Middletown Messenger
December 2018
From the Principal's Pen
Middletown Families,
Students are finishing the second round of Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing and will be setting growth goals for themselves as we return from Winter Break. We believe that goal-setting is important for students and adults and that students need to “Keep the End in Mind” as they start each day. I encourage you to ask your child what he or she is learning at school and what goals he or she is setting.
As part of the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Backpack of Success Skills initiative, all teachers are providing experiences for students that they will upload into their digital backpacks this school year. These backpacks will follow students throughout their JCPS career, beginning in kindergarten. I was excited to see our fifth-grade exhibitions on November 27! Students presented projects that highlighted some of their social studies work, and they showed off some great presentation skills. As our fifth-grade students come back to school in January, they will be gearing up for a new JCPS tradition of student academic defenses. In late March, each fifth-grade student will go before a committee of staff, parents, and community members to present artifacts and reasons why he or she is ready to transition to middle school. We are excited about this initiative and will be reaching out to families in the weeks ahead to volunteer for a time to be part of this experience for students.
Our School-Based Decision Making (SBDM) Council and staff have been collaborating to develop our annual School Improvement Plan, and they have been working on a needs assessment of our upcoming budget priorities. They will continue to develop a plan to purchase technology, such as Chromebooks for student digital backpack work and other student resources.
The third grading period ends on December 21 and our two-week Winter Break will stretch from December 24 to January 4. If you are looking for ways to keep your child engaged in content throughout the break, feel free to have him or her access one of the educational websites he or she regularly uses during the school year. Most importantly, I hope everyone can find time to be with friends and family and reflect on important people in your life. I am thankful for our students, families, and staff who make Middletown such as special place! I also want to thank Lauren Russ for her leadership as our Parent Teacher Association (PTA) president and for the opportunities that she has helped provide our students and staff this year.
Students will return to school on January 7, 2019. We have had a wonderful first half of the school year, and I look forward to all that 2019 has in store for us. I would personally like to wish each of our families a happy holiday season and a fabulous new year!
Ms. Mettling's Systems & Facilities Updates
We understand that December can be a stressful month for many of our staff, students, and families.
Research shows that consistent school wide/classroom expectations create predictable behaviors across all settings, providing students with a sense of security so we may help children grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Therefore, as we begin the busy and exciting Holiday Season and return to school after Winter Break, we will be reminding our students of our Leader In Me school wide expectations. We appreciate your support as we continue to build leaders!
Mr. Meinecke's-Counselor's Corner
Attendance and Holidays
Attention, Middletown families—with the holiday season now upon us, we realize this means a lot of planning to travel, meeting with family members, holiday activities, and all the other events that make this a special season for many. We do, however, want to encourage parents and families to make sure our students continue to come to school every day and on time during the weeks before the Winter Break. Consistent attendance is very important for students, and each day that is missed means they are missing valuable instruction. So as everyone plans their holiday activities this season, we respectfully ask our families to be mindful of their children’s attendance at school. Thank you, and happy holidays!
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the services I provide please feel free to contact me through email at chas.meinecke@jefferson.kyschools.us or by phone at 485-8300.
The Hite/Middletown Family Resource Center
HMFRC Mission: “To mobilize and coordinate students and family-focused activities at times and in locations appropriate to their needs. Through the creation of a local source of information and support, the HMFRC will strive to support students and their families in order to overcome barriers to achievement. By providing this support, the center will assist children to reach their full human potential as caring, competent, lifelong learners who contribute to the community in a positive manner.”
Middletown Gives Back!!!
This year, for our Middletown Gives Back program, we were able to help a total of 40 students with holiday assistance. A heartfelt thank you goes to all the parents and families who have donated their time, energy and money in order to make the holidays more cheerful for our receiving students and lessen the burden by a bit to their parents.
We are still accepting Blessings in a Backpack food supplementation donations, please see the flyer below for more information.
Vision Pre-Screenings
On Monday, December 17, with the help of trained volunteers, the HMFRC will be conducting vision pre-screenings for all third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students. This pre-screening does not replace the eye examination performed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist, but it does help identify students who may need follow up.
If you DO NOT want your child to participate, please sign and return the non-consent form found below. Please be aware the non-consent form also applies to hearing and dental screenings as well as physical examinations that can be provided by JCPS.
If you are willing and able to help with the vision pre-screenings on Monday, December 17, we would love to have you! All you have to do is watch the Vision Screening Video and send me an email letting me know you are available to help.
Vision and Hearing Screenings
On Tuesday, January 8, JCPS nurses will be at Middletown to conduct vision re-screenings for students in third through fifth grade who did not pass the first screening. With the help of our speech clinicians, we will perform hearing screenings for kindergarten through second-grade students. If you DO NOT want your child to participate, please sign and return the non-consent form found below.
Dare to Care Food Drive
Help us feed those in need in our Community!
Our goal is to surpass last year's total donated pounds of 1200lbs
If we achieve this goal, our awesome Principal, Mr. Matson, will have to dress and act like a MIME for a whole day!
Send your cans in tomorrow!
Educational Benefits Form
Middletown Elementary is one of 128 JCPS schools participating in the Community Eligibility (CE) Provision under the National School Lunch Program. The CE provision is directed toward schools with a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students. Under CE, all students receive a breakfast/lunch at no charge for the entire school year. However, to determine eligibility to receive additional benefits for our students and to determine funding for our school, we need ALL Middletown families to complete the Educational Benefits Form (EBF) every year. One per family is fine. If you have already submitted the form, thank you! The EBF is used for not only data-collecting purposes but also to identify students who would be considered for fee waivers as well as free and reduced-price meals. Some families may prefer not to disclose financial information; if this applies to you, there is check box in both the hard copy and the electronic copy of the form where you can elect not to disclose, but remember, by filling out the form, you are helping your child's school receive additional funds, we are only 180 forms short!
You are now able to fill the form out online at https://jcps.me/ebf. For more information you can also click here.
I am also available and more than happy to help you fill this form out over the phone, or I can send a hard copy home. Please let me know and I will send it home with your child. All you have to do is return it to school when you have completed it.
HMFRC Compliments, Concerns, Questions or Suggestions...
The HMFRC is always looking for volunteers and donations; if you have items (we are especially in need of sweatpants) to donate, feel free to send them my way.
My office door is always open, please come visit me Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can find me at Hite Elementary.
The Center’s hours are 8:30am-4:30pm.
email: elvira.paguada@jefferson.kyschools.us
Phone: 502.313.4504 (M, W, & F) or 502.313.4473 (T & Th)
Follow the center on Social Media:
__________________________________
Extracurricular Activities
Chess Club
Starting: Tuesday, January 8th, 2019
Thru: Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019
Open to ALL students, Kindergarten through 5th Grade.
New players welcome!
Instruction is on Tuesdays, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM in the art room.
- How do I sign up? Sign-up form is below. Please be sure to fill in the email contact information, as that is the primary means of communication.
Fill it out and return via any of the following:
· Return form to office, attention Chess Club.
· Email form and/or answers to the form to adamae61877@yahoo.com
· Call Adrienne Riley at (502) 644-7863(cell)
· Call Coach Emir Sefo at (502) 767-2672
- Fee: $40 (includes a Chess Club t-shirt and instructional materials) (Please make your check payable to: Middletown Elementary School)
** Whenever school is not in session (due to weather, holiday, etc), Chess Club will not meet.
**You (or anyone on your approved pickup list) must pick up your child in the P3-Intermediate Carpool line PROMPTLY AT 5:00pm. You will need numbered car tag, and your approved pickup list must be current and/or updated. The front office will assist you in this process.
Girls Who Code IS COMING TO MIDDLETOWN!
Dance at Middletown
Featuring Fortnight Dances with a Professional Twist
2018/2019
- When: September 6th—May
- Time: Thursday’s 3:45-4:45(Parents must be at the front of school by the office unless the child attends cep)
- Ages: 3rd-5th Grade
- Attire: Comfortable clothing that allows the body to move (no skirts please) and tennis shoes. Absolutely no bare feet or flip flops. The children will be allowed to change after they have reported to me in the gym.
- Cost: $40.00 per month, due the first class of the month. Payment for each month is $40 regardless of the duration of the month. Please make all checks payable to Casey Ross-Russell. To ensure registration the deadline will be August 26th
- Download registration form below; please mail registration forms with payment to: Casey Ross-Russell 5407 Highpoint Dr. Crestwood, Ky. 40014
__________________________________
Dare to Care Food Drive--Nov 26th-Dec 21st
Movie Night-Dec 14
Winter Break--Dec 23rd-Jan 6th
Did you know?
Enroll your Kroger Plus Card number in the Kroger Community Rewards Program.
Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com to enroll today! Our organization number is 14817.
About Us
Website: www.middletownelementary.org
Location: 218 North Madison Avenue, Louisville, KY, USA
Phone: 502-485-8300
Facebook: facebook.com/middletownelementary
Twitter: @MiddletownES