Explorer Echo

Welcome to the July 29, 2024, edition of Southeastern Scene.

Hello Explorers:

Welcome back to a new and exciting school year at Southeastern Elementary! We hope you all had a wonderful and restful summer, filled with fun and relaxation.

As we prepare to embark on the 2024-2025 school year, we want to extend a warm welcome to all our returning families and a special welcome to those who are joining our school community for the first time. Our dedicated staff are eager to reconnect with our students and meet our new families. We are all looking forward to a year filled with learning, growth, and memorable experiences for our Explorers!

Our goal is to create a nurturing and engaging environment where each student feels safe, valued, loved, and inspired to reach their full potential. We are committed to working closely with you to support your child’s academic, social, and emotional development.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we can make this school year a memorable and successful one for our students. We are truly excited about what we will achieve together this year and look forward to working with each of you!

Here’s to a fantastic school year ahead!

Yours in Education,

Niki Kaminski and Trae Heeter

Hello, Explorer families. My name is Jennifer Smith, and I am the school counselor at Southeastern Elementary.

As the new school year approaches, we recognize that this time can be both exciting and challenging for our Explorers. Some may experience feelings of anxiety or apprehension about returning to school. This is a common experience, and we want to assure you that we are here to support both you and your children during this transition.

Remember, it's normal for both children and parents to feel a range of emotions during this time. Together, we can help our children navigate this transition with confidence and positivity.

Here are some signs and symptoms, as well as a few tips that may help alleviate back-to-school anxiety. Please click this link for a list of symptoms.

If you are seeing these symptoms, here are some suggestions of ways to help your child manage back to school anxiety.

Jennifer Smith, SES School Counselor

Welcome back! My name is Carissa Firmand. I was the full-time building nurse at SES last year. This year, I will be joined by Sharon Hughes who will be job-sharing the position with me.

We hope everyone enjoyed their summer and we look forward to seeing everyone back in the building. Please note the following as our first day is quickly approaching:

Immunizations

If your student is missing immunizations, you likely have received communication from us already. It is imperative that you make arrangements to receive any missing vaccinations as soon as possible along with an updated record submitted to us. If you cannot get into your pediatrician in a timely fashion, please contact the Fishers Health Dept, Hamilton Co. Health Dept, or various local pharmacies to make an alternative arrangement to get them completed.

Health Forms

Our Individual Health Forms are available on Skyward. This provides important information to care for your child such as emergency contact info, any health conditions (allergies/asthma), permission to give OTC medication if needed, etc. You must login to Skyward and fill out the health forms every school year for each of your students enrolled in HSE schools. The form is only valid for one school year and then cleared, ready to be filled out for the next year.

Daily Medications

If your student needs to take a daily medication during school hours, please print off and fill out the Student Medication Form found on the HSE district site on “Our District” page under the “Health Service” tab, or you can click this link. Please drop off the medication, if possible, prior to the start of school. An adult needs to bring in the medication. Please do not send it in with your student.

Severe Allergies (req. an Epipen), Asthma, Seizures, Diabetes, G-tube, etc.

If you have a newly enrolled student with any of the above mentioned or any other chronic condition requiring care, please reach out to the clinic to discuss your child's needs while at school and to receive the necessary paperwork for you and your child's physician to complete.

If you have a returning student with the above-listed health conditions (or other), please submit the necessary paperwork to us as soon as possible for this school year.

HSE Illness Policy

If your student has a fever, he/she must be fever free (< 100 F) for 24 hours without the aid of medication before returning to school. If your child has Vomited/Diarrhea, the student must be free of symptoms also for 24hrs before returning to school.

Questions? Please reach out to the clinic or office via email or phone so we can address any concerns/issues before our first day.

Carissa Firmand, RN

cfirmand@hse.k12.in.us

(W-TH-F)

Sharon Hughes, RN

shughes@hse.k12.in.us

(M-T)

Welcome Southeastern Explorers. My name is Beth Verhoestra, and I am the cafeteria manager. Funding your student's lunch account is done through eFunds. The link for eFunds can be found on our website. To make a payment to your student's lunch account, please access eFunds here. Student lunch is $2.80.

Free and Reduced Meals

HSE participates in the National School Lunch program which provides free or reduced meals to qualifying students. Families must re-apply for these benefits each year. The Food Service Department is now accepting Free & Reduced Price Meal Benefit Applications. Information about completing a Free & Reduced Meal Benefit Application can be found at this link.

Menu

Elementary lunch menus are posted on the district website at hseschools.org, or by clicking this link.

Food Service Newsletter

HSE Food Service will be publishing a quarterly newsletter with all of the information you need to know about district cafeteria information. Please access this information at this link.

I will be available during the open house to answer any questions.

Beth Verhoestra, SES Cafeteria Manager

• Wednesday, Aug. 31, 6:00 to 6:45 pm, Kindergarten Meet the Teacher Night, parents only.
• Thursday, Aug. 1st, 5:30 to 7:30 pm, Before The Bell, Nickel Plate District.
• Monday, August 5th, 4:00 to 6:00 pm, KG through 4th grade Open House.
• Wednesday, August 7th, first day of school.
• Monday, Aug. 12th, PTO Open House Meet and Greet 5:30 pm, and PTO meeting 6:30, Schoolhouse 7 Cafe, 12125 Cyntheanne Road.
• Wednesday, Aug. 14th, 1st through 4th Meet the teacher night, parents only. First and Second, 5:45 to 6:15, and third and fourth from 6:30 to 7:00.
• Monday, Sept. 2nd, Labor Day, no school.
  
• Friday, Sept. 6th, Explorer Day, wear school colors of navy and gold.
• Monday, Sept. 9th, 5:30 pm, PTO Classroom Coordinators meeting, and 6:30 pm, PTO monthly meeting, SES Cafeteria.
• Wednesday, Sept. 18th, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Popsicles on the Playground, playground parking lot.
• Wednesday, Sept. 18th, Fall Flower Sale pick up.
• Thursday, Sept. 26th, Explore-A-Thon.
• Friday, Sept. 27th, eLearning Day.

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

Start the new school year off with students, staff and community members from across the Hamilton Southeastern school district. On Thursday, August 1st, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., HSE will be hosting its annual Before the Bell celebration at the Fishers Nickel Plate AMP, located at 6 Municipal Drive. This free event is for HSE students, Pre-K through grade 12, and their families. All 22 schools will have informational booths so that you can learn about what is coming up for the 2024-25 school year and ways to get involved. There will also be activities, inflatables, food trucks, live performances, and community resources. This event is made possible with the support of the Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation and Fishers Parks & Recreation.

Our kindergarten Meet The Teacher night is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31st, from 6:00 to 6:45. This night is for parents only. Kindergarten parents will be notified upon arrival at open house of their student's teacher assignment. Parents can meet their student's teacher and learn how their kindergartener's day will be structured. Questions? Please call the SES front office at (317)594-4340

Welcome Kindergarten Families! We are happy to have you as a part of our Southeastern Explorer family. As we think about the exciting start to our kindergarten school year, we have an awesome opportunity to build community and establish a sense of connection within our classrooms. Each classroom has a designated t-shirt color to wear the first few days of school and on any study trips taken throughout the year. Shirts will be solid colors for 2024-25. We are asking parents to pay $10 (see payment options below) for this t-shirt. Payment can be submitted to the PTO during Back-to-School Events, the front office, or your child’s teacher by August 9.

Check made payable to Southeastern PTO with your child’s first and last name and teacher, if known, in the memo.

Cash in an envelope with your child’s first and last name and teacher, if known, on the envelope. (Change cannot be given. Any extra money collected will go into the PTO’s Angel Fund to cover the cost for families who need assistance.)

Cheddar Up visit https://kindergarten-t-shirts-2024.cheddarup.com if you wish to pay for your student’s shirt via credit card or eCheck. (Additional fees may be charged by Cheddar Up.)

Shirts will be passed out during Kindergarten Meet the Teacher Night (Aug). Your child should wear this shirt the first four days of school (Aug. 7-9 and Aug. 12).

If you have questions, please contact the PTO at info@sespto.org. Thank you! We look forward to soon meeting your child!

The SES Kindergarten Team

2024-25 Kindergarten Class Colors:

Red – Boyd

Orange – Jackson

Gold – T. Powell

Green – Erickson

Turquoise - Hiett

Purple – Howard

Black - K. Burke

*Shirts will be solid colors for 2024-25 *

Please join us for a self-guided open house and building tour for families on Monday, August 5th, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Please enter door #1, the front door of Southeastern Elementary. Tour the building and find classrooms, classroom neighborhoods, the SES gymnasium, cafeteria, art and music rooms, playground, outdoor classroom and LGI space.

Hello parents. My name is Lori Cushman, and I'm so excited to be the new teacher librarian at SES! We are kicking off our school year with our first SES Book fair on August 5th from 4:00-6:00 pm during the Open House. We will have the fair set up in the gym, so be sure to stop by and shop. There will be teacher wish lists if you choose to buy a book for your child's new teacher. Cash, check and credit card are accepted. What a wonderful way to kick off the school year...reading!

If you are able to help on August 5th with the book fair, please sign up for a time slot. The time slots are reduced so that you can visit with your child's teacher as well. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. If you are able to help at the bookfair, please sign up for a 30 minute shift below. You can also email Lori Cushman, the new teacher librarian, at lcushman@hse.k12.in.us. She is looking for a few parents to help anytime on Aug 5.

Please click this link to sign up and volunteer.

Teacher Assignments

Families will be notified of their student's teacher assignment on Friday, August 2nd, after 3:00 pm. This information will be posted to your student's Skyward account under the schedule tab. You can access Skyward at this link.

Bus Information

Bus schedules will be posted to your family Skyward account on Friday, August 2nd. You can find this information in your student's Skyward account under the transportation tab on the left side of Skyward. Please call the front office at (317) 594-4340 if you have problems accessing your bus information.

Skyward is a school management and information system for families in the district. Each family is issued a Skyward account, which organizes all of your student(s) information, including attendance, grades, bus information, teacher assignments, etc. Please access Skyward by clicking this link.

Back To School Forms

Please complete the back-to-school forms (student information, health information, transportation needs, technology rentals, etc.) that are posted to your student's Skyward account prior the beginning of the school year. These forms can be found on the left side of your student's Skyward account under the "Back to School forms" tab. Please click this link to access Skyward and complete the forms.

New this year: Parents are required to "opt in" to receive a bus assignment. This form also is in Skyward with the back to school forms. If you wish to have a bus assigned to your student, you MUST select "Yes, I opt in for transportation."

Ipad rentals

Each student must have an ipad at school. Your student can bring their own device (BYOD) to school, or rent an ipad from the district. Technology and rental details can be found by clicking this link. Included in the back-to-school paperwork on Skyward is the iPad rental agreement. You need to complete the rental agreement online through your student's Skyward account prior to receiving a school issued device. IPads will be distributed to students the first two weeks of school. Whether you are renting an Ipad or bringing your own device, you MUST complete the iPad rental form as soon as possible.

Questions? Please call the front office at (317) 594-4340.

The HSE school district uses ParentSquare to send out voice, text, and email alerts to parents with important school information. Please make sure all of your contact information is up-to-date in your student's Skyward account. You will receive ParentSquare messages from Southeastern Elementary using email and text information from your family Skyward account, and your information needs to be current to receive these messages. You can access ParentSquare at this link.

Explorer Echo

SES publishes a newsletter every two weeks with all of the information you need to know about what is happening in our school. Explorer Echo will be distributed via ParentSquare and posted on our website at ses.hseschools.org.

Building Hours
The SES front office is open from 7:10 am to 2:40 pm. You can reach the SES front office by dialing (317) 594-4340.

Reporting Absences
Parents, please notify the front OFFICE in regards to absences and late arrivals. You can report daily absences through Dismissal Manager. You also can leave a message on our attendance line by calling (317) 594-4340, and selecting option 2. Please leave detailed information, including student's first and last names with spelling, teacher's name, grade, and reason for the absence or late arrival. If late arrival, please include approximate time student will be arriving.

Late Arrival

If your student arrives after 7:40, he/she will be marked "tardy" in their Skyward account. If arriving after 7:40, please park your car and walk your student into the front office vestibule and sign him/her in on the sign-in sheet. Please print legibly and write student's first and last names, arrival time, and reason for late arrival.

Leaving Early for Appointments

If your student needs to leave early for any reason, only family and individuals listed on the student's approved Skyward list can pick up the student. In the student's Skyward account, under the "Family and Emergency Contact" tabs, you may list people approved by you to pick up your student. Those individuals MUST show a valid driver's license when picking up the student. When arriving, please ring the silver button to the immediate left of the glass door closest to the front office. Please wait inside the vestibule while we get your student for you.

Forgotten Items
If a student forgets an item at home and a parent needs to drop off that item after school has begun, that item may be dropped off in the front office vestibule. There is a table right inside the first set of doors on which you can place the item. Please have student's first and last names, and teacher's name, on the item and we will deliver it to the student.

Volunteers/Chaperones

All volunteers MUST have a Safevisitor background check on file with Hamilton Southeastern Schools prior to being allowed to chaperone or volunteer in the building. Please see Safevisitor information at hseschools.org, or click this link to get started. It takes about one week for approval.

Dismissal Manager
Southeastern Elementary utilizes Dismissal Manager for daily dismissal changes. Dismissal Manager lets teachers and staff know how your student needs to get home each day (bus/car/YMCA). Please see below for more information about Dismissal Manager.

Each family receives specific login credentials from School Dismissal Manager at the beginning of the school year. Once you receive your login credentials, please log in to Dismissal Manager and set up your preferred dismissal for your student(s). 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 by clicking this link. Here is how it works:

• Locate your email from the SDM system directly with your "Parent Credentials" including login and password information. Check your spam if you cannot find the email.
• Click on the link in that email to access the login page via web browser.
• Set a new password and save your login and password.
• Check/Set the default dismissal from the list for your child that you would like used.

If your child has different dismissals for different days, please set one default and set a recurring "exception" for the off days. (For example, my child's default is a car rider but I would like them to go to the YMCA every Wednesday. I would set the default as car rider and make a recurring exception for Wednesdays as YMCA.

What do I need to do after my default dismissal is set?

• You would only need to log in again to make a change to dismissal, called an "exception."
• A one time exception does NOT change the locked default. For example, a dentist appointment may be scheduled and you would like to pick your child up instead of have them ride the bus. You would login and create an exception just for that day from "BUS" to "CAR RIDER."
• The teacher is automatically notified and a note/email or phone call is no longer required.
• All exceptions must be made by 1 PM daily. If a change is needed after 1 PM, a call to the front office at (317) 594-4340 would be required to ensure the teacher is notified. Teachers will be instructed to go by their daily School Dismissal Manager report for all dismissal directions.

Please access the Southeastern Elementary School supply list here. It is ok if your student does not have all of his/her school supplies the first day. They are welcome to bring supplies the first weeks of school. If you ordered school supplies through the PTO, those items will be waiting for your student in his/her classroom on the first day of school.

If your student will be a car rider this school year, please read our arrival and dismissal procedures below. Car riders can begin coming into the building at 7:30. School begins promptly at 7:40. Students arriving after 7:40 will be marked TARDY in their skyward account.

Car Rider Arrival

• Pull into the SES parking lot and form two lanes.​

• Once you get to the orange cones, merge into one lane.​

• Watch for staff member to motion you to pull forward and then motion for you to stop and put your car in park. ​

• Watch for staff member to wave students in.​

• Students may only exit car onto the sidewalk. Students may NOT exit car on the driver’s side of the vehicle. ​

• Parents will need to stay in the car. Staff can assist students out of their cars. ​

• Students may enter the building at the 7:30 bell. ​ If student arrives after 7:40, and no adult staff are present outside, you must park your car, walk in, and sign in your student late.

• We ask that you please not park in the parking lot and walk your child up to the door. This creates a very unsafe situation for you, your child, and other children.

Car Rider Dismissal

• Pull into the SES parking lot and form two lanes.​

• Once you get to the orange cones, merge into one lane.​

• Watch for staff member to motion you to pull forward and then motion for you to stop and put your car in park. ​

• Please place a piece of paper with your child’s/children’s first and last name visible in the windshield. ​

• Students will enter car from the sidewalk. Students may NOT enter car on the driver’s side of the vehicle. ​

• Parents will need to stay in the car. Staff will assist students into their cars. ​

• Students will be dismissed at 2:10 to the car rider area. ​

• We ask that you please not park in the parking lot and walk up to the door to get your child. This creates a very unsafe situation for you, your child, and other children.

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, and will also be posted to our website at ses.hseschools.org.

Meeting and Open House

Mark your calendars: Our PTO will be having an Open House Meet and Greet at 5:30 pm on Monday, Aug. 12th, at Schoolhouse 7 Cafe, 12125 Cyntheanne Road, followed by a regular meeting at 6:30 pm.

Boot Exchange

Thank you to everyone who donated to the PTO Rain Boot Exchange at the end of the last school year. Boots will be available to "shop" during the Meet the Teacher and Open House next week. All boots are free and on a first come, first served basis.

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 upcoming school year. The handbook can be found on our website at ses.hseschools.org, or by clicking here.

Anyone wanting to spend time in the school or chaperone a field trip must have a SafeVisitor ID badge. If you have not yet completed the background check, please click below to get started.

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