Thursday, October 6, 2016

8th Grade Election Project Event!

Dear Parent/Guardian:

The 2016 Presidential Election season is upon us and voters have many questions to consider before they enter their polling place.  Who would make the best commander-in-chief?  How will each candidate’s economic policy impact me and my family?  What are the candidate’s different plans to fight terrorism? And, most importantly, who should I vote for?

Avonworth 8th grade students have the answers!  They will spend the month of October closely examining the policies and proposals of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in Civics class.  Then, on Tuesday, November 1 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., students will present their projects to parents, community members, and undecided voters at their 2016 Election Night event.

Parents/Guardians: Please plan to bring your child to the school on Tuesday, November 1 at 6:00 p.m. and stay for the presentations that will take place in several different classrooms in the Middle School.

Student projects and presentations will include the following topics:  Economy, Health Care, Foreign Policy, Fight against Terrorism, Social Issues, Immigration, Environment, and Gun Control.

Student projects and presentations are intended to be informative in nature, meaning that students will be instructed to report objectively on candidate’s policies and proposals instead of negatively attacking their opponent’s ideas.  

Official representatives from both the Democrat and Republican Parties have also been invited to attend this event.  While not in attendance at the presentations, information about Third Parties will also be introduced to students during Civics class so they can learn more about the important role Third Parties play in U.S. Elections.  The decision to not include Third Parties in this event is based the same criteria as the U.S. Commission on Presidential Debates who have set a 15% polling threshold in order for a candidate to appear on the upcoming presidential debates.  If any third party candidate were to reach that percentage and appear in the presidential debates, I would invite a representative from that party to attend our event as well as be a part of our student presentations.

In the meantime, I encourage you to talk with your child about the election and inquire about the project that they are completing in Civics class.  See you on November 1st!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions,


Jason R. Smith
jsmith@avonworth.k12.pa.us

8th Grade Civics

No School for Students Monday

Drawing from the United States Department of Defense, Wikipedia
Available: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Columbus-day.jpg
ACT 80 Day - Monday, October 10

No School for students - Columbus Day & In-Service for teachers and staff



Read more about Columbus Day from Wikipedia.

8th Grade Parent-Teacher Conferences

The 8th Grade Team is scheduling needs-based parent-teacher conferences for October and November. 





Read more about AMS 8 parent-teacher conferences on our blog:

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Join Newspaper Club

Join the middle school newspaper club! We will meet in room 110 after school until 4PM on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. The Herd needs cartoonists, writers, layout and graphic designers, and social media promoters! If you have questions, see Mrs Abate room 201 or Mr. Haskins room 110.


Halloween Glow In the Dark Colony Ball Tournament!