Hello, Miami Whitewater Families! We are happy to report how well things are going at school! Students and teachers have been working hard on increasing skills and meeting goals.  Great progress is being made so far third quarter. We look forward to sharing your child’s progress with you at our upcoming winter conferences. January flew by & February will be another busy, yet productive month at school.  Please review the updates listed below and as always, call us in the office or reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions or concerns!

Parent-Teacher Conferences - Winter conferences are scheduled for February 2 and February 8.  Your child's teacher should have shared a link for online sign-ups through www.signup.com.  If you did not receive this link, which is unique to each teacher - please call Lisa Schille in the front office for further assistance.  We appreciate PTO for providing dinner for the teachers and staff members on conference nights.  We don't have much time to transition into "conference mode" once the students all dismiss on those busy days!  

Kindergarten Registration 2023-24 - Kindergarten registration begins February 1st at midnight. We will once again offer a limited number of tuition-based full-day options. The number of full-day classrooms will depend on space and enrollment numbers. Full-day spots are assigned by the date stamp in Final Forms. Please do not register early, that will NOT hold you a spot and you will need to restart registration.  Use the attached QR Code to access Kdg. registration information.

For more information, visit the Kindergarten Registration link on the SLSD website: https://www.southwestschools.org/departments/enrollment-5/kindergarten-registration-22/

The online registration can be started here: https://www.southwestschools.org/departments/enrollment-5/kindergarten-registration-22/

Scholastic Book Fair -  Our PTO is sponsoring the Scholastic Book Fair February 2-10.  Thanks to Mrs. Erin Phillips, Mrs. Becky Meckstroth, and Mrs. Allison Kathman for coordinating this year's book fair.  Students will visit the book fair during the school day.  The book fair will also be open during parent-teacher conferences on February 2 and 10 in the evenings.  Please stop by room #162 with your family to shop! 

SRO Lessons - Our new School Resource Officer, Niki Dennis, from the Harrison Police Department has been visiting classrooms to present "Stranger Danger" lessons to primary students and "Digital Footprint & Safety" lessons to our intermediate students.  We are lucky to have Officer Dennis in our building daily to support our students and teachers!

National School Counselor Week - February 6-10 is National School Counselor week!  We are so fortunate to have Mrs. Sharon Gieringer working with our students every day at school.  She supports our kiddos in times of need and provides social/emotional development small group counseling as well.  Mrs. Gieringer assists students as they build skills to be successful in the classroom and solve problems independently.  We would honestly be lost without her!  Please consider having your kiddo write a note or drop a card off at Mrs. Gieringer's office to show their appreciation the week of Feb. 6th.

Spelling Bee - Congratulations to Kyleigh Henn for winning this year’s Spelling Bee.  Kylie and our runner-up, Sai Patel, battled back and forth for several rounds.  We would like to thank all of our Spelling Bee participants and the teachers who volunteered their time as judges and emcee for this fun annual event!

Save the Date! Harrison High School Student Council will be hosting the annual "Daughter Dance" and "Son Dance" coming up on March 31 & April 1.  A link to ticket sales and flyers will be available within the next few weeks.  Please click HERE for more information!

Building Substitute Teachers and Aides Needed – Spread the word!  Southwest Local Schools is seeking community members who enjoy working with students to be substitute teachers and substitute teaching assistants (aides).  School substitutes have choice of assignments and which days they work.  Ohio has passed a temporary law allowing for substitute teachers without bachelor’s degrees to apply.  A satisfactory background check and desire to work with students is required.  Substitute employees are hired through our partnership with Sub Solutions.  Click on the links below for more info.

Substitute Teacher - $105 / day

Substitute Teaching Assistant - $10/hr

Apply at www.SubSolutions.org – Click new subs and the desired icon

Questions? Email substitute@hcesc.org or call 513.674.4364

Valentine’s Day Parties – Our winter holiday parties are scheduled for Tuesday, February 14.  

1. Time – Full day Kindergarten, PM Kindergarten, & grades 1-5 will start at 2:30.  All parties will end by 3:30 so volunteers can get their things out safely and clear the lot before dismissal begins.  AM Kindergarten parties will start at 10:45 & end at 11:45am. 
2. Parking - All  room parents & guardians should park in our lot or in the green barn lot by our playground.  However, if you park in the green barn lot you still need to enter through the front doors and not the rear entrance.   We need to avoid parents and guardians parking in our grass, along Wildcat Way loop road, and in the landscaping.  There will be no parking on the blacktop between MWE and the JS due to dismissal at the JS falling during our party time.
3. Volunteers – Each classroom can have 5 volunteers.  ALL volunteers need to have a quick background check done by Lisa Schille or Kelsey Dwenger in the office prior to Feb. 3. Add your party volunteer names to the list in the office.  Volunteers can enter the building at 2:15, need a photo ID, and will be allowed to come to your classrooms around 2:20. 
4. Snacks & Treats – All snacks, desserts, & treats need to be store bought and individually wrapped.  This will help keep our students healthy and aligns with our SLSD wellness policy.

HVAC Issues – As many of you are aware, we have been struggling to maintain consistent temperatures in each learning space and room in the building throughout the last few weeks.  Our SLSD Maintenance crew has been trouble-shooting and reached out to the construction company and ElitAire.  Today, ElitAire began replacing compressors on the roof to rectify the situation.  Our maintenance crew has been resetting the system each morning in the interim to keep temperatures as comfortable as possible.  Thanks to our teachers and students for their patience and understanding!

School Delays & Closings  - When inclement weather occurs, our school messaging system will be used to distribute information. You can also listen to local TV and radio stations for information on Southwest Local Schools. Any delay or closing is also posted to the school district website: www.southwestschools.org as well as on our Crosby Facebook page. Also, HALF-DAY KINDERGARTEN parents need to be advised that whenever school is delayed, AM Kindergarten is canceled.  

Acceptance Week –  The Southwest Local School District will be celebrating Acceptance Week at the end of February!  Please make note of the dress-up theme days below.  Miami Whitewater Elementary is so lucky to have students with ALL abilities and has all five elementary-level multiple disability units under our roof.  Let's celebrate and accept every student's unique talents and remind our community that we are ONE student body and ONE MWE Family!!

• Monday (Feb. 27): Mix Match Monday -  Wear two different socks to show that we are all different and unique in our own way.   

• Tuesday(Feb. 28): Tie Dye Tuesday - Rock your tie-dye to repent ALL disabilities  
• Wednesday (March 1): We are ONE - Wear your school spirit to show that we are ONE student body and ONE community, and together we can make a change.   

• Thursday (March 2): Take the Pledge Thursday - Take the pledge for national spread the word inclusion day (formerly known as the "r-word campaign/ spread the word to end the word")   
• Friday (March 3): Inclusion Friday - Wear yellow (acceptance weeks color) to show that you understand Awareness + Change = ACCEPTANCE, and together we can make a change. 

Valentine Grams - The Miami Whitewater Elementary Junior Curriculum Life Skills club is selling Valentine Grams to raise money to purchase supplies for their leadership project and club. February is quickly approaching! Help MWE 5th graders raise money for their life skills club with Valentine Grams delivered to MWE! These can be ordered online, https://forms.gle/Qwqfqcz55ffeQZAu8 (https://forms.gle/Qwqfqcz55ffeQZAu8), for a surprise delivery on Valentine’s Day! If you prefer to use cash, please look for the Valentine Gram form that will be sent home sometime this week!

*Last day to order is February 9th. 

*Deliveries to MWE only!

Random Acts of Kindness – Random Acts of KINDNESS Day is February 17, 2023.  Miami Whitewater teachers, students, and staff members will be participating on both February 16 & 17 since we don’t have school the 17^th.   In memory of our Intervention Specialist Susan Schaich, please encourage your children & family members to be kind!  This was how Susan Schaich lived each and every day of her life – not for the recognition, but to bring joy to the receiver.   Thanks to Mrs. Gieringer for initiating this district-wide!  MWE will have a Kindness bulletin board in the café for Random Acts of Kindness day.  Teachers will have pink post-it notes to encourage students to write their kind acts on and place on the bulletin board, since pink was Mrs. Schaich's favorite!

Upcoming Dates:

February

2.1.23 - PBIS Assembly "Honesty"

2.2.23 - Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00-8:00

2.6.23 - 2.10.23 - National School Counseling Week

2.7.23 - PTO Meeting 6:30 in cafe 

2.8.23 - Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00-7:30

2.14.23 - Valentine's Day Parties

2.16.23 - Random Acts of Kindness Day

2.16.23 - SLSD Board of Education meeting at Crosby Elementary 7:00pm

2.17.23 - Conference Release Day - No School

2.20.23 - President's Day - No School

2.23.23 - All MWE students & staff attending Harrison JS drama rehearsal performance of "Moana" at the Activity Center 10:00am

2.24.23 - February Wildcat Walk

2.27.23 through 3.3.23 - SLSD Acceptance Week

March

3.1.23 - PBIS Assembly "Courage"

3.7.23 - PTO meeting 6:30 in cafe 

3.10.23 - Author visit by Jennifer Shaw 

3.17.23 - End of 3rd Quarter- No school for students 

3.20.23 through 3.24.23  Spring Break- No School 

3.27.23 through 3.31.23  Grades 3-5 Ohio State Testing ELA  

3.31.23 - Wildcat Walk

3.31.23 - SLSD "Daughter Dance"

April

4.1.23 - SLSD "Son Dance"

4.3.23 - PBIS Assembly "Cooperation"

4.3.23 through 4.6.23  - Grades 3-5 Ohio State Testing ELA 

4.7.23  - Good Friday- No School 

4.10.23 - No School 

4.17.23 through 4.28.23 -  Grades 3-5 Ohio State Testing Math / Gr 5 Science 

4.20.23 - SLSD Board of Education Meeting at Harrison Elementary 7:00 

4.25.23 - 3rd & 4th grade spring musical performance

4.28.23 - Wildcat Walk

May

5.1.23 - Third Grade field trip to Great American Ball Park

5.2.23 - PBIS Assembly "Creativity"

5.5.23 - Kindergarten field trip to the Cincinnati Zoo

5.5.23 - First Grade field trip to Cincinnati Museum Center

5.8.23 through 5.12.23 -   Spring NWEA MAP Benchmark Testing 

5.15.23 through 5.18.23 - SLSD district-wide Shower with Kindness / Day of Service / Spirit Week 

5.16.23 - Fourth Grade field trip to Governor Bebb Pioneer Village

5.17.23 - SLSD Day of Service

5.18.23 - MWE PTO Walk-A-Thon

5.18.23 - SLSD Board of Education Meeting at Miami Whitewater Elementary 7:00

5.19.23 -     Teacher In-service Day- No school for students 

5.25.23 - Fifth Grade field trip to iSpace

5.26.23 - Fifth Grade field trip to iSpace

5.29.23 -     Memorial Day- No School 

5.31.23 - Fifth Grade graduation ceremony and celebration

5.31.23     Last Day of School for Students