Miller Elementary Weekly Update

Hello Miller Families!

We have officially finished our first week of preschool and kindergarten! As you all know, the first few weeks are an adjustment period for our young children. They are adjusting to being away from home all day or half of the day. They are learning new faces and names both of classmates and staff members. We still have some tears from many children, but rest assured that we are here to give that extra hug, sit and comfort your child with a calming toy or move into a fun play activity. Once they are settled, it is exciting to see their smiling faces alongside their classmates! This week you can ask your child the following questions:

1 - Tell me who your teacher is. Have you met any other adults at school?

2 - What is the name of a new friend you have played with at school?

3 - What book did you hear this week at circle time? Can you tell me your favorite part?

As the year progresses, your child will feel more comfortable with all the new faces at school and continue to build strong relationships that will last throughout their years as a GREENMEN! These relationships will be the foundation of many exciting learning opportunities.

Next week we will be practicing our first fire drill, reviewing bus safety with our transportation department, and going through playground safety tips too! You can visit a local playground and remind your child about the ways to safely go down the slide, how to avoid walking behind someone swinging, and the importance of using safe hands when playing games such as tag.

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Please don't forget that we are following our altered assessment schedule for KINDERGARTEN ONLY on Monday, August 29th. We will be welcoming kindergarten children with the last names M-Z.

Go GREENMEN!

Maria Goodman

Miller Elementary School

330-562-6199

Maria Goodman - Miller Elementary Principal

330-954-2189 Email mgoodman@aurora-schools.org

There will be times when your child is ill or needs to miss school due to appointments.

We ask that you call Miller School at 330-562-6199 to either speak with Vicki Wolf or leave a message. Please share your child's first name, last name, teacher, and the reason for the absence. If they are going to an appointment, please ask for a doctor's note to have on file here at school. Thank you!

If your family will have a planned absence due to an event or vacation, you will need to fill out a planned absence form for our schools. Please send in a note requesting this form as soon as you know your anticipated date.

If your child is experiencing COVID-related symptoms and you have questions for our school nurse, Jackie Pawlowski, you may call 330-954-2286. She can help answer any questions.

Has your child come home talking about earning a warm fuzzy? We have officially kicked off teaching our learners about school expectations. At Miller, we work to help our children develop skills to be respectful, responsible, and problem solvers. However, what does that look like and sound like in our school building? Each week we target a skill that supports the development of social and emotional skills that help all children be a member of a safe and fun learning environment. We will teach them a new skill for the next 9 weeks that helps them be safe, happy, and ready to learn.

This week we have targeted "I can use walking feet," to ensure we all are traveling safely throughout our school building. Please see the charts below to give reminders about this skill at home! If we see a child using walking feet, they can earn a warm fuzzy and add it to their class Proud Greenmen Bucket. Once filled, we will have a special event to celebrate our hard work. Be on the lookout for your child earning a Proud Greenmen Pom!

As students begin their educational journey, there are some state-mandated checkpoints and assessments to ensure that we are monitoring your child's growth and development.

One of these assessments is called the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. Due to recent date changes, we now will need to complete these assessments sooner than in previous years. To accomplish these activities, it's best if we bring small groups of children to school to work on these various assessments.

We now will be joining the Craddock and Leighton students by participating in the Fall Assessment Days on Friday, August 26th, and Monday, August 29th. These are new dates that you need to be aware of so you can plan for your child's attendance on Friday or Monday.

Friday, August 26th - Kindergarten KRA-R Assessment Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with A-L Attend School (M-Z Do not attend school this day)

Monday, August 29th - Kindergarten KRA-R Assessment Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with M-Z Attend School (A-L Do not attend school this day)

In addition to our assessment days, we will be completing many of our kindergarten assessments during our normal school day. These screening assessments are required by the State of Ohio and they provide us with information to better know your child and to kickstart the school year to best meet their needs. We wanted to share what assessments they will be participating in and the expected dates so you know what is happening at school.

The dates listed below show the various windows of time we will be conducting assessments.

Speech & Language Screening - Kindergarten Students (Week of August 29th)

Your child will work one-on-one with one of our speech and language pathologists to conduct a speech and language screener.

Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA-R) - Kindergarten Students (Aug. 26th & 29th)

This assessment looks at your child’s readiness for engaging with instruction aligned to the kindergarten standards. These assessments are completed through observation in the classroom and via an interactive assessment on an iPad. Here are the skills that are checked:

• Social Foundations- including social and emotional development
• Mathematics
• Language and Literacy
• Physical Well-being and Motor Development

Vision & Hearing Screening - All Kindergarten Students (Month of September & October)

Our school nurse will conduct a vision and hearing screening on all students.

Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener - (September) -

Students whose families speak a 2nd language in the home as reported in Final Forms will take a language proficiency screener. This assessment is given by Mrs. Levey our English Learner educator.

We will communicate any results that require follow-up or reach out to you if we have any further questions. We are looking forward to getting to know your child a bit more!

The cafeteria will be serving school lunches every day for our full-day students. You can find the digital lunch menu below by clicking on the button. This year, all school lunches will cost $3.00 and Milk Only will be $.50. You can add money to your child’s account by sending in cash or a check addressed to the Aurora City Schools or by using Meal Pay Plus which will be distributed during Open House.

It is important that your child knows if they are ordering lunch or packing each day so we can prepare a hot lunch for your child. You also will need to pack your child a snack each day if they are in full-day kindergarten. Please help them distinguish what is their snack or if they will be buying a hot lunch for the day. Each morning we spend a brief amount of time checking bookbags and ensuring all students have a lunch either packed or if they will be getting lunch from the cafeteria. If we notice they have left their lunch at home and they do not wish to eat what’s on the lunch menu, we will reach out to see if you are available to drop one off. Please practice opening baggies, juice pouches, and containers with your child. We spend the first 10 minutes helping children open their lunch items and this is something you can practice at home too!

We will not be using drinking fountains at Miller this upcoming school year out of an abundance of caution. Please pack your child with a filled water bottle each day. We have a water bottle filling station that students can use to refill their water bottles during the day.

Please remember that all classroom snacks need to be Nut Free and follow any specific guidelines from your child's teacher if the classroom has other allergy-aware needs. The safety of all students is our utmost concern and your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Hello Miller! I am honored to be your child’s school counselor for the 2022-2023 school year. I am available to support students, families, and staff with any social-emotional, academic, and believe it or not- career exploration which at Miller may be focusing on student strengths! There is no question too small to contact me about. I encourage and welcome open communication as we all have the same goal: school success for your students!

During the school day, I will provide individual counseling, small group counseling and classroom guidance lessons. Initially, I will ensure that all students transition from summer break to their school day with ease. My first visit to classrooms will allow the students to become more familiar with me and explain how I can help them during the day.

The 2022-2023 school year will be my eighteenth year in education. I have spent the previous years working as a classroom teacher, middle school counselor, and an elementary school counselor. Helping students is what I love to do!

When I am not at school, you can usually find me at a sporting event for one of my three children: Dominic (11), Daniel (9) and Elle (9). We live around the corner in Hudson with my husband, Brian and miniature goldendoodle, Louie. If there is anything you need, I am here to help! Please reach out via email to lambrosia@aurora-schools.org or 330.562.6199, extension 5414.

We have a school nurse, Mrs. Jackie Pawlowski, on staff during school hours. She is here each day to assist students at a time of need or illness. Here are some important reminders to ensure the safety of our school community each day:

• Check your child each day for illness symptoms. If they begin to feel ill, please know she will assess your child and make contact with a family member when necessary.
• Students sent home with a fever, may not return to school until they are fever free without medication for at least 24 hours. This means if your child was sent home on Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. with a fever, he/she may not return to school until Thursday. If your child does return the next day, our school will be calling for you to come and pick him/her up. Please help to support our efforts in this area.
• Please make sure your Final Forms medical information is up to date. We will closely read the health sections to address any medical concerns.

Finally, please make sure your child has extra clothes in his/her backpack. Accidents and spills happen all the time and it's safe to always have their own clothes in their book bag instead of wearing our spare clothes.

Mrs. Pawlowski will be at our Kindergarten Meet and Greet and Preschool Welcome Days to answer any questions, collect forms, or receive any medications that we have authorization to administer during the school day. Please stop by the nurses office behind Mrs. Wolf!

• Friday, 8/26 - Kindergarten KRA-R Getting to Know You Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with A-L Attend School (M-Z Do not attend school this day)
• Monday, 8/29 - Kindergarten KRA-R Getting to Know You Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with M-Z Attend School (A-L Do not attend school this day)
• Week of 8/29 - We will be conducting our first fire drill and bus safety drills throughout the week!
• Monday, 9/05 - NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)

Welcome back to the 2022-2023 school year! Each year our PTO helps to organize a t-shirt order for our children to wear throughout the school year. Each homeroom will be assigned a class color and shirts will be printed and delivered to the school. The t-shirts cost $5.00 each. If you would like to order a class t-shirt, please fill out the form below.

https://forms.gle/UyyZfMQpZGwVMCVg9

Hello Miller Families!

The Aurora Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is a non-profit that supports our schools, students, teachers, and staff and coordinates activities like Book Fair, Family Fun Nights, Field Days, and so much more! Becoming a PTO member gives you first access to sign up for volunteer opportunities, like classroom parties.

Please use the link below to join! The deadline to join the PTO is September 30th.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1zdua75K_DzW_ZvfepUTd7yJbVNCgLJoNWHioGHc6VtI/edit?ts=62ec216d

If you're interested in being Head Room Parent, the deadline to submit your interest is August 31st.

Lastly, please join us at our first PTO Meeting on September 7th at 6:30pm at Mad Jacks! We look forward to seeing you there!

Sincerely,

The Aurora Elementary PTO

Hello Parents,

We are starting Aurora Elementary PTO’s Fall Mumkin Sale! Our goal is to raise $6,000 to help benefit our school. The PTO sponsors wonderful programs for our students, school, and community, including Field Trips, Teacher Appreciation lunches, Donut Days, Kona Ice, Field Days, teacher requests, and more!

We have chosen Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse to help us raise our funds this year. Your child is coming home with a catalog, but we are asking that this year you please order ONLINE! Go to fundraiseit.org, click on ONLINE SHOPPING and enter the code on the sticker that is associated with your child’s name.

Our Fall Mumkin Sale dates are as follows:

• Friday August 18 – Online store goes LIVE! Flyers sent home

• Thursday September 1 – Online store closes at midnight

• Sunday September 18 – Your flowers arrive at The Board of Education parking lot, pick up time is from 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM

• PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to pick up your plants on this date and time, please make arrangements with friends or family to have them picked up. We are NOT responsible for any plants not picked up.

Plant Tips:

Have questions about the plants? Check out a brief description of each plant, as well as how to care for them! Visit www.youtube.com/foertmeyerplanttips

Thank you for taking the time to help us reach our goal!

Sincerely,

Katie Stump - kstump316@gmail.com

Anna Kandra - aecolini@hotmail.com

Kayt Binns - kayt.binns@yahoo.com

PTO Fall Mumkin Sale Chairpersons

Maria Goodman

mgoodman@aurora-schools.org

Principal

Vicki Wolf

vwolf@aurora-schools.org

Secretary

Email: mgoodman@aurora-schools.org
Website: aurora-schools.org
Location: 646 S Chillicothe Rd, Aurora, OH 44202, USA
Phone: 330-562-6199