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News & Notes From Mrs. Dyer...

January 2016

Principal: Mrs. Kari Dyer

Asst. Principal: Mrs. Teri Detering

www.mcsin-k12.org

The mission of Heritage Intermediate School is to equip students to achieve their

potential and positively impact their community.

Second Semester

Lunch $ Jan. 5th begins our second semes-

ter of school. Students who wish

to pay for lunches for the semes-

ter should pay $195.30 by Jan.

5th. We ask that meals for your

student NOT be charged. A re-

minder is sent home with your

student when their account bal-

ance is getting low. In addition, if

your child’s account is negative, a statement is sent home each day

until the account is paid. A bal-

ance can be requested at any time

by calling the school office at 574

-822-5396. Remember, you can

check your student’s meal ac-

count anytime on our website by

visiting the links for parents and

selecting Mealtime. For help in

registering or questions, call HIS

(822-5396).

January Calendar Classes Resume 5 School Board Mtg. 5 4pm @ Admin Ctr Report cards go home 8 PTO Mtg - 6:00 pm 11 Spelling Bee - 1:00 pm 11 Holiday - No School 18 School Board Mtg. 19 4 pm @ Admin Ctr 4th Gr Skating Party 19 5:30 - 8:00 pm 5th Gr Skating Party 21 5:30 - 8:00 pm Science Club 27 2:40 - 3:20 pm

NOTES FROM THE NURSE: Tips for a healthy, enjoyable winter:

*A student should be fever free, without the use of Tylenol or Ibuprofen, as well as vomit free for

24 hours before returning to school *Encourage proper hand washing throughout the day. *Ensure

your student gets adequate sleep each night. *Promote balanced meals with plenty of fruits and vege-

tables. *Increase your student's water intake by making sure he/she has a water bottle at school

each day. *Check your student's hair routinely for any signs of lice and remind him/her not to share

hats, scarves or coats. *Remind your student to dress appropriately for the weather and bring all the

necessary items for a cold recess.

It's hard to believe that we are already halfway through the school year! Our students have learned a lot already and we will continue to meet their needs to help them grow as readers, writers, mathematicians. Report cards will be sent home with students on Friday, January 8. You will notice that the format of our report cards has changed, but all of the same infor-mation will be included. If you have any questions about your student's progress, please feel free to contact your child's teacher. We want to work together to help each child grow!

School Safety: Safety for all students and staff is of upmost importance to us. As a reminder, we uti-lize a buzzer system to enter the school. Prior to entering the building, please remem-

ber to state your name and the nature of your visit before reporting directly to the of-

fice. All visitors need to sign in and wear a visitor badge. This is not meant to be an inconvenience for visitors, but is for the safety of our students and staff. Also, in

November, a new policy went into effect for Middlebury Community Schools: parents are no longer allowed to go out to recess with their child. We appreciate your under-

standing as we work to ensure the safety of all students. Car Riders:

Students who arrive by car in the morning need to be dropped off at the front door via

the car rider drop-off line. Please do not drop your child off in the NMS parking lot near the buses. Our buses have staggered arrival times, so we do not want students or par-

ents walking through bus traffic. Thank you for helping all our students stay safe dur-ing arrival time!

Cold Weather Reminders:

* Please use extreme caution driving or walking through our parking lots. Parking lots will be plowed throughout the winter, but not salted.

* Please remember to label all items such as boots, hats, gloves, etc.. that your child will be bringing to school. Many of these items look alike and can be mistaken for the

wrong ones.

* We will have outside recess every day unless the temperature or wind chill drops below 15 degrees. Help your child remember to dress appropriately for playing outside

in winter weather.

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Cyber Bullying:

A New Generation of Bullying

With advancements in technology also came a new form of bullying. In traditional forms of

bullying, individuals may have more power over another by being bigger, stronger, or more pop-

ular. With cyber-bullying, an individual may have more power by just being able to instantly share negative comments or photo-

graphs with a multitude of people via email, instant messaging, text messaging, or through web site posts. A few suggestions for

you, as a parent, to help watch for cyber-bullying:

Become involved in your child’s cyberspace. Sit at the computer and let them teach you.

Ask them to take you to sites they frequently visit.

Open your own accounts where they have accounts.

Have them share with you their user names and passwords. If this is a trust issue, have your child write down this information

and place it in a sealed envelope to only be opened in case of emergency.

Make sure they have never and will never share their passwords with anyone.

Have them show you what they have in their profile.

Ask if they have ever been ridiculed, intimidated or humiliated on the internet.

Share with them that the internet is a public forum so anything can be shared with other people without their knowledge or

consent.

Have a very pointed conversation about “sexting,” the risky practice of sending explicit photos and/or messages which can be

easily forwarded on to others.

Establish your own family policy for computer use: Sites? Time Allowance?

Do not allow computer to be in child’s bedroom. Keep it in a public area, such as kitchen.

We hope these tips keep your family

“computer-healthy”!

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5th Grade Spelling Bee

The Heritage Intermediate School Spelling Bee will be held on Monday January 11th,

2016 from 1:00 - 2:15 pm in the Main Gym. Any parents who would like to come and

watch are welcome. The winner from H.I.S. will go on to compete at the county

spelling bee at Goshen Middle School in February.

Excused Absences: Excused absences are defined as absences that the school corporation regards as legitimate reasons for being out

of school, as included in the school policy. These include: Illness verified by note from parent/guardian - Illness

verified by note from Physician - Family Funeral - Military Connected Families (e.g. absences related to

deployment and return.

Student Transfers

Middlebury Community

Schools is offering tuition-free

enrollment for second semes-

ter. The Student Transfer Poli-

cy and Student Transfer Appli-

cation can be found on our

website (www.mcsin-k12.org).

Please call the Administration

Center at 574-825-9425 if you

have any questions.

The first semester of the

2015-16 school year end-

ed on December 18th.

All student report cards

will be sent home with

students on Friday,

January 8, 2016.

Report Cards

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Respect

Alexia Miller, Karsyn Smaka, Liz Bolock, Ethan Laffoon, Yahir Arreola, Karen Depree, Daniel Astakhov, Blake Judd, Anel Jimenez, Bella Nickell, Megan Frey, Justin Miller, Yahir Arreola, Brooklyn Yoder, Sarah Trick, Mr. Perkins

Responsibility Carter Moeller, Kara Yoder, Max Estep, Christian Florea

Readiness Mr. Perkins, Jayden Simpson, Kendra Miller, Josiah Duncan, Logan Miller, Gage Garber, Brianna Gilbert

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H.I.S. Student Spotlights

A feature of the Knight News showcasing students who have been

recognized by our staff, or fellow students, modeling our creed of being Respectful,

Responsible and Ready.

GOOD BYSTANDER FUN SWIM REWARD PROGRAM

Kaitlyn Squiers Ethan Laffoon Gage Garber Zoe Hooley Gunner Douglas Emma Lenhart

Kaleb Walter Kurtis Miller Christian Fisher Emma Jones Sam Deputy Gracie Fackelman

Caleb Bontrager Morgan Miller Micah Wieland Austin Taylor Camden Gregory Ella Dyer

Andrew Fugate Kennedy Troyer Avery Virok Jack Urbanski Cole Hively Viktoria Pavlenko

David Gingerich Karisa Dyer Austin Hedges Kennedy Sutterby Amelia Cameron Anel Jimenez

Natalja Williams Eli Ruemler John Reames Alyssa Eash Morgan Hunsberger Brandon Olson

Makayla Fry Lisa Hernandez Jamison Troyer Nolan Mellott Abbi Hunt Allison lovely

Christian Floria Aubrey Hochstetler Tess Miller Yuliya Selvesyak Gabby Rusinko Jolee Kidder

Maryah Bontrager Iliena Bauta Jennifer Hernandez Valentin Cardona Katie Strahm

Natalie Yoder Reagan Nay Dylin Bontrager Hayden Troyer Kendra Miller LaVerda Miller

Max Deputy Ava Drummond Camrynn Hoover Luke Miller Wilma Miller Kara Yoder

Dominic Bollman Austin Pelikan David Miller Erick Penzenik Bowen Husek Kory Kruse

Skye Stachel Megan Williams Anthony Bolding Jhena Burkhead Harry Brown

Kailey Riegsecker Brian Byler Cohen Lantz Rylie Eichorst Ryan Overholt Jaylee Johnson Abbie

Eash Aubrey Rider Chandler Green Mason Martin Jalen Chappell Adrian Garcia Jennifer Hernan-

dez Valentin Cardona Meridith Frey Kien Oxenrider Campbell Lehman

A NOTE FROM THE LUNCH LADIES! Start the Day (and the Year) off Right! Make giving your kids a healthy breakfast every day one of your New Year’s resolutions. If you’re short on time in the morning or your kids aren’t hungry when they wake up, send them to school for breakfast. Healthy food choices are available every morning in the cafeteria for ALL Students. We cannot wait to see them there! Help your kids to make this semester a success - encourage them to eat breakfast!