Creston Community News

Parents and Families,

This past week, your student participated in mid-year NWEA testing. A few students have make-up testing to complete in the coming days. We are looking forward to seeing the growth our students have made during first semester -- students who meet or exceed their projected growth goals will earn a free ice cream treat during lunch, as well as a raffle ticket entered into their grade-level drawing for a gift card! (NOTE: Parents will get score reports for your student - these will be sent home in January).

School Safety: Please scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to review information about our Raptor Visitor Management System. Moving forward, we will expect that ALL visitors to the building - even those who come in on a regular basis or are coming simply to pick up a student - provide their state or government issued ID to be scanned. This is also a requirement for parents/guardians attending meetings in the main office area. We appreciate your understanding with this as we continue to strive to keep students and staff safe.

Next week, we look forward to celebrating the end of Semester 1 with various events for students and staff!

• It is holiday spirit week (see below for dress-up days). As we remind students, all clothing worn to school must be appropriate and should not cause distractions; final determination regarding appropriateness is at the discretion of Creston administration, and all students will be expected to comply with dress regulations. Please note: dress code expectations still apply - students must wear school-appropriate shoes and other items. Hoodies will not be permitted.
• Thursday, our 5th and 6th graders will have their CORE Carnival in the gym complete with games, activities, competitions, and prizes!
• Friday, our 7th and 8th grade students will have the chance to kick back and relax as they celebrate the conclusion of Term 2 with various activities!
• Our middle school music students will help all students and staff get in the holiday spirit during Friday's music convocation!
• TERM 2 REPORT CARDS WILL BE SENT HOME WITH STUDENTS ON FRIDAY!

We hope you, your family, and your friends have a safe & happy holiday filled with blessings. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our community and our students.

Mrs. Storm

Proud Creston Principal

• MONDAY - Christmas/Winter Pajama Day

• TUESDAY - Red, Green & Gold Day

• WEDNESDAY - Christmas/Silly Hat Day

• THURSDAY - Christmas/Winter or Cartoon Character Day

• FRIDAY - Ugly (Christmas) Sweater Day

Parents and Guardians -
For the sake of protecting the instructional environment and keeping it free from distraction (as much as is possible at a hectic time of year), we ask that you support your child in keeping all holiday gifts/items/toys, etc. at home over the next week. These items do not belong at school, and we cannot assume responsibility for such items. Should your child wish to give a gift to a peer or friend, please encourage them to do so over the two-week winter break. If such items do make their way into the school building, we will place the items in the main office and ask that they be picked up by a parent or guardian.

We appreciate your support with this as we strive to maintain a safe and orderly learning environment!

Parents and Guardians,

As the weather becomes increasingly colder, it is important to review our morning drop-off procedures.

• Students are not able to enter the building until 8:35 a.m. This is the earliest we can guarantee appropriate adult supervision.
• Students should NOT be dropped off prior to 8:35 a.m. each day; if they are, they will be standing in cold temperatures until staff supervision arrives and students are let in to the cafeteria.
• Given that school begins at 8:55 a.m., we are allowing families an additional 20 minutes of time for their student to be supervised by inviting students in the building at 8:35 a.m.
• Please follow the cones and barriers to create the car-rider line safely, and follow the instructions of all staff members outdoors, as they supervise parking lot and drop-off line areas.

Recently, we have had a large number of students on campus prior to 8:35 a.m. Not only does this present a safety concern as those students are unsupervised, it also prevents staff members from being able to complete their morning set-up tasks necessary to begin the school day efficiently and effectively. The safety and supervision of your student and our staff is always our top priority - we ask for you support in helping us with these efforts.

As you know, MSD of Warren Township will be creating a comprehensive strategic plan based on community input that will ensure all students and staff have the conditions necessary to develop and apply Journey of a Graduate (JoG) skills and dispositions. The Journey of a Graduate skills are a set of 6 skills and dispositions that have been identified by our community needed for success in and out of school. The JoG skills are Critical Thinking, Citizenship, Communication, Collaboration, Content Knowledge, and Resilience. These JoG skills will serve as the foundation of the district strategic plan.

One way the district will capture community input is through an online survey. Linked below is a short survey that will ask questions around our strengths as a district and help us identify areas for improvement,

(Click on link below to begin survey)

Strategic Planning Survey (English)

Strategic Planning Survey (Spanish)

Thank you in advance for your participation and thank you for your continued support of MSD Warren Township Schools.

Dr. Tim Hanson

Superintendent of Schools

This year, students in each grade level have the opportunity to attend an out-of-state field trip! Our school works with Appian Tours to manage and organize these experiences for students. Students interested in attending are responsible for payment for the trip.

Students in grades 5, 6, and 7 should have received trip information on Conference Day. Students in grade 8 brought home information early this year. See details below:

Grade 5 - Louisville, KY - Friday, May 15, 2020

Grade 6 - Cincinnati, OH - Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Grade 7 - Chicago, IL - Friday, May 8, 2020

Grade 8 - Washington, DC - March 18 - March 22, 2020

To register or view more information, visit this website: http://appiantours.com/

Enter Trip Codes: CIMSLouisville2020 / CIMSCincinnati2020 / CIMSChicago2020

*8th grade - If you haven't yet registered for the trip but have interest, contact Ms. Dennison at sdenniso@warren.k12.in.us

Does your student want to have something to cherish these school memories? Pre-Order a Yearbook NOW! Visit ybpay.lifetouch.com and enter School Code: 10680020.

Cash or Checks (made payable to Creston) can be turned in to Ms. Dennison in Room 137.

Paperback covers are $23 and hardback covers are $28.

We hope you'll consider purchasing a yearbook to commemorate your child's year of growth at CIMS!

Warren's High Ability Program is designed to meet the unique academic needs of gifted and talented students. The curriculum in these classes is differentiated and faster paced and students will be working above grade level if they qualify. As a district, we look at all students in grades 1, 4, 6 and 8 to see if they qualify for the following school year based on eligibility criteria. Parent recommendations are considered along with achievement scores when determining placement in high ability. More detailed identification information can be found here. If you would like to complete a recommendation for the broad based planning committee to consider you can do so here 2020-2021 High Ability Parent Recommendation Form The parent recommendation form will be open until January 31, 2020.

You can access the Parent Portal registration form by clicking here. You can also pick up a copy in the CIMS Office - completed forms must be turned in to the CIMS Main Office.

As a parent or guardian of a student attending a Warren school, you have online access to your child or children's courses, grades, attendance, discipline, and academic history. The student and parent portal has been upgraded to Tyler SIS Student 360. This new portal offers parents, students and district staff online access to student information via the Web on PCs or tablets or on a smartphone application — providing comprehensive functionality with a touch-friendly, intuitive interface.

You must obtain a username and password through your child's school (CIMS) in order to access your child's information. Once your information is verified (after completing the form linked above), a username and password will be generated by the school and given to you.

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Warren Township Schools is pleased to announce that we are using the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools to strengthen our program of campus safety for students and staff. Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times, and the Raptor System allows us to do that. The Raptor System allows us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff. Our goal is to keep a balance of being a welcoming school district as well as maintaining the safety of our students and staff.

Currently, every visitor who enters our building is asked to present a state or federal ID, such as a Driver’s License, and it is scanned into the Raptor System. Once the visitor has been approved, the office staff enters the reason, destination of the visit and the Raptor System will print a photo ID visitor badge. If for any reason a parent or guardian does not have a U.S. government-issued ID, the staff member can use any form of ID and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor System. Beginning November 11, 2019, this will apply to our PreK-4 campuses as well.

A photo ID visitor badge is not required for those who visit our schools to drop off an item or pick-up paperwork at the front desk. Further, they may drop off their items(s) or remain in the waiting area until their student is available. Please be aware that current practices established in each building remain in effect.

The safety of our students is our highest priority. The Raptor Visitor Management System provides us with a consistent process of knowing who is in our buildings at all times as well as a tool to identify those individuals who may present a danger to our students and staff.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support towards enhancing school safety protocols in our district. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Creston Intermediate & Middle School at 317-532-6800.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Carey Storm, CIMS Principal

Take advantage of the 21st Century Scholars Opportunity. Apply online @ www.scholars.in.gov or submit the application through your school counselor. Students must sign up before June 30th during their 8th grade year.

Class of 2025 - Mrs. Maya Jones (7th grade counselor)

mjones8@warren.k12.in.us

317-532-6800 ext 1313.

Class of 2024 - Ms. Rebecca Goff (8th grade counselor)

rgoff@warren.k12.in.us

317-532-6800 ext 6900

If your student needs Math or Science homework assistance, they can call AskRose. Please see information below:

Tutors are available by phone Sunday - Thursday, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm (ET) at:

877-Ask-Rose (877-275-7673)

MSD Warren Township strives to maintain a safe and orderly environment for all students while in school and at after-school events, especially our Warren Central athletic events. We ask for your support in helping us achieve this by ensuring that your intermediate and middle school student is accompanied by an adult or older Warren Central sibling, who has a WCHS student ID.

Also, for your convenience, we are including a reminder about approved items that may/may not be brought into athletic events at Warren Central High School.

The occasion may arise when the school district wants to recognize your child or your child's school. This may include your child's photo, your child's name or your child's work in district publications, newsletters, on school district websites, and in electronic/ social media or in staff training videos. We may also want to tell the media (including newspapers, television, and radio) about your child's achievements. We never knowingly release information about a student to anyone who wants to use it for commercial/ political purposes. However, we will honor your request to not include your child in these types of recognitions if you notify your child's school office in writing that you do not want this type of information released.

Website: https://creston.warren.k12.in.us/
Location: 10925 East Prospect Street, Indianapolis, IN 46239, USA
Phone: (317)532-6800
Twitter: @CrestonIMS