Explorer Echo

Welcome to the August 30th, 2024, edition of Explorer Echo.

Dear Southeastern Parents and Guardians,

We wanted to take a moment to emphasize the importance of respectful behavior at school. A supportive partnership between school and home is crucial for creating an environment where every child can thrive.

Respectful behavior is foundational to a positive learning experience for all students and staff members. Here are some key areas where we would appreciate you reinforcing these values and expectations at home while your child is in the school setting:

1. Listening and Communication: Encourage your child to listen attentively when others are speaking and to communicate respectfully. This includes not interrupting and showing appreciation for others’ viewpoints.
2. Polite Interactions: Model and reinforce the use of polite language such as “please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me” in your daily interactions. This helps your child understand the value of kindness and respect.
3. Following Instructions: Stress the importance of listening to and following instructions promptly. This helps children understand the significance of respecting adult directives to ensure all are safe and able to learn at high levels.
4. Respecting Personal Space: Practice with your child being mindful of others’ personal space and belongings, and to ask for permission before touching or using items that do not belong to them.
5. Taking Turns and Sharing: Emphasize the importance of taking turns and sharing during everyday activities. This fosters a sense of fairness and cooperation.
6. Resolving Conflicts Calmly: Help your child develop strategies for resolving conflicts through calm discussion and problem-solving rather than through anger or aggression.
7. Inclusivity and Kindness: Encourage your child to be inclusive, welcoming, and friendly towards all classmates. Promoting a sense of community and belonging is essential for a positive school environment.
8. Appreciation and Gratitude: Reinforce the importance of acknowledging and appreciating the efforts of others, whether it’s a friend’s help or a staff member's dedication.

Your support in reinforcing these behaviors at home greatly contributes to the success of our efforts to create a respectful and nurturing school environment at Southeastern. If you have any questions or need additional resources on how to support these behaviors, please feel free to reach out to our administration team or school counselor, Mrs. Smith.

Thank you for your continued partnership in making this school year a positive and enriching experience for all our students!

Mrs. Kaminski and Mr. Heeter

Snack Attack Program

Southeastern Elementary is pleased to announce the return of the Snack Attack program for our students. This program, supported by the Fishers Youth Assistance Program, is designed to provide students a little extra nourishment over the weekend until they return to school on Monday.

Here's how the program works. Your student will pick up a small sack of food on Fridays to be taken home over the weekend. The sack is filled with individually wrapped snacks such as granola bars, fruit cups, pop tarts, peanut butter/crackers, Goldfish crackers, etc. The type of snacks will vary each week. Please indicate if your child has a peanut allergy as he/she will receive a special bag of peanut-free snacks.

There is no cost to you or the school. To be part of this free program, you must sign up online.
​​https://forms.gle/qQ2GgbD32C66Dhfg7

Have questions? Please contact Fishers Youth Assistance at FYAPFood@gmail.com.

Body Safety Presentations

As in years past, HSE Schools has partnered with The Indiana Center for Prevention to provide presentations that cover cornerstone topics of child safety. This year, our SES presentations will be on November 13th and 14th . Please take a few minutes to review the information provided below.

Letter to Parents 2024-25

Grade Level Overview
Parent Information Session PowerPoint 2024-25

Body Safety Parent Info Session 8.27.24.mp4

SEL at Southeastern

KINDERGARTEN:

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 1: Skills for Learning

Lesson 2: Focusing Attention Home Link Activity

Summary:

In last week’s lesson, your child learned that you need to use your eyes, ears, and brain when you focus attention on something. Your child also learned how to make an “attent-o-scope” to help focus.

Try This at Home:

When sharing important information or instructions with your child, let them know that you really need their focused attention. Ask your child to show you how an attent-o-scope helps them focus.

Lesson 3: Following Directions Home Link Activity

Summary:

In this week’s lesson, your child reviewed that we use our eyes, ears, and brain to listen and will learn that repeating directions to themself helps to remember what to do.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child what you can do to help remember directions and what parts of your body you need to use to listen and follow directions.

FIRST GRADE:

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 1: Skills for Learning

Lesson 2: Focusing Attention Home Link Activity

Summary:

In last week’s lesson, your child learned that you need to use your eyes, ears, and brain when you focus attention on something. Your child is also learning to say things to yourself (self-talk) can help you pay attention.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child about what you can do to help you focus attention. What does focusing look like (Use an attent-o-scope)? What words can you say to yourself to remind you to pay attention?

Lesson 3: Following Directions Home Link Activity

Summary:

In this week’s lesson, your child reviewed that we use our eyes, ears, and brain to listen and will learn that repeating directions to themself helps to remember what to do.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child what you can do to help remember directions and what parts of your body you need to use to listen and follow directions.

SECOND GRADE:

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 1: Skills for Learning

Lesson 2: Focusing Attention

Summary:

In last week's lesson your child learned to identify examples of focused attention and focused listening as well as how to apply those skills in response to scenarios and in the context of a game.

Try this at home:

Notice when your child focuses their attention and listens when you give them a task to complete. REINFORCE the behavior with specific feedback: for example, “I can see that you’re focusing your attention on what I’m asking you to do because you’re facing me, keeping your body still, and asking questions.”

Lesson 3: Using Self-Talk Home Link Activity

Summary:

In this week's lesson your child is learned and practiced self-talk to minimize distractions and stay focused.

Try this at home:

Become Distraction Detectives! Walk around the room and identify things that could distract you. For each distraction, decide on self- talk you could use to stay focused.

THIRD GRADE:

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 1: Skills for Learning

Lesson 2: Using Self-Talk

Summary:

In last week’s lesson, your child learned to identify classroom distractions and demonstrate the use of self-talk in response to different scenarios.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child to share with you about what self-talk means and how it can help you each day.

Lesson 3: Being Assertive Home Link Activity

Summary:

In this week’s lesson, your child will learn how to demonstrate assertive communication skills in response to scenarios.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child to share with you what being assertive means and how you practice it when talking with someone else.

FOURTH GRADE:

Second Step Curriculum

Unit 1: Skills for Learning

Lesson 2: Listening with Attention Home Link Activity

Summary:

In last week’s lesson, your child learned and practiced techniques that improve their ability to focus and listen well. Listening with attention is a skill necessary for effective communication with others and academic success.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child to share with you about when a good time would be to practice listening with attention and how they use their listening skills each day.

Lesson 3: Being Assertive Home Link Activity

Summary:

In this week’s lesson, your child learned to identify passive, aggressive, and assertive responses. They will practice demonstrating assertive responses.

Try This at Home:

Ask your child to share with you what being assertive means and a time they practiced an assertive response with another person.

Jennifer Smith, SES School Counselor

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)

Our cafeteria manager, Beth Verhoestra, will be working at Deer Creek Elementary. We are happy to report that our very own Kim Lemburg, a member of our cafeteria staff, will be our new cafeteria manager! We are so thankful to have her continued dedication at SES. Please read below for a quick introduction of Kim.

I have been at Southeastern since we opened. I'm married and have two boys, who go to HSEHS, a senior and a freshman. I spend most of my free time at the baseball fields around Indiana, watching them play. I have a Labrador (Mocha), Great Dane (Tillie) and a cat (Buttercup). I also love to garden in my leftover free time.

We will be on week 2 of the menu next week.

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 here. Student lunch is $2.80.

Snacks

The cafeteria will begin offering snacks for purchase (.90-$1.25) to 1st-4th grade students. If you would like to put restrictions on purchases please email cafeteria manager, Kim Lemburg.

Ice Cream

Weekly Ice Cream ($1.25) will begin the week of August 26th- Tuesday for KG and Wednesday for 1st-4th grade students. We will also be offering dairy-free and gluten-free options. If you would like to put restrictions on your students account, please email cafeteria manager, Kim Lemburg.

Menu

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

Kim Lemburg, SES Cafeteria Manager

kimberly.lemburg@hse.k12.in.us

• Monday, Sept. 2nd, Labor Day, no school.
• Tuesday, Sept. 3rd, Dine To Donate, Torchy's Tacos.
  

• Wednesday, Sept. 4th, Wednesday Run Club, 2:13 to 3:15 pm.
  
• Wednesday, Sept, 4th, Kindergarten Parent Literacy Night, 5:30 to 6:30 pm.
• Friday, Sept. 6th, Explorer Day, wear school colors of navy and gold.
• Monday, Sept. 9th, Monday Run Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
  
• Monday, Sept. 9th, 5:30 pm, PTO Classroom Coordinators meeting, and 6:30 pm, PTO monthly meeting, SES Cafeteria.
• Wednesday, Sept. 11th, Wednesday Run Club, 2:13 to 3:15 pm.
• Monday, Sept. 16th, Monday Run Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Wednesday, Sept. 18th, Wednesday Run Club, 2:13 to 3:15 pm.
  
• Wednesday, Sept. 18th, 6:00 to 7:30 pm, Popsicles on the Playground, playground parking lot.
• Wednesday, Sept. 18th, Fall Flower Sale pick up.
• Monday, Sept. 23rd, Monday Run Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Wednesday, Sept. 25th, School Pictures.
• Wednesday, Sept. 25th, Wednesday Run Club, 2:13 to 3:15 pm.
  
• Thursday, Sept. 26th, Explore-A-Thon.
• Friday, Sept. 27th, eLearning Day.
• Monday, Sept. 30th, Monday Run Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
  
• Wednesday, Oct. 2nd, Wednesday Run Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Thursday, Oct. 3rd, Fourth Grade Spell Bowl Try Outs, 2:15 to 3:00 pm.
• Friday, Oct. 4th, Explorer Day, wear school colors of navy and gold.
• Monday, Oct. 7th, Monday Run Club, 2:14 to 3:15 pm.
• Monday, Oct. 7th, PTO Meeting, 6:30 pm.
• Wednesday, Oct. 9th, Wednesday Run Club, 2:15 to 3:15 pm.
• Monday, Oct. 14th through Friday, Oct. 18th, Fall Break, no school.

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

Parents and guardians, please join us for kindergarten parent literacy night September 4, 5:30 to 6:30 pm for an interactive evening to learn about how to help your kindergarten student at home with literacy skills. Please see below for more information. To register, please click this link.

Fourth grade students are invited to try out for the SES Spell Bowl team. Students will be given a list of words to practice to prepare for the area contest on Nov. 18th. If your fourth grader is interested in trying out, please click on the attachment below. Form must be returned no later than Tuesday, Oct. 1.

The countdown is on! We are excited to celebrate our 4th Annual Explore-A-Thon, our BIGGEST FUNDRAISING EVENT of the year, with a goal of $30,000.

Students can get registered and start fundraising TODAY! This year classes will head outside on September 26th to engage in a fun inflatable obstacle course to get their bodies moving!

Please follow these 3 Simple Steps to help us reach our goals fast!

• Register or re-Login to your parent dashboard and complete your student(s)’s webpage

with a picture at www.getmovinfundhub.com

School Identifier: 6220b7509e338

• Make an online donation using the red “Donate” button right away.
• Share with friends and family, they want to help!

This year, all monies raised will help to fund extracurricular activities, teacher programs, class celebrations, student convocation, student-led grants, and the SES Alumni scholarship.

Beautiful learning is happening in our related arts classrooms. Please see below to discover what your student is learning.

Our annual Fall Flower Sale Fundraiser continues! Beautiful, 9” Mums and Ornamental Kale for $11 each! New this year, each student has a dedicated link so their sales are connected directly to them! (Much easier for sorting and tracking who has bought mums from your student!) Just search your student’s name at the link below, and get your link to share with friends and family! Thank you for your support! Place your order here: https://app.fundraiseit.org/refer.php Questions? Email: flowersales@sespto.org

For information about the Hamilton County Coats for Kids, or to register, please scan the QR code below.

YMI is seeking mentors for the 2024-25 school year. YMI mentors are matched with a student who they meet with on a weekly basis for 30 minutes. Matches talk about life, work on projects, and play games. Ready to learn more? Visit our website at www.ymionline.org or scan the QR code and fill out the Interested in Mentoring form. We will answer all your questions and help you get connected.

The PTO Philanthropy Committee is hosting a Breakfast Food Drive for the Fall Creek Food Pantry now through Labor Day. As we start a new school year, we would like to help start the day well for families in our community. The Fall Creek Food Pantry is currently running low on the following items: breakfast bars, granola bars, pancake mix, pop, tarts, oatmeal, and cereal.

Donations can be dropped off in the bin located in the LGI space by students or during back to school events.

If you have questions please contact philanthropy@sespto.org. Thank you for your support!

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. Absences, early dismissals and late arrivals also can be reported through 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.

Superintendent Mapes visited Dana Jones class to join in their discussion about agriculture and corn sweat.

Fourth grade friends enjoyed a field trip to Conner Prairie this week, where they studied the science of buoyancy and built boats to float on the White River. .

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.

Please access the latest PTO newsletter at this 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, and will also be posted to our website at ses.hseschools.org.

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

SES Lunch Visitor Procedures:

• Lunch visits will begin after Labor Day.

• Adults will be able to call in the day of by 8:30 a.m. and sign up to have lunch with their child; 8:30 a.m. is a FIRM deadline.

• Time slots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. Only one family per block will be allowed each day with a maximum of 2 visitors.

• Visitors will only be allowed Mondays through Thursdays.

Visitor Guidelines:

• All visitors will need to have their ID with them to sign in and sign out of the building. All visitors must have an approved valid Safe Visitor background check on file with the district before coming into the building. Visitors are required to wear their visitor badge and lanyard while in the building.

• All visitors must eat lunch with their child at the table designated for visitors.

• NO restaurant food or drink may be brought in, Ex: McDonalds, Chic Fil A, Jimmie Johns etc. You can bring a lunch from home or buy a hot lunch from the cafeteria. Cash only, please.

• Phones must be put away at all times.

• Students will not be pulled out of lunch to eat with siblings.

• Siblings not attending SES will be discouraged from attending lunch due to space constraints.

• You may only have your child eat lunch with you during this time. Friends and students who are extended family are not permitted

• We ask that when your child lines up with their class at the end of lunch, you check out in the office to turn your badge and lanyard in.

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 below.

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.

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