Central Hub

Dear Central Parents,

As a school team, we will take time in January to assess where we are with our behavioral and academic goals for each student. The first semester has flown by and our children have been learning so much even in a pandemic! Central Elementary is an amazing school because of the people in it. I am so impressed with how we are doing. We should all be proud of the team effort to have our children learn in-person.

We will work with a laser focus over these next several months on continuing to Bring Joy to Learning, while keeping the Emotional "To-Do" list in mind. I really like that picture quote included at the start of this newsletter. We will work hard to focus on learning, while recognizing that we are still in a pandemic, so we need to take it one day at a time.

There are still assessments slated to happen, but these all will look a little different and be given with grace and understanding in mind. We know children, through no fault of their own, have been in and out of school. The assessments will represent one data point of many from this year. Some grades will take CoGat (the high ability screener) in February, WIDA (an ELL assessment) in January, IREAD and ILEARN (as of right now they are on the calendar) for April-May. There will be more detailed information over the next few months.

Teachers will continue to incorporate STEM education in their lesson plans. All of this will happen with a growth mindset in a safe, caring and kind environment. Without exception, we will seek to provide engaging lessons and build positive relationships with our students.

Please take some time to review all of the information in here and feel free to call me regarding questions or concerns. We are a team dedicated to your child's success!

Sincerely,

Julie Thacker

Principal

We understand how frustrating our car rider experience can be when people are not all on the same page. We want you to know that safety is our top priority. As we begin a new semester, here are a few quick reminders about car rider drop-off and pick-up:

• Drop-off begins at 8:30 a.m. Due to there not being supervision and not wanting students to congregate at the door, please do not release your children until 8:30 a.m.

• Take turns. On the eastside we use two lanes, which merge into one as you enter the horseshoe. This is just like McDonald’s without the good fries. :)

• Pull all the way around the horseshoe before letting your children out of the car on the passenger side. We ask that you park and walk your child to the sidewalk if they cannot unbuckle themselves. This is so we can keep the line moving.

• Refrain from texting and driving. It is important that we are all paying attention since our line moves quickly.

• Please make sure your number sign is visible. If you need another sign for your car/family, please contact the school (317-839-7707). Mrs. Kristen Buster will create an official sign for you.

• Please respect all road signs for student safety. We have a new pedestrian crossing on the eastside of the school. This is for families choosing to park and come in Door 8. Please do not park on the crosswalk.

• Overall, extend grace, kindness and flexibility as we work together to help ALL our children arrive and dismiss safely. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Thacker, principal. Thank you!

All grade levels K-5 will follow the schedule above with specifics within the time frames from your child's classroom teacher. All children will begin their day with math at 9:00, Lunch at 11:30 and end the day at 3:45. Specials will be live using a google meet link.

Students should remain at home if any of these scenarios are met:

• A student or anyone living in the household tested positive with COVID-19
• A student or anyone living in the household has been tested and is awaiting results for COVID-19, or
• The student is ill or has any symptoms of COVID-19

Beginning now, you will find a link to our COVID Reporting Form on the PCSC website. Any student or staff who receives a positive COVID-19 test result should immediately communicate that with us via a simple online form. Click here to access the form: https://forms.gle/aKdaiLvXJ1kzkaM6A.

PCSC will begin using CareDox for Student Health Information

Plainfield Schools will begin using the online service SchoolCare as a tool for parents to provide medical information. This service will replace the paper medical forms that had been submitted by families every year. The system enables student immunization information, physical exam results, and nurse visits to be stored securely and compliant with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. Because families will be able to access SchoolCare at any time from their computer, smartphone, or tablet, they will be able to update student health information quickly and conveniently. An invitation to register will be coming soon to the email address provided to the school in PowerSchool.

Every school has an RN full time on staff. We are fortunate to have Mrs. Jackie Mace. Our nurse administers medication, does vision and hearing screenings, all on top of taking care of your children at school. If your child has a medical condition or takes prescription medication during school hours, please contact Nurse Mace at jmace@plainfield.k12.in.us or at 317-838-3652.

Medications and over the counter medicine- Please note all medication must be delivered to school and picked up from school by a parent. Medications must be in their original packaging; prescription medications must include documentation of the student as the person to whom medication was prescribed (i.e. prescription label).

• Asthma Paperwork- please contact Nurse Mace for the form.

Now more than ever we want to take children outside whenever possible.

Children will be expected to go outdoors for recess when the temperature and wind chill are 20 degrees Fahrenheit and above. Please make sure you are sending your children to school dressed for this kind of weather. Students will not go out if it is raining or sleeting. Our handbook states that if your child must stay indoors because of illness during recess time, we ask that you write a daily note requesting that your child stay inside. Repeated requests for indoor recess will prompt the nurse to require a written statement from the family doctor concerning the request.

My name is Mindy Slavens and I am the choir and theater director at Plainfield Community Middle School where I have worked for the last 22 years. Two years ago I began the journey to obtain my school counseling license. I am currently a graduate student in the School Counseling Program at Indiana Wesleyan University and will graduate in April. I am very passionate about helping the whole child succeed in life and look forward to learning and growing in this new career.

One of the requirements of the graduate program is to complete counseling hours at the middle school and elementary level. During my internship I will be working indirectly and directly with students in various ways. These may include individual sessions, group sessions, and creating and implementing classroom Social Emotional Learning lessons. From now until the end of the 2020-2021 school year, I will be working at Central Elementary three days a week in the afternoons, under the guidance and leadership of Diana White and Julie Thacker. I look forward to this opportunity and having the chance to meet the students and families of Central Elementary.

Mindy Slavens

Graduate Student IWU

The world of education is filled with acronyms, and SEL is one that is garnering more and more attention in this time of COVID. SEL stands for Social Emotional Learning, and represents a focus on the whole student, as opposed to simply looking at the grades a student produces.

From the early days of our COVID awareness, many experts began talking about the social and emotional effects of a pandemic on children as well as adults. In fact, schools have been focusing on student SEL since long before COVID came to the United States, but the challenges of the last ten months have made it more important than ever before.

Plainfield elementary schools will begin working with SEL Labs in January 2021. Their SELweb program measures children’s understanding of things like emotions and perspectives, social problem-solving, and self-control through engaging, brief assignments. Teachers and counselors will then be better equipped to help students grow in these areas.

https://xsel-labs.com/resources/introduction-to-selweb/

If you need any help with school supplies at any point in the year, please reach out to our home school advisor, Diana White. We have had many donations and are glad to help support your child's learning any way we can. She can be reached at dwhite@plainfield.k12.in.us

Click below to learn more about the School-wide staff, parent/caregiver and student compact for 2020-2021

2020-2021 Title One Compact

We are still updating our calendar for this year, but I am sharing our Central Elementary Parent Calendar. I am hoping this will help you to have all our important events at your fingertips.

(Disclaimer: Every phone is different. If you have a Google calendar, it will work for sure; others will have different steps to follow, but your phone should prompt you.) Note - for Google, you need to be on a computer to add the calendar.

Link to VIEW ONLY the Central Elementary Parent Calendar

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=plainfield.k12.in.us_k4mb22sskfrkul9o8017a6fovc%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FNew_York

Happy New Year Central Families! Welcome back! We hope everyone had a great break full of family, fun, and rest! We have some exciting things coming up to kick off the new year!

1. Readathon: (There will be no fundraising this year, just reading for FUN!) Reading is Fun in 2021!! January 11-January 31 students will log their minutes in Beanstack. There will be virtual events including reading crafts, scavenger hunts, story hours, bingo, breakout rooms, and more! There will be multiple dress up days and chances for individual and classroom prizes. Plus, 1 classroom in each grade with the highest average minutes read per student will get a special surprise, storytime, and treats in their classrooms with Officer Poston! Look for more information along with a calendar of events to come home in your student's red folder and posts on our Facebook page, Parent Square, or Google Classroom. #readforcentral
2. Papa John's Week: January 22-29 We are doing another pizza week fundraiser! Order Papa John's anytime during this week with the CODE PCSC02 and 20% will come back to Central!
3. PTO Parent Meeting: Monday, January 25 @ 7 pm via Zoom. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84889082385 Join us to see what we have planned for the second semester. We will also have a special guest from the public library. They will be talking about some of the family programs and cool tools/resources they have available. We look forward to seeing you there!

Thank you! Have a great week!

Nicole Rongo

plainfieldcentralelementarypto@gmail.com

Julie Andrews Podcast for kids-Did you guys know about this? I’d listen to Julie Andrews read anything! I listened to one and thought it would be great for kids.

https://www.parents.com/news/julie-andrew-is-hosting-a-podcast-for-kids/

This site has so many links to authors/actors reading (just scroll to the bottom of the book list). It takes a minute to load, but then BAM! It is so good.

http://bit.ly/3hyGabG

We love using read alouds and STEM activities to create a fun and engaging classroom. Students love the hands-on STEM challenges that incorporate, reading, writing, and making.

The following are our top 5 STEM read alouds and activities for January.

This year we are implementing the Project Lead the Way curriculum. We are excited about the ways this will allow us to give students real world and hands on learning opportunities. We will continue to focus on design thinking and the 4 C's.

The 4Cs Defined

Critical thinking is all about solving problems.

Creativity teaches students to think outside the box.

Collaboration shows students how to work together to achieve a common goal.

Communication lets students learn how to best convey their ideas.

Providing a safe arrival and dismissal system is extremely important to all of the staff at Central Elementary. To achieve that, Central utilizes a number system when dismissing our car rider students.

Car Rider Request Form-Will you be picking your child up from school this year? If so, please click on this link Central Car Rider Request and register for a number. You must complete the form for EACH child that is attending Central. Please place your car rider number on the right side of your dashboard for pick up beginning the first day of school. With the changes in our procedures, it is imperative that we know asap.

Bus- You will be contacted by the bus driver a week before school starts with information regarding the pick-up and drop off times for your child. For any questions or concerns regarding transportation, please call their office at 317-838-3632.

• Add/Cancel Bus Service- You will need to fill out the Transportation Data Form to add or cancel bus service.

Arrival- If your child will be dropped off by a parent or guardian in the mornings,

please follow these procedures:

• Enter the parking lot from Wabash Street and pull forward to let your child get out of the car on the passenger side. Doors are locked until 8:30am. Once doors are unlocked and staff members appear, your child may exit your car. Make sure your child is wearing a mask.

Dismissal- Please the Car Rider number tag in your front car window for pick up. Please enter off of US 40 onto Wabash Street. There will be two lines, which form into one around our horseshoe. A dismissal teacher will radio for your child to be walked out from the gym. You can also park in the lot/grass parking for the funeral home and enter the gym at Door #8 on the east side of our building. Be sure to social distance and wear a mask.

• Please make sure to list in your car rider request sheet all parent names and anyone else, such as a grandparent, aunt/uncle or babysitter, who will be picking up your child. Any additions or changes to your pick up list must be made by calling the office at Central. No child will be released at dismissal to someone who is not on their pick up list.

• Bus- If there will be a change in your child’s regular after-school transportation routine, you must send a note to your teacher and call the front office on that day before 1:00 p.m. If NO note or call is made, the child will go their REGULAR way home that day.

The following information is from our handbook:

If your child is to go home a way different than their normal arrangement, you must send in a note to the teacher with instructions as to how the child is to go home. We will not allow a child to go home a different way without a note. Please make these arrangements before school or by 1:00 p.m. at the latest. NEW THIS YEAR, Children will NOT be allowed to ride a different bus to or from school. All children have assigned seats on the bus.

If you call requesting that your child become a car rider, you are required to come into the

school office to sign out your child no earlier than 3:45 p.m. Your child will be waiting in the office lobby until you sign them out. Signing your child out prior to 3:45 does affect your child’s attendance, as it counts as a partial day present.

If you call requesting that your child ride a bus home instead of being a car rider, we will need to verify that we are speaking to the child’s parent/guardian by asking certain questions or through caller ID on our phone system. To make this smoother, please call from one of the phone numbers that you have registered with our school as contacts.

Finally, please note that e-mail notifications of changes for the end of the day ride home are not accepted. We are not able to ensure that the email will be read in time.

Have you moved recently? If your child rides the bus, we want to make sure your child is picked up on schedule and dropped off safely to your home. If you have changed addresses since you did the online registration in PowerSchool, we will need to have you fill out a transportation form so we can pass the information to the transportation department so your child's bus route can be updated. You can find this form on our website. Please return this form to the main office as soon as you can, so the appropriate changes can be made. Call us if you have any questions!

The YMCA runs a before and after school program at Van Buren. THIS IS A CHANGE. Van Buren is better suited to host the program this year. They are able to keep Central and Van Buren students separated. Students will ride a bus from Van Buren in the morning and a YMCA staff member will walk the students over to Van Buren in the evening.

The program is run independently from the school so please call 317-941-9578 for information and to register or Click the link below. In addition, there are several daycares that bus kids to and from Central that include ABC Daycare, Living Christ for Kids, Kids Connection, Beginning Steps and Rainbow.

Dear Quaker Families,

USDA has extended the waiver for FREE school meals for the remainder of the 20-21 school year. All school meals will be free for all students until the end of the school year. Ala Carte items will still be available to purchase. Free meals are available for our Virtual Learners. Visit our school website https://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/page/new-food-services for more information on the pickup for the meals.

All students are eligible for the free meals as long as they meet the criteria established by USDA for selecting a complete meal. The minimum complete meals include:

• Breakfast: fruit or fruit juice plus two additional food items
• Lunch: fruit or vegetable plus two additional food items.

Students must take a complete meal in order to qualify for the free meal. Students may purchase additional items, or may purchase a la carte items at the regular price. Of course, students may also bring a sack lunch from home.

Per the USDA, this Program Waiver does not include the free and reduced textbook program. Families who wish to apply for free and reduced textbooks must still enroll in the free and reduced lunch program, which then may qualify for additional benefits such as textbook fee assistance. The link to that application may be found here: lunchapp.com.

Thank you for your continued support of our school meal program. If you have any questions, please call me at 317-839-2578.

This institution is an equal opportunity employer.

Sincerely,

Kelly Collins
Director of Food Services

Breakfast- $1.50, Lunch $2.50, Milk $0.50 (FREE PROGRAM EXTENDED THROUGH MAY 2021)

• Purchase- FREE Breakfast and lunch is served daily at Central. To purchase additional ala catre items you will need to put money into your child’s lunch account. You may send cash or a check to school in a sealed envelope with the student name, teacher name and “lunch money” on the front. You can also add money by creating an account on EFunds . You can check your child’s lunch card balance and/or upload money via debit/credit card for lunches or Textbook Rental ("optional fees"). You will need your child’s student number to set up this account.

• Packing a lunch- You can pack your child a lunch box

• Free/Reduced Status- Applications for Free/Reduced lunch status can be submitted online on Lunch App Website. We protect the privacy of students who receive free or reduced-price meals or textbooks. Their classmates will not know that they’re receiving this support. If your family qualifies, these programs can save you hundreds of dollars, so please be sure to apply. If your child receives free or reduced-price meals, you may add money to their account to allow them to purchase ala carte items that are not part of the free or reduced-price federal meal program. Please be sure to apply if the free breakfast and lunch program should end.

• FREE TEXTBOOKS Did you know? If a child qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, they also qualify for no-fee textbooks. You do not have to use the meal benefit to receive this benefit. Other school fees may apply.
  

• LOW BALANCE E-MAILS When a student's meal balance drops below $5, the student's parent/guardian will be notified by email. Please be sure your child's student record includes current contact information.
  

Food Allergies- If your child suffers from food allergies, we are prepared to help ensure they enjoy meals that are both safe and nutritious. Please fill out the correct form and return to Kelly Collins, Director of Food Services at kcollins@plainfield.k12.in.us. If you have any questions regarding the forms please call Kelly Collins 317-839-2578. Please use the following links below:

Milk Substitute Form

Food Allergy Form

Special Dietary Needs

It is the expectation that students come to school every day with their computer charged and ready to go. You may leave the charger in your child's backpack. Cases for the computers were ordered for the 300 model computers because the 500 are more durable.

In the event we would have a school closure, students would need to be ready to work from home the next day of school.

Student Acceptable Use Policy- The Plainfield Community School Corporation (PCSC) recognizes that access to technology in school gives students greater opportunities to learn, engage, communicate, and develop skills that will prepare them for work, life, and citizenship. We are committed to helping students develop 21st-century technology and communication skills. To that end, we provide access to technologies for student and staff use. You may review the Student Acceptable Use Policy for more details.

The Plainfield Community School Corporation uses the PowerSchool Parent portal, which gives you access to your child’s grades, lunch account balance, bus schedule, and registration for returning students for the next school year.