Explorer Echo

Dear SES Families,

As we enter the final month of the school year, there is a special energy for students. Classrooms are filled with excitement, pride, anticipation, and yes, a mix of emotions that can be both joyful and bittersweet. This is a time when we begin to look back on how far our Explorers have come, while also preparing to say goodbye to routines, classrooms, and sometimes even people who have meant so much throughout the year.

We encourage our students and families to truly soak up these last weeks together. Celebrate the growth, the friendships, the accomplishments, both big and small. Take time to reflect on the challenges that were overcome and the resilience that was built along the way. These moments matter, and they deserve to be recognized!

It’s also important to acknowledge that the end of a school year can bring a wide range of feelings. Excitement for summer often sits alongside nervousness about what comes next. There may be pride, but also a sense of loss as familiar routines and relationships shift. All of these emotions are valid, and we want our students to know that it’s okay to feel them fully.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Let’s make the most of this final month together!

Yours in Education,

Niki Kaminski & Trae Heeter

All lessons from the SEL Scope and Sequence have been completed.

If you are interested in tutoring services for your student, please access the link below.

Please click the link below to see the above image in PDF format.

If your child is out due to health reasons, please provide documentation. Documentation is required after 10 absences. Reach out to your school nurse or counselor - we're here to connect you with helpful resources.

April Wayman, RN

awayman@hse.k12.in.us

(W – TH)

Sharon Hughes, RN

shughes@hse.k12.in.us

(M – T – F)

May 5th- Free cookies with meal deal purchase!

May 18th- 22nd- Chef's choice meals! More details to come, menu will be posted online. Because this is the last week of school, we will be using up food that is left, and choices will not be guaranteed each day. Thank you for being flexible.

EFunds

Funding your student's lunch account is done through EFunds in Skyward. Student lunch is $2.80. You can access Skyward and Efunds on our district website, or by clicking Efunds here.

Menu

Elementary lunch menus are posted on the district website at hseschools.org, or by clicking this link.

Kim Lemburg, SES Cafeteria Manager

klemburg@hse.k12.in.us

SES Lunch Visitor Procedures:

• Adults will be able to call the front office the day of by 8:30 AM and sign up to have lunch with their child; 8:30 AM is a FIRM deadline.
• Time slots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. Only one family per lunch block will be allowed each day with a maximum of 2 visitors.
• Visitors will only be allowed Mondays through Thursdays.

Visitor Guidelines:

• All visitors will need to have their ID with them to sign in and sign out of the building. All visitors must have an approved valid Safe Visitor background check on file with the district before coming into the building. Visitors are required to wear their visitor badge and lanyard while in the building. SafeVisitor link is below.
• All visitors must eat lunch with their child at the table designated for visitors.
• NO restaurant food or drink may be brought in, Ex: McDonalds, Chic-fil-A, Jimmie Johns, etc. You can bring a lunch from home or buy a hot lunch from the cafeteria. Cash only and exact change, please. An adult meal is $4.30 and adult entree only is $3.10.
• Phones must be put away at all times.
• Students will not be pulled out of lunch to eat with siblings.
• Siblings not attending SES will be discouraged from attending lunch due to space constraints.
• You may only have your child eat lunch with you during this time. Friends and students who are extended family are not permitted.
• We ask that when your child lines up with their class at the end of lunch, you check out in the office to turn your badge and lanyard in.

Anyone wanting to spend time in the school, volunteer in a classroom, have lunch with a student, or chaperone a field trip must have a SafeVisitor ID badge. If you have not yet completed the background check, please click below to get started. It takes about a week for approval. Every background check is good for three years in any of our HSE buildings.

Thank You for a Wonderful Book Fair!
A huge thank you to our school families for helping make last week’s Book Fair such a tremendous success! We loved seeing so many students excited about books, and Family Night was a wonderful highlight of the week. Your support helps grow a love of reading in our school community, and we are so grateful.

As we head toward the end of the school year, we have one more week of library checkout remaining. This is also a great time to check at home for any library books that may have been misplaced. Reminder slips will be sent home soon for any books still checked out. Thank you for helping us return books so they can be enjoyed by readers for years to come!

Happy reading,

Lori Cushman

SES Teacher Librarian

lcushman@hse.k12.in.us

Friday, May 1, SES Carnival, 5:30-7:30 PM

Monday, May 4, 4th Grade Track, 2:30-3:15 PM

Wednesday, May 6, Spring Play Practice, 2:15-3:30

Wednesday, May 6, 4th Grade Track, 2:30-3:15 PM

Monday, May 11, 4th Grade District Track Meet, 5:00-6:00 PM, HSE High School

Tuesday, May 12, New Family Open House, 5:00-6:00 PM

Wednesday, May 13, Spring Play, 6:00-7:00 PM

Friday, May 15, Kindergarten Picnic, 11:30-1:00 PM, Cyntheanne Park

School day start/end times: 7:40 to 2:10 PM

The SES Spring Play is Wednesday, May 11, 6:00 PM in the SES Gym. To purchase tickets (students are free!) please see the link below:

"A Bug's Life" FIELD DAY is coming soon! This is a moving, never stopping, and extremely popular event for our kiddos to celebrate the end of the year. We need MANY volunteers! Please sign up for a time at the link below.

• The first opportunity to volunteer will be on Wednesday, May 20th from 9a-10:30a. During this time, volunteers will help set up for field day and put supplies together.
• On the day of the event, Thursday, May 21st, MANY volunteers will be needed to help run the 18 stations that students will circulate through. We will need 45 morning volunteers and 45 afternoon volunteers
• Grade times:
  • Grades KG, 2nd and 1/2 of 4th grade (Busch, R. Powell and Howe) students are in the morning sessions (8:40a- 10:40a)
  • Grades 1st, 3rd, and the other 1/2 of 4th grade (Hurst, Shafer, Faust and Kamo) students are in the afternoon session (11:30a- 1:30p)

Sign-up here: SES Families: Field Day 2026

*Classroom Coordinators should have received an email communication to volunteer with their student's class.

Is your family joining Geist Elementary next year? We’d love to meet you! Stop by a casual PTO Meet & Greet on Monday, 4/27 from 6:30–8:00 PM at FoxGardin Family Kitchen to learn more about our school community and ways to get involved—no pressure, just a chance to connect and say hello. This will be an adults-only event so parents have a chance to chat and connect. Have questions or want to learn more? Reach out anytime via email and be sure to check out our quick PTO interest survey.

You can also check school supplies off your list early by ordering a teacher-approved supply kit for next year. Each kit will be delivered directly to your child’s classroom before the first day of school. Order online by July 1st at https://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/gs/36870.

We look forward to welcoming you to our Geist Gator family.

As we head into the summer months, we want our SES families to be aware of a variety of community resources available to support students’ emotional well‑being, social development, and overall growth. A comprehensive list of summer therapeutic groups, skill‑building programs, and specialized camps has been compiled to help families access continued support when school is not in session.

These resources include counseling and therapy services, social‑emotional programs, and enrichment opportunities designed for children and teens. You’ll also find information on community supports such as crisis resources, basic needs assistance, and connections to licensed mental health professionals.

Please contact our school counselor, Jennifer Smith, if you would like help navigating these resources or identifying programs that align with your child’s needs. You can find the options available in the attached PDF.

Here are some photos from Family Friday with Mrs. Horvatich and Mrs. Greer:

Mrs. Busch's classes worked in teams to create roller coasters and tested their designs with marbles.

Our third grade classes traveled to downtown Fishers this week for their Box City fieldtrip. Here are some photos from Mr. O'Brien's class.

Our PTO student silent auction winners have been enjoying attending the events they won. Our cone helpers have had fun greeting our car riders with Mrs. Jones each morning this week.

The HIJH PTO would like to invite you to participate in the following upcoming events:

Summer Art in Nature Camp has openings! Week ONE is June 8-12 and Week TWO is June 15-18. Incoming Kindergartners are welcome to join too! Use the registration form below to sign up:

We have opened registration for Summer Meals!

To be eligible, youth must:

• Reside within the Hamilton Southeastern school district
• Be a registered HSE PreK student or HSE student in grades K through 12
• Have increased need for food assistance

Program Details:

• Runs during the months of June and July for 7 weeks
• There is no distribution the week of July 4th
• Meal pickup takes place on Tuesdays at our distribution center8766 E 96th St, Fishers, IN 46037
• Picked times are from 11:30am to 1:30pm or 5pm to 7pm

If you are eligible and are willing to pick up the meals 7 times throughout the summer, please sign up! You can do so here: Summer Meals Registration Form

We are asking families to only sign up one time. Many of you will probably be seeing the signup in different places like school newsletters, messages, email, etc. Please only sign up 1 time so we do not purchase more food than is needed.

All registered families will receive an email AFTER May 25, 2026, with confirmation of registration status and further instructions.

It’s not too late to register for 2026 Fishers Summer Camps at the Fishers Community Center, Strengthened by IU Health, the Fishers Art Center, and locations at local schools and parks. New this year, camps also include field trips and preschool offerings. Learn more and register at FishersIN.gov/Camps.

The Fishers Health Department now offers sports physicals for children and teens who need a physical exam to meet school or recreational sports participation requirements for just $25. Appointments are required. Call 317-537-0500 to schedule and learn more here.

🎉 Join Us for the Prairie Dash 5K! 🎉🏃‍♀️

We would love for you to be part of our Southeastern Elementary team for this year’s Prairie Dash 5K! This is a fun event for the whole family, and everyone is welcome to participate—students, siblings, parents, and friends!

Take in all the beautiful scenery at Connor Prairie as you run or walk along the course—it’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors together! 🌿

Your registration includes:
👕 A commemorative t-shirt
🏷️ A race bib
🏅 A finisher medal

We’ll also meet before the race to take a Southeastern Elementary team picture—a great way to show our school spirit!

Let’s make this our best turnout yet! 🎉

👉 Use the link below to sign up and join our team!

https://runsignup.com/CorporateTeams/161843/38040

We can’t wait to see you there!

SES has an incredible PTO!

Our PTO hosts fun events and activities throughout the year to raise essential funds for our school. These efforts directly support classrooms with supplies, books, and curriculum materials. Stay in the loop—follow us on social media for the latest updates and event info!

Facebook: Southeastern PTO (also posted on the Families of Southeastern page)

Instagram: @Southeastern PTO

Linktree: linktr.ee/sespto

Email: president@sespto.org

Get Involved with PTO! 🤝

Want to make a difference at SES? We’d love your help! The PTO is looking for passionate individuals to join our committees and help create memorable experiences for our students and staff. Whether you have a little time or a lot, there’s a way for you to get involved!

👉 Sign up here: SES PTO Committee Interest Form

Let’s work together to make this school year amazing!