RedHawk Tales

April 13- May 8: ILEARN Window

April 17: Earth Day Celebration\

April 20-24: Cluster Truck Dine to Donate Fundraiser

April 22: PTA Meeting, 6:30

April 28: 5th Grade Field Trip to Camptown

April 28: 3rd Grade Field Trip to Skateland

April 29: Battle of the Books

April 29: Grades 1 & 2 Field Trip to the Indianapolis Zoo

May 1: Room 104 Pen Pal Field Trip

May 4-8: Starbase field trip for 5th grade

May 6-8: Crave Cookies and Soda Dine to Donate Fundraiser

May 6: 4th Grade Field Trip to Indiana State Museum

May 7: Unified Champions Sports Day?

Redhawk Families,

I hope this message finds you well. As we continue through this important time of the school year, I want to take a moment to celebrate our students and the continued growth we are seeing across our building. Their focus, perseverance, and commitment to learning have been evident each day, and we are incredibly proud of their efforts. Our students have also been enjoying various field trips, providing meaningful opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom.

As a reminder, ILEARN testing will begin next week for our 3rd–5th grade students. This is an important opportunity for students to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the year. We are confident in their abilities and know they are prepared to do their very best.

To support your child during testing, we encourage the following:

• Ensure your child gets a good night’s rest each evening
• Have them arrive to school on time each day
• Provide a healthy breakfast to help them stay focused
• Encourage a positive mindset and confidence in their abilities

Our staff will continue to support students throughout the testing window to ensure they feel prepared, comfortable, and successful.

In addition, our PTA is currently preparing a fun Spring Fling for families, and more information will be shared in the coming weeks. We look forward to this opportunity to come together as a school community.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for entrusting us with your most precious gifts. We look forward to a strong and successful week ahead.

Wishing you sunshine and joy ☀️,

Dr. Milanda Penn

The ILEARN window opens on April 13 and runs through May 8. Grades 3-5 are testing April 14-16 and April 21-22. Here are some tips for successful testing:

• All computers should be at school so that they can be FULLY CHARGED.
• Do NOT schedule any appointments during testing days/time. Most testing is done in the morning.
• Get to school ON TIME.
• Go to bed early so that you are well rested.
• Eat a healthy breakfast at home or at school.
• Do your best!

Congratulations to our "Students of the Month" for demonstrating ALL the pillars of PRIDE. These students have shown perseverance, respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence in all that they do. Keep up the great work!

Sidener Families, as we begin to wrap up the year, we are asking that all devices (Chromebooks, iPads, and chargers) be returned to school with your student by Friday, April 10th. It is imperative that student devices are present at school and fully charged to ensure a smooth testing season and end of year collection. Devices will be kept at school for the remainder of the year and will no longer be sent home nightly. Thank you!

We're almost a month away from this year's Spring Fling, and the PTA Events Committee has been hard at work planning and organizing this event. We'll need volunteers and donations to help make Spring Fling the fun night it has always been. Please see below for more information and the ways you can help! We truly cannot run this event without your help, so thank you in advance for making this fun night for students, family and staff a success!

When/Where: May 15, 6-8pm on school grounds

The Sidener Academy PTA invites you to our annual Spring Fling! This free spring festival event celebrates the end of the school year and brings together our Sidener Academy community for an evening of fun. A free hot dog dinner is provided while supplies last. Yaso Jamaican Grill, the Snowie Shaved Ice truck and Nothing Bundt Cakes will also be on site for purchase with a portion of each sale being donated back to the Sidener Academy PTA. We'll have free bounce houses, games, face painting, karaoke, crafts, glitter tattoos, student artwork and International Festival projects on display, and the annual Scholastic BOGO Book Fair! Please mark your calendar for Friday, May 15, 6-8pm to join us for this wonderful evening at Sidener Academy!

Spring Fling is a volunteer run and donation powered event, and we need your help! If you're able, sign up to volunteer at the event and/or donate items from our Wishlist.

Sign-up here to volunteer: https://tinyurl.com/SpringFling2026Volunteer

Donate by using our Amazon Wishlist:https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2EJEJJ9AUBCDZ

Thank you for helping to make this special evening great!

It's been a great season for Redhawks Robotics! Sidener teams made the finals at all four competitions we attended this year! Team 65967E won the IPS Mix and Match Invitational Scrimmage, and Team 65967S won a Judges Award at the Heritage Mix and Match State Qualifier!

We are extremely proud of all of our students for their hard work, team spirit, and sportsmanship throughout the 2025-2026 season! A big thank you to all of our parent coaches and volunteers for your tireless dedication this year!

Now that competition season is over, teams will spend the next three practices modifying their robots for our annual Redhawks Robotics BattleBots Tournament! This is an opportunity for our students to get really creative with mechanics and engineering, and many look forward to it all season. The tournament will take place during our last practice on May 1. See you on the field!

Go Redhawks!

On Thursday, several Sidener students competed in the district-wide ISSMA (Indiana State School Music Association) solo and ensemble event. All three Sidener students, Minh Anh, Rosalind, and Rhys achieved gold ratings with their solos! Congratulations Sidener students!

Thanks to Ms. Schafer for supporting our students' passions at school!

IPS Student artwork will be on display. We will have 15 student artworks on display, and all students are invited to the art exhibition from 4-6pm TODAY, April 10th.

Our recent Science Fair was a huge success, showcasing the creativity, curiosity, and hard work of our students. Congratulations to our top winners! Thank you to our teachers, judges, and families for supporting this exciting event. Special shout out to Mrs. Berg for organizing. We are incredibly proud of all who participated!

Is your Sidener student interested in auditioning for Sidener's Got Talent? Click the link below to sign up for either audition date (Tues., April 28th or Wed., April 29th 3:45-4:30pm). Can't attend either date? Send a video to Ms. Schafer! https://forms.gle/bsrieryiAkeGDMqU7

Please see below list of dates/deadlines for Media/Technology:

· April 1st – No more book check out if you have lost library books

April 10th – All Devices turned in

April 20-May 1-Coin challenge

· April 29th – Battle of the Books

· May 1st – Last day to check out books

· May 7th -15th – BOOK FAIR

· May 18th – All Library Books Due

Parents of 5th grade students...please make sure that you fill out the waiver and return the IPS permission slip and $10 admission fee. Reach out to the school if you have any questions.

Purdue University's Gifted Education Research & Resource Institute (GER²I) Super Summer is a program where bright kids in kindergarten (K) through fourth grade come to enjoy challenging courses with other academically, creatively, and artistically talented youth. Day-long, interdisciplinary courses are geared at least two grade levels above each student's current school grade. For more information, click the following link.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XLMlnqegrvHfcAfLC9ZKjfK-9iZO1TMo/view?usp=drive_link

For more information, reach out to Mrs. Berg at bergp@myips.org.

If your child is interested in keeping their chess skills sharp, sign them up for a summer camp. Information is included using the following link...

https://www.learningthroughgames.com/center-for-inquiry-school-70-early-summer-chess-camp/

The Butler University Men’s Soccer program is hosting their Butler Soccer Summer Camp, which will give young players the chance to train on Butler’s campus with the coaching staff and experience what it’s like to be part of a Division I soccer environment! It is open to anyone who loves soccer no matter their skills. The camp focuses on skill development, fun competition, and creating a memorable experience for players who love the game.

Upcoming Meetings: Mark your Calendar for our last PTA Meeting of the Year.

Wednesday, April 22 at 6:30pm in the School Cafeteria

The agenda will include a Title I update from Mrs. Mundell, nominations and elections for the 2026-2027 Sidener Academy PTA board and planning for Spring Fling, Teacher Appreciation Week and 5th Grade Promotion

Officer Nominations for 2026-27: The Sidener Academy PTA will need new officers for the 2026-2027 school year. Our Sidener students and mission need you to consider stepping up to help! The Sidener PTA is volunteer lead and cannot continue without the help of parents and caregivers to give a few hours each month to support our students and school. Officers must be PTA members in good standing by March 15, so if you haven't yet joined the Sidener Academy PTA, please join here: my.cheddarup.com/c/2024-2025-pta-dues-copy

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

Anh Nguyen, President, president@sideneracademypta.org

Ashley Rice, Vice President, vicepresident@sideneracademypta.org and Recording Secretary, secretary@sideneracademypta.org

Carolyn Svirsky-Interim Treasurer, treasurer@sideneracademypta.org

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