Veterans Weekly Newsletter

We will not be sending home a paper copy. Access your child's quarter 2 report card on Friday, January 12th after 3 pm.

• Dress your Brickies for outside recess! As the weather is starting to change please send them with their winter coat.
• Please send your child with a water bottle and a healthy snack daily!
• Chromebook insurance is a separate fee this year for $25. If you signed the paper at Back to School asking for insurance, the fee has been assigned to you in Skyward. The insurance is not effective until purchased. You can pay through Skyward or send cash or check to Veterans School at Mundell. It is not too late to still purchase insurance if you opted out before. We strongly encourage all parents to purchase insurance.

• How does your child become a Mathlete? Students master their facts in XtraMath based on their grade level expectation and earn a Veterans Mathlete shirt.

  1st and 2nd Grade-Addition and Subtraction

  3rd Grade-Addition, Subtraction, and Multiplication

  4th and 5th Grade-Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division

• It very important to follow our car rider procedures to ensure everyone is safe.
• Students in grades 3-5 can ride bikes to school. Younger students can ride bikes with an adult only. Scooters, skateboards and hoverboards are not permitted.
• Students should have a consistent dismissal plan each night to avoid confusion.
• Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays students can be dropped off at 8:30 at door 14 and not any earlier. Supervision and doors open at door 14 at 8:30. Students should never be dropped off at door 1 unless they are tardy and it is after 9. Door 1 is for visitors only not drop off.
• Late Start Wednesdays students can be dropped off at 8:50.
• Fridays are Brickie Fridays! Encourage your child to wear purple and gold.

The following classrooms are nut free - ALL of 5th grade, Hall, Bezvin, Smith, Lannon, Stafford, Lauridsen.

Why must birthday treats and snacks be nut free?

At school one of our top priorities is keeping our students safe. In order to do this, we have to make certain classrooms NUT FREE. Most of us know someone who has a nut allergy of some degree, but everyone’s allergen response is NOT the same. Some student can have an anaphylactic reaction from particles in the air, from simply touching anything with traces of nuts, while others are less severe and only react if ingested. Depending on the severity of the student’s allergy, we at times cannot have even a trace of nut products in the classroom. Emergency Epinephrine is available at school, but requires the student then to be transported via EMS to the local ER to ensure no additional treatment is necessary. Food allergies can be life threatening, no student or parent should have this burden of concern at school.

How Can I help?

There are many nut free options of treats that will help celebrate your student’s special day, while keeping the peers around them safe! When shopping for nut free treats, please read the label!

SOME NUT FREE Options: LOFT HOUSE cookies, BEST CHOICE cupcakes, MEIJER fresh cupcakes (most options, check label), FAVORITE DAY BAKERY at Target.

Why not remove the student with an allergy for snacks?

Students never want to be different from their peers. Isolating them during birthday treat and celebrations is unfair and detrimental to their mental wellbeing. There are many alternative nut free options that allow them to be included. It is important to take into account the perspective of the student and parents of those with food allergies. A child should never be excluded when we can, together, keep their classroom safe and enjoyable!

Click here to nominate a Brickie you catch being EXCELLENT ON PURPOSE!

Students can now earn beads for a necklace at Veterans for being Excellent on Purpose!

We love to show our Brickie Pride at Veterans School. Encourage your child to wear purple and gold on Fridays!

Every Friday, you will receive a weekly newsletter. This is the school's way of communicating important events and sharing all of the fun from the week.

You will also receive recorded notables and Remind text messages from the school on your phone.

You can also find current information about school events:

https://www.facebook.com/Veterans-Elementary-School-at-Mundell-100433255104986/?view_public_for=100433255104986

Veterans Web Site:

https://www.hobart.k12.in.us/ve

Food Service Menus:

https://brickiecafe.com/index.php?sid=2609121618454573&page=menus

Afternoon Dismissal: From W Old Ridge Rd

• Take Colorado Street to W 2nd St. Turn left onto W 2nd St.

• Take 2nd Street to California Street. Please wait on W 2nd St. until 3:10.

• At 3:10 turn onto California St and enter the lot. We need to avoid blocking California S

• Please do not enter the school lot prior to 3:10. Lot will be closed until then.

Afternoon Dismissal: From W 3rd St

• Take Colorado Street to W 2nd St. Turn right onto W 2nd St.

• Take 2nd Street to California Street. Please wait on W 2nd St. until 3:10.

• At 3:10 turn onto California St and enter the lot. We want to avoid blocking California St.

• Please do not enter the school lot prior to 3:10. Lot will be closed until then.

• We ask that you do not enter onto W 2nd St from Wisconsin St.

• We ask that you do not enter onto California Street and Virginia St from W 3rd St. We need to avoid blocking both California and Virginia Streets.

Additional:

• For the sake of our residents that reside near Veterans Elementary, please do not block alleys, driveways and intersections while waiting. Signs will be posted advising not to do so.

• We ask parents not to wait on West 2nd Street no earlier than 2:30 PM.

• Do not enter on West 2nd Street from Wisconsin Street. West 2nd Street essentially becomes a one-way street during afternoon dismissal. This has caused traffic to back-up onto Wisconsin Street creating the potential for accidents and hinders all emergency police and fire traffic utilizing Wisconsin. Wisconsin Street is an emergency/hospital route. Follow the pre-determined routes as depicted on the map.

• In order to assist us here at Veterans with afternoon dismissal/pick-up, please have the sign with your student’s name readily visible. This helps to keep the line moving and gets your student to you in an efficient manner.

• Cleveland Avenue will be blocked off at both California and Virginia Street.

Arrival:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

8:30 Breakfast

8:45 Students Go to Classrooms

8:55 Attendance is Taken

Wednesday

9:00 Breakfast

9:10 Students Go to Classrooms

9:15 Attendance is Taken

Dismissal:

3:15 Car riders Dismiss to Gym and Walkers Dismiss to Door 14

3:20 Bus Riders Dismiss to Cafe

As we start school, it is important for the safety of our children to be aware of our school buses.

The stop arm and blinking lights mean “STOP”. To disregard the stop arm is a misdemeanor and mandatory court appearance. The Hobart Police Department has shared that law allows the police to use the bus driver’s observations to issue a citation to the registered owner of the vehicle.

Our ultimate goal is a safe commute for children to and from school.

Veterans parents,

The School City of Hobart celebrated our 4th graders for completing the Too Good For Drugs curriculum. Parents, please continue to talk to your children about the dangers of vapes, e-cigarettes, nicotine, marijuana, peer pressure, etc... Your talk could be as little as 5 minutes and take place at the breakfast table in the morning, in the car on the way to school, or even on the way to the grocery store. This will help better prepare your children, not only for the 5th grade Too Good For Drugs curriculum, but for middle school and beyond. Speaking of Too Good For Drugs, our 5th graders will begin the Too Good For Drugs curriculum the week of January 15th following our return from winter break. We are excited to begin this program for our 5th graders as it is more involved than the 4th Grade Program. We thank you for your support of our Too Good For Drugs curriculum.

The holidays are fast approaching all of us and with that comes online ordering, package tracking and delivery. Unfortunately, there are individuals out there who want to be a Grinch or a Scrooge this time of year and steal your packages. These individuals often will follow UPS, Amazon, or FEDEX trucks right to your houses in order to steal packages right off your porch once it is delivered. They also case neighborhoods looking for packages to steal right off your front porch. Below are some tips to keep in mind regarding packages.

1. Have your package delivery customized to a particular part of your home that's hidden from the public's view.
2. Moreover, security cameras can help keep track of a delivery at your front door. These work best in conjunction with
3. Consider having packages delivered to your workplace or a trusted neighbor's house in the event you won't be home.
4. Spending a few extra dollars to insure your holiday packages will guarantee you reimbursement in the event your delivery was lost or stolen.
   
5. Try not to leave letters and packages in your mailbox or at your door for any length of time.
6. Request signatures for delivery.
7. Porch lock boxes that delivery drivers can access will help protect packages. Some are pricey, but work best if they are heavy and can be mounted.
8. Pay attention to delivery notices about your packages.

9. Scammers send e-mails and texts about package deliveries that look legitimate, but in reality, are not. If you receive an email or texts that looks suspicious and are expecting a delivery, delete the e-mail or text. More importantly, do not open the e-mail or text and click on any of the links even the unsubscribe button at the bottom. These links contain viruses, malware and spyware that will infect your computer in order to steal your personal information. Make sure your computer is update with the latest anti-virus software. If you expecting a package to be delivered, go to the stores or delivery company's website directly to track your packages.

   
   

As always, be aware of your surroundings and if you see or hear anything suspicious, call 911 to report it immediately.

Additional information can be found at: https://www.uspis.gov/tips-prevention/mail-theft

https://www.ups.com/us/en/Home.page

https://www.fedex.com/en-us/home.html

Check out the SEL page for great tips and advice for Social Emotional Learning for students, parents, and families! Lots of great information with what we do in school with students and what you can do at home.

It’s not a myth that electronics can affect sleep. Studies have shown that blue light screens such as TVs, tablets, computers, and cell phones emit suppress melatonin resulting in not feeling sleepy at bedtime and disrupting quality sleep. The best rule of thumb is to eliminate screen time an hour before kids head to bed. Think about what your child needs and when you can fit screen time in appropriately so that it does not affect their sleep habits. You don’t want your child to feel deprived of electronics, or like they are being punished, so instead, we recommend being intentional with creating a new schedule that allows for screen time prior to the last hour of the day. Turn off the electronics an hour before bed. This works for all ages from young to adults.

Check out this month's Nurse's Corner to learn about the immunizations, sports physicals, and what to do when your student is sick.

If your child isn't feeling well, please keep him or her at home. You must report the absence to the school before 10:00 AM. Click the link below to learn how to report an absence.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UVUSq5USyAh-AwDoDXVhZl-nP83REUqB/view

Visit www.hobart.k12.in.us/techhelp for information on how to report absences and check grades in Skyward, receive assistance with Canvas, and much more!

To contact our Technology Department, please call (219)942-1388 ext.8963.

We aim for a great partnership with our parents! That is why we utilize CANVAS and SKYWARD! Learn how to access them both at www.hobart.k12.in.us/partnership

The School City of Hobart uses Remind to communicate with families via text messages and/or phone calls.

What are some ways that we use Remind?

• District News- Weekly newsletter, emergency closings, and other important information
• Class Reminders from Teachers - Events, tests, homework, due dates
• Announcements and Celebrations
• One-on-One Help
  
  

If you have not been receiving our messages and would like to, please reach out to your student's teacher for their Remind class code, which you will then text to 81010. For example, if you wanted to join a class with the class code @math, you would text @math to 81010.

Start planning your breaks for next school year by checking out the Board-approved 2024- 2025 School Calendar! #BrickieUp www.hobart.k12.in.us/calendar

We have a very enthusiastic PTO!

Click here to access our PTO social media.