Jeremiah Gray Kindergarten Academy
Home of the Little Giants - August 17, 2018
Principal's Message
Greetings from the Principal's Office
We've had a lot going on this week at JGKA. Our staff and students have been working HARD!!!
Our Little Giants have begun mClass testing. This test measures a child's early reading skills. In a previous email I explained our school goal: By the end of the year, our school goal is that our students are able to use reading strategies to to be good readers. This means they will have mastered early reading skills such as: letters and sounds, sounding out words, and sight words. They will also be able to read and understand grade-level text.
I will continue to bring our goal up because WE NEED YOUR HELP! When you're home, here are a few things you can do:
-READ, READ, READ with your child!
-Practice reading restaurant and store signs while driving.
-Practice letters
-Practice sight words (See below for a list of current sight words we're learning)
Love,
Mrs. Hansell
SIGHT WORDS:
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT IMMUNIZATIONS!
All students must be current on their immunizations to attend school. If your child's shots are not up to date you will need to schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible to get these shots.
On August 20th any students that are not up to date on their immunizations will be excluded from school. They will not be able to return to school until they've received all of their shots. We will also accept proof of a pending appointment if you are unable to get in before the deadline, but have scheduled an appointment.
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.
Teacher Spotlight
Name: Bethany McCloskey
Number of years: 6 years
Favorite Hobbies: Reading, watching movies, traveling, spending time with family and firends
Interesting fact: I have a degree in American Sign Language (ASL).
Staff Spotlight
Name: Ashley Delp
Number of years in the profession: 2 years
Family Info: DeMarcus, Luchion (3), and one on the way.
Favorite hobbies: Photography, spending time with family, food connoisseur
Interesting fact: I graduated from Southport High School!
Car Rider Etiquette
As always, we ask that parents pull into line, and wait patiently to get our arrival process started. We begin letting students out of cars at 7:50 a.m. While we don't officially start until 7:50, we ask that you pull into line once it has formed. NO ONE should bypass the line once it has started to form. Students will not be allowed inside of the building until 7:50, so please do not skip the line and try to release your child beforehand.
The ONLY exceptions to this would be if you have a meeting with your child's teacher or you are using the YMCA before school care program. Parents of the YMCA may pull up and drop off before 7:45. After 7:45, ALL parents should get into line for drop off, as the YMCA will be finishing up around 7:45.
Thanks in advance for your help ensuring our drop off line if safe and efficient for our Little Giants!
Important Dates
- Wednesday, August 22nd - Early Release
- Wednesday, August 29th - Early Release
- Monday, September 2nd (Labor Day) - NO SCHOOL
Attendance & Timeliness
It is extremely important that your child come to school on time. Our school day begins at 8:10. We begin unloaded students from the car-rider line between 7:45-7:50. We have had many students arriving after 8:45. That means your child is missing part of the school day. Being on time is also an important life skill you are teaching your child.
Visitor Policy
Volunteer Policy
The new background check is only $5 and can be completed online. The link for the background check is included below. Please do this soon as it can take several days to process a background check! This background check will be good for the 2018-2019 school year. A new background check will need to be completed each school year.
Background Checks are Needed for:
- Volunteering in school and classroom
- Attending field trips
- Helping at class parties
- Working with other students
- Other times as deemed appropriate by school administration
http://www.perryschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/VOLUNTEER-POLICY-2018.pdf
A Message from Our Nurse
Polo Shirts for Sale
Important Safety Message
Dear Perry Township Families,
Thank you for choosing Perry Township Schools for 2018-19! It is our privilege to educate every student who walks through our doors, and we do not take your trust for granted. In addition to offering every child a 21st century learning experience, we also make school safety a priority, especially in these challenging times. We have several policies and programs in place to help us provide a safe environment to all students, staff, parents, and visitors.
School Police
Under the leadership of Chief David Stalcup, our Perry Township School Police Department is a constant presence within our school community. The Department consists of 10 full-time and nine part-time officers who patrol each of our 22 schools daily. They also provide security at school and district events, as deemed necessary. The Department’s K-9 unit detects the presence of drugs, alcohol and explosives on school property, as needed.
Disaster Drills
Our police officers lead “Run. Hide. Fight.” training in each of our schools. The “Run. Hide. Fight.” response plan teaches educators and students what to do in the event of an active shooter situation. We are required, by law, to perform one of these drills each semester. Teachers and administrators also lead one tornado drill per semester and one fire drill per month.
Secure Entrances
At each school, entryways are designed so visitors must be admitted to the school office before gaining access to secure areas of the building.
Starting in 2018-19, changes will be made to the way both district employees and visitors access the schools.
Guests will be required to present a driver license or other acceptable form of government-issued identification before signing in.
All district employees will receive a personalized ID badge that will allow front office staff at each school to match the employee’s face to the photo on the badge.
Video surveillance camera systems also help administrators monitor activity at each building.
Safety Committee
Our safety committee consists of building administrators, central office staff, and School Police who meet monthly to review and revise our safety procedures.
Each building and central office staff member on this committee is a School Safety Specialist through the Indiana Department of Education’s School Safety Specialist Academy.
Information on the academy can be found at http://www.doe.in.gov/student-services/safety.
School Safety Specialists must attend two professional development days per year at the Indiana School Safety Academy to remain certified.
Counselors & Social Workers
School counselors are available to help students navigate academics, mental health, and social challenges. Guidance departments and teachers receive ongoing training on how to recognize students who need support, so they can appropriately intervene.
Social workers are also available to assist students, families, and teachers in addressing problems that could negatively affect the student’s emotional growth or academic outcomes.
Safety Hotline
Our Safety Hotline was created for students to report situations such as drugs, bullying, and threats of violence. The number is 317.789.3905.
This hotline is intended for students who may not feel comfortable reporting an incident to a school official in-person.
We take seriously the safety of all our students. We pride ourselves in being prepared for these rare, but very possible events.
Parent Information
LEARN, GROW, AND THRIVE WITH THE YMCA
Summer may be over, but we’re ready to continue the fun this school year! The YMCA of Greater Indianapolis is proud to be the before and after school provider in Perry Township. We provide enrichment programming for children in an environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive in a safe environment! For more information, or to register for the YMCA Before and After School Program, please visit us at www.indymca.org/youthdevelopment.
What's going on around the community?
Southside Indy Aquatics
Competitive Swimming- SIA offers year-round swimming for children of all ages that focuses on stroke technique, competitive swimming and having fun! If your child is thinking about swimming in middle school or high school this year, sign them up to swim this Fall to get an edge on the competition!
Evaluations and registration for competitive swimming will be on Monday, August 20th at Southport High School from 6:00-7:30 pm. Enter door 8. Please email Stacy Reinke for more information at sreinke@southsideindyaquatics.com
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