News Archive: August-September, 2007

September 24, 2007 This Tuesday, September 25, will be AGIS picture day.  Picture taking will begin at 8:30 and will include all students and staff for identification purposes. (Classroom composites include only the students who are photographed on this picture day.)  If you would like to order pictures, your student must have an order envelope with the money to give to the photographer at the time the picture is taken.  Please do not combine money for siblings’ pictures.  Send individual orders and money for each child separately.  Checks must be written out to “Lifetouch.”  Ordering information has been sent home with all the students.  Extra forms are available in the office.

September 21, 2007 You may now request a bus pass when needed.   Three of our busses are at capacity so passes cannot be issued for busses 15, 16, and 18. Please be aware that most of our busses are near capacity.  We are limited to 2-3 passes per bus; therefore we will NOT be able to issue passes for ANY groups of students.  This includes birthday parties, scout meetings, etc.
     Please send in a note that includes all of the following information needed for a bus pass:

• Your student’s first and last name
• Your student’s teacher
• The bus number
• The first and last name of the student with whom your child is riding, or a description of the established bus stop
• The date
• Your signature

You must send your note in with your child or
bring it to the office yourself. 

September 21, 2007 Applications for 07-08 free or reduced price meals are due by October 19.  Students with no current applications will pay full price as of October 22.

September 21, 2007 The first week of October AGIS will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week along with our middle and high school.  In addition to having fun, we will focus on our pledge as a school to help our students stay drug and alcohol free.  Each day will have a fun theme that will also carry a drug-prevention message.
     Please help your children participate in Red Ribbon Week by reminding them of each day’s theme.
Monday, October 1:
        Team up against drugs – Wear your favorite sport team logo or colors.
Tuesday, October 2:
        Celebrate a drug-free lifestyle – Wear Red Day
Wednesday, October 3:
        Avon Grove Spirit Day – Wear your Avon Grove colors and apparel.
Thursday, October 4:
        Don’t get mixed up on drugs – Mismatched  Clothes Day
Friday, October 5:
        Sock it to drugs – Crazy Socks Day

Read About Red Ribbon Week District-Wide

September 17, 2007 It is our pleasure to announce that several of our Red House students will be “published” by the end of 2007! At the conclusion of their poetry unit in June, the students in Mrs. Di Domenico’s 5th grade class submitted one of their poems to a poetry contest. We have been advised the following students have been selected to “be published” in Creative Communication’s publication A Celebration of Young Poets. Congratulations to: Chase A., Gabby A., Becca A., Tamera B., Gabe C., Nancy E., Ernesto G. , Hayleigh H., Cheyenne J., Grace M., Lucy P., Tanner P., David S., Kiran S., Corey W., Maggie W., and Moriah N.(4th grade student who submitted on her own).

These students have reached the semi-final stage of the contest. Their poems are guaranteed a place in this lovely, hardbound book. (Less than 50% of the submissions are selected for publication.) Then, educators from across the U.S.A. will be evaluating the submissions. If any of their poems is selected as “The Top Ten”, the student would receive a portion of $3,000 in prizes.

Congratulations, good luck and keep on writing!

September 11, 2007 Visit our SPECIAL AREAS page for our link the the Physical Education Power Point. This reviews the expectations for students attending P.E. classes.

September 11, 2007 The next time you visit AGIS make sure to take a look at our newest art acquisitions.»Read More

September 7, 2007 Are you looking for a rewarding volunteer opportunity this school year? 
We are looking for volunteers to work with students to help them master math facts.  The most common reason that children do not know their
math facts is that they do not get enough practice.  AGIS has formed a volunteer program to give these students the opportunity to practice their facts as well as learn strategies to master them.  This program not only helps the students, but is a valuable service to our classroom teachers as well.

We need people who can make a weekly or semi weekly 90-minute commitment on either Tuesday or Thursday.  Volunteers are needed for the following sessions:

Purple Schoolhouse 8:30-9:55
Orange Schoolhouse 10:00-11:25
Blue Schoolhouse 12:10-1:35
Red Schoolhouse 1:40-3:05

You are welcome to volunteer at any session that fits your schedule.   If you are interested, complete the form (available on the 9/7/07 newsletter or CLICK HERE) and return it to your child’s teacher by Friday September 14th.  If you have any questions, please email Diane Rocker at drocker1@avongrove.org.  We will hold a training session for new volunteers on Thursday September 27 from 8:30-10:00 in the AGIS Audion.  Please put this date on your schedule, as you will not be contacted again prior to training.  The program will begin October 9, 2007.

Thanks for your consideration of this worthwhile program.  The more volunteers we get, the more students we will be able to help!

September 7, 2007 Please plan to come “Back To School” on the following dates to meet your child’s teacher and learn about his/her classroom procedures, plans, and expectations. 
       Orange& Red Houses - Monday, SEP 10
       Purple & Blue Houses - Tuesday, SEP 11
     The presentations are prepared for the parents/guardians.  Students are not expected to attend.  All parents are to report directly to their child’s homeroom for one of two presentations at either 6:30-7:15 PM or 7:20-8:00 PM.

September 7, 2007 During the 2006-2007 school year Avon Grove Intermediate School considered reconfiguration of the school to handle the student growth in enrollment for the 2007-2008 school year.  The student growth is based on the PA Economic League (PEL) numbers.  The projected student enrollment for AGIS for the 2007-2008 school year is a total of 1743 students.  We presently have 1674 students.
     The short term solution for the 2007-2008 school year is to remain with the same configuration of grades three, four, five, and six in each schoolhouse.  If the enrollment should increase during the school year, we would adjust the class size per Board Policy #126.  This would be done by adding professional staff or classroom instructional assistance as needed following the Board policy.  If classrooms are added, ALL STUDENTS will have the potential to be moved within the schoolhouses to balance class sizes throughout the grade level in all schoolhouses.

September 7, 2006 During the day, your child may visit the nurses’ office and be seen by one of our two school nurses, Mrs. Dundon (purple/orange) and Mrs. Lee (red/blue), or by one of the district’s two floater nurses, Mrs. Rooney and Mrs. Dicce. 
     Children come to the nurses’ office with a variety of illness related symptoms, such as stomach aches, headaches, and sore throats.  They are also seen for minor injuries such as scrapes, cuts, bumps, and bruises.  In general, students are assessed and treated for these illnesses and injuries, and returned to class.  Written notification is sent home with your child if medication is given for a headache.  You may also receive a note from the nurse notifying you of your child’s visit if his/her symptom or injury has the potential to become more severe at home, and follow-up by a health care provider would be necessary.  Parents are typically called only if illness-related symptoms are severe, such as high fever or vomiting, and the child cannot function in the classroom, or if an injury has occurred, such as a severe head bump or possible fracture, which warrants further medical attention.  Please be sure that your child’s school nurse has your current home, work, and cell phone numbers so that we may reach you in the event of an emergency.

September 7, 2007

Lunch Info

• All students that have been on the free or reduced meal program must reapply each school year.  Forms went home with all students.
• The cafeteria requires a note from a doctor if a student has any food allergies or is not able to drink milk with his/her purchased lunch.  A new doctor’s note is required EACH year.

Bus and Dismissal Info

• As in the past, requests for bus passes cannot be honored for at least the first two weeks of school.  We will notify you in our newsletter when bus pass notes will be accepted.
• It is very important that you give your child a written note each day that s/he will not be riding a bus home.  That note serves as his/her “ticket” to be picked up or to go to another area of the building at dismissal time.

Medical Reminders

• Please note that ALL medication dispensed at school requires a note from the parent/guardian AND a note from the physician/health care provider. All medication must be in the original bottle/package and labeled with the correct student’s name, correct dosage, and correct instructions.  Expired medication will not be administered. 

September 11

September 6, 2007All students and staff are invited to wear red, white, and blue on Tuesday, September 11. We do this in honor of those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

Family Fun

September 5, 2007 The Avon Grove School District and Community’s Anti-Drug & Alcohol Task Force is Sponsoring A Family Fun and Drug Abuse Prevention Event on Sunday, September 30, 2007, 5:00- 8:00 P.M. at Southern Chester County YMCA. »Read More: Flyer (pdf)

See the Summer 2007 Edition of The Grove for the Latest News from AGSD

August 31, 2007 To find out more about the achievements of Avon Grove's students and staff, and to get an update on the District's strategic planning efforts, curriculum changes, and financial news, check out the Summer 2007 edition of The Grove, published for residents of Avon Grove School District. See pages 6&7 for a photo essay on Avon Grove High School's 2007 commencement. »Read More: The Grove, Summer 2007 (pdf)

Food Service Information (Pin Numbers and Mealpay Plus)

August 31, 2007 To provide the best possible service in the cafeteria, a Computerized Point of Sale System using a PIN number is used to purchase breakfast, lunch, snack or milk in the cafeterias of the Avon Grove School District. For parents, this system provides a convenient, secure and accurate way to prepay student’s accounts.

All students have been assigned a personal identification number and must use it to purchase food in the cafeteria.  This is called a “PIN” number.  This number remains the same from K thru 12th grade.  Please remind your child that they should not share their PIN number with their friends.  They will receive their PIN card on the first day of school.

This system provides complete confidentiality to those students receiving free or reduced price lunches as all students in the school will have a PIN number and use the system in the same way.

It is strongly recommended that students memorize his/her number.  As students proceed to the cashier they will enter their PIN number in the “Key Pad” and either pay cash or use funds in their prepaid account. Accounts may be prepaid with cash or checks made payable to AGSD Food Service. “Deposits” into the accounts may be made to the cashier in the cafeteria. 

Avon Grove School District offers MealpayPlus. This system offers you the ability to view your child’s account balance and a 30 day purchase history on line through the MealpayPlus.com website. 

Additionally, you may choose to make prepayments to your child’s account using MealpayPlus with a check or credit card.  You no longer have to worry about forgetting to give your child lunch money or worry about them losing it! Money deposited using MealpayPlus.com will usually arrive at the school site within a matter of hours.  For this added benefit, a convenience fee will be added to the total payment amount of your transaction.  This fee is solely a processing fee by MealpayPlus and is not received by the Avon Grove School District. 

It is fast, secure and convenient!  Simply log onto www.mealpayplus.com and register your child(ren) using their district student ID number.  When registering you may also elect to receive balance reminders via email or set an auto prepayment using a credit card.  If you have any questions regarding payment processing, you may contact Mealpay at (800) 859-6508 between the hours of 9:00 am and 6:00 pm.

If you have any questions regarding PIN cards or MealpayPlus, please contact the food service office at (484) 667-4445. 

Thank you for allowing the Food Service Department the privilege of feeding your child(ren).  We look forward to a very successful school year.

Avon Grove Schools and District Meet AYP

August 30, 2007 All four Avon Grove School District schools and the district have met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals for the 2006-2007 school year based on students’ performance on the 2007 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests and other data. »See News Release for more information.

Bus Route Information Available

August 27,2007 Bus routes for the 2007-08 school year: Bus Schedules

2007-2008 District Calendar Change

August 16, 2007 Please be advised that the 2007-2008 district calendar has been changed. It was approved by the Board of School Directors at the August 9, 2007 Board meeting to move the January 22, 2008 teacher in-service day to January 25, 2008.

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