aka: "R.A.C.E. Day"

How exciting! Today was BME’s first R.A.C.E. Day! At Boone Meadow, we are living out our desire to “Unleash the Possibilities” for the students, families, and staff within our learning community. As we all know, tapping into new possibilities might require trying something new and possibly less conventional.

As the acronym conveys, (Related Arts Choice Experiences) we are providing students the opportunity to select the “Related Arts” experience they will attend on Fridays. The R.A.C.E. experiences occur during each grade level’s Related Arts (aka “Specials”) time block.

Our talented and skillful Related Arts Team, (Media, STEM, Music, Wellness) along with a handful of other staff members (school counselor, literacy coach, etc..), take time to craft purposeful learning experiences for your children on Fridays. For example, Mrs. Benson might provide an additional experience for students to work in the school garden, participate in a campus nature walk, or analyze the flora and fauna in our bird and butterfly garden. In music, Mr. Doublestein might offer opportunities to learn new folk dances, trial some new instruments, or work with technology to compose a presentation. Each week that R.A.C.E. Day options are available, the related arts team informs classroom teachers by Wednesday of what experiences will be, and students select their experience on Thursdays.

As a staff, our “R.A.C.E. Day” goal is clear. We desire to provide students the opportunities to explore their talents, skills, and interests by providing a choice and voice in those experiences. Some students crave more physical movement – let’s give them an opportunity to have another dose of Wellness with Mr. Stephens. Some students are discovering their interests in music – let’s give them another opportunity of time with Mr. Doublestein. Some students enjoy their time with Mrs. Sloan (counselor) – let’s provide them the time to play a game, do yoga, and talk about their day and experiences. Some students discover they are authors – let’s give them some time to participate in a writing club with Mrs. Gray (our lit coach). Let’s continue to “Unleash the Possibilities."

Today was a tremendous success, and we are thrilled with the opportunity to provide your children with rich learning experiences each day.

“Have no fear, STEM is still here” at Boone Meadow.

Some of you may have noticed that STEM is not listed as part of the weekly scheduled rotation of related arts experiences. Although it may not be scheduled each week as part of the “specials” classes, STEM is very much alive and well as an integral part of our learning at BME.

STEM is infused into the learning environments at Boone Meadow in a variety of ways. Some of these approaches occur in the student's classroom, in the STEM room, or in the great outdoors.

• Over the course of the school year, Mrs. Benson will employ the rich and robust lessons with students in the STEM room as she has in the past. However, the scheduling of these lessons may look different from years past.
• Instead of having each class come to her for 45 minutes once a week, there are designated times in the year when she might see a class for multiple days in a row. This will be done in effort to go deeply into a unit of study over a series of days, rather than spread the unit out for several weeks or even a couple of months.
• At times, we may have specific grade levels engage in STEM during their related arts block as they have in years past. This allows specific grade levels to engage in units outside of their science instruction in the classroom.
• In addition, Mrs. Benson will also be co-teaching and demonstrating lessons in your child's classroom as students are engaged in science units of study, inquiry, and experiments in their own classrooms. This is to elevate the connections to be made across the curriculum within the classroom throughout the school day.
• Throughout the year, Mrs. Benson will still be designating specific times to facilitate learning by teaching robotics, coding, and support with various engineering components of our curricula.
• Additional opportunities for students and families will abound in the form of STEM Nights, gardening on our campus, as well as, STEM challenges for families.

August 23 - Curriculum Night (See info below)

August 30 - Girl Scout Registration 6:00-8:00pm (Zionsville Town Hall)

August 30-31 - 4th Grade to Camp Tecumseh

September 25 - Jog-A-Thon

October 3rd (afternoon) & 4th (afternoon/evening) - Student Conferences/E-Day

Boone Meadow Curriculum Night, 5:30 – 8 pm

Thursday Evening, August 23rd

During this event, each classroom teacher will present a half hour session to parents/guardians highlighting the curriculum, events, and expectations for the year ahead. Each grade level has a designated time, indicated in the calendar below. You will also be able to visit informational booths from various district and community organizations, as well as, our related arts team.

Please note: Childcare is not provided.

5:30-6:00 Kindergarten

6:00-6:30 1st Grade

6:30-7:00 2nd Grade

7:00-7:30 3rd Grade

7:30-8:00 4th Grade

From time to time Boone Meadow uses SchoolMessenger to send a text to all of the families. If you haven't been receiving texts from us, you may need to opt-in by sending YES to the SchoolMessenger short code of 68453. Contact Beth Kiel in the front office if you have any questions!

bkiel@zcs.k12.in.us

Buses provide an excellent transportation option which results in efficiency for arrival and dismissal on our school campus. However, families always have the option to bring their children in cars, or they may walk or bike with their child to the building during fair weather days. We will have crossing guards available unless weather is inclement.

However, if you are planning to bring your child to school by car, please adhere to the following procedures. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Arrival

Car Riders:

• All car arrivals should enter the Boone Meadow campus via Eagle Church entrance/access road.
  
• When approaching BME lot at end of access road, Kindergarten-4th grade vehicles should form line in right lane. Signage will designate lanes.
• Preschool lane forms on the left.
  
• Wait for staff to motion you forward to begin drop off process.
• 1st-4th grade drop off begins at 7:50; Preschool drop off begins at 8:05; Kindergarten drop off begins at 8:50.
• All drop offs should occur at curb, unless a situation necessitates otherwise. Additional foot traffic at crosswalk delays arrival.
• Students must exit on curb side of vehicle.

Dismissal

Car Riders:

• Please enter campus via Eagle Church access road as noted in arrival procedures above.
• Form lines (K-4th in right lane, and Preschool on left lane)
• Display name of student in front window (rear view mirror area) to assist with flow of students.
• Wait for staff to motion you forward.

Please note: We anticipate a large volume of personal vehicles during arrival and dismissal. Your patience is greatly appreciated as we fine-tune logistics during the first couple of weeks to ensure children are in their proper location.

School Lunch Prices for 2018-2019 School Year

Elementary school lunch prices for the 2018-2019 school year are $2.50. Secondary lunch prices are $2.70. Select premium high school meals are $3.00, and adult lunches are priced on an a la carte basis.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR VOLUNTEERS

We value partnerships with our families and welcome parents and guardians to serve as volunteers in our schools. Each ZCS building offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities.

Examples include:

• Field Trip Chaperones
• Out of Town/Overnight Chaperones
• Tutors
• Volunteer Coaches
• Classroom Helpers (PTO parties/room parents)
• Library Helpers
• After Prom Workers
• Field Day/Jog-A-Thon Volunteers
• Book Fair Sales/Athletic Ticket Sales

During the school day, all volunteers are expected to sign in at the front office. Prior to the volunteer opportunity, all volunteers must sign a Non-disclosure Acknowledgement Form and have successfully completed a Full Criminal History Background Check. Necessary background check paperwork is available on the ZCS website at the Volunteers/BRAVO link and should be submitted at least 10 days prior to the intended volunteer date. Volunteers must also view the state mandated confidentiality/bullying video, provided on the Volunteer/BRAVO website. The volunteer will pay the fee* for the full background check which will expire after 5 years. The link to apply for the full background check can be accessed on the Volunteers/BRAVO link on the ZCS main webpage. For more information, contact the Volunteer/BRAVO Coordinator.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR VISITORS

During the school day, all visitors must enter via the front door and sign-in at the front office. Visitors need to be prepared to present a government issued photo ID which will be scanned against the National Sex Offender Registry. All visitors will be issued a visitor badge/tag to be worn inside the building at all times.

Examples Include:

• Lunch Guests
• Classroom Guest Speakers
• Classroom Special Events (Grandparent Day/Famous Hoosiers/etc.)
• Parent/Teacher Conferences

We ask that all visitors schedule an appointment to meet with teachers, counselors, administrators and all other staff members so that we may best serve everyone. Visitors other than parents/guardians must be prearranged and organized through the main office.

*ZCS thanks all volunteers for generous support of our youth and schools. Thank you, too, for supporting assurance of student and staff safety by completing and paying for a volunteer background check.

Email: thundley@zcs.k12.in.us
Website: http://www.zcs.k12.in.us/bme/
Location: 5555 S Main St, Whitestown, IN, United States
Phone: 3178732226
Twitter: @ZCSBoone_Meadow