Creston Community News
Creston's Weekly Update for Students & Families
Week of August 23, 2020
This week's newsletter is full of helpful information on various topics - if you have questions please don't hesitate to contact your child's grade-level administrator, counselor, or the main office. Please continue to reference the MSD Warren S.A.F.E. Reopening Plan as questions arise related protocols in place this year.
BREAKFAST/LUNCH FOR BLACK/GOLD IN PERSON STUDENTS:
On the days your students are at home for Application Days, we want to be sure to provide them with breakfast and lunch. These meals are distributed at school when your students are exiting the building on their Black/Gold day. Please encourage your child to pick-up a free breakfast and lunch!
DRESS CODE:
Be sure to review the dress code with your student and help make sure your child leaves home in school-appropriate clothing and shoes! You can locate a copy of the CIMS Dress Code by clicking here.
CHROMEBOOKS:
Students are responsible for bringing Chromebooks to school each day, charged and ready for their school tasks. Recently, an increased number of students have been leaving Chromebooks on their buses in the morning or afternoon - this is a new routine for everyone! Please encourage your student to keep their Chromebook close and help them establish the routine of bringing it to and from school. Students were given a chromebook case, which should be used at ALL TIMES with their district-issued Chromebook.
STUDENT ATTENDANCE:
Our students are becoming more familiar with navigating their online platforms, whether on application days at home or for our virtual only learners. See below for details on how parents can access Canvas and ParentVUE to support students' online learning. Please encourage your student to log in to Canvas EVERY DAY, whether it’s an instruction or application day, so they can accomplish their work. Exit tickets (brief tasks consisting of 1 question) are provided on application days to make sure students’ attendance is counted accurately. When students respond to these specific tasks, their attendance is marked as "present" for the application day.
*For the 2020-2021 school year, Warren Township has transitioned to a new student information system called Synergy allowing our parents and caregivers to have improved access to school information through the parent portal called ParentVUE. We are aware that at this time, some students’ attendance records may reflect that students are absent, when in fact they were present. This is mostly the case for our students who are attending school VIRTUALLY on application days or in the VIRTUAL option full-time. We want to assure you that teachers are keeping accurate attendance records and that we are working to correct attendance records for all our students.
Looking forward to another succesful week at CIMS!
--Carey Storm, CIMS Principal
7th & 8th Grade Families -- IMPORTANT INFO Below!
Virtual Update Grades 5-6 ONLY
Virtual Instructional Guide and Weeks At-A-Glance
We have heard from our parents that the VIRTUAL schedule can be confusing for our students. In response to this feedback, we are designating specific days to our Black and Gold Cohort students in grades K-6th grade. Starting on Monday, August 24, 2020, students will follow the schedule below. *On shortened school weeks, there will not be an Friday Academic Enrichment Friday.
Black Cohort (A-K)
Mondays and Wednesdays: Direct Instruction Day
Tuesdays and Thursdays: Application Day
Gold Cohort (L-Z )
Tuesdays and Thursdays: Direction Instruction Day
Mondays and Wednesdays: Application Day
Black Cohort and Gold Cohort
Fridays: Academic Enrichment Days
Friday Academic Enrichment Days are designed to ensure there is more feedback and attention to student needs as well as creating increased opportunities for student and family support. Student experiences on Friday Academic Enrichment Day will include a playlist; however, will provide more opportunities for enrichment, reflection and targeted supports for students. Please visit MSD Warren’s Virtual Instructional Guide and Weeks At-A-Glance to learn more.
School Schedule Information - IN PERSON LEARNERS grades 5-8 and VIRTUAL LEARNERS grades 7-8 (see below)
Technology Support Information & Guidance
Signing into Gmail & Canvas through Google
Finding student passwords on ParentVUE
Parent Tech Support: If you need remote support with your device or with accessing information within our systems, please visit our Parent Tech Info page. If your student is a virtual only learner, you can directly report an issue with your device by visiting IncidentIQ Parent Support. There, you can create a ticket so that our technology department can support you.
CANVAS
Students - Please see this short video on how to access Canvas via the "9 dot grid" or bookmarks in your Chrome browser. If you are able to access Canvas in general, but have issues with a particular course, please contact the course instructor/teacher directly.
Parents/Caregivers - Please visit this link, which will take you directly to additional information related to Canvas for students and parents.
PARENTVUE
As a parent or guardian of a student attending a Warren school, you have online access to your child or children's courses, grades, attendance, discipline, and academic history. As part of our transition to a new student information system called Synergy, the parent portal has been upgraded to Synergy’s ParentVue. This new portal offers parents access to student information via the Web on PCs or tablets or on a smartphone application — providing comprehensive functionality with a touch-friendly, intuitive interface. Parents who had an address in our old system received a letter with instructions on activating a new account. If you are not a new family to the District, please do not use the Online Registration module.
If you are a new family to the District and used the Online Registration module your ParentVue account is already active. If you are not a new family and you did not receive a letter complete the registration form (link HERE) and you will be contacted. After your information is verified, you will receive a username and password.
CAR RIDER DROPOFF UPDATE
Students are permitted into the building each day around 8:45 a.m. This schedule allows us to make sure student supervision is in place within the building and avoids students having too much "down time" with no class assignment before their school day officially begins at 8:55 a.m.
ATHLETICS INFORMATION
We kicked off Athletics practices/tryouts last week! Thanks so much to all students who are participating. If your child is still interested in becoming a fall athlete, please see below for helpful information:
- Warren Township has moved all of its medical athletic forms to a digital platform. Final Forms will be used to track the medical compliance for all of our student athletes. Access to the Parent Playbook to enter information is available by CLICKING HERE.
- Student athletes who have a valid 2019-2020 Physical on file will be able to use that to participate this school year, but parents will still need to use Final Forms to complete the eligibility process.
- Practices begin by 4:15 pm each afternoon. On days that your student athletes are virtually learning, they will need to be dropped off no earlier than 4:10 pm at Athletics Door 7, which is located on the Southwest side of the building. The Athletic Director and a few coaches will be stationed there each day to check in our athletes. Students arriving on campus should be dressed for practice upon arrival. Please have students bring their own water with name on it (gallon size recommended), a mask or face covering, and a towel (optional).
Due to COVID 19 restrictions on our campus, parents or other family members will NOT be permitted to stay for practices. Students should be picked up at their designated areas no later than 6:15 pm. A valid physical dated after April 1,2019 is required for participation, as well as the accompanying documents which should be filled out on our digital platform, Final Forms. Please access all of our forms at our CIMS Athletics Website. All of us here at CIMS are focused on the health and safety of our student athletes, and we are very excited to begin another Athletics season here.
QUESTIONS? Contact CIMS Athletic Director Matt Apple:
317-532-6808
IMMUNIZATIONS / Upcoming Vaccine Clinic
In order for our schools to be in compliance with the state laws regarding immunizations, please make sure that your student(s) have their updated information on file with Creston's nursing staff. All student vaccines must be on file and up to date by September 21, 2020 to avoid exclusion. Please make our clinic staff is aware of any upcoming appointments for vaccines, or if there are any medical or religious objections to your student receiving his or her vaccines. Also, PLEASE inform your school's nurse of any chronic health conditions that the school should be made aware of, and make sure that your student's medical emergency information is up to date. (All in-person learners were given a Medical Emergency Form to be completed by parents/guardians over a week ago. Please complete it and return to school).
Any child (in person learner or virtual learner) who needs vaccines can be vaccinated during the Health Hero Clinic AT CRESTON on August 27th! The student MUST have a completed and signed consent form. The clinic is also offering flu vaccines. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Ann Staton (school nurse) at astaton@warren.k12.in.us or 317-532-6807 and she can provide you with the consent form.
School District Publications / News Media Use
Covid-19 Information for Parents
2020 Pesticide Notification Registry
The Indiana Pesticide Review Board has regulations that impact how school corporations may use pesticides on school grounds. MSD Warren Township follows these guidelines and we are inviting parents and guardians to join our Pesticide Notification Registry. By signing up for this registry, you will be notified via email at least 48 hours prior to a pesticide application at your child’s school, subject to certain exceptions. You will be invited to sign up for this notification each school year.
You will need to sign up for this notification every school year.
If you would like to participate, please complete the required form found at www.warren.k12.in.us.
CIMS Contact Information
Email: noreply@warren.k12.in.us
Website: https://creston.warren.k12.in.us/
Location: 10925 East Prospect Street, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Phone: 317-532-6800
Twitter: @CrestonIMS