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Spring Mill Elementary 2023-2024 School Year
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Spring Mill Elementary
Email: kmerritt@msdwt.k12.in.us
Website: www.sm.msdwt.k12.in.us
Location: 8250 Spring Mill Road, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: (317) 259-5462
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpringMillElementary/
Twitter: @springmillelem
Save the Date
July 31 - Bulldog Blast 4:30-6:00 pm
August 3 - First Day of School 7:40-2:25 pm
August 14-25 - NWEA Testing (1st-5th Grade)
August 17th - Bulldog Huddle (aka Back to School Night) 4:30-6:00 pm
September 4 - Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
September 20 - eLearning Day / Parent-Teacher Conferences
Message from Ms. Merritt
Dear SM Bulldogs,
I trust that summer has been a great time for you to connect with your family, take a vacation, spend time at the pool or just simply relax. I have missed our Bulldog faces. I am so excited to see you in less than a week. We will welcome all students back on the first day of school Thursday, August 3rd. Keep in mind that once again, we have new school hours. The student day begins at 7:40 am-2:25 pm. Car rider and bus arrival will begin promptly at 7:20 am. As you prepare to come back to school, the supply list for each grade can be found on our website.
Mark your summer calendars for our annual ice cream social, which has been renamed, The Bulldog Blast. It will be held Monday, July 31st from 4:30-6:00. This is event will allow us the opportunity to connect as a school family. You will not want to miss this opportunity to capture a back to school video, eat ice cream and meet your child's teacher for the new school year! Additionally, there will be tables set up in the gym with additional information to make the first day of school seamless for all of our families.
You will find detailed information to help you get ready for the new school year within this newsletter. Please call the office with any additional questions.
Please enjoy the remainder of your summer vacation and we will see you at the ice cream social. We will be ready to kick off the 2023-2024 school year with a brand new theme! Good, Better, Best...Never let it rest. Til your good is better and your better is .....BEST! We are making the commitment to be excellent on purpose. This is our moment as Spring Mill Bulldogs to make MAGIC happen within our learning environment as we show our entire school community that we are the best elementary school within this district.
There has never been a better time to be a Spring Mill Bulldog!
Ms. Kellèe Merritt
Principal
#BulldogProud
#goodBetterBEST
#excellentonpurpose
#whyWT
Kindergarten Jump Start
Bulldog Blast
Please join us July 31 from 4:30-6:00 pm for the Bulldog Blast (aka Ice Cream Social) as we celebrate the start of our school year! This will provide each family an opportunity to meet their teacher and check out their new classroom. Families can enjoy time together with a DJ, enjoying an ice cream treat, and a 360 machine. We are looking forward to seeing all of you!
Attendance
Attendance plays a critical part in your child's academic success. Please work with us to ensure your child arrives on time every day and attends school regularly. Absence is defined as a student missing all or any portion of the school day, for any reason. There are three types of absences: Excused, Unexcused, and Prearranged.
Should your student be absent for any reason, please call the Attendance Line at (317) 259-8850 before 9:00 am for each day that the student is absent. A written medical verification from a physician/clinic must be provided upon the student’s return to school after 5 consecutive days of absence due to illness.
If your student is arriving late or leaving early for an appointment, please request a note from the dentist, doctor, etc. All notes should be given to the front office for record keeping. Offices may also fax notes to (317) 259-5484.
Excused Absence (including being tardy)
- Death in the immediate family
- Major religious holiday
- Medical, dental, court, or other required appointment. A signed statement from doctor, dentist, etc. must be provided upon return to school.
- Personal illness/injury.
- A written medical verification from a physician/clinic must be provided for each additional absence once 10 days of absence (whether excused or unexcused) have been accumulated.
Unexcused Absence (including being tardy or leaving prior to dismissal)
Absences for any reasons other than those mentioned above and/or not verified as required are considered unexcused. Missing the bus, etc., is unexcused.
Prearranged Absence
Prearranged absence forms are available at the office. A prearranged absence request will not be approved if any one of the following occurs: final week of any grading period; the week preceding or following a recess period; during required testing; student has excessive absences; student’s grade point average is below a 2.0 or C.
Let's Help Our Bulldogs Get off to a Strong Start!
Daily Schedule 7:40 am – 2:25 pm
- School Supply List - Here is a link to the School Supply List for the upcoming school year.
- Morning Car Riders - If you are dropping your child off in the morning, please be mindful of the lengthy morning traffic and drop off lines. Parents, you can always encourage your students to ride the bus to school. Parents can begin dropping off students at 7:20 a.m. Staff members will be present to help facilitate and monitor a safe drop-off.
- All students who arrive after 7:40 am, parents must park in the parking spaces provided in the front of the school and escort them into the building. All students must be signed in by a parent at the front office.
- Early Pick Up - No students will be allowed to be picked up after 1:30 pm due to interruption that it causes to our End of Day procedures. Anyone picking a student up prior to dismissal must show an ID and be listed on the students guardian or emergency contact.
- Dismissal - Dismissal is at 2:25 pm. If you are picking up your child, you must get in the car line and pick up at Door 11. All car riders must be picked up by 2:35 pm. If your child will regularly be a car rider at dismissal, please contact the office to get a car rider tag that needs to be displayed on the rearview mirror for pick up. Car rider tags will also be distributed at the Bulldog Blast. If families are carpooling and picking up more than one family, we ask that you have both numbers displayed so we can have students ready.
- AYS Drop Off and Pick Up - AYS is offered at Spring Mill for before and after school care. All AYS drop off and pick up will be on the west side of the building at Door 11. You can contact AYS directly at 317-283-3817 or at https://www.ayskids.org.
School Meals - All enrolled students are eligible to purchase a healthy breakfast and lunch. If your child has any food allergies, please provide a doctor’s note to the office or nurse. Weekly menus are available on the MSDWT website: https://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/child-nutrition-services/. All families are encouraged to set up an account to purchase meals at MyPaymentsPlus.com https://www.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome.
Free and Reduced Meals - Families will need to complete a free and reduced meal application for assistance and will be notified of approval. A new application is required every school year and only one application per family. Online and paper applications are currently available at https://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/child-nutrition.
Meet Ms. Branch
My name is Ms. Branch and I am excited to be your School Social Worker! This will be my 10th year in MSD Washington Township and my first year at Spring Mill. I graduated with my Bachelors and Masters degree from IU School of Social Work. In my spare time, I love spending time with my family, praise dancing, and traveling. I am thrilled and committed to serving your students and families and look forward to an amazing year.
The best way to contact me is via email: mbranch@msdwt.k12.in.us
Here Comes the Bus!
Below you will find answers to many of the questions asked about transportation. If you need additional information, please reach out.
- Bus Stop Lookup - Our district uses VersaTrans e‐Link, an online transportation information system, to allow students and families to find bus stop locations, bus numbers, and approximate pick‐up and drop‐off times. The e‐Link is located on our district website. Click on the “Services” tab, then click on “Transportation” and then “Bus assignments”. Users can login with “guest” as both the username and password to look up bus information directly in VersaTrans.
- 10‐Minute Window - Bus routes operate on a 10‐minute window, which means the bus can arrive 10 minutes before or 10 minutes after your bus stop time. Please be patient during the first two weeks of the school year. The 10‐minute grace period may be extended as drivers, students, and families learn new routes.
- Transportation Requests - It is now a standard 5‐day waiting period for students that require transportation. You are required to transport your student to school until you receive your bus stop information.
- Bus Stop Consistency - All students are allowed one consistent bus stop in the AM and one in the PM. This includes daycare and alternate address stops. For safety reasons, we cannot do alternate stops on different days of the week. All students should board their bus at their assigned stop each day. If you move during the school year, please contact the office to make permanent changes to your transportation. Students will not be permitted to ride a different bus home with a friend or other family members. Students must ride their assigned bus or be a car rider.
- KINDERGARTEN Students - We would strongly encourage Kindergarten students that will be bus riders throughout the year to ride it the first day of school. It will help Kindergarten students to understand that they are bus riders at the end of the day and adult volunteers when they arrive to ensure what bus they will board at dismissal. Kindergarten students MUST have an approved adult, or approved sibling that is 4th Grade or above, meeting them at the bus stop in the afternoon. If they do not, the student will be returned to school and a parent contacted to pick them up. If this happens more than once, bus privileges can be suspended or revoked.
- HERE COMES THE BUS - “Here Comes the Bus” is an app that is used for tracking for child’s bus. You can download the app on your personal device from the App Store or Google Play. You will need your student’s ID number. You can find your student’s ID number in Skyward or by contacting the school. Use code 88550 to set up your account.
- Limited Choice/Non-Resident Students - Parents are responsible to transport student’s to/from school.
Transportation Department (317) 254-5510
Spring Mill PTO
Dear Spring Mill Family,
Welcome back to all our returning Spring Mill families and a Big Bulldog Welcome to everyone who is new to The Mill! We are so excited for the upcoming school year and know that it is going to be our best year yet!
The PTO is hard at work planning events and activities to help support our school community, and we hope you’ll join us! We’ve already got some great things in the works, including:
Classroom supply reimbursements for each of our incredible teachers
Administrative grants to support learning activities
Spring Mill Elementary t-shirts for all new students
Parent mixers to build community
Community events like Bulldog-tober Fest and the Spring Fling to celebrate our awesome school
And so much more! This year we’re going to kick off the school year with a big PTO fundraiser in an effort to keep all our events this year at a minimal cost for SME families! Stay tuned for more information on our fundraiser.
We are ALWAYS looking for volunteers and NO AMOUNT OF TIME IS TOO SMALL! If you’re interested in volunteering, swing by the PTO table at the Bulldog Blast on 7/31 or send an email to SpringMillSchoolPTO@gmail.com. We can’t wait to help support our incredible Bulldog Community this year and that is only possible with support from amazing people like YOU!
Stay tuned for more info on upcoming events and activities, please reach out to get involved today.
Go Bulldogs!
SME PTO
Volunteers and Visitors
Spring Mill welcomes parents to visit the classroom but we ask that you make an appointment with your child's teacher prior to the visit. This will help to ensure it is not during a time that would be an interruption to instruction or during testing. All classroom visitors must have a completed Limited Background Check.
Skyward
You can access Skyward by visiting our website at www.msdwt.k12.in.us. Click on:
-For Families
-For Parents
-Skyward Family Access
Forgot your Login or Password? Click the link and follow the prompts. If you encounter difficulty logging in, please email: skyward@msdwt.k12.in.us.
ParentSquare
Note from the Nurse - UPDATE
If your child has a medical condition and you need to meet with Mrs. Rubin to complete an Individual Health Plan, please contact the school to make an appointment. Please bring your physician completed asthma, seizure, diabetic, and allergy action plans.