Stonegate Elementary Weekly News
August 17, 2019
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
Calendar of Events
- August 12-30 NWEA testing window (see your child's teacher for class schedules)
- August 22 - Curriculum Night - in your child's classroom
- 5:30-6:00 Kindergarten
- 6:00-6:30 1st Grade
- 6:30-7:00 2nd Grade
- 7:00-7:30 3rd Grade
- 7:30-8:00 4th Grade
- August 23 - PTO Spirit Day - SGE/ZCS spirit wear
- August 23 - EagleFest at Jennings Field (across from ZCHS football field)
- August 28 - Dine for Dollars at City Barbecue
- September 2 - Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
- September 4 - Jog-A-Thon kickoff
- September 6 - Picture Day
New Protocol for Teeth Brushing per our partners at St. Vincents:
- IF you have a child that needs to brush his/her teeth, they will NO LONGER be keeping their toothbrushes in the clinic, but instead in their classroom, please.
- Teeth brushing will now occur in the student restroom area or classroom (up to the teacher).
- WHY THIS CHANGE? It avoids a large group of healthy students entering the clinic area where other ill students are, which could get the healthy students sick.
- This change also allows for the clinic restroom to be more available for sick students.
Thank You!
Wellness Notification from Mrs. Torrance
Sports and STEM Fest
The Indianapolis Colts are hosting the inaugural Sports and STEM Fest on October 12 at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center! This event will have hands-on, STEM-related activities for students K-12 and their families to enjoy. Registration also includes a ticket to the Colts vs Titans game on December 1. This link can be followed to sign up as a participant or a vendor.
Media Center Volunteers
The SGE media center is looking for volunteers for the 2019-2020 school year! Our fabulous volunteers keep the library running smoothly all year round. Volunteering in the media center is a rewarding experience that makes a real difference in the lives of our students. Duties may include shelving books, circulating materials, and helping with crafts. You may choose to sign up during your child’s media center time or any time of the day! We love our volunteers! Please contact Mrs. Robling (jrobling@zcs.k12.in.us) for more information.
Quick Reminder: Transportation Changes
Important-Updated Immunization Requirements for 2019-2020
The Indiana State Department of Health school immunization requirements for 2019-2020 have been updated. Click here to view these new requirements as they have changed. Students who do not have the Hepatitis A series may need to get the first dose as soon as possible as there is a minimum interval of six calendar months between the first and second doses. Religious and medical objections to the immunization requirements must be updated and signed each school year. Please feel free to send updated immunization records to the health clinic as you receive them. Contact the school nurse or your physician’s office with any questions. ZCS school nursing services are provided by St. Vincent/Ascension Health. Need a provider? Visit getstvincentcare.com.
Why Do We Give the NWEA Assessment?
We often get questions from our families about the NWEA assessments, which we give in the fall of each year to our students in grades K-8 (and again in the spring in order to determine academic growth in math and literacy skills). NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) is a non-profit organization that has developed brief (40-50 question) assessments in math and reading which teachers can give to assess their students’ knowledge/skills. At ZCS, we have chosen these standardized assessments to supplement our state-required test for several reasons. First, NWEA gives us instant results that we can use to adjust instruction and group students for learning. The tests are computer-based and yield a score, which the teacher can see in a report as soon as the student finishes. Second, unlike the state required test, which assesses only grade-level standards, NWEA has a bank of thousands of questions ranging far beyond grade level. The test is “adaptive”—meaning that as a student takes it, the test adjusts the level of questions he/she is presented with based on correct/incorrect answers, so that a student is always working on questions at his/her most appropriate level of difficulty—rather than “one size fits all” questions. Also, as a high-performing school district, we have many students learning and working far beyond their grade level standards. NWEA assessments allow us to see their level of performance and compare it (and their growth from fall to spring) to that of similarly-abled peers nationally. Finally, NWEA is based on one large bank of questions (not different tests divided by grade levels). Thus, the score a student receives each time he/she takes the test can be compared from fall to spring and year-to-year—producing a graph of a student’s growth over time (a lot like the way we mark a child’s height on a door in our home as he/she grows taller). Even when a student has a one-time drop in a test score, we are still able to see the whole pattern of his/her emerging growth as a learner. Although we typically give the tests in fall, spring and optionally in the middle of the school year, NWEA can be given additional times during the year in order to monitor progress in a goal area. For all these reasons, we are glad to be able to gather this data (and the more specific information it gives us about strengths and areas of challenge) to help us plan learning experiences for our students. Please know that your child’s NWEA scores are available in PowerSchool (under test history) for you to see any time you desire. Scores for most recent tests will typically be added to your child’s data when our testing window closes. The dates for all district assessment windows are available on our ZCS website at this link: a (https://www.zcs.k12.in.us/apps/pages/index.jspuREC_ID=458765&type=d&pREC_ID=1001116)
PTO NEWS
Save the Date!
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
9th Annual Zionsville Elementary Schools Jog-A-Thon
At our only student fundraiser for the year, preschool through 4th grade students raise $ to support classroom grants, technology, and enrichment at Stonegate. Not only does Jog-A-Thon raise much needed funds for our school, but also promotes a fun and healthy activity for the students! Jog-A-Thon is a huge success every year because of our volunteers, so please mark September 25th on your calendar and join us to help cheer on our kids! We will kickoff Jog-A-Thon with our students over lunch on September 4th, so stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, contact lacyh@hotmail.com if you’d like more information on volunteering with the PTO.
If your family owns a small business, you could be a Jog-A-Thon sponsor and have your logo on more than 3,000 t-shirts! Deadline to sponsor is August 29th. Email SGEJAT@gmail.com for more information.
Follow this link for community flyers and events
BACKGROUND CHECK INFORMATION
We value partnerships with our families and welcome parents and guardians to serve as volunteers in our schools. Each ZCS building offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities.
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. Necessary background check paperwork is available on the ZCS website at the Volunteers/BRAVO link and should be submitted at least 10 days prior to the intended volunteer date. Volunteers must also view the state mandated confidentiality/bullying video, provided on the Volunteer/BRAVO website. The volunteer will pay the fee* for the full background check which will expire after 5 years. The link to apply for the full background check can be accessed on the Volunteers/BRAVO link on the ZCS main webpage. For more information, contact the Volunteer/BRAVO Coordinator.
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
We ask that all visitors schedule an appointment to meet with teachers, counselors, administrators and all other staff members so that we may best serve everyone. Visitors other than parents/guardians must be prearranged and organized through the main office.
*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.
Did You Know?
ZCS, like other public schools, has a no-idling policy for vehicles on campus. The purpose of the policy is to limit vehicle emissions that might be brought into the schools and adversely impact the health of our students and staff. If you are stopped on campus for more than 5 minutes, please remember to turn off your engine. We thank you for abiding by this policy to help reduce the exposure to these emissions.
Strong In Every Way
Click here to learn more about ZCS's Human Capital Campaign.
SAFEVISITOR VISITOR MANAGEMENT
All school visitors will be checked in using a visitor management system known as SafeVisitor.
Please be prepared to scan a government issued ID (Driver License) each time you arrive to campus as a visitor or volunteer. The printed badge should be visible at all times while in the building. Thank you!
BOONE COUNTY EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM
GROW/CHILD CARE SERVICES
The mission of GROW programming is to provide value-added, enriching, fee based services for families of Zionsville Community Schools. Click here for more information about GROW child care options regarding before and after care programming in addition to preschool.
CLASSES WITH EAGLE REC
Eagle Recreation & Enrichment (ERE) offers enrichment classes and sports camps for our students in elementary, middle, and high schools. We also offer some courses for adults. Click here for more information and course offerings with ERE.
LET'S GO SWIMMING!
ZCS Aquatic Center is open to the public 7 days a week year-round for family swim, lap swim, lessons and more! Daily, monthly or yearly passes are available for purchase. Click here for more details.
Contact Us
Website: http://sge.zcs.k12.in.us/
Location: 7312 W Stonegate Dr, Zionsville, IN, United States
Phone: 317-873-8050
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Stonegate-Elementary-667262290025971/
Twitter: @ZCSStonegate