Welcome to the New School Year!

Dear Stonegate Families,

WELCOME TO THE 20-21 SCHOOL YEAR! We are thrilled to be opening our schoolhouse doors soon to serve you and your children. We welcome both our returning and new families (in-person and remote) with open arms and open hearts. My name is Connie Largent and as the proud principal of Stonegate Elementary and on behalf of our entire Stonegate team, we are honored to have you.

During these final weeks, we have been working hard to get the schoolhouse ready for the new school year. As always, our summer has been a busy one and while we have enjoyed the slower pace that it often brings, our hallways have been too quiet and we are ready to hear the sounds of laughter and to see the smiles!

Please consider this as our first newsletter for the 2020-2021 school year. It is filled with valuable information for getting prepared as well as an update of what has been happening this past summer. I hope you find it to be helpful as you prepare for your child(ren) to return back on Monday, August 10th

With much respect,

Mrs. Connie Largent

Principal

As you know, maintaining a healthy environment is a priority for ZCS and a duty of all individuals on campus.

Please follow the process below each day prior to sending your child(ren) to our school.

• Parent/Guardian should access the screener tool on their smart phone or computer prior to their child(ren) coming to school each day and complete the screening questions individually for each of their SGE children.
• Form Link: https://forms.gle/f99YU5XPdoNrSLZ38
• If the screening tools tells you to not bring your child to campus based on the responses, please contact the office at 317-873-8050 during normal office hours for assistance.

In order to showcase our SGE FAMILY SPIRIT, we would love to have a 4x6 photo of every family, in-person and remote! Please send in a 4x6 photo (no larger please in order to ensure there is space) with your child's teacher (or one of your child's teacher if you have more than one child). If you are remote, you can email your photo to Ms. Benefiel at mbenefiel@zcs.k12.in.us. Please submit your photo by Friday, August 14th.

The first day of school is this Monday! Bus route and bus stop information should have been emailed to parents at the beginning of August. If you did not receive an e-mail, you can confirm your route information on our district website under the Parent Tab. Click here to access this page.

Bus Related Questions

Director of Transportation: Amy Eaton (aeaton@zcs.k12.in.us)

Direct Office Line: 317-873-1237 x11802

• August 10-First Day of School- PTO Spirit Wear Orders Due
• August 20 - Parent/Guardian Curriculum Night (Teachers will host virtually this year.)
• September 7 - Labor Day - No School
• October 12-16 - Fall Break - No School
• November 2- Student/ Parent/Teacher Conferences; E-Day
• November 25-27 - Thanksgiving Break
• December 19-January 3 - Winter Break

• January 18 - MLK Jr. Day (No School)

• January 19 - No School
  

• February 15 - Presidents Day - No School

• April 2-9 - Spring Break

• May 26 - Last Student Day of School

• May 27 - Teacher work day

• May 31 - Memorial Day

Please click here to see Indiana required immunizations for the 2020-2021 school year.

We are so excited to welcome you to the 2020-2021 school year! In July, the ZCS’s Eagle Start guide was emailed to all families by Dr. Robison, but we wanted to share how a day may look for your SGE student(s). Please rest assured, that while many things will look slightly different, our commitment to providing students with a safe learning environment where they develop strong relationships and grow in all ways remains constant.

Will children and teachers be required to wear masks?

Yes. Masks are required to be worn by anyone in the building throughout the day. Children will not wear masks during lunch, and may have opportunities for relaxation while outdoors and during some times when directed by the teacher. SGE has purchased lanyards with clips for all students and staff to keep mask accessible when not being worn. Extra masks will be available in the office if forgotten, broken, etc. We also encourage families to label each child's mask and also bring an extra one, too.

What is the daily screener requirement?

Parents will complete in the daily screener each morning before bringing the child to school. Please make this part of your routine. You can place the sheet with the link and the QR code somewhere regularly seen (bathroom mirror, garage door). Please answer questions about symptoms, fever, and exposure honestly. Please keep all children home if ill or exposed.

What social distancing measures will be encouraged at SGE?

Some of the more visible changes to the building will be the set-up of classrooms. Desks will be as far apart as possible and extra classroom furniture has been removed. Visuals will be placed around the building to provide students with reminders.

What enhanced cleaning techniques/products will be utilized?

High touch areas and surfaces will be sanitized throughout the day. Shared materials will be infrequent and any items that may be used by more than one student (for example, a Chromebook or math manipulatives) will be sanitized between uses. Our custodial staff will be sanitizing each evening, and our maintenance department will be sanitizing the playgrounds each morning.

Classroom Cohorts – What are those?

The vast majority of the day, students will be with their classroom teacher and peers in the classroom. When in other settings, students will be interacting with their classroom peers (recess, lunch). This is part of our mitigation strategy to limit exposures to others.

How often will students wash their hands?

Students will be encouraged to take frequent hygiene breaks (hand washing and/or sanitizer) throughout the school day. At SGE, all of our classrooms are equipped with their own sinks. Suggested times include, but are not limited to:

• After arrival
• Before and after lunch
• Before and after transitions
• After restroom breaks
• After recess
• Before dismissal

Can I visit my children in their class? May I visit during my child’s lunch?

At this time, ZCS has temporarily suspended nonessential visitors to our campuses. Unfortunately, this will require us to temporarily suspend the typical operation of many of our PTO events. We are so grateful for the creativity of these groups who are working to come up with alternative ways to provide fun, community building events for our families. Volunteer opportunities will be limited, but some clerical volunteer jobs may be available and will be coordinated through classroom teachers. If there is a need, the teacher will make that announcement to their families. Anyone who works in the school building will be required to have a full background check on file.

What about field trips?

At this time, ZCS has temporarily suspended field trips. We do encourage virtual trips, virtual guest speakers, and the use of VR (Virtual Reality).

Will my children still have special classes (related arts)?

In order to minimize shared spaces and transition, most of our special teachers (Music, Art, Media, STEM, and Wellness) will be visiting the classroom during their scheduled time. If the weather is appropriate Wellness will occur outside; however, when it is not, Wellness will occur in the classrooms in one.

What will lunch be like?

Preschool students/classes will eat in their classrooms with the preschool staff. Our cafeteria will be operating at a 50-60% capacity. There will be 2 classes. Our 1st-4th grade classes will be dispersed in that same manner and eat in the cafeteria each day. Please know that students will only be seated as close to their classroom cohort group during lunch.

Will recess still be allowed?

SGE a large playground space, back lot pavement with basketball goals, and a substantial amount of grassy fields. These areas have been divided up into four recess zones. Each class has been assigned to one zone in order to allow for social distance. Each class also as their own recess bag of equipment. Classes will follow a regular recess rotation in order to ensure students get to play in all the zones equally.

Will my child have more instructional time outdoors?

Along with our spacious grassy fields, we also have the Stonegate neighborhood's grassy common area (across from Carolina Grill). In partnership with the Property Owners Association (POA), teachers can take their classes outside to teach in this area or other areas around the school during days with pleasant weather.

We thank you for your support and cooperation as we embark on the year together. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions. We are available via phone or email to support you and your student throughout the school year.

Please join me in wishing the very best to the following team members as they begin new professional and personal chapters in their lives:

• Brice Piotrowski - KDG
• Tracy Gucinski - 1st Grade
• Jeannine Robling - Media Center
• Jennifer Milliner & Laura Bobeck - Universal Preschool Assistants

Hello! My name is Ms. Julie Strauch. I grew up in Carmel, Indiana and graduated from Purdue University (Go Boilers!!) where I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a major focus in children's literacy. I recently moved back from Dallas, Texas where I earned my credentials in GT and ESL teaching.

This will be my seventh year of teaching but my first year at Stonegate Elementary. I am very excited to be a part of the ZCS family and begin this journey with your child this year! Outside of school, I love to exercise, attend church, and spend time with my family and friends! You may also find me reading bridal magazines as my fiance and I are planning our wedding for this upcoming New Years Eve! I can’t wait to spend the next year learning and growing with your child! I am looking forward to an awesome year together!

Hello, Stonegate Elementary, my name is Mrs. Gorham. Some of you may remember me as Nurse Gorham, I was the School Nurse at Stonegate Elementary from 2012-2019. I am married to my wonderful husband Martin and we have one daughter named Mavis. My family lives in Lebanon. We have a dog named Wennie and two cats Pippin and Merry (all Lord of the Rings related names because we are big fans). I am so excited to start my new role as your Media Specialist. I can’t wait to go on new reading adventures and learn all there is to know about our Stonegate Elementary Library.

Victoria has been volunteering at SGE for the past 5 years. Her son is going into 4th grade at Stonegate and her daughter, 7th grade at ZWest. Having moved to Zionsville from England almost 6 years ago, she is excited to be joining the Stonegate team. Outside of school she loves baking, sewing, gardening, biking and singing, and enjoying quality time with her family and friends.

Natalie is excited to join the team of Instructional Assistants at Stonegate this year. She is ready to get back into the school setting after running an in-home daycare the past seven years. Natalie has a degree from Ball State University in Elementary Education and Special Education. She has a daughter in kindergarten and another daughter in second grade this year at Stonegate. She enjoys spending time with her family and cheering on Indiana sports in her free time.

Hello! My Name is Mrs. Brown and I am going to be your Pre-K IA this year. This is my sixth-year teaching Preschool. I absolutely love all the exploring, learning and fun we get to have together! I have an Associate Degree in Computer Graphics. I’ve been teaching in the Preschool Grow Program for five years. I’ve also worked for Zionsville Community Schools in the kitchen and helped throughout various classrooms for four years.I love going to the beach as much as possible. My family and I visit Florida as often as we can, so that we can see family and I can add to my very large sea shell collection! I have been married for 16 years and we have three children, ages 27, 24 and 15. When they are not keeping me busy, I am in my craft room creating something amazing!

My name is Natily Meyers, and I will be the student teacher in Mrs. Lewis’s 3rd grade classroom this year! I graduated from Olivet Nazarene University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and concentration in Expressive Art Therapy. This December I will be graduating from Western Governor’s University with a Master of Arts in Elementary Education. With my art degree, I have found a passion for and importance of expressing creativity in the classroom. I hope to build on this passion during the next few months of this school year with the students as we learn from one another. I have been a substitute teacher over the course of three school years, one of which was here at ZCS! I am so excited to see familiar faces and be amongst the students again. It is going to be a great year! During down time, I love to watch movies, create art, spend quality time with my family & friends, cook & bake, and keep active!

Just a friendly reminder of our school start and end times:

• 7:50 AM - 1st - 4th Grade - arrival time
• 8:00 AM - School begins
• 8:05 AM - Tardy bell
• 8:50 AM - Kindergarten - arrival time
• 9:00 AM - Kindergarten - school begins
• 2:20 PM - Student dismissal time
• 2:30 - School ends
• 3:30 - Office closes

Office Hours:

• 7:30 - 3:30 - Monday - Friday