September 2024 Bulldog Bulletin

Look for 'Translate Newsletter' and then click to your desired language.

Email: Kellée Merritt kmerritt@msdwt.k12.in.us / Lou Ann Keeling lkeeling@msdwt.k12.in.us
Website: www.sm.msdwt.k12.in.us
Location: 8250 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: (317) 259-5462
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpringMillElementary/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/springmillelementary/
Twitter: @springmillelem

Upcoming Events:

September

September 2 - Labor Day - NO SCHOOL

September 3 - Return back to school

September 4 - Bus Evacuation Drill (upon arrival)

September 4-5 - Get Your Teach On Collaboration Site Visit to SME

September 9 - School Picture Day (see information below)

September 9 - Fall After School Clubs begin

September 12 - PTO Mix & Mingle (look for more information to come)

September 16 - PTO 5th Grade Parent Meeting

September 16-20 - Bully Safe presentations (3rd-5th Grade Classes only)

September 16-27 - Panorama Student Survey

September 18 - eLearning Day / Parent-Teacher Conferences

September 27 - NCHS Tailgate (see flyer below)

October

October 3 - EL Family Night

October 4 - End of Quarter 1

October 7-11 - Fall Break

October 18 - 3-5 Awards Program

October 21 - PTO Fundraiser Ends

October 21-November 1 - ILEARN Checkpoint 1

October 25 - Bulldog-tober Fest

October 25 - Fall After School Clubs end

October 28-November 5 - CogAT Testing (K, 2, 5)

Dear SM Bulldogs,

We're thrilled to kick off the 2024-2025 school year with such strong support from our parents, PTO, and our dedicated teachers and staff. The synergy between home and school is creating a rich environment where our students are thriving both academically and personally. In just one month, we've already witnessed vibrant classroom communities, significant academic progress, and exciting new opportunities taking shape.

We're also proud to share that Spring Mill has been selected as a Get Your Teach On (GYTO) Collaboration Site for the second consecutive year! This recognition is a tremendous opportunity for our teachers, students, and leadership team to enhance their skills through specialized professional development. You'll find more details about our GYTO partnership in this newsletter.

A heartfelt thank you to our families for your incredible generosity and support of our PTO. In just two weeks, we've not only met but exceeded our fundraising goals, setting new records along the way! The enthusiasm and friendly competition are energizing, and we're grateful for your role in supporting our school's initiatives.

Parental involvement is crucial to our success. By collaborating with your child's teacher, engaging in open communication, and ensuring your child arrives at school each day ready to learn, you contribute significantly to their achievement. Our students have immense potential, and together, we can help them reach it.

Thank you for entrusting us with the education of your children. They are at the heart of what makes Spring Mill exceptional, and we are honored to be part of their journey.

There has never been a better time to be a Spring Mill Bulldog!

Mrs. Lou Ann Keeling

Assistant Principal

#BulldogProud

#goodBetterBEST

#excellentonpurpose

#whyWT

For families who are new to Spring Mill after the start of our 24-25 school year, or those who wish to review the information as needed throughout the year, here is a LINK to the back to school newsletter. The newsletter has valuable information to help SME families better understand our policies and procedures and to be aligned throughout the year. Please review our daily schedule pictured below.

For our newest Bulldogs, and returning Bulldogs, please remember to send in lunch food that your student(s) can open independently, does not need to be warmed up, and they can consume in a timely manner. Our lunch schedule runs back to back with little time in between grade levels and we want to ensure that students have the opportunity to eat all of their lunch so they have the nutrition necessary to make it through the rest of the day.

Dear Spring Mill Family,

We want to start by expressing our immense gratitude for your incredible support in our fundraiser! Thanks to your dedication, we’re thrilled to share that we’re just $200 away from reaching our stretch goal in just the first two weeks! The fundraiser runs until October 21st, so there’s still plenty of time to participate and help us reach – or even surpass – our goal.

If we raise the additional $200, we’ll be able to provide the kids with an exciting bounce house event. More importantly, we can use the money raised to fully fund our teacher grants and subsidize community events like Bulldog-toberfest, the Spring Fling, and other great activities for our kids.

But we’re not stopping there! If we continue fundraising beyond our $10,000 goal, there are additional projects that could make a huge difference for our school. For example, during the recent remodel, updates to the cafeteria flooring and Kindergarten playground equipment were not included. With extra funds, we could help improve these areas and enhance our school environment. Remember, first impressions matter – a welcoming school building is key to attracting new families. Higher enrollment leads to more resources, benefiting everyone.

We encourage everyone to take pride in our school and help us create a place where every parent feels excited to send their children. If every student who has not yet contributed donates just $10, we could raise an additional $4,500! This would not only surpass our goal, but also allow us to start tackling some of these vital improvement projects.

We’d also like to thank all the parents and caregivers who attended our first PTO meeting! Your involvement means the world to us. Our next meeting is on October 21st at 6pm, and we’d love to see even more faces there. Come join us to learn about what your PTO is doing for our school!

Upcoming Events for September:

September 12th: Join us for our first Parent Mix & Mingle of the year at Somos Familia Mexican Restaurant. Keep an eye out for more details coming soon!

September 27th: Popcorn Day! During recess, your kids can enjoy freshly popped popcorn for just $1 per bag – it’s always a hit!

Thanks for all of your help and assistance this year so far! We are off to a fantastic start and plan to make this year the most bulldog-awesome year yet!

Your PTO Co-Presidents,

Monika and Nikki

www.springmillpto.com

School Picture Day is scheduled for Monday, September 9. Look for a paper flyer to come home with your student(s) or you can use this LINK to view the package options and order online. Information needed to place your order online is pictured below for your use.

We are SO EXCITED to share that Spring Mill Elementary has been selected as a Get Your Teach On (GYTO) Collaboration Site for a second year...what a tremendous opportunity for our school! We will be collaborating with Chris Pombonyo, Hope King, and Wade King throughout the year on writing and engagement strategies to continue growing together and going for the gold! Spring Mill is one of only two schools in the entire state of Indiana selected for this opportunity, it is quite an honor! Our initial partnership with GYTO had a profound positive impact on our achievement and climate for the 23-24 school year, so we can only imagine what lies ahead of us for the 24-25 school year.

Check out the Washington Township Schools Foundation post (LINK) detailing how the support we received through their grant process afforded our teachers and administrators the opportunity to attend Get Your Teach On conferences. Our partnership with Get Your Teach On has had a major positive impact on our growth and achievement, we are so thankful for the support of the Washington Township Schools Foundation which allowed us the opportunity to attend such powerful professional development experiences.

In an effort to keep our children and school safe, a Limited Background Check must be completed every school year prior to volunteering in or visiting the classroom or attending any field trips. If you have not already done so, you can request a form from the office or online at https://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/volunteer-requirements. Limited Volunteer / Limited Background checks are free of charge and first time applicants are responsible for the completion of the online bullying education and training provided by MSDWT. We suggest that, if you plan on volunteering at any point in the year, turn in your Background Check form now to allow for processing time. Please be patient as it takes some time for it to be processed.

If you would like information on local Vaccination Clinics to help ensure your student has the necessary vaccines to safely attend school, you can schedule an appointment at MCPHD Immunization Clinic: MCPHD Immunization Clinic Nurse of the Day Schedule in English and Spanish. Information on the clinics will also be posted below to refer to.

At Spring Mill, we have a school wide positive behavior system, Bulldog Bones. Every month we have a different focus, such as safety, respect, and integrity. Throughout the month, we have different skills that the entire school focuses on and, when students model that behavior, they are rewarded with a Bulldog Bone. The bone is submitted for a daily drawing where selected students can choose a non-tangible reward such as office helper, classroom helper, special seat, morning announcement helper, etc. We also have the "Paw"sitively Excellent Student of the Month for each classroom. Teachers select a student that exemplified the focused behaviors throughout the month. For the month of August, our focus was Safety in the hallways, playground, cafeteria, and in all activities on our school campus. The following students were selected as the "Paw"sitively Excellent Student for the month of August:

K

Patterson - Romaissa Si Kadir

Miranda - John Elizee Louis Pierre

Boyer - Emily Smith

Moore - Oliver Amspaugh

1st

Gabbei - Ahmira Fann

Keegan - Ana Valera Duarte

Harton - Teddy Miller

Schneider - Liani Gonzalez - Ramos

Johnson - Timothy Campbell

2nd

Culp - Autumn Jones

McAllister - Akiba Mwanamulenda

Wilson - Dre’a Robinson

Urbanski - King Williams

3rd

Amspaugh - Simone Dale

Chappelle - Cynthia Richardson

Topps - Isaiah Campbell

Gallagher - Briza Eligio Aguilar

4th

Best - Bentley McDonald

Dewey - Justice LaBroi

Middleton - Makayla Ervin

Turner - Grace Baptiste

5th

Arms - Lailah Van Hoosier

Badger - DejaVonne Clayborne

Evans - Cassidee Davis

Specials

K- Ascari Long

1- Daunte Correthers

2- Nubia Richardson

3- Hai Di Halvorson

4- Dominica Robinson

5- Ja’Niyah Harrison