Avon Community School Corporation and the Washington Township community have changed a lot. Not only have we grown numerically as a Town/Township and school district, we've also grown more diverse. In Avon Schools, empowered by the funds dedicated to instruction from the 2018 Referendum, we have risen to meet the challenge of helping all students succeed. Dr. Wyndham is joined by three employees who play a direct role in welcoming families and students to our schools and helping them belong, learn, and grow: Pine Tree Secretary/Registrar Nicole Derhammer, Avon Middle School West Instructional Assistant Sue Misner, and Pine Tree Multilingual Teacher Sarah Valentin. You'll enjoy hearing them talk about how their helping our Special Education and Multilingual students thrive.
"After the 2011 Referendum failed, with less staff, with less teachers, with less assistants, there was a lot less individual work [with students]. We spread ourselves really thin. But then since [the 2018 Referendum passed] we're back to small classes. My small groups are small. The IEPs are manageable. I've noticed a huge difference." Sue Misner
"We have about 1,700 multilingual (ML) students in the district now with over 100 languages spoken. [Since 2018] we have been able to have our ML teachers and our assistants push into classrooms to support student learning. We help them build vocabulary. We help them build background knowledge. ... We are also able to work with small groups inside and outside the classroom for students who need targeted support to grow their proficiency in the English language. ... The smaller class sizes really make a big difference." Sarah Valentin
"We moved here just a few years ago and I love the community. I tell all our families about all the youth sports programs we have. I tell them about everything that's going on at the high school. I love talking about how our schools are succeeding — about our Bands, our sports programs, and all the things that are offered. ... I'm really passionate about it. ... I see how those smaller numbers and the pull out groups and the supports help." Nicole Derhammer