the themes in the story.

Mr. Thoennes - Students will continue reading “Flowers for Algernon” while focusing on characterization and author’s purpose.

Pre-Algebra & Algebra

Mrs. DeBow - Pre-algebra students will learn about negative exponents and square roots. Algebra students will investigate the different types of growth and functions.

Mrs. Shambaugh - Pre-Algebra students will evaluate powers using exponent rules.

Science

Mr. Goson - Next week students will begin our mini unit on the scientific method. We will learn about an acronym, PORHEPCAC, that will help us remember the steps of the scientific method.

Ms. Schaber - Next week in science we will be continuing to learn about the scientific method. Students will learn the steps, how to graph and how to determine independent and dependent variables. We will be ending our week with a lab to practice what we have learned.

Social Studies

Mrs. Mellen - Next week, we will be learning about early explorers, trading routes, and mercantilism.

Mr. McDonald - Students will learn about early expeditions into North America by various European nations as well as their economic motivations for exploration.

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

In Science, students will be conducting labs to investigate the scientific method. Biology students will begin their ecological disaster project. Pre-Algebra students will use properties of exponents to simplify exponential expressions. Algebra students will explore different types of growth and be introduced to functions. In Social Studies, students will be analyzing how the system of mercantilism impacted trade throughout the world. In Language Arts, students will be examining the plot structure of the short story "Flowers for Algernon."

Mrs. Hood, Mr. Rodgers, Mrs. Taylor & Mr. Williams

In Science, students will be investigating scientific method and begin graphing their data. Biology students will begin their ecology studies covering trophic levels and keystone species. In Language Arts, classes will finish "Flowers for Algernon" and complete some activities related to the story. Our Social Studies classes will explore Native American cultures and the impact of European arrival on the "New World. Pre-Algebra students will learn what negative exponents mean and how to simplify expressions that have them. We will also spend time reviewing square roots. In Algebra, students will be investigating growth patterns and graphs of quadratic functions as an introduction to functions.

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

Students will be learning and practicing with greetings/introductions and farewells. They will have a quiz on Thursday over this information. They do not need to spell the words, but do need to know what the vocabulary terms mean. After the quiz Thursday, they will be learning numbers.

Japanese

The Japanese class topics will be: sounding out Japanese words written in our alphabet; yes-no question formation, responding in complete sentences, numbers 1-20.

Computer Science

7th graders will be working towards this first project "Animated Scenes" after finishing lessons 6-8!

8th graders will be starting their Blink projects and moving onto Inputs/Outputs for their Microbits.

Art

In art, students are finishing up our mandala project and will be beginning a charcoal still life project.

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

7th and 8th grade: We will be learning how to sketch 3d models. As well as working on creating 3d models on our modeling software. Our first official shop day is quickly approaching!

Digital Literacy & Communication

This week in Digital Literacy, 7th graders will be finishing their lessons on Digital Citizenship and moving on to their Tutorial Video Project! 8th graders will be holding their first debate in class, then using their knowledge of advertisement to design posters for clubs around the school!

Robotics

Robotics 1 – Students will begin constructing and analyzing various gear mechanisms.

Robotics 2 – Students will begin the design and construction of a pull toy using VEX pieces.

Flight & Space

Students will learn about the parts of an airplane that get it to fly. They will also create a flight map in Google Maps.

Medical Detectives

Students will learn about the agents that make us sick-Virus, Bacteria, and Fungus. They will also begin doing an E.coli lab where they have to see which antibiotic c will be the strongest against the bacteria.

Below are some team building exercises we did in Medical Detectives and Flight and Space for the first week. Enjoy!

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

Wellness students are off to a great start to the year. Students are being responsible by changing their clothes each day and learning our warm up procedures. The picture above shows our students learning proper form for squats during our warm ups. We are continuing our units of soccer, flag football, and fitness this week. As a reminder, students will be bringing clothes home on Friday and we ask that the clothes get cleaned for Monday morning.

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

Band

All band classes have been learning the routines and procedures of class as well as working on fundamentals in our books. Be sure you have digitally signed the students' Band Handbook and copied all of our performance dates into your family's calendar. The Band Handbook has been sent out multiple times via Parent Square and is located in your child's Schoology page.

Choir

In Choir, we are heading straight into our content for the first bit of the year, score navigation! Students are learning and identifying the elements of a choral score so that later in the year we can learn music more efficiently.

Orchestra

For Orchestra: All students should have turned in their orchestra agreement. Also, the Polo Order Form has been passed out and need to be turned in by Friday, April 16th. Shirts are $16, and check can be made out to AMS South. Info about ABC Orchestra is coming out early this week - thanks for your patience on this!

7th Grade Orchestra: We have started the year off well and only have a couple of students without instruments. Please see my message in ParentSquare if your student doesn't have an instrument. We have been working on posture and position in the first week of playing, and here are some pictures to help guide your students when they are practicing at home:

8th Grade Orchestra: We are continuing to sight-read our new pieces and review from last year. Keep encouraging your students to resume practicing at home.

Chamber Orchestra: We are sight-reading through our new pieces, and 7th graders should be looking through their purple Essential Elements book to practice new concepts as well as their music.

We are excited to have a great year!

Mrs. Sever

The AMS South Library is so excited to welcome back our returning 8th graders and meet our new 7th graders. ALL students visited the library last week to check out books for Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) during WINN on Wednesdays and Fridays. Students will visit the library every other week to return, renew, and check out books. Students are also welcome to visit the library any time during the day with a pass from their teacher. We're hoping for a wonderful 2024-2025 school year!

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

Cell phone and all other electronic devices, including smart watches, are not to be used during the school day. Students are expected to keep all electronic devices in their locker.

Versatrans My Stop allows parents to track their students’ bus location and arrival times as well as receive notifications on delays or other pertinent information. It is an application that can be downloaded on the Apple or Android Store on your smartphone.

Step 1: Downloading the Versatrans My Stop App

• Type “Versatrans My Stop” into the search field in the App Store (for Apple users) or Play Store (for Android Users)
• Select Versatrans My Stop and download
• After downloading My Stop navigate to the application and tap on it to open it

Step 2: Logging In
Your username is your student ID number and the password is your child's birthdate (e.g., MMDDYYYY). Contact Transportation if you need assistance.

Step 3: Navigating the Map Page

• After logging in you will arrive at the Map section. Here you will see your student’s bus location and the estimated time of arrival.
• If you have multiple students riding buses on this screen there is an arrow with a dropdown menu to switch between your students.
• Remember if the bus is not on route you will not able to see its location.

Support
For any questions about Versatrans My Stop, or any transportation related questions, please reach out to the Avon Transportation Office at (317) 544-6140.

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.