RedHawk Tales

February 5-13: Book Fair

February 16: No School in observance of Presidents' Day

February 17-No School for students, Staff PD

March 5: Spring Music Concert at Broad Ripple Middle School (mark your calendars now!)

March 25: Battle of the Books Championship

Did someone say BOOK FAIR?! Our upcoming book fair is a wonderful opportunity to inspire a love of reading while supporting our school. Click the link below for information about setting up an e-wallet and more!...

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/sideneracademyhighability

In 2025, we raised $4,012. Our goal for this fair is $4,200. We can reach this goal! Your support of our book fair puts books in our students' hands and helps create welcoming reading corners in every classroom. Thank you to Ms. Bunch for putting in all the hard work to provide this opportunity for our school! If you have any questions, please reach out to bunchdebra@myips.org.

Mrs. Bunch posted an announcement in Schoology for students interested in Battle of the Books and created a Folder with all of the information they need. If they are interested in participating, they must let her know ASAP!

Participating students must commit to reading a minimum of 10 of the 20 selected books and completing the required forms for each book read. The final battle is scheduled for March 25th at Northwest Middle School. In order to prepare for the battle, Mrs. Bunch will begin meeting with participating students on Thursdays during Genius Hour.

All interested students in grades 3-5 should reach out to Mrs. Bunch at bunchdebra@myips.org.

Mr. Gorski was nominated for the IPS Luminary Award for Students First-Student Centered Excellence. This award is for teachers/staff who are "always putting students' needs first, setting high expectations, and supporting their success in and out of the classroom". Way to go, Mr. Gorski!

Thank you to all families that supported our recent popcorn fundraiser. Our top seller was Georgia!

The proceeds we collected will help support field trips and classroom supplies.

Who: All students in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades

What: Sidener Academy Spring Concert, entitled “Carnival of Animals” which is a modern twist of a beloved, humorous musical suite by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns.

Where: Broad Ripple High School Auditorium; 1115 Broad Ripple Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46220

When: Thursday, March 5th @ 6:30pm (call time is 6:15pm, Modern Band Club call time is 6pm for sound check)

Attire: Students are encouraged to channel their inner animal and wear prints, patterns, designs, and attire inspired by animals!

The expectation is for all students to attend. Students should arrive at Broad Ripple no later than 6:15 pm on Thursday, March 5th. Modern Band Club students should arrive at 6pm as they will perform first and need to warm-up/set up.

All families should prepare to stay for the entire duration of the concert out of respect for all students who have worked diligently for several months. Students will sit with their families when not performing and come up on stage for their portion of the show.

PARKING: Park in the large parking lot off Compton Street. There will be volunteers and signs pointing you in the direction to the auditorium.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Are you able to assist with concessions, moving instruments, or guiding families to the correct area? Or maybe you want to help with set up/tear down of decorations and instruments? Set-up will be on the day prior to the performance (Wednesday, March 4th) to ensure ample amount of time. Scan the QR code or visit this website to see jobs/time slots available! Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094BA9A923A3F5CE9-61469238-sidener

If you have any questions regarding the concert, attendance requirement, attire, or alike, please reach out to Miss Schafer (schafers@myips.org).

Get ready to explore, experiment, and discover! Our Science Fair is just around the corner and will showcase the creativity and curiosity of our students in grades 3-5. 4th and 5th Grade students will present projects that will be judged, while our 3rd Grade students will participate in a non-judged experience. So start thinking about your projects now!

School Smiles on-site Dental Care is returning to Sidener on March 25th, 2026! The in-school clinic begins at 11:30 am and will provide cleaning and other services to students with completed registration forms. Flyers were sent home with students this week. Please see flyers for further information and use the QR Code to sign your student up for dental care or visit www.schoolsmiles.com/student-signup

• Please pick up player in the front of the building.
• For away games, you will need to provide transportation to the game.
• For home games, players will stay after school.

Tuesday, February 10th Practice until 5:00

Wed., February 11th Double Header Home Game at 6:00 and 7:00 vs CFI 84 Blue and CFI 84 Yellow

Thursday, February 12th Practice until 5:00

Wed., February 18th Away Game at 6:00 at Charles Fairbanks 105

ROUND 1 Tournament Address: 8620 Montery Rd. 46226

ROUND 2 Tournament (IF WIN ON 18th) Thursday, February 19th

Away Game at 7:00 at Brookside 54, Address: 3150 E. 10th St. 46201,

Tuesday, February 24th Practice until 5:00 (IF WIN ON 19th)

ROUND 3 Tournament (IF WIN ON 19th), Wednesday, February 25th

Away Game at 7:00 at CFI 84, Address: 440 E. 57th St. 46220

Thursday, February 26th Practice until 5:00 (IF WIN ON 25th)

Tuesday, March 3rd Practice until 5:00 (IF WIN ON 25th)

ROUND 4 Tournament (IF WIN ON 25th) Wednesday, March 4th

Away Game at 6:00 at Longfellow, Address: 510 Laurel St. 46203

Thursday, March 5th Practice until 5:00 (IF WIN ON 4th)

ROUND 5 Tournament (IF WIN ON 4th), Monday, March 9th

Away Game at 6:00 at Longfellow, Address: 510 Laurel St. 46203

Walmart

Thank you to our local Walmart, located at 7325 N. Keystone Avenue, for their continued support of Sidener Academy. We appreciate the supplies, prizes, and treats they have shared with us. Thank you!

Happy Hollow Summer Camp

The Countdown is on to 2026 Camp Registration

It may feel far away in the middle of winter, but summer at Happy Hollow will be here before we know it. Registration for Happy Hollow Children's Camp 2026 Signature Summer Camp is open, and we are already looking ahead to another season of adventure, connection, and growth. From outdoor exploration to lifelong friendships, camp offers kids the chance to unplug, try new things, and discover more about themselves in a place they can truly belong. Any family that qualifies for free or reduced lunch can pay as low as $80 for a week of camp from Sunday evening till Friday morning.

Questions can be sent to Abby Bartley, Camp Director at abartley@happyhollowcamp.org

https://www.happyhollowcamp.org/summer-camp

Indianapolis Public Library

Ready, Set, School! Kindergarten Readiness

Multiple Locations in January

Help your child with pre-kindergarten skills in this workshop led by a former kindergarten teacher! Perfect for children ages 4-6.

Register here.

In December, our PTA president, Laura Alford resigned from the Sidener PTA board. Per our non-profit bylaws (available here), our vice president, Anh Nguyun, immediately became our president. At our following executive board meeting, the Sidener PTA officers elected Ashley Rice to serve as our Vice President. Ashley has been our recording secretary and has offered to continue helping in this role until a new secretary is named. Likewise, Carolyn Svirsky continues as our acting treasurer until a new treasurer can be named. We are in need of volunteers to serve as treasurer and recording secretary. Please contact the Sidener Academy PTA at info@sideneracademypta.org if you are interested in helping. Both positions only require a few hours a month and you'll be supporting our Sidener Academy PTA mission to support each child.

Kroger's Community Rewards

To participate, Sign up here, search for SIDENER ACADEMY PTA, and click Enroll. Then, Kroger gives back to Sidener each time you shop using your Kroger rewards card--it's just that easy!

Box Tops for Education
Use the Box Tops app to scan your store receipt, and earn cash for Sidener! Sign up here by searching for Sidener Academy-School 59.

Staples Rewards

Need school or office supplies? Shop at Staples! Download the Staples app to enroll or link your existing rewards account to Sidener. Staples then gives 5% back to Sidener with every purchase. Sign up here

Scripps

Need to purchase gift cards? Shop through Raise Right (Scripps) to earn money for Sidener! Enrollment Code: FA5B7A34652L5 Shop here

Make a tax deductible Donation to support Sidener community events, teacher requests and other needs throughout the year. Sidener Academy PTA is a nonprofit organization, and all funds support our students and school community. Donate here

Laura Rain Alford, President, president@sideneracademypta.org

Anh Nguyen, Vice President, vicepresident@sideneracademypta.org

Carolyn Svirsky-Interim Treasurer, treasurer@sideneracademypta.org

Ashley Rice-Recording Secretary, secretary@sideneracademypta.org

Becky Schwantes-An, Communications Secretary, info@sideneracademypta.org