Miller Elementary Weekly Update

Hello Miller Families!

Happy weekend, everyone! We had another fun-filled week with some amazing time spent outside! The weather was absolutely beautiful at the beginning of the week and it was certainly nice seeing the sunshine. Hopefully the wind doesn't cause too many issues for your family this Friday evening!

This upcoming week will be VERY BUSY for both Preschool and Kindergarten! We are excited to celebrate RIGHT to READ WEEK and the LOVE OF READING! Please check out the optional spirit days on our flyer below if your child wants to participate in any of these events!

Monday: PJ Day - Let's Cozy Up to a Good Book!

Tuesday: Wear GREEN for St. Patrick's Day or show your Aurora Reading Spirit!

Wednesday: Wear a SHIRT WITH WORDS OR LETTERS!

• We will discuss severe weather and participate in the Ohio State Wide Tornado Drill on Wednesday, March 18th at 9:50AM.

Thursday: Wear a shirt with an ANIMAL or ANIMAL PRINT!

• Preschool: Music with Ms. Abbey Day
• Kindergarten Visits AHS for Earth Day:
• 9:20 AM - 11:00 AM - Verhotz AM, Gallucci, Haughey, Heyman, Sabulsky, & Yonally
• 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM - Verhotz PM, Buettin, Forster, Kidwell & Smerkar

Lastly, this is the final week to order a 25-26 yearbook! We need to collect all paper forms by Monday, March 16th and the online order form will be closing too. Don't miss out on this chance to order a yearbook!

I can't wait to send out so many pictures in next week's newsletter after our busy week ahead!

Have a great evening!

Maria Goodman

Miller Elementary Principal

330-954-2189

mgoodman@aurora-schools.org

Children will be offered a Smore's Trail Mix on Thursday or Friday this week to enjoy during our camping themed week! All 3 ingredients DO NOT SAY "made in a factory with tree nuts or peanuts." However, some ingredients contain wheat, soy and dairy. If your child has a specific dietary or allergy concern, we have alternative options. I will be working with Nurse Jackie Pawlowski and the classroom teachers to ensure there is a safe treat for all. We will also supply the safe treat Made Good Gluten Free Vanilla Krispy Squares. We will reach out to specific families at the beginning of the week to confirm your preference. Thank you!

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!

I am really excited to meet with the parents of all my amazing incoming 1st graders on Thursday, April 23rd, at 5:30 p.m. in the Craddock gym! This is a parent-only event, and I look forward to giving you a glimpse into what 1st grade looks like, as well as assuring you of all we do to make the transition a smooth one.

As we begin the process of wrapping up the current school year, we can't help but begin to think about next year. Part of that process is the formulation of class placements. Class placements are constructed in a very particular manner, using data and input from the educational experts at Miller, Craddock and Leighton. We take many factors into consideration when making these decisions and feel it is very important that your input is utilized as well. You know your child best!

Although I cannot guarantee specific teacher requests will be granted due to a number of different factors, it is important to have as much information about each child as possible before the class list-making process gets underway. We recognize that parents/guardians are a valuable source of information to add to our knowledge about what works best for each child. Your information will be very helpful as we determine your child's placement for the 26-27 school year.

If you are interested in having some input, please fill out the following information and submit this form by Friday, May 8, 2026. Any feedback received after that date may not be able to be considered. You are also welcome to call or set up an appointment to speak with me specifically about your thoughts and concerns. I can be reached by email at kmstewart@aurora-schools.org or by phone at 330-562-3175.

Thank you!

Last Reminder - Please log in and check your child's report! We still have many families that need to log in and access their child's report. Please let us know if you have any issues.

For students in kindergarten through second grade, we utilize Gather as our reporting system. This platform allows families to track their child's growth and progress toward meeting specific grade-level expectations. A Final Forms message was sent out to all families outlining our Gather reporting system, along with instructions on how to log in. Our teachers have published all their final reports, and everything is officially posted today, Friday, February 27th! Please access your child's report so you can celebrate all of their growth and success!

If you have any difficulty accessing your child's report, you may email your child's teacher or Erin Toler, our building secretary, to help you troubleshoot any concerns.

Over the next 12 weeks, our Superintendent, Dr. Paul Milcetich, will be providing videos and facts about the Aurora City Schools Essential Plan, which will be a bond issue on the November ballot. Staying informed and sharing this information with friends and neighbors is an important way to be informed as a community member.

Please access our Essential Plan Website along with the three published videos that will help better explain our November Bond Issue.

*The Essential Plan Website

*Video #1 - Introduction to The Essential Plan

*Video #2 - The Heart of the Plan: A New 1-3 Elementary

*Video #3 - Triage Items

*Video #4 - The New Grade Configuration: PreK-5

The 5th video in the series, The Basics of a School Bond, can be found below!

Hello, Miller Families!

Your Kindergartners have been busy during classroom guidance lesson activities. In January, Kindergarteners reviewed Miller expectations: be responsible, be a problem solver and be respectful. They also learned that self-care is important. To go along with that theme, NOODLE and the NO BONES DAY by Jonathan Graziano was a read-aloud we used as a reminder to take time to relax when our bodies require it.

Next, Kindergarteners reviewed the ZONES of Regulation to identify feelings. The ZONES Book Nook includes read-alouds to help your child practice identifying feelings. Reviewing coping skills that may be helpful such as breathing, stretching, drawing, reading, and listening to music has been important, too.

In February, we celebrated Kindness Week! Please enjoy these Kindness at Home activities from The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and Children’s Books That Champion Kindness | Brightly.

March brings us the opportunities to review the concepts of growth mindset and accepting others. I will share more resources to accompany these lessons in the next newsletter.

Separately, another resource that has been helpful is On Our Sleeves. This site offers community resources, contacts, talking points and activities to benefit your family’s well-being and mental health.

As always, please feel free to reach out at any time if your student would benefit from extra support during their school day. It’s been great to watch them grow as Greenmen!

Warmly,
Mrs. Lindsey Ambrosia
School Counselor
📞 (330) 562-6199, ext. 5414
📧 lambrosia@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!

MARCH

• Week of 3/16 - Right to Read Week
• Wednesday, 3/18 - Ohio Severe Weather Day - Tornado Drill at 9:50AM
• Thursday, 3/19 - Preschool Music with Ms. Abbey
• Thursday, 3/19 - Kindergarten Field Trip to AHS for Earth 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
• Tuesday, 5/5 - Kindergarten Day Time Music Performances - Times will be shared soon!
• 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