Hello, Families! We have an exciting week coming up! There is no school on Monday in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our second graders will be performing in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. program on Wednesday, January 22. The program begins at 7:00 (2nd grade students should arrive by 6:50).

On Thursday, we will have an open house for incoming Kindergarten students. The event is from 5:00-7:00.

As you have seen by now, our students in grades K-5 are bringing home their chromebooks every night. Please remind students that chromebooks are for school use only, and they should be returned every day. Thank you!

Have a wonderful week!

Due to the snow, we are adjusting our car rider lines for arrival and dismissal. We will only use one line for arrival and dismissal. Please follow the directions of the staff members outside of the building. We appreciate your patience and understanding!

Students will be bringing home chromebooks every night. Please remind students that chromebooks are for school use only. Chromebooks should be returned to school each day.

Our first PTO meeting of the year will be on February 5, 2025 at 5:30 PM. We will meet in the Media Center. We are going to hold elections for officers and work on plan for the rest of this semester. A form will come home soon with more information.

2nd Grade:

Mark your calendars now!!! We will gather all second-grade students at Charlestown High School on January 22, 2025 at 7pm to perform “I Have a Dream.” It is a compilation of six songs with spoken introductions focusing on unity and honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. You can view all or part of last year’s program at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBa52av7p8M

We have exciting news! Our food pantry is open and ready for families. In order to visit the food pantry, an appointment must be made with Ms. Jackson. Please email her at djackson@gccschools.com or call the office.

Just a reminder, outside food, such as McDonald's, Subway, etc., is prohibited for student lunches. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

This month we will focus on Perseverance. At Franklin Square, we push through challenging work and obstacles.

Indiana has a statewide requirement to assess students for dyslexia through the Universal Screener. With this being said, Greater Clark does not conduct their own official dyslexia tests. We use the results from the Universal Screener and other assessments to support students who may need additional help. The assessments help us identify the specific deficits in foundational reading skills. If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to email our literacy coach, Christy Elkin, at celkin@gccschools.com.

BB practice Monday-Thursday until 4:45 PM

A few people have asked about birthday treats. The policy is that cupcakes and other sweet treats are not allowed to be sent in for birthdays. However, healthier snacks (goldfish, yogurt, low fat muffins, etc.) that are pre-packaged are allowed and encouraged, with pre-approval from the child’s teacher. We want your children to feel extra special on their big day. We just need to remember these guidelines.

Student Handbook Policy:

"Due to student health needs such as diabetes and food allergies, as well as being in compliance with the GCCS Wellness Policy, cookies, cupcakes and other sweets are NOT ALLOWED to be brought in for birthday celebration purposes. You may bring in any type of healthy food such as fruit, low fat muffins, cheese or vegetable items or trinkets/birthday goody bags for each student in the class to recognize the special day. Any student birthday celebration/recognition must be approved, in advance, by the teacher. Please refrain from having flowers, balloons, etc. delivered to school. Students may not have these items in the classroom. These types of items must be kept in the office until dismissal and parents will need to plan on their child being a car rider in order to take these items home from school. Birthday invitations are not allowed to be distributed at school."

Basketball and cheerleading forms are available. Please be sure that you have filled out Final Forms before staying for practice. Your child will not be allowed to participate if Final Forms are not completed. There is a yearly $5 fee payable by CHECK or CASH to Franklin Square Elementary, there is no way to pay online.

Attendance is mandatory for our students to be successful. If a student will be out of school, you MUST call the office at 812-288-4874 by 9:30. Attendance laws have changed and we will be monitoring attendance closely.

• Communication is key. It is important for parents/guardians to communicate with the school’s attendance personnel anytime a student is absent in order to be considered excused. Parents/guardians unable to call on the day of the absence MUST call the school the next school day. If a call is not made to verify the absence the next school day, the absence will be considered an unexcused absence.

🍞Our official day begins at 9:00. Doors will open at 8:40. Please remind your child to stop by the cafeteria for breakfast, if needed.

🚗Our official end of the day is 3:30.

📲Dismissal Reminders

• We do not dismiss from the office between 3:05 and 3:45

• Please make sure you display your car rider tag on your dashboard.
  

• If you do not have a car rider tag, you will be asked to go into the office. Safety is our #1 priority for our students.

If your child needs to change how they are going home, please call the office at 812-288-4874 by 2:00 PM. Please DO NOT send a message to the teacher. Our teachers are working hard with our students and may not see the message. Thank you for your support!

• Students opting to ride the bus can only have ONE pick-up location and ONE drop-off location. They are not allowed to rotate between different stops, unless on a one week on/off plan due to living arrangements.
• NO TEMPORARY BUS PASSES ARE ALLOWED. If a need arises for a child to get dropped off/picked up at any place other than their assigned stop, the parent/guardian needs to make those arrangements.
• Please have your child at the assigned bus stop 5 minutes prior to the scheduled time in the mornings. If a bus is at the stop at the correct time (10 min. window) and the child misses the bus, we will not instruct the bus driver to go back and pick up your child.
• If your child is in preschool or utilizes SPED transportation, we require that a responsible greeter be present at the bus stop and you will need to contact your school to set up transportation.

To contact us, call 812-288-4809. You may also email khunt@gccschools.com for general education routes or lromero@gccschools.com for special education routes.

Elementary Meal Costs

Breakfast

Daily $1.75 – Weekly $8.75

Daily $.30 – Weekly $1.50 for students qualifying for reduced-price meals

Lunch

Daily $3.00 – Weekly $15.00

Daily $.40 – Weekly $2.00 for students qualifying for reduced-price meals

• 1/20 No school
• 1/22 "I Have a Dream" performance for 2nd Grade
• 1/23 Incoming Kindergarten Open House 5:00-7:00
• 1/27 Boys' BB game at JJ
• 1/29 Boys' BB game HOME vs TJ
• 1/29 Middle School Showcase 6:30-7:30 PM
• 2/4 Boys' BB game HOME vs JJ
• 2/5 PTO Meeting 5:30
• 2/6 Boys' BB game at Wilson
• 2/10 Boys' BB game at Northaven

• When the heat index is 90-105 degrees, use caution (frequent water breaks and rest periods for after school practices). When the heat index is over 105 degrees (add 10 degrees if bright sun), do not go out to recess and practices will be suspended for the day.

• When the temperature falls below 40 degrees, caution will be used. Please send your child with jackets, gloves, and/or hats to be prepared for outdoor recess below 40 degrees.