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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/
Twitter: @springmillelem

July 30 - Bulldog Blast 5:00-6:30 pm

August 1 - First Day of School 7:40-2:25 pm

August 22 - Bulldog Huddle 5:00-6:30 pm

September 2 - Labor Day - NO SCHOOL

September 18 - eLearning Day / Parent-Teacher Conferences

October 7-11 - Fall Break

Dear SM Bulldogs,

I trust that summer has been a great time for you to connect with your family, take a vacation, spend time at the pool, or just simply relax and enjoy your time together. I have missed our Bulldog faces but it has been heartwarming to see pictures of your summer on our social media. Thank you for sharing your special family memories with us.

We will welcome all students back on the first day of school, Thursday, August 1. The student day begins at 7:40 am-2:25 pm. Car rider and bus arrival will begin promptly at 7:20 am. As you prepare to come back to school, the supply list for each grade can be found on our website or by clicking this LINK. But, please take advantage of the FREE school supplies offered at our Bulldog Blast.

The Bulldog Blast will be held Tuesday, July 30, from 5:00-6:30 pm. This event will allow us the opportunity to connect as a school family and celebrate the start of another amazing year at Spring Mill Elementary. You will not want to miss this opportunity to capture a back-to-school 360 video, enjoy ice cream, and meet your child's teacher for the new school year!

You will find detailed information to help you prepare for the new school year within this newsletter. Please call the office with any additional questions that you may have.

Our 23-24 school year was such a success and we are proud of the gains we made as a school family. To keep the momentum, we are continuing with the same theme for our 24-25 school year of Good, Better, Best...Never let it rest til your good is better and your better is .....BEST! We continue to make the commitment to be excellent on purpose. This is our moment as Spring Mill Bulldogs to make MAGIC happen within our learning environment as we show our entire school community that we are the BEST elementary school within this district.

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

Ms. Kellèe Merritt

Principal

#BulldogProud

#goodBetterBEST

#excellentonpurpose

#whyWT

Please join us July 30 from 5:00-6:30 pm for the Bulldog Blast as we celebrate the start of our 2024-2025 school year! This will provide each family an opportunity to create a 360 video together, meet their teacher, check out their new classroom, receive FREE school supplies from GEICO, and enjoy an ice cream treat. We are looking forward to seeing all of you in person!

Attendance plays a critical part in your child's academic success. Please work with us to ensure your child arrives on time every day and attends school regularly. Absence is defined as a student missing all or any portion of the school day, for any reason. There are three types of absences: Excused, Unexcused, and Prearranged.

Should your student be absent for any reason, please call the Attendance Line at (317) 259-8850 before 9:00 am for each day that the student is absent. A written medical verification from a physician/clinic must be provided upon the student’s return to school after 5 consecutive days of absence due to illness.

Medical Appointment

If your student is arriving late or leaving early for an appointment, please request a note from the dentist, doctor, etc. All notes should be given to the front office for record keeping. Offices may also fax notes to (317) 259-5484. Any student leaving early for an appointment MUST be picked up prior to 1:30 pm due to the impact on dismissal.

Excused Absence (including being tardy)

• Death in the immediate family
• Major religious holiday
• Medical, dental, court, or other required appointment. A signed statement from doctor, dentist, etc. must be provided upon return to school.
• Personal illness/injury.
• A written medical verification from a physician/clinic must be provided for each additional absence once 10 days of absence (whether excused or unexcused) have been accumulated.

Unexcused Absence (including being tardy or leaving prior to dismissal)

Absences for any reasons other than those mentioned above and/or not verified as required are considered unexcused. Missing the bus or having car trouble is unexcused.

Prearranged Absence

Prearranged absence forms are available at the office and will not be approved for the following: final week of any grading period; the week preceding or following a recess period; during required testing; student has excessive absences; student’s grade point average is below a 2.0 or C.

Daily Schedule 7:40 am – 2:25 pm

• School Supply List - Here is a link to the School Supply List for the upcoming school year.
• Morning Car Riders - Please be mindful of the lengthy morning traffic and drop off lines. Parents, you can always encourage your students to ride the bus to school. Parents can begin dropping off students at 7:20 a.m. with the car rider line ending promptly at 7:38 am. Staff members will be present to help facilitate and monitor a safe drop-off. If a school adult is not clearly visible on the sidewalk to receive your student, do NOT have your student walk/run on their own to get into the door. Instead, follow the directions below to ensure all of our students remain safe.

• All students who arrive after 7:40 am, parent/guardian MUST park in a designated parking spot outside of Door 1 and walk the student(s) into the front office. Late students must be signed in by an adult with a reason for the tardy listed on the sign-in sheet.
• Early Pick Up - No students will be allowed to be picked up after 1:30 pm due to interruption that it causes to our End of Day procedures. Anyone picking a student up prior to dismissal must show an ID and be listed on the students guardian or emergency contact.
• Dismissal - Dismissal is at 2:25 pm. If you are picking up your child, you must get in the car line and pick up at Door 11. All car riders must be picked up by 2:35 pm. If your child will regularly be a car rider at dismissal, please contact the office to get a car rider tag that needs to be displayed on the rearview mirror for pick up. Car rider tags will also be distributed at the Bulldog Blast and are available throughout the school year in the office. If families are carpooling, we ask that you have all numbers displayed so students can be quickly gathered.
• AYS Drop Off and Pick Up - AYS is offered at Spring Mill for before and after school care. All AYS drop off and pick up will be on the west side of the building at Door 11. You can contact AYS directly at 317-283-3817 or at https://www.ayskids.org.

• School Meals - Exciting News! All Elementary and Middle Schools are participating in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the 2024-2025 school year. CEP means that ALL students grade K-8 are eligible to receive healthy breakfasts and lunches daily at NO CHARGE to families. K-8 students who wish to purchase extra and a la carte items must pay for these items separately. This can be done by setting up aMyPaymentsPlus account. Weekly menus are available on the MSDWT website: https://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/child-nutrition-services/.

Specific bus information became available in Skyward on July 25 for students enrolled by July 22. Students enrolled between July 23-31 will have bus assignments on August 8. Students enrolled between August 1-9 will have bus assignments on August 15. Please reach out to the Transportation Department with questions at transpo@msdwt.k12.in.us. To access this information, sign into Skyward and follow these instructions.

To download all of the transportation apps pictured below, click this LINK and then click on the picture for each app. You can use these apps for bus stop information and real-time transportation updates. “Here Comes the Bus” is an app that is used for tracking for child’s bus. To download the app, you will need your student’s ID number. You can find your student’s ID number in Skyward and use code 88550 to set up your account.

Below you will find answers to many of the questions asked about transportation. If you need additional information, please reach out.

• 10‐Minute Window - Bus routes operate on a 10‐minute window, which means the bus can arrive 10 minutes before or 10 minutes after your bus stop time. Please be patient, especially during the first two weeks of the school year, and arrive early to your bus stop.
• Transportation Requests - There is a standard 5‐day waiting period for transportation to process new bus routing requests. You are required to transport your student to and from school until you receive your bus information. Students cannot board a bus without being added to the roster.
• Bus Stop Consistency - All students are allowed one consistent bus stop in the AM and one in the PM. This includes daycare and alternate address stops. For safety reasons, we cannot do alternate stops on different days of the week. All students should board their bus at their assigned stop each day. If you move during the school year, please contact our office to make permanent changes to your transportation. Students will not be permitted to ride a different bus home with a friend or other family members. Students must ride their assigned bus or be a car rider.
• KINDERGARTEN Students - We would strongly encourage Kindergarten students that will be bus riders throughout the year to ride it the first day of school. It will help Kindergarten students to understand that they are bus riders at the end of the day and adult volunteers when they arrive to ensure what bus they will board at dismissal. Kindergarten students MUST have an approved adult, or approved older sibling, meeting them at the bus stop in the afternoon. If they do not, the student will be returned to school and a parent contacted to pick them up. If this happens more than once, bus privileges can be suspended or revoked by the Transportation Department.
• Limited Choice/Non-Resident Students - Parents are responsible to transport student’s to/from school, bus transportation will not be provided.

Dear Spring Mill Family,

The Spring Mill PTO is thrilled to kick off the 24-25 school year and extend a warm welcome to both returning and new families! We have many exciting activities and opportunities for parents to engage with their children and the school, including classroom supply reimbursements for teachers, administrative grants, parent mixers and community events!

Our first PTO initiative will focus on a fundraising event. Why is fundraising important? Surveys from the Department of Education show that 94% of teachers use their own personal funds to provide enrichment opportunities for their classrooms. At Spring Mill, our teachers are no exception. We have personally witnessed teachers spending their own money to enhance our children's learning experiences. For example, purchasing items to create a mini-economy in the classroom, allowing students to earn paychecks and buy items for themselves or as gifts for their families. Entire grade levels converting their classrooms into "museums," encouraging students to research and present scientific phenomena in engaging ways to the entire school. Many of our teachers use their own funds to transform their classrooms into magical spaces that help their students feel excited and proud to showcase what they have learned.

Our teachers and administrators are dedicated to enriching our kids’ learning environments. By donating, we can help maintain this level of excellence for our children. We will be sharing further information on how to make donations within the first week of school on our social media account and through Parent Square.

Stay updated by following the Spring Mill PTO on Facebook by scanning the QR Code pictured below or by clicking on this LINK. We will be hosting our first PTO meeting of the year on August 19 at 5:00 pm at Spring Mill. If you are interested in playing a more substantial role in the PTO, please reach out to us at springmillschoolpto@gmail.com or attend the meeting to learn about volunteer opportunities. We would love to have you on the team!

Your PTO Co-Presidents,

Nikki and Monika

www.springmillpto.com

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. Forms can be requested 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.

We welcome parents/guardians to visit the classroom but we ask that you make an appointment with your child's teacher prior to the visit. This will help to ensure it is not during a time that would be an interruption to instruction or during testing.

Skyward Family Access allows you to view your student's grades, attendance, email teachers and school officials, pay fees, and much more. Skyward will be available from your home, office, or anywhere you have internet access.

You can access Skyward by visiting www.msdwt.k12.in.us. Click on Students & Families and then Skyward Family Access. You will be prompted to change your password to meet current security standards. As you update your contact information, you will have the option to save and come back later, step-by-step directions have been provided to help guide you through this process. If you encounter difficulty accessing or logging into Skyward, please email skyward@msdwt.k12.in.us.

In the District Update email sent on July 26, all parents/guardians are asked to update their Skyward accounts. Please log into Skyward Family Access and complete the data cleanup process.When adding your information, PLEASE INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE functional email address and phone number.

MSD Washington Township uses ParentSquare to streamline all family communications through email, text, and app notifications. ParentSquare automatically generates an account for parents/guardians using the preferred email address and phone number listed in Skyward. It is important to make sure each year that those preferred email addresses and phone numbers are updated and accurate.

We encourage families to access their ParentSquare accounts and download the mobile app for a more streamlined experience with ParentSquare. Settings can also be set to determine language preference and when and how families are notified. Please see more information for downloading the app here and if you need further assistance, please contact your school office.

Please review the new K-5 Student Handbook for general information about the operation of the District’s schools and its educational programs. In addition, this Handbook provides specific District policy and rule information on a variety of issues.

The clinic will be open from 8:00 - 3:00 beginning July 30 to drop off medication. Nurse Jamie Rubin will also be available during the Bulldog Blast on July 30 from 5:00-6:30 pm to answer brief questions and receive student medication. All medication needs to be in original packaging and with all physician completed medication forms (located on the Washington Township website). Students may NOT transport medication to/from school.

If your child has a medical condition and you need to meet with Mrs. Rubin to complete an Individual Health Plan, please contact the school to make an appointment. Please bring your physician completed asthma, seizure, diabetic, and allergy action plans.