Walt Disney Parent Newsletter

Dear Walt Disney Families,

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was filled with making fun family memories, joy and peace! We certainly had a wonderful week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday and we have many fun-filled activities planned leading up to Winter Break!

There is so much to be thankful for at Walt Disney. First and foremost, our students "rocked" the Barnaby's Pizza Fundraiser. Thank you for helping us raise over $14,000.00 for Walt Disney students! Be sure to see additional details below outlining our highest selling classes. Our students certainly had fun throwing pies at Walt Disney teachers and staff at a special PTO Assembly last Friday. Be sure to see the pictures below.

During the week of December 4th, our school will celebrate Math and Literacy during Superhero Week with Super Family Fun Night held on Wednesday, December 6th. See details below about food pre-orders, activities and more. We hope you will attend this event with your student! We love partnering with parents!

Please be sure to also read about Page to the Stage, an all school writing contest that is taking place right now! Students will enter a story for a chance to have their stories acted out on stage by Disney teachers! We are excited to promote writing with this fun way to bring in the holidays.

Thank you for continuing to support Walt Disney Elementary School. We look forward to continuing to provide a quality educational experience for your child.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mindy Higginson

The results are in! Our students did an amazing job raising over $14,000.00 for Walt Disney Elementary! Thank you parents and students for your hard work! Here are the results:

Top Selling Grade Levels:

Kindergarten - Heatherly

** Top Selling Classes Earn an Ice Cream Party

Top Selling Students

Kindergarten Jaiden B. (39 coupons)

First Grade Bryan D. (125 coupons)

Second Grade Greyson D. (52 coupons)

Third Grade Beau N. (119 coupons)

Fourth Grade Nicholas Z. (168 coupons)

Fifth Grade Brian T. (110 coupons)

Top Selling Staff Member

Mrs. Heatherly (92 coupons)

Our top sellers enjoyed throwing pies at our teachers and staff!

Walt Disney students are invited to participate in a narrative writing contest called Page to the Stage. Students are asked to write narrative stories based on the criteria below. All stories are due by December 1, 2023. A special acting troupe made up of Walt Disney teachers and staff will get together to choose one story from each grade level which will be acted out at a special assembly at the end of the month. Parents of the winning submissions will be invited to attend the assembly.

You can help at home by encouraging your child to participate and by ensuring they submit their story on time!

Hello Walt Disney Friends!

We are excited to announce an upcoming event that promises an evening of fun and learning for the entire family - Super Family Fun Night! Please join us on Wednesday, December 6, for an engaging and educational experience for all of our students and siblings.

This year, our event will feature interactive stations focusing on both reading AND math that are designed to captivate and challenge students of all grade levels. This is an excellent opportunity for families to come together, enjoy quality time, and participate in educational activities that blend learning and fun. We encourage you to mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 6, and to bring your kiddos to this exciting event. The event will be an “open house” format and we will offer punchcards that can be entered into a drawing for some pretty SUPER family math and literacy-based games.

Similar to last year’s Literacy Night, we will be offering a Coney Express dinner package for you to purchase if you wish. Again, this meal will be available for PREORDER ONLY.

The dinner package includes 1 hotdog, 1 bag of chips, and 1 drink. The price is $5/meal. Please read and complete the form that will be coming home with your student(s) this week and return it, with payment in exact cash in an envelope or baggie to Walt Disney by Monday, December 4.

Additionally, we are thrilled to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair is making its way to Walt Disney Elementary School during this same week! Get ready for a literary adventure filled with captivating books and endless reading opportunities for your children. Not only will your child benefit from the joy of reading, but your participation also helps our school earn valuable resources for our library.

The Scholastic Book Fair will take place Monday, Dec. 4 through Friday, Dec. 8, and will be open on the evening of Wednesday, December 6 during our Super Family Fun Night, scheduled from 6-7:30 pm that evening. We hope you are able to join!

In order for this to be a success, we need help from our awesome parent volunteers. Please visit our Sign-Up Genius page to volunteer at the book fair. Additionally, please know that all volunteers will need to have a completed and approved background check on file. You can access that here.

Thank you for your support, and we cannot wait to see you at our Super Family Fun Night on Wednesday, December 6!

In accordance with Indiana law, we are required to have an identification process in place to identify High Ability students. According to the Indiana Department of Education, ‘“High ability student” means a student who: performs at, or shows the potential for performing at, an outstanding level of accomplishment in at least one domain when compared to other students of the same age, experience, or environment; and is characterized by exceptional gifts, talents, motivation, or interests.’

Indiana requires the screening of all kindergarten, second grade, and fifth grade students who are not previously identified as High Ability. A student may be labeled as High Ability in Language Arts and/or Math.

PHM uses two nationally-normed assessments to identify High Ability students: CogAT and NWEA. CogAT - Cognitive Abilities Test - testing will be done during the month of December. CogAT is an aptitude test that measures a student’s problem-solving skills and thinking abilities. There is no preparation that can be done for this test. Students will participate in a practice test to familiarize them with the type and format of the questions.

Depending on your child’s results and grade level, he/she may participate in NWEA testing in February. That information will be forthcoming.

Please view the PHM High Ability website if you have questions about our identification process. Any additional questions can be sent to Cassie Scarsella at cscarsella@phm.k12.in.us.

Now that the first quarter of school is underway, we would like to open up our lunch periods so that parents may come and have lunch with students. Due to the minimal space that we have in the cafeteria, we will have a special place set up for parents to come and enjoy lunch with their child. Please also note that we must follow the Penn Harris Madison Wellness Guidelines with regards to lunch and breakfast. See the guidelines at the end of this newsletter. Parents are not permitted to bring in fast food for lunch.

Also, due to maintaining a safe and structured environment for our students, we have reserved the following dates for parents to come and enjoy lunch at school. Please be sure to plan in advance and make note of the following dates:

Week of November 13th - November 17th

Week of December 11th - December 15th

Week of January 22nd - January 26th

Week of February 19th - February 23rd

Week of March 11th - March 15th

Week of April 8th - April 12th

To reserve your spot for lunch, click on the button below. You should select a time that corresponds to your child's lunch period. Please be sure to sign up one week in advance of your planned time. Parents must have an approved background check on file.

Now that the 1st quarter is past, we would like to try to speed up our car line. We know that inclement weather is ahead of us and so we would like to build in an extra step to assist us in getting cars loaded quickly. You will receive a large colored sheet of paper that will already have your child's name and number displayed. Place the paper in your right front window. We will still collect the hang tag to verify that your child is getting in the correct car but we will have a visual which will help us to load more quickly.

We appreciate your help and support in making this procedure run more smoothly.

It is that time of year again in our area! Please be sure to check the weather forecast everyday to ensure that your child is properly dressed for the weather. We want to ensure your child is warm when going outside for recess. As we head into the winter months, please ensure your child has a coat, gloves, hat, boots and snow pants so that they are dressed warm to go outside. We appreciate your help in ensuring your child is dressed properly.

Our "Lost and Found" table is growing! We have many lost items that have been accumulating over the course of the school year. If your child is missing clothing items, please be sure to stop in and check the "Lost and Found" table. We will be donating items at Winter Break so we would like to replace missing items back to their owners. Thank you!

P-H-M recently received $448,148 from the IDOE for the Competitive Science of Reading Grant! This money will provide valuable resources and tools for our teachers, thus enabling our students to achieve academic excellence. Click here to learn more.

We are hoping you have heard, but we have great news to share regarding student book fees! The Indiana General Assembly passed a bill (HEA 1001-2023) that eliminated textbook and curriculum costs at public schools, which includes school supplies like pencils, paper, and notebooks. Parents will no longer be asked to pay school fees. For more information on the specific details, click here.

We wanted to share that legislation was passed (HB 1447, effective January 1, 2024) that all schools prepare a catalog of materials found in the school library Alexandria and a response and appeal procedure for materials parents find questionable.

We have that process in place already and it is posted on all school websites Instructional Material Feedback. In addition, secondary teachers will provide their syllabus to you with listed materials and classroom teachers have been asked to create a master list of titles in their classroom libraries. More information will be provided by your teacher in classroom newsletters. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact your classroom teacher or me.

We wanted to share that legislation was passed (HB 1447, effective January 1, 2024) that all schools prepare a catalog of materials found in the school library Alexandria and a response and appeal procedure for materials parents find questionable.

We have that process in place already and it is posted on all school websites Instructional Material Feedback. In addition, secondary teachers will provide their syllabus to you with listed materials and classroom teachers have been asked to create a master list of titles in their classroom libraries. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact your classroom teacher or me.

Our goal is to support teachers as we move toward classroom libraries being cataloged. We believe classroom libraries are within the scope of recent legislation, and that providing parents with a list of classroom library books provides an opportunity for greater transparency and partnership and is a proactive measure. Teachers do not need to have a completed inventory by the start of school. We ask that they be completed prior to Winter Break.

In 2004, the US Congress authorized funding for nutrition programs and added new requirements for schools. Each school district was required to develop and implement a school wellness policy. The PHM School Board of Trustees approved a new Wellness Policy #8510 in spring 2006. You can go to our website, www.phm.k12.in.us, to review the entire policy.

A committee of parents, health specialists, and educators wrote the policy. The committee worked to address on campus nutrition, physical education, physical activities, food and beverages, along with other school activities that promote student health. Here are some highlighted items.

• No soda pop of any kind will be available to students during the school day.

• A focus on nutrition education will be seen in the classroom and lunchroom.

• Wellness information will be shared with parents on a regular basis

• Food will not be consumed in the classroom as a reward.

• Parents will be requested to provide only healthy treats to school functions. Food fundraisers will not be consumed during the school day.

• Students will be encouraged to engage in physical activity daily.

• All food provided to students during the school day will comply with state and federal child nutrition regulations.

• Fast food and other commercial foods are not to be carried in for student lunches.

Please help us grow healthy, active children. Work with us to support this policy at school. Watch for additional information about our commitment to wellness through the year.

Penn-Harris-Madison Learning Division

Dr. Heather Short, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction

Due to our Health and Wellness Policy, parents are encouraged to send in Treat Bags that have non-food items. Some ideas for treat bags include pencils, stickers, erasers, stampers, coloring books, crayons, party favors, etc.

As the new school year begins regular school attendance is key to a student success. Indiana law states students attend 180 days of school. Every day in the classroom provides students with learning experiences, the opportunities to ask questions, observe and above all get help from their teachers.

Attending school on a regular basis helps children perform better, and provides them with socialization and future-ready skills that will translate well as they move on to higher education and careers. We at Walt Disney are making special efforts to ensure that our students fully benefit from their education by reducing absences.

Here are some examples as to why it is so important that your children be in school on a regular basis:

1. Starting in kindergarten, too many absences (excused and unexcused) can cause children to fall

behind in school.

2. Missing 10% (18 days) increases the chance that your student will not read or master math at

the same level as their peers.

3. Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.

4. Being late to school habitually may lead to poor attendance.

5. Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning g to help

children who are habitually tardy or are not in attendance.

6. By being present at school, your child learns valuable social skills and has the opportunity to

develop meaningful relationships with other students and school staff.

7. Absences can be a sign the that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school

work, dealing with a bully or facing other potentially serious difficulty.

8. It helps to ready them for middle school and high school by teaching responsibility and a good

work ethic that will benefit in their adult years.

Here is what we need from you as their parent/guardian:

When your student is sick call 574-259-2486 ext. 53001 before 10:00 am if possible. Should you DOJO your student’s teacher we still need you to call the office (Attendance) so we are made aware and can record it accordingly. This would apply for illness, funerals, doctor appointments, religious holidays and such other good cause that may be acceptable or permitted by law. Students with a health condition that cause repeated absences are to provide the school office with an explanation of the condition from a licensed physician. In the interest of safety, it is the parent’s and student’s responsibility, in all cases to seek out and make up work missed within a reasonable period of time. Should you not call and let the office know (attendance) we will attempt to call you in regards to the absence and if we cannot reach you the absence will be considered unexcused.

Policies for habitual tardiness and unexcused absences:

School days are based on 6 hours per day or 360 minutes. When a student is tardy we record the time the student arrives. These minutes, as they accumulate are added together and if they eventually total 360 minutes it is then considered as an unexcused absence day. After 10 unexcused absences we will schedule an appointment to meet with you and determine whether there are any additional services or interventions the school can do to prevent this attendance problem from reaching the court level. After 15 unexcused absences there will be a referral to the CASIE Center (Child Abuse Services Investigation and Education) and the Juvenile Justice Center of St. Joseph County.

Our goal at Walt Disney is that all of our students have good attendance (missing 8 or less days of school per year) and that none of our students have chronic absences (missing more than 18 days per year).

Tardiness is not habitual so when class is in session there will be no distractions when the late student enters the classroom or is late to educational group centers which usually starts first thing in the mornings.

We know that there are extenuating circumstances that happen in families that impact attendance and we are committed to working together with families to deal with those challenges.

Please do not hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns.

Sandy Merrill

Office Aide/Attendance