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At South Elementary School, we are a learning community nurturing a culture to provide students the skills necessary to be active, productive, and responsible citizens while empowering students through communications.

December 2-6 PTO Food Drive

December 2 PLTW 3rd grade learning trip

December 3 PTO Meeting 5PM

December 12 Winter Concert for Grades 1 and 3 at 6:30PM

December 13 3rd Grade caroling 9:30AM

December 20 Polar Express Day; Winter Parties

December 20 End of 9 weeks

December 23-January 3 Winter Break

January 6 School Resumes

January 13-14 2nd Grade PLTW Learning Trip

January 16 MCT Vision screening for 1st grade and applied skills

January 17 Club/Team Pictures

January 20 MLK Jr. Day, No School

January 27 ILEARN Checkpoint 2 3rd Grade ELA 9AM

January 29 ILEARN Checkpoint 2 3rd Grade Math 9AM

February 7 Healthy Smiles

February 17 Presidents' Day, No School

March 14 Spring Pictures

What is digital Citizenship? All students need digital citizenship skills to participate fully in their communities and make smart choices online and in life. Students will be engaged in lessons in October and November to help prepare them more with the skills they need for digital citizenship.

The Robotics Team has started practices and are gearing up for competitions this year! Mrs. Willard and Miss Shover are the coaches.

South Elementary high ability students meet monthly after school for LEAP (Learning Enrichment Activities Program) Club. Thank you, Mrs. Hostetter and Mrs. Durbin, for leading this club! In November, LEAP club participants visited Martinsville City Hall and met with Mayor Costin.

• To report an absence for your child, please call the office at

(765) 349-1486 by 9:00AM. If you do not call the school by 9:30 a.m. and report the absence, the school messaging system, someone from the school, or the attendance officer may be calling your home. Please call in so that the day is an excused absence.

• A doctor visit should be documented with a statement from the doctor so that it can be entered in the school data system. Doctor statements should be faxed to 765-349-5247 or given to the office. We need this documentation to mark it as an excused absence.

• WE ASK THAT YOU NOT KEEP A CHILD OUT OF SCHOOL FOR THE ENTIRE DAY FOR A doctor or dental appointment.

• If a child is sent home with a fever of 100.4 degrees or over, he/she is not to return to school until fever free for 24 hours without fever medication. If the student is sent home from the clinic, it will be marked as an excused absence through the clinic.

Regular attendance is essential for children to be successful in their educational endeavors. Students are bound by the requirements of the Indiana Compulsory Attendance Laws. Students are expected to attend school regularly and be on time for classes in order to benefit from instructional programs and develop responsible personal habits that are respected in society and therefore a part of the educational process. Please make sure students arrive on time. The morning bell rings at 8:40AM to start class. It rings at 9:40AM on Wednesdays to start class for grades K-4.

*Complete details of attendance procedures and guidelines can be found in the student handbook.

Attendance Guidelines

• AUTHORIZED ABSENCES: If documentation is not provided, these absences will be recorded as unexcused absences. Documentation does include calling into the office.

• DOCUMENTATION: All legal or medical documentation must be submitted within 5 days for the absence to be recorded as excused. The school’s fax # is 765-349-5247.

PLEASE CALL IN OR SEND A DOCTOR NOTE for the attendance to be excused.

Attendance Letters & DCS Notification

• Attendance letters are generated and sent via email on the 5th unexcused absence, 10th unexcused, and 18th unexcused absence.

• Under IC 20-33-2-25, the school must notify DCS when a student reaches 10 unexcused absences. See additional information below.

Under IC 20-33-2-25, the “Superintendent or an attendance officer having jurisdiction shall report a child who is habitually absent from school in violation of this chapter to an intake officer of the juvenile court or the department of child services. The intake officer or the department of child services shall proceed in accord with IC 31-30- through IC 31-40.”

Everyone should report abuse or neglect. The reporting and investigating of suspected child abuse and neglect are not discretionary matters. They have been required by law (IC 31-33-5-1) since 1979.

Do Report When...

• Students have reached ten (10) or more unexcused absences.

• Educational neglect is suspected

• Students are missing and unaccounted for

November 18, 2024

As we begin a busy season of school and holiday activities, I would like to make you aware of our procedures and communication plan concerning the possibility of inclement weather:

• Weather decisions are made by our team who monitor conditions closely.

• When determining a delay, early dismissal, or cancellation of school, countywide weather conditions are reviewed. In addition, we utilize the National Weather Service website @ www.nws.noaa.gov/om/cold/wind_chill.shtml

Communication

Before school, a decision will be made by 5:30 AM and communicated to you and your family in the following ways:

1. Staff/ parents will be notified through an all-call using ParentSquare. (Telephone numbers are generated from our Skyward database. At your convenience, please check Family Access to ensure your telephone number is up-to-date for this academic year.)

2. Communication will be added to the district's website and social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MSD of Martinsville

3. Communication will be sent to the following radio and TV stations: WCBK, WISH 8, WRTV-6, WTHR-13, Fox-59.

4. This information can also be found on our website, https://msdofmartinsville.org/transportation-and-safety/.

Early Dismissal

As weather conditions in our area can change quickly, an early dismissal may be necessary. We will make a decision concerning dismissal as early as possible then call parents through ParentSquare and communicate information to our website, social media and local media.

I encourage you as a family to develop a weather plan. For example, if parents or guardians work, where should your child go if there is an early dismissal or a two-hour delay?

I hope this information is helpful as we work together planning for inclement weather events. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Eric Bowlen

Superintendent

Click PDF Version

On Wednesday mornings, staff will be participating in professional development to improve student learning and success.

Therefore, for grades K-4 doors will open at 9:25AM with school starting at 9:40AM. Contact the South office if childcare is needed from 8:25-9:25.

PreK will still be at normal time on Wednesdays. Doors will open at 8:25AM and school will start for PreK at 8:40AM on Wednesdays.

Federal funding has been made available through school-wide Title I services to South Elementary for the purpose of providing students with extra support in reading and language arts. This extra support is available for all students at South Elementary. Classroom teachers, Title I teachers, and instructional assistants will provide assistance in reading, language arts, and math through small group and individual instruction as children demonstrate need for support. Please contact Jessica Shanafelt at 765-349-1486 Ext. 1654 with any questions about support your child may receive.

Congratulations to the South Elementary SPELL BOWL team for earning 3rd Place at the competition. Great Job! Thank you, Mrs. Scrougham for coaching the team. Thank you, Mrs. Lucas for being the proctor for the competition.

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*Please contact the office if you need this information provided in another language.

Website: https://msdofmartinsville.org/south-elementary/
Location: 500 Artesian Ave, Martinsville, IN, USA
Phone: 7653491486
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthElementarySchool
Twitter: @southdolphins1