SEM Newsletter: Week 33

To ensure high levels of learning in a safe, respectful environment where all achieve personal and academic success. ALL means ALL.

Hope all of our Seminole families enjoyed a wonderful Easter holiday and relaxing long weekend! 🌸🐣 Just a reminder—this Friday is an Early Release Day! ⏰

Mrs. VanderMolen, Principal

Mrs. Drazick, Assistant Principal

Congratulations to all of our amazing 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students who represented Seminole in last week’s District Math Bowl Competition! We’re incredibly proud of the teamwork, effort, and dedication you all displayed.

A special shoutout to Theo Wigfall for earning 1st place in the 3rd grade individual competition, and to our outstanding 4th grade team for taking 1st place in their team competition—way to go, Seminoles! 🎉📚➕

From April 21st to April 24th, students can purchase fun tattoos during Ms. Emily’s Specials class and choose which staff member will proudly wear it. Then, on April 25th, watch our staff show off their new ink with pride!

All proceeds will go toward making Teacher Appreciation Week extra special in May!

🎨 Tattoo Prices:

• $1 – Small Tattoo

• $3 – Medium Tattoo

• $3 – Face Tattoo

  
  

Let’s have some fun and show our Seminole staff how much we appreciate them! 🖤

Seminole is excited to host our Spring Book Fair from April 28th to May 2nd! Students will have the opportunity to visit the book fair during their specials time. We’ll also be holding a special evening grand opening on April 28th—see flyer below!

Our Lost & Found is Overflowing! Please stop by our office to see if your child's lost jacket is among our lost and found.

In an effort to increase the security and safety on campus, all visitors must have a photo ID to enter the front office.

Students in grades K-2 will take the STAR Assessment, while students in grades 3-5 will be taking the FAST Assessment. As a reminder, this state assessment plays a key role in determining your child’s progress for the 2024-2025 school year.

📅 Please check the schedule below for your child's testing dates. Attendance during the first few weeks of May is crucial! Let’s work together to set our students up for success! 💪🎓

Mark your calendars! 🗓

1st Grade will be hosting their Annual Mother’s Day Tea on May 9th from 9:15 to 9:45 AM.

To help us manage space, we kindly ask that each student bring only one guest. If Mom can’t attend, no worries—another special loved one is welcome to join in her place! 💐

Florida is leading a first-in-the-nation approach that empowers students to persevere and overcome life’s inevitable challenges. The Florida Department of Education developed state education standards and resources to equip students with skills that build resiliency.

These are the 11 resiliency characteristics to help your child overcome any challenge:

Perseverance, Responsibility,Self-Awareness & Self-Management, Grit, Responsible, Decision-Making, Mentorship, Gratitude, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Citizenship, Honesty, and Empathy

Explore the skills by going to buildresilency.org and clicking each word to learn its definition and access downloadable resources.

Attention 5th-grade parents! You’re invited to our 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony on May 20th. Be sure to mark your calendars! Due to limited space, we kindly ask each family to bring no more than three guests per student.

Kindergarten graduation is right around the corner, and parents are invited! Due to limited space, we kindly ask families to limit attendance to three guests per student.

Okeechobee County VPK Registration is now open! If you have a child that will be 4 years old before September 1st, check out the flyer below for more information.

Link Here to Register for VPK

The Zone Waiver application window for the 2025-2026 school year is open from May 1st to May 20th. Applications can be completed in person at Seminole. Please note that Seminole is currently at capacity, so all applications will be placed on a waiting list.

To learn more about Zone Waivers, check out the District's website by clicking on this link!

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!

A read-at-home plan is required to be provided to parents of any K – grade 3 student who has been identified with a substantial deficiency in reading. The Just Read, Florida! Office at the Florida Department of Education has compiled resources that each school district must incorporate into a read-at-home plan provided to the parent of a student who is identified as having a substantial

deficiency in reading. A read-at-home plan includes information and resources connected to the essential components of reading: oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. These resources are available in an electronic format that is accessible online, and a hardcopy of such resources must be provided by the school upon parent request. To access these resources digitally, click on each link provided.

Just Read, Florida!

We are delighted to inform you that our community has access to a wonderful program called Footsteps2Brilliance® that can help your child develop reading and writing skills in English and in Spanish. Footsteps2Brilliance® provides a comprehensive curriculum of over 1,000 English and Spanish books, songs, and games that are fun for children and easy for you to access on any smart device or computer. No internet access? No problem! The app works even without an internet connection. Once the device is connected to Wi-Fi again, all the data will automatically upload to the teacher. Best of all, the program is proven to help children learn to read!

Check out the flyers below to learn more!

Parents, take a look at our Parent Family Engagement Plan here! This plan provides an overview of the ways we aim to foster strong partnerships between families and our school.an overview of the ways we aim to foster strong partnerships between families and our school.

Parent Family Engagement Plan English

Parent Family Engagement Plan Spanish

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.

Link to District Bullying and Harassment Policy

At Seminole, we are committed to Read Aloud A Lot. Students spend time daily reading aloud in class. Students daily are required to read 20 minutes at home for homework. Students K-2 should be reading the fluency passages sent home by the teacher and grades 3-5 should be reading books at home.

Stay Informed About Meals at Seminole! 🥞🍎

Access the March 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, please check out this wonderful free resource! Even if your family is not eligible to receive books, there are still free resources available to help your child with reading!

Link to New Worlds Reading Website

The Florida Department of Education has recently updated their Just Read, Florida! initiative. Click here to learn more about the updates!

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!