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At South Elementary School, we are a learning community nurturing a culture to provide students the skills necessary to be active, productive, and responsible citizens while empowering students through communications.

September 2 Labor Day-No School

September 3 PTO Meeting 5PM

September 6 End of Midterm 1

September 11 Midterm Posted

September 11: PTO Fundraiser ends

Week of September 16: Robotics Team practices begin

September 19 PTO after school movie 3:35-5:30PM

September 19-Oct. 17: PTO LaBraid Fundraiser (paper orders due 10/10, Online due 10/17)

September 23-24: 4th grade PLTW Learning Trip

Week of September 23: College Go Week

September 23:ILEARN Checkpoint Practice Test 3rd Grade

September 24: Kindergarten Field Trip

September 26: ILEARN Checkpoint Practice Test 4th Grade

September 27 Fall Pictures

Week of September 30: PTO Coin Wars

September 30 PTO Meeting at 5:30PM (This is a change in date and time.)

October 1: Honor Choir Performance at MHS

October 7: Elementary 2K Run at Poston

October 9: eLearning Day & Parent/Teacher Conferences

October 10: Parent/Teacher Conferences (after school)

October 14-18: Fall Break-No School

November 14: Grandparents/Family Night 5:30-7:00PM

Team letters will be sent home the first week of September. First practice will be Thursday, September 26th after school until 5:30PM.

Spell Bowl is an academic team made up of fourth graders. Spell Bowl practices will start in September. The competition is November 18th. Mrs. Scrougham is the coach.

• To report an absence for your child, please call the office at

(765) 349-1486 by 9:00AM. If you do not call the school by 9:30 a.m. and report the absence, the school messaging system, someone from the school, or the attendance officer may be calling your home. Please call in so that the day is an excused absence.

• A doctor visit should be documented with a statement from the doctor so that it can be entered in the school data system. Doctor statements should be faxed to 765-349-5247 or given to the office. We need this documentation to mark it as an excused absence.

• We ask that you not keep a child out of school for the entire day for a doctor or dental appointment.

• If a child is sent home with a fever of 100.4 degrees or over, he/she is not to return to school until fever free for 24 hours without fever medication. If the student is sent home from the clinic, it will be marked as an excused absence through the clinic.

Regular attendance is essential for children to be successful in their educational endeavors. Students are bound by the requirements of the Indiana Compulsory Attendance Laws. Students are expected to attend school regularly and be on time for classes in order to benefit from instructional programs and develop responsible personal habits that are respected in society and therefore a part of the educational process. Please make sure students arrive on time. The morning bell rings at 8:40AM to start class. It rings at 9:40AM on Wednesdays to start class for grades K-4.

*Complete details of attendance procedures and guidelines can be found in the student handbook.

Attendance Guidelines

• AUTHORIZED ABSENCES: If documentation is not provided, these absences will be recorded as unexcused absences. Documentation does include calling into the office.

• DOCUMENTATION: All legal or medical documentation must be submitted within 5 days for the absence to be recorded as excused. The school’s fax # is 765-349-5247.

Please call in or send a doctor note for the attendance to be excused.

Attendance Letters & DCS Notification

• Attendance letters are generated and sent via email on the 5th unexcused absence, 10th unexcused, and 18th unexcused absence.

• Under IC 20-33-2-25, the school must notify DCS when a student reaches 10 unexcused absences. See additional information below.

Under IC 20-33-2-25, the “Superintendent or an attendance officer having jurisdiction shall report a child who is habitually absent from school in violation of this chapter to an intake officer of the juvenile court or the department of child services. The intake officer or the department of child services shall proceed in accord with IC 31-30- through IC 31-40.”

Everyone should report abuse or neglect. The reporting and investigating of suspected child abuse and neglect are not discretionary matters. They have been required by law (IC 31-33-5-1) since 1979.

Do Report When...

• Students have reached ten (10) or more unexcused absences.

• Educational neglect is suspected

• Students are missing and unaccounted for

On Wednesday mornings, staff will be participating in professional development to improve student learning and success.

Therefore, for grades K-4 doors will open at 9:25AM with school starting at 9:40AM. Contact the South office if childcare is needed from 8:25-9:25.

PreK will still be at normal time on Wednesdays. Doors will open at 8:25AM and school will start for PreK at 8:40AM on Wednesdays.

Arrival

• The doors open at 8:25AM, 9:25AM on Wednesdays for grades K-4; 8:25AM on Wednesdays for PreK.
• School begins at 8:40AM, 9:40AM on Wednesdays for grades K-4; 8:40 on Wednesdays for PreK.
• We ask that all parents/guardians dropping students off remain in their vehicles during drop off.
• We will have South staff members outside to guide the students into the school.
• You can drop off students at the front of the building in the front drive or in the circle lot.
• Staff will be located at both locations to assist.
• PreK should drop off on Wednesdays in the circle lot.
• Please be patient during arrival as we want to make sure that everyone remains safe.

Dismissal

• Busses are loaded at 3:35PM
• Walkers are dismissed and begin loading vehicles at approximately 3:45PM for grades K-4. PreK dismisses at 3PM.
• Parents/guardians picking up students should remain in their vehicles during dismissal. Students will be called to each vehicle.
• PreK, Kindergarten and Daycare students can be picked up in the circle lot. If a Kindergarten student has an older sibling at South, the older sibling would be picked up in the circle lot also.
• Students in grades 1-4 can be picked up in the front drive. In the front drive, cars will be moved up in line once the busses have been loaded and dismissed.
• Traffic in both locations will remain stopped until students are loaded safely. Staff members will be calling names so that students come to the vehicles.
• Remain in the car rider lines and follow staff direction for movement.
• Please be patient during dismissal as we want to make sure that everyone remains safe.

PLEASE RETURN EMERGENCY CARDS AND STUDENT RESIDENCY FORMS AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE. YOU MAY RETURN THEM IN YOUR STUDENTS FOLDERS OR TO THE SCHOOL OFFICE BETWEEN 8AM AND 4PM.

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*Please contact the office if you need this information provided in another language.

Website: https://msdofmartinsville.org/south-elementary/
Location: 500 Artesian Ave, Martinsville, IN, USA
Phone: 7653491486
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthElementarySchool
Twitter: @southdolphins1