Miller Elementary Weekly Update

Hello Miller Families!

It was so wonderful to have a FULL WEEK of school even though mother nature is keeping the temps in northeast Ohio very chilly! We are excited to roll into a fun-filled week ahead celebrating Random Acts of Kindness, filling our PBIS Pom Jar, and spreading some happiness to all! Our class Valentine's Day Parties will be this upcoming Thursday so please see the specific communication from your child's teacher about this special day.

This is one last reminder that we will be hosting our Kick Off to Kindergarten Parent Meeting on Tuesday, February 17th at 6:30 PM at the Aurora High School Auditorium. This parent only meeting is for all our families who will be enrolling their child in kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year. Since your child is currently enrolled in the Aurora Schools, there will be fewer steps for you to complete. We will make sure you receive the correct enrollment folder prior to our Kick Off Meeting. In the next month or two, I will be sharing more information about the transition for our kindergartners going to Craddock for first grade and details for our preschoolers who will be staying in our program for another year!

We have officially wrapped up all our mid-year assessments to check the growth and progress of your amazing children! Our intervention team has sifted through all the information to ensure that our instructional practices are matched to their social, emotional or academic needs. If our team has suggestions about ways to practice skills at home or additional interventions we might need to implement at school, our staff will be reaching out in the weeks ahead!

Finally, this newsletter will serve as communication for the next two weeks since we have two shortened weeks ahead. I will be sending out specific communication to our kindergarten families related to second semester progress using our reporting system Gather. Be on the lookout for a Final Forms message mid-February regarding all the details to access your child's report.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Early Valentine's Day!

Maria Goodman

Miller Elementary Principal

330-954-2189

mgoodman@aurora-schools.org

As you are aware, we have had 5 calamity days due to snowy or cold weather thus far. If Dr. Milcetich deems it necessary to call another one, nothing changes. But once we hit day 7, 8 and 9, asynchronous learning opportunities must be available for your child.

To ensure all of our kiddos have this opportunity, we are in the process of assembling activities into a "blizzard bag" which will be sent home on Wednesday, 2/11/26. We ask that you find a safe place to keep these materials in case the need arises.

On day 7, 8 and 9 of a calamity day, you would hear from your child's teacher by 9:00 a.m. and she would also be available throughout the normal school day hours to answer questions and assist with at-home activities.

This is just a heads up to let you know the blizzard bag will be coming home with all Miller students on Wednesday, 2/11/26. I will also send a Final Forms message on Wednesday to remind everyone!

Yearbook order forms will be sent home with children this upcoming week! You may choose to purchase a yearbook for Miller Elementary using our online order form or the paper copy. We do not order extra yearbooks so please ensure you snag one now if you are interested in having a yearbook for this school year. Click on the link below to order online!

It's time to start thinking about kindergarten registration for the 26-27 school year! This exciting transition for our preschoolers begins with our Kick-Off to Kindergarten Parent Meeting on February, 17th at 6:30 PM in the AHS Auditorium. Information about the important dates and the specific steps for registration will be shared at this parent-only meeting. Kindergarten enrollment numbers can fluctuate from year to year, so it is critical that families register their children for kindergarten during the March registration window. Residents are urged to remind friends and neighbors who have students approaching kindergarten age to attend Kick-Off to Kindergarten in February and register their students during our March registration days. There are fewer steps to register our current Miller preschoolers and this will be communicated throughout the process.

Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, students must be 5 years old on or before the first day of school on August 18th, 2026, to be eligible for regular entrance into kindergarten in the Aurora City Schools. This change will be adopted by the Aurora Board of Education based on House Bill 114 which was passed late December, and takes effect for the 26-27 school year.

Nurse Jackie Pawlowski has sent the following message to our preschool families:

We have had an increase in illness within the preschool classrooms. We are seeing fevers, coughs, digestive issues, and RSV. We wanted to send this communication out to keep you informed. Children at this age are working on building their immunity to germs and learning proper etiquette to avoid getting sick.

Please continue to work with your child on proper etiquette to avoid the spread of germs. Encourage frequent hand washing- Attached is a hand washing handout to practice with your child. Also continue to work with your child on how to cough and sneeze into his/her elbow to help avoid the spread of germs.

We have increased our cleaning protocol within the classrooms as well. We will continue to clean, sanitize, and disinfect our classrooms like we normally do, but will be doing it more frequently.

Thank you for helping in keeping children safe and healthy, especially during cold/flu season.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to our school nurse, Jackie Pawlowski at 330-954-2286 or email jpawlowski@aurora-schools.org

It's that time of year when we begin to have students who meet the benchmarks of notifying families about excessive absences. If your child meets the threshold of missed hours, a letter must be sent from the school alerting you. Please also be reminded that it doesn't matter whether the absences are excused or unexcused. We have to track the hours missed regardless of the reason and communicate to you when benchmarks have been met.

This is also the time of year that planned absences often get scheduled. We have attached our planned absence form and policy. Please make sure you read through this important message and understand that planned absences and absences due to illness all count for missed hours. If you have any further questions, please let me know!

FEBRUARY

• Saturday, 2/7 - Princess Prom
• Thursday, 2/12 - Valentine's Celebration at Miller Elementary 10:15-11:00 & 2:00-2:45
• Friday, 2/13 - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development Day)
• Monday, 2/16 - NO SCHOOL (Happy Presidents' Day!)
• Tuesday, 2/17 - Kick Off to Kindergarten for Incoming Class of 26-27 @ 6:30 PM @ AHS
• Friday, 2/20 - Trimester 2 Ends
• Monday, 2/23 - Trimester 3 Begins
• Friday, 2/27 - GATHER Narratives for Kindergarten are LIVE for Trimester 2 (Parent Invite Letters will be sent home in February)

MARCH

• Friday, 3/06 - NO SCHOOL (Staff Professional Development Day)
• Monday, 3/23-Friday, 3/27 - NO SCHOOL (Happy Spring Break!)

APRIL

• Friday, 4/03 - NO SCHOOL (Happy Good Friday!)
• Monday, 4/06 - NO SCHOOL (Happy Easter Monday!)
• Monday, 4/13 - Kindergarten Screening for Current Miller Preschoolers (This will take place during your child's typical preschool day. Results will be sent home later in the week.)
• Thursday, 4/23 - Parent Orientation for Incoming 1st Graders for 26-27 5:30 at Craddock

MAY

• Friday, 5/01 - NO SCHOOL
• Monday, 5/4 - Friday, 5/8 - Staff Appreciation Week
• Monday, 5/25 - NO SCHOOL (Happy Memorial Day!)
• Tuesday, 5/26 - Preschool Graduation - More information will be shared in the Spring
• Wednesday, 5/27 - Kindergarten Field Day
• Thursday, 5/28 - Last Day of School for Preschool and Kindergarten
• Thursday, 5/28 - Trimester 3 Ends

In all our Elementary Buildings, we utilize a Google Form to report attendance, late arrival, early dismissal, and change of transportation such as switching from a bus rider to office pick-up!

To report an absence or change your child to a car rider or bus rider, please click the button below or scan the QR code magnet that we will pass out at Open House. This can be done from any device and your reply will be sent immediately to our secretary, Mrs. Toler.

If your child will be absent, you will use this form to report the absence along with the reason for the absence. We are working really hard to reduce the amount of phone calls, emails, or notes that we receive. We ask that you reserve those modes of communication for emergencies only. Thank you in advance for your help and let us know if you have any questions at all!

Miller Elementary Principal

Erin Toler : etoler@aurora-schools.org

Miller Elementary Secretary

Email: mgoodman@aurora-schools.org
Website: aurora-schools.org
Location: 646 S Chillicothe Rd, Aurora, OH 44202, USA
Phone: 330-562-6199