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At South Elementary School, we are a learning community nurturing a culture to provide students the skills necessary to be active, productive, and responsible citizens while empowering students through communications.

May 2 Applied Skills Field Trip

Week of May 5 Staff Appreciation Week

Week of May 5 Book Fair

May 6 PTO Meeting 5PM

May 8 WRE Program at the Life of God Church at 7:00 pm.

May 9 2nd Grade Kite Day

May 12 Morgan County Public Library Visit to South

May 14 Kindergarten Kids Fit Mini Marathon

May 16 Kindy 500

May 16 First Grade Field Trip

May 19 4th Grade Honor Night 6PM

May 21 4th Grade Olympics

May 22 Field Day; Last student day; Report Cards

May 23 Martinsville High School Graduation @MHS

May 27-May 30 IREAD Summer School 9-11AM

South Elementary high ability students meet monthly after school for LEAP (Learning Enrichment Activities Program) Club. April's project was Farewell to Fourth graders! The team members celebrated the graduating fourth graders with a farewell pizza party and some wacky science experiments. Thank you, Mrs. Hostetter and Mrs. Durbin, for leading this club!

The MATH Bowl team completed their season at the April 15th MATH Bowl Competition. Great job to all participants! Thank you for representing South Elementary. Mrs. Hostetter and Mrs. Jimenez are the coaches.

• To report an absence for your child, please call the office at

(765) 349-1486 by 9:00AM. If you do not call the school by 9:30 a.m. and report the absence, the school messaging system, someone from the school, or the attendance officer may be calling your home. Please call in so that the day is an excused absence.

• A doctor visit should be documented with a statement from the doctor so that it can be entered in the school data system. Doctor statements should be faxed to 765-349-5247 or given to the office. We need this documentation to mark it as an excused absence.

• WE ASK THAT YOU NOT KEEP A CHILD OUT OF SCHOOL FOR THE ENTIRE DAY FOR A doctor or dental appointment.

• If a child is sent home with a fever of 100.4 degrees or over, he/she is not to return to school until fever free for 24 hours without fever medication. If the student is sent home from the clinic, it will be marked as an excused absence through the clinic.

Regular attendance is essential for children to be successful in their educational endeavors. Students are bound by the requirements of the Indiana Compulsory Attendance Laws. Students are expected to attend school regularly and be on time for classes in order to benefit from instructional programs and develop responsible personal habits that are respected in society and therefore a part of the educational process. Please make sure students arrive on time. The morning bell rings at 8:40AM to start class. It rings at 9:40AM on Wednesdays to start class for grades K-4.

*Complete details of attendance procedures and guidelines can be found in the student handbook.

Attendance Guidelines

• AUTHORIZED ABSENCES: If documentation is not provided, these absences will be recorded as unexcused absences. Documentation does include calling into the office.

• DOCUMENTATION: All legal or medical documentation must be submitted within 5 days for the absence to be recorded as excused. The school’s fax # is 765-349-5247.

PLEASE CALL IN OR SEND A DOCTOR NOTE for the attendance to be excused.

Attendance Letters & DCS Notification

• Attendance letters are generated and sent via email on the 5th unexcused absence, 10th unexcused, and 18th unexcused absence.

• Under IC 20-33-2-25, the school must notify DCS when a student reaches 10 unexcused absences. See additional information below.

Under IC 20-33-2-25, the “Superintendent or an attendance officer having jurisdiction shall report a child who is habitually absent from school in violation of this chapter to an intake officer of the juvenile court or the department of child services. The intake officer or the department of child services shall proceed in accord with IC 31-30- through IC 31-40.”

Everyone should report abuse or neglect. The reporting and investigating of suspected child abuse and neglect are not discretionary matters. They have been required by law (IC 31-33-5-1) since 1979.

Do Report When...

• Students have reached ten (10) or more unexcused absences.

• Educational neglect is suspected

• Students are missing and unaccounted for

On Wednesday mornings, staff will be participating in professional development to improve student learning and success.

Therefore, for grades K-4 doors will open at 9:25AM with school starting at 9:40AM. Contact the South office if childcare is needed from 8:25-9:25.

PreK will still be at normal time on Wednesdays. Doors will open at 8:25AM and school will start for PreK at 8:40AM on Wednesdays.

Federal funding has been made available through school-wide Title I services to South Elementary for the purpose of providing students with extra support in reading and language arts. This extra support is available for all students at South Elementary. Classroom teachers, Title I teachers, and instructional assistants will provide assistance in reading, language arts, and math through small group and individual instruction as children demonstrate need for support. Please contact Jessica Shanafelt at 765-349-1486 Ext. 1654 with any questions about support your child may receive.

Thank you to everyone that contributed to the Coin Wars for Riley Children's Hospital. South Elementary staff and students raised $362.35. Together with Paragon Elementary, we raised $675.84 for Riley Children's Hospital. Great Job, everyone!

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*Please contact the office if you need this information provided in another language.

Website: https://msdofmartinsville.org/south-elementary/
Location: 500 Artesian Ave, Martinsville, IN, USA
Phone: 7653491486
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthElementarySchool
Twitter: @southdolphins1