It's been another fantastic week of students and staff connecting and learning together. Many wonderful experiences are happening in and around the schoolhouse! I see students exhibiting joy, and the sense of community continues to grow even though distancing is expected and enforced. Readers, writers, mathematicians, musicians, artists, and scientists continued to learn and refine their crafts.

A few items to note:

Meet Deb Pickett - Lauren Kersey has been working remotely for a couple of weeks now, and baby Kersey will be here soon. On Monday, we open our doors to welcome Deb Pickett as our interim assistant principal at The Meadow. More information about Ms. Pickett is located below.

Student Health Screener Reminders: We need your help. Each morning, we are contacting approximately 30-40 families to remind them to complete the screener. Please remember to complete a screener for your child each morning, and prior to arrival. You may want to consider setting an alarm on your phone or calendar to submit each morning. This is an integral part of our mitigation and safety processes, and your partnership in accomplishing this component is greatly appreciated.

The Indiana State Department of Health guidance has changed again, and we will need to adjust our screener and protocols. As I've shared before, we are bound to respond to ISDH guidance. As Dr. Robison shared in his update earlier this evening, "Our community's willingness and ability to notify the schools and keep students home when they have been tested and are pending results, among other things previously mentioned regarding masks, distancing, etc., will make or break our ability to continue offering in-person schooling."

NWEA: Most students have been taking NWEA in reading and math this week or last, and wow - they have done a fantastic job! The information collected from these assessments is used for instructional purposes, and in conjunction with other beginning of year assessments, helps teachers identify what each student's next steps should be in literacy and mathematics. Teachers will complete these assessments through this coming week.

Picture Day: Today was a great day for pictures! It's always fun to see the kids with their picture day outfits and hairdos. We can tell a lot of pride goes into selecting the perfect "look"!

• Remember you can order online with the following link: https://cp-school-portraits.hhimagehost.com/V2/Home/LoginConsumer?EK=148743
• Retakes will be Friday, October 23rd.

PTO Meeting- Monday 7:00 PM- Don't forget that we have a PTO meeting scheduled for Monday evening at seven o'clock. Weather permitting, we will meet on the front lawn. Bring your own lawn chairs, as we will socially distance. Masks required.

Thank you, families, for being tremendous BME supporters. We are deeply grateful for your partnerships.

Enjoy your weekend,

Tom Hundley, Principal

ISDH Guidance for Families

You can utilize School Pay to pay for textbook rentals and to fund lunch accounts. Information about School Pay as well as additional lunch details, such as the monthly menu, can be found on the Food Services website.

Child Find is the process for locating, identifying, and evaluating individuals with suspected disabilities who may need special education services, regardless of the severity of their disabilities. This is the responsibility of ZCS regardless of whether a parent affirmatively requests an evaluation. ZCS provides a Free Appropriate Public Education to any child who qualifies as having a disability, in accordance with federal and state laws. ZCS is responsible for locating all children ages 3 through 22 years of age with a suspected disability who reside within the boundaries of its district. With early identification and intervention, frustration and academic failure can be prevented, which in turn creates a positive learning experience for students. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), which encompasses academics and/or social and emotional learning, is an essential component of the child find process. Utilizing screening assessments, the ZCS team members identify students in

need of intervention, implement action plans, and monitor the response to the targeted interventions. In addition, the evaluation referral procedures in ZCS provide the framework to refer students with suspected disabilities for evaluation.

Speech Assistance Program

The Speech Assistance Program is designed to provide support to students with single sound articulation errors that are not age appropriate within the general education setting. Following the MTSS approach, this program allows for early identification and treatment of mild articulation disorders so students receive assistance without having to be identified under special education. The Speech Assistance Program is a three-tiered system in which progress is monitored to determine if additional supports are needed. If adequate progress is not demonstrated, a referral for evaluation will be prompted to determine eligibility under special education.