AMS Newsletter

Dear Avon Families:

It is hard to believe that October is already upon us! The end of the first quarter is on Friday, October 25th. Please be sure that your child is checking PowerSchool for any incomplete or missing assignments. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be in November and that information will be sent home in an email to families when we get closer to those dates.

We have many exciting activities and events this month! Homecoming Spirit week is the first week of October! We are looking forward to seeing all of the spirit in the AMS hallways! Another exciting day is Halloween at AMS. Please be sure to check out the information below regarding Halloween costumes.

Warm Regards,

Kelli Davisson, Mason Acheson, Emily Russ

October 3rd - Homecoming Parade 6:00 PM

October 3rd - FALL MAP scores sent home via email

October 4th - Homecoming game 7:00 PM

October 11th - NEOEA Day - No School

October 14th - Teacher Inservice Day - No School for Students

October 15th - BOE meeting

October 16th - Avon Eagle Pride Day

October 25th - End of the 1st Quarter

October 28th - 1st Quarter Recognition during FLEX

October 31st - Halloween

November 1st - SOAR into FALL Activities

NOTE: For other dates/times of school activities, please visit the Avon Middle School website under Announcements and Calendar using this LINK.

Halloween is right around the corner! If your child would like to dress up on Thursday, October 31st we ask that they do so in a safe and appropriate way. Please check out the items below if your child will be wearing a costume on Halloween. Thank you!

1. Please choose a costume that does not reflect violence. Inappropriate “props” such as blood, plastic swords, guns, knives, and weapons of any kind are not allowed – even if they are a part of your child’s costume.

2. Students should wear their costumes to school.

3. No face painting.

4. Your child needs to be able to sit in their seat (no blow up costumes).

5. Costume masks are not permitted.

6. Finally, all costumes should maintain the integrity of our school dress code

Our car rider drop off and pick up is located at the south entrance (back entrance) off of Long Rd. Please make sure to drop off your child in this location and not at the front parking lot area. We have many buses dropping off in the front loop area in the morning. This is for the safety of your child. Thank you for understanding.

Click here for vehicle morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up procedures.

Bus Safety Rules

To be dismissed early, students need to present a written request to the AMS Main Office upon arrival; they will receive an Early Dismissal Slip. All written requests for early dismissal must be signed by the parent / guardian, including a reason and a telephone number to verify the appointment. The voicemail number for absences is not to request an early dismissal. Telephone call requests to dismiss students early are discouraged.

Should a call become necessary for an emergency or last minute appointment, photo IDs will need to be presented by the parent / guardian at the time of student pick up.

The attendance line, 440-934-3838, is accessible 24 hours a day.

There will be a Winter Sports Club meeting on Wednesday, October 16th from 6-7pm. in the AMS Commons for parents. This is a mandatory meeting if your child will be participating in Winter Sports club this winter. If you have any questions please reach out to Mrs. Neumann or Mrs. Callahan.

We host a middle school “nest” at HOME varsity football games on Friday nights. We are located in the north end zone of the football field. This is a fun atmosphere for students to show school spirit! If students are attending the football game with friends they are required to sit in our section for the game. If students are going to the game with their parents and want to sit with you, that is completely fine too. Please note, students are not permitted to roam the stadium alone during the game for safety reasons.

Attached is a letter from ABOB regarding an e-gift card for the concession stand (away concession stand) if you would like to purchase one for your child. If you decide to purchase this gift card it does help speed up the concession stand line during halftime. Students have to eat/drink outside of the “nest” area during the game.

Lastly, the middle school “nest” is for Avon Middle School students only (6th, 7th, and 8th graders). We do have staff to help supervise this section and all school rules apply at athletic events. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly. We look forward to having fun on Friday nights this fall!

Depositing Lunch Money & Applying for Free & Reduced Lunch:

New Users: follow this link to PaySchools Central and click on “register” on the log-in page. Follow the prompts to create an account and add student(s) to your account. Follow this link to view the Parent User Guide. **NOTE: If wanting to fill out a free/reduced application, after creating your account, you MUST log out and log back in to access this feature**

Current PaySchools Central Users: follow this link to PaySchools Central. Use your current log-in credentials for PaySchools to log-in to PaySchools Central. Auto-replenishments will need to be RESET for the school year. Any settings you had last school year will not carry over to this school year.

Important: You must apply for free/reduced waivers each year; they do not carry over year to year. All meal status from the 2023-2024 school year will expire on September 30, 2024. If an application is not completed by this date, your meal status will change to “FULL PAY.”

Free & Reduced Income Qualification Information:

Click here for the 2024 Federal Poverty Guidelines

Cashless Policy:

Money will not be accepted at the registers during breakfast or lunch service. If a family does not wish to use online deposits into food accounts, a student must submit a cash or check deposit into the deposit boxes located in the cafeteria before school starts. Funds will be credited to the student's account and available to purchase off of the same day. If you deposit money in Payschools Central, it must be in BEFORE school starts to use it the same day.

If cash is brought to the register during service or if money is deposited in PaySchools Central after school starts, the funds will not be available until the next day. Every student will receive one complete meal, but a la cart items will be excluded from sales as funds have not been loaded into accounts.

To view lunch balances please use your PaySchools Central log-in. Powerschool does not always update in real time.

Menus - View Lunch Menus (available after Aug 14th)

Breakfast $1.50, Lunch $3.25, Extra Milk $0.50

Reduced meals are no charge as part of the biennial state budget for school year 2024-2025

If you have any questions please reach out to Nancy Mazzeo at mazzeon@avoneagles.org or 440-937-3049.

Twitter: To receive news updates on what’s happening at AMS, follow Avon Middle School on Twitter @AMSEagle.

Website: www.avoneagles.org

Monthly Parent Newsletters: Sent each month via email.

At AMS we will be utilizing the PBIS Rewards App to reward positive behaviors that students exhibit throughout the year. We will discuss expectations with our students that follow the S.O.A.R. attributes: SAY IT, OWN IT, ACT IT, RESPECT IT. Students earn different point amounts for displaying different positive behaviors. Students can then redeem their points through our online store. Our students access this store though their Clever app on the their computer. At the end of each quarter we will have SOAR events! Please check out our monthly newsletters for more information regarding PBIS! We look forward to an awesome school year!

Please be sure you can access PowerSchool so that you can monitor your child's assignments and grades throughout the school year.

Report Cards will be available online at the end of each quarter. Please note these various dates that are on the school’s website calendar.

Click here for important information regarding drug testing, vaccinations and the “Teen Home Alone Program.”

Pursuant of the Avon Board of Education policy, no student will be permitted to possess prescription medication on school grounds. The AMS Main Office will be responsible for the dispensing of prescribed medication. Below is a link for administering medication at school that must be completed and returned with the prescription in the original container. Details on these policies can be found in the Student Handbook.

Medication Authorization Form

The entire Avon Middle School professional and support staff extend to you and your family a cordial, enthusiastic welcome! With the home, community, and school working together, we can have a significant and lasting impact on our youth. If you have any questions, please call the AMS Main Office at (440) 934-3800.

Kelli Davisson, M.Ed., Principal (ext. 5005)

Mason Acheson, M.Ed., Assistant Principal (A-K) (ext. 5006)

Emily Russ, M.Ed., Assistant Principal (L-Z) (ext. 5007)