Welcome to South Elementary

Mrs. Melody Meyer is the principal at South Elementary School of Communications. She will start her 31st year in education for the 2025-2026 School Year. This will be her 12th year as principal at South Elementary with 15 years of administration experience. She strives to create a positive, safe, and caring learning environment. She strives to lead and motivate her teachers and students to be the best they can be. Mrs. Meyer believes communication is key. Make sure to reach out with questions and/or concerns. She hopes that parents will be involved and active with school events. "We are excited for your child and family to join our South Dolphin family!" If you have any questions, please reach out.

Hello! My name is Miss April Shover. I enjoy baking, singing, and playing with my 4 nephews. This is my 17th year teaching, and my 8th year here at South as a kindergarten teacher. Previously I worked primarily in the early childhood field, teaching Pre-K. I went to Indiana State University in Terre Haute. I studied Early Childhood Education and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2009. I recently added a Literacy Endorsement to my teaching license. I have always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher and am excited to be teaching here at South!

Hi! I am Mrs. Scrougham. This is my 13th year teaching kindergarten at South and I love being a dolphin! I graduated Western Kentucky University in 1996 with a degree in Sociology/Criminology. I worked at Johnson County Juvenile Detention Center, and then as a Juvenile Probation officer for six years before deciding to become a teacher. I attended IUPUI and graduated in 2010 with an Elementary Education degree. I was born and raised in Martinsville. Family is very important to me. I have a great husband, 2 boys, 2 bonus daughters, 2 granddaughters, 2 dogs and 1 cat. We are truly blessed! I am so excited for next year and can’t wait to meet my future dolphins!

Kindergarten students will need to have birth certificate, immunizations, and proof of residency on file. Call the office with any questions, 765-349-1486.

July 22nd - Office Opens

August 1st - Student classes posted in Family Access

August 6th - Open House 5-6PM

August 7th - First Student Day

Student Breakfast - Free

Student Lunch - $2.75

Student Lunch-Students can also bring their own lunch.

Breakfast Includes

Choice of Entrée

Fruit or Vegetable

Juice

Milk

Lunch Includes

Breakfast is served in the classroom and lunch is served in the cafeteria.

Please visit www.artiescafe.org for updated meal pricing. Additionally, ala carte purchasing restrictions can be placed on your students account by contacting Food Services.

If you feel your family will qualify for free/reduced priced meal benefits you are encouraged to complete an Assistance Application form. Meal Assistance forms can be completed in Skyward Family Access or paper forms are available throughout the school year in the office. Should you have any questions regarding your application, or your meal account, you may reach the Food Service Department at 765-349-4452.

Pre-Payment Options

Please take advantage of the options to prepay your student's meal accounts. Prepaid meal accounts help the lunch lines go faster and gives students more time to eat, relax, and play. It also gives you the peace of mind of not having to worry about looking for lunch money every day or worry that it might get lost, stolen or used for other things other than lunch.

MSD of Martinsville Pre-Paid Meal Account Procedure / Charge Policy

Meal Account Claim/Refund/Transfer Form

If sending a check, make it payable to Artie's Cafe.

Online Payments

Click here to make prepayments to your child's meal account online anytime!

Online payments are a simple, safe and secure way to make payments to your students account 24 hours a day at your convenience.

E~Fund for Schools can also be used to set-up low balance reminders via email.

Send Check or Cash

You can always bring money personally or send it with your student. Please place it in an envelope marked clearly with your student's name, their ID #, their teacher's name, the $ amount and the check #. Turn in prepaid deposits to the cafeteria cashier(s) or school office.

Meal Applications

Curricular Materials & Meal Assistance Application are available to families who believe they may qualify. If your family chooses to apply please complete a " Curricular Materials & Meal Assistance Application." The forms can be obtained and returned (completed) to any school office. You will be notified by mail of your child's status. Until notification, you must provide your child with a lunch or lunch money.

Only complete one application per family. The information you give will be used to determine or prove your child's eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals. This information may also be used for other state or federally funded school benefits.

Factors considered in the application process are household size and total household income. HOUSEHOLD SIZE is considered all persons, related or unrelated: Including parents, children, grandparents who live in your home and share living expenses. The TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME is the income each household member received last month before taxes - this includes wages, social security, pension, unemployment, welfare, child support, alimony, and any other cash income.

Foster children are categorically eligible for free meal benefits. Foster children may be included in the household application as part of the household size.

Online Applications may be submitted by logging in to Family Access.

Turn in Applications to:

Please return your completed application to either:

Student's school office or

Food Service Office at 389 East Jackson Street.

One application per household please.

• The doors open at 8:25AM, 9:25 on Wednesdays.
• School begins at 8:40AM, 9:40 on Wednesdays.
• We ask that all parents/guardians dropping students off remain in their vehicles during drop off.
• We will have South staff members outside to guide the students into the school.
• You can drop off students at the front of the building in the front drive or in the circle lot.
• Staff will be located at both locations to assist.
• Please be patient during arrival as we want to make sure that everyone remains safe.

• Bussers are loaded at 3:35PM
• Car Riders are dismissed and begin loading vehicles at approximately 3:45PM
• Walkers are dismissed at door 6 with a staff member located at that location
• YMCA after school care students are dismissed at the bell to go to the YMCA program located in the cafeteria (This is a before/after school program that you must be signed up for through the YMCA.)
• Parents/guardians picking up students should remain in their vehicles during dismissal. Students will be called/walked to each vehicle.
• PreK, Kindergarten and Daycare students can be picked up in the circle lot. If a PreK or Kindergarten student has an older sibling at South, the older sibling would be picked up in the circle lot also.
• Traffic will remain stopped until students are loaded safely. Staff members will be calling names so that students come to the vehicles.
• Remain in the car rider lines and follow staff direction for movement.
• Please be patient during dismissal as we want to make sure that everyone remains safe.

For the safety and security of both staff and students, visitors will not be allowed during breakfast or lunch. Visitors are welcome for organized school events, scheduled conferences, field trips that require additional chaperones, class parties that require additional volunteers, or other principal approved activities. ALL VISITORS MUST REPORT TO THE OFFICE TO CHECK IN AND OBTAIN A PASS BEFORE VISITING ANY PART OF THE SCHOOL. Visitor name tags, provided at the office, are to be worn by all visitors in the building. As visitors leave the building, they must stop by the office and sign out. This is a required safety procedure.

1. Background checks for volunteers, an individual supervising students, must be completed annually.

1. A background check that produces a felony or misdemeanor conviction will be subject to review for non-admittance to school-day activities. Questionable results will be shared with the MSD of Martinsville Chief of Police, or designee, for review and will communicate the determination with the building principal if the findings prevent an individual from volunteering in the school building due to safety concerns.

2. Conferences should be arranged in advance, and at a time when the teacher does not have children in the classroom or is not on duty elsewhere.

3. From time to time, your child may bring home notes or newsletters from school. All of these are important to the student as well as to parents. Please be sure to read the newsletter carefully. Information can also be gathered from visiting the school website.

If your child is going to be absent, please either call the office, dojo the teacher, or send a message through Parent Square. If your child has a doctor's statement, those should be submitted to the front office.

• To report an absence for your child, please call the office at

(765) 349-1486 by 9:00AM. If you do not call the school by 9:30 a.m. and report the absence, the school messaging system, someone from the school, or the attendance officer may be calling your home. Please call in so that the day is an excused absence.

• A doctor visit should be documented with a statement from the doctor so that it can be entered in the school data system. Doctor statements should be faxed to 765-349-5247 or given to the office. We need this documentation to mark it as an excused absence.

• WE ASK THAT YOU NOT KEEP A CHILD OUT OF SCHOOL FOR THE ENTIRE DAY FOR A doctor or dental appointment.

• If a child is sent home with a fever of 100.4 degrees or over, he/she is not to return to school until fever free for 24 hours without fever medication. If the student is sent home from the clinic, it will be marked as an excused absence through the clinic.

Regular attendance is essential for children to be successful in their educational endeavors. Students are bound by the requirements of the Indiana Compulsory Attendance Laws. Students are expected to attend school regularly and be on time for classes in order to benefit from instructional programs and develop responsible personal habits that are respected in society and therefore a part of the educational process. Please make sure students arrive on time. The morning bell rings at 8:40AM to start class. It rings at 9:40AM on Wednesdays to start class for grades K-4.

*Complete details of attendance procedures and guidelines can be found in the student handbook.

District Attendance Guidelines-Please review.

Attendance Guidelines

• AUTHORIZED ABSENCES: If documentation is not provided, these absences will be recorded as unexcused absences. Documentation does include calling into the office.

• DOCUMENTATION: All legal or medical documentation must be submitted within 5 days for the absence to be recorded as excused. The school’s fax # is 765-349-5247.

PLEASE CALL IN OR SEND A DOCTOR NOTE for the attendance to be excused.

Attendance Letters & DCS Notification

• Attendance letters are generated and sent via email on the 5th unexcused absence, 10th unexcused, and 18th unexcused absence.

• Under IC 20-33-2-25, the school must notify DCS when a student reaches 10 unexcused absences. See additional information below.

Guidelines for Duty to Report to DCS Regarding Attendance (IDOE)

Under IC 20-33-2-25, the “Superintendent or an attendance officer having jurisdiction shall report a child who is habitually absent from school in violation of this chapter to an intake officer of the juvenile court or the department of child services. The intake officer or the department of child services shall proceed in accord with IC 31-30- through IC 31-40.”

Everyone should report abuse or neglect. The reporting and investigating of suspected child abuse and neglect are not discretionary matters. They have been required by law (IC 31-33-5-1) since 1979.

Do Report When...

• Students have reached ten (10) or more unexcused absences.

• Educational neglect is suspected

• Students are missing and unaccounted for

Students attend a 50 minute special each day. Specials include Art, Music, PE, Library, and Computer Science.

Parent Square

South Elementary School of Communications office and the MSD of Martinsville will use Parent Square to keep you informed. Monthly newsletters from the South Elementary School of Communications are sent via Parent Square.

ParentSquare is the MSD of Martinsville 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.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

Teachers use the following ways to communicate with families:

1. Dojo (Codes will be sent home with students the first week of school to get connected. This is a free app.)

2. Email

3. Phone

Check out our Social Media to stay connected!

Communication is key!

If you have questions or concerns, don't hesitate to reach out to the office, 765-349-1486,

or to your child's teacher.

2025-2026 PTO Officers

President: Samantha McDaniel

Vice President: Joanna Chamberlain

Secretary: Jessi Hostetter

Treasurer: April Shover

Be on the lookout for more information about PTO for next school year and the August 2025 PTO meeting. If you have any questions, please contact the PTO officers at southelementarypto@yahoo.com.