September 2024: News to Know

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Greetings from Indian Landing! We hope that you had an enjoyable summer! We've had an amazing first four days of school and are settling right into the routines of being back at IL!

We welcome back many returning families and we are pleased to extend a warm welcome to the students and families who are new to the Penfield community and the Indian Landing family. The start of school is a perfect time to highlight some of the faces that you will get to know (or will continue to work with) this year.

Mrs. Meghan Smith- Mrs. Smith is our Safety Monitor at our main entrance/front desk. She is often the first face that visitors see when they come to Indian Landing. Mrs. Smith is responsible for checking in all visitors to Indian Landing and ensuring that proper safety protocols are followed. Mrs. Smith works with the office to coordinate all student pick-ups and dismissals during the school day. She also assists with arrivals and regular afternoon dismissal in the bus loop each day.

Mrs. Amy Jacob- Mrs. Jacob is our Administrative Assistant. In addition to a myriad of duties supporting both administrators and teachers, Mrs. Jacob's direct work with students and families includes assisting with registration and placement, new student/kindergarten screening and providing support for minor discipline issues, and assisting with our lunch and recess monitors. Her email is ajacob@penfield.edu.

Mrs. Karen Miller- Mrs. Miller can be found at the front desk in the Main Office. Mrs. Miller handles all student attendance. One of her most important duties is the coordination of all dismissal procedures for all students including car pick-up, walker door and special arrangements. Mrs. Miller is the one that reads and handles all of the information on your dismissal notes. She also works with teachers and families to coordinate meetings for students involved with the Committee on Special Education. Her email is kmiller@penfield.edu.

Mrs. Val Weiss- Mrs. Weiss provides direct support to the principal and assistant principal and handles the calendars and scheduling for administrators. She also handles all aspects of budgeting and ordering for the building. Mrs. Weiss also assists with MTSS. Her email is vweiss@penfield.edu.

Mrs. Anne Leenhouts- Mrs. Leenhouts joined the IL family in the middle of last year and we are happy to have her with us for a second year. Mrs. Leenhouts is the person who handles all medications and reviews all student health and immunization forms at the start of the year. She also coordinates all of our emergency care plans for students with allergies or other medical issues requiring support at school. Her email is aleenhouts@penfield.edu.

Although we each have different roles and responsibilities, our number one job is the same- to care for our IL students and to make our school a positive, welcoming place where all students can be the best they can be.

On behalf of our entire Indian Landing faculty and staff, we want to say how extremely excited we all are for the 2024-2025 school year! We look forward to creating a strong partnership with your family. Working together, we can truly make a difference for the children in our community. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Marcie Ware

Principal

Eric Traugott

Assistant Principal

Indian Landing's Project LEAD team is a school-based committee comprised of both parents and teachers. LEAD stands for Learning, Evolving and Advancing Diversity. We acknowledge respect, honor, and value the diversity of our community by welcoming all cultural identities, orientations, socioeconomic statues, and abilities. We will foster a culture where all feel safe, seen, heard, represented, and respected. To help support our mission, please complete respond to the following questions. We will use your responses to broaden our understanding of our Indian Landing community and to inform and deepen our instructional practices, our school climate, and most importantly, our relationships with students and families.

Please complete this survey by September 30, 2024. If you would prefer a paper version, please contact Marcie Ware at mware@penfield.edu.

Project LEAD Family Survey 24-25

Options for translation are available by clicking the drop down menu at the top of the survey.

• Monday, September 9th- Friday, September 13th- Homecoming Spirt Week (see details below)
• Thursday, September 12th- PTO meeting, 7:00 p.m. IL Library
  
• Friday, September 13th — Homecoming Celebration at PHS (see details below)
  
• Tuesday, September 17th — Curriculum Night; Grades 3-5 6:30-8:00 p.m.
  
• Wednesday, September 18th — Curriculum Night; Grades K-2 6:30-8:00 p.m.
  
• Wednesday, September 18th — School Picture Day! See details below!
  
• Friday, September 20th — IL & Red Wings Family Night

Looking ahead:

• Thursday, October 3rd — PTO Meeting; 7 p.m. IL Library
• Friday, October 11th — Supt. Conference Day; No School for students
• Monday, October 14th — Indigenous Peoples Day; Columbus Day; No School for students

All students and families are encouraged and invited to participate in Homecoming 2024 from September 9th to 13th! From Spirit Week and football to the Food Truck Rodeo and fireworks, there is fun for the whole family! Students can follow the schedule below for Spirit Week and families are invited to Penfield High School on Friday, September 13th for the Family Food Truck Rodeo, Fun Zone and post-game fireworks celebration!

The 2024-2025 Parent-Student Handbook contains important information on the policies and procedures for our building. The handbook can be accessed online via our school website or by clicking the link below. If you would like a hard copy of the handbook, please contact the Main Office to request one.

2024-2025 Parent Handbook

Parents are invited to visit their child's classroom and hear about the instructional program during our upcoming Curriculum Nights. In addition to meeting the teacher and hearing about the classroom, parents will also have the opportunity to visit with our special area teachers and related service providers such as literacy, math, speech, and special education. Curriculum Night presentations are intended for parents and guardians only. Children do not need to attend.

The Curriculum Night for Grades 3-5 will be on Tuesday, September 17th, and Grades K-2 will be on Wednesday, September 18th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. This year the Welcome presentation will be shared in a video format and will be sent out to families prior to our Curriculum Nights. The Welcome presentation will include an overview of our K-5 curriculum, as well as information about our Indian Landing routines and procedures.

The specific details of our schedule will be sent via Parent Square later next week.

School pictures will be taken on Wednesday, September 18th. We are once again excited to partner with CLIX studios for our school photos. Order forms will be sent home in backpacks and they will also be emailed the week of September 9th. Online ordering is is also available now! Use code 24IL.

We have certificates available to families that may have financial barriers. Please reach out to our school Social Worker, Elsbeth Ebenhoe at eebenhoe@penfield.edu. PRIOR to Picture Day on the 18th.

Paper order forms cannot be accepted after Picture Day.

We invite all IL families to join us at Innovative Field on Friday, September 20th to celebrate being back to school with the Red Wings! Our 4th and 5th grade chorus students will be singing the National Anthem.

Tickets are $10 and are sold and distributed directly by the Red Wings. Link to purchase: Indian Landing - September 20th Red Wings Game

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

The day of September 15th is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16th and September 18th, respectively.

At Indian Landing we will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with daily announcements, music, library books, and a school-wide activity using the book, Alma and How She Got Her Name.

For family fun at home check out How to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Your Kids

Prices for school meals are as follows:

• Student Breakfast- $1.70
• Student Lunch: $3.00
• Milk- $.60

The MySchoolBucks system allows parents to pre-pay for meals and snacks. Instructions on how to register are available on the site at www.myschoolbucks.com . Note: You will need your child's Student ID number to register. Additional help is available at the following link: FAQs.

Parents may also pre-pay for lunches by sending in a check made out to: Penfield School Lunch. Students can hand the check to the cashier when going through the lunch line and the money will be credited to their account. Please make sure your child's name is on the memo line of the check.

For information please visit the PCSD Food Services webpage

Use this link to access the Free and Reduced Lunch application

One of the many things that makes Indian Landing a special place to be is that we have our very own therapy dog! Simon is a 9 year old Shih Tzu who belongs to our school counselor, Mrs. Tessa Perez. He is about 12 pounds and hypoallergenic, meaning those who are allergic to dogs are less likely to have an allergic reaction to a dog like Simon because he has hair instead of fur. To become a certified therapy dog (through Therapy Dogs International), Simon passed a rigorous test to show that he is friendly, tolerant, and a good listener. Simon continues to take socialization and obedience classes.

Simon is intended to provide comfort and motivation to our students. Please contact Mrs. Perez if you do not want your child to interact with Simon. She can be reached by email at tperez@penfield.edu.

A detailed letter about Simon and our expectations for interacting with him will be sent home in student backpacks. More information about Penfield’s “Therapy Dogs in Schools” policies can be found on the Penfield School District website under the School Board tab.

We included a reminder in our June newsletter and it is included in our handbook, but I wanted to again share information about district policies relating to medication. School nurses are prohibited by law from dispensing medication of any kind to students without written authorization from parents. This is for all over the counter medications, creams, lotions, daily medication, emergency medication, and all prescription medication.

You may drop off any medication and paperwork on the School Supply Drop Off date, August 29th from 2:00pm-3:00pm in the Nurse's office.

If you have questions, please contact our school nurse at 249-6907.

We have many Indian Landing students with life-threatening food allergies. This year our students will be eating snack in the classroom and lunch in the cafeteria. It is important that we do our best to avoid exposure and contamination of surfaces.

Our school nurse will be sending home letters about decreasing the risk of exposure. If your child comes home with a letter, we kindly ask for your cooperation. Please do not send in foods for in-class snacks or lunch that contain the allergens as identified in the letter.

Thank you for helping to keep our students safe!

In addition to the specific procedures for arrival and dismissal, I would like to remind you of a few other important policies—

· Adults should be prepared to show ID whenever they are picking up a child from school. This includes the main entrance/front desk, walker door and car pick-up. All visitors are expected to show ID and state their purpose for being at the building before entering.

· No students will be dismissed at the receptionist’s desk between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. If you need to come in to sign your child out, please arrive prior to 3:00 p.m. or use the walker door or car pick-up line.

· Changes to dismissal cannot be accepted via email. All changes to dismissal should be submitted in writing and must include a parent/guardian signature. Please do not email the teacher or the main office. If you have an emergency and need to change the dismissal plan, please call 249-6910. Phone calls with last-minute dismissal changes should be for urgent situations only.

· The front parking lot is the designated area for parking. Vehicles are not permitted in the bus loop at any time.

· Please be vigilant. There are many students that walk to and from school who use the nearby sidewalks. Please drive slowly and carefully, and always be on alert for children nearby.

The Indian Landing (IL) Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is a partnership of parents, guardians, teachers, and administrators committed to supporting and enhancing the educational and social growth of all students at Indian Landing Elementary School. Did you know that events such as LEGO Night, Ice Cream Social, and the Annual Carnival are sponsored and supported by our PTO?

Want to learn more? Stop by the membership table during one of our Curriculum Nights where PTO reps will be available in the main entrance foyer. Or you can join us at our next meeting! Our first meeting of the year will take place on Thursday, September 12th. Meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM the Indian Landing Library. Please check out the PTO website for more information.

We are looking for any and all volunteers, but if you are someone who would like to take on a more active leadership role, our Vice President for Diversity position is currently open. We have a fabulous group of officers to work with! If you are interested in learning more please email indianlandingpto@gmail.com for more information!

Email: indianlandingpto@gmail.com
Website: indianlandingpto.org
Facebook: Indian Landing PTO

Email: mware@penfield.edu
Website: www.penfield.edu
Location: 702 North Landing Road, Rochester, NY, United States
Phone: 585-249-6900
Facebook: Indian Landing Elementary School
Instagram: @indianlandingelementary