NORTH ELEMENTARY

We commit to maximize our students' successes through personalized experiences, so they make a difference in any community.

Hello North Families!

December has arrived, bringing with it a blast of cold and snow! With the onset of inclement weather, now is a good time to be sure you have your Parent Square notifications set up so that you will receive notifications of closings or delays in a timely manner. You can find more information about Parent Square in the WEBSITES AND APPS section of this newsletter. If you need help in this area, please don't hesitate to reach out to our office staff.

These next three weeks bring with them a lot of excitement about upcoming holidays and the two week break from school. Staff will be working to help students maintain their focus while making sure to allow for some extra opportunities for fun and movement. It can be a crazy time, and I know our staff are up to the task!

A reminder that the last student day of the semester is Thursday, December 19th and that we will return to school on Monday, January 6th.

As always, we thank you for your support and involvement in our school. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or if we can help in any way.

Sincerely,

Karen Perkins

Principal

Here are a few skills you can practice with your student at home to help make this season an easier one for them:

• Winter outerwear:
• Zipping coats
• Turning coat sleeves right side out
• Putting on hats and mittens (or gloves, if you're brave!)
• Storing hats and mittens in your coat sleeve or pocket
• Healthy habits:
• Coughing or sneezing into your elbow/sleeve
• Blowing/wiping your nose (when and how)
• Washing hands

December 9 ~~ December School Board Meeting

December 9 - 13 ~~ Jingle Bell Junction Shopping

December 19 ~~ Last Student Day of First Semester and Winter Parties

December 20 to January 3 ~~ Winter Break

January 6 ~~ First Student Day of Second Semester

January 20 ~~ Martin Luther King Jr Day (no school)

February 17 ~~ Presidents' Day (no school)

February 26 ~~ Staff Professional Development Day (elearning or waiver for students TBD)

March 14 ~~ End of 3rd Quarter

March 24 - 28 ~~ Spring Break

April 10 ~~ Staff Professional Development Day (elearning or waiver for students TBD)

May 22 ~~ Last Student Day

November Student Recognitions

Each week, on a rotating basis, classroom teachers and related arts teachers recognize students who have shown the Warrior Way by being respectful, responsible and ready to learn. We call these students our Warriors of the Week, and we are very proud to share their pictures with you.

Congratulations to all!

Congratulations to our October Student of the Month, Riley Mezilas. Riley is in kindergarten, and he was recognized at the November Board Meeting for his perseverance, his outgoing personality, and his academic growth.

Our kindergarten students participated in our annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, complete with balloon floats they designed and created on their own.

Recess Temperatures

Winter hit this week! While we will have indoor recess on days the "feels like" temp is below 20 degrees, we still go outside as much as we can regardless of the cold. It is important that your student has the right gear for outdoor recess. Please remember:

• Many of our students have recess in the morning, long before the predicted afternoon high temperatures. Just because a weather report says that it's going to be 60 outside, it may still just be in the 40's at recess time.
• Recess is held outside unless wind chills dip below 20 degrees.

If providing a warm coat, hats and mittens is a struggle, please contact our school counselor. She would be happy to provide these resources for your student. You can reach her at abrown@danville.k12.in.us.

Lost! (and hoping to be found)

SEE BELOW for a picture of the items currently in the lost and found. Please remind your student to ask to go to lost and found if you see something that belongs to them.

Nutrition Club

The Nutrition Club provides supplemental weekend food for children at North, South, and Middle School each Friday during the school year. We all struggle at some point. The goal of this program is to ease a bit of the struggle. You are welcome to sign-up at any point during the school year. The food will be sent home in a plastic bag that can fit inside a school backpack or be carried. You only complete one form per family. List all of your children that you would like to participate. Each child in your family will receive their own cinch sack or bag on Fridays throughout the school year. This program is the result of the generosity of the Danville community! Please contact Chrissy Larkin with any questions. clarkin9893@aol.com or 317-563-2498.

Sign up with the PDF atttached below.

Car Riders

October Notes:

As it gets darker in the morning, we ask that you increase your awareness as your drive through the line. Be aware of students walking on the sidewalk, parents and students walking to the crosswalk in the parking lot, and staff directing traffic.

Continual Reminders:

Please remember that all of our processes are designed to keep your student and their peers safe and to keep the lines efficient. With that in mind, here are a few important reminders:

• We ask that all parents use the drop off line. Do not park and walk your child across the sidewalk and/or into the building unless you have business that you need to take care of.
• Before stopping in the line, please pull all the way forward (you can get closer!!) The more cars we can get along the sidewalk, the faster the line will go.
• If you do have to come into the building, PLEASE USE THE CROSSWALK. Do not cross through the drop off line even if it is stopped.

Destination Changes

We understand that changes to a child's after school schedule may need to occur from time to time. If a student has a change in routine, either destination or pick up, the school must be contacted by a parent or legal guardian prior to 1:30pm. Destination change notification may be made by

• A signed note sent to school in your child's folder (please include your child's first and last name and the date for the change)
• A phone call to the office 317.745.2610
• An email to northoffice@danville.k12.in.us.
• A parent square message to DCSC Northoffice

We ask that you do not email this information only to your child's teacher in the event that he or she is absent or unable to check their email. Last-minute changes are often difficult to get to the classroom and sometimes could panic or scare a child. Office personnel deliver end of day changes to staff at 1:45 each afternoon.

I have a sick kiddo. Should I keep them home?

Students with a temperature of 100°F or above, vomiting, diarrhea, eye discharge, or an undiagnosed rash should stay home for 24 hours. They must be fever-free without medication for 24 hours before returning.

For symptoms of infectious diseases (mumps, measles, chicken pox, conjunctivitis, impetigo), contact the Danville North Elementary nurse. If a child falls ill at school, the nurse will assess, take their temperature, and notify the parents, keeping the child separate and supervised until they arrive.

To report an illness-related absence, call the Danville North Elementary front office at 317-745-2610 with your child's name, class, and reason. If on antibiotics, the child should be treated for at least 24 hours before returning.

Lunch Visitors

We love having visitors for lunch. See below for some important expectations for lunch visitors:

• All visitors must sign in with their driver's license.
• Please notify our office if anyone other than a parent or legal guardian will be joining your child for lunch.
• Per federal guidelines, carbonated beverages are not allowed in the cafeteria for students or adults.

• Lunch items brought for your child cannot be shared with other children.

• NO TECHNOLOGY AT THE TABLE! While visiting for lunch, we ask that you (1) take full advantage of this time to visit with your child by refraining from having your phone out and (2) respect the privacy of other people's children by NOT taking pictures of other students.
• Lunch visitors should return to the front office to check out immediately following lunch dismissal. For safety reasons, we ask that you do not walk about the building or return to the room with your student's class unless you have made arrangements to do so with their teacher.

Other Visitors

• Includes guest speakers, special events, and parent/teacher conferences.
  
• Must sign in with a driver’s license. No criminal history check required.

Volunteers

• Includes field trip chaperones and regular classroom volunteers.
• Complete the Verkada application and background check (if not already on file).

On Sunday, December 8th, from 3 to 6 p.m., we will be hosting a Holiday Huddle camp. Our K-6th grade Warriors will go through football training drills, play football holiday games, complete a take-home football holiday craft, and watch a holiday movie with high school players. Our high school coaching staff will instruct campers through all drills and teach the basics of our Danville Football program.

One of the goals of this event is to allow parents to complete any Christmas errands or shopping that they may have while allowing our Warriors to learn more about our football program in a fun and interactive way.

Please see the attached flyer to learn more, and follow the link below to get signed up today!

Click the link here - Danville Football Holiday Huddle

As we enter the cold and flu season, it is important that families are aware of our attendance policy and procedures.

Reporting an Absence

You should report your student absent before 8:45 a.m. You can let us know by calling our office at 317-745-2610, by sending an email to northoffice@danville.k12.in.us, or by sending a parent square message to DCSC Northoffice. While it is helpful to let your student's teacher know of their absence, letting our office know is most important.

Supporting Your Student

If your student is struggling to come to school, please reach out to us. Our counselor, Allie Brown, is a great place to start. She can help with getting a healthy routine back on track. You can reach her at albrown@danville.k12.in.us or by calling our front office at 317.745.2610.

Attendance Procedures

In following Indiana State Statute, DCSC schools use the following process for communicating with parents when a student's attendance is a concern:

• 5 unexcused absences - Letter will be sent to the parent/guardian. If a student is in grades K-6th, additional meetings regarding truancy prevention may occur.
• 7 unexcused absences - A parent conference may be requested
• 10 unexcused absences - a violation will occur upon the next unexcused absence. This violation may result in a mandatory meeting of the parent and student with a school representative. The student may be sent to Project Attend through Hendricks County Juvenile Court System and/or Department of Child Services.
  

Attendance Codes and Definitions

• AED (excused)

• Illness verified by note from a physician

• Illness verified by the school nurse

• AN (excused)
  

• Illness verified by note from a parent

• Absence due to family maternity

• Absence due to family bereavement*

• Absence due to deployment or return from service*

• Absence due to Religious Nature*

• *can be changed to AED with notification

• AUC (with parent contact) or AU (with no parent contact)- change to absence unexcused

• Absence not due to illness

• Family Trips - Must submit a form, signed by all teachers and the parent/guardian, two full days before the first day of absence.

Below you will find information about some of most frequently used websites/apps we use along with a brief description of how they will be used throughout the school year. If you have any trouble setting up your accounts or using them, please do not hesitate to contact our office for assistance. You can reach us at 317.745.2610 or at northoffice@danville.k12.in.us.

Infinite Campus Parent Portal is where you will find your student's schedule/teacher placement and current grade. You will be able to see your student's lunch account balance and add money here. If you are new to our district, you would have received information about setting up your Parent Portal when you completed online registration. If you are a returning family, your login information will be the same as is was last year.

Parent Square automatically generates an account for each parent, using the preferred email address and phone number from Infinite Campus.

Teachers, North Elementary, and the District Office will use this platform to share newsletters and send direct messages, including delay and cancellation notices, with parents. We encourage parents to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified (email, text, or through the app).

Schoology is the district online learning platform. While it is use significantly more by students in older grades, this is where you student will find their work on ELearning Days. Teachers will be working with students on how to login and to use this platform early in the school year so that they are ready on the first ELearning day which is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10th.

You also have a parent account (login is the same as Infinite Campus) and you can view what your student sees.

Welcome to North Elementary!

We are glad you're part of our family, and we are here to help. Contact any of us if you need any assistance or have any questions.

northoffice@danville.k12.in.us

317.745.2610

Parent Square message: DCSC Northoffice

Email: northoffice@danville.k12.in.us
Website: http://www.danville.k12.in.us/Domain/10
Location: 398 Urban Street, Danville, IN, United States
Phone: (317)745-2610