Jeremiah Gray Kindergarten Academy
Home of the Little Giants - November 30, 2018
From the Principal's Office
A Message From Your Principal
Our Little Giants have been working SO hard the past couple of weeks. They have been working very hard to meet our school goal: Mastering early literacy skills necessary to read and understand text.
In class, they've been practicing their letter sounds and blending, and have been working very hard at identifying the first sound in a word. Over the weekend, you could practice this skill with your child. For example, as they are playing, ask them to hold up a toy. Then have them tell you the first sound in the toy's name. If it is a toy car, they should be able to tell you /c/. If it's a doll, they should be able to tell you /d/. You might also point out household objects and ask them to name it and tell you the first sound in its name. By practicing this at home, you will be able to see how well your child does with this early reading skill, you will also be helping us build kind, confident learners!
Another way you can help your child master reading skills is to spend time reading and talking about the new words you find. Explain what unknown words mean, and help your child use them in a sentence. For example, this week students learned the word "confused". At school, some things we do to teach new vocabulary is introduce the word, have students connect words to things they already know, and then use them in a sentence. We might teach "confused" means that you don't understand. We ask, "Can you think about a time when you didn't understand something?" Then we ask the kids to use the word in a sentence. If you come across a word your child doesn't know, please take time to talk about it and help your child understand the new word.
Kindergarten is such an AWESOME year of learning and growing! Thank you for partnering with us to help your child learn!
Love,
Mrs. Hansell
Important Dates
- Incredibles (Still, Mason, McCloskey, Gagliola) 8:30
- Friendship (Geiger, Day, Spangler) - 9:15
- Explorers (Freeman, Miles, Kidwell, Pluntz) - 10:00
- Majestic (Walters/Matthews, Blackley, Lucid, Harris) - 10:45
Spirit Week - December 17th-20th
- Monday December 17th: Holiday colors! Wear Red and/or Green with uniform pants.
- Tuesday December 18th: Winter Wear. Wear holiday sweaters, shirts, scarves with uniform pants.
- Wednesday December 19th: Holiday Sparkle! Students may dress up for our Holiday Program. They may wear uniform or better.
- Thursday December 20th: 'Twas the night before Christmas.....Students may wear pajamas to school.
Congratulations to our Little Giants of the Week!
Congratulations to our Citizens of the Month!
November Staff Member and Teacher of the Month
Teacher Spotlight
Name: Fawn Harris
Number of years: 25 in Perry, 33 total - This is my 26th year in Perry Schools, my 34th year total of teaching.
Family Info: I have 2 sons, Mitchele who graduated from the University of Indianapolis in May 2018 and Colin who is a junior at Purdue University. We have a border collie, Cali.
Favorite Hobbies: When the boys were in high school, I loved watching their sporting and music events (soccer, swimming, diving and music competitions). I like to read and spend time with my family.
Interesting fact: I grew up in a small town. At one time, we had 7 horses, 6 head of cattle, 60 sheep, 12 rabbits, 10 ducks, 2 dogs and 2 cats. I have also taught in Southern Texas and in Central Illinois. Before moving to our Jeremiah Gray Kindergarten Academy, I was at the same elementary school, in the same classroom for 24 years.
Staff Spotlight
Name: Bobbie Firrie
Number of years 4 in Perry, 14 in total - This is my 4th year in Perry Schools, my 14th year being a teaching assistant
Family Info: I have been married to my husband Gaster for 27 years. We have 2 daughters Melody and Aria
Favorite hobbies: When the girls were in high school I enjoyed watching them compete in band competitions they won the State competition twice together while being in the Greenwood Marching band and Irish Guard. I Iove spending time with my family and watching movies.
Interesting fact: I traveled to Poland on 2 missions trips. My husband is a musician and composes music.
Important Things to Know About the School Bus
Here are a few things that might help make the commute to and from school more understandable:
*Kindergartners will only be let off of the bus and released to a parent or designee. Drivers will NOT release your child without an adult present.
*Parents need to be out at the stop, visible to the driver.
*If you are not at the stop when the bus arrives in the afternoon, your child will be brought back to school and you will have to pick them up as soon as possible.
*Kindergartners work hard all day, and often can fall asleep on the bus. If the student is sleeping, they may not hear the driver call their name to get off at that stop. Our drivers are instructed to walk the bus at the end of their route. If a sleeping child is still on the bus, they will be returned to school and we will call you immediately.
*If you are concerned that your child might have missed their stop, you can call the transportation department at (317) 789-6221, or you may call the main office at school (317) 782-2240.
The main thing we want you to know is that we are not going to leave school until all children are safely home. So, if by chance your child misses the stop for any reason, please know we will be here to receive them and keep them safe until you can come get them. We LOVE our Little Giants, and keeping them safe is our number one priority!
Bus Information
A parent or guardian MUST be home to receive children in grades K-2 from the school bus at the end of the school day.
If no one is home upon the young student’s arrival, the child will be returned to the school where the parent will be required to pick up the student. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Also, please remember that Wednesdays are an early release day. Please be at the bus stop 30 minutes earlier on those days.
Attendance & Timeliness
Car Rider Pick Up
We have a concern in the afternoon, and we need your help with it to keep our dismissal safe and efficient.
We have had a number of parents lining up early in front of our building. We prefer that we leave the drive open for parents that HAVE to come up and sign into the building. After 2:20 each day, we need to ask that ALL cars pull into the campus car line. We KNOW waiting is hard, but it really is in the best interest of all students on the Jeremiah Gray campus.
Our site has a preschool, Kindergarten Academy, and Elementary School. We need to have the car line procedures in place so we can swiftly move all three programs.
Thanks in advance for your assistance with this!
Breakfast & Lunch Menu
Visitor Policy
Volunteer Policy
SCOPE: Volunteers who in the course of performing their service and have access to vulnerable populations, specifically minor children less than 18 years of age. This policy will cover all volunteers who volunteer on a regular basis with “ongoing contact” with students.
Such volunteers consist of:
- Volunteers who are with children on a regular basis
- Tutoring/Mentoring
- Coaches
- Extracurricular sponsors
- Volunteers who chaperone overnight trips/ or are attending field trips and have sole responsibility over a group of students or any student other than their own child.
PURPOSE: To establish a pre-screening program and an ongoing evaluation process to protect the students we are attempting to serve.
POLICY: It is the policy of Perry Township Schools to promote an environment in which the students we serve do so in safety and without fear in an atmosphere of trust and respect. Perry Township Schools, therefore, requires an expanded criminal history of volunteers who will have as part of their duties access to minors under the age of 18. Volunteers must wait until after their background screening process is complete to begin their volunteer assignment. However, the volunteer must contact Perry Township Schools if there are any personal arrests or filing of criminal charges while serving as a volunteer. A volunteer MUST complete the background check through Raptor each year. Volunteers will be interviewed by Administrators, teachers and/or Human Resources when deemed appropriate.
There is a $5.00 charge for the volunteer background check. The background checks usually take 5-7 days to be completed. Background checks will be maintained in Human Resources Office. The school will maintain a list of all current volunteers.
http://www.perryschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/VOLUNTEER-POLICY-2018.pdf
A Message from Our Nurse
Board Vacancy Notice
The Perry Township Schools Board of Education will have an opening, effective January 2019. As three seats on the board were up for election, only two people ran for the positions.
Candidates interested in serving as a school board member should submit a resume and cover letter explaining why they would like to serve on the Board. Please email materials to boardofeducation@perryschools.org or mail to 6548 Orinoco Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46227, Attention: Mr. Pat Mapes. The board will select and vote on the candidate to fill the open seat.
Resumes and cover letters are due by Tuesday, December 4, 2018. Appointment of the position will take place January 2019.
Tea with a Princess at Southport High School
It’s time again for Tea with a Princess! Join our Southport Thespians for refreshments, cookie decorating, crafts, and dancing with our Princes and Princesses. Each child will have extended amount of one-on-one time with every single character. Each person attending should purchase a ticket. Dec 2nd @ 11:00am & 2:00pm. Dec 9th @ 11:00am & 2:00pm. www.ticketracker.com Search Southport HS and then click EVENTS. You will find all 4 Tea with a Princess sessions listed. Contact Kimberly Roberts @ kroberts@perryschools.org with questions.
Cookies with Mr. and Mrs. Claus
Save the Date!! December 15 Cookies with Mr and Mrs Claus at Southport High School. 1:00-2:30pm & 3:30-5:00pm - $10 per child (all children must be accompanied by an adult). Recommended for children up through 5th grade but open to all believers! Activities include cookies, hot chocolate, water crafts and games, face painting with elves and a photo op with Mr and Mrs Claus. Sponsored by SHS Indoor Percussion. Register at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D4EAEA823A2F49-cookies. Registration opens: November 16 and closes: December 10.
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