Orioles In-The-Know

Superintendent Dr. Scott Wyndham
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  • EDUCATION
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Orioles In-The-Know

Welcome to the official podcast of Superintendent Dr. Scott Wyndham and the Avon Community School Corporation. Listen in as Dr. Wyndham talks about a wide range of timely topics with students, staff, and corporation partners. Avon Community School Corporation (ACSC) offers students high-quality educational instruction with a keen focus on improving student achievement. We serve more than 10,500 students in grades Pre-K to 12 in 12 schools (1 early learning center, 6 elementary, 2 intermediate, 2 middle, and 1 high school). Our 1,500 employees dedicate themselves to the academic success of our diverse student population. Visit our website at avon-schools.org.

  1. Our Proud Partnership with Project A.N.G.E.L.

    2 DAYS AGO

    Our Proud Partnership with Project A.N.G.E.L.

    As we enter the final weeks 2024 and the holiday season, it's important to reflect on the power of community. During a season in which most reflect on gratitude, give gifts, and enjoy the warmth of the season, many individuals and families in our community are especially mindful of just how much they lack. That's why it's so important to celebrate and support the work of organizations that bring light and hope into what could otherwise be a dark time for many -- organizations like Project A.N.G.E.L. The mission of Project A.N.G.E.L. (Area Neighbors Giving Extra Love) of Hendricks County is to provide social services to families in need residing in Hendricks County. They seek to involve the entire Hendricks County community in our mission to support, improve, and encourage residents. In this timely episode of Orioles In-The-Know, Dr. Wyndham sits down for a conversation with long-time Project A.N.G.E.L. volunteer leader Chris Collier. They talk about the decades long history of this nonprofit organization, discuss the growing needs they are seeing across the county, share about the importance of the partnership with Avon Schools, and offer ideas for how you can participate in making their mission a reality this holiday season. Listen to the end to learn about how volunteering in Project A.N.G.E.L. has impacted Dr. Wyndham's own family.

    20 min
  2. Redistricting Committee Recap and Next Steps

    OCT 8

    Redistricting Committee Recap and Next Steps

    Student enrollment in Avon Schools has grown as the Town of Avon and Washington Township have grown. Demographic studies tell us we can expect enrollment to grow by at least 500 more students in the next decade. Over the last two years, students, parents/caregivers, employees, and community members have helped district leaders adopt a plan that will enable us to make room for more students. To make this plan a reality, it is necessary to redistrict our schools that serve students in kindergarten through 8th-grade for the start of the 2025-26 school year. Parent and staff input has continued to guide this process. This fall, a 100-member redistricting committee comprised of parents/caregivers, school employees, and district leaders has selected school boundary models and school start- and end-times scenarios. They're ready for community input and, ultimately, a recommendation to the Avon Board of School Trustees. Dr. Wyndham is joined by Assistant Superintendents Dr. Michael Sullivan and Carrie Alday to talk about the highlights and takeaways from the project. They share about the committee members' investments in the process, surprising lessons learned along the way, and why it was so helpful to hear from so many diverse perspectives. Stick around to hear from several committee members. You won't want to miss their takeaways from the process.

    27 min
  3. Appreciating Our Custodians

    OCT 2

    Appreciating Our Custodians

    October 2 is National School Custodian Appreciation Day. Our School Custodians rock! Not only do they pride themselves in keeping our school buildings in tip-top shape for our students and educators, they're making massive investments in the lives of our students, ensuring that all belong, learn, and grow. In recognition of National School Custodian Day, Dr. Wyndham has a conversation with three of our awesome head custodians, Zayda Hagans from Cedar Elementary, Richard Arvin from Avon Middle School North and Sycamore Elementary, and Mike Clark from Avon High School. Get to know these individuals better, find out what they love about their jobs, what causes them to be frustrated, and what makes them #AvonProud. Keep listening to find out which one of them is a 'stick in the mud' and hear what they'd say to people who might consider joining the Avon Schools team.

    26 min
  4. Our Incredible Instructional Assistants

    SEP 18

    Our Incredible Instructional Assistants

    National Teaching Assistants' Day is celebrated annually on September 27. What better way to celebrate than to highlight the work of a few of our incredible Teaching Assistants! In this dynamic episode of the Orioles In-The-Know podcast, Dr. Scott Wyndham sits down for a conversation with Laura Collier from Avon Intermediate School East, Jill Parson from Avon Middle School North, and Vanessa Belcher, also from AMS North. They talk about what drew them to Avon Schools and what keeps them here. They also share favorite memories, what keeps them motivated, and what it's like serving in Avon Schools. Stick around to find out what makes them #AvonProud and what Dr. Wyndham thinks is the highest compliment employees can give to our school corporation.

    22 min
  5. The Redistricting Committee Gets to Work

    SEP 4

    The Redistricting Committee Gets to Work

    Avon Schools district leaders, are hard at work — in partnership with dozens parents/caregivers and employees — assembling plans for the 2025 redistricting project. They're working together to define shared priorities, understand transportation capabilities, select school start and end times, and discuss the importance of equitable student experiences no matter what school they attend beginning in Summer 2025. Dr. Wyndham sits down for an in-depth conversation with Assistant Superintendents Dr. Michael Sullivan and Mrs. Carrie Alday about the ins and outs of the redistricting project. Listen in as they recap what has been happening over the last two years to bring us to this point. Find out how the Avon parents and employees on the Redistricting Committee are collaborating to make this a successful project. Learn about how we're ensuring all Avon students in kindergarten through eighth grade will attend schools that are more alike than different. And hear about some of the tools we're employing to make sure that this redistricting project puts us in a great position for years to come.

    23 min
  6. Oriole Advocates

    AUG 22

    Oriole Advocates

    Listen in as Dr. Wyndham talks with veteran and new members of the Oriole Advocates, Avon Board of Trustees Secretary Sarah Parent and Oriole Advocates Vice President Todd Singer. Learn how they got involved, how the mission of the group has remained unchanged even as the format has changed, why advocacy is so important, and much more. Stick around to find out what makes them both Avon Proud. Oriole Advocates is an organization that promotes student achievement and community engagement by lending a voice to the students, teachers, and staff of the Avon Community School Corporation. They work together to engage the Avon-Washington Township community and local and state-level leaders to help Avon Schools remain one of the premier school corporations in Indiana and to be appreciated as a key asset to the citizens of the state. Interested in becoming an Advocate? The application window for the Oriole Advocates Class of '25 closes on August 26, so apply today! The link is below.

    24 min
  7. Our 2024 Support Staff of the Year

    AUG 7

    Our 2024 Support Staff of the Year

    Shirley Brinkman is the Avon Community School Corporation ’24 Support Staff of the Year. She joins Dr. Wyndham on this episode of the Orioles In-The-Know podcast, along with Director of Transportation Keith Haston, to celebrate this honor. Shirley talks about her special connections with students and her passion to ensure the safety of thousands of Avon students as they travel to and from school each day. Brinkman is a strong believer in the positive impact bus drivers have — not only their students, but also the community — and she strives to make her bus feel like home. Listen in to hear her talk about what it’s like to transport students each day. Stick around to learn how the Transportation team literally goes the extra mile to help students experiencing homelessness and other difficult circumstances. Shirley and the team are driven to help all students belong, learn, and grow. While driving a bus packed with kids may be intimating to some, it is a great way to help the community, make connections, and even earn benefits. Avon Transportation is experiencing a bus driver shortage, but you can help! You can apply online to help be a part of something greater in the community. The application link is in the episode notes. Congratulations, Shirley. Thank you for all you do each day to serve Avon students!

    19 min
  8. Our 2024 Teacher of the Year

    JUL 26

    Our 2024 Teacher of the Year

    Welcome to season 5 of the Orioles In-The-Know podcast! To kick off the season, Dr. Wyndham has a conversation with Avon Community School Corporation's 2024 Teacher of the Year, River Birch Multilingual Teacher Sam Smith, and River Birch Principal Heather Gorgas. Find out how Ms. Smith reaches her large caseload of kids from very diverse backgrounds — and their families — and helps them belong, learn, and grow. You'll be inspired as you hear her relate her passion for kids who are coming to Avon Schools who are new to the English language. "Through my experience of having multilingual students in my [general education] classroom community," says Ms. Smith, "I realized I was learning important things about culture and language from my students." Her curiosity and desire grew as she deepened relationships with multilingual students and families and as she got more involved in fostering an inclusive environment in her classroom, at her school, and in the community. In 2018, she began to pursue a Master's Degree in Language and Culture Education "with the hope that one day Avon would hire more Multilingual Teachers," says Ms. Smith. Sure enough, she was part of the first push to hire Multilingual Teachers in Avon. "I have loved every minute of it," she says. "I have the best job in Avon!" Stick around to the end of the episode to find out what makes Ms. Smith and Mrs. Gorgas Avon Proud.

    21 min
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About

Welcome to the official podcast of Superintendent Dr. Scott Wyndham and the Avon Community School Corporation. Listen in as Dr. Wyndham talks about a wide range of timely topics with students, staff, and corporation partners. Avon Community School Corporation (ACSC) offers students high-quality educational instruction with a keen focus on improving student achievement. We serve more than 10,500 students in grades Pre-K to 12 in 12 schools (1 early learning center, 6 elementary, 2 intermediate, 2 middle, and 1 high school). Our 1,500 employees dedicate themselves to the academic success of our diverse student population. Visit our website at avon-schools.org.

Information

  • Creator
    Superintendent Dr. Scott Wyndham
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    85
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Orioles In-The-Know

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