It’s October!  We only have two weeks left in the quarter.  Please remind your child to think positive every day and stay focused.  Fall is a great time of year to set goals.  Guiding your children set academic goals helps them build good study habits, manage time, and stay resilient!

Conferences – Parent-Teacher conferences are October 5 and October 11.  Please use the www.signup.com classroom link that your child’s teacher shared to schedule your conference time.  Each link is homeroom specific.  This is a great evening to connect with teachers and be an active partner in your child’s education.  The MWE teachers would like to thank PTO for supplying dinner for fall conferences! 

PTO –  We want to thank everyone for an amazing Mumkin sale! Not only did we sell 3,365 Mumkins (new record!!!) but we also had more volunteers than ever step up to help on pick up day, making it all a huge success! Our first Cat Cart of the school year took place last week. Thank you to everyone who donated candy. The kids love Cat Cart day and we love being able to provide the treats and incentives to the students. If you have not already, please link your Kroger Plus card to the PTO under the community rewards, it is free money for us while you do your normal shopping! 

Join us for our next meeting, Tuesday October 4th at 6:30pm in the school cafeteria.  Your child earns extra CAT Cash if you come to PTO meetings!

Weber’s Pumpkin Fest Straw MAZE! – Please sign up for this aMAZing fundraiser for our school, Miami Whitewater Elementary using the link below! The straw maze is an awesome PTO fundraising opportunity, which will go towards field trip expenses, and it's a great way to interact within our community! It's bundles of fun working with friends and family, while also walking around and shopping at the 180 arts and crafts exhibitors expected this year! There is also live music, a variety of foods, and live demonstrations to check out while you are there. Thanks for helping out with this aMAZing fundraiser!  If you are unable to volunteer at the straw maze, please stop by with your family to go through our straw maze at Pumpkin Fest

https://signup.com/go/NUUVpfD

Pull tabs – Miami Whitewater Elementary is collecting pop can pull tabs to donate to the Ronald McDonald House Charity in Cincinnati! By collecting pull tabs, we can make a difference in our community by supporting families and children during times of medical needs.  If you send pull tabs from soda cans to school, have your child deliver them to Mrs. Bennett’s room #258.

Halloween Party – Temps are dropping & fall is here!  That means our first celebration of the year is coming… MWE Halloween Parade & Party Day!  In order for our little ghosts and goblins to have an amazing party experience on Oct. 31 at Miami Whitewater Elementary, please keep the following in mind:

• Each homeroom will have five volunteers helping with games, snacks, and crafts at the party.  PTO helped coordinate the volunteer list in advance with our teachers by hanging lists at Open House.  All parents and guardians who are volunteering need to come to school and have a quick background check done by the secretaries by Oct. 20^th with a valid driver’s license.  No additional visitors will be allowed to go to classrooms tomorrow during party time.  We are encouraging our teachers and staff to park in the Junior School lot next door or in the green barn lot to keep the front lot open for our parent and guardian volunteers on Oct. 31.  Parents need to park out front and not in the side bus lot, as the Junior School busses will be coming for dismissal during the parties and we can't block bus traffic.  Please do not park in the landscaping or grass. 
• Party volunteers are welcome to arrive at 1:45 and need to bring a photo ID when checking in.  We'll send party volunteers to classrooms at 2:00pm.  
• Costumes need to be appropriate for school.  We do not allow face paint, weapons, blood, or violence of any kind.  Students in full-day Kindergarten, 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 grade should pack their costumes and not wear them to school.
• AM Kindergarten parties begin at 10:45am.  AM & PM half-day Kindergarten students can wear their costumes to school.  AM Kindergarten students will parade through the school before their parties begin.
• Parties for students who attend school all day will begin at 2:30 after the parade ends.
• Our annual Halloween parade will begin at 2:00pm.  All full-day Kindergarten, PM Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade students will parade through the intermediate hallways, cafeteria, and gym.  4th and 5th grade students will be the parade audience.  Parents and guardians who are not helping at the party who wish to watch the parade can come to school between 1:50-2:00 to watch the parade from the seats in the cafeteria & be asked to leave after the parade.
• All treats and baked goods should be individually wrapped and packaged.  This keeps our kiddos safe and healthy & is aligned to our SLSD wellness policy.
• All parties will be wrapped up by 3:30!  
• Thanks in advance for helping our young wildcats celebrate Halloween in a fun and exciting way!

Family/Loss/Grief groups – Our school counselor, Mrs. Gieringer, is setting up small group counseling sessions for students who have experienced loss or have family situations such as divorce, living with grandparents, parents are separated, etc.  Please click HERE  for more information and to access the permission slip for your child to participate.

Lost & Found – Our lost and found cart is located in the cafeteria to the left of the kitchen serving line.  We’ve accumulated plenty of treasures over the last seven weeks.  Please have your child check for lost lunch boxes, jackets, water bottles, toys, and other clothing items this week.  The lost and found items will be out October 5 & 11 for parent-teacher conferences as well.  We will take all lost and found items to Goodwill or donate them on Oct. 14^th at the end of the quarter.  Please remember to label your child’s personal belongings with your last name so it’s easier for us to connect lost items with the owner at school.

Harrison Library October Events – The Harrison branch of the Cincinnati Public Library has several fun events planned in October.  Please click the Harrison Library event calendar - October  and Harrison Public Library event list - October  for more information!

End of 1^st Quarter –The end of first quarter is October 14^th.  Students do not have school on 10-14-22, as the teachers have records day.  Please make sure your child does not have any missing assignments in ProgressBook and everything is turned in by 10-13-22.

Fall Break – SLSD Fall Break is October 17^th & 18th.  Enjoy the long weekend with family and friends. 

Breakfast & Lunch - It has come to our attention that some students are going to breakfast and depleting their lunch accounts, then not having money for lunch. Please let your child know your expectations about whether he/she should be buying breakfast at school. Breakfast has become a social event for some students, and we want to make sure only those that SHOULD be eating breakfast are getting breakfast. You can check your child’s account at the website below to see if they have been using their lunch money for breakfast. If you do notice your child buying breakfast and they are being fed at home, please let their teacher know so they can help monitor that they do not leave to go to breakfast. If you need to apply for free and reduced meals at MWE, please see the secretaries for the proper forms.  Thank you!

Click here for information on breakfast and lunch: southwestschools.org/foodservice. 

Extra-curriculars & clubs – Miami Whitewater Elementary offers several after school clubs in the fall.  We currently have Girls on the Run, Starting Artist, Lightning Squad, and Scouts.  Life Skills club is coming soon.  Please check your child’s folder or back pack for more information on this real-world application club!

Transportation - With SLSD bus and van routes in full swing and drivers finding their groove in terms of routines, we recognized that some route times were a few minutes off from what was projected by our software.  We were able to update all bus stop times in our recent route reviews with drivers.  The most accurate, up to date times have been uploaded to Final Forms and are available for families to view at this time.  While most bus stop times stayed within a minute or two of their projected times, some stops have changed by a handful of minutes one way or the other.  For the most part, these adjusted times are already in place so no changes in times will be noted.  This most recent upload would simply confirm the times that we are operating routes "in reality" now that buses are on the road - barring an unexpected event or substitute driver on the route.  Thanks for your flexibility and understanding on transportation as we started the school year!

Curriculum Nights- Kudos to all the parents and guardians who attended grade level curriculum and technology nights first quarter.  The presentations by teachers and staff members gave families an in-depth look at instruction in content areas such as Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, Reading, and Social Studies and curricular materials.  You were also able to experience the 1:1 devices that your child uses in the classroom and the projectors and other tech tools that our teachers utilize to deliver dynamic instruction.  Thanks to the JS & HS for sharing student volunteers who provided childcare in the gym for curriculum nights.  Your kids were supervised and happy while you were able to focus fully on the teacher presentations!

Grandparents/Special Friends Days – Miami Whitewater Elementary will be hosting grandparents or special friends in November!  All guests will meet in the cafeteria then rotate through stations around the school and enjoy refreshments.  Here is the schedule:

• November 2 from 9:30-10:30 – AM Kindergarten (Beasley & Midei) & 4^th grade
• November 2 from 1:00-2:00 – 5^th grade
• November 3 from 9:30-10:30 – 2^nd grade
• November 3 from 1:00 – 2:00 – 3^rd grade
• November 4 from 9:30-10:30 – Kindergarten Kober & 1^st grade
• November 4 from 1:00-2:00 – Kindergarten Ard & PM Kindergarten (Midei)

Each teacher is sending home grandparents/special friends invitations and RSVP forms.  Please email your kiddos’ teacher if you have not received this yet.  We understand that this may be emotional for families who have suffered recent loss, or don't have grandparents living nearby.  Please reach out to Mrs. Gieringer, our school counselor, if your child needs support early in November.  We can also have teacher's aides or administrators accompany your child if they don't have a special friend or grandparent to join them.

Student grades and report card access - To access Progress Book login information, login to Final Forms https://southwestharrison-oh.finalforms.com and click on: Student/Parent Access Codes. All the information you need to create or access your account is here. If you are having any issues email parentaccess@southwestschools.org .

PBIS Character Trait of the Month – Our character trait of the month for PBIS is RESPONSIBILITY.  Parents and guardians can reinforce responsible habits at home by setting age-appropriate tasks for your children.  Set a good example & make chores fun!  Be realistic and focus on effort, not results.  All students attended an assembly about being responsible for their actions and thoughts this morning at school.   Thanks to our second grade teachers and Mrs. Gieringer for leading the fun PBIS Assembly!

Mobile Dental Van - The Mobile Dentist is coming to Miami Whitewater Elementary November 2, 3, & 4.   Permission slips were sent home in September. Our in-school dental program saves you time and provides a safe and comfortable place for your child to receive gentle dental care from licensed local professionals. Dental care includes a complete dental exam, x-rays, cleaning, fluoride, and sealants when necessary, and in some cases, restorative care such as fillings. Even better, dental care is usually at no cost to you. All insurance is accepted including Medicaid and CHIP. For those without insurance, a low-cost self-pay option is available. Return the permission slip to school or sign up online at: https://www.myschooldentist.com/HGSLOH_sch 

Super Saturday - The Super Saturday Program is a program for students identified as gifted.  It is run by the Parent Association for Gifted Education, Inc. (PAGE). PAGE is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and is concerned solely with offering The Super Saturday Program. As such, the mission of PAGE is to serve intellectually gifted children early in their lives and to promote the recognition of their significantly different educational needs. PAGE also provides opportunities for parents to learn about the special needs of gifted children and to interact with other parents of gifted children.  If your child is identified as gifted and you are interested in registering for the Super Saturday Program please visit this website:  https://www.supersaturday.org/registration/

ParaProfessional I position – Would you like to be on your child’s schedule and make a difference in the lives of others?  Miami Whitewater Elementary is in need of a full-time ParaProfessional I (Special Education Aide) for the 2022-2023 school year.  Interested applicants should contact Mrs. Mia Neckel, Principal, at mia.neckel@southwestschools.org and apply via Applitrack using the link below:

https://www.applitrack.com/greatercincinnati/onlineapp/JobPostings/view.asp?FromAdmin=true&AppliTrackJobId=28021

Applitrack Job ID # 28021

Communication – We pride ourselves in consistent and clear communication! 

District-

• The Southwest Local School District sends parent & guardian email using School Messenger (make sure your Final Forms are complete to be connected to School Messenger)
• SLSD website www.southwestschools.org
•  Facebook = Southwest Local Schools
•  Twitter = @SouthwestLocal

School-

• Principal- Mrs. Neckel sends parent and guardian emails at least twice a month using School Messenger (make sure your Final Forms are complete to be connected to School Messenger)
• MWE website mwes.southwestschools.org
• Facebook = Miami Whitewater Elementary
• Twitter = @SLSDMWE
• Instagram = @SLSDMWE

Teachers- Progress Book, weekly newsletters, family emails, educational apps (Dojo, Class Tag, etc.)

Upcoming Dates:

October

 4                  PTO Meeting – 6:30 in café

5                   Mumkin Prize Day!

 5                  Parent -Teacher Conferences 4:00-8:00 p.m.

10                 Fire Prevention Assemblies (grades K-2) with Harrison FD

10                 Columbus Day

10-14           Earth Science Week

10-14           Fire Prevention Week

11                         Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00-7:30 p.m.

14                          End of Quarter- No school for students

17-18                    Fall Break- No School

20                 SLSD Board of Education Meeting 7:00pm at district office

24-28           3^rd grade Reading OST Assessment week

28                 Wildcat Walk for October

31                          Halloween Parade & Party Day

November

1                   PBIS Assembly - GRATITUDE

  2, 3, & 4    Grandparents/Special Friends Days

8                           Teacher Inservice – No school for students

 10                           Veteran’s Day Ceremony

11                          Veteran's Day- No School

23                          Conference Release Day- No School

24-25                    Thanksgiving Break- No School