Miller Elementary Weekly Update

Hello Miller Families!

We had the BEST WEEK EVER at Miller Elementary! Our first 3 days of kindergarten were absolutely fantastic and all our new learners adjusted so well coming to school! We may have seen a few tears as you drove away from parent drop-off, and we sensed the emotions you must have felt as that bus pulled away, but I promise that we had the best 3 days filled with a lot of smiles and laughter. These young children did a great job learning new routines at school and we are so very proud of them!

When you ask your child about school, try to ask specific questions. Just saying "How was your day?" will result in a one-word simple response. Try some of these questions when your child gets home from school!

1 - Tell me your favorite thing at school and why you liked it!

2 - What did you play with today? Did you play with this inside or outside?

3 - Tell me about your bus ride (or car ride).

We also enjoyed meeting all of our preschool children and families during our Preschool Welcome Days! This was such a wonderful way to help your child get comfortable with their new classroom and teachers as well as go over a lot of important information about the year ahead. We had a great time playing and crafting with each of you. Monday is our first official day of preschool and we are here to make the transition as smooth as possible for you and your child.

Each week, you can expect to find important information about what is happening in our school, some photos we have captured throughout the week, and some tips and tricks to help you learn more about our philosophies for teaching young children to meet their social, emotional and academic needs.

Kindergarten Reminder:

We now will be joining the Craddock and Leighton students by participating in the Fall Assessment Days on Friday, August 26th, and Monday, August 29th. These are new dates that you need to be aware of so you can plan for your child's attendance on Friday or Monday.

Friday, August 26th - Kindergarten KRA-R Assessment Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with A-L Attend School (M-Z Do not attend school this day)

Monday, August 29th - Kindergarten KRA-R Assessment Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with M-Z Attend School (A-L Do not attend school this day)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and we can't wait to see our preschoolers on Monday for their first day!

Go GREENMEN!

Maria Goodman

Miller Elementary School

330-562-6199

Maria Goodman - Miller Elementary Principal

330-954-2189 Email mgoodman@aurora-schools.org

There will be times when your child is ill or needs to miss school due to appointments.

We ask that you call Miller School at 330-562-6199 to either speak with Vicki Wolf or leave a message. Please share your child's first name, last name, teacher, and the reason for the absence. If they are going to an appointment, please ask for a doctor's note to have on file here at school. Thank you!

If your family will have a planned absence due to an event or vacation, you will need to fill out a planned absence form for our schools. Please send in a note requesting this form as soon as you know your anticipated date.

If your child is experiencing COVID-related symptoms and you have questions for our school nurse, Jackie Pawlowski, you may call 330-954-2286. She can help answer any questions.

As students begin their educational journey, there are some state-mandated checkpoints and assessments to ensure that we are monitoring your child's growth and development.

One of these assessments is called the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. Due to recent date changes, we now will need to complete these assessments sooner than in previous years. To accomplish these activities, it's best if we bring small groups of children to school to work on these various assessments.

We now will be joining the Craddock and Leighton students by participating in the Fall Assessment Days on Friday, August 26th, and Monday, August 29th. These are new dates that you need to be aware of so you can plan for your child's attendance on Friday or Monday.

Friday, August 26th - Kindergarten KRA-R Assessment Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with A-L Attend School (M-Z Do not attend school this day)

Monday, August 29th - Kindergarten KRA-R Assessment Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with M-Z Attend School (A-L Do not attend school this day)

In addition to our assessment days, we will be completing many of our kindergarten assessments during our normal school day. These screening assessments are required by the State of Ohio and they provide us with information to better know your child and to kickstart the school year to best meet their needs. We wanted to share what assessments they will be participating in and the expected dates so you know what is happening at school.

The dates listed below show the various windows of time we will be conducting assessments.

Speech & Language Screening - Kindergarten Students (Week of August 29th)

Your child will work one-on-one with one of our speech and language pathologists to conduct a speech and language screener.

Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA-R) - Kindergarten Students (Aug. 26th & 29th)

This assessment looks at your child’s readiness for engaging with instruction aligned to the kindergarten standards. These assessments are completed through observation in the classroom and via an interactive assessment on an iPad. Here are the skills that are checked:

• Social Foundations- including social and emotional development
• Mathematics
• Language and Literacy
• Physical Well-being and Motor Development

Vision & Hearing Screening - All Kindergarten Students (Month of September & October)

Our school nurse will conduct a vision and hearing screening on all students.

Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener - (September) -

Students whose families speak a 2nd language in the home as reported in Final Forms will take a language proficiency screener. This assessment is given by Mrs. Levey our English Learner educator.

We will communicate any results that require follow-up or reach out to you if we have any further questions. We are looking forward to getting to know your child a bit more!

Hello Miller! I am honored to be your child’s school counselor for the 2022-2023 school year. I am available to support students, families, and staff with any social-emotional, academic, and believe it or not- career exploration which at Miller may be focusing on student strengths! There is no question too small to contact me about. I encourage and welcome open communication as we all have the same goal: school success for your students!

During the school day, I will provide individual counseling, small group counseling and classroom guidance lessons. Initially, I will ensure that all students transition from summer break to their school day with ease. My first visit to classrooms will allow the students to become more familiar with me and explain how I can help them during the day.

The 2022-2023 school year will be my eighteenth year in education. I have spent the previous years working as a classroom teacher, middle school counselor, and an elementary school counselor. Helping students is what I love to do!

When I am not at school, you can usually find me at a sporting event for one of my three children: Dominic (11), Daniel (9) and Elle (9). We live around the corner in Hudson with my husband, Brian and miniature goldendoodle, Louie. If there is anything you need, I am here to help! Please reach out via email to lambrosia@aurora-schools.org or 330.562.6199, extension 5414.

The cafeteria will be serving school lunches every day for our full-day students. You can find the digital lunch menu below by clicking on the button. This year, all school lunches will cost $3.00 and Milk Only will be $.50. You can add money to your child’s account by sending in cash or a check addressed to the Aurora City Schools or by using Meal Pay Plus which will be distributed during Open House.

It is important that your child knows if they are ordering lunch or packing each day so we can prepare a hot lunch for your child. You also will need to pack your child a snack each day if they are in full-day kindergarten. Please help them distinguish what is their snack or if they will be buying a hot lunch for the day. Each morning we spend a brief amount of time checking bookbags and ensuring all students have a lunch either packed or if they will be getting lunch from the cafeteria. If we notice they have left their lunch at home and they do not wish to eat what’s on the lunch menu, we will reach out to see if you are available to drop one off. Please practice opening baggies, juice pouches, and containers with your child. We spend the first 10 minutes helping children open their lunch items and this is something you can practice at home too!

We will not be using drinking fountains at Miller this upcoming school year out of an abundance of caution. Please pack your child with a filled water bottle each day. We have a water bottle filling station that students can use to refill their water bottles during the day.

Please remember that all classroom snacks need to be Nut Free and follow any specific guidelines from your child's teacher if the classroom has other allergy-aware needs. The safety of all students is our utmost concern and your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Miller Elementary School has numerous arrival and dismissal times based on AM and PM Preschool, AM and PM 1/2 day kindergarten, and full-day kindergarten. Please make sure you find the section that matches your child's attendance at Miller. Our school parking lot is very small and the safety of all our young children and families is our utmost concern. Please use caution in our parking lots at all times. We have 3 designated accessible parking spaces that are reserved for families with appropriate tags and license plates only. Please be aware of these locations for our families who use these spaces. We will be outside directing traffic during the first weeks of school to help everyone get used to our arrival/dismissal process.

Full Kindergarten

• Your child will be receiving and wearing a bus tag every day to make sure they can find their classroom and we know their transportation needs. All children have been assigned a bus route and we ask that you notify the office if they will be parent pick-up before 2:30 each day.




• Full Day Kindergarten Bus Riders:

• The buses will arrive at Miller in front of our school building and children will be escorted into our building. Their busing information can be found using the Versa Trans link above.

• At bus dismissal, we line children up based on their bus number and load them as a group. It takes a few weeks for children to learn their bus numbers and location so please review this with them at home.

• Full Day Kindergarten Car Riders:
• At arrival, you will need to park your car (see map below) and walk your child to the front doors which will be open from 8:55AM - 9:05AM. We ask that you use this entire window of time. Also, please do not arrive any sooner because our preschool families are finishing up their arrival process and parking is very limited.
• Car Rider dismissal will begin at 3:30. Once our preschoolers are dismissed, we begin to release our kindergarten children to their family members. We will not be using a car-rider lane and you will need to park and pick up your child each day.

• If you have children both at Leighton and Miller, your Leighton student will walk up to Miller using the steps closer to Miller and you can greet your child for pick-up.

• As a reminder, you can only make a right-hand turn onto State Rt. 43 out of the Miller parking lot. If you need to make a left-hand turn, you will use Greenmen Way to Aurora Hudson Road. Thank you for your cooperation!

Half Day Kindergarten

• 1/2 Day Kindergarten Bus Riders:

• They will arrive and dismiss at Miller each day with our morning arrival students and during our mid-day arrival and dismissal process.

• 1/2 Kindergarten Car Riders:

• You will need to park your car upon arrival and walk them to the building for their arrival for AM class between 8:55 - 9:05 or for the PM class from 12:45-12:55.

• At dismissal, you will have to park and pick up your child for both AM and PM kindergarten. Pick-up times are 11:45 for AM kindergarten and 3:30 for PM kindergarten.

• As a reminder, you can only make a right-hand turn onto State Rt. 43 out of the Miller parking lot. If you need to make a left-hand turn, you will use Greenmen Way to Aurora Hudson Road. Thank you for your cooperation!

AM & PM Preschool

• All preschool children must be walked to our building and picked up from our doors. This will ensure your child is safely in our hands and back to yours each day.

• AM Preschool Arrival and Dismissal (8:45AM -11:30AM)
• You can arrive at our lower door 3 between 8:45-8:55 to drop off your preschool child each day. We do not have families walk their children into the building. We will show you this location at our Welcome Days next week. Please advise that our kindergarten families will be arriving shortly after your departure so the parking lot can get busy.
• We will dismiss your child from our main front doors at 11:30AM.

• PM Preschool (12:45PM - 3:20PM)
• You can arrive at our main front doors between 12:45-12:55 to drop off your preschool child each day. We do not have families walk their children into the building. We will show you this location at our Welcome Days next week.
• We will dismiss your child from our main front doors at 3:20PM.

We will of course make adjustments as the school year begins and we observe our traffic flow and the safety of all children, staff, and families. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and flexibility!

We have a school nurse, Mrs. Jackie Pawlowski, on staff during school hours. She is here each day to assist students at a time of need or illness. Here are some important reminders to ensure the safety of our school community each day:

• Check your child each day for illness symptoms. If they begin to feel ill, please know she will assess your child and make contact with a family member when necessary.
• Students sent home with a fever, may not return to school until they are fever free without medication for at least 24 hours. This means if your child was sent home on Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. with a fever, he/she may not return to school until Thursday. If your child does return the next day, our school will be calling for you to come and pick him/her up. Please help to support our efforts in this area.
• Please make sure your Final Forms medical information is up to date. We will closely read the health sections to address any medical concerns.

Finally, please make sure your child has extra clothes in his/her backpack. Accidents and spills happen all the time and it's safe to always have their own clothes in their book bag instead of wearing our spare clothes.

Mrs. Pawlowski will be at our Kindergarten Meet and Greet and Preschool Welcome Days to answer any questions, collect forms, or receive any medications that we have authorization to administer during the school day. Please stop by the nurses office behind Mrs. Wolf!

• Monday, 8/22 - All Preschool and Kindergarten Attend School
• Friday, 8/26 - Kindergarten KRA-R Getting to Know You Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with A-L Attend School (M-Z Do not attend school this day)
• Monday, 8/29 - Kindergarten KRA-R Getting to Know You Days - Kindergarten Students Whose Last Name Begins with M-Z Attend School (A-L Do not attend school this day)
• Monday, 9/05 - NO SCHOOL (Labor Day)

One way you can become involved with our schools is to join our Aurora Elementary PTO. This wonderful organization supports our schools to provide rich and meaningful activities and events. You will be receiving more information from our PTO as the school year begins, but you can start by viewing their website and becoming a member!

Hello Parents,

We are starting Aurora Elementary PTO’s Fall Mumkin Sale! Our goal is to raise $6,000 to help benefit our school. The PTO sponsors wonderful programs for our students, school, and community, including Field Trips, Teacher Appreciation lunches, Donut Days, Kona Ice, Field Days, teacher requests, and more!

We have chosen Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse to help us raise our funds this year. Your child is coming home with a catalog, but we are asking that this year you please order ONLINE! Go to fundraiseit.org, click on ONLINE SHOPPING and enter the code on the sticker that is associated with your child’s name.

Our Fall Mumkin Sale dates are as follows:

• Friday August 18 – Online store goes LIVE! Flyers sent home

• Thursday September 1 – Online store closes at midnight

• Sunday September 18 – Your flowers arrive at The Board of Education parking lot, pick up time is from 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM

• PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to pick up your plants on this date and time, please make arrangements with friends or family to have them picked up. We are NOT responsible for any plants not picked up.

Plant Tips:

Have questions about the plants? Check out a brief description of each plant, as well as how to care for them! Visit www.youtube.com/foertmeyerplanttips

Thank you for taking the time to help us reach our goal!

Sincerely,

Katie Stump - kstump316@gmail.com

Anna Kandra - aecolini@hotmail.com

Kayt Binns - kayt.binns@yahoo.com

PTO Fall Mumkin Sale Chairpersons

Maria Goodman

mgoodman@aurora-schools.org

Principal

Vicki Wolf

vwolf@aurora-schools.org

Secretary

Email: mgoodman@aurora-schools.org
Website: aurora-schools.org
Location: 646 S Chillicothe Rd, Aurora, OH 44202, USA
Phone: 330-562-6199