STAY CONNECTED

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.

• April 2 PreK Enrollment Night 5-7PM at CEC

• Week of April 6th Book Fair

• April 6 District Kindergarten Kickoff 5:30-6:30PM at MHS Fieldhouse

• April 9 Communications Showcase, Title I Workshop, & Book Fair

• April 13-May 8 ILEARN Summative Window

• April 14 MATH BOWL competition at BIA

• April 16 FDG Mobile-6 month Follow Up Visit (Dentist)

• April 16 Kindergarten Orientation 6PM

• April 16 School Board Meeting-2nd grade music presentation

• April 17 End of Midterm

• April 20 Kindergarten PLTW Learning trip

• April 21 Kindergarten PLTW Learning trip

• April 22 Midterms posted

• April 24 PTO Spring Carnival

• May 4 4th grade tour to BIA

• May 5 PTO Meeting 5PM

• May 8 3rd Grade Field Trip

• May 14 Honor Night for 4th grade 6PM

• May 15 Kindy 500 2PM

• May 21 End of 9 weeks and semester

• May 21 Last Student Day

• May 21 Report Cards

• May 21 Field Day

Click the graphic above to view the menus at Arties Cafe.

In order to be compliant with the Indiana Department of Education requirements, the MSD of Martinsville must maintain proof of Indiana residency for each student currently enrolled. Please complete the steps 1.) to upload a scanned copy or clear picture of a current proof of residency document and 2.) verify the students primary address. If you are unable to complete step 1, a hard copy must be submitted to the school. If submitting a hard copy, please make sure you include your student's name on the copy. Once a proof of residency document has been submitted for each student, you will only be required to verify the information is correct each year. If your address changes, you will be required to submit a new proof of residency.

The Board requires one (1) of the following three (3) items as documentation of proof of residency for its students, with limited exceptions set forth below: 1) a current utility bill telephone bill (dated within sixty (60) days of student enrollment) 2) a current bank statement (dated within sixty (60) days of student enrollment) 3) a current rental/lease agreement mortgage statement (dated within sixty (60) days of student enrollment).

ROADMAP TO SUCCESS

2026 State Assessments

A Parent’s Guide to Supporting Student Excellence

✅ SAVE THE DATES

Please ensure your student is present, on time, and ready to shine during our testing windows:

• ILEARN Checkpoint 3

• ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS Grades 3 & 4

• MATHEMATICS Grades 3 & 4

• District Window: March 30-April 10

• ILEARN

• ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS Grades 3 & 4

• MATHEMATICS Grades 3 & 4

• SCIENCE Grade 4

• Window: April 13-May 8

• IAM:

• Applied Skills Grades 3,4,5

• Window: March 30-May 8

✅ INFORMATION ON STATE ASSESSMENTS

• IREAD: The Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) is a reading assessment developed in accordance with state legislation. IREAD is designed to measure foundational reading skills based on Indiana Academic Standards through grade three. Students begin participation in IREAD at grade 2 and continue to participate until they pass the assessment or are promoted to grade 7. Students who do not pass IREAD receive appropriate reading remediation and interventions to encourage their development of those essential reading skills. Grade 3 students who do not pass IREAD and do not qualify for a Good Cause Exemption (GCE) are retained (IC) 20-32-8.5-2.

• ILEARN Checkpoints & Summative: Indiana’s Learning Evaluation and Assessment Readiness Network (ILEARN) is an assessment system that measures achievement and growth related to Indiana Academic Standards for students in grades three through eight, high school biology, and high school U.S. Government. The assessment system includes:

• A through year assessment for grades 3-8 mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) with 3 Checkpoints and one end-of-year summative assessment.

• An end-of-year summative assessment for grades 4 and 6 science, grade 5 social studies, high school Biology, and high school U.S. Government.

• Data from the ILEARN Checkpoints informs instruction and interventions on the Indiana Academic Standards, supporting student learning throughout the course of the school year. Data from ILEARN end-of-year (summative) assessments is used to check students’ mastery of the standards at the end of the year, to evaluate program efficacy, and for school accountability.

• IAM: Indiana’s Alternate Measure (I AM) assesses student achievement and growth according to Indiana’s Content Connectors aligned to the Indiana Academic Standards. I AM is the summative accountability assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities in grades three through eight and high school. It assesses English/Language Arts (Grades 3-8 and 10), Mathematics (Grades 3-8 and 10), Science (Grades 4, 6, and Biology), and Social Studies (Grade 5).

• Applied Skills Grades 3,4,5

• Window: March 30-May 8

✅ TEST DAY CHECKLIST

Help your student feel prepared by checking off these items each morning:

• [ ] Device Charged: Ensure school laptops/tablets are plugged in the night before.

• [ ] Comfortable Layers: Classroom temperatures vary; a light sweater or hoodie is recommended.

• [ ] Early Arrival: Arriving 10 minutes early allows your student to settle in without rushing.

• [ ] Positive Words: A quick "I'm proud of you" goes a long way!

✅ Resources

• Parent IREAD Slides

• https://www.in.gov/doe/files/ILEARN-Checkpoints-Guidance-for-Families.pdf

• https://www.in.gov/doe/students/assessment/i-am/#I_AM_Test_Blueprints

✅ Questions

We are here to help!

Please reach out to your child’s teacher or the office with any questions.

"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." — Malcolm X

This free, one-day camp is designed for children in ages 6-18 who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, primary caregiver, or other loved one. Camp Memories is facilitated by trained grief professionals and volunteers. Through hands-on activities, grief education, and emotional support campers find comfort, make connections with peers who share similar experiences, and gain tools to express their feelings and memorialize loved ones. Parents/caregivers are also offered support, including a presentation on understanding and helping grieving kids.

YMCA Swim Lessons - Grade 2
Click here for dates and times.

When: June 1-5, 2026
Time: 9:00 A.M.-3:30 P.M.
Location: Brooklyn STEM Academy
Registration Fee: $285.00 Click here to apply for a discount

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. 1628 with any questions about support your child may receive.

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

Therefore, doors will open at 9:25AM with school starting at 9:40AM for all students, including Pre-K.

Free childcare is provided on Wednesdays from 8:25-9:25 by South staff.Contact the South office if childcare is needed from 8:25-9:25 on Wednesdays.

The MSD of Martinsville uses ParentSquare for school and district communication, primarily with email, text and app notifications. ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each family, using their preferred email address and phone number.

Here’s what you can do with ParentSquare:

• Receive messages from the school and district via email, text or app notification.
• Choose to receive information as it comes or all at once with a daily digest at 6pm.
• Communicate in your preferred language.
• Comment on school postings to engage with your school community and more all from your desktop or mobile device.
• Report attendance for your child if your child is going to be absent.
• Receive District ArtieStories

Add the free app today!

For more information and training videos, please visit our

website www.msdofmartinsville.org/community.

Most South Elementary teachers will still be using Class Dojo to communicate with parents. Class Dojo is FREE. You do not need to pay for this app. Your child's teacher will send home more information to get connected.

• 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. You can also dojo the teacher or put a message in ParentSquare to notify the office about your child's attendance. Please make sure to give the reason for your child's absence so that it can be marked appropriately. With State guidelines, we have to mark the reason for the absence. There are different codes, so we have to make sure that we mark it accurately.

• If you find that your child is still ill the next day, another phone call from you to the school is necessary. At this time, arrangements may be made to send home make up work for your child so that he/she does not fall behind in the classroom. Schoolwork will be sent with a sibling, neighbor, or you may pick the work up at the end of the day.

• Upon returning from home to school, a note should be sent to the teacher explaining the 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.

• Call the school office or send a note on the day before or the day of the appointment. This helps teachers plan for tests, homework, etc. The note should contain the date, the time, and the reason for the appointment/absence.

• If your child has a slip from the dentist/doctor’s office, please have your child drop it off at the office when your child returns to school.

• We ask that you not keep a child out of school for the entire day for a doctor or dental appointment.

• Please keep these appointments to a minimum. The best time to schedule appointments is toward the end of the day.

• 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.

1. Call the school as soon as possible, informing us that your child is going to be late.

2. Bring your child in as soon as possible, as teachers start their lessons as early as 8:40 a.m.

3. Sign your child in at the office, with an explanation for the tardy.

*A number of unexcused or questionable absences and tardies for any child are reported to our district attendance officer. Daily records are kept on all students and weekly reports are made.

MARTINSVILLE SCHOOLS

IMPORTANT ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES

2025-2026

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.

MSD OF MARTINSVILLE ACTION PLAN:

In an effort to improve the safety, graduation rate, and overall individual personal success of students in the MSD of Martinsville, the District’s Attendance Team worked this past year to streamline the District’s Attendance Process. The effort has increased diligence, pursuance, and attention to details regarding the process, communication, academic options, follow-up, and records with school attendance.

Legislative updates now only focus on habitual truancy.

Habitual truancy equals 10 days of unexcused absences.

DISTRICT ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Due to updates with Indiana Code for Indiana Attendance Compulsory Laws, the District Attendance Policy was updated on July 25, 2024.

Attendance Guidelines

• AUTHORIZED ABSENCES: If documentation is not provided, these absences will be recorded as unexcused absences.

• 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.

Attendance Letters

• 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 “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

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

Want to get involved?!? Join South Elementary School PTO!!! The monthly meetings will typically be the first Tuesday of each month at 5PM. Tuesday, April 7th in the school library is April's meeting.

PTO has spirit wear available for purchase.

PTO OFFICERS

President: Samantha McDaniel

Vice President: Joanna Chamberlain

Secretary: Jessica Hostetter

Treasurer: April Shover

It was an exciting year of Chess Club. Thank you to the parents and guardians for allowing your students to participate in the South Chess Club. It was a great success. Mrs. Hostetter and Beth Pilat were thrilled with the continued interest throughout the school year. Remember to continue to play chess and practice your skills. We look forward to seeing everyone in September.

Checkmate!

Genius Hour Projects are almost all wrapped up. We will have one more LEAP Club meeting in April to celebrate our 4th graders and our accomplishments this year. Contact Mrs. Hostetter or Mrs. Brown with any questions.

Thank you to our team for an amazing 2025-2026 season. We are anxiously awaiting the release of the 2026-2027 game & robot design that will be released in late April. Team members should be on the lookout for information to come home before the end of the school year about helping get a jump start on next year's robot in late July.

The MATH Bowl team is preparing for their competition on April 14th at BIA. Please contact Jessica Hostetter or Rachel Moore with any questions.

These students were recognized for using our social skills.

Congrats to this South Dolphin for earning a perfect score on IREAD! Outstanding Work! She enjoyed a special lunch and a book token for this accomplishment.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthElementarySchool

Twitter: @southdolphins1

Website: https://msdofmartinsville.org/south-elementary/

South YouTube South YouTube

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

Location: 500 Artesian Ave, Martinsville, IN, USA
Phone: 7653491486