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October Family Newsletter
Leah Kuruzar • October 2, 2024
A Message From...Mrs. Kuruzar
Dear Emma Donnan Families,
As we enter the third month of school, our scholars are diving headfirst into their academic and school culture pursuits. We truly appreciate your support in ensuring that homework is completed on time. Just a friendly reminder that homework is due every Friday, and scholars will receive a grade for their submissions.
Homework completion isn't the only thing we are are excited about at Adelante, scholars are relishing the meals offered by the Commons! The opinions of our scholars are significant! We aim to persist in collecting this vital feedback to guarantee not just the quality and satisfaction of meals but also to create a platform for Adelante's scholars to feel empowered to express themselves! On September 18th, the culinary team surveyed 186 scholars to solicit their feedback on a new menu item: Flautas. The results are unmistakable: Over 87% of Adelante scholars adored the Flautas!
Save the date for our Family Conference Day on October 25th! We strongly encourage all families to take part in this event. It's a wonderful chance to engage with your scholar's teacher(s) and gain insights into your scholar's academic and social-emotional development. A digital sign-up will be distributed on October 9th. Additionally, please note that our grading period concludes this week, and report cards will be sent home on October 9th. You can also access your scholar's grades through the Powerschool Parent Portal.
As we move into October, we’d like to highlight a few important procedures at Emma Donnan.
Dismissal Changes
All dismissal changes must be communicated through the front office by 1:30 PM daily. Teachers are not authorized to alter dismissal arrangements for students. By following these protocols, we can ensure the safety of all our scholars.
Scholar Uniform
A heartfelt thank you to those families who have been work in SWING with us regarding scholar uniforms. Please remember that uniforms are mandatory. Ensure your scholar is dressed in uniform every day.
Cell Phone Policy
According to state law, students are not permitted to have their cell phones on their person. All cell phones must be stored in their backpacks before entering the building and should remain there until they leave school premises.
We look forward to seeing you this month at our Fall Festival and Family Conferences!
Onward,
Mrs. Kuruzar
Director of Engagement
Upcoming Events
Sun
Mon
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Wed
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Fri
Sat
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ILEARN: Math Day 1 <Assessment>
30
ILEARN: Math Day 2 <Assessment>
1
National Asian Pacific Heritage Month Begins <>
ILEARN: Science/Social Studies Day 1 <Assessment>
2
School Lunch Hero Day <FYI>
ILEARN: Science/Social Studies Day 2 <Assessment>
6pm Boys FF Game: ED vs. Arlington at Arsenal Tech HS
6:30pm Boys FF Game: ED vs. Arlington at Arsenal Tech HS
7pm Girls FF Game: ED vs. KIPP at Howe
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5
Staff Appreciation Week Begins <FYI>
Winter/Spring Club Showcase <Special Day/Event>
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8
K-3 Soccer Clinic Ends <FYI>
10am Indians Game Ilearn Incentive
9
6pm Girls FF Game: ED vs. Howe at Howe
6:30pm Girls FF Game: ED vs. Harshman at Howe
7pm Boys FF Game: ED vs. Arlington at Arsenal Tech HS
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10
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12
Field Trip: Fun Factory (6th/7th Grade)
K-3 Foundational Skills/Reading Growth Window Opens <Assessment>
13
NWEA MAP Growth EOY <Assessment>
Digital Healthy Habits Parent Workshop #3 <Event>
14
K-3 Foundational Skills/Reading Growth Window Closes <Assessment>
Field Trip IMPD Community Day (3rd Grade)
NWEA MAP Growth EOY <Assessment>
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15
EOY Athletics Ceremony <Special Day/Event>
16
May/June Scholar Birthday Celebration
Field Trip: Back 9 (8th Grade)
6pm Boys FF Game: Tournament (TBD)
6pm Girls FF Game: Tournament (TBD)
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K-5 Field Day <Special Day/Event>
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Promotions <Event>
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Last Day of School <Special Day/Event>
Q4 Report Cards <Grades>
Last Day of Q4 <Grades>
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Staff Work Day <Staff Work Day - No Scholars>
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Campus Closed - 12 Month Vacation <No School - Scholars & Staff>
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Campus Closed - 12 Month Vacation <No School - Scholars & Staff>
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Campus Closed - 12 Month Vacation <No School - Scholars & Staff>
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Campus Closed - 12 Month Vacation <No School - Scholars & Staff>
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Campus Closed - 12 Month Vacation <No School - Scholars & Staff>
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Attendance Matters
In September, we celebrated 207 scholars who achieved perfect attendance, marking our highest total to date! Recently, we have been making efforts to boost attendance on Fridays through our FULL House Friday program. As families grow more accustomed to our attendance policies, we are optimistic about surpassing the 94% attendance rate.
We greatly appreciate your partnership and have some suggestions to help enhance attendance. We encourage you to avoid holding your child out of school for an entire day if an appointment only requires a short time. Additionally, we request that siblings do not miss school for another child’s appointment. Please note that students with five or more absences will be enrolled in an attendance improvement program. Although providing a doctor’s note is important, it will not eliminate the absence or exempt your child from participating in this program.
Fall Spirit Week
Week of October 7th - 11th
We're so excited to announce that Fall Spirit Week will be taking place the week of October 7th! Spirit week is a wonderful chance for our amazing staff and students to let their creativity shine through fun, themed outfits and activities. It's a great way to make school life even more enjoyable! We kindly ask that if scholars decide not to participate in Spirit Week, they wear their standard school uniform. Our culture team will continue to implement our school expectations for uniform.
| Day | Theme |
|---|---|
| Monday, 10/7 | Kick into Fall - Wear your favorite shoes! |
| Tuesday, 10/8 | It's Game Day! Show us your team spirit by wearing your favorite sport team's jersey, t-shirt, or sweatshirt |
| Wednesday, 10/9 | On Wednesdays we Wear Pink - Show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing pink. |
| Thursday, 10/10 | Get Cozy! Wear your favorite matching sweatpants/sweatshirt set. |
| Friday, 10/11 | Flannel Friday! Show us your favorite fall flannel! |
Fall Festival
October 24, 2024
Mark your calendars for our annual Fall Festival Event! We are excited to invite you to join us on October 24th from 5:30 to 7:00 for an evening filled with autumnal fun!
Come enjoy Trunk or Treating, s'mores, fall games, and an outdoor movie. This is an event you definitely won't want to miss!
Scholars are encouraged to wear their costumes to school on this day. Stay tuned for more details coming home this month regarding the expectations for costumes at school.
Car-rider Arrival Procedure Reminders
Our aim is to guarantee that every scholar arrives at school by 7:30 am each morning. To assist with this, we would like to offer some tips for our car-rider line to ensure that scholars are prepared to exit the turn promptly.
- Make sure your scholar is positioned behind the driver's seat for a safe and quick exit.
- Please have scholars gather their belongings as soon as you enter the car line. This will ensure they have everything ready when it’s time to exit the vehicle.
- Encourage your scholar to say their goodbyes before reaching the drop-off location.
We appreciate your assistance in ensuring that the drop-off process is as efficient as possible!
Emma Donnan Library
We are thrilled to announce that our library is now open for business! Already, more than 500 books have been checked out!If your scholar hasn't picked up a book yet, there's no need to worry; they will do so soon. Please take a moment to remind your scholar of the expectations for using and caring for our library books.
- Books are due back to school 1 week after checkout.
- Scholars will be charged for the cost of the book if lost or damaged.
- If scholars forget to return a book, they can't check out a new book until the other is returned.
Feel free to email Mrs. Bernacchi with any questions about our library.
National Bullying Prevention Month
October is designated as National Bullying Prevention Month. It is crucial to prioritize discussions on addressing and preventing bullying of K-12 children and youth during this period. The Indiana Department of Education defines bullying as "overt, unwanted, repeated acts or gestures, including verbal or written communications or images transmitted in any manner (including digitally or electronically), physical acts committed, aggression, or other behaviors committed by a student or group of students against another student with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or harm the other targeted student and create for the targeted student an objectively hostile school environment." "Any other behaviors committed by a student or group of students against another student with the intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or harm the other targeted student and create an objectively hostile school environment for the targeted student."
Mrs. Harris will be visiting classrooms throughout the month of October to engage students in conversations about prevention and bullying, as well as to discuss the protocol we follow here at Emma Donnan. We encourage you to review the definition of bullying with your scholar and ask them about their lessons they are receiving from Mrs. Harris.
In addition to educating our scholars, our staff is engaging in professional development with Mrs. Harris to discuss the definition of bullying, prevention methods, and reporting. Furthermore, staff will receive additional training on bullying throughout the school year.
What's Happening?
Our objective is to keep you informed about the topics that teachers are focusing on in the classroom and how you can support their learning journey at home. Be sure to check our What's Happening section each month for the latest updates!
Visit our website for academic resources to support your scholar at home!
What's Happening in K-2?
School is in full swing at Emma Donnan, and students are now working to improve their fluency skills. Part of our fluency skills is increasing our trick word or sight word knowledge. Sight words are words that have sounds we know but also sounds that don't fit the rule. Here are some ways students can practice their trick words at home: read the word 3 times, spell the word outloud 3 times, skywrite the word 3 times, write the word 3 times (either on paper or a dry erase board).
What's Happening in 3-5?
Contact Mr. KeysWhile students are getting ready to take their first ILEARN ELA Checkpoint on Tuesday, October 8th, we will soon begin to prepare for our second ILEARN ELA Checkpoint in December. Our second ILEARN ELA checkpoint will involve reading and understanding nonfiction texts. At home, you can support your students by having them read nonfiction texts using the Sora app on Clever or newspaper and magazine articles. While reading these nonfiction texts, students should be close reading and using their Genre-based Thinking Jobs to identify the author's purpose, text structure, key details, and the main idea of the article. Here's a resource to support your student with completing these annotations as they read at home!
What's Happening in 6-8?
While students are getting ready to take their first ILEARN ELA Checkpoint on Tuesday, October 8th, we will soon begin to prepare for our second ILEARN ELA Checkpoint in December. Our second ILEARN ELA checkpoint will involve reading and understanding nonfiction texts. At home, you can support your students by having them read nonfiction texts using the Sora app on Clever or newspaper and magazine articles. While reading these nonfiction texts, students should be close reading and using their Genre-based Thinking Jobs to identify the author's purpose, text structure, key details, and the main idea of the article. Here's a resource to support your student with completing these annotations as they read at home!
Community Events & Resources
Catch Up on What's Happening at Adelante! From scholar highlights to upcoming events, here's a quick look at what’s making our school community shine this month.
March is bringing fresh opportunities! From upcoming events to important updates and ways to get involved, don’t miss what’s ahead.
Celebrate Black History Month with us, check out upcoming events, and share your feedback on key initiatives. Don’t miss out—read more here!
