Stonegate Elementary Newsletter

• September 7 - Labor Day - No School
  
• September 11 - School Picture Day/Remote learners' materials pick up
• October 12-16 - Fall Break - No School
• November 2- Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences; E-Day
• November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break
• December 19-January 3 - Winter Break

• January 18 - MLK Jr. Day (No School)

• January 19 - No School
  

• February 15 - Presidents Day - No School

• April 2-9 - Spring Break

• May 26 - Last Student Day of School

• May 27 - Teacher work day

• May 31 - Memorial Day

Mrs. Brizzolara's class studied and celebrated women's right to vote. When asked what facts they learned students shared, "that before the right to vote women couldn't work, they couldn't buy houses and they didn't even have their own bank accounts." Students were engaged in this topic and even today were enthusiastically willing to tell you all they knew .

On September 11th, all Stonegate students will be getting their school picture taken. Cripe Photography will be taking the pictures, and they are hoping to get most orders through their website rather than a paper form. Please see their information below about ordering as well as their COVID policy.

Pre-order for school photos is now open! To order with a debit or credit card, please follow the link below. All pre-ordering will close after September 13th. You do not need to turn in any receipt or form for an online order. Your student will be bringing home a paper form to pay by check or cash. Proof ordering will be available 4-6 weeks after the photo day.
https://cp-school-portraits.hhimagehost.com/V2/Home/LoginConsumer?EK=151051

COVID Policy for the 2020-21 school year:

Cripe Photography has instituted a "No Contact" policy for school photos. Our photographers will not be in contact with the students, therefore will not be fixing hair, collars or other clothing. Photographers will try their best to have the student fix what is needed. If you have any questions or concerns please fill out our Customer Service Contact Form

On September 11th, remote learners will need to come to Stonegate to gather more remote learning materials as well as have their school picture taken. Students will enter door 10 (wearing a mask), get their picture taken, grab their bag of remote learning items, and head back outside. Families will need to wait in their vehicles as to help us practice social distancing.

• Students last name beginning with A-G please arrive between 3:15-3:30pm
• Students last name beginning with H-O please arrive between 3:30-3:45pm
• Students last name beginning with P-Z please arrive between 3:45-4:00pm

Please see the links below for the updated guidance. You can also click here to access the ZCS website.

ISDH Guidance for Families

In the coming weeks, our school safety team will speak to students on the topic of school safety. As you can imagine, school safety encompasses a wide variety of topics. After a general review with students on how we can remain safe on a daily basis, your child’s class will receive instruction on the A.L.I.C.E. protocol.

What is ALICE?

Very briefly stated, A.L.I.C.E. is a safety philosophy and action plan that seeks to give all school employees information during an intruder situation so that we, as first responders in crisis, can save lives. A.L.I.C.E. is a program used by schools, businesses, and law enforcement across the country. The philosophy of A.L.I.C.E. is to use information in a way so that staff and students can make informed decisions in a crisis, remove as many people as possible from the danger zone, and provide realistic training so that those involved in a crisis have a better chance of surviving.

A.L.I.C.E. is an acronym for, Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. A.L.I.C.E. is not designed to be sequential, but rather to be utilized dynamically in each situation. Teachers will provide direction to the students on what action needs to be taken, so it is very important that students listen and follow the directions given, as this drill is not predictable like a fire drill or tornado drill. This protocol helps us teach students safe decision making skills during a crisis. The A.L.I.C.E. program was introduced to the Zionsville community in the spring of 2014. District parent meetings were held to help inform the public while training took place throughout the 2014-2015 school year with our faculty and staff.

WHY ALICE?

Our local law enforcement and ZCS school safety leaders have been trained in the A.L.I.C.E. protocol. In addition, our ZCS Board of Trustees has met with Boone County and Town of Zionsville police professionals in this regard. Our governing board is in unanimous agreement with law enforcement professionals’ recommendation that we train, communicate, and fully implement the A.L.I.C.E. protocol.

The A.L.I.C.E. program is leveled to be age appropriate and is not meant to scare or frighten children but to empower them with knowledge to make good decisions in a crisis. We will encourage your child to discuss A.L.I.C.E. with you at home. We will continue to highlight the key steps of this protocol with students through daily announcements, safety drills, and classroom conversations. For more information on A.L.I.C.E., please feel free to visit the following website: http://www.alicetraining.com/. If you or your child have continued questions, please contact your school leader.

It is our school and district goal to make our students strong, safe, and empowered.

Thank you for your assistance and support in keeping our students safe.

Sincerely,

Stacy Smith, Principal Pleasant View Elementary

Andrew Foreman, Principal Eagle Elementary

Connie Largent, Principal Stonegate Elementary

Jennifer Raycroft, Principal Union Elementary

Tom Hundley, Principal Boone Meadow Elementary

Next week will begin the annual bully prevention lessons. This important topic is discussed with all students in order for them to prevent bullying as well as knowing if they are being bullied. The lesson is taught using the book One by Katherine Otoshi. In this book, children learn the importance of being the “one” to stand up to a bully. Bullying is defined as overt, unwanted, repeated acts or gestures, including verbal or written communications or images transmitted in any manner including electronically or digitally, physical acts committed, aggression, or any other similar behaviors that are committed by a student or group of students against another student with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or harm the targeted student and create for the targeted student an objectively hostile school environment. Bullying accusations are taken seriously therefore, the word “bullying” should not be used lightly. If the report is not considered bullying, we still take the conflict seriously, discuss, and follow up with students involved. Our number one job is to keep students safe, physically and emotionally! We encourage you to discuss with your child about bullying prevention, how to be an Ally, and how to navigate through natural peer conflict.

The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

The CogAT is a multiple-choice assessment administered to all students in kindergarten and second grade. This year students in third grade will make-up the assessment that they missed in second grade last spring due to our Covid-19 shut down. This assessment will be given to in-person students. This is a computer based assessment that measures reasoning skills with different types of verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal questions. The CogAT uses two types of norms when tests are scored: age norms, and grade norms. Age norms compare how a student performed relative to other children of the same age, and grade norms compare how a student performed relative to other children in the same grade. Scores will be posted on each child’s Power School account after scoring has been completed. For more information please contact your child’s school counselor.

3rd grade Test Dates: September 8-10, 2020

Kindergarten and 2nd Grade Test Dates: February 1-12, 2021

ZCS and the Zionsville Diversity Coalition partnered to create a list of mentor texts that support our elementary adopted literacy curriculum. Books donated will be placed in our elementary classrooms for teachers to use and to offer our students mirrors (seeing themselves), windows (seeing others), and doors (opportunities to learn about differences) because in ZCS, EVERYONE BELONGS!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2YZARP00V2AZF?ref_=wl_share

Child Find is the process for locating, identifying, and evaluating individuals with suspected disabilities who may need special education services, regardless of the severity of their disabilities. This is the responsibility of ZCS regardless of whether a parent affirmatively requests an evaluation. ZCS provides a Free Appropriate Public Education to any child who qualifies as having a disability, in accordance with federal and state laws. ZCS is responsible for locating all children ages 3 through 22 years of age with a suspected disability who reside within the boundaries of its district. With early identification and intervention, frustration and academic failure can be prevented, which in turn creates a positive learning experience for students. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), which encompasses academics and/or social and emotional learning, is an essential component of the child find process. Utilizing screening assessments, the ZCS team members identify students in

need of intervention, implement action plans, and monitor the response to the targeted interventions. In addition, the evaluation referral procedures in ZCS provide the framework to refer students with suspected disabilities for evaluation.

Speech Assistance Program

The Speech Assistance Program is designed to provide support to students with single sound articulation errors that are not age appropriate within the general education setting. Following the MTSS approach, this program allows for early identification and treatment of mild articulation disorders so students receive assistance without having to be identified under special education. The Speech Assistance Program is a three-tiered system in which progress is monitored to determine if additional supports are needed. If adequate progress is not demonstrated, a referral for evaluation will be prompted to determine eligibility under special education.

Calling all 3rd and 4th Grade Students...Fall SGE Running Club begins September 11th and I couldn't be more excited! We will meet each Friday (except Oct. 16th-Fall Break), through November 20th 2:30-3:30. ALL abilities are welcome! We will learn more about healthy eating, goal setting, how to train to walk/run a 5K (3.1 miles) and of course show our TEAM SPIRIT as we encourage each other along the journey! If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me (dtorrance@zcs.k12.in.us). You can register through Eagle Recreation. https://register.ryzer.com/camp.cfm?sport=7&id=175481

Just a friendly reminder of our school start and end times:

• 7:30 AM - Office opens
• 7:50 AM - 1st - 4th Grade - arrival time
• 8:00 AM - School begins
• 8:50 AM - Kindergarten - arrival time
• 9:00 AM - Kindergarten - school begins
• 2:20 PM - Student dismissal time
• 2:30 - School ends
• 3:30 - Office closes

Our first PTO Dining for Dollars for the 2020-2021 school year is next week, September 10th, at Hotbox Pizza in Whitestown. All orders that mention SGE PTO will give 20% of the cost of the order back to our PTO. Please check out the flier below for additional information. Thank you!

ZCS Food Service Associate SUB positions available at our cafeterias at a pay of $11.40 per hour! Work when it suits your schedule! After you try us out, perhaps you’ll want to join us on a regular basis! Click here to apply directly and call 317-873-1232, ext. 11630 with any questions!