SEM Newsletter: Week 22
2025-2026
Welcome to Week 22!
Thank you to our Seminole families for the wonderful turnout at our recent awards ceremonies and for such a great showing at our second Lunch with Loved Ones—we truly appreciate your continued support and involvement!
This week, we are excited to kick off Literacy Week, so be sure to check out the information below for important updates and upcoming events. Don’t forget to wear red, white, and blue on Monday to celebrate the first day of Literacy Week! 📚🇺🇸
Mrs. VanderMolen, Principal
Mrs. Drazick, Assistant Principal
What a great turnout this past Friday for our first Family Lunch Fridays! It was so nice to see families on campus. Friendly reminder that this opportunity will be available on Fridays only.
To ensure student safety, only individuals listed on a child’s emergency contact list in Skyward will be permitted to join their student for lunch. Visitors will enjoy lunch with their child at the picnic tables located outside of the cafeteria.
To help maintain instructional time, visitors may only attend during their child’s designated lunch period. The flyer below includes lunch times for each grade level. We highly recommend arriving a few minutes early to allow time to sign in and for us to notify the teacher that a loved one will be joining their child for lunch.
We look forward to continuing to welcome families to campus and strengthening our school-home partnership!
Did you know you can help our school earn money just by scanning your grocery receipts? It's quick, easy, and every Box Top adds up to support our students and classrooms!
📱 Download the Box Tops for Education app, select Seminole Elementary, and start scanning your receipts today. No clipping required!
✅ Check out the video linked below to learn more about how it works and how you can get started.
Let’s work together to make a difference — every little bit helps!
Spring pictures will take place on Tuesday, February 3rd. If you are interested in purchasing pictures, the cost is $13, and payment must be submitted prior to picture day. This picture day will include both a class photo and individual student pictures.
Yearbooks are on Sale!I nformation and order forms went home with students last week. The cost is $15, and all orders must be submitted by March 14th. Please note that we will not have extra yearbooks available, so be sure to place your order before the deadline to avoid missing out!
Link to purchase: https://strawbridge.fotomerchanthv.com/search/YB32961
Parents, we would love for you to be more involved in decision-making at Seminole! Please consider attending any (or all) of our School Advisory Committee (SAC) meetings this school year. This is a great opportunity to learn about what’s happening at Seminole and to help us make important decisions that impact our school community.
January 27th @ 5:30 pm
March 24th @ 5:30 pm
May 19th @ 5:30 pm
If you would like to join virtually, click this link and you will be able to join us via Zoom.
We are excited to kickoff Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! from January 26–30, 2026! The goal of this statewide initiative is to promote a love of reading and strengthen literacy habits for all students across Florida.
This year’s theme is “Read, White and Blue: Celebrating 250 Chapters of America.” In support of the America250FL celebration, our Literacy Week activities will focus on reading texts connected to U.S. history, important figures, and the stories that have shaped our nation.
Below is a flyer highlighting the events taking place across campus. On Monday, January 26th, we will have a dress-up day—students are encouraged to wear red, white, and blue 🇺🇸❤️💙🤍! On Thursday, January 29th, we will have another fun dress-up day—students may wear their pajamas as we get cozy with reading 📚🛌. We look forward to seeing our students participate and enjoy these special days!
As part of Literacy Week, Seminole will be participating in OHS’s Read Under the Lights event on Friday, January 30th. Families are invited to join us for this special evening celebrating reading! We will have a Seminole table with fun literacy activities prepared by Mrs. Peaden. We hope to see you and your family there for a great night of reading together. 📚✨
Small Group Instruction
At Seminole, we are dedicated to providing purposeful small group instruction to ensure learning is tailored to each student’s needs. 📚✨ Check out these small groups caught in action this week during our District Instructional Rounds—great learning happening across our campus!
Aftercare
Shout out to Mrs. Jami, one of our amazing ESE paraprofessionals! 🌱 She volunteered her time last week to work with our aftercare students to plant seeds in our Garden Tower, giving them a hands-on opportunity to learn how food grows. The students absolutely loved getting their hands dirty and being part of the process!
A big thank you and shout out to Mrs. J as well for her help and support throughout the planting process. We can’t wait to see the success our students have as they grow their own vegetables and watch their hard work come to life! 💚
5th Grade- Moore
Ms. Moore’s 5th grade class recently kicked off a new reading center where students are diving into a novel and strengthening their summarizing skills! They’re practicing explaining what they read. We love seeing our Stallions grow as thoughtful, reflective readers!
We have an update to our safety procedures that will impact all school-day events. Only individuals listed on a child’s emergency contact list will be allowed to attend these events.
If you need to update the emergency contact list, please visit the office to make any necessary changes. Please note: Only a child’s legal guardian can make updates, and a valid photo ID is required.
Thank you for helping us keep our students safe!
Parents, take a look at the flyer below to learn about early detection of Type 1 Diabetes in children! Early recognition of symptoms can make a big difference in your child’s health, so be sure to review the information and reach out to your healthcare provider if you have any concerns.
We understand that there may be times when it’s necessary to check your child out early for appointments or other important reasons. Please remember that all early checkouts must be completed by 2:20 pm. If your child is leaving for a doctor’s appointment, be sure to send in the doctor’s note so the absence can be excused. Also, keep in mind that 5 early checkouts equal 1 full day absence, which can impact attendance. Thank you for helping us prioritize instructional time and supporting your child’s success!
Accidents aren’t supposed to happen, but sometimes they do—whether during recess, field trips, or everyday activities. To help families be prepared, our district offers Voluntary Student Accident Insurance through Special Markets Insurance Consultants, Inc.
This optional coverage is available for all enrolled students, and families can choose from several plans, including:
School Time Accident Only
24-Hour Accident Only
Interscholastic Sports
24-Hour Dental
Parents/guardians are responsible for enrollment and payment. Signing up is quick and easy online at www.k12specialmarkets.com. Simply look up our district, review the available plans, and complete the enrollment form.
For questions, you may also call 800-727-7642.
Parents, please use the roundabout towards the back of the school when dropping off or picking up your student. This helps us avoid congestion and issues with traffic back up. Do not use the driveway before the roundabout to turn around. This creates a very dangerous situation for cars that are driving to the roundabout or turning into the school.
Also, please do not exit your vehicle during drop off or pick up times. We have staff that will assist the students exit or enter the vehicles as necessary. This limits pedestrian traffic in the road and near our opened gates.
Thank you!
Parents, we’re happy to share the upcoming Treasure Coast Food Bank distribution dates, times, and locations. Please take a moment to look through the flyers below for details. These resources are available to support our families, and we encourage you to take advantage of them if needed.
Food distribution dates and times:
Coquina January 6th, Tuesday
Agri Civic Center January 30th, Friday
Coquina February 3rd, Tuesday
Agri Civic Center February 27th, Friday
Coquina March 3rd, Tuesday
Agri Civic Center March 28th, Saturday
Coquina April 7th, Tuesday
Agri Civic Center April 24th, Friday
Coquina May 5th, Tuesday
Agri Civic Center May 29th, Friday
Parents, check out our Parent and Family Engagement Plan! This plan outlines how we work to build strong, supportive partnerships between our families and school community.
Below is a link to the District Policy on Bullying and Harassment. In order to be classified as bullying, the physical threat or emotion distress must be continuously inflicted towards the student. A one time occurrence of teasing would not fall under bullying.
SEM takes bullying seriously! If your child is being bullied, please have your child tell an adult at school or call the office to inform administration of the situation.
At Seminole, we are dedicated to our *Read Aloud A Lot* initiative. Each day, students spend time reading aloud in class to build fluency and confidence. For homework, all students are expected to read for 20 minutes each night. In grades K–2, students should practice the fluency passages provided by their teacher, while students in grades 3–5 should read books of their choice at home.
Stay Informed About Meals at Seminole! 🥞🍎
Access the Breakfast and Lunch Menus on our District Website by clicking here. These menus are packed with delicious and nutritious options to fuel our students for success!
Remember, breakfast and lunch are completely free for ALL Seminole students. Make sure your child takes advantage of these healthy meal offerings every day! 🥪✨
Parents, does your child need additional assistance?
Okeechobee County School District has partnered with Varsity Tutors for Schools! All students now have access to the Varsity Tutors learning resources like live classes, chat tutoring, and more. Some students may have been assigned tutoring by your school, ask your teacher or school office if this has been provided to you. All Okeechobee County School District families can sign up for paid supplemental private tutoring for their students at a discounted rate!
Click here to learn more information about what it is, how to login, and so much more!
February 2-6- Guidance Counselor Appreciation Week
February 3rd- Spring Picture Day
February 4th- Progress Reports Go Home
February 6th- 5th Grade Career Expo Field Trip
February 9-13- APTT
February 12th- Valentines Day Dance 3-5 pm
February 13th- Early Release Day
February 16th- No School
February 17th- SRO Appreciation Day
February 20th - 3rd Grade Field Trip to Reservation
February 26th- 2nd Grade Field Trip to Milking R
February 27th- 4th Grade Battlefield Field Trip
