Burkhart Elementary Newsletter

Principal: Darlene Hardesty

Assistant Principal: Jeanetta Penniston

Burkhart Elementary School

5701 Brill Road

Indianapolis, IN 46227

Phone: 317-789-3600

Attendance: 317-789-3602

There will be no school on Monday, September 1 in observance of the Labor Day Holiday. Enjoy the long weekend!

The World's Finest Chocolate fundraiser continues on next week. This fundraiser is sponsored by our PTA and raises the majority of funds needed to provide for student programs, activities, and reduced cost (or no cost) field trips for our students for the school year. Thank you to everyone that is helping to sell chocolate bars for our school. You are welcome to contact our office with questions or to receive a box of chocolates to sell to support our efforts.

School picture day is scheduled for Monday, September 8. Picture packages may be ordered online at www.inter-state.com/order with code 0063CGA or you may complete the form sent home and return it with your student on picture day with cash or check payment. Checks should be made payable to Inter-State Studio & Publishing Co. We know pictures provide special memories and as such allow our students to be out of dress code on this date. All students and staff will be photographed regardless of ordering a picture package.

The Marion County Public Health Department provides state mandated vision screening services for all students in first, third, and fifth grades. They also provide state mandated hearing screenings for students in first and fourth grades. Students who have transferred into Marion County from other counties or from out of state and any student suspected of having vision or hearing problems will also participate in the screenings.

Vision screenings will be conducted on Tuesday, September 2 at Burkhart. If your child wears glasses and/or contacts, please be sure they are wearing these to school on Tuesday. Hearing screenings will be conducted on Wednesday, September 3 at Burkhart. If your child wears hearing aids, please be sure they are wearing these to school on Wednesday.

If you do not want the Marion County Public Health Department to conduct a vision or hearing screening on your child, please send a note to Nurse Carla in our school clinic on or before September 2.

Burkhart School is proud to once again offer our Reading Giants program, which encourages our students to become lifelong readers. Students may participate in the Reading Giants program during the months of September through April.

Each month our students will set a reading goal to read a certain number of minutes at home per week. When a child reaches their goal for at-home reading at the end of the month, the parent signs for verification purposes. Students will then be able to sign the classroom book page that will be displayed in the front hall and receive a prize or reward for meeting their goal for the month.

We appreciate your support of our efforts to make Reading Giants a success!

• September 1 - Labor Day, No School
• September 2 - Vision Screenings
• September 3 - Hearing Screenings
• September 8 - Picture Day
• September 16 - Dine and Donate at Jaggers, 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
• September 18 - PTA Meeting, 6:00 p.m.
• September 24 - Family Night
• September 26 - Spirit Day

Clubs meeting next week include:

• Spell Bowl: Tuesday, 8:00 – 8:50 a.m.

• Religious Education: Tuesday, 4:00 – 4:45 p.m.

Dear Families of 2nd and 5th Grade Students,

In September, your student will take the Cognitive Abilities Test™ (CogAT®). The purpose of this letter is to inform you about the test so that—with your support and encouragement—your student will do his or her best on the test.

About CogAT

CogAT measures students’ learned reasoning abilities in the three areas most closely related to

success in school:

• The Verbal Battery measures students’ abilities to reason with words and concepts. These reasoning abilities play an important role in reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, and virtually all verbal learning tasks.

• The Quantitative Battery measures students’ abilities to reason with quantitative symbols and concepts. These reasoning skills are significantly related to problem solving in mathematics and other disciplines.

• The Nonverbal Battery measures students’ abilities to reason with geometric shapes and figures. To perform successfully, students must accurately implement strategies for solving novel problems.

The three separate batteries provide a broad perspective on each student’s learned reasoning abilities, identifying cognitive strengths and weaknesses. The students take the test on the computer. This test is given as part of our high ability screening. The different parts of the screening take place throughout the school year. Identification for the program occurs in April, and identification emails will go out through ParentSquare in May. Test scores from the CogAT will be available in Skyward under Test Results after testing. Our Skyward updated to a new version, so it may take longer than usual to upload. Please send any questions to Kim Jovic at kjovic@perryschools.org.

Sincerely,

Kim Jovic

Director of Testing and High Ability

Burkhart celebrates the birthday of our students during our morning announcements each day. We ask you not to send in treats and save additional celebrations for at home.

We are now welcoming lunchtime visitors. Parents who wish to eat lunch with their child should arrive a few minutes prior to the start of their child's lunchtime so they can get registered as a visitor. Remember that you will need to bring your government-issued ID card (for example: driver's license, green card, passport) with you. School lunch may be purchased for the cost of $5.00 (adult guest) or $2.70 (child guest) using exact cash or with a check made payable to Perry Township Schools. Alternately, parents may bring in a lunch packed from home or from a restaurant as a special treat. While dining in the cafeteria, the parent and student will be seated at a separate table so they can enjoy the visit together. We do not allow other students to join in and also ask that cell phones not be used during the visit.

As part of our security measures, we will ask for a government-issued photo ID card (for example: driver’s license, green card, passport) for adults needing to pick a student up from school. Please be prepared to provide this each time you visit school.

The Perry Township Elementary Dress Code Policy includes the following guidance regarding student clothing:

1. Solid color collared shirt (with sleeves) or turtleneck, encouraged to be tucked in.
2. Black, khaki, navy, or earthtone bottoms, no denim. No overt or distracting holes, rips, cuts, or frays are permitted.
3. Knee-length pants. Shorts may be worn up until Fall Break and after Spring Break.
4. Dresses, skirts, shorts, and jumpers must be near knee length.
5. Winter Wear—mostly solid color sweater or sweatshirt allowed; must be over collared shirt or turtleneck; should be an appropriate size.
6. Student IDs should be worn and made visible at all times.
7. No flip-flops or “wheelie” shoes. No hooded sweatshirts.
8. School spirit wear is determined by each building.

Please see the student handbooks for additional guidance regarding dress code.

Are you interested in helping your child’s teacher and working with students? Or do you enjoy working behind the scenes by making copies and sharpening pencils? Are you wanting to be a chaperone for school trips? Or would you like to help out at your child’s classroom parties? If so, we’d love to have your help!

Perry Township Schools has an easy process for becoming a volunteer in our schools. Backgrounds checks need to be completed just one time every three years and will allow you to volunteer at our school and at any other Perry Township School in which you have a child. Visit the following website and complete the application today:

https://www.perryschools.org/community-resources/volunteers-visitors/

Be sure to reach out to your child’s teacher to arrange for volunteer opportunities once you have completed the background check.

SYCAMORE ICE SKATING CLUB LEARN TO SKATE LESSONS for ages 4 years to adults

In Person Registration Saturday, August 30, 2025 - 10:00am - 12:00pm, Perry Park Ice Skating Rink Lobby, 451 East Stop 11 Rd, Indianapolis, IN.

Have you ever wanted to learn to ice skate for pleasure or personal gains, learning the fundamentals and be safe on the ice, or advance to competition levels in figure skating or ice hockey? Sycamore’s Learn To Skate is the program for you!

Learn to ice skate lessons are offered on Saturdays for 7 weeks from 12:40 p.m. -2:10 p.m. at Perry Park Ice Skating Rink, 451 East Stop 11 Rd, Indianapolis, IN.

For more information see our website: http://www.sycamoreisc.org

Sycamore Ice Skating Club is a not-for-profit club sanctioned under US Figure Skating.