Middletown Messenger
November 2019
From the Principal's Pen
Middletown Families,
It is hard to believe we are past the quarter-of-the-year mark. Our students have completed a variety of projects and have uploaded evidence of their learning into the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) online Backpack of Success Skills Google platform. We appreciate the partnership with our families and your involvement in the learning process. Fall is busy, but it is a good time to reconnect with your child’s teacher about progress and needs in the second semester.
We look forward to our annual Grandparent Luncheons on November 19–21. Please see the attached schedule, and feel free to attend the lunchtime and date of your student’s scheduled lunch. Please be mindful that all visitors for lunch must be on the approved list of visitors who can visit your child at lunch. Also, because space is limited, we ask that only families whose students have scheduled Grandparent Day visits attend lunch with their child or children on their respective date. If a family member is from out of town or can only make it on a certain day, please inform the office in advance.
Below are some procedures we highlighted last week. Thank you for helping us maintain student safety and promote our focus on instruction during the school day.
We want families to be able to enjoy their time with their students and for students to be able to enjoy their time with families if they choose to come to lunch. Due to overcrowding in our cafeteria, any family visiting their student for lunch will no longer be able to take a friend to the parent table with them. This will help ensure a smooth and safe lunch experience. All visitors must sign out immediately following lunch or their previously scheduled meetings. To assist us in providing consistent safety procedures, please bring photo identification to the building each time you arrive. If you are eating lunch in the building, staff will ask to keep your ID until you sign out with the front office.
Middletown Elementary has recently updated our school Wellness Policy, and all snacks and food items served to students must meet the attached JCPS SMART Snack guidelines. This is required for school parties and birthday celebrations also. Thank you for adhering to this policy and preparing for upcoming fall parties.
End-of-the-day procedures are critical to ensuring a safe and orderly dismissal. All transportation changes need to be made in writing and to your child’s teacher. Please remember that there will be no changes to transportation made after 3:15 p.m. each day. If a student is going home with another student’s family, the school needs a note from each student’s family stating who will be picking up the students. Any student not picked up from school by 3:30 p.m. will need to be picked up in the car rider line or be transported via the school bus. Students are not allowed to be picked up in the front office after 3:30 p.m.
Any parent or guardian wishing to volunteer in the building or attend a field trip with his or her child must complete a Volunteer Records Check Form. Please visit the school website to complete the form.
Thank you for your commitment to our students and to our mission of discovering the brilliance in every child!
Justin Matson
Ms. Mettling's Systems & Facilities Updates
Bus and Car Rider Safety Reminder: Please be mindful of the safety of our students during drop-off (8:30–9:00 a.m.) and pick-up (3:45–4:05 p.m.) times at school. There have been multiple occasions in which cars have pulled around and passed buses as they are loading/unloading students in the front drive of the school. Not only is this dangerous for our students, it is against the law. By using the carpool lines before and after school, these potentially dangerous situations can be avoided. Please do not drive into the front drive of the school (as posted at the drive entry) as these are bus drop-off and pick-up times.
Fifth-grade students being dropped off for band on Mondays and Wednesdays should go through the intermediate carpool line at 8:30 a.m.
If you arrive after 9 a.m or after 4 p.m. and the car rider line is closed, please do not drive past school buses as they drop off or pick up students. We also ask that you are mindful of staff members’ arrival to school and parking during these times as they must cross car rider line. Thank you so much for your assistance in keeping all of our Bulldogs safe!
Habit 2—Begin With the End in Mind
Would you start a trip without knowing where you are going?
Knowing what you trying to accomplish directs all the choices on the way.
Ways to apply at home:
Point out examples: Share stories from your life, or even your day at work, where you had a goal or task that you accomplished. What steps did you take to accomplish it? How did breaking it down make it easier? Point out examples from your child’s life, such as riding a bike, tying shoes, or another skill.
Create a goal: Is there something your child wants that he/she can work for? Better reading skills, a day with a parent, a new toy or game? Help your child set the goal and define steps he or she can take to achieve it. Make sure it is attainable to create a positive experience.
Look to the future: From the time they are small, adults ask kids, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Help your child identify an interest and then encourage activities, skills, books, or other opportunities that support that interest. Show your child how these little steps can lead to greater opportunities to use this interest in a variety of ways or careers in his or her adult life. Children very well may change their mind, but they will know you support them.
Family Mission Statement: What kind of family do you want to have? What does your family value? What is your ultimate goal? Discussing it as a family and putting it in writing can help lead the whole family in a more positive direction. It can be simple: “We are kind to each other all the time so everyone will always like coming to our home.” Or it can be a paragraph. Whatever sums up your family and creates a positive picture everyone can feel a part of. Be sure to include everyone in your family in the process of creating a mission statement.
Words to use: Reminder: It is important to use a non-judgmental tone. You are inviting your child to think for themselves and share their ideas, views, and conclusions with you.
“What do you plan on this being when you are finished?”
“Can we break this into more manageable steps?”
“Do you need anything from me in order for you to be successful?”
“What other steps do we need to take to reach this goal?”
“Well, what do you want more, this (immediate) or your goal of (child’s goal?)”
Counselor's Corner
Hello Parents/Guardians,
I really enjoyed entering classrooms and talking with students about how to handle peer conflict and prevent bullying situations in a proactive manner. Students were very engaged and gave a lot of great ideas in how to use Habit 1 and be proactive when dealing with a conflict or being faced with a possible bullying situation.
For November, we will be focusing on Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind. This habit addresses making goals and coming up with a plan on how to achieve those goals. I will conduct core counseling sessions in classrooms to speak with students about the importance of setting goals as well as providing tools and strategies for how to achieve those goals.
Career Day is on Tuesday, November 12. If you are a parent/guardian who would like to participate in this year’s Career Day, please mark this date on your calendar. I’d like to have as many different career fields represented as possible. Please email me at chas.meinecke@jefferson.kyschools.us if you are willing and able to participate. All volunteers must complete a quick background check using this link: Volunteer Background Check. More information about this event will be available for those who contact me.
Middle School Open Houses: Attention, fifth-grade parents! The time has come to prepare your fifth grader for the middle school he or she will attend next school year. There a many middle schools with open houses in November. Please click on the following link for a list of middle schools in JCPS with the dates/times of their open houses. If you are unable to attend or miss the open house, many schools will allow for prospective parents/students to schedule a guided tour at a designated date/time.
Crosby Middle School: Many of our fifth-grade students from Middletown will be attending Crosby Middle School next year as sixth graders. Crosby has asked for us to share the following links with prospective parents/students.
Crosby Middle School's Fifth-Grade Welcome Night! November 14, 2019
Parent Night for Middle School Applications will be on Monday, November 18, from 6 to 7 p.m. at Middletown. This is an opportunity for parents of fifth-grade students to come to the school and receive any information or ask any questions regarding the middle school application process. We will also provide computers for parents to complete the applications online. The deadline to complete the application is December 18. For more information regarding the JCPS Application Progress, please see the following link. JCPS School Applications
Operation Parent—We are continuing to partner with Operation Parent, an organization that offers numerous resources and webinars for parents to address various topics and issues impacting families. Please visit the website for more information: https://operationparent.org/
FREE Webinar: Parenting for an Independent and Self-Reliant Child
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the services I provide or if you need more information regarding the mentioned events, please feel free to contact me through email at chas.meinecke@jefferson.kyschools.us or by phone at 485-8300. I thoroughly enjoy serving the students, parents, staff, and community as the school counselor in Middletown and will continue to do so to the best of my ability.
Sincerely,
Chas Meinecke, School Counselor
The Hite/Middletown Family Resource Center
HMFRC Mission: “To mobilize and coordinate students and family-focused activities at times and in locations appropriate to their needs. Through the creation of a local source of information and support, the HMFRC will strive to support students and their families in order to overcome barriers to achievement. By providing this support, the center will assist children to reach their full human potential as caring, competent, lifelong learners who contribute to the community in a positive manner.”
Middletown Gives Back!
During the upcoming holiday season, we will make a special effort to assist some of our students and families through our Holiday Assistance and Blessings in a Backpack Program. Read below to learn how your family can help Middletown give back.
Our Holiday Assistance Program matches students and families in need with sponsors willing to help. Due to our role as a public elementary school, we focus on providing clothes, shoes, coats, books, board games, school supplies, sports equipment, and other items geared toward child health and education. Typical student sponsorship includes the purchase of two to four outfits, a winter coat, and/or a pair of shoes, and two to four of the other items listed above. We do not take requests for large-ticket items, such as video game systems. We estimate the average cost of sponsoring a student to be in the range of $100 to $150. If you are interested in sponsoring a student, please see and download the flyer attached below.
Vision Pre-Screenings
On Wednesday, December 11, with the help of trained volunteers, the HMFRC will be conducting vision pre-screenings for all first-, third-, and fifth-grade students. This pre-screening does not replace the eye examination performed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist but it does help identify students who may need to follow up.
If you DO NOT want your child to participate, please sign and return the attached non-consent form. Please be aware that the non-consent form also applies to hearing and dental screenings as well as physical examinations that can be provided by JCPS. (This form has previously been sent home. If you have already returned it to school, there is no need to send another one.)
Volunteers needed—If you are willing and able to help with the vision pre-screenings on Wednesday, December 11, we would love to have you! All you have to do fill out the Vision Pre-Screening Volunteer Sign-Up. It should not take more than three hours to complete all screenings. Thank you!
Attendance
Give Thanks!
As we head into November, we are reminded of the many things for which we give thanks:
The opportunity for students to learn and grow in a warm, nurturing school environment.
The wonderful teachers and school staff who work tirelessly to create an exciting place for students to explore and learn.
The families who support and encourage our school.
Join us in giving thanks for the blessing of our Middletown Elementary School community!
We especially appreciate everyone’s efforts to avoid taking extra days off during the Thanksgiving holiday. Just a few days missed, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and leave your child behind in school. Please make a commitment to be here “on time, by nine” every day to help your child reach his or her full potential.
Parent/Guardian Needs Assessment
One of the goals for the Hite/Middletown Family Resource Center’s (HMFRC) partnership with Hite is to provide needed support, programs, and services to students and families. In order to have the best chance of succeeding in that goal and plan programming that will be most beneficial for your students and families, your feedback is necessary. Thank you for completing the following survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JCPS_FRCParent
Educational Benefits Form
We are almost there! We are only missing 125 Educational Benefit Forms, if you have not already done so, please fill out your form online at https://jcps.me/ebf. For more information, you can also visit https://goo.gl/9SpMig.
I am also available and more than happy to help you fill this form out over the phone.
Feel free to call or email if you have any questions or concerns.
HMFRC Compliments, Concerns, Questions or Suggestions...
The HMFRC is always looking for volunteers and donations; if you have items to donate, feel free to send them my way.
My office door is always open, please come visit Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can find me at Hite Elementary.
The Center’s hours are 8:30am-4:30pm.
email: elvira.paguada@jefferson.kyschools.us
Phone: 502.313.4504 (M, W, & F) or 502.313.4473 (T & Th)
Follow the center on Social Media:
__________________________________
A Word from the PTA
Dates to remember!!
November 14–22 | BOOK FAIR
Please use the following link to sign up to help Mrs. Anderson out during our book fair: http://bit.ly/mesbookfairvolunteer19
November 19–21 | GRANDPARENTS DAY
November 25 | Picture Retake Day
MemberHub | SWAG shop
------------------------
Did you know?
Enroll your Kroger Plus Card number in the Kroger Community Rewards Program.
Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com to enroll today! Our organization number is 14817.
Do you want to be a Girl Scout? Daisy Scouts wants you!!!
Parents/Caregivers, if your kindergartner is interested in becoming a Girl Scout Daisy, please call/text Sarah Beasley at 502-377-5569 or email at sarah.beasley1021@gmail.com to learn more!
Please know, Girl Scouts is for EVERYONE! Our troop strives to be inclusive and welcomes children of all abilities. We also do not want finances to be able to keep children from joining girl scouts. There is financial assistance for those who qualify.
------------------------
Application Period to Apply for Magnet Schools
Oct. 28 - Dec. 18, 2019
Career Day
Nov. 12
Book Fair
Nov. 15 - 22
Grandparents' Day Lunch
Nov. 19 - 22
(please see schedule found above)
Fall Pictures--Retakes
Nov. 25
Thanksgiving Break--No School
Nov. 27 - 29
About Us
Email: JCPS.Middletown-Office@jefferson.kyschools.us
Website: www.middletownelementary.org
Location: 218 North Madison Avenue, Louisville, KY, USA
Phone: 502-485-8300
Facebook: facebook.com/middletownelementary
Twitter: @MiddletownES