Oriole's Nest
March 1, 2024
Avon Middle School South
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
ACSC 2023 - 2024 School Calendar
ACSC 2024 - 2025 School Calendar
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES
Feb. 19, 2024 - NO SCHOOL - President's Day
Mar. 18 - 29, 2024 - NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
UPCOMING ATHLETIC EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Mr. Will Mahan, Athletic Director/Dean of Students
Ms. Joni Johnson, Athletic Trainer
Upcoming Spring Sports Starting Next Week!
Baseball and Softball (8th grade only) - tryouts Monday, March 4th through Thursday, March 7th. Students will be transported from South to North after school. You will need to pick-up your student from North at 6:30pm at the fields. Student-Athletes will leave their equipment in the Athletic Training room when they arrive to school in the mornings.
Tennis - practice Monday, March 4th through Thursday, March 7th. Students will be transported from South to North after school. You will need to pick-up your child from North at 6:00pm at the tennis courts.
Golf - practice Monday, March 4th through Thursday, March 7th. Students will be transported both to and from Oak Tree Golf Course in Plainfield for practice. You will need to pick-up your child from South (door 14) at 6:00pm. Student-Athletes will leave their equipment in the Athletic Training room when they arrive to school in the mornings.
Track & Field - practice Monday, March 4th through Friday, March 8th. Students will walk to our track at Intermediate East after school with our coaching staff. You will need to pick-up your child from the track at 6:00pm.
Please make sure if your child is participating in any spring sport, that their athletic physical is completed and upload to PRIVIT. Participation is not allowed until this process is complete. We look forward to starting our spring seasons!
Thank you,
Will Mahan - Athletic Director
Student Season Passes - South Hosted Athletic Events
The season pass for students is offered through EventLink. EventLink is the online ticket platform that we use for athletic events at South. The student will simply need to show the barcode via cellphone to the ticket taker when entering a game.
The link to purchase this ticket is below:
https://websites.eventlink.com/s/avon-middle-school-south/Tickets/Passes/2900/276
STUDENT INFORMATION
Celebrating Birthday's This Week!
Happy Birthday
to our students celebrating a birthday this week:
Kinley Stevens
Trevor Drosche
Mac Gordon
Taha Chemmaoui
Dean Hardin
Samuel Rioux
Samuel Adenuga
Atola Hartzell
Alex Guptill
Nick Guptill
Haerath Mazu
Jaylynne Nystrom
Brantley Winkley
Dave Burke
Lucas McNabb
Shaniya Smith
Derrick Thomas
Panama - Student Travel Opportunity Spring Break 2026
If you are interested in your child having an international travel experience, please consider the following opportunity. Señora Barker, Spanish teacher at South, will be leading an educational travel opportunity to Panama Spring Break 2026. Panama is located in Central America and is the crossroads between the Americas. Students will experience the jungle, wildlife, science, history, and fun! Panama is a playground for adventure and the itinerary is packed with activities such as ziplining, surfing, whitewater rafting, a trip to the Panama Canal and more! This is a great opportunity for students to broaden their horizons and put their Spanish skills into real world practice. While this is a student-focused tour, adventurous parents are welcome for an additional cost.
Please attend the informational meeting on Monday, March 11 at 6pm at AMS NORTH media center. Enter door 27 or attend via zoom. The zoom link will be posted on the rsvp page. https://rsvp.eftours.com/xsdytt3
If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Barker at habarker@avon-schools.org
*This opportunity is not school sponsored.
Japan - Summer 2026 Student Travel Opportunity
Mrs. Clark, Spanish teacher at AMS North, and Ms. Ramirez, Japanese teacher at AHS will be leading a trip to Japan in the summer of 2026. If your student would be interested in this trip see the information below.
If you have any questions you can contact Mrs. Clark or Ms. Ramirez.
Susi Clark - sclark@avon-schools.org
Amanda Ramirez - ajramirez@avon-schools.org
2023 - 2024 Yearbook Sales Have Started!
Follow the link below to order your yearbook today.
Yearbook school ID: 15098424
Study Tables
National Junior Honor Society will offer after school study help sessions on Wednesday’s after school from 4:10 - 5:00PM. Students will then go to the front commons area and wait for the late bus or parent pick-up. During this time, there will be a supervisor 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.
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.
TEAM NEWS
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.
Cardinals News
Mrs. Dugan, Mrs. Williams, Mr. Schubert & Mr. Uhl
In Language Arts, students will wrap up their reading of the Brain Science materials in Unit 7C and work on writing an informational essay about Phineas Gage and the development of the teenage brain. In Social Studies, we will begin discussing the Colonization of India. In Science, we will finish our unit on body systems with a test on Wednesday, March 6th. All late work for this unit is due March 7th. We will start our Earth Science unit on Thursday after the test. In Math, we will be starting a new unit focusing on geometric figures and angle relationships. In Pre-Algebra, we will be starting a new unit focusing on finding the area, volume, and surface area of 3D figures.
Grizzlies News
Mrs. Barnes, Mr. Blackmore, Mrs. Boroff & Ms. Weinstein
In Language Arts, students will begin working on and workshopping the essay meant to conclude our Brain Science Unit. This essay will focus on the ability of students to compare and contrast two complex texts at the same time which is currently slated to be due on March 8th. Math students will be beginning the unit on angles measures and types and triangles. The next test is scheduled for Thursday, March 14. The end of the quarter is March 8 and the last day for late work will be Thursday, March 7. Pre-Algebra will continue working with volume and surface area of 3D shapes. The end of the quarter is March 8 and the last day for late work will be Thursday, March 7. In Science, we will be reviewing for the end of unit test on Wednesday, March 6th over levels of organization and body systems. Students will have study guides as well as several resources on Schoology to help prepare for the test. We will also introduce March Mammal Madness that we will have fun trying to determine which animals will “win” in a bracket similar to the college basketball competition. Social Studies students will be digging into the history of South Asia. A review of the basics of Hinduism and Buddhism, the Mughal empire and the Taj Mahal, and introduction to Gandhi his satyagraha movement and Indian independence. The unit test will be on Thursday March 14th.
Jaguars News
Mr. Leach, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Ringham & Mrs. Schaffer
Mr. McDonald, Ms. Schaber, Mrs. Shambaugh & Mr. Thoennes
Language Arts
Mrs. Ringham - Language Arts students will finish reading excerpts from the text Secret Life of the Teenage Brain. We will then review the texts of the unit, plan and write an essay that will be due at the beginning of the following week. Students will have 5 full class periods to plan and execute their essays.
Mr. Thoennes - Students will be working on their compare and contrast essay.
Math & Pre-Algebra
Mrs. Schaffer - Math students will review the angle relationships we've already learned, and we will add on being able to determine what angle measures and side lengths can create a triangle. We will also be reviewing proportions when we calculate measurements based on scale drawings like maps and blueprints. In Pre-Algebra we will continue to focus on Geometry concepts for the next 2 weeks until Spring Break. We will be reviewing 3-dimensional figures and calculating surface area and volume, making sure we understand how to use formulas.
Mrs. Shambaugh - Students will continue our geometry unit working with lines, angles, and triangles.
Science
Mrs. Miller - In Science classes we will be ending our unit on Human Body Systems on Wednesday March 6, 2024, with a quiz. This will be the final grade for Quarter 3. All missing work for quarter 3 will need to be submitted no later than THURSDAY March 7, 2024, to receive any credit for the quarter. Our next unit that we will start at the end of the week will be in Earth Science.
Ms. Schaber - Students will be finishing up our current unit on body systems on Wednesday with a test. After this, we will be starting our next unit on earth science.
Social Studies
Mr. Leach - In Social Studies, students will be learning about the partition of India as well their fight for independence.
Mr. McDonald - Students will begin learning about the Early Indian Kingdoms.
Foresters News
Mrs. DeBow, Mr. Goson, Mrs. Mellen & Mrs. Zimmerman
Mr. McDonald, Ms. Schaber, Mrs. Shambaugh & Mr. Thoennes
Language Arts
Mrs. Zimmerman - Students will review on Monday and take the unit 8F test on Tuesday, March 5th. Tuesday will be the last day to turn in this unit's outstanding work, including the argumentative essay.
Mr. Thoennes - Students will be taking their Unit 8F test on Tuesday, March 5th and then we will start reading the graphic novel Frankenstein.
Pre-Algebra & Algebra
Mrs. DeBow - Algebra students test on Tuesday and Wednesday over Chapter 9: Solving Quadratics. Pre-algebra students will learn to calculate the volume of prisms, pyramids, and spheres.
Mrs. Shambaugh - Students will continue to work with 3-dimensional figures and using formulas to find the volume of geometric solids.
Science
Mr. Goson - Students will be wrapping up their chemistry unit by taking a look at Bohr models. We will then review and take our test over our chemistry unit on Friday, March 8.
Ms. Schaber - Students will be continuing our current unit on the periodic trends. We will be finishing up our unit with a test on Friday.
Mrs. Hood - Biology students will finalize their GATTACA movie they started on Friday. We will then test over DNA, RNA, and mutations on Wednesday, 3-6. Following the test we begin our genetics and heredity unit. (Notice the students have been given a study guide. Extra copies of the study guide can be found on-line.)
Social Studies
Mrs. Mellen - Next week, we will be learning about the Election of 1824 and the policies of Andrew Jackson. They will have their second attempt at the Purple Belt Extra Credit on Friday 3/8.
Mr. McDonald - Students will begin learning about the Age of Andrew Jackson in the United States.
Greyhounds News
Mrs. Warthan, Ms. Kegley, Mr. Casey & Mr. Osen
In Science, students will be tested over Chemistry Unit One on Friday. Biology students will be tested over Protein Synthesis on Wednesday. Our Pre-Algebra students will be learning about the volume of three-dimensional figures. Algebra students will be tested over simplifying radicals and the quadratic formula. In Social Studies, students will be introduced to the Jackson Era and will discuss the policies Andrew Jackson created as President. Language Arts students will be taking their Unit 8F Space Race reading assessment on Tuesday and starting Frankenstein on Wednesday.
Panthers News
Mrs. Hood, Mr. Rodgers, Mrs. Taylor & Mr. Williams
In Language Arts, students will submit the final draft of their argumentative essay on Monday. They will review for the Unit 8F test which will be on Tuesday. The rest of the week will be devoted to introducing Unit 8C and the graphic novel Frankenstein. Science students will finalize their chemistry I unit by modeling atoms using Bohr Models and Lewis dot structures. Our test on this chemistry unit is on Friday, 3-8. (Notice the students have been given a study guide. Extra copies of the study guide can be found on-line.) Biology students will finalize their GATTACA movie they started on Friday. We will then test over DNA, RNA, and mutations on Wednesday, 3-6. Following the test, we begin our genetics and heredity unit. (Notice the students have been given a study guide. Extra copies of the study guide can be found on-line.) Pre-Algebra will begin our unit covering 3 dimensional figures. We will discuss shapes of cross sections of polyhedrons and will be finding the volume of cylinders, cones, and prisms. Algebra students will finish our unit on quadratics. We will practice applying the quadratic formula and finish the week with our unit test. Students can earn bonus points if they sing the quadratic formula to their favorite song. This week, in Social Studies, we'll learn about the "corrupt bargain" and the controversial 1824 election before discussing Andrew Jackson's presidency.
Encore News & World Languages
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 in Spanish students will be learning new food vocabulary related to dinner and living a healthy lifestyle.
Japanese
The Japanese class topics will be katakana and kanji characters, reading words written in katakana, abilities, length of time.
Computer Science
7th grade classes will be working on their video games and presenting them on Thursday for the entire to class to play.
8th grade classes will be working on their final builds and presenting them on Wednesday and Thursday!
Art
Next week students are fishing up their sculptural painting with the principles of unity and emphasis. We will complete our final assignment for the quarter which is a mixed media abstract sculpture using wire, nylon, gesso, and paint. We will put our hand made ceramic mugs to use Friday, March 8 during our root beer float pitch in! Sign up to bring in ingredients on parent square. students will earn 15 PBIS points for each item they bring in which can be cashed in for prizes.
7th grade Engineering and Design & 8th grade Gateway to Technology
7th Grade- We are closing the nine weeks with the testing and racing of our pinewood derby cars! Kids are excited to test out their best designs and race against their friends.
8th Grade- We are ending our time this quarter with finalizing our phone stands and speaker boxes. I challenged students to make something unique and different and they are delivering!
Digital Literacy & Communication
In 8th Grade Digital Literacy, we are continuing to learn the parts that make up a proper trial so we can prepare to do ours next week. In 7th Grade Digital Literacy, we are creating our speeches and visual aids for our Shark Tank presentations next week.
Robotics
Robotics 1 – Students will work in their groups to finish constructing and coding their spinning billboard projects.
Robotics 2 – Students will work in their groups to finish the elevator project. Groups that finish will begin constructing road trip vehicle for extra credit.
Medical Detectives
Medical Detectives classes will be continuing their final project.
Flight & Space
Flight & Space classes will be continuing their final project. We will be dropping our egg drops off the roof sometime next week.
PE/Wellness News
Mrs. Fair, Mrs. Lucas & Mr. Jackson
Students will be finishing the quarter with fitness tests and a final exam this week. All study guides are posted in Schoology to prepare for the final exam which is 20% of the overall grade. Fitness tests will include a pacer test, a sit up test, and a pushup test.
Music Department News
Mr. Basso (Band), Ms. Szymkow (Band), Mr. Miller (Orchestra) & Mr. Nelson (Choir)
Choir
We are one week away from our ISSMA competition. We will be doing some last-minute work to be best prepared!
Orchestra
Congratulations to all orchestra on a successful ISSMA Contest Preview concert! We have been working hard on listening to our judges recordings to get better by the 8th and 9th.
ISSMA Contest times are out:
Chamber Orchestra: Report to North on Friday, March 8th at 7:05pm to the Gym for warm-up. Performance is at 8:10pm in the auditorium
7th Grade Orchestra: Report to North on Saturday, March 9th at 9:45am to the Gym for warm-up. Performance is at 10:45 in the auditorium.
8th Grade Orchestra: Report to North on Saturday, March 9th at 11:05am to the Gym for warm-up. Performance is at 12:00pm in the auditorium.
Thank you parents for all you do to support your children in music! Keep encouraging them to practice and play for you at home!
Band
Both the 7th and 8th band parents have been sent ISSMA performance details in Parent Square. The bands will both perform at North MS on Friday, March 8th. The 7th grade band performs at 5:55PM and the 8th grade band performs at 7:35PM.
Congratulations to the 5 AMSS Students who participated in in State Solo & Ensemble last Saturday, Brady Basso, Gavin Curry, Alexander Murray, Ishmail Muslimov, and Alex Weng!
Brady Basso
Congratulations!
Gavin Curry
Congratulations!
Alexander Murray
Congratulations!
OFFICE PROCEDURES
AMS South's Attendance Policy
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 DISMISSAL INFORMATION
** 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 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.
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 leaving early for a doctor/dentist/orthodontist appointment, please provide verification note from the appointment to the main office to ensure that the absence is excused.
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.
Pre-Arranged Absence Form
• I-Learn
• During semester exams
• 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.
Below is our Pre-Arranged Absence form.
AMS South Visitors Policy
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
GUIDANCE OFFICE NEWS
21st CENTURY SCHOLARS
7th and 8th grade parents: Your children may be eligible for a college scholarship!
If your child qualifies for free and reduced lunch they are automatically enrolled in the 21st Century Scholars Program.
View the form below for more information.
STUDENT LAPTOP RENTAL INSURANCE
Worth Ave. Group Laptop Insurance
Avon Community Schools has chosen Worth Ave. Group as the vendor of choice to insure school-issued laptops. 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. Please note this insurance does not cover accidental loss of the laptop, and families will be charged the full replacement cost for a lost device.
- Coverage Term: July 18, 2023 - July 18, 2024
- It is up to you to renew yearly.
STUDENT HANDBOOK
COMMUNITY NEWS
Homework Hotline
Need help with Math and Science homework?
Call the Homework Hotline
1-877-ASK-ROSE
Click below to visit their website
Mary Lee Maier Community Pantry Information
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)
at Avon Intermediate School East
Please do not arrive before 4:30PM due to AIS bus/school traffic
Enrollment is simple. Please complete your 2023 - 2024 enrollment before you shop. Below you will find more information for enrollment, please click the link below.