The Den Quarterly

Dear AGCS Families,

As we move through another exciting school year, I am continually inspired by the positive impact we are seeing across our entire school community. The construction of our new building is progressing smoothly, bringing us closer to a space that will foster even more opportunity for our students and staff.

At the same time, our school community is truly living up to its values, giving back through a variety of impactful philanthropy projects that demonstrate our commitment to helping others. We are also taking time to highlight and celebrate the incredible work of our staff, dedicated individuals who make a difference in our students' lives every single day. I couldn't be prouder of the collective effort we see here; it's clear that together, we are making a lasting impact, one that will be felt for years to come.

Kristen Bishop, CEO/Head of School

This holiday season, gift the opportunity to be a part of our new 7-12 Academic Building by purchasing a personalized, commemorative brick to honor your family, a student, a precious friend, or a loved one. Your brick will become a permanent part of the facility and will be a special tribute for generations to come!

Choose between a 4"x8" brick with 3 customized lines of text, an 8"x8" brick with 6 customized lines of text, or an 8"x8" brick with the AGCS logo and 2 lines of customized text.

All proceeds will fund the construction of our beautiful new 7-12 Academic Building on the State Road Campus. Be a part of AGCS history by purchasing your commemorative brick today!

Prior to its lift off, staff, teachers, students, families, alumni, project collaborators and members of the community came out to add their signatures to the beam and become a part of a building project that has been eagerly anticipated for years. Signatures were proudly accompanied by past and future graduation dates, staff's years of service, and notes of congratulations. Signers added an "I Signed the Beam" sticker to their shirts, alongside their election day "I voted" sticker.

Our new 7-12 academic building, including 18 classrooms, multiple collaboration spaces, a gym, fitness center, and a turf athletic field is on track to be completed in the spring of 2026.

The second phase of construction is well underway after the fall completion of underground utilities, concrete slabs, masonry walls and erection of structural steel.

Interior construction efforts in the western half of the building are progressing with the placement of partition walls and the installation of mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems. Exterior walls were panelized off site and are currently being installed around the building, making way for roofing, windows and doors followed by drywall, casework and finishes.

Click below to view additional building renderings:

• AGCS was recognized for meeting fidelity at Tier 2 (Social Emotional and Behavior Interventions) at both State Road and ELC campuses.

• In early November, 13 members of our K-12 PBIS Team (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) attended the Pennsylvania PBIS Implementers Forum in Hershey. Instructional Coach, Bethanne Lindenbaum and High School Guidance Counselor, Megan Alaxson, presented to educators from all over Pennsylvania about how AGCS has implemented PBIS over the last 10 years. They discussed how we have been utilizing the electronic rewards system, "PBIS Rewards," to enhance our program with efficient data collection, promoting a positive culture and environment for staff and students.

We look forward to an exciting Quarter two as we continue to expand our social, emotional and behavioral supports for all students.

Our fall benchmark data has indicated that we are off to a great start; 80% of our K-8 students fell into tier 1 for math and 77% of students fell into tier 1 for reading.

What is the Multi-tiered System of Support (MtSS) at AGCS?

• MtSS is an instructional framework that includes screening all students, analyzing data, and implementing multiple tiers of instruction and support services. Tier 1 is the universal support provided to all students at the classroom level. Tier 2 support is designed for students who fall below specific benchmarks or cut-points, indicating that they need additional help to meet grade-level expectations. Tier 3 support is individualized for students who are struggling significantly in one or more subject/skill areas and require much more intensive support to be successful.
• Benchmark assessments are conducted three times a year (fall, winter, and spring) using Exact Path and Acadience measures.
• MTSS score reports are available to parents after each benchmark period through PowerSchool's Parent Portal under "Student Reports." Ask your child's teacher for details about their tier.

For more information on Multi-tiered System of Support visit our MtSS webpage.

• Pennsylvania has adopted new science standards called STEELS (Science Technology Engineering Environmental Literacy & Sustainability Standards)

• STEELS takes an inquiry-based approach to learning science rather than students memorizing facts

• K-12 science teachers at AGCS have spent the past year learning the new standards in preparation for the change

• AGCS has adopted OpenSciEd as the new science resource. OpenSciEd aligns closely to the STEELS Standards

• Science PSSA will no longer occur in 4th grade. Beginning this year the Science PSSA will be administered in 5th grade.

• 8th Grade will continue to take the Science PSSA

• At various times throughout the year we may seek family and community input on the selection of textbooks and other learning resources.

• If you would like to be considered for this Committee, please complete the Textbook Committee Interest Form.

At Avon Grove Charter School, the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We want to take a moment to update you on the safety measures we have in place and how they connect with the support services available to your child.

• We recognize that emotional and mental health is a big part of student well-being, which is why our School Safety team works in close partnership with our Student Services team, ensuring students are connected to mental health supports and resources.

• Our counselors are available to help students for immediate support needs, wellness checks, and ongoing assistance. All of our staff is receiving regular training on safety protocols, conflict resolution, and how to spot signs of distress in students.

• We continue to foster close partnerships with local first responder organizations to boost our safety measures and provide additional support to students and families. These partnerships help ensure that we’re ready for any safety challenges that might come our way. We truly believe in the importance of open communication between families and the school.

• We abide by our "Standard Emergency Response Protocols" (see graphic below) for emergencies ensuring that all staff are trained and students are knowledgable about and have practice responding to each scenario.

• Our school utilizes Safe2Say Something an anonymous tipline for students to report harassment, threats, or other forms of violence. Students can report a tip in the following ways:

1. Call 1-844-SAF2SAY
2. Use the Safe2Say website
3. Download and report via the Safe2Say app for Apple or Android devices

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Your feedback is important to us as we work together to create the safest, most supportive learning environment for our students.

Avon Grove Charter School is preparing for the launch of its 2025-2026 admissions application which will be available on January 2, 2025.

If you have an upcoming student who will be of Kindergarten age for the 2025-2026 school year, we encourage you to add your family to the 2025-2026 Kindergarten Interest Mailing List to receive important updates regarding the Kindergarten lottery for next school year.

Additionally, please consider submitting a student referral if you know of a student or family who would be a great fit here at Avon Grove Charter School. After a referral is entered, someone from our school will reach out to the family to share more information about our school, admissions process, and how AGCS could help them reach their full potential.

The fall season recently wrapped up, and this year was perhaps the most successful season in AGCS athletics history. Big changes came to the athletics programs this year as we await our new gym and turf field. Each day, teams had to be bussed to area parks for practices and games. Teams were led by some outstanding coaches, who truly know how to invest in the lives of our students.

This season proved to be a successful start to an upgraded middle school athletics program which included 6th graders for the first time.

The middle school Cross Country team had an amazing season, topped off with the girls team finishing in 2nd place of the MIL Championship and the boys team bringing home the 1st place trophy for the first time in AGCS Cross Country history.

The MS soccer team had a strong season and is set up to build upon and add to the success of our soccer program.

The MS volleyball team finished the season in 3rd place in the MIL and had the chance to participate in the MIL’s Middle School Volleyball Tournament.

The high school varsity teams had an outstanding fall season!

The varsity cross country team continued to build a strong program as the athletes pushed each other to build upon individual PRs. 11th grade student, Jonathan Orose, finished 5th in the MIL Cross Country Championships and achieving an AGCS school record of 18:02. The boys team brought home the 2nd place trophy.

The girls volleyball team finished the season with a strong record of 10-4 in the MIL. The girls team made great strides this season and finished postseason play in 3rd place. They have their sights set higher for the 2025 season.

The boys soccer team finished the season with the best record in the MIL and entered the postseason in 1st place for the 2nd straight year. The boys lost a very hard fought championship game 1-0. The boys are set on making it back to the championship next season. They are due!

They have been recognized as the best athletes in the league:

Our staff and students are looking forward to field trips in many grade levels this year. Due to staffing, the school nurses do not attend field trips. The only medications allowed on field trips are epinephrine injectors and rescue inhalers. If you need to attend a field trip to manage your child’s medical needs, please contact your child’s teacher and the school nurse.

Multiple illnesses continue to circulate in the community. The AGCS School Nurses ask that all sick students remain home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, or 24 hours vomit-free and tolerating foods in the case of stomach viruses. Should your child need to be picked up from school sick, please have a plan in place for your child to be picked up within an hour of the nurse’s call.

If you haven't already, please be sure to complete your child(rens) back-to-school forms in PowerSchool. The annual health update form, including medication permission, is found in the Parent Portal under “Registration”. Without this form, the nurses are unable to medicate your child during the school day.

AGCS has once again been recognized by Niche as an excellent school choice by Niche. We were awarded:

Top 1% of Best Teachers in America for High School, Middle School, and Elementary School

Top 20% of Best Charter Schools in the country

#3 in Best High School Teachers in the State and #1 Best Public Teachers in Chester County for High School, Middle School, and Elementary School

Top 100 Best Public High Schools in the State

Find our full Niche profile HERE.

On November 11, both campuses hosted our annual Veteran's Breakfast. This year, we had the most attendees ever, with over 80 Veterans joining their AGCS student loved-ones for a delicious catered meal.

AGCS students not in attendance showed their appreciation with hand made notes, signs of gratitude, and a hallway parade at the Early Learning Center. We loved hearing the stories of service from so many of our Veteran community!

The fall play, Arsenic and Old Lace, was a huge success, selling more tickets than ever before. Fifteen cast members and 35 crew put on 3 shows between November 15-17. Congratulations to staff members, cast and crew on a successful production!