Friday Message
April 16, 2021
Last month I shared my concern about several bills introduced this legislative session that if passed, will divert needed public tax dollars to private schools. Our partners at the Indiana School Public Relations Association (INDSPRA) recently shared some powerful piece by Marilyn Shank from the Indiana Coalition for Public Education (ICPE) featuring an interactive map from Dr. Phil Downs (Southwest Allen Co. Schools) that shows how much money each Indiana public school district is losing with ESAs and/or vouchers.
I am sharing the link to this article because it is important for our community to know exactly how much our school district is currently losing to vouchers ($256,986.40 in 2021) and how much that loss could grow if the voucher expansion and creation of Educational Scholarship Accounts (ESA) originally in HB 1005 are enacted. Please take a few minutes to read the article in its entirety at: https://www.indianacoalitionforpubliced.org/2021/04/08/every-indiana-public-school-is-losing-money-because-of-vouchers/. If you agree that voucher expansion and ESA program is not a good idea for public education, please reach out to your legislator, and request they do not support this legislation for the final vote. #SupportINPublicSchools #ESAisNotOK.
IREAD-3 test results are in and 91% of Tipton Elementary School third grade students passed the Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD-3) assessment with 17 earning perfect scores. This is a strong testament to our teachers, parental involvement, and better understanding of technology and hard work on the part of our students. Based on the Indiana Academic Standards, IREAD-3, which has been administered since 2010, is intended to measure skills in phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Students who did not pass the IREAD-3 exam in March will have a second chance to prepare to retake the exam during the summer school session for students in grades K–8 is May 24 through June 4 (IREAD Retest-June 7). Summer school for students in grades 9-12 takes place May 24 - June 18.
We continue to receive interest from out-of-district families interested in becoming a part of Blue Devil Nation. We have a limited number of transfer student spaces available for the 2021-2022 school year and encourage parents who are considering the change to complete a transfer request form online at: bit.ly/becomeabluedevil by July 1. Applications are also available at the corporation’s Administrative Office.
Priorities are given to siblings of current students and children of school district employees. Students entering kindergarten or students new to the district must first enroll through PowerSchool. Families will be notified of acceptance no later than the second week in July. Please don’t forget, preschool and kindergarten registration is currently underway.
Thank you for your partnership, participation, and continued commitment to our schools. It is an exciting time to be a Blue Devil! #TiptonPride
TMS Media Center Rendering
THS Media Center Rendering
Calendar Updates
April 16-eLearning Professional Development Day
April 16-THS Prom
April 24 - YO Benefit Concert at 7:00 pm
May 4 - Choir Awards Concert at 7:30 pm
May 10-TMS Choir Spring Concert at 7:00 pm
May 11-TMS Band Spring Concert at 7:00 pm
May 12-THS Band Concert at 7:00 pm
May 15 - "Stage & Swing" Concert at 7:00 pm