Boone Meadow Friday Flyer

Help us reach our goal by Friday!

Thank you for your generosity!

Over the course of our day, students and staff completed mandatory safety drills for Fire, Tornado, Earthquake, Building Evacuation and ALICE emergencies with full participation from students. I am happy to report that all drills were completed successfully.

Each time we are able to practice these safety protocols, we learn more and become more thorough and efficient toward faster assurance of student and staff safety. Today's effort to include so many different rehearsals also allowed for fewer days of learning interrupted over the course of this semester as well as a concentrated focus on the importance of safety in our school.

Please do take a moment to talk with your children today about what they learned and experienced, and we remain available to you should you have any questions for us at school.

In addition, please check out the items below at your convenience, and have a wonderful weekend!

• BioBlitz is tomorrow morning (9:00 or 10:30). This is a wonderful opportunity to engage with your child on some new learning experiences. Please see the information located below!
• Dining for Dollars - Our next Dining for Dollars is this coming Wednesday, on October 6th, at Panda Express. Please note that a portion of the profit from food ordered on this day will go towards BME. Please make sure they know you are a Boone Meadow family when ordering!
  
• Body Safety Lessons begin the week after Fall Break. More information is located below.
• Family/Student Conferences will be held on October 26 (evening option) and October 27 (11 AM-7PM). We are offering these in-person or virtually. Please see below for more information
• Fall Parties Scheduled for 10/29 - At BME, we will be having our Fall Parties on Friday, October 29th, along with Spirit Day attire (more information to come)! Our parties will be running without volunteers again this year per district, and will be managed by our classroom teachers. If you want to help, be on the look-out for a sign-up for sending in items for the fall craft and/or game.

• Fall Break is just around the corner! Believe it or not, Quarter 1 ends next week and it also marks the last week of school before Fall Break.

Here's to a wonderful first weekend of October! Enjoy -

Mr. Hundley

BME's First BioBlitz is Saturday (9:00 or 10:30)

Saturday’s 1st ever BME Bioblitz is right around the corner! We are getting excited to explore our campus and find out just which species are living in our schoolyard habitat. I am so excited to meet everyone on Saturday morning and to spend time exploring the natural world with you.

Note:

We will have one group that arrives and registers at 9:00 for the first wave and another group that can arrive and check-in at 10:30. If you are planning to come, please keep reading!

A bioblitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. Boone Meadow families and interested staff will work together to take photos of every species we can find! We will then use apps and other resources to identify them. We will search for plants, insects, mammals, birds, fungi, and more. We will comb our campus from Main Street to the treelines at the back of our property. By the end of our event, we will have a fairly complete list of species that call BME their home. We can continue to add to this project over time.

Interested families are invited to pre-register HERE. Registration is not required, but will help Mrs. Benson to plan appropriately and contact participants if we need to cancel due to weather. When you register, you will get additional information about what apps to download ahead of time and how the event will run.

Lastly, If you are an expert at identifying plants, mammals, insects, or other living things, (or know someone who is) please consider volunteering to help Mrs. Benson on the day of the event. You can email her at kbenson@zcs.k12.in.us.

One topic within the larger umbrella of Safety Education is that of Body Safety. A few examples of Body Safety topics include wearing seat belts and helmets, looking both ways to cross the street, keeping hands to self, eating healthy foods, and following school procedures such as walking in the hallways. Body Safety education also encompasses the prevention of childhood abuse.

ZCS has partnered with the Indiana Center for Prevention of Youth Abuse and Suicide (ICPYAS) to assist us in providing the instruction of strategies for abuse prevention. This instruction will be provided virtually to all students at Boone Meadow Elementary on October 18th or 19th. ICPYAS is a non-profit organization that employs certified instructors who deliver research-based lessons to students in developmentally appropriate ways as a means to give children strategies to keep their bodies safe. All students in grades K-12 receive the instruction on an annual basis, in accordance with state legislation SEA 355.

To learn more about these presentations, be sure to visit https://www.indianaprevention.org/parentresources and click on the “Child Lures Video”, which provides information regarding the content of this program. The website also contains links to additional resources. In addition, all Kindergarten families, as well as families new to Boone Meadow will receive a supplemental guide during the week of October 18th.

Parents have the opportunity to opt out of this program, if desired. Click Here for the Parent Opt-Out Form. (We will have additional copies available for you should you need a hard copy - simply call the front office or notify your child's classroom teacher with a request for the paper version.) Please note, this opt-out form should only be completed and returned if you desire for your student NOT to receive this body safety education.

Questions regarding this program should be directed to our school counselor, Kristi Sloan at ksloan@zcs.k12.in.us

As always, we value your partnership in the education of your child, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve your family in such meaningful ways.

Sincerely,

Mr. Tom Hundley, Principal

Mrs. Lauren Kersey, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Kristi Sloan, School Counselor

Want to know more, search for Boone Meadow Parent Teacher Organization (@BooneMEadowPTO) on Facebook and Instagram. You can scan the QR code to access Instagram.

Elementary fee statements for the 2021-22 school year were emailed on September 20, 2021.

If you did not receive your fee statement, please check your spam or junk mail.

You may also log into your PowerSchool account and click on the Balance tab. You will see your student’s itemized statement, payments made, and current account balance. Please use the web browser to log in using a laptop or tablet, do NOT use the PowerSchool mobile app.

For answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding Curricular Materials (Textbook Rental & Consumables), please visit https://www.zcs.k12.in.us/apps/pages/textbook_rental

Our Student directory is now updated! Many thanks to the PTO for organizing this helpful resource! If you have never used our student directory, just follow these easy steps:

• Go to www.directoryspot.net or download the “Directory Spot” app on a smart phone. Click “Login”.
• Enter your email address as your Username, and click on “Reset Password”. An email will be sent to you with a link to set your password.
• Click on the link in the email to set your password and to log in.

If you have trouble logging in, please contact PTO volunteer Eileen Adam at eileenadam@hotmail.com.

Also note that if your information has changed, you can update it by logging in on a computer (not available through the app).

This month, our students have been learning about the Skills for Learning through our curriculum, Second Step! Second Step is a researched based program that teach students skills for learning—such as paying attention, listening, and being assertive—as well as how to manage their emotions, solve problems, and make friends. All of these skills help kids do better in school and in life! So far, our students have learned about listening, focusing attention, using self-talk to stay on-task, and being assertive! We also reinforce these skills in our morning announcements by reminding students of these skills, which help students be successful learners.

Below are some Home Links for the Skills for Learning lessons that describe why these skills are important and includes fun activities to do with your child to practice them. We hope you enjoy them!

Kindergarten

1st grade

2nd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

October 2 - Boone Meadow BioBlitz (hosted by Mrs. Benson) 9:00-Noon

October 4-8 - Fire Safety Week

October 5 - End of Quarter 1

October 6 - Dine for Dollars - Panda Express

October 7 - Picture Retake/Make-up Day

October 11-15 - Fall Break

October 20 - Dine for Dollars - Bub's Burgers

October 26 - Regular school day w/ Family/student conferences (PM)

October 27 - E-Day & Family/Student Conferences

November 3 - Dine for Dollars @ Marco's Pizza

November 7 - Daylight Savings Time ends

November 11 - Veterans Day

November 24-26 - Thanksgiving Break (no school)

December 6-17 - NWEA testing window

December 17 - End of Quarter 2/Semester 1

December 20-31 - Winter Break (no school)

January 17 - MLK Jr. Day (no school)

January 18 - Teacher professional development day (no school for students)

February 14 - Valentine's Day

February 21-25 - Presidents' Day/February Break (no school)

March 15 - End of Quarter 3

April 1-8 - Spring Break (no school)

May 25 - Last day of school

May 26- June 3 - Make up days (if needed)

May 30 - Memorial Day (no school)

Q: How does the new Executive Order from Gov. Holcombe (8/31) impact school contact tracing?

A: IF individuals are wearing masks with fidelity in the classroom & on the bus, people who are contact traced will not need to quarantine unless they are exhibiting symptoms. We will still need to notify and document the contact tracing, but if no symptoms exist and the individuals were properly wearing masks, they would not need to quarantine.

Lunchtime is when contact tracing/quarantine does apply and the 6' rule will apply as well. Quarantined individuals can still return on day 8 if they receive a negative test (rapid in lab or PCR) on day 5, 6, or 7 after exposure - or stay out for the full 14 days.

Q: What about symptoms? What symptoms must we watch and keep our child from school?

A: Every morning, families should take note of if their child is showing symptoms of illness. We know this can be complicated, frustrating, and inconvenient as we strive to keep our learning environments as healthy as possible. Fevers, sore throats, new onset of intense headache, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, coughing or shortness of breath, or new loss of taste or smell are the common symptoms and students will be required (per health department mandates) to quarantine for ten days from the start of symptoms. Student may return to school/activities sooner with a physician document stating they may return OR a negative PCR CoVID test. (This is regardless of vaccination status)

Q: If one child is home with symptoms, must my other children stay home as well?

A: Siblings of ill students will need to be picked up if at school. Siblings will need to follow quarantine guidelines.

More information regarding COVID protocols is located here on the ZCS website.

ZCS C-19 Protocol

The biggest change – BAGEL YOGURTS will be BACK ON TUESDAY!!!!

Cream Cheese and Peanut Butter cups will be available in the lunch line.

Thanks so much for your patience as we make menus available in two week increments.

Click HERE for an easy way to set up Low Balance reminders for your ZCS lunch accounts.

Click HERE to see if you want to come join our team!

Call Jan at 317-733-4804 to discuss ZCS Food Service opportunities!

At this time, due to CoVID 19 restraints, we are "pausing" on volunteers and visitors. When volunteers are needed and approved, appropriate staff members will reach out to you in effort to welcome your support and assistance.

If you plan to volunteer of visit in the future, please note the following information.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR VOLUNTEERS

We value partnerships with our families and welcome parents and guardians to serve as volunteers in our schools. Each ZCS building typically offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities.

Examples include:

• Field Trip Chaperones
• Out of Town/Overnight Chaperones
• Tutors
• Volunteer Coaches
• Classroom Helpers (PTO parties/room parents)
• Library Helpers
• After Prom Workers
• Field Day/Jog-A-Thon Volunteers
• Book Fair Sales/Athletic Ticket Sales

During the school day, all volunteers are expected to sign in at the front office. Prior to the volunteer opportunity, all volunteers must sign a Non-disclosure Acknowledgement Form and have successfully completed a Full Criminal History Background Check. Necessary background check paperwork is available on the ZCS website at the Volunteers/BRAVO link and should be submitted at least 10 days prior to the intended volunteer date. Volunteers must also view the state mandated confidentiality/bullying video, provided on the Volunteer/BRAVO website. The volunteer will pay the fee* for the full background check which will expire after 5 years. The link to apply for the full background check can be accessed on the Volunteers/BRAVO link on the ZCS main webpage. For more information, contact the Volunteer/BRAVO Coordinator.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR VISITORS

During the school day, all visitors must enter via the front door and sign-in at the front office. Visitors need to be prepared to present a government issued photo ID which will be scanned against the National Sex Offender Registry. All visitors will be issued a visitor badge/tag to be worn inside the building at all times.

Examples Include:

• Lunch Guests
• Classroom Guest Speakers
• Classroom Special Events (Grandparent Day/Famous Hoosiers/etc.)
• Parent/Teacher Conferences

We ask that all visitors schedule an appointment to meet with teachers, counselors, administrators and all other staff members so that we may best serve everyone. Visitors other than parents/guardians must be prearranged and organized through the main office.

*ZCS thanks all volunteers for generous support of our youth and schools. Thank you, too, for supporting assurance of student and staff safety by completing and paying for a volunteer background check.

Email: thundley@zcs.k12.in.us
Website: http://www.zcs.k12.in.us/bme/
Location: 5555 S Main St, Whitestown, IN, United States
Phone: 3178732226
Twitter: @ZCSBoone_Meadow