SMITH Newsletter

2/25-3/9 Spring Fundraiser

2 1st Grade PLTW for Kinzel & White

2 IREAD Testing

3 Robotics

3 IREAD Testing

3 Lunch Buddies

4 PTO Meeting

5 Morgan Co. Public Library visits Dev. PreK

5 Suzuki Violin Practice

5 PTO Meeting

5 Lunch Buddies

6 End of 3rd Nine Weeks

8 Daylight Savings Time Starts

9 PLTW for Farmer

9-13 School-Wide Safety Matters Lesson (K-4)

10 Last Robotics Meeting/Party

10 Lunch Buddies

12 Suzuki Violin Practice

12 Lunch Buddies

16 Donuts for Honor Roll

17 St. Patrick's Day

17 Robotics

17 Lunch Buddies

18 Report Cards Go Home

19 Suzuki Violin Practice

19 4th Grade Musical- Social Studies

19 Lunch Buddies

20 1st Grade Field Trip

23-27 Spring Break - No School

31 Lunch Buddies

1 PTO Meeting

1 Paraprofessional Appreciation Day

2 Spring Pictures

2 MCPL Visits Dev. PreK

2 Suzuki Violin Class

2 Lunch Buddies

2 PTO Meeting

3 Firefighter Visit During Lunch

4 National School Librarian Day

5 Easter Sunday

6 Kindergarten Orientation

7 Lunch Buddies

8 Talent Show Auditions For 3rd & 4th Grades

9 Lunch Buddies

9 Suzuki Violin Class

9 Honor Roll Snacks During Lunch

10-13 MSD K-12 Art Show

13-17 Book Blast

13 Talent Show Dress Rehearsal

14 Math Bowl Competition

14 Lunch Buddies

15 Talent Show

16 Suzuki Violin Class

16 Lunch Buddies

17 1st Grade Field Trip To The Children's Museum

21 Lunch Buddies

22 Administrative Professional Appreciation Day

22 Midterms Posted

23 Kindergarten Orientation

23 Lunch Buddies

23 FDG Dental Clinic - 6 Month Follow Up

23 Suzuki Violin Class

24 Kindergarten Field Trip To The Children's Museum

27-28 KDG PLTW

28 School Bus Appreciation Day

28 Lunch Buddies

30 Suzuki Violin Class

30 Lunch Buddies

The deadline for the spring fundraiser is MARCH 9. ALL orders and money must be turned in by this date.

Congratulations to the Bruin Robotics team for a season full of fun, collaboration, learning, and competition! We are proud of you!

The PE fundraiser raised over $2000 for PE equipment and field day activities. The fundraiser was a huge success. Thank you all for your support to Smith Fine Arts Academy.

This year, your child’s school will be using the MBF Child Safety Matters® program (the Program) from the Monique Burr Foundation for Children. The goal of the Program is to help keep your child safe. The Program empowers children to spot and respond to bullying, cyberbullying, child abuse, and digital dangers. Most importantly, it teaches that adults are responsible for their safety but there are things they can do to help adults keep them safe. The Program is based on the latest research and has been reviewed and endorsed by national experts. The Program teaches using age-appropriate, easy to understand language and provides take-home items to remind children and parents of the lessons and Safety Rules. When children are taught safety information and rules to help them stay safe, they perform better in school and enjoy healthier, happier, and safer lives. You can learn more about the Program at www. mbfpreventioneducation.org. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Henry at leigh.frantz@msdmartinsville.org

Meet the PTO Board

Co-presidents: Ky Sumner and Katie O’Neal

Vice President: Leann Moss

Treasurer: Amanda Thomas

Secretary: Amanda Thomas/Kyla Sumner

Upcoming Events:

Spring PTO Fundraiser 2/25-3/9

Meeting Times:

PTO meetings will be held on Thursdays at 4:15 p.m. in the library.

The following dates are tentative: Mar. 5, Apr. 2, May 7

Everyone is invited and welcome. We hope many will participate.

Follow us on Facebook:

Smith Fine Arts Academy PTO

All MSD of Martinsville students will receive free breakfast and free lunch this school year. Menus are available at the beginning of each month and can be found at: artiescafe.org.

LUNCH SCHEDULE

Pre K 10:45 - 11:15

Kindergarten 10:45 - 11:15

Grade 1 11:35 - 12:05

Grade 2 11:55 - 12:25

Grade 3 11:00 - 11:30

Grade 4 11:20 - 11:50

You did a great job during our two recent snow days! Thank you for joining the Google Meets! Remember, if you experience any issues, reach out to your teacher or the front office.

Stay Connected through ParentSquare!

ParentSquare is the MSD of Martinsville’s tool to communicate with Artesian families. If you do not have an email from the MSD of Martinsville inviting you to create a ParentSquare account, please notify your community.relations@msdmartinsville.org and we will send you the invitation. While you do not need to create an account to receive messages from us, you will have greater flexibility to tailor the ways you receive messages from us if you have an account.

Once you have created an account, there are additional resources available to help you tailor your account to meet your own preferences.

You can receive messages on your phone. Just download the app!

Questions? Email community.relations@msdmartinsville.org

*Background Checks must be completed at least one week in advance of school event. The office will not run background checks the same day as an event.

All visitors to MSD of Martinsville Schools during the school year will be required to have a Limited Criminal History Check. Completed background checks are confidential and will be kept in the school office. A valid driver’s license or state-issued ID will be required for the background check. Please complete the Background Check Form, available in the office, and present your ID to the office at least a week prior to visiting or volunteering. In order to keep our students safe, individuals who do not have a valid driver’s license or state-issued ID will not be allowed access to our building or our students. Please note: If you have a misdemeanor conviction within the last 5 years or a felony conviction within the last 10 years, you will not be allowed to visit/chaperone during school hours. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we keep student safety a priority!

The building opens at 8:25 a.m. Students should not arrive before that time since there is no supervision. Please monitor the time your child leaves for school to make certain he or she does not arrive before 8:25 a.m. We ask that you call the school office (342-8488) by 9:30 a.m. if your child is going to be absent or tardy. If we have not heard from you, you will receive a phone call informing you that your child is not in attendance. A note is necessary the day your child returns if you do not call the school.

· Please share our dismissal procedures with any friends and/or family members who will be responsible for picking up your student.

· To change your student’s dismissal procedure, please call the office at 765-342-8488 ext 3 before 3:00 p.m. We may not be able to accommodate dismissal changes after 3:00 p.m. Please do not leave a message when making a dismissal change.

· If your child is a car rider, please stop by the office to pick up a green sign to place in your car during dismissal.

· Car riders, bus riders, and daycare students will begin dismissing at 3:30 pm. Walkers will be released at approximately 3:45 p.m., after all buses and car riders have departed.

· Students who are being picked up early must be signed out in the office by a parent, guardian, or emergency contact.

The goal of the clinic is to keep everyone safe and healthy.

We would like to remind you that if your child has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, they will not be permitted to stay at school.

Students must be fever FREE for 24 hours without medication to return to school. They must also be vomiting and diarrhea FREE for 24 hours to come to school.

Please talk to your children about hand washing and personal hygiene.

If your child borrows clothes from the clinic, PLEASE wash the clothes and return them to school as soon as possible. The Clinic will accept donations of gently used leggings and sweatpants.

It would be extremely helpful for students in Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten to keep an extra set of clothes in their backpacks in case of an emergency.

To report an absence, please contact our office by 9:30 a.m. by calling (765)342-8488. If we do not receive notification, an automated system will generate a call.

MARTINSVILLE SCHOOLS

IMPORTANT ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES 2025-2026

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.

MSD OF MARTINSVILLE ACTION PLAN:

In an effort to improve the safety, graduation rate, and overall individual personal success of students in the MSD of Martinsville, the District’s Attendance Team worked this past year to streamline the District’s Attendance Process. The effort has increased diligence, pursuance, and attention to details regarding the process, communication, academic options, follow-up, and records with school attendance.

Legislative updates now only focus on habitual truancy.

Habitual truancy equals 10 days of unexcused absences.

DISTRICT ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Due to updates with Indiana Code for Indiana Attendance Compulsory Laws, the District Attendance Policy was updated on July 25, 2024.Attendance Guidelines

AUTHORIZED ABSENCES: If documentation is not provided, these absences will be recorded as unexcused absences.

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.

Attendance Letters:

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

Guidelines for Duty to Report to DCS Regarding Attendance (IDOE)

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.