Stay Connected.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Specials Rotation on Tuesday, 4/18

Students will be changing rotations on Tuesday, April 18. The next course can be found on the student schedule as "4" for periods B and H.

Red Cross Earth Day Project

To celebrate Earth Day, the Red Cross Club will sponsor a campus clean up on Thursday, April 20 after school from 3:00 - 4:00. Students interested in helping are encouraged to sign up outside of Ms. Costantino's room so that enough materials for the clean up day are purchased.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Spring Vacation starts Monday

Monday, April 10 to Monday, April 17

Spring Vacation - No School

Tuesday, April 18

School in Session

See more dates on the AMS Grade 8 Calendar.

Students visit Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh via virtual connection

On April 4, Avonworth 8th Grade students participated in a virtual seminar with the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. The program entitled, Holocaust Testimony and How it Relates to You featured two segments.

In the first segment, 93 year-old Sam Gottesman, a Holocaust Survivor from Czechoslovakia, shared his personal story about his horrific experiences in Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, and several labor camps in Europe.

Holocaust Survivor and Speaker Sam Mr. Gottesman presenting at the Pittsburgh Holocaust Center

The second part of the program included a presentation by Andrea Joseph from the Anti-Defamation League and included anti-bullying messages that promoted tolerance and acceptance of others beliefs. The virtual seminar was broadcast live from Greenfield and viewed by hundreds of students who were invited to submit live questions through a chat feature to Mr. Gottesman and Ms. Joseph. 8th Grade students will continue to study the Holocaust in the coming weeks and participate in a Teen Screen event organized by the Jewish Film Forum of Pittsburgh on May 19 to view the film, Nicky's Family.

8th grade students listening and watching the Holocaust Center Seminar in Mr. Haskins's room.

Did you see AMS Grade 8 in the newspaper?

Did you see AMS Grade 8 in the newspaper?

http://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2017/04/04/Hannah-Milbert-memorial-fund-Antelope-5K-race-Avonworth/stories/201703280003

Photo posted to the Post Gazette's website. Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

Since the publishing of the article, we have seen a big increase in registration for the Chase the Antelopes 5k on April 29. With so many participants, it is important to have enough volunteers on hand to make sure the event runs smoothly. Please read the attached informational letter that was sent home with students about making a commitment to volunteer at the event. Contact Jason Smith (jsmith@avonworth.k12.pa.us) with any questions.

Commitment to Volunteer (pdf)

Letter to Parents about the 5K project (pdf)

Registration Form (pdf)

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Bridges to STEM Careers Project Planned

The 8th grade team is looking for bridge engineering experts to assist with the bridge building project this spring!

More information can be found on the science website:
https://sites.google.com/a/avonworth.k12.pa.us/sci8/bridges/bridge-design-day

Thursday, March 30, 2017

AMS 8 Students visit the Courthouse

Last week 8th grade students traveled to the Allegheny County Courthouse for a field trip. In their Civics classes, students had previously been introduced to the criminal and civil court systems prior to their visit. Upon their arrival at the courthouse, students were greeted by the Administrative Judge of Allegheny County, the Honorable Judge David Cashman. Judge Cashman talked to students about his role in the judicial branch and warned them about the consequences of drug and alcohol related crimes. Next, students visited real criminal court rooms to observe trials in action.

PSSA Testing starts Monday

Students in the 8th grade will be taking state PSSA tests this school year.

PSSA TESTING:

April 3-6 8:00-10:30AM ELA

April 24-26 8:00-10:30AM MATH

May 1 & 2 8:00-10:30AM SCIENCE

ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL ON TEST DAYS

Avoid scheduling doctor appointments, vacations or other out-of-school activities during testing times. Participation in PSSA exams is a state requirement.

Making up tests pulls students from their regular classes. As a result, they will miss valuable class time. It will be students' responsibility to make up any classwork missed.

Of course, if students are genuinely ill, they should stay at home and take the necessary time off to get well. Students will perform better on a test if they are healthy.

Students should read and review the Code of Conduct for Test Takers prior to starting the PSSA tests.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Chase the Antelopes

You are invited to attend Avonworth’s first annual Chase the Antelopes 5k Run and One Mile Walk on April 29 at 9:00 a.m. The 8th grade class at Avonworth Middle School has planned this race in order to bring the community together. The students have been responsible for every aspect of this race. From designing shirts and awards, to promoting the event, to creating registration posters, securing sponsorships from local companies, and keeping track of each group’s progress. Through this project the 8th grade is learning to develop teamwork, communication, marketing skills, and being an engaged citizen within their neighborhood and community.

The students also have elected to send all proceeds from the event directly to the Hannah Milbert Memorial Fund. Hannah Milbert attended Avonworth High School, and tragically lost her life in a house fire in January. As a community, we hope this event will show the support we have for the Milbert Family.

MORE INFORMATION:

Letter to Parents about the 5K project (pdf)

Registration Form (pdf)

Yearbooks

Preorders are due tomorrow!

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Pitt SWE Girls Engineering in Middle School

Students and their families are invited to University of Pittsburgh Society of Women Engineer's “Girls Engineering in Middle School (GEMS)”.

Click here for more information.

The event is Saturday, April 1 from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm and the event is free! Please forward this onto anybody else who may be interested.

Avonworth School District does not sponsor or sanction this activity.

Welcome Mr. Casey, Math Student Teacher!

March 9, 2017

Hello parents.

My name is Matthew Casey and I have the pleasure of student teaching your child at Avonworth Middle School for the next six weeks! I plan to grow professionally throughout this placement and to allow your child to reach their maximum potential in the classroom. In the short time I have been here, I have felt like a regular member of the classroom, thanks to the children and Mrs. Costantino.

Some things about myself: I am currently in my final semester at La Roche College. I am involved in Student Government Association as the Director of Student Activities, which pertains to the club that I am president of: La Roche Activities Forum. The club is responsible for planning a bulk of the events that happen on La Roche’s campus. I have also been an orientation leader for the previous three years, allowing me to help people transition into their college career.

To end, I just want to let you know that this experience at Avonworth will hopefully better your child and I hope to grow along with them. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and I will respond as soon as I possibly can. Thank you and here is to a blessed next six weeks!

Matthew Casey

You can contact Mr. Casey by emailing Mrs. Costantino (mcostantino-poruben@avonworth.k12.pa.us).

Monday, March 13, 2017

Reminder! Courthouse Field Trip Expectations

Students will be attending a courthouse field trip on March 21-23. The following are the expectations for students while being at the courthouse:

Dress appropriately - proper attire might include khakis and a nice shirt. Some judges will not permit visitors to their courtroom if they are wearing jeans, shorts, and flip-flops,
No gum
No talking inside of the courtroom
No cameras
No cell phones, iPods, or tablets
Be prepared for metal detectors. The courthouse requires that students pass through metal detectors. Students will be asked to remove everything from their pockets, their jewelry, and belts while passing through the metal detectors.
For lunch, students should pack a lunch to be eaten at school.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

No School Tomorrow

No School for students & staff

Friday, 03/10/17

due to previously held
parent-teacher conferences.

Grading Period to End Soon

3/14/17

Science Layered Curriculum started Wednesday

A layered curriculum is a way to allow choice and differentiation in the classroom. Students can choose activities from a menu of assignments. Assignments can be modified to increase rigor or help a student struggling with the content. The daily “mini-lessons” teach specific topics and skills. The lessons range from ten to fifteen minutes which offers students ample time in class to conduct lab activities, complete worksheet activities, or plan a project. Students should choose assignments that interest them. They should also turn in activities on a regular basis.

Many resources for the layered curriculum are available on the internet. Students will have a choice of assignments from a menu of activities. Students are to start with “Layer C – Basic Knowledge” assignments and move to “Layer B – Advanced Practice” and then on to “Layer A – Assessment” assignments. Each class period starts with a mini-lesson and concludes with time to work on layered activities.

Scores for the layered curriculum will be tracked by the students in their layered curriculum activity guides (folder created in class). Copies are available from the internet.

Some assignments have specific due dates. There is a special layered curriculum calendar on the menu of assignments. The online tutorials and assignments require a computer with internet access. All Unit G layered curriculum assignments are due by Friday, 3/31/17.