
Smith Newsletter
MARCH 2025
UPCOMING EVENTS
March
2-6 Read Across America
3-14 IREAD-3 Testing
3 Annie Rehearsal (Leads Only practice @ HS)
4 Annie Rehearsal (Leads/Chorus A/Stage Crew
practice @ HS)
4 Math Bowl Practice
5-14 Spring Fundraiser
5 Violin Class
5 Literacy Night K-6 at the CEC
5 Annie Rehearsal (all cast @ HS)
6 Annie Rehearsal (all cast practice @ HS)
6 Violin Class
6 Math Bowl Practice
9 Daylight Savings Time Begins
10 PLTW for Miss White and Miss Kinzel's classes
10 Annie Rehearsal (all cast @ HS)
11 Math Bowl
11 PLTW for Miss White and Miss Kinzel's classes
11 Annie Rehearsal (all cast @ HS)
12 Report Cards posted and sent home
12 Annie Rehearsal (all cast @ HS)
12 Violin Class
13 ILearn Checkpoint 3 Grade 4 ELA
13 Math Bowl Practice
13 Violin Class
13 PTO Meeting
17 Spring Fundraiser money is due
17 ILearn Checkpoint 3 Grade 3 ELA
17 St. Patrick's Day
17-18 PLTW field trip for Mrs. Farmer's class
17 Annie Rehearsal (all cast @ HS)
18 ILEARN Checkpoint 3 Grade 4 Math
18 Math Bowl Practice
18 Annie Performance at MHS @6pm
19 ILearn Checkpoint 3 Grade 3 Math
20 Math Bowl Practice
20 Annie Performance at MHS @ 6pm
24-28 Spring Breakl
31 School Resumes
DR. SEUSS WEEK
Let's celebrate Read Across America!
American Legion Essay Winners
American Legion Auxiliary Representative, April French, stopped by with some spectacular news! These Smith fourth grade students were winners! They took 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and honorable mention in the 2025 American Legion Americanism Essay Contest!
Symphony in Color
Everliegh was a gold ribbon winner in the Indiana State Museum's Symphony in Color art competition. Congratulations, Everliegh!
IREAD-3 Testing Begins March 3rd
The IREAD-3 is a state-required assessment aligned to Indiana Academic Standards. Indiana law (HEA 1367 and SEA 1) requires that students be able to read proficiently by the end of third grade. Skills assessed on the IREAD-3 Assessment include:
Foundational Reading Skills-Phonics and Vocabulary
Reading Comprehension-Reading Fluency and Comprehension
New Requirement for Grade 2
All second grade students are required to take IREAD-3. Second grade students can receive the following indicators:
On Track - Students considered "on track" meet foundational reading expectations and are expected to pass IREAD-3 in grade 3.
At Risk - Students considered “at risk” are not meeting current foundational reading expectations and are not predicted to pass IREAD-3 in grade 3. These students will receive early intervention through summer school and school-based reading support.
You can help!
Have your students read the passages sent home every week. Practice these every night, over and over until they become easy for child. Practice these same passage all week to build a vital skill called reading fluency.
Have your child read aloud to you. Help your child build reading comprehension by having them answer questions about what they have read and recall important details, describe characters, plot, events, and main ideas while identifying themes, problems, and solutions.
FIRST GRADE FIELD TRIP
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS
Daylight Savings Time begins March 9th. Move your clocks ahead 1 hour.
VALENTINE'S DAY FUN
Cell Phones, Smart Watches, and Fitbits...
Personal Communication Devices are not allowed during the school day. This includes smart watches, cell phones, Fitbits, etc. If a student brings a cell phone, it must remain off and in the student’s backpack at all times. The school is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
SPRING FUNDRAISER
ANNIE
*Annie Rehearsals will be in January/February/March - after school
Leads will meet on Mon/Tue/Thur
Kdg. & 1st grade chorus will meet on Tuesdays
2nd - 4th grade chorus will meet on Thursdays
Jan-Feb rehearsals will be held at Smith. March rehearsals will be held at MHS (pick up there).
*Annie Performances will be held at Martinsville High School Auditorium on March 18 & 20 (Tuesday & Thursday) at 6:00 pm.
SPRING BREAK
Spring Break is March 24th - March 28th. Enjoy your week off! School will resume on Monday, March 31st.
SYMPHONY IN COLOR WINNERS!
Congratulations to the following Smith Fine Arts Academy students for having artwork selected to represent Smith Fine Arts Academy in the Indianapolis Symphony in Color Art Contest:
John Hobbs, Grade 4
Serenity Watkins, Grade 4
Charlotte Bennett, Grade 4
Rodney Smith, Grade 1
Caden Cooper, Grade 2
Hendrix Ferran, Grade 2
Everleigh Dickerson, Grade 4
Caden Cooper, Hendrix Ferran, and Everleigh Dickerson were all awarded top 100 selections. In addition, Everleigh Dickerson was recognized as a top 36 Gold Ribbon Winner in the contest of 8,313 entries. She will be honored with the other Gold Ribbon Winners at a special tea at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra this Sunday at noon. Everleigh's artwork will be displayed at the Symphony on Monument Circle in Indianapolis through April. Caden and Hendrix' artwork will be on display at the Indiana State Museum with the other top 100 winners through April.
JACKETS AND COATS
Please put your child’s name inside their jacket/coat. We have several students’ jackets turned into the lost and found weekly. We would love to be able to return these items to their owners.
PRE-K 2025
KINDERGARTEN 2025
According to the Indiana Department of Education, a student must be 5 years old on or by August 1, 2025 to enroll into kindergarten.
The MSD of Martinsville requires students who turn 5 within days after the August 1, 2025 date must have:
attended the MSD of Martinsville’s Pre-K Program.
the pre-k teacher’s letter of recommendation that they are kindergarten ready.
passed the KRI.
TITLE I
Federal funding has been made available through school-wide Title I services for the purpose of providing students with extra support in reading and language arts. This extra support is available for all students at Smith Fine Arts Academy. Classroom teachers, Title I teachers, and instructional assistants will provide assistance in reading, language arts, and math through small-group and individual instruction, as children demonstrate need for support. Please contact Lynn Zook at 765-342-8488 ext.1521 with any questions about support your child may receive.
*If the following information is needed in another language, please contact the classroom teacher or the school for assistance
CHARACTER LIFELINE
Smith Fine Arts Academy promotes positive character building by highlighting Character Lifelines each month. February's Character Lifeline is RESPECT. During February, students have been learning how to show respect to other people. The following students have been chosen for showing these characteristics in their classrooms this month: Benjamin House, Lincoln Crouch, Gabriel Smith, Lauren Shepherd, Lyla Worland, Lane Wiggins, Eleanor Barrett, Eleanor Wolpert, Ezekiel Baker, Stevie Kirk, Caden Cooper, Gwen Mcelroy, Annabelle Bray, Kendall Colip, Quentin Eirhart, Cooper Baker, Jaylen Rike.
Congratulations students. Keep up the good work!
PTO NEWS
Meet the PTO Board
Co-presidents: Ky Sumner and Katie O’Neal
Vice President: Amanda Thomas
Treasurer: Leann Moss
Secretary: Amy Purkey
Upcoming Events
Meeting Times
PTO meetings will be held on Wednesdays at 4:15 p.m. in the library.
The following dates are tentative: Mar. 5, Apr. 2.
Everyone is invited and welcome. We hope many will participate.
Follow us on Facebook:
Smith Fine Arts Academy PTO
2 HOUR DELAY DAYS
When school is on a two-hour delay, students may enter the building at 10:25. The tardy bell will ring at 10:40. The end of the day dismissal times will remain the same.
Lunch schedule on two-hour
delay days:
10:50-11:20 Pre-K & KDG Lunch
11:05-11:35 3rd Grade Lunch
11:35-12:05 4th Grade Lunch
11:45-12:15 1st Grade Lunch
12:15-12:45 2nd Grade Lunch
Note:
*There will be NO breakfast on two-hour delay days.
Family Tech Tips
PARENTSQUARE
ParentSquare is the MSD of Martinsville’s tool to communicate with Artesian families.
Families may register for an account and set their preferences for how they’d like to receive messages from us. For example, many parents only want to receive a text, while others prefer email, and others choose both. If you download the app (it’s free!), you can also get notifications via the app.
Another feature of the app is that it allows users to select their preferred language.
In emergencies or when notifying school families is urgent, ParentSquare will use all methods of contact, including a phone call, text, email, and app notification (if we have the correct information and if you’ve downloaded the app).
If you do not register with ParentSquare, you will still receive an email when we use ParentSquare to send a message.
Registering your ParentSquare account
If you do not have an email from the MSD of Martinsville inviting you to create a ParentSquare account, please notify your community.relations@msdmartinsville.org and we will send you the invitation. While you do not need to create an account to receive messages from us, you will have greater flexibility to tailor the ways you receive messages from us if you have an account.
Once you have created an account, there are additional resources available to help you tailor your account to meet your own preferences.
Questions? Email community.relations@msdmartinsville.org
CLINIC NEWS
The goal of the clinic is to keep everyone safe and healthy.
We would like to remind you that if your child has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, they will not be permitted to stay at school.
Students must be fever FREE for 24 hours without medication to return to school. They must also be vomiting and diarrhea FREE for 24 hours to come to school.
Please talk to your children about hand washing and personal hygiene.
If your child borrows clothes from the clinic, PLEASE wash the clothes and return them to school.
It would be extremely helpful for students in Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten to keep an extra set of clothes in their backpacks in case of an emergency. The state is requiring immunizations to be up to date by September 3rd. Students not up to date will be unable to attend school on September 4th.
ARRIVAL PROCEDURES
The building opens at 8:25 a.m. Students should not arrive before that time since there is no supervision. Please monitor the time your child leaves for school to make certain he or she does not arrive before 8:25 a.m. We ask that you call the school office (765-342-8488) by 9:30 a.m. if your child is going to be absent or tardy. If we have not heard from you, you will receive a phone call informing you that your child is not in attendance. A note is necessary the day your child returns if you do not call the school.
DISSMISSAL PROCEDURES
· Please share our dismissal procedures with any friends and/or family members who will be responsible for picking up your student. To change your student’s dismissal procedure, please call the office at 765-342-8488 ext 3 before 3:00 p.m. We may not be able to accommodate dismissal changes after 3:00 p.m. Please do not leave a message when making a dismissal change.
If your child is a car rider, please stop by the office to pick up a green sign to place in your car during dismissal. Car riders, bus riders, and daycare students will begin dismissing at 3:30 pm. Walkers will be released at approximately 3:45 p.m., after all buses and car riders have departed.
Students who are being picked up early must be signed out in the office by a parent, guardian, or emergency contact.
BACKGROUND CHECKS
All visitors to MSD of Martinsville Schools during the school year will be required to have a Limited Criminal History Check. Completed background checks are confidential and will be kept in the school office. A valid driver’s license or state-issued ID will be required for the background check. Please complete the Background Check Form, available in the office, and present your ID to the office at least ONE WEEK prior to visiting or volunteering. In order to keep our students safe, individuals who do not have a valid driver’s license or state-issued ID will not be allowed access to our building or our students. Please note: If you have a misdemeanor conviction within the last 5 years or a felony conviction within the last 10 years, you will not be allowed to visit/chaperone during school hours. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we keep student safety a priority!
Text "Y" to receive messages!
W.E.L.L. Wednesday Schedule
Student Fee Information
Free & Reduced Application
Click this link to apply! Applying has benefits for the school and your family. If you have questions, check out the video.
FOOD SERVICE
Menus are available at the beginning of each month and can be found at: artiescafe.org .
Lunch payments may be made, and meal/textbook assistance forms may be completed, online at artiescafe.org.
Student Lunch: $2.75
LUNCH SCHEDULE
PREK
10:45-11:15 a.m.
KDG.
10:45-11:15 a.m.
1st Grade
11:35-12:05 p.m.
2nd Grade
12:00-12:30 p.m.
3rd Grade
11:00-11:30 a.m.
4th Grade
11:20-11:50 a.m.
DRESS to LEARN
It is the responsibility of the students to maintain a healthy and respectful-looking appearance while attending school and school activities. Specific regulations of the dress policy:
· Clothing and/or accessories which are indecent or displaying/inferring offensive or lewd words, sayings, and/or pictures is considered a violation. Clothing and/or accessories may not display any forms or references to alcohol, tobacco products, and/or illegal substances.
· Short shorts, halter tops, net shirts, tank tops with spaghetti straps, and midriff tops are not permissible.
· Shoes should be appropriate for safety and comfort. Flip flops and shoes with wheels are not permitted at any time. Students must wear tennis shoes to Physical Education. High heels, and sandals without backs are not permitted.
· Hats and sunglasses are not to be worn in the school building except on designated days.
· The wearing or displaying of any gang related article of dress or adornment is not allowed at school or any school activity.
· Any attire that disrupts the educational process or puts a student at risk, such as clothing that does not fit appropriately, or leaves underwear exposed, is not permitted.
SCHOOL START & END TIMES
M, T, TH, F ARRIVAL
Doors Open: 8:25 am
School Begins: 8:40 am
WEDNESDAY ARRIVAL
Doors Open: 9:25 am
School Begins: 9:40 am
DAILY DISMISSAL
Daycare/Car Riders/Bus Riders: 3:30 pm
Walkers will be released after all busses and car riders have departed.