Jeremiah Gray Kindergarten Academy
Home of the Little Giants - November 1, 2019
Principal's Message
Greeting parents! It's been another great week for our Little Giants. Students have been working so hard in class, and it's been so amazing to watch them grow!
I want to encourage all of our families to come to our Family Literacy Night next Thursday, November 7th. This will take place from 5:30-7:00 p.m. This will be a great opportunity for you to spend a fun evening with your student enjoying stories and fun reading activities. Our teachers have worked hard to make this a memorable evening for our students. We hope to see everyone there!
I also want to announce that our school is putting together a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). In order to establish this, we need to find parents that are interested in serving on our executive board. Once we've established a board, we will then be asking for parents to join the PTO! We will be sending out more information very soon, but I wanted to share this information so you can decide if you'd like to be a part of this process and organization. Membership can involve a leadership role, volunteering, or simply supporting school events throughout the year. I do hope you consider joining in some way!
As always, it is a privilege to serve as your principal! Thank you for all you do to support your child's education!
Love,
Mrs. Hansell
Honoring Our Veterans
Did you know:
That missing 10% of school days, or just 2 days each month, can put children at risk of academic failure?
Students who missed fewer than 2 days in September continued to average fewer than 2 days absent each month.
Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 Kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent.
By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
Attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students.
Students are more likely to go to school if they know someone cares whether they show up.
Stay Connected with ParentSquare
ParentSquare is the newest communication tool designed to keep families informed. By providing your email and phone number, you will receive the following information from teachers and principals:
- Weather cancellation/delays
- Emergency notifications
- General announcements
With ParentSquare, you can receive notifications via the ParentSquare smartphone app, text message, email, phone or a combination of these.
Congratulations to our Little Giants of the Week!
Congratulations to our Citizens of the Month!
Teacher
Name: Amy Miles
Number of years: 18 years
Family Info: I am married with four children. I have a daughter and three sons who are in the 10th, 8th, 6th, and 2nd grade.
Favorite Hobbies: I love being outside hiking and playing with my family and friends, and watching Hallmark movies.
Interesting fact: I was a preschool teacher for 3 years before switching to kindergarten. During that time I was able to travel to Italy for work (and fun)!
Aide
Name: Jennifer Nordstrom
Number of years: 6 years
Family Info: Keith - Husband of 40 years, Lisa Harris - daughter, Chris Harris - son-in-law
Favorite Hobbies: Reading, baking, spending time with my family.
Interesting fact: I was a preschool teacher before being an aide.
Meet Our New Staff
Jay Cung
Rain Trejo
Achievement Wall
One way they can sign the wall is to read at a level C text. We will begin working on that each day in class. You can help at home by reading with your child each night.
Another way to sign the wall is to master all of our 100 sight words. We will learn these in class, but you can also practice at home, too. The words are listed below for anyone that wants to get started.
Our wall is empty now, so we can't wait to fill it with our students' names!
Child Nutrition
NOW HIRING BUS DRIVERS
Our students need you!
*We CDL Train*
Contact our Transportation Dept
317-789-6225 or apply online at www.perryschools.org
Important - Student Accident Insurance
Student Accident Insurance is available to any parent/guardian of a student in Perry Township. Please contact your school's front office for information on cost, coverage and how to sign up or you can visit our website at perryschools.org under the parent section.
ID Required
Visitor & Volunteer Policies
Volunteers play an important role in our school district. Their guidance and influence can encourage the academic, social, and personal success of students. Their skills and willingness to assist can help principals and teachers tackle some of the items on their long to-do lists. Perry Township Schools promotes an environment of safety, trust, and respect. In accordance with state law, volunteers must wait until after their background screening process is complete to begin their volunteer assignment.
All background screenings need to be completed on a laptop or personal computer (PC). Due to security settings, smart phones and tablets will not allow the completion of the application process.
Please see below for an explanation of the appropriate levels to ensure you are completing the correct background check for the appropriate volunteer position. All links can be copied and pasted fort the appropriate link to complete the volunteer process.
Volunteer Access Levels
Level I Visitor: Volunteer application and formal background checks are not necessary. This level is for guests who are visiting the office only, having lunch with their student, and guest speakers that will NOT have one-on-one contact with the students. Level I visitors are required to have their driver’s license or ID scanned through the visitor system for a limited criminal history and an instant sex offender screening.
Level II Volunteer/Visitor: A Raptor background check is necessary. The $5 paid fee and the background check must be completed every school year. Level II Volunteer/Visitors have access to students during the school day. Positions that would fall in this level include classroom party parents and guardians, field trip chaperones, tutors, Hope tutors, and student teachers completing field experience only. This list is not all inclusive. The link can be found here: https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/MTA2MDplbi1VUw==
Level III Volunteer/Visitor: SafeHiring expanded background check is required. $24.90 fee (minimum) and must be completed every five (5) years if there is no break in volunteer service. On May 1, 2019, the state legislature passed House Bill 1209 which requires expanded criminal background checks for volunteer coaches. Level III Volunteer/Visitors/Coaches have direct and potentially unsupervised interaction with students. Positions that would be covered by this level include extra-curricular coaches (e.g. club sports – lacrosse, bowling, etc.) and non-employee sponsors (e.g. robotics, show choir, etc.). If you have lived outside the state of Indiana, there may be additional costs associated with the background check request.
https://secure.safehiringsolutions.com/app.cfm?id=01C1C7C6-A384-4C38-9037-766F36C5E886
Perry Township values all of our volunteers and truly appreciates your efforts with both volunteering and making sure the safety of our student is priority #1.
What''s going on in the Community
Jeremiah Gray Kindergarten Academy
Website: http://www.perryschools.org/jk/
Location: 5225 Gray Road, Indianapolis, IN, United States
Phone: (317) 782-2240
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JGKALittleGiants/
Twitter: @JGKAPrincipal