Our next AMS BE WEEK is March 16th-20th!  The following are dress up spirit days: 

• March 16th: Monday - Favorite t-shirt or hoodie day
• March 17th: Tuesday - Crazy socks day
• March 18th: Wednesday - “Good Vibes Only” (Positive message shirts day)
• March 19th: Thursday - Advisory dress alike day
• March 20th: Friday - Green and Gold or anything Athens related day

Don’t forget to complete your happy and healthy bingo game during spring break and bring it back when we return to school. 

Remember, be happy, healthy and the best bulldog you can be!

The Athens Bulldog Elementary X-Country Clubs are sponsoring the 9th Annual Forget Me Not 5K Run/Walk!

Date: April 11, 2020
​Time:  10:30 am
​Location: Little Fish, Armitage Road, Athens
​In memory of: Patsy D. Barrington

We have an exciting new opportunity for children under age 5 in Athens County!  If you have any children who qualify, please take a few minutes to enroll.  If you know anyone else who has children who could benefit from this program, please forward this information on to them as well!  Access to books is one of the leading indicators of early reading success.  If every child in Athens County had 12 books delivered to their home each year from birth to age 5, it would be absolutely amazing!

What is it?

Each month a new, carefully selected book will be mailed in your child's name directly to your home. The first book is always the children's classic The Little Engine That Could™. Best of all it is a FREE GIFT to your child through our partnership with local organizations! There is no cost or obligation to your family.

The results are in! The National Geographic Society named Liam Duquette, 6th grader at Morrison Gordon Elementary School, as one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2020 National Geographic GeoBee State Competition. The contest will be held at Ohio History Center 800 East 17th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43211 on Friday, March 27, 2020.

In this podcast, we talk to two dog trainers about training dogs to be service animals. Ellen Gagliano trains puppies to ready them for more intensive training, and then we hear from professional dog trainer Joanna Sidote talks about positive reinforcement practices in animal training.

The Matix Podcast: Service Animals

Please view the article by the link below to read about how Ohio University worked with the Athens Middle School AJD Club to honor Andrew Jackson Davison.

​University partners with local students to honor Athens' first black attorney

Read Across America week is right around the corner!  East-West has many exciting events planned for this upcoming celebration of reading.  See the flyer for all of the details!

Friday, February 28th:

• D.E.A.R.: Drop Everything And Read Day. Throughout the day, students and teachers will participate in building wide D.E.A.R. time.

Each day March 2nd-6th will feature a different book:

Schorr Architects presented updates to the Athens City School District Board of Education at the February 20, 2020 meeting.  This presentation includes a fly-by video for both the future East Elementary and Morrison-Gordon Elementary buildings.

View the 2.20.20 Presentation to the Board of Education here

Preschool registration will be held on April 8, 2020.  

Location, Date and Time:

• Location: Athens City School District Central Office
  • 21 Birge Drive, Chauncey Ohio 45719
• Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2020
• Time: 9:00 am - 3:15 pm

In the third and final episode of The Matrix Podcast's special series on The Drug Crisis in America, we talk to local municipal Judge Todd Grace. Judge Grace tells us about the options open to addicts who are convicted of drug crimes or crimes related to addiction.

Please join us for a demonstration of the AHS Makerspace prior to tomorrow night's regular board of education meeting at 6:30 pm.  We will begin in the auditorium at 5:45 pm and move to the Industrial Technology Lab from there.

We are pleased to announce a field trip for all sophomores and juniors taking place on Friday, February 28th! Athens High School students will travel by school bus to the Athena Cinema in Athens for a special viewing of the newly released movie “River of Hope”. River of Hope is a locally made movie of how a former slave, Mary Barnes Cabell & her children, founded the first college for African Americans in West Virginia. The movie provides perspective regarding local history before, during, and after the Civil War. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eaq6wQw0GEk

Please Note:

• Your child MUST BE 5 YEARS OLD ON OR BEFORE August 1, 2020 to be eligible for registration.
• Please bring your child with you
• Plan on being at the school for 45 minutes — 1.5 hours.
• You must arrive at least 45 minutes before the end of the session

Location:

• NEW FOR THIS YEAR:
• ALL Registration events will be held at the Athens City School District Central Office
  • 21 Birge Drive, Chauncey, Ohio 45719
  • Please enter through the front main entrance

We are very excited to share that on Friday, February 21, 2020, Alex Sheen has volunteered to come and speak to all of Athens County juniors and seniors.  Alex was a presenter at Prom Impact a few years ago.  Since we do not have the Prom Impact event anymore, Alex contacted Judge Stewart who put him in contact with Deputy Jimmy Childs of the Athens County Sheriff Department.  AHS has been working with Deputy Childs to make arrangements for the event to be held this coming Friday in the AHS gymnasium from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.  Students will have the opportunity to meet Alex after the event. 

Please join the AJD Club February 18th at 6:00PM in the Athens Middle School Auditorium to celebrate Black History Month and unveil Davison’s portrait then will be hung in the courthouse next to a composite of his 1876 peers.  Keynote speaker will be Jessie Roberson of Ohio University’s College of Business speaking about “Black Citizens and the Law.”  Otis Crockron will also have a special performance and so much more!  Reception to follow in the AMS cafeteria.

You may also join the AJD Club with Judge George McCarthy at the Courthouse in 2/19 at 2:30 for the portrait hanging.

In this edition of The Matrix Podcast we talk about the sound of The Beatles. We interview Andre Gribou, who teaches music history at Ohio University. Through the mockumentary produced by The Rutles, we untangle the unique elements that made The Beatles iconic.

The Matrix Podcast: Music Cast

Unfortunately, it's that time of year again when we are seeing a rise in influenza (flu) as well as other illnesses. We wanted to take a moment to remind everyone of the sickness protocols for our district, and we ask that you please adhere to them so that we can prevent the sharing of these pesky germs. 

If your child is diagnosed with the flu, they must stay home until they are at least 24 hours free of fever (without the use of fever-reducing medication), vomiting, or diarrhea. If after that time they are still sneezing, coughing, or have a stuffy nose, they could still spread germs (typically for 5-7 days after symptoms begin), so please check in with your doctor on when they should return to school. If your child comes to school and still seems ill or is symptomatic, we will ask you to either pick up your child or have your doctor contact us immediately to "clear" them. 

The Athens City School district is currently reviewing its Parent and Family Member Participation in Title I Programs Policy.  Your participation in that process is important in helping our federal programs adequately serve our community.  You can review the current Parent and Family Member Participation in Title I Programs here.  

After reviewing the policy, you can provide feedback by completing the review form, or by returning a hard copy (attached) to any of our building principals or sent directly to:

Thomas Parsons
Director of Curriculum and Development
Athens City Schools
Box 9, 21 Birge Drive
Chauncey, OH 45719
tparsons@athenscsd.org 

Thank you for your assistance.

The DRAFT 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 ACS District Calendars were presented to the ACSD Board of Education at the January 13, 2020 organizational meeting.  The calendars are now posted on the Forms and Links web page of the ACS district website for review.  

If you would like to submit feedback/suggestions regarding these proposed calendars, please use the link below to provide that information ​by February 1, 2020.

• Feedback for Proposed DRAFT 20-21 & 21-22 ACS District Calendars

The calendars will be voted on by the Board of Education at the February 20, 2020 regular board meeting.

Camp Invention® is for children entering grades K-6th.  

• Location: East-West Elementary School, 41 Central Avenue, Athens, OH 45701

• Date: June 8 - 12, 2020

• Time & Cost: 9:00am - 3:30pm | $235 (before discount)

• Camp Director: April Louthain | alouthain@athenscsd.org

Register at INVENT.ORG/CAMP or 800-968-4332

Camp Invention 2020 Flier

While we have had a mild winter so far this year, the time will soon come when I will need to consider whether or not to cancel or delay school due to inclement weather. School days may be canceled or delayed for a variety of weather related events.  When winter weather is expected, several members of our team drive our most challenging roads to monitor and make determinations about the ability of our buses to safely transport students to/from school.  Sometimes this is a very difficult call.  In addition to the current road conditions, we have to take into account the timing of the weather event and how continued snow or freezing rain will impact travel conditions.

In the second episode of this series, we interviewed Dr. Brittany Peterson, a researcher from Ohio University. Dr. Peterson is a communications professor with an emphasis on systems of involuntary membership, such as prisons. We talked with her about the prison system in the U.S., the agency that those prisoners exhibit in their everyday lives, and what Dr. Peterson has observed while researching in prisons near and far.

The Matrix Podcast: The Drug Crisis in America (Episode 2)

The Athens City School District Board of Education will hold the 2020 Meetings for the Records Commission, Budget Hearing, Board Organizational, and the Regular Monthly Board Meeting on January 13, 2020, as follows:

• Budget Hearing 6:10 pm              
• Records Commission 6:20 pm
• Board Organizational Meeting 6:30 pm
• Regular Monthly Board Meeting (Immediately after the Organizational Meeting)

The Athens City School District Board of Education hereby recognizes and congratulates Athens High School Class of 2015 graduate Joe Burrow for his most recent accomplishment in winning college football’s highest honor, the Heisman Trophy.

Mr. Burrow was a member of the 2014-2015 Athens High School Football team that had a record of 14-1, with the only loss being in the OHSAA Championship on a last minute touchdown by the opposing team. Joe was honored at the end of the 2014-2015 season as Ohio Mr. Football, as well as the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year in both 2013-2014 and 2014-2015.

In this episode of The Matrix Podcast, we discuss healthy relationships. Our guests, Julie Wrocklage, M.S., LPC, NCC and Ellen Smith LPCC-S CST, talk about how to identify a toxic relationship, how to manage conflict in a relationship, and what makes a healthy relationship in the first place. At the end, we give tips and ideas for how to build a healthy relationship.

The Matrix Podcast: Healthy Relationships

The Southeast Ohio Model United Nations event was held on Friday, December 13th at Ohio University Baker Center.  Over three hundred and eighty delegates from twelve school districts including; Alexander, Athens, Eastern Local, Gallia County Local, Gallia Academy, Jackson, Meigs, Miller, Nelsonville York, Southern Local, Trimble, and Wellston City Schools competed in cultural presentations and debate.

Athens City Schools' 56 delegates from 6th, 7th and 8th grades won ten awards.

The AHS Athletic Boosters is having a fundraiser and membership drive. The Athletic Boosters supports all athletic teams at Athens High School. Each year we raise funds through membership, concessions, and private gifts. Funds are used to supplement uniform and equipment purchases, coach development, post season recognition and other items for our student athletes. 

Your purchase of a blanket, or membership contribution, helps us to continue to supplement the athletic program at AHS. Purchasing a blanket direct from the boosters insures that 100% of the proceeds support our organization, AND If you purchase before Monday, you will receive your blanket by December 23rd. 

Click here to become an Athletic Booster member and/or purchase a blanket.

Harvest of the Month is an opportunity for students to sample local produce during the school day. This month, students will be offered a sample of  butternut squash puree and asked to vote on whether they enjoyed tasting the sample or not.

Through partnerships with community organizations and the school district, we have been working on increasing Farm to School efforts. As the year continues, our partners plan to continue educating students on Farm to School through school garden programming and Live Healthy Kids. 

We hope your child enjoys the taste test and we encourage you to ask them what they thought!

Athens High School will be hosting a College Credit Plus meeting for parents/guardians and students on Thursday, December 12th at 6:00 pm in the Athens High School Auditorium. 

Representatives from Hocking College, Ohio University and Rio Grande will be present to explain the admission process to their respective schools and AHS school counselors will identify how credits can be applied to student graduation and progress through high school.  

Please mark your calendars!

The East-West Elementary Holiday Shoppe Arts and Crafts Fair will be held on Thursday December 12th from 9:15 am - 5:30 pm and Friday, December 13th from 9:15 am - 4:30 pm in the school gym. Gift items will be offered for sale by artists and crafters in the area.

East-West children will shop, if they wish, during the school day for gifts for friends and relatives. There are plenty of gift items for everyone on their list at affordable prices. 

Schorr Architect made a presentation at the Board of Education meeting on November 21, 2019.  Below are links to the presentation and the video included within the presentation.  

• November 17, 2019 Presentation to the Board by Schorr Architect​
• East Elementary Overview Video

This presentation (along with others) is also posted on the Presentations to the Board of Education webpage (a link from the Board of Education web page).

In this edition of The Matrix Podcast, we interview Felicia DeRosa, artist and activist extraordinaire. Felicia DeRosa is a professional artist and art educator and has been making art for over thirty years. In this podcast, we discuss art in relation to mental health, gender identity, and art theory.

If you need some help with food assistance, please stop over.  
This month’s date is: Wednesday, December 18, 2019, 4:00—5:30 pm

Note: Holiday Giveaways in December!

• December 18th, get a ham! 
• Must be present to pick up
• Limit one per household

If you need some help with food assistance, please stop over.  
This month’s date is: Wednesday, November 20, 2019, 4:00—5:30 pm

Note: Holiday Giveaways in November and December!

• November 20th, get a turkey!
• December 18th, get a ham! 
• Must be present to pick up
• Limit one per household

Harvest of the Month is an opportunity for students to sample local produce during the school day. Next week your child will have the opportunity to participate in a Farm to School Taste Test in the cafeteria during their lunch period to help celebrate National Farm to School Month. Students will be offered a sample of baked sweet potato chips and asked to vote on whether they enjoyed tasting the sample or not. 
 

Through partnerships with community organizations and the school district, we have been working on increasing Farm to School efforts. As the year continues, our partners plan to continue educating students on Farm to School through school garden programming and Live Healthy Kids.

The latest episode of The Matrix Podcast is now available!  In this episode, students talk to researchers Berkeley Franz and Daniel Skinner about their new book: "Not Far from Me: Stories of Opioids and Ohio." The first-person stories collected in this book lead to a wider discussion of healthcare and insurance practices that hinder or help recovering addicts.

We are very excited to be recognized for this award!  By instituting our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Initiative) program, "The Bulldog Way," our students are learning the skills needed to be responsible for their behavior.  Students were taught the three rules of our building, "Be Safe, Be Responsible and Be Respectful" and recite a school pledge everyday.  Teachers and staff modeled what those rules looked like in every area of the building; from the hallways to the cafeteria and even in the restrooms.  Students are reminded daily of how to treat others with kindness.  We hope to continue our program so that everyone will follow the Bulldog Way!    

The SOS program is coming to Athens Middle School this month. It is a suicide prevention program through Nationwide Children's Hospital. The goal of the Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program is to reduce youth suicides by teaching students and staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide and depression in themselves and others and to follow the ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) message. 

The SOS program encourages conversation around mental health issues, including depression and suicide among school staff, families, and students. There are two key strategies to the program; an educational curriculum for students and adults, and a brief screening for depression and suicidal behavior, followed by a risk assessment for those students who need immediate help. Program components include training, peer-to-peer discussion, screenings, consultation, and caregiver/community education. This program is offered at no cost to the district. 

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting "START" to 741-741. 

A Signs of Suicide (SOS) training session that is open to the public will be held on Monday, November 4 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm in the Athens Middle School Auditorium.

Visit the Suicide Prevention Resource Center website to learn more about this program.

The Athens High School staff is proud to be recognized as a Bronze Award Recipient for its efforts in PBIS.  We use Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports to create, teach, model, and recognize expectations and behavior at AHS.  Our behavioral focus is centered on being present, prepared , positive, and respectful!   Over the course of the past few years, we have been able to change the culture at Athens High School for the better by focusing on prevention rather than being reactionary to behavior.  Our long-term goals continue to center on improving our culture to make Athens High School the model school in Southeast Ohio. 

For students who are interested in wrestling for AHS or AMS, here is the information on conditioning/practice.

We will begin preseason conditioning starting next week after school. We will lift and condition from 3:00-4:15 pm at AHS on Tuesday 11/5, Wednesday 11/6, Friday 11/8, Monday 11/11, and Wednesday 11/13. 

We will have our first official practice on Friday 11/15. 

The Athens City School District will be have a "yard sale" for unused/excess furnishings and materials at the East Elementary building.

Details:

• Where: East Elementary Gymnasium, 3 Wallace Dr., Athens, OH 45701
• When: Saturday, November 2, 2019
• Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
• What: Unused/excess furnishings and materials

Please Note:

• ALL SALES ARE CASH ONLY!!
• ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS-IS AND ALL ITEMS PURCHASED MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE BUILDING AT THE TIME OF SALE!

East-West Parent Teacher Conferences (Grades K-6) are scheduled for:

• Tuesday, November 5th, 4:15 – 7:45 pm
• Wednesday, November 13th, 4:15-7:45 pm

Conferences for students in grades Kdgn-5th will take place at East-West Elementary and conferences for students in 6th grade will take place on the same dates/times at Athens Middle School.

Parents/guardians of all students (K-6) must make appointments to meet with teachers.  Please call 740-593-6866 (no extension) during regular school hours to schedule your conferences.

AMS 7th and 8th grade students will travel by school bus to the Athena Grand movie theater on November 1st to view the movie Harriet about Harriet Tubman.  

Permission slips and $5.00 cash are due Friday (October 25th) during social studies class.

The 2019-2020 season of The Matrix Podcast is out now! Listen to our newest episode about social media and mental health. You can subscribe to The Matrix Podcast on the iPhone Podcast App or through soundcloud.  

Welcome back to a new year of The Matrix Podcast! This episode is a candid conversation between Dr. Rebecca Smith, counselor at Ohio University, and students at AHS about social media usage and its effects on relationships, mental health, and techno addiction.

The Matrix Podcast: Social Media and Mental Health

There will be a special presentation on October 29th at 6:00 pm at Athens High School.

“If They Had Known” is a 35 minute documentary that focuses on today’s party culture and the risks of recreationally mixing prescriptions drugs with alcohol.  It is an honest and emotional account of a young man named Clay Soper who accidentally died from the combination of prescription drugs mixed with alcohol.  He was a thriving 19 year old college student home for the summer.  He and his friends made a bad decision that is common within party culture today.  No one saw it coming - no one thought Clay was in any danger that night.   It is truthful and alarming and has proven to connect with students in a modern way.

Representatives from Schorr Architects presented at the Regular Board Meeting on October 17th and presented initial concepts for the exterior of the new PK-3 building at the East location and floor plans for the PK-3 building at the Morrison-Gordon location.  You can access the presentation via the link below:

October 17, 2019 Presentation to the Board by Schorr Architects

Note that presentations can be accessed via the Board of Education Presentations web page anytime.

During BE WEEK students will spend a few minutes in afternoon advisory discussing how to be the BEST BULLDOG they can BE by following our core values of:

• BE PRESENT
• BE PREPARED
• BE POSITIVE
• BE THOROUGH
• BE KIND

The AHS Student Council is contacting and recruiting local veterans to attend a public Veteran's Day Assembly on Friday November 8, 2019 at Athens High School.  Please complete the form below to submit your RSVP.  Student Council will serve refreshments to our veterans from 9:30-10 am during an informal reception with the assembly at 10:00 am.  All students at Athens High will be in attendance in the gymnasium.  The Marching Band and Symphonic Choir will perform.  Student Council will lead the program.  

Please respond to the AHS Veteran's Day Assembly RSVP Form online or call (740) 797-4521, ext. 1.

The Athens High School Junior Varsity football team just won their last game yesterday against Meigs and finished their season UNDEFEATED!  Congratulations to this team of players and coaches for all of their hard work and dedication this year. 

The Athens City School District Board of Education will have a Regular Board Meeting on Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. at the Athens High School Auditorium.  At that meeting, the Board will hear presentations from Ruscilli Construction Management representatives and Schorr Architect representatives regarding the following topics:

The first quarter is almost over, and, believe it or not, graduation is just around the corner!  Just a quick reminder of a few things involving seniors:

• Senior pictures are due Friday, April 17th.
• The 2019-2020 book is on sale now, at its lowest price.
• Senior yearbook recognition ads are now for sale

You are invited to attend the 45th Annual Athens Invitational Marching Festival on Saturday, October 19 at 10:00am at Athens High School’s Basil Rutter Field! This festival is the 3rd longest running marching band festival in the state of Ohio. 

High School bands from Southeast and Central Ohio will travel in to perform at this prestigious event! Bands scheduled to perform include: Southern, Nelsonville-York, Maysville, Meigs, Westerville South, Lancaster, Groveport Madison, Hilliard Darby, Pickerington North, and Athens. The festival is sponsored by the Athens Band Boosters, Kiwanis Club of Downtown Athens, and Chauncey-Dover Lions. 

Admission is $5 and proceeds go to benefit these community organizations. We look forward to seeing you at this exciting musical event!

Congratulations to Assistant AHS Baseball Coach Kyle Lonas for being named Ohio High School Assistant Coach of the Year by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA)!  Kyle is also a 3rd grade teacher at East-West Elementary.  

Over the next few months, the roof at Athens Middle School will be replaced.  The project will begin in October, and the hope is that it will be completed by late December. 

During this time, we will send pertinent updates (i.e. traffic implications) via Infinite Campus email messages and push notification through our Athens City School District mobile app.  Measures have been taken to minimize the noise and disruption during the school day. 

Thanks for your cooperation during this time. 

All AHS students currently enrolled in courses with fees need to pay those fees by Thursday, October 17, 2019.  If you have not yet paid school fees for this semester (if your child has any), please pay them by the due date to the AHS Guidance Office (checks payable to AHS or cash).

For students who may have been absent on picture day, came to the district after their school's picture day or need theirs pictures retaken, the retake/absentee picture day schedule is below for your reference.  All photos will be taken by Trisha Smathers (TS Photos).

Date       Location

10/4/19     ACS Early Learning Center Retake/Absentee Picture Day 2019

10/17/19   East-West Retake/Absentee Picture Day 2019 (K-5)

10/24/19   AHS Retake/Absentee Picture Day 2019 (9-12)

10/25/19   The Plains Retake/Absentee Picture Day 2019 (K-6)

10/29/19   AMS Retake/Absentee Picture Day 2019

10/29/19   East-West Retake/Absentee Picture Day 2019 (6th Grade at AMS)

11/1/19     Morrison-Gordon Retake/Absentee Picture Day 2019 (K-6)

Homecoming week kicked off last night with the Bulldog Bash at the AHS Stadium.  I would like to thank everyone who volunteered their time and equipment.  This Friday we will have a pep assembly during school hours (the schedule for the day is below).   The list of homecoming activities is below for your reference.

"CELEBRATE", the 2018-2019 Athens High School yearbooks have arrived! If you ordered a yearbook, you can pick it up during Academic Coaching and lunch periods (11:32 am - 1:02 pm) from Mrs. Roach in room A112. 

Graduated students can email Mrs. Roach at mroach@athenscsd.org or call the front office to arrange for pick up.  

The Athens City School District Board of Education will host an audience interactive presentation regarding community perceptions of school architectural design styles ​during the Regular Board Meeting at 6:30 pm in the Athens High School Auditorium on Thursday, September 19, 2019.   Representatives from Schorr Architects and Community Design Alliance will project images of different finished exterior school designs.  Members of the audience will be provided hand-held audience response "clickers" to provide input as to styles they prefer or do not prefer.  

The goal of the exercise is to determine any patterns as to preferences in architectural styles that may exist with members of our community, both from a personal preference as well as in context with the community and the actual sites for the new schools.  This information will be used in developing exterior building design concepts for the new buildings to be located at the current East Elementary and Morrison-Gordon Elementary School sites.

Student individual picture days for Athens City School District has begun!

Picture day ORDER FORMS come a few days after picture day.  These will have a proof of your child's photo on them with a due date to be sent back to the school.

Below is a list of dates for the district.  All photos will be taken by Trisha Smathers (TS Photos).

There is a lot going on at Athens City Schools!  We want to remind you that there are many ways to keep updated with current events in the district in addition to the emails and calls that are sent out to those who are parents/guardians in our district.

The Business Advisory Committee for the Athens City School District has set the next three meetings to be held on September 23, October 21 and November 25, 2019.  All meetings will take place at Athens High School at 1:00 p.m. and are open to the public.  Detailed information about the Business Advisory Council is below for your reference.

The AMS dance that was previously scheduled for this Friday has been rescheduled.  Student Council will host our first dance of the year on September 27th.  

• The dance is open to only current AMS students.  
• The doors open at 6:00 pm and parent pick-up is at 7:30 pm. 
• No student may leave the dance early without a note from a parent or without a parent entering the dance to speak to the chaperone at the door.  
• The cost of attendance is $2.00 per student.  

If you have questions or would like to be a chaperone, then please email Mrs. Hall at ahall@athenscsd.org.

All students in grades K-6 are welcome. There is not a season long commitment but we hope to have a great turnout each week. This will be the plan for each Saturday:

At Athens City School District, we use a student absence reporting system called SafeArrival.

With SafeArrival, you are asked to report your child’s absence in advance using any of these 3 convenient methods:

Congratulations to the AHS students who are 2019 AHS AP Scholars.  Below is a comprehensive list of students broken down by category.

Please read carefully the following information regarding immunizations and exemptions.

Attention all 7th and 12th Grade Parents/Guardians:

• All students entering 7th grade will need a booster dose of the Tdap AND one dose of the MCV4 Meningococcal vaccine.
• All students entering 12th grade will need two doses of the MCV4 Meningococcal vaccine. Only one dose is needed if the student receives the first dose on or after their 16th birthday.
• All immunizations must be up-to-date within the first 15 days of school.

PTO will provide refreshments, sign up members, help students make signs and distribute pre-ordered school supply kits in the cafeteria at New Student Orientation on 8/15 and Open House on 8/20.
 

This is a sign up to provide refreshments and to volunteer your time in half hour time slots.  Refreshments can be brought to the cafeteria as these events begin or dropped off in the main office during regular office hours.
 

Please email Stephanie List at slist@athenscsd.org, with any questions.  Thank you for helping with these fun events!!

Click here to sign up to help with this event.

OPEN HOUSE: 4:00 — 4:30 pm

• Come meet your teacher and get to know your classroom! Parents this is a great opportunity to get a head start on all of the back to school paperwork.

SUPPLIES GIVEAWAY: 4:00 — 6:00 pm

• Athens County Children Services backpack and supply giveaway for grades K-6. Located in the gymnasium.

HOTDOGS AND TREATS: 4:30 — 6:00 pm

• Located on the school playground. Sponsored by The Plains Elementary PTO.

Congratulations to Colleen Ulbrich on winning Math Teacher of the Year Award from the Ohio Council Teachers of Mathematics!!  Colleen will be honored at the annual meeting in October.  Colleen is the devoted Plains Elementary teacher leader on Athens City School's Math Leadership Team.  She has led many excellent PD sessions at the OCTM annual conference and our in-house PD days including sessions on Number Talks and the Math Practice Standards.  Above all she is a loving and giving teacher to her 4th graders at The Plains and devoted mom and wife to her three children Andrew, Emma and Erin and her husband, Steve.

Please be aware that the Athens City School District Administrative Offices will be moving from our current location in The Plains to Chauncey over the next few days.

Our phone numbers will remain the same.  However, ​please note that phone service will be limited during this time. Please call the buildings your children attend with any questions during this transitional period.  

Our new address will be PO Box 9, 21 Birge Drive, Chauncey 45719.

We appreciate your patience during our move.

​​East-West Elementary is having Back To School night on August 21st!

• 4:30-5:30 pm: Drop off supplies to classrooms (6th graders should go to the middle school)
• 5:30-6:30 pm: Popsicle Social (6th graders welcome at East-West)

It should be noted that parking may be difficult and to please do not block our neighbors driveways during any of our school events.

More information will be mailed home shortly.

I know it's a little early, but I wanted to welcome everyone back for the 2019-2020 school year!  There has been a lot of activity throughout the District over the summer and we are looking forward to welcoming our students back to school.  This is certain to be an exciting and eventful year.  The Faculty and Staff throughout the District have been working very hard this summer to make sure we are ready for the 2019-2020 school year.  Please see several updates below.

The 2019 football season is here!  Practice at all levels has begun or is beginning soon, but it’s not too late for your child to join the team.  If interested in playing football please contact: 
 

Grades 9-12
Coach White at nwhite@athenscsd.org 
 

Grades 7-8 
Coach Kaiser at pkaiser@athenscsd.org 
 

Grades 3-6
Coach Bennett at rhbennett67@yahoo.com

Over the course of last semester a team of teachers, counselors, and administrators worked together to adjust the bell schedule. The team ultimately decided to move academic coaching from its current time (4th period) to now take place over the lunch periods. Each academic period will have the same amount of time in class. The daily bell schedule is below. The school will operate on a eight period day with lunch/academic coaching occurring during 6th period.  The school will operate three lunch periods of 30 minutes each (11:32-12:02, 12:02-12:32, 12:32-1:02) similar as in the past.  Students will learn their specific lunch time/period during the first day of school.

1st Period 7:45-8:28
2nd Period 8:31-9:14
3rd Period 9:17-10:00
4th Period 10:03-10:46
5th Period 10:49 - 11:32
6th Period (AC/Lunch) 11:32-1:02
7th Period 1:05-1:48
8th Period 1:51 - 2:35

Athens High School volleyball will be holding tryouts on August 1st and 2nd from 9:00 am - 11:00 am at the AHS gymnasium.

Athletes must attend both tryout dates to be eligible to make the team. 

If you have any questions please contact Olivia Pokas at opokas@athenscsd.org

AMS XC (cross country) practices will begin July 29th.  The team will practice 3:00-4:15 (Monday- Friday) at the Richland Ave. Park.  Please email Coach Hall with questions ahall@athenscsd.org.  

7th and 8th graders are welcome.  No running experience is necessary—only a positive attitude and a willingness to work to improve.  All who are committed to the team will participate in two mile competitions.  There are no ‘bench warmers’ or cuts in XC!

​Tryouts are a two day MANDATORY tryout for both 7th and 8th grade teams. Tryouts will be August 1st and 2nd. Athletes must attend BOTH tryout dates. Times for each grade are listed below:

• 7th grade - 4:30pm - 6:30pm at Athens Middle School
• 8th grade - 7:00pm - 9:00pm at Athens Middle School

The season will begin promptly on August 5th with MANDATORY practices and will run until the end of the season (mid to late October). We will practice 5 days a week until our first game. Once games start we will practice three days a week and have games the other two days. If an athlete misses more than 3 unexcused practices during the season they will be removed from the team.

If you have any questions please email Coach Hailee Hart - hhart@athenscsd.org

The Athens High School Volleyball Tram will be hosting a Youth Volleyball Camp!

• Who: Players entering 3rd through 8th grade
• Location: AHS gymnasium
• Dates: July 8 - 10, 2019
• Time: 9:00 - 11:00 am 
• Cost: $30 per player ($15 for each additional child)
• Registration: You may register at the gym lobby on the first day of camp.

You will receive three days of specific skill instruction from the high school coaching staff and players and a t-shirt is included!

All proceeds will benefit AHS Volleyball Program.

If you have any questions please email Olivia Pokas at opokas@athenscsd.org 

Please visit the website below for all of the up-to-date information you'll need for the upcoming AHS Cross Country season.

Summer Conditioning: July 1st - 26th

• Monday - 8am Richland Ave. Park
• Tuesday - No morning run. 6pm OVRC group run
• Wednesday - 8am Richland Ave. Park
• Thursday - 8am Richland Ave. Park
• Friday - Senior Led Fun (Location and details will be given each week)

For questions, contact Coach Moody at amoody@athenscsd.org

https://sites.google.com/athenscsd.org/athens-high-school-xc/home

It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of our Avenger, Andrew Bianco.  

To support the many friends that fought his fight alongside him, counselors from Athens City Schools & Hopewell will be available tomorrow, Wednesday, June 12 from 12:00-2:00 pm in the East gymnasium.  

Students and families are welcome to join us for grief counseling and to write messages and fond memories of Andrew on large gold cloths. The cloths will be tied on the trees outside of East in honor of Andrew and the Turn It Gold Campaign for childhood cancer awareness.

https://andrewrowanbianco7.wixsite.com/mysite  

Access to 18-19 Data Ends June 30, 2019

• ACCESS TO ALL 2018-2019 DATA on the Infinite Campus parent/student portal ENDS JUNE 30, 2019.
• You will only have access to 18-19 data for your child(ren) until JUNE 30, 2019.  Your account remains open all year, but you will not see data for this year after June 30.
• Please download, save and/or print any data/reports you want from your portal account prior to this date.

Report Cards

• Report cards can be run from the portal for all of the elementary schools, Athens Middle School and Athens High School.

Athens Bulldog Football Camp will be open to all students entering Grades K-6. 

• Location:  Athens High School
• Date:  Friday, July 19th
• Time:  8:00 am - 3:00 pm (Registration 8:00-8:30)
• Cost: $15  (Checks payable to Bulldog Blitz)

LUNCH PROVIDED

Campers should wear t-shirt, shorts, tennis shoes or football cleats

Questions? Contact Coach White at nwhite@athenscsd.org

Using cell phones or other mobile devices while driving in the Athens High School parking lot or other public roadway is a violation of law and prohibited. 

 
The popularity of mobile devices has had some unintended and sometimes deadly consequences. An alarming number of traffic accidents are linked to driving while distracted, including use of mobile devices while driving, resulting in injury and loss of life. The most recent national statistics are sobering.

The 40th Annual AHS Academic Awards Night was held at AHS on Thursday, May 16, 2019.  The rewards presented are listed below.

The 65th Annual Senior Follies 2019 will be Friday, May 24th and Saturday, May 25th. Doors will open at 6 pm and the Follies will begin at 7 pm. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, May 18th from 1 to 5 pm at Athens High School. Tickets will be sold during lunch each day from 11:30 to 1 pm. The cost of the tickets are $5.00 each.

If you live in Athens Township, Athens High's AP U.S. Government Class would like you to take a 10 minute survey to help in a class project! The project represents a collaboration between the Athens Township Trustees and Athens High School's AP and Honors Government curriculum.  

Here is the link to the survey: https://forms.gle/F5YoSGLAVntA6oMU7

The Athens Township Trustees have agreed to hold a public meeting at Athens High on Tuesday, May 21st at 9 am.  Students in Honors and Advanced Placement Government classes will take a "field trip" to the auditorium that day and witness a regular monthly meeting of the Athens Township Trustees. Four groups of students will make short presentations to the trustees at the May 21st meeting.  The AP Government students have met with Trustee Steve Pierson during class time to learn about concerns that have recently been brought before the township trustees.  The students have designed a survey to help inform the recommendations their groups will make to the Athens Township Trustees at next week's meeting.  The community is welcome to attend next week's public meeting to view some of the survey results.  Community members wishing to attend will be asked to sign in at the office and receive a visitor's pass.

The survey should take a little over 10 minutes and is anonymous unless you wish to be contacted regarding the creation of a community playground as asked near the end of the survey.  Thank you again for your help as our students engage in an authentic learning experience.

The OLD Campus Mobile Portal app will be removed on June 30, 2019 and replaced with Campus Student and Campus Parent.  Most likely, many of you already switched to the new apps when we first communicated this update to you in September 2018.  However, if you are still using the old Infinite Campus app, please download the new app very soon.  THE OLD APP, CAMPUS MOBILE PORTAL, WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE APP STORE ON JUNE 30, 2019.

Please read carefully the following information regarding immunizations and exemptions. 

Attention all families traveling outside the US for longer than ​ONE MONTH:

• Depending on where you travel, your student might need a T-spot (tuberculosis) test in order to be in compliance. You will need to call the Athens City-County Health Department to review your travel and find out if this test is needed. If recommended, please make an appointment with the Athens City-County Health Department listed below.

Join us for the East Spring Social on Friday, May 17th 2019 5:30-7:30 pm

• All East families and Alumni are invited
• Music, bounce house and slide, chalk wall
• Food vendors for families to purchase food
• Some free East memorabilia

​Athens City School District Food Pantry will be open for a huge SPECIAL PERISHABLE item give-away from 4-5 pm on Wednesday, May 8th. 

Items that will be available are milk, eggs, bread, bananas, apples, oranges, yogurt, spinach, tomatoes, lemons, limes, cucumbers, and other frozen food items. We're so thankful for our wonderful partnership with Athens Food Rescue and Ohio University Dining Services for allowing us this opportunity. All items will be give away first come first serve so make sure to pass the word along!

The Plains Elementary hosted a fun-filled spring carnival on Friday, May 3, 2019.  Here are some memories from the event!

Four Athens High School juniors participated in a two day leadership conference held at Camp Akita in Logan, Ohio.  Regional Scholars hosts qualifying students from 15 area school districts from southeast Ohio every year.  Students learn about group dynamics, communication styles, and leadership attributes while engaging in outdoor and indoor tasks requiring teamwork.  A college fair and financial aid session allow students to become acquainted with a variety of colleges and universities.  This year participants included: Julia Park, Annie Haseley, Emma Dabelko and Cara Sheets.

Earlier this Spring, Martha and Steve Sloan donated $5,000 to create the Martha & Steve Sloan Fine Arts and Music Fund with the McClure Foundation.  These funds are intended for Athens City School District students who may wish to participate in a program, camp, or private lessons in Fine Arts or Music but who might not have the family resources to do so.

The Athens Law Enforcement Community is hosting training, Operation Street Smart: Drug Education, presented by HIDTA-High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.  Please join us for this educational opportunity to be held at the Athens Community Center on June 27th from 6:00 - 9:00 pm.

The Athens High School Band Department invites you to our first Band Petting Zoo!  5:30 – 6:00 pm will be an Informational Meeting and 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm will be the “Petting Zoo.”  This will take place in the Athens High School Auditorium, Band Room and Choir Room. This is open to all Athens City Schools elementary school students who will be eligible to participate in the 2019-2020 elementary school bands.

West Elementary’s annual Garden Celebration will be this Saturday, April 27 from 2 to 4 PM.  Come join us for arts and crafts, activities, snacks, learning and fun in our School Garden.

As per Board Policy 0165.2: Special Meetings (see below), the Board President, Mrs. Kim Goldsberry has directed me to inform you in writing that we will have a Special Board Meeting on Monday, April 29, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. at Athens High School for the purpose of considering the purchase of property.

0165.2 - SPECIAL MEETINGS

Special meetings of the Board shall be public.

1. Special meetings shall be called by the President or the Treasurer or by two (2) members of the Board by serving a written notice of the time and place of such meeting upon each Board member at least two (2) days in advance of the meeting.

2. The agenda for a special meeting is limited to the purpose set forth in the public notice that is provided at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the meeting. As such, when the Board calls a special meeting to discuss particular issues, the statement of the meeting's purpose must specifically indicate those issues, and the Board may only discuss those issues at the special meeting. The Board may not discuss matters not disclosed in the purpose statement of a special meeting public notice, either in open session or executive session of the special meeting. Nothing, however, shall prevent the Board from specifying in the public notice that the special meeting is being held for "general purposes," if that is the actual reason for the meeting.

© Neola 2016

There has been a change in the date of the May Board Meeting for the Athens City Schools.  It will now be held on Thursday, May 30th at 6:30 pm at Athens High School.

The Athens City School District has now received an updated credit rating and is in the process of finalizing the Preliminary Offering Statement for the sale of Bonds for the building project.  The Administration anticipates having our bond underwriter, Baird, begin marketing the bonds to the public later this week with a final bond pricing date (sale date) on Wednesday, April 24^th. 

Please join us for the the Athens City Schools All Band Concert Sunday, April 28 at 3:00pm in the Athens High School Auditorium. This concert will feature music performed by close to 250 students that participate in instrumental music grades in 5-12 in Athens City Schools. There will be performances by the combined Athens City Schools 5th Grade Band, combined 6th Grade Band, Athens Middle School 7th and 8th grade Bands and the Athens High School Symphonic Band and Jazz Band.   Admission to the concert is $5. The Athens Band Boosters will host a complimentary dessert buffet as well as Penny Auction in the Athens High School Cafeteria during the concert.

The East and West PTOs are merging into a single PTO as we come together as one school in the fall. With all the changes in store for next year, it is more important than ever to keep our PTO strong and we need your help! We are seeking volunteers to run for the positions of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and volunteer coordinator. We hope to have more than one volunteer fill most positions, so that we can continue the great work that PTOs have done at both elementary schools.  

The annual Athens Summer Youth (Boys and Girls) Soccer Camp for current 1st - 6th graders will be held June 3rd - 6th, 5:00 - 7:00 pm each day.  Friday June 7th will be make up day if needed.

The AHS Girls soccer team will be hosting a youth soccer camp focusing on team play, formation, shooting, passing, defensive and offensive techniques. The high school girls will be working alongside the campers making it a fun and exciting experience.

Activism Through Recent History is a podcast that delves into the lives and experiences of activists who have been fighting for causes since the 70s and the convictions of one aspiring high school activist. We met with Julia Weber, Mara Giglio, and Liz Shaw to discuss their histories and present in activism. Shaw and Giglio have been activists since the 70s and 80s but Weber is a young activist at Athens High School. We had the privilege of speaking with them about their lives in activism and we hope that their experiences help inspire and educate more activists who wish to join the fight.

The Matrix Podcast #15: Athens Activists

​Boys and Girls Middle School Soccer will have 10 training sessions this summer in preparation for team try-outs on August 1st.

Training Sessions will be at the Walmart Soccer Fields from 7:00 - 8:45 pm the following dates: 

• June 4,5,6    
• June 11,12,13
• June 25 & 26
• July 1 & 2

The training sessions are NOT mandatory - they are for the benefit of your child in preparation for the August 1st soccer try-outs.  You are free to come to as many or as few as you like based on your summer schedule.  For training session your child should be dressed in warm weather  athletic clothing (shirt and shorts) and should bring a ball, soccer cleats, shin guards and a full water bottle to every training session. They should expect to do a great deal of running for the full duration of the session

Athens City School District’s Athens Middle School has been honored with the SupportMusic Merit Award from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. The SupportMusic Merit Award recognizes individual schools that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

Coached by teacher Andrea Anderson, ALL of the Athens High School students who competed at the Distracts received a Superior, the highest rating. All will compete at the state level and one, Shifra  Narasimhan, has been promoted to the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona.

The students participating were: Anru Tian, Nico Barr, Kaeden Saunders, Alexander Bikowski, Zoe Williams, Shifra  Narasimhan, Sam Dispenza, Lisa Liu,  Jake Mc Carthy, and Nora Anderson.

AMS and the AMS PTO are so excited to announce a continued partnership  with 1st Day School Supplies! We have collaborated with 1st Day School Supplies to help parents and teachers get the exact supplies needed for next school year without the hassle and aggravation of shopping.  Last year, AMS families found 1st Day School Supplies to be convenient, easy and hassle free!  Plus, the prices are competitive! So, this summer as the temperature hits over 100 degrees and lines at the checkout counter are a mile long … you will have already purchased your school Supplies from the comfort of your home!  The kits will be available for students to pick up at the AMS Back to School events in August.

You can choose an 7th or 8th grade kit with ELA supplies or a 7th or 8th grade kit with Advanced ELA supplies.  Each kit will contain all of the supplies your child will need for his/her 8th grade year besides a calculator and ear buds.  These items can be ordered a la carte through this site as well.

You can make your purchase right now, get started by clicking the link below and select "Athens Middle School:"

https://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/list.php?school_zip=45701

It's here!! Come join us for "Rockin' Robin!" Performances will be Thursday night, April 4th at 6:30 pm and Saturday, April 6th at 4:00 pm. Tickets are still available!  Contact West Elementary at 740-593-6866.  Click the "...Read More" link to view the trailer for a sneak peek at what you'll see!

Athens Middle School students earned the middle school award at the District Science Fair for the Highest Percentage of Superior Ratings.  Joonwoo Park earned an award from the Biological Sciences Department at Ohio University.  Oscar Uhalde earned an award from the Biological Sciences Department at Ohio University.  Xinrui Han received an invitation to the B-Wiser Summer Camp.  Luca Gagliano earned the NASA Earth Systems award, a Naval Award and an award from the Mechanical Engineering Department at Ohio University.  Sam Bikowski received an award from the Ohio Soybean Council.  Congratulations to all of these students.

Sixteen 5th and 6th grade students from West Elementary competed on March 23rd at the District 12 Science Day. These students earned the right to compete at the District Science Day by receiving a Superior rating at the West Elementary Science Fair in November. The students competing were Ethan Bowman, Lizzie Castelino, Ledger Free, Sebastian Grippa, Liza Hartman, Max Jacops, David Johnson, Iris Kachenko, Kayli Kuhlman, Miles Makosky, Cael McCarthy, Oliver Megert, Meika Monroe, Teresa Ongoro, Rachel Prange, and Noah Sincoff. They competed against 5th through 12th grade students from 7 counties in Southeast Ohio.

Yearbooks are still on sale and can be purchased from Mrs. Roach in room A112 or online from Jostens.  They are currently $55.  Sales end in May so order your book soon!

https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1048350/Athens-High-School/

Please contact Mrs. Roach at mroach@athenscsd.org if you have any questions.

Here ye, Here ye, Here ye!  This Friday, the 29th of March, in the year of 2019, let it be announced that the Morrison-Gordon Elementary Drama Club will perform their theatrical production for the year!

Student Council is currently sponsoring its Dimes Against Domestic Violence event this week and next week (3/25-4/5). All proceeds will be donated to My Sister's Place, a local women's domestic violence shelter. 

Bring in your donations (not just dimes) during AC, and remember that every donation makes a difference, no matter how small. Last year we raised over a thousand dollars as a school!  The AC class that raises the most money will get a doughnut party for their prize!  Healthy breakfast alternatives will also be offered.

My Sister's Place provides shelter to women, their children, and even their pets experiencing domestic violence, as well as providing outreach counseling and court advocacy. The director of My Sister's Place will come to the high school on Friday (3/29) during AC to speak about the amazing work done by this organization, and every interested student is encouraged to come.

Here is their website if you would like to learn more!   http://www.mspathens.org/

Student Council thanks you in advance for your support!

You are invited to Live Healthy Kids Night on Thursday, April 25th, from 5:00 - 7:30 pm at the Athens Community Center.  

This is a FREE night of fun for all Athens County families that will feature DJ Rockin' Reggie, Live Healthy Kids recipes and fun family activities!

A transition meeting will be provided at the Athens Middle School on April 4th at 6:00 in the Middle School Auditorium.  The staff will provide answers to any last minute questions about scheduling.

Schedules are due to sixth grade teachers on April 5. 

East Elementary’s Production of Dorothy in Wonderland 

• Wednesday, March 27-Friday, March 29, 2019
• Dinner at 6:00 pm; Show begins at 7:00 pm.
• Tickets are still available. Contact the East Elementary Office (740-593-6901).

In this podcast we take a blast to the past and talk about childhood TV shows. How did they influence us and how does media change cartoon watching culture? We also talk to parents about raising children on television, and timing media usage. What are the recommended watching hours for children, and are you up to par?

The AHS Matrix Podcast is now available on the Apple iPhone Podcast App. People interested in subscribing to The AHS Matrix Podcast should click on the app and search "AHS Matrix Podcast."

The Business Advisory Committee for the Athens City School District has set the next three meetings to be held on April 8th, May 20th, and June 17, 2019.  All meetings will take place at Athens High School at 1:00 p.m. and are open to the public.  

Registration for both opportunities below is required:  Please visit this site to register today!

Join with community stakeholders and civic leaders for a workshop and deep dive training led by the Racial Equity Institute of Greensboro, NC. The intensive presentation on historical, institutional and systemic racism challenge deeply ­held assumptions and reveal-with sobering clarity-the devastating impacts of persistent racial inequality on our nation's most marginalized populations. 
A deep dive training will be offered on March 21st at Stuarts Opera House. The cost is $50 and lunch is included. On March 20th, there will be a free three hour workshop held at Ohio University. 

3 HOUR WORKSHOP MARCH 20, 2019

6:00-9:00 PM 
OHIO UNIVERSITY GROSVENOR HALL 
ROOM 128 
16 W. GREEN DR. ATHENS, OH 45701

DEEP DIVE TRAINING MARCH 21, 2019

9:00 A.M.-3:00 PM STUART'S OPERA HOUSE 52 PUBLIC SQUARE NELSONVILLE, OH 45764 
COST: $50 
LUNCH INCLUDED

This episode of The Matrix Podcast, “Underground sound” explores new and exciting sounds in the music industry. In this episode, we cover the bands “Moon Hooch” and “Too Many Zooz”. Both of these groups combine elements of jazz, EDM, and other genres of music, using instrumentation foreign to what those genres usually consist of. This episode covers their stories, progression and the growth of their sounds. You will hear interviews from band members Michael Wilber of Moon Hooch and Matt Doe of Too Many Zooz who tell us their stories, and insights of this new sound.

The Athens Bulldog Elementary Cross-Country Clubs are sponsoring the 8th Annual Forget Me Not 5K Run/Walk on April 13, 2019.  The day of registration and shirt pick-ip starts at 10:00 am and the 5K starts at 11:00 am at Little Fish Brewing Co. (8675 Armitage Road, Athens, OH 45701).  This event is held In memory of Patsy D. Barrington

• Fun Run/Walk begins at 11:00 am
• T-shirt Pick-up and Registration is from 10:00-10:45 am
• Bring your own Timing Device

The 5K Fun Run/Walk will take place on the bike path near Little Fish. The cost is $25.00 for community members. The cost for Athens City School students is $15.00. Half of the proceeds go to the The Athens Bulldog Elementary X-Country Clubs and half will go to Kids on Campus.

For further details or information contact Liz at lschwarzel@athenscsd.org or 740.818.9469.

In this episode of the AHS Matrix Podcast, we explore our favorite and least favorite movies of 2018, and discuss what movies we're looking forward to in the upcoming year. Podcast hosts interview AHS students to hear their favorite and least favorite movies of 2018.

The 8th Grade Graduation Party committee will meet on Thursday, February 28 at 6 pm in the AMS auditorium to begin planning for the 8th Grade Graduation party.  This party is sponsored by the AMS PTO.  

If you cannot attend and would like to be included in the planning, contact us at AMSPTO@athenscsd.org.

Be sure to order so your student doesn't miss out on the 2018-2019 yearbook!  If you have any questions, contact amsyearbook@athenscsd.org.

​All orders are due by April 30, 2019. 

On Thursday, February 21, 2019, an informational meeting for parents of current 8th grade students for 9th grade registration at AHS for the 19-20 school year will be held at Athens High School in the auditorium beginning at 5:00 pm.  The counselors will secure registration forms on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.  If you have any questions about registration or programming at Athens High School, please try to attend.

Jeremy Biddinger and Colin Widdoes from RVC architects will be hosting several meetings in the coming weeks at locations throughout the District to provide opportunities for faculty, staff, parents, and community members to provide input ​​into the planning for our new PK-3 and Grades 4-6 school buildings.  The schedule for those meetings is as follows:

The 2019 Summer Camp Calendar is now available.  Please check it out for a list of camps offered this summer.  (Click on the ...READ MORE link to view the calendar.)  If you have additional camp information, please email that information to acsd@athenscsd.org.  Thanks to Lindsey Swank Meili for putting this together again this year!

A Parent Information Night for Early Entrance for the 2019-2020 school year will be held on March 7, 2019 from 6:30 - 7:30 at Morrison-Gordon Elementary (793 W. Union St., Athens, OH).  Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend!

• Get important information about the application process
• Learn about kindergarten expectations
• Talk with principals and kindergarten teachers
• Evaluate questions to determine school readiness Receive resources to help your family make the best decision for your child

Click here to view the flyer for the meeting.

Both the Early Entrance Policy and Brochure are available as links from the Gifted Services website.

• Early Entrance Policy 
• Early Entrance Brochure 

In this episode of the Matrix Podcast, we team up with The Matrix Newspaper from AHS. A student-written opinion piece discusses instances of police excessive use of force. In the podcast, we discuss student body response to the article and interview Athens City Police officer, Captain Ralph Harvey.

Below is all of the information for Kindergarten registration for the 2019-2020 school year for the Athens City School District.  Click here to view the the flyer.

Please Note:

• ​Your child MUST BE 5 YEARS OLD ON OR BEFORE August 1, 2019 to be eligible for registration.
• Please bring your child with you
• Plan on being at the school for 45 minutes — 1.5 hours.
• You must arrive at least 45 minutes before the end of the session

It’s time again for the annual sale of Hugs and Kisses. If you would like to purchase Hugs and Kisses for a friend or your child, please complete the slips (attached), completely, and send in the slips and money to your child’s teacher. (If you need more slips, there will be more slips in the office and in your child’s classroom.) 

The Hugs and Kisses will be delivered to the classrooms on Thursday, February 14th. Each bag costs $1 and includes two Hugs and two Kisses. You may pay with cash or check. Please make checks out to East Elementary. The sale of the Hugs and Kisses helps support the annual fifth grade Gettysburg trip. Thanks in advance for your support. 

Join us for events during book fair week, February 25 - March 1!! 

Monday and Tuesday, February 25th and 26th

• Students will visit the Book Fair with their classes during school to preview book selection.  There are hundreds of new titles!

Tuesday, February 26th, 5:00 - 7:30 pm- FAMILY FUN NIGHT!

• The book fair opens for sales!
• Take picture with Clifford the Big Red Dog!
• PTO will have Subway sandwiches, drinks and desserts available from 5-7:00 pm.

Location, Date and Time:

• Location: Former Chauncey Elementary Building
  • 21 Birge Drive, Chauncey Ohio 45719
• Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2019
• Time: 9:00 am - 3:15 pm

​To Schedule An Appointment:

• Call Linda Bennett at 740-797-4516 between 8:30 am - 2:00 pm

Please Note: 

• ​Your child MUST BE 4 YEARS OLD ON OR BEFORE August 1, 2019 to be eligible for registration.
• Please bring your child with you
• No child will be considered registered or put on a waiting list without the documentation listed below

PLEASE BRING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WITH YOU:

• ​Your Child’s Birth Certificate (Copy of parent and child’s passport if you have no birth certificate)
• Your Child’s Immunization Record
• Proof of Income (one of the following)
  • 1040 Tax Form or 2 consecutive pay stubs
• Proof of Residency (i.e. a Utility Bill showing "service at" a physical address, a Property Tax Bill, a Mortgage Bill, a Lease Agreement, etc.—proof must show a physical address,not a P.O. Box)
• Custody Papers (if applicable)

The 3d Annual Bobcat Bulldog Indoor field day is almost here! It will be this Saturday, February 23, from 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. at the Walter Field House on the campus of Ohio University! This FREE Athens City School District community event is brought to you by the ACSD Healthy Schools Committee and Ohio University Athletics! This super fun celebration of a healthy living will include:

• Multiple stations with Ohio University student athletes leading fun and playful sporting activities!
• 10 minute group fitness classes for all!
• Health focused activities and table information brought to you by Ohio University Nutrition students, Ohio University Social Work students, and other community partners such as Live Healthy Appalachia!
• Free healthy snacks for all kinds of nutritional needs brought to you by some of your favorite local restaurants and Ohio University's Combined Master of Science and Dietetic Internship program through the Atrium Cafe!
• Half price ticket vouchers for all ACSD students to attend the Ohio University Men's basketball game on March 8!
• A group photo with Rufus Bobcat and the Athens Bulldog at 1:30 p.m. - bring your cameras!
• Surprise give-away at the end of the event for those who visit all of the stations!
• The warm and wonderful feeling that comes from being healthy and active with your family and community!!

All parents and caregivers must sign a release of liability upon entering the event. Children may not be dropped off, parents and caregivers must be present. 

We hope to see you there! 

Several weeks ago I put out a call for volunteers to assist with Planning Committees for the programming and design of our new elementary and intermediate schools, as well as for the renovations at Athens Middle School.  I had a great response.  In fact, despite adding more parents to the PK-3 and 4-6 committees than originally planned, I still had 14 additional parents who I've asked to help on an as-needed basis throughout the process this year.  In all, nearly one hundred different people will provide direct input as members of the committees!

The Auditor of State’s office presents awards to public entities that meet specific criteria during their financial audit.  Learn more about this award by visiting the Ohio Auditor of State website.

In November, AHS Key Club members participated in Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, which has delivered 157 million gift filled shoe-boxes to boys and girls around the world during the holidays. Key Club collected $124.00 to purchase necessities such as, washcloths, toothbrushes and socks as well as toys and fun items to be donated for the shoe boxes. Key Club members took the donations and joined their Kiwanis sponsors to fill approximately 80 shoe boxes. A great time was had by all while supporting our global community!

After the Board's decision on Thursday evening to move forward with the timeline for the elementary and middle school portions of our building project, I posted two administrative positions to accommodate the change in student assignments for the coming year(s):  East/West Elementary School Principal and The Plains Elementary School Assistant Principal.  Any current building administrator was able to apply for these open positions.  There was one applicant for each position, therefore interviews were not necessary.  

At tonight’s Regular Board Meeting (Thursday, January 17, 2019) the Athens City School District Board of Education approved the time line for the construction of the Elementary/Middle School portion of the ACSD Master Plan. In an effort to keep you informed I wanted you to receive this information as quickly as possible following the meeting. 

http://www.athenscsd.orgNow that we are in the middle of the unpredictable winter weather season as well as the planning process for future new building construction, there is a lot going on at Athens City Schools!  We want to remind you that there are many ways to keep updated with current events in the district in addition to emails and calls that are sent out to parents/guardians in our district.  

We have a website, a mobile app and social media accounts that are ​free​ and ​open to anyone​ interested in keeping up with what's happening in our district.

East Elementary will hold it's annual Family Game Night on Friday, January 25, 2019 from 6-7:30 pm.  It will be held in the Boger Cafe.  It is a night for family fun!  Board games will be provided and families are encouraged to bring a board game to share.  There will be free popcorn!  Leave electronics at home!  No drop-offs - this is a family event!  We hope to see you there!

​ACSD Faculty, Staff, Parents, and Members of the Community;

I am putting together Planning Committees for the elementary school/middle school portions of our building project.  These will be fixed committees that meet in private with the Superintendent and Design Professionals for the purpose of basic programmatic planning.  At a minimum, any volunteers selected will have to commit to the meeting dates/times outlined at the end of this message, however committees will also want to host open community input sessions for which we will need some members of each committee to attend.

In this episode of the Matrix podcast, we explore the unsolved 2008 disappearance of Brandon Swanson. Brandon was a 19-year-old college student from Marshall, Minnesota, who went missing after an unsettling phone call to his father. May 14th, 2018 marked the ten-year anniversary of his disappearance.

The Athens City School District Board of Education will have an additional Regular Board Meeting this month on Thursday, January 17th at 6:30 p.m. at Athens High School.  Tony Schorr from Schorr Architects will make a brief presentation regarding the planning and design process for the elementary school buildings and the Board will discuss several issues related to the project.  Public Participation has been moved to the end of the meeting, at which time Mr. Schorr and Mike Dingledein from Community Design Alliance will lead a discussion to garner initial input from members of the community.

If you are unable to attend, please send a message with your ideas or thoughts to Dr. Gibbs at tgibbs@athenscsd.org.

Please be on the lookout for announcements later this week about opportunities to participate in District Planning Committees and smaller group conversations which will occur in February and March.

Athens City Schools will be on a 2-hour delay on  Monday, January 14, 2019.

​Thanks to a sponsorship by Friendly Paws, the Southeast Ohio Foodbank, a program of Hocking Athens Perry Community Action, will be hosting a mobile food distribution in Athens, Ohio, Friday January 18th from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Food items will be distributed to income eligible families who are at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and are residents of Athens County.
 

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED call (740) 385-4495 to register.
 

Please contact the Southeast Ohio Foodbank at (740) 385-6813 with questions. Photo I.D. and proof of residency no more than 60 days old is required.

The SOS program is coming to the Athens City School District this month. It is a suicide prevention program through Nationwide Children's Hospital. The goal of the Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program is to reduce youth suicides by teaching students and staff to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide and depression in themselves and others and to follow the ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) message. 

In this edition of The Matrix Podcast, we discuss a new Harvard University Press book by Donna Zuckerberg, "Not All Dead White Men." We bring on two experts from the fields of Literature and Religion to discuss Zuckerberg's book and the implications of white supremacist groups' use and co-opting of classical texts.

The votes are in and the representatives are as follows:

Help us celebrate spring and generate funds for the Morrison-Gordon library by participating in the annual Scholastic Book Fair! Hundreds of new titles will be available for purchase at Morrison-Gordon or on-line to enrich your child’s home or classroom library.  If purchasing books as a classroom donation, please view the “Teachers’ Wish List” poster. This poster will be on display throughout the book fair, and provides the titles of books teachers would like to add to their classroom.

Members of the Morrison-Gordon Student Council presented information to the board regarding their activities.  From left to right they are: President, Jordan Phillips, 4th Grade Representative at Large - Charlie Phillips, and Sergent at Arms - MJ Knapp. 

This podcast covers Nurse Molly’s new Sex Ed Curriculum. The podcast starts with an interview with School Nurse Molly Wales, where she explains the details of the curriculum. She also touches on using inclusive language from the beginning of her lessons, which start in 4th grade. We then transition into interviews with AHS students to talk about their thoughts on the new curriculum and their past experiences with sex ed.

Congratulations Olivia Bean and Cirus Stowe for being named National Wendy’s High School Heisman School Winners.

Wendy’s celebrates Olivia Bean of Athens High School for her excellence in academics, athletics and community service.

Cirus Stowe ran cross country, swims, and competes in triathlons, for which he qualified for the 2019 ITU Grand Final – Triathlon de Lausanne.

The annual Athens Middle School food drive is underway!  The food collected directly benefits families in the Athens City School District family.  The food will be distributed through our own personal food pantry in Chauncey.  Please send any of the following to your child's advisory class:

• Canned Fruits and Vegetables
• Pasta
• Pasta Sauce
• Cereal
• Canned Meat
• Peanut or other nut butters

This is a great opportunity to share with your child how important it is to "Be Kind" which is one of our AMS core values.

Please make your donation by December 21st.

Is your child interested in earning college credit while enrolled in middle or high school next year?  If so, Athens High School will be hosting a College Credit Plus meeting for parents and students on Tuesday, December 11 at 6:00 pm in the Athens High School Auditorium. 

Representatives from Hocking College, Ohio University and Rio Grande will be present to explain the admission process to their respective schools and AHS school counselors will identify how credits can be applied to student graduation and progress through high school.   Please mark your calendars!

In this edition of Around Town, we summarize the outcome of the midterm elections and have a special interview with Representative Jay Edwards. Rep. Edwards talks about his previous term in office, what he hopes to accomplish in his current term, and his plans for youth engagement in the future.

(Article published in The Athens Messenger November 15, 2018)  Fourteen-year-old Athens County resident Jordan Phillips is the 2018 recipient of the Child of Appalachia Award bestowed by The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. The youngest recipient of the award, to date, Jordan has raised more than $100,000 to help fight breast cancer, with an emphasis on the Appalachian Ohio region.

I'm sure many of you already know that we may have our first winter weather tomorrow morning, with expectations for freezing rain and ice accumulations.  Ice is the most challenging weather event for the District, as buses cannot operate safely.  Additionally, we need to keep in mind the many high school student drivers traveling in their own vehicles.  I wanted to assure you that our team will be up very early in the morning watching the weather and road conditions and I will alert you as to any need for a delay or cancellation as early as possible via our calling system.

Athens High School Key Club members had a great time at the Halloween celebration on October 25^th at the Athens Rec Center. Club members walked in the parade and were given the high honor of judging the costumes. The event was sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Athens, which is the sponsoring club for Athens High School Key Club. 

The 2019 Ohio Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership seminar will take place June 6^th through the 9th at Marietta College. The seminar gives high school sophomores from all over the state of Ohio an opportunity to interact with leaders in business, education, media, government and volunteerism over the four-day seminar.

Current students can pick up their preordered yearbooks Tuesday and Wednesday during lunch.  Former students can pick up books after school, have a sibling pick it up for them, or make arrangements with Mrs. Roach by emailing her at mroach@athenscsd.org.

West Elementary participated in Athens Beautification Day, Sunday, October 21.  This was a group effort of approximately 50 volunteers from Ohio University, West PTO, and myself.  We had lots of beautiful sunshine and got a ton done. ....WEST Elementary looks wonderful!  

On September 13^th the Appalachian Food Project officially started having an impact on local school children.  With the delivery of apples to classrooms in The Plains Elementary, students in the school began having a healthy snack available to them whenever they need it.  A week later, granola bars were also delivered.

On behalf of the Athens City School District Board of Education, Faculty and Staff, and especially our students and families, it gives me great pleasure to thank the voters of the Athens City School District for supporting our District at the polls today.  This election sets the course for significant change and improvement for our district. As a result of this funding, our students will be assured state of the art 21st Century facilities for many years to come.  

Each year, the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics recognizes outstanding teachers, professors, emerging leaders, and friends of mathematics.  This year, Maria Douglas, a 5th grade teacher at East Elementary, received the Elementary Classroom Teacher Award for the Southeast District for 2018 in recognition of her exemplary teaching in mathematics.  Congratulations on this great honor Mrs. Douglas!

The November 6 General Election is one week away, and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is Saturday, November 3, at noon. The full, detailed and interactive 2018 elections calendar is available on the Secretary of State’s website.

Congratulations Emmy-Beck Aden (AHS Graduate, Class of 2018) on placing 1st in the Nation in the National FFA Agriscience Fair in the category of Food Science & Processing Systems!  Emmy's project won the state at the spring state convention last year when she was a senior at AHS and then she moved on to nationals from there.  We are so proud of you!  

Congratulations Sami Russell (AHS Graduate, Class of 2017) on receiving you FFA American Degree!  Only .5% of FFA members receive the highest degree that can be earned in the FFA. We are so proud of your hard work and dedication!

In this episode of The Matrix Podcast, student interviewers talk to Superintendent Tom Gibbs about the upcoming levy. Dr. Gibbs details the conditions of the levy, the plans for building if the levy passes, the nature of school funding, and the specific structural needs of the buildings in Athens City Schools.

The AHS Drama Club  is proud to present The Three Musketeers November 9th, 10th and 11th.  This swashbuckling farcical comedy is rife with swordplay, witty banter, and campy fun!" This is production is staffed by AHS students and directed by AHS Drama Coordinator Chris Parsons. Tickets are $8 and may be purchased at the door or in advance at m.bpt.me/event/3754618

High school students from 27 U.S. states and territories and ten countries were selected to attend the 25th Annual Global Youth Institute October 17-20th in Des Moines, Iowa. Hannah Bernstein from Athens High School in Athens was among the 210 students selected to attend the prestigious three-day conference. Bernstein engaged with global leaders in science, policy, and industry to discuss the world’s most pressing challenges in hunger and poverty.

A Beam remote presence device has been installed at East Elementary for a student that is unable to be at school.  This is a joint pilot effort between The Ohio State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital to enable remote learning for students.. The student is able to control the robot remotely in the classroom via an iPad and stay connected with school work and classmates.  The student can see, hear and talk like they are in class.  The robot can also go classroom to classroom.  The iPad was delivered to the student's house yesterday and the student and family were really excited!  The student immediately began to control the robot around the classroom and said "this is cool."  If you see the Beam going down the hall at East Elementary you’ll know why.  

Learn more about Beam in action.

The AHS Student Council is contacting and recruiting local veterans to attend a public Veteran's Day assembly on Friday November 9, 2018 at Athens High School.  Please complete the form below to submit your RSVP.  Student Council will serve donuts to our veterans at 9:30am during an informal reception with the assembly at 10:00am.  All students at Athens High will be in attendance in the gymnasium.  The Marching Band and Symphonic Choirs will perform.

Click on the following link to complete the RSVP Form.

The AHS Podcasting class is proud to publish its first episode: Around Town. This episode features an interview with Athletic Director John Rodgers about ACSD's concentration on the importance of character development for student athletes. Visit the school website for weekly podcast episodes! Special thanks to OU's SCRIPPS College of Communication for collaborating with us! 

One of the biggest threats to our district’s financial stability is the condition of our schools.

• On the November 6th election, voters will see an issue to provide funding to build or renovate our schools.
• The plan calls for new school buildings at: East Elementary, Morrison-Gordon Elementary and Athens High School. The ballot issue also includes renovations to Athens Middle School and a renovation/addition at The Plains Elementary.
• All of the district’s buildings have serious mechanical and structural issues that must be addressed. In some instances, buildings require extensive repairs or need to be completely replaced.

There is no zero-cost option.

• If we are not able to find a way to address the district’s facilities soon there will be a day-to-day impact on students’ education because we will have to begin to divert funds from our daily operating budget to maintain our buildings.
• Our custodial and maintenance crews do an excellent job but they simply cannot outwork the antiquated and serious infrastructure issues facing our schools.

The district has used the SchoolMessenger notification service to send important information to families through phone calls and emails for a while now (i.e. messages regarding school closings or delays due to weather, emergency situations, etc.). We now also have the ability to send text messages through this same program.

For those students and families that are new to our district or have not yet taken advantage of these resources, we want to make sure you are keeping in touch with what is happening in the Athens City School district through the various means we have available.  All of the information below is attached in a PDF file as well.

ACSD Mobile App

• Our district's mobile app is available for download to your mobile device (for free) in iTunes or the Google Play store!  
• Once you have downloaded the app, you can click on the Settings option to turn on push notifications, which will enable you to automatically receive push notifications sent from the district on your mobile device.  You can also sign up for push notifications from the individual buildings you select.
• Type "Athens City School District" in the search field or go to athenscsd.org in your browser and the app will appear in a banner across the top of the browser window to download.

Are you interested in earning college credit next academic year while still enrolled in high school? If so, Athens High School will be hosting a College Credit Plus meeting for parents and students on Tuesday, December 11 at 6:00 pm in the Athens High School Auditorium.

Representatives from Hocking College, Ohio University and Rio Grande will be present to explain the admission process to their respective schools and AHS school counselors will identify how credits can be applied to student graduation and progress through high school.   Please mark your calendars!

Kellie Pauley, one of our Speech Language Pathologists, had an article that she and Janice Wright co-authored featured in the recent online journal (eHearsay). The title is The Impact of Trauma and How it Effects Language Development in Children and Adolescents and it begins on page 51 of the journal.  eHearsay is a peer reviewed journal published by OSHLA (Ohio Speech Hearing Language Hearing Association). OSHLA also submits articles to ASHA (American Speech Hearing Association) the national association for speech language pathologists and audiologists. OSHLA submits the peer reviewed article for approval to be used as a CEU course by ASHA and OSHLA. This article was approved and now can be used as a CEU course. 

Please click here to access the eHearsay journal online.

At last week's Board Meeting, the ACSD Board of Education approved a measure directing me to sell of unused/excess furnishings and materials that have been stored at the Chauncey Building for several years.  Items for sale include:

• ​Student desks/chairs  $5 each
• File cabinets  $10/each
• Metal teacher desks $20/each
• Drafting desks $35/each
• Wooden teacher desks $50/each
• Other random items, shelves, etc. $10/each
• Wall maps/etc. $20/each

We are excited to inform you Infinite Campus has two new and improved mobile apps: Campus Student (for students) and Campus Parent (for parents). Download your free app for real-time access to grades, assignments, attendance, schedules, announcements and more.

​Downloading & Using the New Apps

• Download the new apps from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
• If you are using the old Infinite Campus app, please download the new app.  The old app will no longer be supported. 
• You will use the same username and password as you used with the portal.

The Athens City School District Board of Education Members will be participating in several informational meetings regarding the Bond Levy that is on the November 6th ballot at the following dates/times/locations:

• October 3rd @ 5:30 p.m. for The Plains ES PTO Mtg. @ The Plains ES
  • Kim Goldsberry & Paul Grippa
• October 6th @ 10:00 a.m. @ The Athens Public Library
  • Paul Grippa & Rusty Rittenhouse
• October 6th @ 10:00 a.m. @ The Chauncey Public Library
  • Kim Goldsberry & Roger Brown
• October 11th @ 6:30 p.m. for the Athens High School Academic Boosters @ AHS
  • Sean Parsons & Kim Goldsberry
• October 13th @ 9:30 a.m. @ The Plains Public Library
  • Kim Goldsberry & Sean Parsons
• October 15th @ 6:00 p.m. for the East ES PTO Mtg.@ East ES
  • Kim Goldsberry & Paul Grippa
• October 22th @ 6:00 p.m. for the Morrison-Gordon ES PTO Mtg. @ Morrison-Gordon ES
  • Sean Parsons & Rusty Rittenhouse
• October 23rd @ 6:00 p.m. for the West ES PTO Mtg. @ West ES
  • Kim Goldsberry & Sean Parsons

Mo-Go Fourth Graders won drawing awards at AgDay, which took place a the Athens County Fairgrounds.  Brek Newton won Honorable Mention, while Petra Leonard won second place in the agriculture drawing contest.  Congratulations, Brek and Petra!

• Athens Bulldogs Athletics in partnership with Athens Athletic Boosters and @varsityaclub would like to invite you all to the annual homecoming parade. This is open to all group and teams. 
• The Crowning Ceremony for Homecoming Court is at 7 pm today.  
• The Football Game between Athens and Vinton County starts at 7:30 pm today. 
• The AHS Homecoming Dance is from 8pm-11pm on Saturday night (9/22).  All AHS students are welcome to attend.  Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.  
• View the 2018 AHS Spirit Week flier for more information

Tuesday, September 11th is picture day.  This year, we are proud to announce our new partnership with Trisha Smathers and TS Photos!  Trisha is a local business owner and AHS graduate.  She has been supporting the Athens High School yearbook and athletic programs for years.

Earlier this summer a small group of employees and community partners started the process of  discussing issues related to bias and discrimination in our school district and broader community.  As a first step, an initial survey was emailed out in June.  Survey respondents were asked to provide contact information if they wanted to be included in face-to-face conversations about bias and discrimination at a later time.  Those who included contact information on the survey have been invited to a focus group meeting on September 12th at 6:30 p.m. at Athens High School.

Athens Middle School teachers April Stewart, Mary Ann Hopple, Ellen Kroutel, Nathan White, Kimberly Shuster, Stephanie List and Laurie Camiptelli have received The Governor's Thomas Edison Awards for Excellence in STEM Education and Student Research for their accomplishments during the 2017-2018 school year.  The Ohio Academy of Science selected 61 Ohio schools and 672 teachers to receive this honor. Each school will receive a special Governor's Award certificate, and each teacher will receive a complementary membership to The Ohio Academy of Science. The Technology Division of the Ohio Development Services Agency funded the program.

We have had to make some significant changes to bus routes that will effect pick up times, drop off times and bus routes for many of our students.  We have attempted to contact families on these routes, but must have incorrect phone numbers for some as we have not been able to reach all families affected by this change.

ONLY IF YOU LIVE IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS AND HAVE NOT ALREADY BEEN CONTACTED by the Transportation office, please contact us at 740-797-4128 or email servin@athenscsd.org to find out changes for your child(ren). 

Please be reminded that the Athens City School District Board of Education will meet in Regular Session on Thursday, August 23rd at 6:30 pm.  

Due to a conflict at Athens High School with the Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Ceremony, the location of the meeting is being changed to the ACSD Early Learning Center (former Chauncey Elementary, 91 Birge Dr., Chauncey, OH 45719).  The meeting room will be the old cafeteria just inside the main entrance.

Jade Pettey, a senior at Athens High School, was accepted onto the 15-member YouthMOVE Ohio council.  YouthMOVE Ohio is a state chapter of YouthMOVE National.  YouthMOVE is a national youth led organization devoted to improving services and systems that support positive growth and development by uniting the voices of individuals who have lived experience in various systems including mental health, juvenile justice, education, foster care, homelessness, alcohol or drugs, developmental disabilities and co-occurring disorders. Although the state council consists of older youth, local chapters of YouthMove may include youth ranging in age from 11-26. Jade is currently working on gathering support to start a local chapter. 

Amy Sloan Brandenstein '93, Steve Jones '70, Kurt Roberts '06, Joe Sparhawk '97

AHS Auditorium - Thursday, August 23, 2018 at 7:00 pm

5:00-5:45 pm - Meet-n-Greet the teachers - classroom visits 

5:45-6:30 pm - Picnic in the school cafeteria - catch-up with friends, get updates on upcoming PTO activities

The Plains Elementary will hold the annual Back to School Open House and Picnic on August 27, 2018.  Beginning at 4:00 pm, students can visit their new classrooms and meet their new teachers.  School supplies can be dropped off at that time.  The picnic will be on the back playground and will begin at 4:30 pm and end at 6:00 pm.  PTO will provide hot dogs, chips, cookies and drinks.  Please bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on. 

Please join us on Friday, August 24th from 5:00 to 6:30 pm to get a jump on the school year with a little fun. 

5:00-5:30 pm: Drop off school supplies and get a sneak peek at your classroom.

5:30-6:30 pm: Join us on the playground for popsicles, say hello to friends, meet new families and students, catch up on PTO info with this year's board, sign up for Kroger rewards and PTBoard accounts to stay up to date with all PTO news and events! 

Olivia Bean, rising senior at Athens High School, attended the Semper Fi Battles Won Academy in Washington D.C. this July, where she participated in a variety of physical, mental, and team-building exercises designed to strengthen leadership skills through the spirit of the Marine Corps. About 100 students, selected from 6,000 applicants nationwide, participated along with an adult mentor from their school or community. Olivia represented a region comprising most of Ohio, West Virginia, and Virginia. She chose West Elementary sixth-grade teacher Jennifer Hinkle as her mentor.

Portal access for Infinite Campus Parent & Student portal accounts will be re-opening over the next week.

• AHS: Friday, August 10, 2018, 3:30 pm
• AMS: Thursday, August 16, 6:00 pm
• Elementary: Friday, August 17, 3:30 pm

Seventh grade and new student orientation will be Thursday, August 16 from 6 - 7:30 pm in the Athens Middle School Auditorium.

Attention AMS students interested in running cross country: Practices will begin July 30th at the Richland Ave. Park.  Practices will be M-F 3:00-4:15 until the first day of school.  At that time, we will practice after school M-F.

Parents should complete Final Forms and a sports physical for their child prior to our first practice. Follow this link for Final Forms instructions.

AHS New Student Orientation will take place on Thursday, August 16, 2018 at 10:00 am at Athens High School.

You may be aware that the District has been taking several steps to better understand issues in our district around bias and discrimination and to identify specific action steps we can take to improve the culture and climate within our schools and our community.  As one initial step in this process, I've worked with volunteers at the Ohio University College of Health Sciences and Professions Social Work Program to create a "needs assessment" in the form of a survey.  I am writing to you today to ask that you take a few moments to follow this link: SURVEY LINK, and provide to us some information about your perspectives related to bias in our schools.  Please know that individual responses will be kept private and that only aggregated data will be reported externally.  The survey will remain open until Monday, July 9th at Noon.

AHS graduated senior Martin Benencia was selected for a Southeast Ohio District Athletic Board scholarship.

See more detailed information below taken from the Southeast Ohio District Athletic Board website.

The Athens City Board of Education is accepting bids for Bread/Bakery and Milk/Dairy products for the 2018-2019 school year.  Bid specifications may be obtained from the Treasurer’s Office at 25 South Plains Road, The Plains, OH 45780.  Deadline for bids will be 12:00 noon on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at which time bids will be opened.  Athens City Board of Education reserves the right to reject any and all bids and the submitting of any bid shall impose no liability or obligation upon said Board. 

All envelopes should be CLEARLY MARKED BREAD/BAKERY BID OR MILK/DAIRY BID.

There will be an organizational meeting to form an Academic Boosters/Parent Teacher Organization for the school on Wednesday June 20th at 6:00 pm in the High School library. As we face changes in facilities and curriculum, the primary intention of the organization is to provide parents and guardians a recognized voice in the district. Though fund raising and traditional booster activities are options, it is hoped this group will have a diverse active role boosting our students academically.  

Rising 9th - 12th Grade AHS Students and Their Parents/Guardians:  If you are planning on running Cross Country in the fall or are interested in joining for the first time please click on the link below to add your name and email to the weekly email list.

Coach Moody (amoody@athenscsd.org) and will send out information via the weekly email.  He looks forward to another great season! Thank you.


https://goo.gl/forms/TpCvmaeGfVjsVRil1

A Special Board Meeting will be on Monday, June 11th at 8 a.m. at the Board Office for the purpose of considering the purchase of property and other business that may come before the Board.

ACCESS TO ALL 2017-2018 DATA on the Infinite Campus parent/student portal ENDS JUNE 30, 2018.

You will only have access to 17-18 data for your child(ren) until JUNE 30, 2018.  Your account remains open all year, but you will not see data for this year after June 30.

Please download, save and/or print any data/reports you want from your portal account prior to this date.

The Athens City School District Special Board Meeting for Wednesday, May 30th at 8 a.m. at the Board Office, 25 S. Plains Road, The Plains has been CANCELLED. 

Congratulations to AHS senior wrestler Cierra Ellis signed her letter of intent to wrestle at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan on May 23, 2018. 

Athens High School Athletic Boosters hosted their annual award ceremony at Elks Lodge in Athens on Sunday May 20, 2018, where they celebrated the success of the class of 2018.

The Ohio Department of Education will be implementing changes to the College Credit Plus program beginning Summer 2018. 

Please click here to view the course eligibility rule change information with these updates.

It is important to note that students just starting the program must take classes at Ohio University and Hocking College that have been approved as Level I classes. The Level I lists currently appear on Ohio University’s (Athens) website and Hocking College’s website (see links below). We have been told by college representatives that these lists will be evolving and changing so please check the websites for updates for the specific colleges:

Ohio University Level 1 List
Hocking College Level 1 List

The Academic Advisors on the college campuses will be available to assist and counsel students when they choose their college classes. Students should provide their high school counselors with an email copy of their college classes when they are finalized.

AHS Senior Follies will be on Friday, May 18th and Saturday, May 19th at 7:00 pm.

Tickets are on sale now for $5.00 each night.

Anyone can stop by the Athens High School office to purchase tickets from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm each day, until the tickets are sold out.

Continuing the tradition . . . going on for 54 years! 

Do you love tennis? Do you want to play tennis? Do you have no idea what tennis is, but think it sounds interesting? Then please join us at the Athens High School Cafeteria at 5pm on Monday, May 21st. 

During the meeting, I will go over the paperwork needed to be on the team, expectations of team members, varsity qualifications, as well as exciting opportunities to play this Summer. I encourage parents/guardians to attend as I will be passing out paperwork which will need their signature. If they cannot attend, that is fine. 

I truly encourage anyone with interest in tennis to come to this meeting! I can't wait to meet you!

All the best,
Adrienne Johnson
Head Coach, Athens High School Girl's Tennis
ajohnson@athenscsd.org | 419.310.1242

On April 16, 2018, Athens High School freshman Hannah Bernstein participated in the Ohio Youth Institute at The Ohio State University. After submitting a research paper on a global challenge in early March, making a presentation, going through a debate and an interview, Hannah was recognized a Borlaug Scholar and selected to be one of the 5 students on the state delegate team to attend the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa on a 3-day all-expenses paid trip in October.

At the World Food Prize’s Global Youth Institute in Des Moines, about 200 high school students from across the US and other counties will have the opportunities to interact with Nobel and World Food Prize laureates, tour industry and research facilities, and connect with other student leaders. For more information please visit the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute website.

MoGo Student Council recently visited the Ohio Statehouse and met with Representative Edwards.  Representative Edwards was gracious enough to spend quite a bit of time showing our Student Council a variety of areas as well as answering all their questions.  We are appreciative of his time during our visit.  It was the best Statehouse visit we have had in a very long time.  Thank you, Representative Edwards!

School will be out soon.  Summer meals for kids and teens will be served in our community this year.  

• ​Open to all children 18 and younger
• NO enrollment
• NO cost

Locations:

• ​​10 Hope Drive, Athens, OH, 45701, 740.385.36813
• 45 E. 4th St., The Plains, OH, 45780, 740.797.4287
• 29 Converse St., Chauncey, OH, 45719, 740.797.2512

Learn more about the USDA Summer Food Service Program on this website.

Athens High School Junior, Olivia Bean, and her mentor, ASCD West Elementary 6th grade teacher Jennifer Hinkle , were honored on Tuesday, May 8, at the home track and field meet at AHS.

The Marines came in full dress to present the Semper Fidelis All-American Award. She and Jennifer will represent our community at the exclusive Battles Won Academy in Washington, DC this July. She is one of 96 students selected from across the nation because of her determination and conviction to succeed both academically and athletically. Olivia will represent Ohio and West Virginia while participating in events at Quantico and meeting national leaders in D.C.

​Make reservations now if you have not already done so for The Girl with the Golden Locks.  Please indicate number of reservations next to date and SEND PAYMENT WITH YOUR RESERVATION. Tickets are $7.00 each. You may reserve tickets by calling 594-EAST; however, we will need payment in order to hold your seats.

Dinner is served at 6:00 pm on Thursday and Friday and 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Saturday. The play begins at 7:00 pm on Thursday and Friday and 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm on Saturday in the gym. Checks should be made out to East Elementary PTO. SEATS ARE ASSIGNED AT THE TIME THE RESERVATIONS IS RECEIVED.

Please click here for a preview of the play!

We hope to see you there!

To infinity and beyond! Morrison-Gordon students recently had the opportunity to Skype with astronaut Don Thomas during their Space Night. Partnership students from OU conducted a variety of stations for students to visit and learn more about space.

They could also "make and take" items from some stations. The night concluded with our Skype session with our astronaut. It was out of this world! 

Please join us for the Athens City Schools All Band Concert on Sunday, April 29 at 3:00 pm in the Athens High School Auditorium. 

There will be performances by the combined Athens City Schools 5th Grade Band, combined 6th Grade Band, Athens Middle School 7th and 8th grade Bands and the Athens High School Symphonic Band and Jazz Band. 

Admission to the concert is $5. 

The Athens Band Boosters will host a complimentary dessert buffet as well as a spring auction of exciting items!

AMS is having a t-shirt fundraiser.  What a great way for your middle school student and yourself to show your school spirit!  The t-shirts are dark grey with dark green lettering (dark green bling is available as well).  You also have the option to personalize the t-shirt with a name and/or number on the back.  Orders are due to AMS by May 8, 2018 and payment must be included with the order.  They will be delivered to advisory classes by May 16, 2018.  Please contact your child's advisory teacher if you have any questions.  

Athens City Schools celebrates our 2018 regional scholars: Alexandra Collins, Abigail Tadlock, Sylvie Wilson, Katelyn Broy, Shifra Narasimhan, Lauren Abdella and Audrey Crowl.  Congratulations for your outstanding leadership with 72 juniors at Camp Akita in Logan, Ohio!

Regional Scholars is a Leadership Conference designed for high school juniors. The gifted coordinators of southeast Ohio collaborate to organize this event that is held every spring. Students learn group dynamics, personality types and differences in communication styles through the two day event. Each year the event is held in a lodge in southeastern Ohio supportive of outdoor activities including archery, ground initiatives, climbing tower and nature hike.  Students will be encouraged to participate in activities outside their comfort zone. A college fair and financial aid session allow the students to become familiar with applying to a wide variety of colleges and universities in Ohio.  At the conclusion of the event, students leave with new discoveries about themselves and lasting friendships.

Visit the Regional Scholars website to learn more.

Athens Middle School has been honored with the SupportMusic Merit Award from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.
 
The SupportMusic Merit Award recognizes individual schools that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.
 
To qualify for the SupportMusic Merit Award, Athens Middle School answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

The AHS drama club presents Grease!  Join us for a performance: in the AHS Auditorium:

• Friday, April 20 at 7:30 pm
• Saturday, April 21 at 7:30 pm 
• Sunday, April 22 at 2:00 pm

Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for adults.  You can purchase tickets online at brownpapertickets.com

You are all probably aware of the recent flooding in Chauncey and the surrounding areas. In an effort to provide support to those families who may have been impacted by the flooding, our school food pantry that is housed at the Chauncey Early Learning Center, will be open this Monday, April 9th from 4-5 p.m. Please pass this information along to those who may benefit.  In addition to providing food, the pantry does have personal care items and cleaning supplies.

The AHS Class of 2019 will be hosting the annual Junior-Senior Prom Saturday April 14 from 8 to 11 pm in the AHS gymnasium. Please join us for an Oscars-themed "Night in Hollywood".

Prom tickets are $20 per person and go on sale at lunch Monday, April 9. Upperclassmen are allowed to purchase one guest ticket with their own. Tickets will be delivered  Friday April 13 during Academic Coaching or can be picked up in Mrs. Barr's room. 

There will be a Pancake Breakfast to raise money for Ms. Waugh's Sensory Room at Athens High School.  The Ohio University Student Council for Exceptional Children is hosting this event.

I'm gathering a team of enthusiastic, creative, and talented volunteers to help out at our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair, and I would like to invite you to help out. 

Please take a moment to view our sign-up sheet to see what roles interest you. Spread the word to your friends and invite them to help us have the best Book Fair ever! 

If you need to contact me, please use the email address below. Thank you! 

Pam Congrove
pcongrove@athenscsd.org

For the upcoming 18-19 school year, all preschool classes at the Athens City School District Early Learning Center will be all-day.  (Previously, all classes were half-day.)

The school day will run from 9:00 am - 3:15 pm for all preschool students next year.

Congratulations to the Athens Middle School Students that participated in the District Science Day held at Ohio University on March 24.  Our students did very well, collectively earning the Top Middle School Award.

Nicolas Barr, Sam Bikowski, Luca Gagliano, Mirage Giri, Reynolds Huard, Elena Johnson, Jake McCarthy and Raney Riddlebarger all received Superior ratings.  They also all received an invitation to attend the State Science Day held at Ohio State University on May 12.

Nicolas Barr won a Naval award, 2nd place in Mechanical Engineering and a Broadcom Masters invitation.  Sam Bikowski won a Plant Science award. Luca Gagliano won an award in Biology. Reynolds Huard won a Biology award, a Broadcom Masters invitation.  Elena Johnson won a B-Wiser Scholarship, a Geological Sciences award and a Broadcom Masters invitation. Jake McCarthy won 1st place in Mechanical Engineering and a Broadcom Masters invitation.  Raney Riddlebarger won an award from the Air Force, the Governor's Award in Environmental Science and a Broadcom Masters invitation.

Mrs. Shaw, the school nurse, will be at AMS to collect medications during school hours (7:30 am - 2:35 pm) on: 

• Monday, April 30th
• Tuesday, May 1st
• Wednesday, May 2nd

This is the week before students leave for Washington, D.C. Please plan accordingly.   

Last evening, the Athens City School District Board of Education unanimously voted to move forward with the following Facilities Master Plan:

• ​2 New PK-3 School Buildings on the current sites of East and MG ES Schools
• 1 Grades 4-6 Building at the current TPES location that will include a complete renovation of the current building and a significant addition.
• 1 Grades 7-8 MS with some renovations/updates of the current AMS Building
• 1 New Grades 9-12 HS on the site of the current AHS

Athens City Schools are closed today, Wednesday, March 21, 2018, due to inclement weather. This is the 9th snow day for the district. The last day for students will now be Friday, May 25, 2018.

Congratulations to the AMS MATHCOUNTS team for taking home first place in the Chapter Competition at Ohio University. It was a great team effort!  Team members are Lisa Liu, Eric Carpenter, Theo Dimanda, Linda Zhang and Nico Barr.  We had success individually as well with Lisa Liu finishing in 1^st place and Eric Carpenter finishing in 3^rd place.  Next up is the state competition in Columbus.  Great job mathletes and good luck in the state competition!! 

Students from HS, MS, and Elem competed March 3rd at the NASP State IBO 3D

State Tournament held in conjunction with the Arnold Sports Festival at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio.

Congrats to Lindsay Zatta (Girls Pole Vault) and Nicole Bean (Girls High Jump) for qualifying to the OATCCC Division 1 State Indoor Track & Field Meet at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio  Saturday Mar.3rd, 2018. Both are members of the Athens Bulldog Track and Field Team,  Headed by  Coach Adam Gonczy, a Physical Education teacher at East Elementary.

Senior, Lindsay Zatta, cleared 11’ 3”, 11’ 6”, and 11’ 9” vaults at the OATCCC State Indoor Meet. Placing 3rd in the Girls Pole Vault. The 11’ 9” vault is a new PR!  https://t.co/qN7tj8dOhA  Zatta takes 3rd at State Meet.

Freshman, Nicole Bean, cleared 4’ 8”  in the Girls High Jump at the D1 OATCCC State Indoor Meet placing 26th in the state. https://t.co/uAMPHC6Qcm

Morrison-Gordon sixth grader, Ethan Russ has advanced to the 2018 Ohio State Geography Bee.  Ethan was the school winner for Morrison.  He was then required to take an exam to qualify for the Ohio State Geography Bee.  Only the top 50 from around the state advance to the state bee.  Ethan will be attending the state bee in April for a chance to advance to the National Geography Bee.  Congratulations, Ethan!

Preschool Registration will take place at the Former Chauncey Elementary Building, located at 21 Birge Drive, Chauncey Ohio 45719, on Wednesday, April 25, 2018 Time: 9:00 am - 3:15 pm.  To schedule an appointment, please call Linda Bennett at 740-797-4516 between 8:30 am - 2:00 pm. Please note that preschool classes will be all-day for the 18-19 school year (9:00 am - 3:15 pm).

There is still time to order your cap and gown for Graduation, on May 26, 2018. Many students have already ordered their cap and gown back in October. If you do not remember if you already ordered your cap and gown, Please contact Ms. Jamie Waugh (room E125), your Senior Class Advisor. If you need to order your Cap and Gown, please order before March 6, 2018 to avoid shipping and handling charges.

As you can expect, the events in Parkland, Florida have troubled us deeply at the Athens City Schools. The safety of our students is our number one priority and it us up to all of us to be vigilant in this regard.  As such, some of you have inquired about the safety procedures and protocols in our schools.  

Every year the VFW's across the country have a Voice of Democracy writing contest that also brings a scholarship. This year The Plains VFW Post 7174 is honoring Grace Pratt (senior at AHS) and Lauren Chase (sophomore at AHS) of Athens City School District. Grace finished 1st out of this post and 6th in the state. Lauren finished 2nd out of this post. Way to go ladies, we couldn't be more proud!

The Athens City School District Board of Education will have a Special Meeting on March 8, 2018 at Athens High School for the purpose of discussing the Master Facilities Plan and any other business that may come before the Board.

The seventh grade registration process will occur during February. Administrators and the counselor from Athens Middle School will be visiting each school to go over course options and answer questions.

On Monday, February 26, an informational meeting for parents will be held at 6:00 pm in the Athens Middle School auditorium.  We will describe the steps in the registration process and talk about middle school procedures.  Please try to attend.  

Wow creator. Inspiration producer. Difference maker. Miracle worker. ​Teacher.
 

Ohio’s teachers make a deep and profound impact on the lives of their students. The countless ways in which teachers make a difference form the foundation for a lifetime of learning and exploring.
 

It’s time to celebrate the individuals and teams who create, motivate and inspire.
 

Join us in delivering a standing ovation to a remarkable educator in your life…Introducing the #OhioLovesTeachers campaign on Twitter and Instagram​!

We love celebrating the great things happening in our schools on social media. We are writing to you to let you know that some recent changes on Facebook are making it a little tougher for our posts, videos, announcements and more to show up in your news feed.

You can help ensure you don’t miss a post by following a few basic steps:

1. Visit our Facebook page, Athens City School District, on either your computer or mobile device.
2. Click on the “Following” tab under the cover image.
3. Under the "IN YOUR NEWS FEED" section, select "See First." 

The ACSD Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 6:30 pm in the AHS Auditorium.  You can view the agenda for the special board meeting on the Board of Education website.

Boys and Girls swimming teams competed in the SEOSL league championship. Both the boys and the girls are SEOSL champions!! Our girls also set two school records today!! Congratulations Bulldogs!

The AHS Winter Formal Dance is Saturday, February 3, 2018 from 8-11 pm! All Athens High students are welcome to attend. The $5 admission will support a scholarship fund for graduating Athens Seniors. Let's also give a big hand to the students on the Winter Formal Court!

Track and Field season begins soon! If your child is interested in being a member of this team, please review the informational document that was emailed out to all AMS parents/guardians and peruse it with your child. Packets are also available from Coach Hall in Room 304 during advisory. 

Please return the last page of the packet to Coach Hall by February 16, 2018.

If you have any questions, please contact Coach Hall at ahall@athenscsd.org.

Given that this year's flu strain is aggressive and widespread, we wanted to remind you of the following:

• Please keep your child home if they show symptoms of the flu: fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.  People with the flu may infect others from one day before getting sick to 5-7 days after.
• If your child has a fever (100 degrees F or higher), they may not return to school until they are fever-free for 24 hours - without the use of fever-reducing medications.  Any child sent to school prematurely will be sent home, even if they are fever-free at that time.
• Please review the following with your child: hand washing, covering coughs/sneezes, and avoiding touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
• If you haven't already, consider contacting your physician or the Health Department about a flu vaccine.

We want to congratulate West Elementary School Kindergarten teacher Lindsey West who received an Outstanding Teacher award at the Coalition of Rural & Appalachian Schools meeting yesterday. Congratulations Lindsey! 

Athens City Schools wishes to announce a roundup for parents seeking early admission to kindergarten for their children.  Regular admission to kindergarten requires that a child be 5 years of age on or before August 1 of the upcoming school year.  However, under some circumstances of students with cognitive advancement, early admission may be granted after a screening process.  

A Parent Information Night will be held at Morrison-Gordon Elementary on March 8th from 6:30 - 7:30 pm (793 W. Union St., Athens, OH 45701).  Important information and resources will be provided.  In the event you cannot attend, or for more details, call 740-797-4516 by March 23, 2018.

Note: Your child MUST BE 5 YEARS OLD ON OR BEFORE August 1, 2018 to be eligible for registration.

Please note: 

• Please bring your child with you

• Plan on being at the school for 45 minutes — 1.5 hours

• You must arrive at least 45 minutes before the end of the session

Please bring the following items with you:

• Your Child’s Birth Certificate (Copy of parent and child’s passport if you have no birth certificate)

• Your Child’s Immunization Record

• Proof of Residency(i.e. a Utility Bill showing "service at" a physical address, a Property Tax Bill, a Mortgage Bill, a Lease Agreement, etc.—proof must show a physical address,not a P.O. Box)

• Custody Papers (if applicable)

Are the Winter Blahs getting you down?  Are your children climbing the walls?  Does the whole family just need a chance to get out of the house for some good old fashioned play time?  

Good News!   SAVE THIS DATE, FEBRUARY 4TH, 2018, for the SECOND ANNUAL BOBCAT BULLDOG INDOOR FIELD DAY presented to you by the Athens City Schools Farm to School Committee in partnership with Ohio University Athletics.

What: Bobcat Bulldog Indoor Field Day

When:  Sunday, February 4, 2018 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Where:  Ohio University's Walter Field House

Why:  A chance to exercise and play with Ohio University Student Athletes while enjoying delicious snacks from local restaurants! There will also be interactive nutrition activities for families. All activities will have modifications for all abilities.  Vegetarian and vegan snack options available!

Cost: FREE to all Athens City Schools Families!

Congratulations to all of the participants who competed last night in the 7th Annual AHS Poetry Out Loud competition. A big "thank you" to the teachers, staff, and students who gave their time and energy to make the competition possible.

The winners are:

• Jennifer Chen--3rd place
• Rebekah Shoup--2nd place
• Sylvie Wilson--1st place

Sylvie will go on to compete at the regionals held at Stuart's Opera House on February 17th. 

If you need some help with food assistance, please stop over.  
This month’s date is: Wednesday, January 17, 2018, 4:00—6:00 pm

Monthly Food Pantry Information

When: 3rd Wednesday of every month, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Where: Chauncey Preschool (ACS Early Learning Center), 
21 Birge Dr., Chauncey, OH 45719
**Please use the side door

Must bring an ID
Must be present to pick-up
First come, first serve

For more information or to arrange donations, please contact Nurse Heidi.
Call 740-797-4544 x1225 or e-mail her directly at hshaw@athenscsd.org

The Athens City School District ​Organizational/Regular Board meeting will be held tomorrow, Thursday, January 11, 2018, at 6:30 pm in the AHS Library. 

Join us for a Winter Game Night!

• a night for family fun with parents and students
• board games provided
• you can bring one to share and teach others!
• free popcorn
• student council bake sale
• leave those electronics at home - this is OLD SCHOOL gaming

Military families provide an invaluable service to our country. In an effort to ensure the needs of military families are being met, the Ohio Department of Education is requiring all districts to collect information regarding the military families who have students within the district.

Below is the timeline/process that will occur for the AMS 8th grade students to register for classes for 9th grade at AHS next year:

• Tuesday, February 13: AHS Counselors to provide information to students during the school day (during social studies classes)

• Thursday, February 15: 8th Grade Parent Meeting in the Athens High School Auditorium 5:00pm (if counselors get to AMS on February 13)

• Tuesday, February 20: Counselors back to AMS to pick up signed and completed registration forms OR to present info if snow day on Tuesday, February 13. 

• Wednesday, February 21: Back-up 8th grade Parent Meeting in Athens High School Auditorium at 5:00pm if snow day on February 13  or February 15

• Friday, February 23: Counselors back to AMS for pick up if snow day on 2/13 or 2/20

The FFA sponsored blood drive collected 36 units on December 19. Thanks to all staff, students, and community members who donated. Special thanks to Ms. Stalder and FFA students for working so hard to organize the event. The next blood drive will be sponsored by Key Club on May 2.

AHS will be offering the Japanese Language and Culture Workshop again second semester. The workshop will begin Wednesday, January 10 during Academic Coaching in the McClure Room. Interested students should sign up in the office ASAP.

Last year, Lifetouch offered seniors a class composite photo for graduation. Students had their picture taken individually in graduation attire and the pictures were electronically put together in a group photo. This is being offered again this year. Individual pictures will be taken Friday, January 5. Students may have their picture taken in the McClure Conference Room (next to the cafeteria) before school, during study hall, academic coaching, or at lunch. Composite photos will be available for purchase. Graduation gowns for the photo will be provided at the school. Please contact the HS Office with any questions.

HOLIDAY FOOD GIVE-AWAY: 2ND YEAR IN A ROW, WE WILL BE GIVING AWAY HAMS AND ALSO TONS OF FRESH PRODUCE

• Must bring an ID
• Must be present to pick-up
• First come, first serve
• One ham per household

Location: Chauncey Elementary (ACS Early Learning Center), 21 Birge Drive, Chauncey, Ohio
**please use the side door**

For more information, please contact Nurse Heidi.

We are planning a very special annual event with our cross-town rivals, The Alexander Spartans. Once per year, these two schools will come together for a wrestling dual during the end of a school day in order to raise money for the Turn It Gold Foundation - a foundation committed to raising funds and awareness for childhood cancer. All students in the school building will be invited to the gymnasium for an assembly on December 13th (Wednesday) for this event. We are allowing all students to attend this event free of charge, but our goal is to earn donations for the Turn It Gold Foundation throughout following week.  

On December 8th, fourteen teams of ACSD 6th, 7th and 8th graders participated in the 2017 Southeast Ohio Model United Nations held at Baker Center on the Ohio University campus.  General Assembly was presided over by AHS student, Emmy Elliot, while Delanyo Mensah, Cirus Stowe and Mary Myers served as staff members in council sessions facilitated by Emily Pauwels and Julia Weber. 

Congratulations to the 153 students who participated in the Athens Middle School Science Fair held on November 29.  Judges from Ohio University rated projects in 10 different categories.  All of these students may enter the District Science Fair held at Ohio University on March 24, 2018.

If you need some help with food assistance, please stop over.  This month’s date is: November 15, 2017 from 4:00—6:00 pm at Chauncey Preschool, 21 Birge Dr., Chauncey, OH 45719.

Voters in the Athens City School District approved today the district’s renewal levy request. The request was for the renewal of the district’s 1% earned income tax levy. The renewal represents approximately 12% of the district’s daily operating budget.

Athens City School District is growing our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube channels.      

• ​Facebook: @AthensCitySD
• Twitter: @AthensCitySD
• Instagram: @athenscitysd
• YouTube: Athens City : Athens City

Congratulations goes out to the Athens Marching Green and Gold on their Superior Rating at OMEA State Finals Contest on Sunday in Dayton. This is first time the band has gotten a superior rating since 2007. Congratulations on an awesome accomplishment!

Athens City School District is on a 2-hour delay today, Monday, November 6, 2017.  Heavy rain overnight caused flooding in some areas, and this is the reason for the delay.

The Athens Bulldogs have a busy weekend ahead.  There are three major events occurring that I wanted to bring to everyone's attention:

The AHS Boys Cross Country team is headed to the OHSAA State Championships for cross country, which take place Saturday, November 4th.   The photo shown was taken on Saturday, October 28th at the Regional Cross Country meet at Pickerington North High School. The runners shown are Peter Buckley and Tony Tonkovich. Both have broken school records this year and qualified to the State Meet.  Tony Tonkovich has a 5k (5,000 meter) time of 16:07 and Peter Buckley ran 16:08. The school record coming into this year was held by Sam Stevens-Jones, Class of 2014 who ran 16:24.  Photograph taken by Geoff Buckley.

Check out Live Healthy Kids with Americorps members in action at West Elementary! (Photo Credit: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine)

Morrison-Gordon Teachers win Educators of the Year Award.

Morrison-Gordon Student wins award.

The AHS Veteran's Day Assembly will be held on November 10, 2017, from 10 - 10:45 am at Athens High School, 1 High School Rd., The Plains, OH, in the AHS Gymnasium.

​The AMS Veteran's Day Celebration will be held on November 10, 2017 at 7:45 am at Athens Middle School, 55-55 W. State St., Athens, OH, in the AMS Auditorium

Please RSVP to Mrs. Hall at ahall@athenscsd.org to RSVP or send a note in to AMS with your student.  Include the Veteran's name, service information (branch, medals, etc) and your AMS student's name, please.  A picture for our bulletin board will also be appreciated.  

Here is important information regarding seniors and the AHS yearbook for the 17-18 school year.

Please be reminded as we move into the winter season that ALL 7-12 student athletes MUST be registered into Final Forms. If you had a student who competed in a Fall sport and you have not yet added them to a winter roster, please do so as soon as possible. Also, be reminded that ALL FORMS must be signed and that a separate signed physical must be submitted. If you have already completed all of this, then all you need to do it add your student to the sport in which they plan to participate in the winter (and/or spring). 

Please be aware that the October Regular Board Meeting date is being changed from Thursday, November 16th to Wednesday November 15th at the Athens High School Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

Cards and gifts from AHS students are headed to Puerto Rico on a mission with Ana Fryman, a paraprofessional at Athens High School.  She was in the Air Force and a group of veterans are in Puerto Rico helping the victims of the hurricanes. She is flying down to Puerto Rico for a week beginning this Monday, October 23.  In addition to taking these cards, she is taking supplies as well. She will travel with fellow veterans into the most remote areas in the mountains of Anasco, spreading the love and good wishes from our students at AHS. She will also serve as an interpreter for the group as well as do mental health assessments.

We invite you to take part in a book study with the book Math: Facing an American Phobia by Marilyn Burns. While it has a serious-sounding name, the book is an entertaining discussion of why many people in the U.S. don’t like math… and why it doesn’t have to be that way.

Athens High School recognizes two students for the Bulldog of the Week program.

As election day nears, I want to remind you of an important issue for our schools in the upcoming November 7 election. The Athens Board of Education voted earlier this summer to place a renewal earned income tax on the ballot.

Our district technology team is currently working to develop a vision statement.  In order to ensure that this is a shared vision that accurately represents who we are and what we strive to do as a district, we encourage you to become a part of this process by freely responding to the questions that follow.  Only one submission per household is necessary.

Please click here to access the survey.

Thank you for your time.  Your feedback is important to us.

The 2016-2017 high school yearbook, JOURNEY, has arrived! If you graduated last year and you purchased a yearbook, you can pick it up from Mrs. Roach any day after school (2:35) or you can arrange for your yearbook to be left in the main office by emailing Mrs. Roach at mroach@athenscsd.org.  If you did not order a yearbook and would like one, books can still be purchased for $60.  Please make your check out to "AHS Yearbook."  

​After communicating the change in Board Meeting date for October yesterday morning, I was made aware that the new date conflicted with several significant community activities that were already scheduled for that evening.  So as to assure that as many people could attend the board meeting as possible, the Board has selected a different date for the October meeting.

The October Regular Meeting of the Athens City School District Board of Education will be on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. in the Athens High School Auditorium.

For the sixth consecutive year, Athens Middle School has received the Governor's Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in STEM Education.  Teachers at Athens Middle School who received the award include Mary Ann Hopple, Ellen Kroutel, Stephanie List, Susan Matters, Kimberly Shuster, April Stewart, and Nathan White.

District Performance Index Increases to Highest Level Ever​

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) recently released the 2016-17 Local Report Card (LRC).  This state required report shows that district students continue to make progress in many areas.

If you need some help with food assistance, please stop over.   
This month’s date is: Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 4:00—6:00 pm

Athens High School Senior Dylan O’Donnell has been selected by audition to perform with the Ohio Music Education Association All-State Band. Dylan is a trombone player in the Athens High School Marching Green and Gold, Symphonic Band, and Jazz Band. He has also been a member of the Athens All-County Jazz Band, OMEA District 17 Honor Band, and studied trombone with Joe Brown at Ohio University. Dylan will perform with the All-State Band at the annual OMEA State Conference at the Columbus Convention Center February 8-10, 2018 under guest conductor Alfred Watkins.

The class of 2017 at Athens High School has one more thing to be proud of; they earned the highest ACT scores in the district for the past five years and showed progress in every subject area.

Mrs. Hall's husband traveled to Houston on September 8, 2017 to deliver much needed water, food items and diapers.  He and his friends used a dump truck in making deliveries. The dump truck will then be used to help with clean-up.

AMS students and families brought in the much needed supplies. Students from Mr. Kostival's class helped load all of the donations and fill the truck. As of  September 8, all of your donations are on the way to Texas!

Thank you AMS students and families for helping in this effort.

Way to Be the Best Bulldog you can Be, and Be Kind. You are awesome!

Please be aware that the Special Board Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 5, 2017 has been cancelled.  Our architect and I will not be able to meet with Ohio University until September 6th.

The next Board Meeting will be the Regular Meeting on Thursday, September 21, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. in the Athens High School Auditorium.

AMS Student Jordan Phillips has been featured on NBC4 for her creation of Cozys for the Cure. Her product has now been picked up by WalMart.

​The beginning of a new school year is exciting for everyone. We are look forward to seeing all of our middle school students and families.  School begins on August 28th, but I wanted to remind you of a few things happening prior to the beginning of school.  

​

​

Wednesday, August 23rd  

• New Student Orientation, 10:00 am
• Open House, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Friday, August 25th 

•    Back to School Dance  7:00 - 8:30 pm ($2 Admission)

Saturday, August 26th

•    Back to School Bash sponsored by PTO 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Monday, August 28th

• ​​First Day of School 
• Access the 17-18 AMS School Supply List from the AMS website

Please keep informed of dates and events via our AMS website or download the Athens City School District mobile app.

​

Kara Bolin, Principal
Athens Middle School

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There will be a Special Board Meeting on Tuesday, September 5 at 6:30 pm in the AHS Auditorium.  The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the Facilities Master Plan and other business that may come before the Board.

A sensory garden is being created on the north side of the building by the bell. An Eagle Scout is contributing to the project along with East PTO and Staff. We are looking for the following items/donations:

• Athens Block bricks
• Flagstone
• Labor with experience in brick patio laying

If you can contribute any of these items, please email us at eastelementarypto@gmail.com

Each year East Elementary celebrates its diverse international community by hosting the East International Food Fair.  The food fair is an excellent way to welcome, and welcome back for parents and students as well as an opportunity to meet new friends and learn about different cultures.  Students and/or their parents contribute to the food fair by performing music and/or dance in the Multicultural Entertainment segment.  This year, the Food Fair will be on Friday, September 8, 2017.  We will begin serving food at 4:30 pm with entertainment starting at 5:00.   East Elementary hosts the International Food Fair to help raise money for the school’s ELL Program.  We are asking parents to help in this fundraiser by donating their family’s favorite food dish.  

The Special Board Meeting on August 3rd has been cancelled.  The next board meeting will be a Special Board Meeting on August 10th at the Athens Middle School Auditorium.  Representatives from Schorr Architects and the Community Design Alliance will be presenting information about facilities planning for Athens Middle School.

Athens High School New Student Orientation will be held Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 10:00 am in the Auditorium. Parents and students are encouraged to attend together. Orientation tours will be provided by Student Council following the presentation in the Auditorium.

At the Regular Board Meeting on Thursday, July 27th three local groups of parents and community members made presentations to the Board of Education in relation to the Board's conversation about Facilities Master Planning for the District's elementary schools.  Please see the presentations by using the links below:

18 archers from the ACSD Bulldog Archery Team completed at the NASP World Tournament in Orlando, Florida.  The team consisted of Athens students from Grades 6-12 and competed in the HS Division. The team scored 3,282/3,600 in the Target Tournament and 1,581/1,800 in the 3D IBO Tournament.  Also, our team was the best team from the state of Ohio at the World Tournament

Derek Demel, senior Athens High School, presented "Effectiveness of Negative Stiffness Devices at Resisting Seismic Force in Buildings" at the Intel International Science Fair in Los Angeles CA this past May 14-19, 2017. The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), a program of Society for Science & the Public (SSP), is the world's largest international pre-college science competition with over USD 5 million in awards. 1700 students from roughly 70 countries and territories competed in the fair for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prizes.

Athens High school had a strong presence this year at the Ohio State Science Day Fair held at Ohio State, May 13, 2017.

The Athens High School had 6 students participating: Derek Demel, Edward Drabold, Samuel Dispenza, Adeel Koshal, Nora Sullivan, and Zoe Williams. Demel, Drabold, and Koshal, earned superior ratings.

In an effort to make progress towards the development of a long-term Facilities Master Plan for the Athens City School District, the Board of Education has approved the following schedule of special meetings throughout the summer:

Leadership, much like religion, medicine, and most athletic pursuits is something that we practice.  In each of these instances, there is no concrete standard, no exact right way to do things.  We must constantly develop and then redevelop our skills.  We must come to understand that how things work in one situation may not be the same as another.  

Having just wrapped up the 16-17 school year, this is a great time to take a look back at the accomplishments we’ve made as a district over the course of the past academic year and to communicate some of the things we are looking forward to implementing in the coming year.

Principal David Hanning announced today that Athens High School earned continuing accreditation from the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), an accreditation division of AdvancED.  This action was taken at the AdvancED Accreditation Commission meeting held on March 31, 2017.

From September 2016 through March 2017, the Athens City School District Facilities Steering Committee met at least twice monthly to discuss facilities needs and potential changes in the facilities organization of the Athens City School District. At the February 2017 Board Meeting, anticipating that one of the options forwarded to the Board of Education would be the concept of a single PreK-5 campus, the Athens City School District Board of Education directed the Superintendent to investigate the availability of a suitable parcel(s) of property necessary for the creation of a single-campus solution for grades PreK-5 for the District. The intent of the Board of Education in giving this directive to the Superintendent was to begin the process of determining the feasibility of implementing the options from the Steering Committee.

Two AMS students were among the winners selected from Athens, Alexander and Federal Hocking schools for the Athens Uptown Flag Contest. 

8th grader Nicole Bean, daughter of Anne L'Heureux and Todd Bean and 7th grader Mae Reese, daughter of Heather and Danny Reese will have their art turned into 4'X2' banners that will be displayed on  uptown flag poles after Memorial Day. All winners were honored May first at the Athens City Council meeting by the Mayor and Council members.

On Friday, April 21 st, we had three students from East Elementary compete in the Special Olympics at Alexander High School. Our third grader, Gianna Averion, competed in the 50 meter dash (3 rd place) and softball throw (3rd place). Our fifth grader, Bobby Fouty, competed in the 50 meter dash (5 th place) and softball throw (4th place). Our fourth grader, Maddy Bolin, competed in the 50 meter dash (1 st place) and the softball throw (2 nd place). Everyone did their best and had fun! If you see these athletes in the hall or around the school, please congratulate them. Also, special thanks to Mrs. Campitelli’s fourth grade class, Mr. Lonas’ third grade class and Mrs. Douglas’ fifth grade class for making banners and coming to support our athletes!

AHS Mixed Chorus and Symphonic Choir are presenting their final concert of the school year. It is a Pops Concert, and will also feature our Senior class and Senior solos. Come out and enjoy at 6 pm on Friday, May 5 in the AHS auditorium! 

Please join us for the Athens City Schools All Band Concert on Sunday, April 23 at 3:00pm in the Athens High School Auditorium. There will be performances by the combined Athens City Schools 5th Grade Band, combined 6th Grade Band, Athens Middle School 7th and 8th grade Bands and the Athens High School Symphonic Band and Jazz Band. Admission to the concert is $5. The Athens Band Boosters will host a complimentary dessert buffet as well as a Penny Auction! 

RSVP for the Athens HIgh School Class of '97 Reunion at Little Fish Brewing, owned by our fellow AHS Alums and classmates Sean White and Jimmy Stockwell.  There will be events both Friday and Saturday; schedule of events, contact information and the RSVP can be found at the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/athens-high-school-class-of-1997-20th-reunion-tickets-32569768053

Students from AHS, AMS and West Elementary participated in the District Science Fair on Saturday, March 18 at Ohio University.  For the third consecutive year, Athens High School received the trophy for the highest percentage of superior ratings at the district science fair hosted by Ohio University.  Athens Middle School regained their trophy for the same accomplishment.   West Elementary was the single ACSD elementary sending students to the fair this year.  All students earning a superior are eligible to go on to the state science fair held at Ohio State University, Saturday May 13th. The one student chosen to represent the entire district at the Intel International Science Fair was our own Derek Demel, AHS Senior. So many awards, cash prizes and scholarships were awarded overall, it was impossible to keep track. Please join the collective ACSD science department in honoring these young scientists.

Eight students from West Elementary School competed at the District 12 Science Fair on March 18th: Emma Beasley, Julia Dick, Luca Gagliano, Mirage Giri, Greta Gunderson, Jasper Harter-Hughes and Emma Hartman, who are all in sixth grade, and Andrew Meek, a fifth-grader.

Luca Gagliano and Emma Beasley earned Superior ratings, making them eligible to represent District 12 at the State Science Day in May. Emma Beasley earned an individual award by the Ohio University Physics Department and the Broadcom Masters Fair award. Luca Gagliano was awarded a Gold Medal by the Behavioral Science Department at Ohio University, as well as the American Psychological Association Award, the Broadcom Masters Fair award, and the Ohio Tuition Trust Alternate Award (a $250 scholarship). Elementary, middle and high schools from seven counties competed at the District 12 science fair. The eight West students earned the right to compete by receiving a Superior rating at the school science fair in November. Students had a variety of experiments demonstrating the scientific process.

We are the champions!  The AMS MathCounts Team finished in 1^st place in the team competition at the Southeast Ohio Chapter Competition on Saturday, February 25^th.  The team members are Eric Carpenter, Lisa Liu, Siyoung Kim, Ryan Feger, Isabella Tan, Komail Alali, Tina Zhang, Jennifer Chen, Emily Pauwels and Hannah Bernstein.  We also had several individuals place in the various rounds.  Sprint Round: 1^st  Eric Carpenter, 2^nd Siyoung Kim, 3^rd Isabella Tan; Target Round: 1^st Eric Carpenter, 2^nd Siyoung Kim, 3^rd Komail Alali; Countdown Round: 1^st Eric Carpenter, 2^nd Lisa Liu, 3^rd Siyoung Kim.  Congratulations to these students.  You represented AMS very well!  The state competition will be held at Columbus State University on Saturday, March 11.  Good luck, Mathletes!

The Athens Middle School Physical Education program is proud to announce the first semester award winners for The Presidential and National Fitness Awards.  (*denotes multiple year winner)  

The Presidential Physical Fitness Award:  In order to qualify for this award, participants must achieve at least the 85^th percentile in all 5 fitness areas; curl-ups, shuttle run, vertical sit, one mile run, and pull ups.  Emelia Adams, *Nicole Bean, Grace Corrigan, Charlotte Cutright, *Hayden Myers, *Emma O’Reilly

The National Physical Fitness Award:  In order to qualify for this award, participants must achieve at least the 50^th percentile in all 5 fitness areas.  Wafa Aziz, Annika Benton, Kianna Benton, Olivia Blatt, Sarah Braun, Anna Chen, Aidan Cox, Ailis Hayden, *Greta Hibbard, Claire Ingram, *Mikaela Jarvis, *Gracie Justis, Molly Lee, *Sienna Lelux, Layken Mullins, *Cassie Nalazek, Grace Reed, Mae Reese, Kella Rice, *Sydney Sheffler, *Elle Steele, *Sophia Tenoglia, Makena Trentacoste, *Emma Wolfe, *Tina Zhang

Congratulations to the 12 Advanced Art students who were featured in The Athens Messenger in February.  They represented Athens Middle School well!  The art classes have finished their first couple of projects for this semester.  They are on display on the 3^rd floor and in the display case on the 2^nd floor.

There are two art contests happening now:  the annual Athens Middle School yearbook contest and the Uptown Flag contest.  Your child can get more information from listening to the morning announcements or talking to Mrs. Dieterle in Room 309.

The Special Board Meeting previously scheduled for Thursday, March 2, 2017 has been cancelled.  As a result of this cancellation, the Board will discuss topics at future meetings as noted below:

• ​March 16, 2017 Regular Board Meeting @ Athens High School:  Accept report from the Athens City School District Facilities Steering Committee.
• March 30, 2017 Special Board Meeting at Athens High School: Discuss the AHS building as it pertains to the Facilities Master Plan.
• April 20, 2017 Regular Board Meeting at Athens Middle School: Discuss the AMS building as it pertains to the Facilities Master Plan.

All Board Meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

Please be aware that the Athens City School District Facilities Steering Committee meeting previously scheduled for Wednesday,  March 1, 2017 at 4 p.m. has been changed.  The new, correct date is Monday, February 27, 2017 at 6 p.m.  It is the intention of the Committee Members to meet for one hour.

There will be a Parent Information Night for Early Entrance on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, from 6:30 - 7:30 pm at Morrison Gordon Elementary School, 793 W. Union St., Athens, OH 45701.

• Get important information about the application process

• Learn about kindergarten expectations

• Talk with principals and kindergarten teachers

• Evaluate questions to determine school readiness

• Receive resources to help your family make the best decision for your child

Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend! 

At last night's Board Meeting, the Board of Education officially released the DRAFT of the 2017-2018 School Calendar (see attached.)  The DRAFT Calendar is open for public comment between now and the March 16th Regular Board Meeting.  If you would like to suggest changes or modifications to the calendar, please do so by contacting the Superintendent's Office prior to the March 16th Board Meeting date.

The Athens City School District Board of Education met in Regular Session on Thursday, February 16^th at Athens High School. During the course of the meeting, the District shared the following information and made plans for additional Special Board Meetings as listed below:

The 2017 Athens Uptown Flag contest is under way. This is a wonderful project that allows student artwork to be displayed uptown on the flag poles. The contest is for students of Athens County in grades 4 through 9.

The 33rd annual East Dinner Theater will be held on March 21, 22, 23 and 24 in the gym.  Dinner will be served at 6:00 pm and the play will begin at 7:00 pm.  Megan Williams and Jenn Wakeley will direct this year's production, Alice in Wonderland, Jr.  Click the title of this news item to access the reservation.  Seats are assigned at the time the reservation form is received.  It is very important that you make a reservation before the week of the play.  We have items that need to be ordered for the play.

Date:           Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Time:           9:00 a.m.— 3:00 p.m.

Location: Athens City Early Learning Center

(former Chauncey Elementary School)

* Please bring your child with you.

* Your child must be 4 ON OR BEFORE 8/1/2017

Dates for registration for students entering kindergarten in the 17-18 school year have been announced.  NOTE: Your child MUST BE 5 YEARS OLD ON OR BEFORE August 1, 2017 to be eligible for registration.

Monday, April 10th- East 8:00 am- 11:00 am

Tuesday, April 11th- TP 9:00 am- 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm 

Wednesday, April 12th- MoGo 8:30 am- 10:30 am,  1:30 pm- 3:30 pm

Thursday, April 13th- West 12:30 pm- 3:30 pm

Come and join Principal Giardino on February 23, 2017 from 8:15 am - 8:45 am in the East Elementary Cafeteria.  Start your morning off right by enjoying some delicious fruit and an activity with your family.

Please R.S.V.P no later than February 21, 2017 so we can order enough fruit for everyone.  Respond on the Fruit with Families flyer that was sent home.

Congratulations to the top 10 finishers in our school competition who will compete in the chapter competition at Ohio University.  The team members are Lisa Liu, Siyoung Kim, Eric Carpenter, Ryan Feger, Isabella Tan, Komail Alali, Emily Pauwels, Tina Zhang, Jennifer Chen and Hannah Bernstein.  The chapter competition will be comprised of teams from southeastern Ohio middle schools and will consist of two preliminary rounds:  the spring round and the target round.  The top 12 finishers in these two rounds will get a chance to compete in the countdown round which is a head to head single elimination tournament. Congratulations to these Mathletes and good luck at the chapter competition!

A calendar of local summer camps has been created.  If you know of any other local camps to be added please send the info to lindsey.swank.meili@gmail.com.  Click on the Read More . . . link to view the calendar.

What: Bobcat Bulldog Indoor Field Day

When:  Sunday, February 12, 2017 from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Where:  Ohio University Convocation Center (enter through the main front entrance, look for signs)

Why:  A chance to exercise and play with Ohio University Student Athletes while enjoying delicious snacks from local restaurants! There will also be interactive nutrition activities for families. All activities will have modifications for all abilities.  Vegetarian and vegan snack options available! 

Cost: FREE to all Athens City Schools Families!

Parents are invited to attend an informational meeting in the Library at 6:00 on February 8 for an update from the Athens City School District Facilities Steering Committee. 

On January 10th and 11th, 2017, the Athens City School District Facilities Steering Committee hosted two public meetings at Athens High School.  Approximately 220 members of the community attended and participated in conversation and provided feedback to members of the committee regarding three options for reconfiguring the building/grade level structure of the District.  Additionally, individual committee members have been hosting meetings at each building through the parent-teacher organizations and associations, as well as with school faculty and staff.  These conversations are an important part of the process, as the information provided to the committee will help committee members to continue a more informed and enriched discussion regarding the many important factors surrounding any decision related to school facilities.

The Athens FFA and Shop classes each painted one of Athens County ODOT's plows and after they were put up on the county ODOT's Facebook page.  The Athens FFA plow was voted on by the public as the best plow.  A certificate was presented by ODOT to our chapter members who helped to paint the plow.  Both plows that were submitted are shown in the pictures below.

Congratulations to all of the Poetry Out Loud competitors who competed in the 6th Annual AHS Poetry Out Loud competition on January 11th.  The winners were:

• Sylvie Wilson- 1st place
• Lily Herold- 2nd place
• Sophie Mather-3rd place

Sylvie will go on to represent AHS in the regional competition at Stuart's Opera House on February 18, 2017. 

Also, a big thank you to all of the staff, teachers, and students who took time out of their busy schedules to help with the competition.

CONTACT INFORMATION

The reunion will be held June 23-24, 2017.  Contacts are:

• Carlotta Scarmack (Class President) - vaccaro@wwdb.org
• Janet Shields (Reunion Committee Member) - rowdies1977@aol.com

The Facilities Master Planning Steering Committee will hold Community Input Meetings on the following dates:

• January 10, 6:30 p.m, Athens High School
• January 11, 6:30 p.m., Athens High School
• January 23, 6:00 p.m., Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership & Public Affairs, Building 21, The Ridges, Room 105 (The Leadership Room)

School is cancelled today, Thursday, January 5, 2017.  Faculty and staff are to report.  All teachers will meet at AHS at 10:00 a.m.

• The Athens City School District Facilities Steering Committee has as its charge from the Athens City School District Board of Education to review the current makeup of our school buildings, taking into consideration the locations, grades served, and the needs of our students.

On December 2nd, thirteen teams of AMS 7th and 8th graders participated in the 2016 Southeast Ohio Model United Nations held at Baker Center on the Ohio University campus.  Ten of these teams received awards.  Winners of an Outstanding Cultural Display were the team of Malaysia (Garey Escabedo, Hannah Bernstein and Nora Anderson), Brazil (Emma Bianco, Luke Brandes, Rennie Carter and Bella Grijalva) and the team of Malawi (Annie Moulton, Tess Wilhelm, Bailee Toadvine and Anna Chen).

Ohio’s State Board of Education is pleased to recognize The Plains Elementary as a Momentum Award winner based on their 2015-2016 Ohio School Report Card. The state of Ohio is proud of the academic support the school, staff and community have provided to students from every background and ability level.

Attention 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Students and Parents/Guardians: Athens High School will be hosting a College Credit Plus meeting for parents/guardians and students on Tuesday, December 6 at 6:00pm in the Athens High School Auditorium. Representatives from Hocking College, Ohio University and the University of Rio Grande will be present to explain the admission process to their respective schools and AHS school counselors will identify how credits can be applied to student graduation and progress through high school. Please mark your calendars! 

Our district recently participated in a nationally recognized Farm to School activity called Apple Crunch Day. All children in the district were offered a locally grown apple from Wagner Farm on Friday, October 28. (East will be Wednesday, November 2.) Some of the funds raised at the recent Farm to School event were used to purchase the 2600 apples. Rural Action managed the bid, and Hocking College Culinary Arts students washed the apples. Parent volunteers brought the apples to students in each school and helped distribute them. 

There will be a Back-to-School dance on Friday, September 30, from 6:00-7:30. Admission is $2.00.

The 42nd Annual Athens Invitational Marching Festival will take place this Saturday, October 1 at 10:00am at Basil Rutter Field at Athens High School. Bands from Trimble, Southern, Southeastern, Minford, Wellston, Bloom-Carroll, Fairfield Union, Meigs, Hilliard Davidson and Lancaster will perform throughout the day. The Athens Marching Green and Gold will perform at 1:15pm. Admission is $5 and there will be great concessions throughout the festival. There will be great music and marching for children and adults of all ages! The event is sponsored the Athens Band Boosters, Kiwanis Club of Downtown Athens, and the Chauncey Dover Lions Club. 

Athens Middle School, with teachers Mary Ann Hopple, Ellen Kroutel, Stephanie List, Jonathan Sargent, Kimberly Shuster, April Stewart, and Nathan White, are recipients of the 2016 Governor’s Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Education for the fifth consecutive year.  

On Thursday, September 15th the Ohio Department of Education officially released school district local report cards. The Athens City School District is one of many across the state with very low ratings in multiple areas.  Neighboring districts and similar districts across the state received similar ratings.  While it is important that we take the time to closely review the student scores and determine how best to use the information to drive school improvement, it is also important to view the overall grades within the context of (a) a system of state testing that has changed whereby many of our students have now taken three different tests over three years’ time, (b) the newest iteration of tests are based on a significant increase in academic expectations for our students, and (c) this was the first year when most students in Ohio, and nearly every student in the Athens City School District, tested using a computing device (Chromebooks in our case).

Below is information regarding dates/times/location of the Athens City School District Facilities Steering Committee Meetings for September-December 2016.

Location:  The Ohio University Voinovich School of Leadership & Public Affairs, Building 21, The Ridges, Room 105 (The Leadership Room)

Dates/Times:

• September 12  6-8 p.m.
• September 28  4-6 p.m.
• October 10  6-8 p.m.
• October 26  4-6 p.m.
• November 7  6-8 p.m.
• November 30  4-6 p.m.
• December 12  6-8 p.m.

A Special Board Meeting will be held on September 1, 2016 at 7 p.m. at the Athens HS Auditorium to approve the members of the Athens City School District Facilities Steering Committee and other business that may come before the Board.

There were 10 members of the Athens Archery Team that competed in Seven Springs, PA on Sat August 13, 2016 at the IBO 3D World Championships.
The team placed 3rd in the High School Division.

Team members who competed:

• Markell Green, Ishan Matta, Raylin Fetherolf, Casey Hall-Jones, Alyssa North, Nikki Bean, Julie Ingraham, Emma Ingraham, Olivia Bean, and Kennedy Cantrell 

Coaches were Anne L'Heureux, Byron Ingraham and Scott Hall-Jones

• Cantrell placed 3rd in HS girls 
• Bean 11th in HS girls
• Fetherolf 12th in HS girls
• North placed11th in MS girls

Please be aware that the ACSD Board of Education meeting will be held at the Athens High School Auditorium at 7 pm on Thursday, August 18 instead of at Central Office as previously published.

The Athens High School Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony which will be held on Thursday, August 25, 2016. Light refreshments will be served in the AHS Atrium from 5:30 pm with the induction ceremony beginning in the Carol Patterson Auditorium at 7:00 pm. This year's inductees include:

Bela Kastely - Chauncey-Dover Class of 1961

Philip Rose - Athens Class of 1964

Robert Finder - Chauncey-Dover Class of 1964

Eric Gustavson - Athens Class of 1965

Debra Childress West - Athens Class of 1970

Liz Howerth - Athens Class of 2003

The inductees will also be recognized before the home Athens football game v. Warren on August 26, 2016.

Ms. Nina Sudnick, 4^th grade teacher at West Elementary was the sole recipient of the state level Myrtle Miller/Marijane Werner Award from the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Ms. Sudnick was recognized for this award because like Mrytle Miller and Marijane Werner, she is a leader in elementary mathematics. Her devotion to continuously improving her practice is evidenced by work in her own classroom and also in her collaboration with colleagues across the district. In room 118 at West Elementary, Ms. Sudnick's students develop identities as young mathematicians and the agency to act as such. Through the Math Leadership Team and other collaborative vehicles that she has created, Ms. Sudnick is continuously learning alongside her colleagues to help drive the district towards its ultimate math goal, the teacher created K-6 math vision.

The annual AMS Back-to-School Dance will be held on Friday, September 2 from 6-7:30. Admission Cost is $2.00.

Athens High School will be hosting a New Student Orientation on Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 10:00 a.m for students in grades 9 - 12.  Orientation will begin in the Auditorium with introductions of the Administration and Guidance Department followed by general information about school procedures. A brief presentation about using social media will be provided by the Athens County Child Advocacy Center. Students and parents will be able to tour the school with members of Student Council who will be available to answer questions about various activities and events at the school.

The Steering Committee will be an advisory committee to the Athens City School Board of Education, established for the purpose of researching and recommending a Master Plan for our facilities, which looks to the future and creates an atmosphere and structure that supports our recently adopted Vision and Mission Statements.

For girls interested in playing AMS soccer for the 16-17 school year, here is information regarding our summer schedule.

1st session) July 6th 6:30-8

2nd session) July 7th 6:30-8
3rd session) July 11th 6:30-8
4th session) July 13th 6:30-8
5th session) July 15th 6:30-8
6th session) July 18th 6:30-8
7th session) July 20th 6:30-8
8th session) July 25th 6:30-8
9th session) July 27th 6:30-8
10th session) July 29th 6:30-8

*Girls must bring plenty of water, soccer cleats, and shin guards*

All practices will be held at the soccer fields by Walmart.

Also, our tryout dates are Aug 4th and 5th from 6:30-8:30 on both days. 

Patrick Crist, Girls AMS Head Coach

patrick_crist@yahoo.com

A group of 8 high school students from Athens participated in the 68 th Annual State Science Day of The Ohio Academy of Science, held May 14 th , 2016 at Ohio State University. The participating students (in alphabetical order) with grade and project titles are:

The Athens Archery HS and MS teams traveled to Louisville KY to participate in 3 tournaments during May 12-14th.The teams were successful and scored high enough to allow them to advance to the World tournament that will be held in Myrtle Beach June 24-26th with other teams from Canada, Great Britain, Mongolia, and South Africa.

Co-Authors of Lost Seoul Carolyn Stearns and Jin Stearns visited the Athens High School Library to talk with students on Wednesday, May 17th. They met with the English as a Second Language students from both Athens Middle School and Athens High School. 

Lost Seoul is the inspirational true story of one man's journey to find his family after becoming lost in a crowded Seoul train station at the age of six. It relays his courage, and never-ending hope, to understand his path in life while discovering unimaginable inner strength along the way.

Waterfest was a great success this year.  We had 511 third graders from all over Athens County participate.  The Big Fish Program was amazing and we had more animals than normal for the students to enjoy.  The Athens High School provided the venue and student guides.  the weather did not cooperate so we were inside.  Yes,  it can be too wet for Waterfest.  Thanks for all the groups who participated 

Tri-County Career Center announced the awards and recognitions for the 2015-2016 school year. This includes National Technical Honor Society, Superintendent Awards, State Skills Competition Award Winners, and Regional Skills Competition Winners. For a full list of students, click "...Read More"

On Friday, April 22nd, we had three students from East Elementary compete in the Special Olympics at Alexander High School. Our second grader, Gianna Averion, competed in the 50 meter dash (4th place) and standing long jump (3rd place). Our fourth grader, Bobby Fouty, competed in the 50 meter dash (3rd place) and softball throw (4th place). Our fifth grader, Madison Bolin, competed in the 50 meter dash (3rd place) and the softball throw (4th place). All athletes did their personal best in each event. If you see these athletes in the hall or around the school, please congratulate them. Also, special thanks to Ms. Cisneros’ second grade class and Mr. Lonas’ third grade for making banners and coming to support our athletes!

Congratulations to the Design Ad Contest winners from Mo-Go!  The following students recently had the ads they designed printed in color in the Athens Messenger!  They were chosen as some of the best ad designs from all 4th, 5th, & 6th grade submission in the area.  Great job!

Andy Weber sponsored by Reed & Baur Insurance

Jordan Phillips sponsored by Ambassador Laundries

Sarah Deering sponsored by Hyacinth Bean Florist

Kylie Tinkham sponsored by Roller Blow Lanes

Please join us for the Athens City Schools All Band Concert on Sunday, May 1 at 3:00pm in the Athens High School Auditorium. There will be performances by the combined Athens City Schools 5th Grade Band, combined 6th Grade Band, Athens Middle School 7th and 8th grade Bands and the Athens High School Symphonic Band and Jazz Band. Admission to the concert is $5. The Athens Band Boosters will host a complimentary dessert buffet as well as a Chinese Auction! 

After reading today’s newspaper article regarding the Athens City School District Board Meeting last week, I felt it necessary to provide some additional information.  The article to which I am referring discussed the current and future financial situation of the District and reported on the discussion that I had with Board Members at that open public meeting.  In short, we currently are spending significantly more money than we bring in.  This has been happening for a few years and is getting worse each year.  We currently have a positive cash balance and can cover the difference, however within three years this will not be the case.

We appreciate the comments and suggestions from the ACSD community regarding our proposed mission and vision statements for our school district.  Upon review of all of the feedback on the first proposed statements, we have revised our mission and vision statements and are now offering one more opportunity for public feedback.  Please click the title of the news article or the "Read More" link to access the entire article.

Physicians from Athens Medical Associates Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and University Medical

Associates have come together to help keep student athletes of southeast Ohio healthy and ready to

play by volunteering their time at the third annual OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital Sports Physical Clinic.

The Sports Physical Clinic will be held Saturday, May 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Castrop Health

Center, First Floor.

A committee of district teachers and nursing staff has recently completed a revision of the Athens City Schools Health Course of Study.  It will be online for review through May 13, 2016.  Responses and comments can be forwarded to acs.health.curriculum@athenscsd.org. 

Starting April 18th, Community Food Initiatives will be hosting its annual seed giveaway for people in need of seeds. Come and pick up a wide variety of fruit, vegetable and herb seeds.  Anyone can come and get some seeds to grow for yourself and your family. 

East STEM Night is right around the corner, you do not want to miss out on the fun!  Come to STEM night and get the chance to do some awesome experiments and activities with your family. Learn together and have fun at the same time!  Friday, April 15, 2016 6:00-7:30 p.m. @ East Elementary!

Athens Middle School has, once again, been designated as a Support Music Merit School. Over 2,000 schools have applied for this distinction. Athens Middle School was one of the 118 schools to receive this prestigious distinction.

AMS students had a very impressive showing in the District Science Fair held at Ohio University on March 12, 2016.  18 students participated in the fair, 7 of these students earned a place at the State Science Day in May.   

Members of the ACS District Leadership team presented our proposed vision and mission statements to the Board of Education at the March 17, 2016 board meeting. 

Proposed Vision Statements for Athens City Schools 
The Athens City School District collaborates with students, parents and the community to create and provide an enriched and rigorous learning community where ALL students use multiple pathways to grow, problem solve and reach their potential as lifelong learners and productive citizens.

Proposed Mission Statements for Athens City Schools 
Every learner. Every day.

2 AHS students who are in the Office Professional Class at Tri-County Career Center placed in the state Skills USA contest this past week.  Brianna Herbst placed 6th in Payroll Accounting and Kate Dygas placed 10th in Payroll Accounting.  

The Athens Archery Teams from High School, Middle School and Elementary completed a community service project March 20 for the Athens Park and Rec department. The team cleaned the debris from all the softball and baseball fields at the West State ball parks. This has become an annual event for the Archery Teams.

Student Council is sponsoring a WACKY WEEK as a FOODRAISER for the ACSD food pantry.

Happening: March 21-25

We hope to help stock the food pantry prior to Spring Break!  Students are encouraged to bring a canned good or non-perishable item each day they want to dress up next week.

Possible non-perishable items would include: peanut butter, beans, canned fruits & veggies, tuna fish, pasta, soup, mixed nuts, pasta sauce, non-refrigerated milk, and cereal.  The following days are scheduled for Wacky Week…

Monday – PJ Day

Tuesday – Twins/Multiples Day

Wednesday – Wacky Hair Day

Thursday – Favorite Color Day

Friday – Favorite Sports Team Day

On March 12th the AHS key club paired up with The Athens Kiwanis to help put on their 56th Pancake day. The Key Club members were able to assist the Kiwanis in many facets including, greeting, serving food, operating a drink station and running a silent auction. The Key Club has 25 members working in service on this day. The four Athens Key Club officers assisted with the Kiwanis Auction. The auction ended up making $106 dollars, which was able to be donated to our club to assist with our next service project, The Red Cross Blood Drive.

Athens High School had a stellar performance at the District Science Fair, held Saturday, March 12 at Ohio University. AHS placed fist as a high school team with all students (Derek DeMel, Kathryn Dispenza, Edward Drabold, Henry Fetsch, Shifra Narasimhan, Anru Tian, Sylvie Wilson and Yu-Shiang Jeng) receiving superior ratings and advancing to the state competition which will be held on May 14, 2016 at The Ohio State University.  One student, Yu-Shaing Jeng, received a superior rating and has advanced to the International Science Fair which will be held May 13-18 in Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Athens High School senior Richard Hwang has been awarded the Franklin B. Walter All-Scholastic Award recipient for Athens County this year.

Each year the Athens-Meigs ESC honors one student from a local school district in Athens and Meigs Counties to be the (OESCA) Franklin B. Walter Award Recipient.  Award recipients must have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement as well as other significant school and community accomplishments.

AHS Drama presents: South Pacific on April 7th, 8th, and 9th at 7pm and also April 10th at 2pm.

Set in an island paradise during World War II, two parallel love stories are threatened by the dangers of prejudice and war. Nellie, a spunky nurse from Arkansas, falls in love with a mature French planter, Emile. Nellie learns that the mother of his children was an island native and, unable to turn her back on the prejudices with which she was raised, refuses Emile's proposal of marriage. Meanwhile, the strapping Lt. Joe Cable denies himself the fulfillment of a future with an innocent Tonkinese girl with whom he's fallen in love out of the same fears that haunt Nellie. When Emile is recruited to accompany Joe on a dangerous mission that claims Joe's life, Nellie realizes that life is too short not to seize her own chance for happiness, thus confronting and conquering her prejudices.

Lead by 2015 NASP World outdoor IBO Champion Kennedy Cantrell, 2014 National NASP IBO Championship Olivia Bean, and 2015 Ohio NASP State runner-up Emily Mingus, the Athens HS Archery team set out to solidify their chance to qualify for the 2016 National Tournament later this year in Louisville KY.

If one was looking at the beginning of the MS Archery season it was going to take a sports miracle for the team to qualify for the National Tournament this year. Losing two National Champions to the HS team and recruiting  EIGHT  rookie archers wasn't looking good for advancing any farther than the state tournament this season. 

Athens City School District Preschool Registration

Date:    Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Time:    9:00 a.m.— 3:00 p.m.

Location: Athens City Early Learning Center (former Chauncey Elementary School)

• Please bring your child with you
• Your child must be 4 ON OR BEFORE 8/1/2016

Please call Linda Bennett at 740.797.4516 ext. 233 to make your appointment

Morrison-Gordon Sixth grader, Lisa Liu, recently participated in the Regional MATHCOUNTS competition held on Ohio University campus on January 30, 2016.   She will advance to the State individual MATHCOUNTS competition in Columbus next month.  Congratulations, Lisa!

Congratulations to Morrison-Gordon student Adam Porterfield who has qualified to compete in Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication Region I Spelling Bee, on March 19, 2016.  Way to go, Adam!

Athens City Schools wishes to announce a roundup for parents seeking early admission to kindergarten for their children.  Regular admission to kindergarten requires that a child be 5 years of age on or before August 1 of the upcoming school year.  However, under some circumstances of students with cognitive advancement, early admission may be granted after a screening process.  For more details and/or to make an appointment to begin the process, call 740-797-4516 by March 16, 2016.

Morrison-Gordon Student Council would like to thank everyone who came out to support the recent blood drive during our January conferences.  The Red Cross surpassed their goal for the night and was able to collect enough blood to help 75 lives!

The annual eighth grade class trip to Washington, D.C., will take place this year from May 11-13.  Eighth graders who paid a deposit received payment letters in November.  Final payment deadline is 7:45 AM, January 26^th.  Payments are made payable to AMS and may only be made to Mrs. Hall in Room 304 between 7:30 – 7:45AM.  Absolutely no refunds will be given after this deadline--this includes students removed for disciplinary reasons. Prior to this date, refunds can be made, but must be requested in writing from a parent or guardian.  Please do not put payments in Mrs. Hall’s mailbox or mail them.  Students who do not pay by the deadline will only be added to the trip if there is a place available for him or her.  If you have any questions please email ahall@athenscsd.org.

The students are off to a great start on their new music and are quickly developing their skills on their instruments.  The next band concert is Tuesday, March 15, at 7:00 pm in the AMS Auditorium.  At this time, we are also getting students that are interested in participating in Solo and Ensemble contest started on music.  These students will perform their solo or ensemble for a judge on Saturday, April 16, at the OU School of Music.  More details about their exact performance time that day will be sent home closer to the event.  The cost is $14 for solos and $18 for ensembles (split by the number of members in the group).  Please make checks payable to Athens Band Boosters.  Thanks for your continued support of the Athens Middle School Band Program!  

Congratulations to the top 10 finishers in our school competition who competed at the chapter competition on January 30^th.  The team members are Jonathan Lee, Julie Park, Nora  Sullivan, Sakura Sugiyama, Siyoug Kim, Walker Evans, Tina Zhang, Eric Kim, Emily Pauwels and Isabella Tan.  We had several students finish in the top 12 of the individual competition which earned them a spot in the countdown round:  Siyoung Kim (1^st place), Nora Sullivan (6^th place), Isabella Tan (7^th place).  Jonathan Lee finished in the countdown round in 2^nd place with a remarkable performance.  Great job, AMS Mathletes!

Morrison-Gordon's annual Book Fair will take place on Tuesday, March 15th from 5pm-7:30pm in the gymnasium.  This is an opportunity for you to purchase books for your children and/or to donate books to your child's classroom or the library.  As in years past, Subway dinners will be available for purchase, and Clifford, the Big Red Dog, will make an appearance!

Many volunteers are needed to help with this event.  If you have any questions, please contact Gerry Hikida at ghikida@athenscsd.org.

The National Archery in the Schools Program has established NASP® Academic Archer program to promote and recognize academic excellence among 2.23 million NASP® student archers.

AMS Middle School Archers who made the Academic Archer List for NASP are: Nicole Bean, Sam Carpenter, Gracie Casto, Lauren Chase, Zach Thomas, Andrew Ulbrich, Annie White, Abby Crawford, Audrey DeLaCruz, Alison Russ, Wyatt Saunders

Morrison-Gordon's Student Council is sponsoring a blood drive on Thursday, January 21st from 2:00pm-7:00pm.  The Red Cross is currently in Urgent Need due to the low donations over the holidays.  We have some slots still open from 4:15-7:00.  If you are able and willing to donate, we encourage you to call the school office (593-5445), and see if there is a time that would work for you!

Athens City School District Kindergarten Registration and Health Screening

• April 4, 2016: Morrison-Gordon Elementary
• April 15, 2016: The Plains Elementary
• April 19, 2016: East Elementary
• April 20, 2016: West Elementary

If you need some help with food assistance, please stop over.  This month’s date is: January 20, 2016 from 4:00—7:00 pm

When: 3rd Wednesday of every month, 4:00 - 7:00 pm
Where: Chauncey Preschool, 21 Birge Dr., Chauncey, OH 45719
**Please come in the back of the building, closest to the football field.
Pantry food received from food drive donations, CFI’s Donation Station, Athens Catholic Communities Food Pantry with help from the Southeast Ohio Food Bank
If you need to make other arrangements, please call Nurse Heidi at 740-797-4544 x226 or e-mail her directly at hmowrey@athenscsd.org 

Tickets are $7.00 each and can be reserved by calling 740-594-EAST.  However, you will need to make payment in the school office in order to hold your seats.  Dinner is served at 6:00 pm.  The play begins at 7:00 pm in the gym.  Checks should be made out to East Elementary.  Seats are assigned at the time the reservations are received.  Please do not wait until the week of the play to make reservations.

Please join the Athens Lady Bulldog Basketball Team on Saturday, January 16th as they GO GOLD against childhood cancer.  The team is partnering with the Go Gold Fund to raise awareness about childhood cancers. The varsity game begins at 2:00 PM.

Morrison-Gordon Student Council members conducted their annual fundraiser for Good Works in November.  They have been raising funds to shop for Good Works for about 10 years now.  Prior to doing so, they shopped from the WalMart tree during December.  In recent years, students have created a special calendar that was sent home with every student to facilitate the fundraiser.  Each day described a particular aspect of their own lives for which they could be thankful, and students and families were encouraged to donate a little something each day based on the given description.  Examples included putting in a dime for each pair of shoes you may have, a nickle for every pet, or a penny for each book you own. 

Student Council members obtained a list of current needs from Good Works then used the contributions to go shopping for those items.  Items were presented at the December whole school morning meeting for all students to see.  Emily Axe, a representative of Good Works, attended the meeting and shared how Good Works assists the community and how the items will be helpful.  Emily later thanked Student Council, noting how appreciative they are of the support Morrison-Gordon families give to Good Works each year through this fundraiser and how helpful it is for the positive difference this makes in the community. 

The Athens Archery team spent their first morning of the holiday break volunteering for the Salvation Army. Archers and families took shifts bell ringing, singing, and even dancing to help spread the holiday cheer and were rewarded by the local community with donations to the Salvation Army.  

East Elementary students were able to enjoy delicious popcorn while watching a movie on the last day of school before winter break.  A special thank you to the Athena Grand Cinema for donating the popcorn for the entire student body.

Morrison-Gordon's school spelling bee was held December 17th. Adam Porterfield  was the winner, with Mae Reece coming in second, and Grace Reed third. Adam will take an online test in January to determine if he qualifies to advance to the regional bee at Ohio University in March.  Congratulations!

Morrison-Gordon students Jordan Phillips and Amir Estejab participated in the recent Model UN.  They took an award of Best Resolution at the event.  Congratulations Jordan and Amir!

Come out to support the Athens City Schools band program tomorrow (Saturday, December 12, 2015) at our Applebee's Bandcake Breakfast from 7:30-9:30am. Admission is $5 and all proceeds go to supporting the band students in our district from grades 5-12!

Athens High School has been named to the College Board’s 6th Annual AP® District Honor Roll. The Honor Roll recognizes 425 school districts in the U.S. and Canada that have increased access to AP course work while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams.

East Elementary sponsored a "Food Fight" to collect donations for the new Athens City School District food pantry. Please click the Read More option to read the article about it as posted on the Athens Messenger.

On December 4, thirteen teams of AMS 7^th and 8^th graders participated in the 2015 Southeast Ohio Model United Nations held at Baker Center on the Ohio University campus.  Six of these teams received awards, two of them with multiple awards. 

Congratulations to the 6th, 7th and 8th grade students that participated in the Athens Middle School Science Fair held on December 2, 2015.  All of these students are eligible to participate at the District Science Day held at Ohio University on March 12, 2016.  

The winners are listed below:

West Elementary 4th, 5th and 6th grade students showcased their science fair projects on Monday, November 30, 2015.  Please click the Read More option to read the article about the science fair.

The Athens City School District Food Pantry Begins Wednesday, December 16, 2015.  It will be open the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 4:00 - 7:00 pm at the Chauncey Preschool, 21 Birge Dr., Chauncey, OH 45719 (Please come in the back of the building, closest to the football field.)  For more information or if you need alternative arrangements, please leave a message for Heidi Mowrey, School Nurse, in your designated building or e-mail her directly at hmowrey@athenscsd.org

The AMS annual food drive begins Tuesday, December 1st and runs through December 18th.  Food items will be collected through Advisory classes.  Suggested items include peanut butter, low-sugar cereals such as Cheerios or Chex, bags of brown or white rice, bags of pinto or black beans, canned veggies and fruit, as well as powdered mile that is fortified with Vitamin D.  Students may also donate money, and staff will do the shopping!

Students who donate 5 food items or $5.00 or who help their advisory teacher with record keeping, organizing storage of the food, etc. will be invited to Movie Day at Athena Grande in May!

Please email Mrs. Hall (ahall@athenscsd.org) if you have any questions.

This concert begins at 6pm on November 12, and will take place in the Multi-Purpose Room.

Morrison-Gordon is having a second Land Lab Work Day.  Access to the land lab has been restored and trail work is now needed.

A huge congratulations to BOTH the high school girls and boys cross country teams for qualifying for the state finals which are held this upcoming Saturday.  

Painting and fix up done in early October by AMS girls soccer team and their families. Donations were made from Lowes, Dan and Mark Abdella, Chauncey Restoration Committee, Dave Lutz, Dabelko family, and Todd Bean. Labor was donated by the soccer team, parents, teachers, and coaches. Pictures can be seen at Athens Middle School Girls Soccer 2015 on Facebook.

Anna Welser, an 8th grade student at Athens Middle School, has taken the first step to becoming an internationally recognized artist by winning a local competition sponsored by the Athens Lions Club.

Course fees for students at AHS for year-long and first semester courses with fees are due by Friday, October 16, 2015. Checks should be made out to your child's school.  If your child has fees, you can find them on the Fees tab from your Infinite Campus portal account.  Infinite Campus portal accounts will be disabled for parents and students with overdue fees. (Note: If your child(ren) qualify for free lunch, the fees are exempted.)

School Fees for all elementary students at East, Morrison-Gordon, The Plains and West Elementary are $30.00 per student.  Checks should be made out to your child's elementary school.  Fees are due by Friday, October 16, 2015. Infinite Campus portal accounts will be disabled for parents and students with overdue fees.  (Note: If your child(ren) qualify for free lunch, the fees are exempted.) 

The Athens Archery team was honored September 18, 2015 at the ODNR for receiving Runner-Up in the Nation for the NASP IBO 3D 3-star challenge. The IBO 3D team competed in Louisville, Nashville, and Ellicottville, NY. Kennedy Cantrell was the top middle school female in the country in the IBO 3-star challenge.

This week two exciting spirit filled events will take place for the entire Athens City School District Community.

1. Homecoming Bonfire:   Wednesday, 7:30 at the High School  
2. Homecoming Parade: Friday, 5:00 Start      

Athens Middle School, with teachers Kristin Diki, Mary Ann Hopple, and Stephanie List are recipients of the 2015 Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in STEM and Student Research, an award they have received for the last few years.  The award is given to schools and teachers who have supported student involvement in the STEM fields through science fairs, other science opportunities such as science camps, and through math opportunities such as MathCounts.

The AMS girls placed 1st at the Wellston invitational on Aug 29th. The AMS boys placed 2nd. This was the opening meet for both teams. Coaches for the 2015-2016 season are A. Hall and K. Nostrant both are also teachers at AMS.

AHS yearbooks for the 2014-2015 school year are in! They can be picked up during all lunch periods (11:19 am - 12:49 pm) in the McClure room on Wednesday, August 26th and after that in Mrs. Roach's room (A112). Graduated seniors may pick up their books on Wednesday at the same time as the undergrads or any time Wednesday after 11:19 am.  After Wednesday, they can be picked up in Mrs. Roach's room before school or by appointment with Brenda in the main office (740.797.4521).  If you did not purchase a yearbook and would still like to get one, they can be purchased from Mrs. Roach with a check written out to "AHS Yearbook" for $60.00.

You are cordially invited to attend the induction ceremony for the newest 

members of the Athens High School Athletic Hall of Fame on Thursday, 

August 27, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Athens High School.

Social Hour begins at 6:00 p.m. with the induction ceremony at 7:00 p.m.

We hope that you can find the time in your busy schedule to be with us for 

this very special occasion and to welcome the newest members into the 

Athens High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

James A. Gardner Athens 1961

John Matheny Chauncey-Dover 1960

Kahiem Maxwell Athens 1993

Michael Merriman Chauncey-Dover 1963

Dan O’Nail Chauncey-Dover 1959

Eric Hummel Athens 1967

Don Wood Athens 1973

AHS freshman Shifra Narasimhan has won a place as a semifinalist in the 2015 Broadcom MASTERS®, a program of Society for Science & the Public.  This honor places her among a select group of 300 semifinalists named from over 6,000 nominees throughout the United States. Shifra was assisted her with their science fair project by her teacher AMS Science Teacher Mary Ann Hopple.  

To see a complete list of the 2015 Broadcom MASTERS semifinalists, please visit https://student.societyforscience.org/broadcom-masters-2015-semifinalists.

The next step in the Broadcom MASTERS takes place on September 2, 2015 when 30 finalists will be selected from the 300 semifinalists.  Finalists and one parent or guardian will receive an all-expense paid trip to Silicon Valley, California to attend the Broadcom MASTERS Finals Week competition from October 1 to 7, 2015.  Finalists will present their research and compete in hands-on challenges for top prizes, including funds to attend a STEM summer camp, iPads, and the Samueli Prize of $25,000.

Four Athens city school students, Julie Ingraham, Avery Marrs, Cara Sheets, Nicole Bean, from AMS and AHS competed at the Ohio State Fair and won 1st place.  

The Plains Elementary BACK TO SCHOOL PICNIC is August 18th, 4:00 - 6:00 pm!

4:00 - 4:30 - Open House 

4:30 - 6:00 - Picnic on Playground

• Hotdogs, Buns, Drinks and Table Service will be provided by TPES PTO
• Families are asked to bring a side dish to share and chairs or blankets to sit on
• Come Meet Your Teacher and see your friends before school starts!
• School Supplies will be distributed by Athens County Children Services

August 3, 2015 @ 5:00 p.m.

On June 27, the Athens MS Cheerleading Team volunteered their Saturday morning to support a great cause.  They learned that there are children in our community who need adults to represent them in the court system because life can be pretty difficult sometimes.  

ATHENS Archery took archers from 4th- 12th grade to field a team in the High School Division at the World Tournament in Nashville Tennessee July 23-25, 2015. The IBO 3D team placed 16th at the World Tournament! 

Time change! Please note that the time has been changed to 9:00 a.m.

Orientation for incoming 7th grade students and new 8th grade students will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 13, 2015

Athens High School will be hosting a New Student Orientation on Wednesday, August 5, 2015 at 10:00 a.m for students in grades 9 - 12.  Orientation will begin in the Auditorium with introductions of the Administration and Guidance Department followed by general information about school procedures. A brief presentation about using social media will be provided by the Athens County Child Advocacy Center. Students and parents will be able to tour the school with members of Student Council who will be available to answer questions about various activities and events at the school.

The Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM) has named West Elementary’s Mark Pettyjohn as Mathematics Teacher of the Year for the SE District for his student-centric problem solving approach to math education.

AMS had six 8th graders and one 7th grader who won the Presidential Physical Fitness award for the 2014-2015 school year.  

All 5th grade parents who have students going on the Gettysburg trip should be attending this mandatory meeting. 

FFA participated in the spring FFA Career Development Events in 

Columbus.  

AMS students had a very impressive showing in the District Science Fair held at Ohio University on March 14, 2015. 24 students participated in the fair, 7 of these students earned a place at the State Science Day in May.

Students who participated are: Amihan Brannan, Ava Barnett, Emilia Barr, Katherine Chen, Alexandra Collins, Audrey Crowl, Sam Dispenza, Ethan Holben, Allyriane Huq, Eli Kennedy, Gene Kim, Bozeman Koonce, Calder Kraince, Charlotte Lane, Abby Miller, Shaw Morgan, Shifra Narasimhan, Lyra Skinner, Nora Sullivan, Anru Tian, Daniel Thomas, Storm Walburn, Zoe Williams and Sylvie Wilson.
 

Congratulations to the 2015 AMS MathCounts Team! They finished the Chapter Competition at Ohio University (in late January) in first place, qualifying the AMS team for the state competition, which was held on March 14th in Columbus.

Earning spots in the top ten from the Chapter Competition after the individual rounds were the following students: 10th place - Nora Sullivan, 9th place - Kiki Chen (who finished in 4th place after an impressive performance in the final countdown round), 8th place - Anru Tian, 7th place -Rebecca Lassey, 6th place - Jonathan Lee (who ended up in 3rd place overall after his remarkable performance in the final countdown round), 5th place - Julia Park, and 2nd place - Gene Kim.

Our team of four who advanced to the state competition in March was made up of the following students: Shifra Narasimhan, Gene Kim, Rebecca Lassey and Anru Tian! Congratulations on a terrific year, AMS Mathletes!

Please come join us for a delightful evening of dinner and theater with our presentation of Annie! 

Make reservations for Annie:

Please indicate number of reservations next to date and SEND PAYMENT WITH YOUR RESERVATION. Tickets are $7.00 each. You may reserve tickets by calling 594-EAST; however, we will need payment in order to hold your seats. Dinner is served at 6:00 p.m. The play begins at 7:00 p.m. in the gym. Checks should be made out to East Elementary. SEATS ARE ASSIGNED AT THE TIME THE RESERVATIONS IS RECEIVED.

The AHS Girls' track team claimed the district title at the district meet in Marietta on Thursday, May 21.  

Kennedy Cantrell, an 8th grader at AMS, placed in the National Archery Tournament last week.

May 26, 2015

6:00 p.m.  Athens High School Gymnasium.

Read more for details.

Do you know a student who will be a 6th, 7th or 8th grader next year who has dreamed of being an entrepreneur? Invention Project, a program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, might be the perfect fit for them! It’ll be hosted locally at Athens Middle School during the week of June 8-12, 2015!