Memorial Elementary News
April 2024
April 2024
Dear Memorial Families,
April is looking like a very busy month at Memorial. Our first big event will be learning about and viewing the Solar Eclipse on April 8. To ensure the safety of our students during the eclipse viewing, each student will be provided with the approved solar eclipse viewing glasses to protect their eyes from harmful solar radiation. These glasses meet the necessary safety standards and will be distributed and supervised by our staff and volunteers prior to the event. Students will be accompanied by staff and volunteers during the eclipse observation period. Please return the permission slip for your child to view the eclipse with the school. If you are choosing to take your child out of school that day to view the eclipse, please let the office (Mrs. Remijan) and your child's teacher know that your child will be absent on April 8.
The test window for ILEARN begins April 15 and runs through May 10. ILEARN is the Indiana state assesment given to students in grades 3-8. ILEARN fulfills both state and federal accountability requirements and is Indiana’s summative accountability assessment. Please note that students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will not test on all of those days. Your child's teacher will share the specific test schedule for their class. Since these tests are not timed, some students will spend a large part of the day testing, so please plan around those dates for appoinments. Please note that we will be giving students frequent breaks throughout each test session. It is our goal that students have the optimal conditions for taking all assessments, including the ILEARN. More information can be found on this Indiana Department of Education link.
On April 25, Memorial will host an American Red Cross Blood Drive. This is an annual event at Memorial and we are excited to help suppoort the Red Cross as they try to fill the blood needs of hospitals around us. I hope you will consider donating or ask a friend to donate. More information can be found below.
With Great Respect,
Mrs. Debra Misecko, Principal
Save the Date(s):
April
1 elearning day (snow make-up)
8 Solar Eclipse
9 Math Bowl at 5 p.m.
10 PTO Meeting at 3:45 p.m.
10 Grade 4 Music Performance at 6:30 p.m.
11 Grade 5 Music Performance at 6:30 p.m.
15-May 10 ILEARN Test for grades 3-5
23 Grade 1 Music Perfomance at 6:30 p.m.
25 Red Cross Blood Drive 2-6 p.m. (see more information below)
26 Friday Night Live at VHS (grades 4 and 5)
May
April 15- May 10 ILEARN Assessment Window for 3-5
8 PTO Meeting at 5:30
9 Memorial Talent Show at BFMS Auditorium at 6:00 p.m.
23 Fifth Grade Celebration
24 Field Day
27 Memorial Day - No School Today
28 Field Day - Rain Make-up Day
Please Consider Donating Blood
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SOUP
Through your great generosity, Memorial collected a total of 2325 cans of soup during the Almost Super soup drive. That is amazing. The soup will be donated to the food pantry. THANK YOU!
THANK YOU PTO (ALL PARENTS) FOR THE BOOK VENDING MACHINE!
Save The Date(s) for Memorial Music Performances
Elementary students are to be engaged in a musical performance as part of the Indiana State Standards in Music. Every 2 years the Valparaiso elementary schools hold school music performances in grades 1-5 to fulfill this requirement and to showcase what the students have learned in music. The expectation is that each student will perform and it will be a part of the student's music grade for the second semester. This spring Memorial will hold these performances on the following dates at Memorial at 6:30 p.m.:
April 10 - Grade 4
April 11 - Grade 5
April 23 - Grade 1
Please add them to your calendar.
The Indianapolis 500 Traveling Museum came to Memorial for Fourth Grade
Learning about the Racing Uniform
Learning about all the Race Flags
Learning about the Cars
Common Sense Media Resource
Common Sense Media has resources related to all types of media, helpful in keeping our children safe. Click on the button below to access the Common Sense Media website. Explore to find the information most relevant to your family.
W.O.W. Students
February's WOW Winners
FREE Parenting the Love & Logic Way course will start virtually Monday, April 8
We all love our kids but wouldn't it be great to get a little help with the common parenting struggles we all face? Solutions for whining, back talk, chores, etc? Whether you are new to the course or coming back for a refresher, we would love to have you join us and add some more tools to your parental tool belt.
This course is FREE and VIRTUAL!! Each Monday, participants will be emailed a link with the course content for the week. Links will be live for the entire week allowing participants to watch any time during the week that works best. You can sign up by clicking the link to the right.
Workbooks for the course are also FREE and will be dropped off at your child's school prior to the start of class to be sent home with your child. If you are joining us for a refresher or have taken the course before, the workbook is the same and you can use your previous one. You will be able to let us know if you need a workbook when you register for the course.
We look forward to seeing you in class! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Blessings,
The Our Greater Good Staff
HABIT #7 - Sharpen the Saw
Memorial continues to focus on sharing The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Dr. Stephen Covey. We will talk about one of the 7 Habits each month. The April habit is Habit #7 - Students are taught that "Sharpen the Saw" means "Balance is best.". For more information please read more from Dr. Stephen Covey's website.
Handbook
As we start to get closer to the end of the year, please be aware of the language from the VCS Elementary Handbook as it relates to placement of students:
"CLASSROOM PLACEMENT: The building principal assigns students to appropriate grades, classes, or groups based on consideration of the needs of the school, the students and the administration of the school. The previous year’s teachers and the principal spend considerable time in assigning students to classrooms. The goal is to balance classes according to boy/girl ratio, academic ability, social-emotional issues, work habits, and special learning needs.
If a parent/guardian feels there is information the principal should have about his/her child, such written communication should be provided to the principal in the spring no later than May 1. This communication should identify specific educational concerns, not a request for a specific teacher."
In order to develop balanced classes, Memorial will be adherring to this policy for the 24-25 school year. Please do not request a specific teacher. If you have a unique need you would like to be considered, please contact Mrs. Misecko before May 1.
PTO
President - Malorie Medellin
Vice President - Tracee McMahon and Amber Strunk
Treasurer - Megan Taylor
Secretary - Casandra Heeren
Stay tuned for more information coming about 23-24 PTO events. They will be shared in the Memorial Newsletter, on the Memorial Elementary PTO Facebook page, and the Memorial PTO Website.
Memorial Elementary
Email: dmisecko@valpo.k12.in.us
Website: https://valparaisomes.valpo.k12.in.us/
Location: 1052 Park Avenue, Valparaiso, IN, USA
Phone: 219-531-3090