
SCH Weekly
Scott E. Miller, Superintendent
Issue 11 - May 4, 2020
Dear SCH Family,
It’s been too long since we have been able to send out a Newsletter! I hope this communication finds you and your loved ones doing well. I’m so proud of the efforts that the entire staff has been making during this challenging time. Thank you for your continued commitment to the kids and community of SCH. Our actions have shown that we love them and I hear from so many that they sincerely appreciate it!
Stay encouraged!
-Scott
Food & Nutrition
Last Friday, May 1st, was the 8th annual School Lunch Hero Day! Even with the COVID panemic going on it was still a very special day for our staff who are both working and home. You can check out our Facebook page to see a highlight video of some of the day's festivities which included:
- Sunflowers and delicious donuts from the Superintendent
- Basket of treats + cards spelling out AWESOME from Dr. Greene and HR
- AMAZING chalk art done by Clark teachers (Alex Peck & Laura Cochran) and Tina Lazzarine from HAPA and coordinated by Lauren Dado
- Certificate of thanks from State Representative Carolyn Jackson
- Teachers from Gavit & O'Bannon along with family members holding up signs of support at the meal sites during service
- Homemade cards and signs from students
- Front page article of the NWI Times on Saturday!
- and more!!
The Department of Food and Nutrition continues to work during this time. We are serving meals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We are providing 2 breakfast and lunch meals on Mondays & Wednesdays and 1 breakfast and 1 lunch meal on Fridays. Since March 16th we have been following the Summer Food Service Program regulations from the USDA - meaning we will feed any child 18 and under who is present in the vehicle. For our SCH students - an adult may pick up their meals if they fill out a form showing the enrolled SCH student's name, ID #, school name, and grade. As of Friday May 1st we have provided 167,766 meals.
Hammond Academy for the Performing Arts
As we head into the end of the year, HAPA is regularly holding HAPA Talkbacks with Professionals in the Arts. These are typically on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. but simply check out our YouTube channel to see what we have going on OR past arts experiences.
HAPA will also be hosting a virtual celebration of the arts on May 16th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Please check us out!
Head Start
Head Start staff are staying connected to our youngest learners and their families. Thanks to the wonders of technology, teaching staff are posting read-alouds, conducting virtual small groups, providing help to parents as they work with their children on the at-home activities sent by the teachers and giving individualized support to students. While the concepts are important, the most valuable part of the small groups is the social-emotional piece. In a time of uncertainty and change, seeing your classroom teaching staff and friends provides a sense of joy and stability. Family Support staff are communicating with families weekly and sharing resources.
Head Start is taking applications for the 20-21 school year. Hammond residents with children ages 3 -5 (3 before August 1) may begin the application process by completing a Google Form below.
Human Resources
Reasons to Smile:
COVID -19 is here, that’s a fact, but there is more to life than this virus. Be a light to someone on a dreary day! During this time of crazy shut in and shut down, it is easy to be depressed and just fed up as the walls of home or office close in on you. But beyond meetings and calls, take a moment to be someone else’s “Sunshine” or “Pick Me Up”. As I am sitting here stressing over a report that continues to need correcting, I received an email that contained only three lines: “Amidst this crisis I wanted to say I miss you. I miss you as a sounding board, colleague, friend, and human. And while we continue to muddle through our days in this humdrum I hope you know you matter.” My day has been made because of a few kind sentences. I decided to “pay it forward” and send the message back to my friend, as well as to others. Try it and see how you feel, but more importantly, make someone else’s day. Stay healthy, stay safe and give some else a reason to smile.
Wishing a very Happy Birthday to all of our staff members who have had birthdays during the end of March and April!
Emily Acevez, Alexander Akers, Rocio Alcantar, Darsel Alcox, Elizabeth Alvarez, Anthony Amador, Andrew Anderson, Mathew Anderson, Orlanda Askew, Angela Austin, Richard Bailey, Glennis Baker, Patricia Barbee, Crystal Bell, Adrian Benton, Theodore Bewley, Fannie Bishop, Toshiyah Bland-Braswell, Cynthia Bobolik, Mark Boer, Ralph Bogie, Cameron Bracey, Yolanda Bracey, Justin Brandenburg, Joseph Britt, Chad Brizzi, Jane Brooks, Mary Brough, April Brown-O’Brien, Shermaine Brown-Wade, Mary Cain, Blanca Calderon, Denise Campbell, Rocio Campos, Jacqueline Carpure, Jessica Castillo, Michelle Castro, Krista Catt, Alexander Cerajewski, Maureen Chavez-Reda, Ryanne Chitwood, Jennifer Christiansen, Maureen Ciupak, Channing Clark, Valerie Clarkson, Jasmine Clayton, Steven Clippert, Elizabeth Coffin, Nora Contreras, Lila Cook, Michael Copley, Helen Cruz, Kathleen Czajkowski, Lauren Dado, Aida Darwish, Sarah Darwish, Ronald Davidson, Karla Davis, Patricia Davis, Leonard Delano Jr, Anthony Delvalle, Heather Demantes, David Dickson, Barbara Diggs, Anthony Douglass, Janice Drury, Rafael Duarte Andrade, Kenneth Easton, Felicia Eatman, Cathryn Eindele, Kari Espinoza, Michelle Farina, Carrie Feges, Thomas Feltz, William Ferry, Mark Fetzko, Travis Finger, Christina Flores, Rebecca Foster, Samantha Fowble, Mary Fraser, Kristine Frato, Linda Fullilove, Marcu Galateanu, Esmeralda Garcia, Kaylee Garcia, Maria Garcia, Belinda Gill, Melissa Glosa, Rudolph Grasha, Michael Grauvogl, Marie Grenchik, Ada Guadiana, Carrie Guerrero, Joann Guevara, Steven Guzior, Michael Haas, Janet Haas, Edwina Hailey, Cathey Hall, Stephen Hanlon, Lawrence Hardy, Barbara Harris, Constance Harris, Shannon Hassel, David Heichler, April Helms, Randy Henricy, Laurie Heridia, Luis Hernandez, Francisco Herrera Jr, Sharon Homola, Melissa Hubbard, Albert Hulitt, April Hyde, Gregory Ivey, Curtis Jackson, Jeanette Jancosek, Cynthia Jasso, Francisco Jimenez Jr, Nancy Jo Johnson, Bobby Jones Sr, Mia Jones, Bertha Juarez, Janet Karas, Sara Katona, Lawrence Keilman, Denise Kemper, Samuel Kessler, Naomi King, Vicky Kitchell, Keith Kleinfeldt, Karla Konopasek, Julie Kipanda, Michael Korba, Karyn Kozak, Patricia Kujawa, Rita La Fortune, Carmen Lampton, Katherine Larsen-Turner, Dorothy Lawrence, Latisha Leday, Marquita LeDay, Debra Lee, Sarah Leitelt, Lori Lewis, Catherine Livesay, Yvonne Long, Lorna Lydick, TaShana Lyles, Dennis Magero, Frances Majchrowicz, Elina Maldonado, Paul Maldonado, Melinda Maloney, Karen Martell, Erinn Martin, Vicky Martinez, Deborah Matyasovich, Corsette Mays, Stacie McClain, Geraldine McClanahan, Ericka McClendon, Deborah McCloud, Mida McGarry, Cheryl McGee, Diane McMahon, Bridget Medley, Anita Mehas, Jennifer Meier, Azucena Mendoza, Marissa Mercado, Juliana Mercado- Velaquez, Juleon Meredith, Maricela Mesarina, Candace Metrick, Laura Meza, Debra Michalski, Mark Miller, Scott Miller, Margaret Mirkov, Karen Moore, Kari Moore, Roosevelt Moore, Judith Morales, Cynthia Moreno, Lisa Moss, Gabriel Mota, Roger Mullins, Gabriel Nava, Kerry Newman, Sylvester Newsome, Yvonne Nohos, Naemeh Omery, Elizabeth Ortiz, Iseleana Owusu, Dawn Parfenoff, Nicole Partain, William Paskis, Bryan Pavichevich, Alicia Perez, Jackeline Perez, Nicholas Perez, Lorraine Peters, Lonnie Phifer, Christine Politis, Sherri Prast, Jacob Pritchard, Alesia Pritchett, Christine Quiroga, Arcilia Ramirez, Celia Ramirez, Veronica Ramirez, David Redfield, Crystal Reel, Porsha Reese, Mary Reid-Kujawa, Kathryn Remaley, Patricia Richardson, Deborah Riley, Melissa Riley, April Rindoks, Manuel Rivera, Ileana Rodriguez, Diana Rosas, Jennifer Ruano, Kimberly Russell, Maria Rzepczynski, Raymond Rzonca, Bernell Sampson, Jessica Sanchez, Cecilia Sanchez-Nevarez, Brooke Sanders, Jeramey Sandilla, Jose Sandoval, Laura Santana, Karen Sapyta, Mindy Sarlea, Jamaica Sawyers, Lawrence Scasny, Ariana Schiewer, Jennifer Schoon, Stacie Schuster, Myckol Shamble, Angela Silvas, David Silvas, Kelly Skaar-Hoffman, Joseph Skalba, Anamaria Smith, Angela Smith, LeTerra Smith, Katlyn Smolar, Ryan Sosnowski, Sandra Specker, Jorie Spinks, Dalia Spitler, Katherine Stahl, Susan Stanley, Cheryl Suwardi, Kimberly Syler, Lisa Szafranski, Jeralyn Takas, Sabrina Talavera, Alicea Tarver, Anthony Tauber, Mark Tharp, Ciara Thurman, Yajaira Tiscareno, Jason Tokoly, Amy Trezak, Thomas Trottier, Amy Trueblood, Lynn Tyburski, Veronica Urbina, Thomas Uszakow, Jasmine Valdez, Carmen Van Kooten, William Vazquez, Dawn Veenstra, David Verta, Ashley Vilella, Josefa Villa, Jennifer Wachowski, J’Lysa Wall, Tammy Warden, Tiffanie Washington, Nicole Wedel, Karimar Weekes, Roberta Wells, Lindsay Weyenberg, Bonita White, Joseph White, Marcia White, Tracette White, Rachel Wietbrock, Carolyn Williams, Qiana Williams, Karl Winscher, Lorri Woodard, Cathy Yoos, and Myron Young.
Special Education
Milestone Tracker App!
Center for Disease Control (CDC)
Apple App or Google Play
English and Spanish Available
Milestones matter! Track a child’s developmental milestones from age 2 months to 5 years with CDC’s easy-to-use illustrated checklists. This app has tips for enhancing a child’s development and specific steps to take if there are concerns about a lack of progress.
From birth to age 5, a child should reach set milestones in how he or she plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves. Photos and videos in this app demonstrate each milestone and make tracking them easy, fun and free!
Technology
Since the beginning of the pandemic, phishing attacks have increased 600%. Most of the "fake" emails these days have to do with the pandemic. Phishing emails about symptoms, what to do if you think you're infected, and even relief efforts show up in people's inboxes daily. Please be vigilant. Check the sender to make sure it comes from a legitimate source. Make sure the email has proper grammar and spelling. Don't give out any personal information. Sadly, the bad guys are using this time to take advantage of everyone in the hopes that their attention is elsewhere.
Stay healthy, and stay safe.
Resources
health care, education, and more. Respond today at 2020CENSUS.GOV.
Stay Informed
An update from the Superintendent is distributed at the beginning of the week.
View previous weekly updates from Mr. Miller here.
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Email: schadmin@hammond.k12.in.us
Website: www.hammond.k12.in.us
Location: 41 Williams Street, Hammond, IN, USA
Phone: (219) 933-2400
Facebook: facebook.com/SchoolCityofHammond/
Twitter: @SCHK12