Welcome ToMcDowell!

McDowell Office Staff

Mrs. Natalie Wininger Principal

Mrs. Deborah Enright SecretaryMrs. Kitt Holcomb Secretary

Mrs. Kristen Gilliland School Counselor

Mrs. Jean Graham School Psychologist

Mrs. Kim LaScola District NurseMs. Tiarra Gallentine Medical Assistant

Important Phone NumbersMain Office (330) 653-1246

Fax Line (330) 653-1238

Attendance Line (330) 653-1300

Clinic (330) 653-1292

School Counselor (330) 653-1213

Media Center (330) 653-1242

Food Service (330) 653-1203

Bus Garage (330) 653-3355

Safe Schools Helpline (800) 418-6423 X397

Fast Facts about McDowell Elementary

● McDowell currently has 14 classrooms of 3rd grade students. All classrooms have heterogeneous groupings in terms of ability levels. Some groups of students are clustered together based on specific needs.

● The building is divided into four pods. Three to four teachers make up each 3rd grade pod and also a Professional Learning Community (PLC). PLC’s meet weekly to collaborate, network, and engage in professional development opportunities.

● Your child will be assigned to a classroom where he/she will participate in all subject areas including language arts, math, and inquiry (science and social studies).

● Your child’s daily schedule entails approximately 120 minutes of reading and writing, 90 minutes of math, and 40 minutes of inquiry (science and social studies). In addition, your child will participate in music, P.E. and art twice per week and library once a week.

● Your child will have about 25 minutes for lunch each day and about 20 minutes for lunch recess. Your child may also have a short morning or afternoon recess of 10-15 minutes as students of this age level often need a sensory break or time to move to stimulate his/her brain.

● School and family communication is important. We send McDowell Weekly Updates every Thursday (usually), and urge you to stay current with our webpage to stay informed of activities, events and important notices. Your child’s teacher will also send weekly newsletters.

● Third grade is the first year when Ohio’s state testing begins in reading and mathematics. Your third grade child will be taking the English Language Arts (ELA) Ohio State Test in the fall and again in the spring. The Math Ohio State Test is only given once, in the spring.

● The most important thing to know is that McDowell is a great place to be and your child will be in good hands!!!

● In addition to high academic expectations, we also support your child’s social and emotional needs. Your childś safety, emotional well-being, and academic growth are top priorities at McDowell. Along with experienced classroom teachers, we have a school counselor and school psychologist.

● Our school team partners together to create a school climate to promote kindness, acceptance, leadership, and self-awareness by offering the following:

o School safety lesson the first week of school

o Expected behavior lesson the first week of school to review expected behaviors for:▪ Classroom ▪ Playground▪ Hallways▪ Lunchroom▪ Sidewalks and Bus▪ Restrooms

o Zones of Regulation refresher the first month of school

o Weekly video announcements to reinforce K-5 district programs like Leader in Me(Covey), Zones of Regulation (Kuypers) and Social Thinking (Garcia-Winners) as well as student lead root-word activities

o Classroom lessons taught by our school counselor addressing concepts including: ▪ Growth Mindset▪ Self Regulation▪ Diversity▪ Friendship▪ Responsibility▪ Leadership▪ Resiliency▪ Perspective Taking▪ Kindness/Empathy▪ Stress Management

Students’ School Day8:40AM Students begin entering the building & reporting to classrooms8:55AM School begins for all students - Tardy bell rings3:38PM 1st wave busses, parent pick-up, walkers, after school activities dismissed (HCER)*3:40PM All remaining students dismissed.

*Students going to HCER activities after school meet in the gym and are walked to EW with an HCER counselor.

Tardy: Students who arrive tardy (after 8:55AM) must be signed in with an adult at the main office.

AM Drop-off: Parents may drop off their child at the front entrance no earlier than 8:40AM.

PM Pick-up: Beginning at 3:38PM, children will be dismissed to the front entrance and will be released to cars in the circle drive in front of McDowell. Your child must present a note to the teacher if he/she is to be parent pick-up.

Busses: Students who ride busses are dropped off in the morning at EW, and picked up in the afternoon at EW. For bus information, call 330-653-3355.

Absences: All absences must be called in to the Attendance Line (330) 653-1300. This line is open 24 hours every day. You may call at any time. Please note: after 10 absences, a doctor’s note must be provided.

Leaving Early: If your child needs to leave during the school day, please write a note to the teacher indicating what time the student will picked up and who will be picking up the student. Please be prepared to show identification when you come to pick up your child. When you arrive at the office, your child will be called from the classroom.

Explorer Zone: For more information on before-and after-school care through HCER, please call (330) 653-1210.

Important Information to Note

● Class Lists: Class lists for the 2019-2020 school year will be posted on the front windows on August 9, 2019, after 4:00 pm.

● Open House: A Meet-the-Teacher Open House is scheduled on Tuesday, August 13th,

from 4:00-6:00 pm. This is an opportunity for your child to meet his/her teacher and tour the building. You may bring your child’s supplies as you will be able to locate his/her desk and locker.

● 1st Day of School: The first day of school is Wednesday, August 14th. Parent volunteers and staff members will be available to assist children with finding classrooms.

● Home/School Communication: Teachers can be contacted via written note, email or phone. Each staff member has an email account and a phone in the classroom. During the school day, teachers have limited access to the phone or computer since they are instructing and supervising children. If you need to get a message to your child’s teacher in a timely manner, please write a note or contact the office if immediate attention is needed. Please allow staff members a reasonable amount of time to respond to any situation which does not require immediate attention.

● Medications: If your child needs to take any medications during the course of the

school day, forms need to be completed by a physician each school year. These forms are available here at www.hudson.k12.oh.us.mcd , or in the school clinic.

● Visitors to the Building: We value and welcome our parent volunteers and visitors. For security reasons, please make sure you sign in at the office and wear a badge during your visit. You will also be asked to present a photo ID.

● Volunteers: Please consider volunteering! The students love when you are in the building and we love the support! You may volunteer through the PTO, and/or VIP programs. Information is located on our website and in the school office.

● Party Guidelines for 2019-2020: Sign-ups for party volunteers will go out via Sign-Up Genius through the classroom teacher or room parent. This will allow more parents the opportunity to participate. Also, there will be a set menu for K-5 parties for which the head room parents will communicate acceptable snacks. When planning games and/or prizes, please make sure food items are not part of the activity. This will help eliminate any food allergy issues. We will remind you of this policy again next year.

● Birthday Treats: Only non-food items may be brought in for birthday treats.

● Additional Questions? Please feel free to contact our office at 330-653-1246, or email me at winingen@hudson.k12.oh.us .