The Friday Flyer

Boone Meadow Curriculum Night, 5:30 – 8 pm

Thursday Evening, August 22nd

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 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

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

How exciting! Today was BME’s first R.A.C.E. Day of the 2019-2020 school year! At Boone Meadow, we are living out our desire to “Unleash the Possibilities” for the students, families, and staff within our learning community. RACE day

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, (Art, Media, STEM, Music, Wellness) along with a handful of other staff members, 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 art – let’s give them another opportunity of time with Mrs. Albright. 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 to choose rich learning experiences each RACE Day.

Our great PTO and generous BME families treated us to a Chick-fil-A luncheon today. Thank you so much for your generosity!

If any of you have experience accompanying a choir and would like to play for the Boone Meadow Voices this year on Tuesday afternoons, please contact Jennifer Welch at Jwelch@zcs.k12.in.us. Accompanist will be compensated.

PRE-ORDERING will close this evening, August 16th. To order with a debit or credit card, please follow the link below.
https://cp-school-portraits.hhimagehost.com/V2/Home/LoginConsumer?EK=128648

The preschool classroom mixed various colors to create paints of different color and shades to match our skin tones.

Why Do We Give the NWEA Assessment?

We often get questions from our families about the NWEA assessments, which we give in the fall of each year to our students in grades K-8 (and again in the spring in order to determine academic growth in math and literacy skills).

NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) is a non-profit organization that has developed brief (40-50 question) assessments in math and reading which teachers can give to assess their students’ knowledge/skills. At ZCS, we have chosen these standardized assessments to supplement our state-required test for several reasons.

• First, NWEA gives us instant results that we can use to adjust instruction and group students for learning. The tests are computer-based and yield a score, which the teacher can see in a report as soon as the student finishes.
• Second, unlike the state required test, which assesses only grade-level standards, NWEA has a bank of thousands of questions ranging far beyond grade level. The test is “adaptive”—meaning that as a student takes it, the test adjusts the level of questions he/she is presented with based on correct/incorrect answers, so that a student is always working on questions at his/her most appropriate level of difficulty—rather than “one size fits all” questions. Also, as a high-performing school district, we have many students learning and working far beyond their grade level standards. NWEA assessments allow us to see their level of performance and compare it (and their growth from fall to spring) to that of similarly-abled peers nationally.
• Finally, NWEA is based on one large bank of questions (not different tests divided by grade levels). Thus, the score a student receives each time he/she takes the test can be compared from fall to spring and year-to-year—producing a graph of a student’s growth over time (a lot like the way we mark a child’s height on a door in our home as he/she grows taller). Even when a student has a one-time drop in a test score, we are still able to see the whole pattern of his/her emerging growth as a learner. Although we typically give the tests in fall, spring and optionally in the middle of the school year, NWEA can be given additional times during the year in order to monitor progress in a goal area.

For all these reasons, we are glad to be able to gather this data (and the more specific information it gives us about strengths and areas of challenge) to help us plan learning experiences for our students. Please know that your child’s NWEA scores are available in PowerSchool (under test history) for you to see any time you desire. Scores for most recent tests will typically be added to your child’s data when our testing window closes.

he dates for all district assessment windows are available on our ZCS website at this link: add link (https://www.zcs.k12.in.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=458765&type=d&pREC_ID=1001116)

August 22 - Curriculum Night

• Kindergarten: 5:30 - 6:00 PM
• Grade 1: 6:00 - 6:30 PM
• Grade 2: 6:30 - 7:00 PM
• Grade 3: 7:00 - 7:30 PM
• Grade 4: 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM

August 29th & 30th - 4th grade to Camp Tecumseh

September 2 - Labor Day (no school)

September 25 - Jog-a-Thon (PTO fundraiser)

October 14-18 - Fall Break

November 11 - Veterans Day Program

November 13 & 14 - Student Conferences

• Student conferences held after school on 11/13 & throughout the day on 11/14
• Student e-day on the 14th

November 27-29 - Thanksgiving Break

December 23-January 3 - Winter Break

January 20 - MLK Jr. Day (no school)

February 5 - Global School Play Day

February 17 - Presidents Day (no school)

February 18 - Staff Professional Development Day (no school for students)

March 25 - Kindergarten Round-Up

March 27-April 3 - Spring Break

May 22 - Last Day of School

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.

Elementary school lunch prices for the 2019-2020 school year are $2.65. Secondary lunch prices are $2.85.

Click here for more information regarding ZCS Food Services Department.

Important-Updated Immunization Requirements for 2019-2020

The Indiana State Department of Health school immunization requirements for 2019-2020 have been updated. Click here to view these new requirements as they have changed. Students who do not have the Hepatitis A series may need to get the first dose as soon as possible as there is a minimum interval of six calendar months between the first and second doses. Religious and medical objections to the immunization requirements must be updated and signed each school year. Please feel free to send updated immunization records to the health clinic as you receive them. Contact the school nurse or your physician’s office with any questions.

ZCS school nursing services are provided by St. Vincent/Ascension Health. Need a provider? Visit getstvincentcare.com.

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.

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

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