Are you as thankful as I am that we are on the tail end of winter headed into spring? While March is often a long month for both students and teachers, knowing that our weather will be improving is a bright spot! And, of course - MARCH MADNESS begins!

Our 3rd graders will be testing next week on IREAD-3, the statewide assessment that measures foundational reading skills students have acquired through grade 3. It's online, multiple-choice, timed, and a summative assessment made up of three unique segments that help determine if students have achieved the reading skills necessary for grade 4. Parents of our 3rd graders have already received information about this assessment, but if there are further questions, please reach out to your child's teacher.

Our next big statewide assessment comes in April with ILEARN. During the month of March, and into April, our students in grades 3 through 5 will continue to prepare for this standardized test. This preparation has been ongoing and our teachers work diligently to create an environment that is conducive to student success.

Please do not schedule appointments during testing dates. It is incredibly disruptive to your child to take them out of school on a date that is scheduled for a test unless it is a time-sensitive issue related to their health. There will be no days excused for family vacations during testing dates. If you must take your child to an appointment, the afternoon is better than the morning, when most of the testing occurs. We greatly appreciate your help with this. Our goal is 100% attendance during these days!

I'd also like to remind you that if your child has been recommended for summer school by their teacher, you have already received a summer school form via a special edition of the Mustang Messenger to complete electronically. Please complete this form as soon as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your child's teacher or to me.

Finally, don't forget to "spring forward" your clocks on Sunday, March 13th when daylight saving time begins for 2022.

Wishing you the Luck o' the Irish both in your lives and in your brackets this month!

Mrs. Heerschop

March 1 - One Book, One School begins! See the button below under "Helpful Links" to click and read more information.

March 7, 8, 9 - IREAD-3 Testing (3rd grade only)

March 9 - Spell Bowl! All spell bowl participants will receive additional information about that evening in the coming days.

March 13- Spring Forward!

March 26 - Community Connections Fair

When we do have that availability, procedures for coming to visit will be shared with all of our families.

Thank you for your patience.

ANY VACATIONS outside of a school break must be approved at least 2 weeks in advance. Please email Mrs. Heerschop directly (cheerschop@phm.k12.in.us) with your request. Any vacation taken without prior approval of at least 2 weeks may not be excused.

There are no excused vacation days during statewide testing (IREAD3 and ILEARN).

Parents of Fifth Graders::

Please remember to check with your family physician for your child to receive their

MCV4 (Meningococcal), Tdap and 2nd Hep A (if not received yet). These are all required for 6th grade.

Important Reminder:

Please continue to monitor your child’s health every day using this IDOH screening tool. If they experience any of the following symptoms: fever or chills, sore throat, uncontrollable or new cough or shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (especially new onset), diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain, headache (especially new onset of severe headache with fever), or new loss of taste or smell, please do not send your child to school if they have these symptoms.

• For more information on COVID-19 safety mitigation protocols, please visit https://www.phmschools.org/returntolearn.

You’ve been invited to participate in our Little Caesars Fundraiser! To get started, click on the link below to sign in or create an account button. All orders ship directly to the buyer. This is a great way for our Mustangs to sell to family and friends who do not live in the Michiana area. https://fundraising.littlecaesars.com/login/join-fundraiser/c2c80410-cda3- 4b1a-a48d-bcaf130d613f

Angie Burtsfield - President

Jess DeFauw - Vice President

Ashley Femia - Secretary

Treasurer - Brianne Adachi

The Safe School Helpline® is a confidential way to report student concerns about threats,

suicide, drugs, bullying or anything that threatens the safety of our schools. Available 24/7.

Three Ways to Report to the Safe School Helpline®

Call: 1-800-418-6423 ext 359

Text: TIPS to 66746

Online: SafeSchoolHelpline.com

Email: cheerschop@phm.k12.in.us
Website: https://maryfrank.phmschools.org/
Location: 13111 Adams Road, Granger, IN, USA
Phone: (574) 272-0340
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryFrankMustangs/
Twitter: @MFESMustangs