What a beautiful week at BME! Our students continue to learn and grow through the varied experiences our talented team prepares for them each day. As you will see in the photos above and throughout, we have a few celebrations and multiple opportunities happening in our space!

A few notable items:

Kara Benson - Boone Meadow STEM teacher and finalist for The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). On Thursday, Dr. Robison, Kara's husband (David), and I joined Kara as she was recognized as one of two state finalists in the area of mathematics. The PAEMST award is the nation's highest honor for teachers in the STEM field, and her candidacy for awardee is now under review by a national review team. Along with Kara, we patiently wait for the review process to determine if she will be awarded the recognition by the White House. https://www.paemst.org/

Sharing Joy (flowers) - Thank you to a Boone Meadow family that lavishly loves on us and shares their homegrown flowers to beautify our space. Over the past couple of weeks, they have delivered hundreds of harvested flowers to place in entries, offices, and classrooms. Amazingly thoughtful and caring!

Piano - Calling all piano players!!! (Students and adults) We were gifted a piano by my in-laws to use at Boone Meadow. The piano has found a home in our hallway across from the cafe, has been finely tuned, and is ready to play. More details will come soon, but here is the gist to get us started on how we are going to put it to work...

• We will provide the opportunity for students to play welcome music from approximately 7:45-8:00 for staff and students during arrival time. Mr. Doublestein is talking with 4th grade students to start us off. If your child takes lessons (at any level) this is an excellent opportunity to share their talent and skill with others.
• We will be setting up a sign up form in the coming days. Students get first priority, but we are also open for piano-playing volunteers/family members to share their talents as well. More info to come soon.
• We need a name for our piano! Click here to suggest a fun, creative name: PIANO NAME

Additional important items:

Jog-A-Thon It's getting close, and we're excited!! (JAT) is next Friday, September 23rd! (Rain Date is 9/30) To make our biggest fundraiser successful, we are still in need of a few volunteers:

• We need a few more people to help with set up
• A couple more volunteers needed during the 2nd grade time slot
• Assistance with tear down/clean up at the end of the school day.

To sign up as a volunteer, click here: VOLUNTEER

To donate electronically, click here: DONATE to BME PTO Jog-A-Thon

(Schedule located below)

School Safety Lessons - (This week and next) - Earlier this week, I sent a message to all families via ParentSquare regarding our safety lessons. I've included the letter below.

Free Family Movie Night - We are excited to host a movie night for Boone Meadow Families in order to celebrate our Jog-A-Thon success. Join us on Friday, September 30th (rain or shine). If weather cooperates, we will meet in the back lot at 7:00 PM (or thereafter) to view Turbo together. Bring your lawn chairs, your drinks (no alcohol allowed), and enjoy a good evening together. Movie begins at 7:30.

Enjoy Homecoming if you are planning to attend.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Together,

Tom Hundley, Principal

As we continue into the school year, sometimes we wonder in what ways we can support our children in their growth. Creating and sticking to a consistent routine helps support children’s growth, creates a sense of comfort and safety, helps the child get on a schedule, establishes expectations and constructs a calmer environment as the child knows what to expect and what is expected of him/her. It also gives children confidence to learn independence.

If you’d like to learn more about the importance of routine for kids, please click here for an article from Dr. Erika Bocknek from Wayne State University.

School attendance is a part of routine and consistency as regular attendance is important in a child’s development. The Attendance Works organization states that attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves and to start building this habit in preschool so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually, good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and beyond. For grades 1-4, BME’s doors open at 7:50 and the bell rings at 8:00. Students need to be in the building by 8:00 so they will not be late to class. There are so many important routines in the morning that even missing a few minutes can cause strong emotions or their day to be off a bit. Kindergarten students can begin entering the building at 8:50 and need to be in the building by 9:00.

For further information about how attendance affects your child’s growth, please see this article from Attendance Works.

SECOND STEP

In Second Step, students have been learning ways to help focus their attention; follow directions (K: Follow Directions Link; Gr 1 Follow Directions Link); using self-talk (K: Self Talk Home Link; Gr 1 Self Talk Home Link; Gr 2 Using Self Talk Home Link) and being assertive (Gr 3 Being Assertive Home Link). Fourth grade has also learned to respect similarities and differences to understand that people may have similar or different feelings and views about the same situation (Home Link 4th grade).

If you have any questions or concerns that I can help you with, please feel free to reach me at ksloan@zcs.k12.in.us or my phone number is (317)873-2226, ext. 14992.

Kristi Sloan

• Preschool 9:50-10:20
• Kindy - 12:40-1:15
• 1st & 2nd grades - 8:45-9:30
• 3rd & 4th grades - 10:40-11:40

Note:

• Jog-A-Thon shirts will be distributed to students the morning of the event.
• Have students dress accordingly with appropriate shoes.
• Don't forget sunscreen and a water bottle.
• All volunteers MUST have a completed and clear full background check on file prior to the event.
• Rain date is Friday, Sept. 30th

The School Directory App is Updated for the 2022-23 school year families!

Our Student directory is now complete! Many thanks to the PTO for organizing this helpful resource! To access the directory follow these steps:

• Go to www.directoryspot.net or download the “Directory Spot” app on a smart phone. Click “Login”.
• Enter your email address as your Username, and click on “Reset Password”. An email will be sent to you with a link to set your password.
• Click on the link in the email to set your password and to log in.

If you have trouble logging in, please contact PTO Secretary, Carolee Sanguedolce at caroleeaustin@aol.com

2022-2023 ZCS Calendar

September 16 - ZCS Homecoming

September 17 - Constitution & Citizenship Day

September 23 - Jog-A-Thon (PTO Fundraising event - rain date is Sept. 30)

September 30 - Free event: Movie Night (Sponsored by PTO) Bring lawn chairs/blankets and your own soft drinks/water. Popcorn provided. Movie starts at 7:30

October 3- 5 - ZFD Fire Safety Presentations

October 5 - Jimmy John's Dine for Dollars

October 7 - End of Quarter 1; Fall Parties

October 10-14 - Fall Break (no school)

October 17 - Poinsettia Sale Begins (PTO)

October 18 - Picture retakes

October 24- Regular school day with Family/Student conferences in PM

October 25 - EDay for students & Family/Student conferences

November 9 - PTO Meeting (6:30 BME Cafe)

November 11 - Veterans Day; Panera Dine for Dollars

November 14-18 - Scholastic Book Fair

November 23 - 25 - Thanksgiving Break (No School)

December 14 - PTO Meeting

December 15 - Boone Meadow Voices concert (@ ZWest)

December 20 - End of quarter 2/Semester 1 & Winter parties

December 21 - January 2 - Winter Break

January 3 - Students and Staff return to school

January 11 - PTO Meeting (6:30 cafe)

January 16 - MLK Jr. Day - no school

January 17 - Teacher professional development day (no school for students)

February 8 - PTO Meeting

February 14 - Valentine's Day

February 20 - 24 - February break

March 20-24 - Scholastic Book Fair

March 31 - April 7 - Spring Break

April 12 - PTO Meeting

April 28 - Boone Meadow Bash!

May 1-5 - Teacher Appreciation Week

May 10 - PTO meeting

May 12 - Field Day

May 22 - Kindy Sing

May 24 - Fourth Grade Celebration

May 25 - Last Day of School

When volunteers are needed and approved, appropriate staff members will reach out to you in effort to welcome your support and assistance.

If you plan to volunteer or visit in the future, please note the following information.

Click here for information regarding required Background Checks for volunteers: ZCS Volunteer Background Check

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR VOLUNTEERS

We value partnerships with our families and welcome parents and guardians to serve as volunteers in our schools. Each ZCS building typically offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities. If you plan to assist as chaperones or engage with children in a volunteer capacity, we strongly recommend getting a criminal background check completed well in advance to have on file.

Examples include:

• Field Trip Chaperones
• Out of Town/Overnight Chaperones
• Tutors
• Volunteer Coaches
• Classroom Helpers (PTO parties/room parents)
• Library Helpers
• After Prom Workers
• Field Day/Jog-A-Thon Volunteers
• Book Fair Sales/Athletic Ticket Sales

During the school day, all volunteers are expected to sign in at the front office. Prior to the volunteer opportunity, all volunteers must sign a Non-disclosure Acknowledgement Form and have successfully completed a Full Criminal History Background Check. Volunteers must also view the state mandated confidentiality/bullying video, provided on the Volunteer/BRAVO website.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR VISITORS

During the school day, all visitors must enter via the front door and sign-in at the front office. Visitors need to be prepared to present a government issued photo ID which will be scanned against the National Sex Offender Registry. All visitors will be issued a visitor badge/tag to be worn inside the building at all times.

Examples Include:

• Lunch Guests
• Classroom Guest Speakers
• Classroom Special Events (Grandparent Day/Famous Hoosiers/etc.)
• Parent/Teacher Conferences

*ZCS thanks all volunteers for generous support of our youth and schools. Thank you, too, for supporting assurance of student and staff safety by completing and paying for a volunteer background check.

Walker/Bike: We will continue to assist with crossing Main Street by having staff present whenever possible. Please note the following items:

Significant weather (walkers/bikers) - When weather is inclement with heavy rain, heavy snow, sleet, etc...walking to school is highly discouraged. The office team will make the decision if staff will be present at the crosswalk.

• If families decide to walk to school and no crosswalk staff is present, an adult or family member must safely escort students to the front doors. The doors will open at approximately 7:50 for arrival, and families should wait at the front doors with their students until the doors open.

• Walkers and bikers will be dismissed after car riders each day (approximately 2:40-2:45). This allows families to use the car line for pick up when needed. Should you decide to pick up your child by car (vs walking) simply display your family number while you are in line and pick up your child(ren) at the front door with staff assistance.

• In the event of questionable or severe weather, families must utilize the car rider procedures instead of walking/biking. (stormy weather, lightning, sleet, you need to get Toto before going to the Land of Oz...)

• Please do not bypass the car rider line and request to pick up students from the parking lot, other school sidewalks, etc... Again, we must adhere to all procedures for the safety of students and staff

Bus RIders:

• Families should refer to the teacher assignment email you will receive in the coming days in order to locate your bus transportation information. The email provides bus stop times and location for pick up and drop off.
• Staff readily awaits students at arrival with supervision fully provided from bus to classroom where teachers await their arrival. Kindergarten students are released first off of the buses where staff escorts them into the building for Bridge or Early Start Spanish programming. Following Bridge/Early Start Spanish, they are escorted to their classroom.

Please note: We anticipate a large volume of personal vehicles during arrival and dismissal. Your patience is greatly appreciated as we fine-tune logistics during the first couple of weeks to ensure children are safe and in their proper location.

Clinic Procedures

• All medication (prescription and OTC) must be brought in to the clinic (main office) by a parent/guardian. Students are not allowed to have any medication in their backpack, unless authorized in writing by a physician.
• Set a time to meet with our nursing team if your child has severe allergies or a medical condition that may warrant a Health Care Plan. Our nurse will be available at BOTH Meet the Teacher Night Events on August 1st and August 2nd for your convenience.
• As a reminder, when your child is ill, please call the main office and press 2 to leave a message on the attendance line. As always, we ask that children are fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of fever reducing medication prior to returning to school.

Immunizations

• Indiana code (IC 20-34-4-5) states that all children attending public schools in our state shall be immunized according to requirements set forth by the Indiana State Department of Health. Please ensure that the health clinic professional in your child’s school has been supplied with the most up-to-date copy of your child’s immunization records!
• A link to the required immunizations for the 2022-2023 school year can be found here.

Boon Meadow Nurse: Amy Deinlein adeinlein@zcs.k12.in.us