Meadow's Edge Elementary School
2023-2024
A Note From the Principal
Welcome to Meadow's Edge! We are so excited that you have chosen to start your child's education with us and look forward to welcoming you to the MEE family. Kindergarten is the beginning of a wonderful adventure in your child's life! Let me assure you, your child is in the best possible hands and we look forward to partnering with you in the year ahead.
There are a few items I'd like to share with you regarding next school year:
- Immunization requirements and recommendations for incoming Kindergarten students
- Physical exam form
- Dental exam form
- CHIRP Registry and information release letter
- The 2022-23 P-H-M district school calendar
Throughout the school year, I will share parent newsletters, just like this one. This electronic newsletter will be sent to emails on file in Skyward so it is important that student information is updated and accurate so that you don't miss important news and communications. These newsletters will contain important information regarding upcoming events along with reminders that will be helpful to you throughout the school year!
We are looking forward to you and your child becoming part of the Meadow's Edge Hawks family! Keep an eye out on your inbox in early August as we will provide you with more detailed information about the beginning of the school year including Open House (August 14) and the Kindergarten Parent Orientation meeting on the first day of school (August 16). If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us! Have a wonderful summer, and we will see you soon!
Let's SOAR!
Gary Gardner
Principal
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Early July: Kids Club Registration for 2023-24 goes live (website)
August 14: Back to School Open House, 4:30-5:30PM
August 16: First Day for Students (Grades 1-12)
August 16: Kindergarten Orientation, 9-10AM (for Kgt. Parents & Students)
August 17: First Day for Kindergarten Students
September 4: Labor Day, NO SCHOOL
September 5: Grades 2-3 Parent Informational Night & IREAD Discussion, Time TBD
October 11: Meadow's Edge 25th Anniversary Celebration: PTO Family Night, Time TBD
October 17-18: Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences
October 20-23: Fall Recess, NO SCHOOL
Kindergarten Orientation
Meet Your Kindergarten Teachers
Tips From Your Teachers!
Academically: Practice writing his/her name (capital at the beginning and all the rest lowercase), counting to 20 and basic shapes, singing ABC's and identifying the letters and the sound each letter makes.
Practice self care skills: zipping/unzipping pants/jackets, going to the bathroom alone, how to wash hands and tie shoes.
Practice eating lunch: Practice opening items without assistance when possible. If they eat a school lunch of PBJ, practice spreading it onto bread with the back of a spoon.
WHAT SCHOOL SUPPLIES DO I NEED?
Parents frequently ask prior to school starting what school supplies are needed for the upcoming school year. Please know that all school supplies will be provided through the classroom and families are not required to purchase any additional classroom supplies. We do encourage all students to purchase a backpack for carrying items to and from school. We also ask that students purchase a pair of non-marking tennis shoes for use in the gym.
BACK TO SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE (OUTDOORS)
We will be holding our annual Back to School Open House outdoors this year from 4:30-5:30PM on Monday, August 14. This event provides families an opportunity to meet their child's new teacher for the upcoming year, reconnect with friends and families following the summer months, and learn about our PTO. The building will not be open during this event as we work to finish up construction and finalize room preparations for the first day of school.
MEE 25 YEAR CELEBRATION
This year marks the 25th year of learning and excellence at Meadow's Edge Elementary School. We will celebrate with a PTO sponsored family event in the evening on October 11. Please mark your calendars now and SAVE THE DATE for this fun-filled evening of celebration!
Summer Construction
As we look ahead, there are many new and exciting things going on inside and outside our building this summer. The work on our current building addition will continue throughout the summer months. This new space will provide seven new learning spaces and will allow our current staff who use the portables outdoors to be moved indoors next year. We are super excited to have all of our staff under one roof! The new space is beautiful and will be a great addition.
In addition to the new construction, I’m pleased to share there is a lot of remodeling taking place throughout the existing building. Over the summer months, contractors will work on replacing ceiling tiles, painting classrooms, and upgrading all interior lighting to LED. Outdoors, the parking lot is being expanded to add more spaces and fencing will be installed near the primary playground. That is a lot of work taking place in just a few short weeks! For this reason, we plan to hold our annual Back-to-School Open House in August outdoors to provide our maintenance team and custodial staff as much time as possible to prepare for the start of school (August 16). Due to the shortage of flooring installers, carpet and tile replacement will be ongoing throughout the start of the school year and into the fall. This should not impact learning as most of the work will take place in the evenings or on the weekends. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we make these improvements to our learning spaces to enhance your child's experience and development in our school!
Immunization Requirements & Recommendations For the 2023-24 School Year
KID'S CLUB REGISTRATION 2023-24
The registration form for Kid's Club for next school year will be released the first week of July. Current Kid's Club members will receive a newsletter with the link in their email. New families looking to register should check the PHM website in early July. Spots fill up quickly so we encourage you to be prompt in registering.
Books About Starting Kindergarten
- Curious George Goes to School by M. Rey & H.A. Rey
- First Day Jitters by J. Danneberg
- I am absolutely too small for school by L. Child
- I love school! by P. Sturges & S. Halpern
- Leo the Late Bloomer by R. Kraus
- Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by J. Slate
- Mr. George Baker by A. Hest & J.J. Muth
- The Kissing Hand by A. Penn
- Will I Have a Friend? by M. Cohen
"LIKE" MEADOW'S EDGE ON FACEBOOK
If you haven't already done so, please take time to "LIKE" the Meadow's Edge PTO & Meadow's Edge Elementary pages on Facebook to keep up to date on activities and opportunities at our school.
FREE LUNCH APPLICATIONS
Your family may be eligible for assistance paying for cafeteria meals and school fees.
Households that meet the financial guidelines of the National School Lunch Program are eligible for free or reduced meal prices, as well as a discount applied to textbook rental fees. To receive this support parents must apply annually and provide information that serves to verify household income. The application is easy to fill out (choose online or paper format) and it includes a place to indicate that you also want to apply for textbook assistance. Please make sure to submit only one form (application) per household, even if the children are in different schools.
We encourage P-H-M parents to apply online at this website: www.schoolcafe.com.
Applications for next year must be filled out AFTER July 1, 2023.
Meadow's Edge Elementary School
Mr. Gary Gardner, Principal
Office Hours 7:00AM-3:30PM
School Hours 7:55AM-2:20PM
Doors Open At 7:40AM Daily
Email: ggardner@phm.k12.in.us
Website: https://meadowsedge.phmschools.org/
Location: 1633 Kern Road, Mishawaka, IN, USA
Phone: 574-255-9347
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meadowsedgehawks