Explorer Echo

Welcome to the March 14th, 2025, edition of Explorer Echo.

Dear Southeastern Families,

As Spring approaches, we know that many of our families are thinking about next school year. With this comes an urge to make special requests for specific teachers. Southeastern cannot honor teacher requests by name due to the unique make up of classrooms and change of teacher placements. We strive to select the best learning environment for your child to thrive. We value your input and offer this form (below) for you to share your thoughts. Due to the high number of emails received, our administration team will not be responding to e-mails with these special requests but encourage you to take the time to complete this form for your child. Thank you for partnering with us at Southeastern Elementary!

Southeastern Elementary Parent Input for Student Placement Form

Niki Kaminski and Trae Heeter

SEL at Southeastern

KINDERGARTEN:

Week of Mar 3-7

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 3: Empathy and Kindness – Home Link

Lesson 14: Kindness at School

Summary:

In last week’s lesson, your child learned different ways they can show kindness at school. The class shared ideas for kind acts they could do for one another.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child to tell you about the kind acts they and their classmates have been doing for one another at school this week.

Week of Mar 10-14

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 3: Empathy and Kindness – Home Link

Lesson 15: Demonstrating Kindness

Summary:

In this week’s lesson, your child showed what they’ve learned about kindness and the power of kind acts to help people feel good. They drew themselves doing a kind act for someone at school.

Try This at Home

Ask your child to show or tell you about their drawing of doing a kind act for someone at school. Encourage them to draw a picture of themselves doing a kind act at home too.

FIRST GRADE:

Week of Mar 3-7

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 3: Empathy and Kindness – Home Link

Lesson 14: Practicing Kind Acts

Summary:

In last week’s lesson, your child role-played doing kinds acts in response to different scenarios.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child to tell you about the kind acts they and their classmates have been learning about at school this week.

Week of Mar 10-14

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 3: Empathy and Kindness – Home Link

Lesson 15: Demonstrating Kind Acts

Summary:

In this week’s lesson, your child showed what they’ve learned about kind acts as they role-played doing kind acts for others in a variety of contexts.

Try This at Home:

Choose a day of the week (for example, Wednesdays) as “kindness day.” Help your child think of kind acts they can do for family members, friends, or neighbors. Write the kind acts on the calendar for the next several weeks.

SECOND GRADE:

Week of Mar 3-7

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 3: Empathy and Kindness – Home Link

Lesson 12: Empathy in Action

Summary:

In last week’s lesson, your child described a time they had empathy for someone and how it affected their thoughts and actions.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child to tell you about a time they had empathy for someone.

Week of Mar 10-14

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 3: Empathy and Kindness – Home Link

Lesson 13: Having Empathy

Summary:

In this week’s lesson, your child practiced coming up with kind acts they could do for others in different situations.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child how empathy can help them know how to be kind.

THIRD GRADE:

Week of Mar 3-7

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 3: Empathy and Kindness – Home Link

Lesson 14: Asking Questions

Summary:

In last week’s lesson, your child practiced asking questions to help them understand how someone else is feeling and what they can do to help.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child what questions they can ask to find out how someone feels and what they may want or need. Discuss how checking in on someone’s feelings is a great way to show you care about them.

Week of Mar 10-14

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 3: Empathy and Kindness – Home Link

Lesson 15: Do Something Kind

Summary:

In this week’s lesson, your child showed what they know about empathy and kindness by planning kind acts to do for someone they care about.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child about the kindness coupons they made in class. Ask how they chose the kind acts for each person.

FOURTH GRADE:

Week of Mar 3-7

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 2 – Emotion Management Setting – Home Link

Lesson 8: How to Rethink

Summary:

In last week’s lesson, your child learned about questions they can ask to rethink situations and they practiced asking these questions using made-up stories.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child, “What questions could you ask yourself to rethink a situation?” (Questions might include, “What happened?” “Has this ever happened to anyone else?” and “What’s something good that happened?”) Talk about how those questions can help them think differently about a situation.

Week of Mar 10-14

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 2 – Emotion Management Setting – Home Link

Lesson 9: Take Another Look

Summary:

In this week’s lesson, your child practiced rethinking a situation they’ve personally experienced.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child, "How could rethinking help you the next time you’re in a situation where you feel a strong emotion?" It’s important to note that rethinking is not a good strategy to use when someone is hurt or in danger.

Jen Smith

SES Counselor

jensmith@hse.k12.in.us

If you need to send information about your student to our school nurse, please include both SES nurses on the email:

Carissa Firmand, RN

cfirmand@hse.k12.in.us

Sharon Hughes, RN

shughes@hse.k12.in.us

Injury

If your student has an activity restriction/injury, please let the us know and send in a copy of the doctor's note so we can provide the proper accommodations.

Illness Policy

Please keep your child at home if ill. They must be 24 hours-free from the following symptoms before returning to school: fever, vomiting, diarrhea. Contact the school/clinic for any clarification or further guidance needed.

Carissa Firmand, RN

cfirmand@hse.k12.in.us

(W-TH-F)

Sharon Hughes, RN

shughes@hse.k12.in.us

(M-T)

Next week we will be on week 3 of the menu.

Please check out the online menu for our breakfast and lunch options. We have added new items for the remainder of the school year.

Online Menu

March 17: Buy a meal deal (must include a fruit and/or vegetable) get a FREE chocolate chip cookie!

Ice Cream

Ice cream day is every Wednesday for all grades- cost is $1.25 (must have money in account or bring cash/check)

Lunch Accounts

Funding your student's lunch account is done through eFunds. The link for eFunds can be found on our website at ses.hseschools.org. To make a payment to your student's lunch account, please access eFunds. Student lunch is $2.80.

Snacks

The cafeteria offers snacks for purchase (.90-$1.25) to KG-4th grade students. If you would like to put restrictions on purchases please email cafeteria manager, Kim Lemburg.

Kim Lemburg, SES Cafeteria Manager

Our month of reading has continued at SES as we EXPLORE READING! Over the last two weeks, we had almost every kindergartner and first grader reading at home and the second, third and fourth graders read over 120,000 minutes! That's over 2,000 hours! Way to go, SES Students!

This week, we also had buddy reading at school. The older kids were paired with the younger ones. They met and enjoyed reading together. Finally, today we had Drop Everything and Read for 30 minutes. EVERY PERSON at SES was reading for 30 minutes!

• Friday, Mar. 14th, Deadline to order SES Yearbooks (see information below).
• Monday, Mar. 17th, Tennis Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Monday, Mar. 17th, 3rd and 4th grade ASL Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm
• Monday, Mar. 17th, Spring Play Practice, 2:15 to 3:30 pm.
• Monday, Mar. 17th, Math Bowl Practice, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Wednesday, Mar. 19th, Tennis Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Wednesday, Mar. 19th, 1st and 2nd grade ASL Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Wednesday, Mar. 19th, Student Council Meeting, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Friday, Mar. 21st, World Down Syndrome Day, wear mismatched socks.
• Monday, Mar. 24th, Tennis Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Monday, Mar. 24th, 3rd and 4th grade ASL Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm
• Monday, Mar. 24th, Spring Play Practice, 2:15 to 3:30 pm.
• Monday, Mar. 24th, Math Bowl Practice, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Wednesday, Mar. 26th, 1st and 2nd grade ASL Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Monday, Mar. 31st, Spring Play Practice, 2:15 to 3:30 pm.
• Monday, Mar. 31st, Math Bowl Practice, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Monday, Mar. 31st, 3rd and 4th grade ASL Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm
• Tuesday, April 1st, Fourth grade music program.
• Wednesday, April 2nd, 1st and 2nd grade ASL Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Thursday, April 3rd, Explorer Day, wear school colors of navy and gold.
• Friday, April 4th, through Friday, April 11th, Spring Break, no school.

School day start/end times, 7:40 am to 2:10 pm

It’s that time of year again! World Down Syndrome Day is coming up on March 21st, and Mrs. Dana Jones class has once again set a goal of collecting enough pairs of socks to give a mismatched pair to everyone in our school! If you would like to donate please click on this amazon wish list link.

Mark your calendars for our Student Council Pre-Spring Break Spirit Week. A summary of days is below:

• Monday (March 31) – National Crayon Day: Favorite Color Day

• Tuesday (April 1) – April Fools Day: Anything but a water bottle (student “water bottles” must have a lid)

• Wednesday (April 2) - PBJ Day: Duo Day

• Thursday (April 3) – National Rainbow Day: Hawaii has the most rainbows so dress Hawaiian

Fourth Graders are invited to join our SES Track team! Practices begin after Spring Break. Please find the details and registration using this link.

Track Coaches, Ms. Bleill, Mrs. Gore & Mr. Miller

Mark your calendars for our Fourth Grade Music Program Tuesday, April 1st. R. Powell, Howe, Busch and Hurst classes will perform at 5:45, and Huffer, Kamo and Newton classes will perform at 6:45.

YEARBOOK ORDER DEADLINE TODAY

Returning this year! Cripe Photography GIFT A YEARBOOK was a great success! Southeastern was able to donate 6 gifted books. You have the opportunity to donate a yearbook to your child's peers. SES will decide who will receive this awesome gift, thanks to your generosity!

Southeastern Yearbooks - ORDER HERE

ORDER DEADLINE: March 14 (late orders cannot be guaranteed a yearbook).

Questions? Please contact Cripe Photography HERE.

Join Ms. Bleill for an exciting week of hiking, sports, games, and many activities at SES & Cyntheanne Park. Limited space available. For current K-4 students at Southeastern Elementary the weeks of June 9-13th and 23-27th. The cost of the 5 day camp is $125.00. Confirmation and payment method paperwork will be sent home with student after registering using link below.

Please access the Sports and Games Summer Camp link to register your student.

Join Mrs. Getz for Summer Art in Nature Camp. Please see below for more information. You can click art camp registration. to sign up.

Mrs. Howe's fourth grade class and Mrs. Erickson's kindergarten class gather twice a month to read together and build fluency.

Our Science Bowl team was honored at the HSE School Board meeting on March 12th for their state Science Bowl competition win. They had their picture taken with Superintendent Pat Mapes.

Fourth grade students explored, researched, wrote and created the seven natural wonders of the world, and then presented their projects to visiting families.

Mrs. Hudson welcomed in families to join them for their writing celebration. The families were able to do their community circle, a math activity, and be a part of the students' publishing process for their published book!

First graders enjoyed a day of fun and learning at The Children's Museum.

Please access the latest PTO newsletter at this PTO link.

SES has an amazing PTO! Our PTO organizes many activities and events that help raise much-needed money for our school. Resources raised through our PTO activities each school year help to support teachers' classrooms with supplies, books and curriculum materials. Our PTO produces a newsletter with regularly updated information about events happening in our building. These newsletters will be sent to families via ParentSquare.

Learn more about our PTO.

Instagram: @Southeastern PTO
Twitter: @Southeastern PTO
Linktree: linktr.ee/sespto

Email: info@sespto.org

president@sespto.org

vp@sespto.org

Facebook: Southeastern PTO

The Southeastern Elementary handbook has answers to many of your questions regarding policies and procedures for our building. The handbook can be found on our website at ses.hseschools.org, or by clicking below.

Anyone wanting to spend time in the school or chaperone a field trip must have a SafeVisitor background check on file with the district prior to coming into the building and working with students. If you have not yet completed the background check, please click below to get started.

If you are interested in tutoring opportunities for your student, please access the attached list. If you have a student that stays after school for tutoring, you much change dismissal manager so that the teacher knows where to send your student at the end of the day. Please log in to dismissal manager, make an exception for the day, and select "Tutoring with Teacher," and list the teacher's name in the notes section.

Did you know that you can use School Dismissal Manager to report student absences, late arrivals, and early dismissals? It is very easy. Log in to your SDM account, select your student, click on the date, select "add late arrival" or "report absence," type a reason in the notes section, and click update. If leaving early, click on "add exception" and select "leaving early" from the drop down menu. A report will be generated and the front office will be notified. Questions? Call the front office at (317) 594-4340.

Daily Dismissal Changes

Also, all daily dismissal changes NEED to be reported through School Dismissal Manager. If you need to change your student's dismissal on any day, you will need to log in to your Dismissal Manager account and make the necessary changes by 1:00 pm. A list will be generated before the end of the school day with all of the dismissal changes for that day. You can access Dismissal Manager on our Southeastern Elementary website, or by clicking below. Any issues using School Dismissal Manager, please call the front office at 317-594-4340.

Submit A Tip 24/7

HSE Report It! is a school safety mobile reporting app that allows students, staff, and community members to provide anonymous information about concerns for their own safety or the safety of others. It’s anonymous and reports are made exclusively through the mobile app. HSE Report it! has no length limitations or the need to remember a short code. Reporters can attach photos, screenshots, videos, documents and/or audio recordings to their concerns and they can engage in a two-way

Website: https://ses.hseschools.org/
Location: 12500 Cyntheanne Road, Fortville, IN, USA
Phone: 317-594-4340
Twitter: @SoutheasternEl1