Smith Newsletter December 2023

M, T, TH, F ARRIVAL

Doors Open: 8:25 a.m.

School Begins: 8:40 a.m.

WEDNESDAY ARRIVAL

Doors Open: 10:25 a.m.

School Begins: 10:40 a.m.

DAILY DISMISSAL

Daycare/Car Riders/Bus Riders: 3:30 p.m.

Walkers will be released after all busses and car riders have departed.

DECEMBER

12/3 Jingle Bell Spectacular

12/4 Holiday dress up days begin today (see below)

12/6 PTO Meeting

12/7 Honor Choir Rehearsal

12/7 Robotics

12/7 Polar Express

12/14 Robotics

12/18 Santa visits PreK-2nd (1:30-2:30)

12/19 Vision Screenings (9:00am)

12/19 1st Grade Field Trip (10:30-12:30)

12/19 Holiday Sing Along

12/19 Class Holiday Parties

12/20-1/2 Winter Break

JANUARY

1/3 School Resumes

1/10 Report cards are posted

1/10 PTO Meeting

1/11 3rd & 4th grade Talent Show Auditions

1/15 MLK, Jr Day - No School

1/22-23 2nd Grade field trip to Brooklyn

1/24 Talent Show Dress Rehearsal

1/25 Talent Show

1/26 Cookies N Canvas

Smith has been blessed to have such a wonderful teacher for so many years. We will miss you!

Smith Fine Arts Academy wishes you the very best! Happy Retirement!

What’s Happening in Title I:

We have had a great start to the school year. We are currently serving one hundred - two students in kindergarten through fourth grade with various forms of reading intervention. Title I uses data to target the skills the students might be lacking. Some students may only need Title I for a few weeks. Students are selected by test results, as well as their classroom teacher’s input. We use research-based lessons based on the Science of Reading Framework.

Meet the Staff:

Title I Teacher: Lynn Zook

Mrs. Zook has a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. She taught 2nd grade for 25 years and was hired this year as our Title I Teacher.

Reading Intervention Aides: Sherry Shotts & Kelly Lambert; Diana Wren

Mrs. Shotts (22 years), Mrs. Lambert (19 years) have several years of educational experience and are a key to the success of our reading program. Mrs. Lambert just retired in November. She will be greatly missed. Mrs. Wren will be taking her place. Mrs. Wren has worked in our education system for 12 syears. She has been a vital part of our resource program, here at Smith Fine Arts Academy. We welcome her to our Title I team.

Things we work on in Title I: Your child will be seen in the Title I Reading room four times a week for approximately 30 minutes each day. Every Wednesday, a short assessment will be administered to document their progress. Data is then discussed with their classroom teachers.

During these times, your child will receive supplemental reading instruction. This is in addition to the reading instruction he/she receives in their regular classroom. The same skills being covered in his/her class will be reinforced in Title I. Primarily, the skills will involve phonological awareness, phonics, sight words, vocabulary, model good reading, and work on comprehension skills! During the course of the year, we will send home ideas that you can use to help your child become a more fluent reader. A Fall (Sept. 21) and Spring (March) Reading Workshop will be available for those who are interested to attend.

Please feel free to contact your Title I Reading teacher at lynn.zook@msdmartinsville.org, or 765-342-8488 ext. 1521. We are always willing to help answer questions and offer suggestions.

Help us celebrate the holidays by dressing in your favorite christmas attire on these specific days!

We cannot wait to have you in our audiences for these 2 upcoming shows!

1. The Jingle Bell Spectacular - Sunday December 3 at 3:00 pm at the Martinsville Amphitheater (we’re the 1st act on the show!)

1. Wear warm coats, hats, gloves, etc!

2. Meet at 2:45 at the side of the stage on Pike Street

1. The Polar Express Holiday Show - Thursday December 7 at 6:00 pm at Smith Fine Arts Academy

1. 2nd grade wears Christmas/Holiday Pajamas, meet in your homeroom at 5:30 for attendance

2. Honor Choir wears Sunday Best/dress up clothes, meet in the music room at 5:30 for attendance.

3. 
   

   Rehearsals are on Thursday mornings at 7:45 am in the Smith FAA music room beginning Oct. 26th. Car riders and walkers come to DOOR 1 and the office will buzz you in the building! Feel free to bring a water bottle!

   
   

Tune in on Monday, December 11th at 9:30 am to hear our very own 3rd grade classes sing Christmas carols live on 102.3 FM, WCBK!

Smith K-4 students were privileged to attend one act of Martinsville High School's musical presentation of Beauty and the Beast. All students gave an outstanding performance, but we were especially proud of these Bruins!

Fourth grade has started learning about Holidays around the world. In this photo they learned about Diwali and made lanterns that symbolize Diwali's Festival of lights.

Mrs. Vivian Brunk - Secretary

Mr. Colton McElroy - Custodian

Mrs. Jamie Dougherty - Technology

Mr. Richard Fleener - Custodian

Mr. Joshua Sutton - Resource

The MSD of Martinsville is partnering with volunteers from the Martinsville Noon Lions Club to facilitate State required vision screenings for the following grades: K, 1, 3, 5, and 8. If your child is in another grade and you would like them to be screened, please send an email to lora.dilley@msdmartinsville.org and give your child's name, grade, and school. Smith will be doing screenings on December 19th.

The screening is a very simple procedure and will take only a few minutes. If you do not want your child to participate in the screening, please decline in a written note sent to the clinic.

No report will be sent home if your child passes the vision screening.

Letters will be sent home prior to the screening with dates set by our volunteers.

Winter break is December 20th—January 2nd. School resumes on Wednesday, January 3rd.

There will be no school for two weeks. We would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season.

Our Family School Pantry will be Thursday, December 14 from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. as a drive-through at the back of John R. Wooden Middle School. MSD of Martinsville's 2022-23 school year pantry dates are on Thursdays: 1/11, 2/15, 3/14, 4/11, & 5/9.

Inclement Weather

As we begin a busy season of school and holiday activities, I would like to make you aware of our procedures and communication plan concerning the possibility of inclement weather:

● Weather decisions are made by our team who monitor conditions closely.

● When determining a delay, early dismissal or cancellation of school, countywide weather conditions are reviewed. In addition, we utilize the National Weather Service website @ www.nws.noaa.gov/om/cold/wind_chill.shtml

Communication

Before school, a decision will be made by 5:30 AM and communicated to you and your family in the following ways:

1. Staff/ parents will be notified through an all-call using School Messenger. (Telephone numbers are generated from our Skyward database. At your convenience, please check Skyward to ensure your telephone number is up-to-date for this academic year.)

2. Communication will be added to the district's website and social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MSD of Martinsville

3. Communication will be sent to the following radio and TV stations: WCBK, WISH 8, WRTV-6, WTHR-13, Fox-59.

4. This information can also be found on our website, https://www.msdofmartinsville.org/safety/.

Early Dismissal

As weather conditions in our area can change quickly, an early dismissal may be necessary. We will make a decision concerning dismissal as early as possible then call parents through School Messenger and communicate information to our website, social media and local media.

I encourage you as a family to develop a weather plan. For example, if parents or guardians work, where should your child go if there is an early dismissal or a two-hour delay?

I hope this information is helpful as we work together planning for inclement weather events.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Eric Bowlen

Superintendent

Click this link to apply! Applying has benefits for the school and your family. If you have questions, check out the video.

Meet the PTO Board

Co-presidents: Ky Sumner and Katie O’Neal

Vice President: Amy Purkey

Treasurer: Jami Dougherty

Secretary: Amanda Thomas

Upcoming PTO Events

12/6 PTO Meeting

Meeting Times

PTO meetings will be held on Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. in the library. Meeting dates are as follows:

Dec. 6, Jan. 10, Feb. 7, Mar. 6, Apr. 3, May 1.

Everyone is invited and welcome. We hope many will participate.

Follow us on Facebook:

Smith Fine Arts Academy PTO

All visitors to MSD of Martinsville Schools during the school year will be required to have a Limited Criminal History Check. Completed background checks are confidential and will be kept in the school office. A valid driver’s license or state-issued ID will be required for the background check. Please complete the Background Check Form, available in the office, and present your ID to the office at least a week prior to visiting or volunteering. In order to keep our students safe, individuals who do not have a valid driver’s license or state-issued ID will not be allowed access to our building or our students. Please note: If you have a misdemeanor conviction within the last 5 years or a felony conviction within the last 10 years, you will not be allowed to visit/chaperone during school hours. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we keep student safety a priority!

The building opens at 8:25 a.m. Students should not arrive before that time since there is no supervision. Please monitor the time your child leaves for school to make certain he or she does not arrive before 8:25 a.m. We ask that you call the school office (342-8488) by 9:30 a.m. if your child is going to be absent or tardy. If we have not heard from you, you will receive a phone call informing you that your child is not in attendance. A note is necessary the day your child returns if you do not call the school.

· Please share our dismissal procedures with any friends and/or family members who will be responsible for picking up your student.

· To change your student’s dismissal procedure, please call the office at 765-342-8488 ext 3 before 3:00 p.m. We may not be able to accommodate dismissal changes after 3:00 p.m. Please do not leave a message when making a dismissal change.

· If your child is a car rider, please stop by the office to pick up a green sign to place in your car during dismissal.

· Car riders, bus riders, and daycare students will begin dismissing at 3:30 pm. Walkers will be released at approximately 3:45 p.m., after all buses and car riders have departed.

· Students who are being picked up early must be signed out in the office by a parent, guardian, or emergency contact.

If your child wishes to celebrate their birthday at school, please make arrangements with the teacher prior to the celebration. If you choose to send treats to school, please choose treats that are commercially prepared. We ask parents to send only edible treats, not drinks. Students have access to water. Convenient individual portions should be sent since teachers do not have knives or plates to serve treats. Homemade treats are not permitted.

Menus are available at the beginning of each month and can be found at: artiescafe.org .

Lunch payments may be made, and meal/textbook assistance forms may be completed, online at artiescafe.org.

Student Lunch: $2.75

LUNCH SCHEDULE

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

The goal of the clinic is to keep everyone safe and healthy.

The school nurse encourages everyone to get their flu shot. Contact your doctor or go to your local pharmacy to get a flu shot. We also would like to remind you that if your child has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, they will not be permitted to stay at school.

Students must be fever FREE for 24 hours without medication to return to school. They must also be vomiting and diarrhea FREE for 24 hours to come to school.

Please talk to your children about hand washing and personal hygiene.

If your child borrows clothes from the clinic, PLEASE wash the clothes and return them to school.

It is the responsibility of the students to maintain a healthy and respectful-looking appearance while attending school and school activities. Specific regulations of the dress policy:

· Clothing and/or accessories which are indecent or displaying/inferring offensive or lewd words, sayings, and/or pictures is considered a violation. Clothing and/or accessories may not display any forms or references to alcohol, tobacco products, and/or illegal substances.

· Short shorts, halter tops, net shirts, tank tops with spaghetti straps, and midriff tops are not permissible.

· Shoes should be appropriate for safety and comfort. Flip flops and shoes with wheels are not permitted at any time. Students must wear tennis shoes to Physical Education. High heels, and sandals without backs are not permitted.

· Hats and sunglasses are not to be worn in the school building except on designated days.

· The wearing or displaying of any gang related article of dress or adornment is not allowed at school or any school activity.

· Any attire that disrupts the educational process or puts a student at risk, such as clothing that does not fit appropriately, or leaves underwear exposed, is not permitted.

The Smith F.A.A. (Fine Arts Academy) Event Calendar will be updated with important school events throughout the year. This calendar can be found

at: www.msdofmartinsville.org/charles-l-smith-fine-arts-academy/calendar/. Be sure to bookmark it or make it a favorite so it will be easy to access!