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Messages from Memorial
February/March 2023
HEART*EFFORT*ATTITUDE* RESPECT*TEAMWORK
Dear Memorial Families,
Thank you to all the families who sent me get well wishes. I really appreciated them. My surgery went well, and Eleanor and I are back at school. It feels great being back.
I have received many inquiries about the attendance letters some families have received. These are auto-generated through Skyward on Fridays. The first letter is sent after a student misses 5 days. Once a student has missed 18 absences, both excused and unexcused, the letter states that a referral to Project Attend may be made. This is not automatically done, but could be made if we do not have proper documentation of the reasons for absence.
When a student has 18 or more absences, which is considered excessive by the state, I review the student's records, including grades, to determine if a referral to Project Attend is appropriate. The goal of Project Attend is to help support families to remove the barriers for student absences. A child who misses 10 days of school misses 15 hours of Reading instuction, 10 hours of Math instruction, and, if your child has an intervention plan, 5 hours of support.
I would like to encourage all parents and guardians to attend a PTO meeting. All parents and guardians of Memorial students are automatically members of PTO. New ideas and perspectives are always appreciated, and it is fun to meet other parents and staff members in this informal setting. Through the years, many involved parents and staff have become good friends. The next meeting is March 8 at 3:30 p.m.
With Great Respect,
Mrs. Debra Misecko, Principal
REMINDERS FROM THE OFFICE
- Now that students are wearing and bringing winter wear to school, it is a good time to make sure to label them with your child's name. Lost and Found is exploding by unclaimed and unidentifiable items. It would also be helpful to label water bottles and lunch bags/boxes.
- We do go outside for recess everyday, unless it is 0 degrees with windchill or too wet. Please help your child come to school prepared for outside weather.
- Water bottles are still needed everyday. We have bottle fillers instead of water fountains. Keeping hydrated is good for the brain.
- Please call the school office, 531-3090, by 9:00 a.m. if your child is not coming to school for the day. We need to hear from you. You may also email Mrs. Remijan if that is easier for you.
- Students should leave all toys at home. Pokemon cards are considered toys. They can be distracting to the learning environment and also cause conflict. Thank you for your help with this.
- Attendance letters are being generated automatically through Skyward this year. In general, 10 unexcused absences or 18 absences for any reason are considered excessive, according to IN state guidelines. These are the target numbers for referrals to Project Attend. If your child is out for illness, please send in any and all doctor's notes, as those are taken into consideration before a referral is made.
W.O.W. (Wonderful Outstanding Workers) Winners
December W.O.W. WINNERS
Do you have a 23-24 Kindergarten Student?
Cybersafety for Children at Common Sense Media
The Memorial Robotics Team Competes
Students are contributing to the Valentine Bulletin Board
Some Important Dates
February
11 Robotics Competition at Flint Lake
14 Happy Valentines Day
14 Holiday Parties in the afternoon
17 & 20 - Mid-Winter Break for President's Day
23 Memorial's Dinner Night at Shoe's Pizza
26 Skate Night
March
6-24 Memorial Reads a Book - more information to come
6-16 - IREAD3 Window
8 PTO meeting at 3:30 p.m
10 End of Third Grading Period
27-31 Spring Break
*** Please note the ILEARN test window for Grades 3-5 is April 17 - May 13. The exact days and times for each class will be shared with you at a later date. Students do best when they test with their class. Please schedule trips and appointments around these dates.
Third Quarter Report Cards will be available on the Skyward Parent Portal on March 17
IREAD3
February Focus is Habit # 5 - Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
MEMORIAL PTO NEWS
Please join us at the monthly PTO meetings. it is a fun way to meet new people and stay connected to the school. All Memorial parents and guardians are considered PTO members.
For more information, you may connect the PTO officers:
President - Kristen Elinkowski
Vice President - Tracee McMahon and Amber Strunk
Treasurer - Megan Taylor
Secretary - Rae Smedley
You may also find out more PTO updates on the Memorial Elementary PTO Facebook page, and the Memorial PTO Website.
23-24 PTO Executive Board Openings
Other ways to support Memorial PTO while shopping
- Go to smile.amazon.com, and search for Memorial Elementary PTO Inc.
- Shop as usual, Amazon gives us credit and pays us directly.
Box Tops - (Grocery Items)
- Download Box Tops App (no more cutting) and create an account.
- Search for Memorial Elementary School
- Scan receipts. That's all. Box Tops keeps track and sends money to school.
Memorial Elementary
Email: dmisecko@valpo.k12.in.us
Website: valpo.k12.in.us/Domain/337
Location: 1052 Park Avenue, Valparaiso, IN, USA
Phone: 219-531-3090
Twitter: @Valpo_Memorial