I simply love the field of education. It is the one career that has a distinct start and finish to the cycle. May is the time of year when you celebrate the success stories from the past year and reflect on the needed changes for the upcoming year. It is also a time to begin your preparation for the next school year. 

Last week I attended numerous celebrations in our schools to honor students and staff for their accomplishments. I invited the valedictorian and salutatorian from our high schools to breakfast because I wanted to carve out some personal time without distractions to learn from their experiences what we do well and what we need to improve upon. I take their suggestions back to our staff to address. I found it interesting that all four students spent their entire academic careers attending Perry Township Schools.

Perry Meridian’s valedictorian is Jackie Hsu for achieving a grade point average of 4.62, ranking first out of 547 students. He will study computer science at Yale in the fall. The salutatorian is Lauren Daeger, who achieved a 4.50 gpa. She plans to major in international studies with a concentration in Latin American studies and Spanish at Indiana University Bloomington.

Southport’s valedictorian is Jensen Smith; he earned a 4.62 gpa, ranking first out of 478 students. Smith will study international business at IU Bloomington. The salutatorian is Victoria Updike, who earned a 4.5 gpa and plans to major in psychology and minor in Spanish at IU Bloomington.
These students not only excel academically but they are immersed in extracurricular activities from Best Buddies tutoring programs to National Honor Society, choir and even publishing the school newspapers. These students work from sunup to sundown and beyond!   

On another note, I must take a moment to honor the talent that this district is losing through retirements this year. 

   Martha Brown (17 years), Sharon Bryant (17 years), Karen Butchko-Cleary (27 years), Charlotte Champion (33 years), Elizabeth Cooper (28 years), Barbara Ellis (23 years), Martha Fair (11 years), Judy Gary (10.5 years), Mary Ann Gaybrick (18 years), Joyce Gentry (34 years), Susan Greaves (38.5 years), William Harding (14 years), Donna Harrison (18 years), Sharon Hritsko (23 years), Holly Jones (28 years), Mary Jungemann (19.5 years), Lynda Key (38 years), Marcia Kirk (41 years), Ann Marie Knoll (21 years), Elizabeth Levin (31.5 years), Richard Lines (11.5 years), Janet Lucas (33 years), Patricia Meyer (19 years), Karen Newport (28.5 years), James O'Brien Jr. (43 years), William Penish (37.5 years), Jacqueline Pearcy (19 years), Catherine Radomski (40 years), Cindy Shrontz (25 years), Jeff Teter (35.5 years), Barbara Toon (29 years) and Lois Vick (19 years)

We wish them many happy and healthy years of retirement.
Now and always, it is with tremendous pride that I serve as your superintendent.

By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of
Perry Township Schools

I cannot believe another year 
of school is almost over. I thoroughly enjoy this time of year, which is filled with programs to honor and award our students and staff for their achievements and hard work.

A reception was held at the Perry Township Education Center before the May school board meeting. The 47 students who received perfect scores on the IREAD-3 assessment; Burkhart Elementary’s choir, which earned a superior rating at the Smoky Mountain Music Festival; and Rosa Parks Elementary, which was named a Four Star School for the fifth year in a row; were honored.   

Your school board prides itself in being child-focused. Every board meeting begins with the “Pledge of Allegiance” led by a Scout troop. Girl Scout Troop 460, led by Michelle Brzycki, opened the meeting that evening. The board then recognized those who have displayed exceptional achievements that bring honor to not only the recipient but to the entire community.  

Recognitions that night included:
• Valedictorians: Jackie Hsu from Perry Meridian, Jensen Smith, Southport.
• Salutatorians: Lauren Daeger, Perry, Victoria Updike, Southport.
• Central Nine Career Center National Technical Honor Society Award recipients: Eric Bullard, Leland Gomez, Thang Hmung, Brian Huntley, Amanda Johnson, Victoria Sprinkle, Par Sung, Lal Thari and Hniang Zi 
• Morgan Ray, who will represent Southport in the Hoosier Heartland District at the National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament in Dallas, Texas, this summer.
• Ral Lian Khum of Southport, the school’s first recipient of the Gates Millenium Scholarship. It is a full ride to any college to which he is accepted and may even cover a master’s or doctorate, depending on the field of study.
• Elly Mawl and Emily Sung of Southport received Lilly Endowment Scholarships, which cover tuition to any public university in Indiana plus $900 per semester for book fees. 
• Perry Meridian’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics team, Cyber Blue 234, enjoyed its most successful season ever and won many titles, including the Indiana District championship. 
• Perry Meridian Middle School’s band program earned the All-Music Award from the Indiana State School Music Association.
• Southport Middle School’s Brian Knight was named District 7 (Marion County) Middle School Principal of the Year.
• Perry Meridian High School’s Rolland Abraham was named District 7 High School Principal of the Year.
Congratulations to all of our honorees!  

The board meeting was literally standing-room-only that night.  Thanks to the students, families, staff and community members who attended. We understand the importance of the support given to the students and staff in order to successfully reach these levels of achievement. The community’s presence that evening sent a strong message that it cares. 
Congratulations. It is an honor and a privilege to serve this community as your superintendent of schools.

By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of
Perry Township Schools

The Perry Township community deeply cares about its children and schools. The past nine months have been featured more than 60 meetings, hundreds of phone calls, emails and one-on-one conversations about a plan to address the capacity needs of the district. 

Your school board has been monitoring enrollment statistics closely and felt it was time to bring the issue to the community for a decision. A referendum is the only method available to school corporations to raise the funds needed for facility improvements.

On May 5 our community made a carefully thought-out decision at the polls to support building additional classrooms to accommodate our increased student enrollment. This was a difficult decision for many of our community members, especially those on fixed incomes. 
 
We realize this is a financial commitment to our schools and a sacrifice for our homeowners and business owners. When you voted yes for this referendum, you placed your trust in us. You have faith that we will be prudent stewards with the funds allocated to us to address the classroom space needs and the safety/security necessities of our students and staff.  

As with the past referendum, we will keep you updated with the plans and progress of the projects with full disclosure and transparency.   

Below is a brief summary of the projected time line:
• Design work on the four kindergarten centers will begin this month. Kindergarten staff, under the leadership of Vickie Carpenter, are visiting similar settings to gain an understanding of what kind of space our pupils will need. Bids will be accepted in January, with construction beginning in the spring of 2016 at Jeremiah Gray, Homecroft, Douglas MacArthur and Rosa Parks elementary schools. 
The centers will welcome children at the start of 2017-18 school year. In addition, 29 classrooms will be constructed to meet our needs at our elementary schools. All trailers will be removed from the sites beginning with the 2017-18 school year.    
• The open-concept school, Winchester Village Elementary, will become a facility with walls that protect and doors that lock. Construction and renovations will begin in August.
• Classrooms will be built at Southport Middle to replace the trailers being used for band and orchestra. 
• Additional custodial staff and bus drivers will be employed as needed to transport our growing enrollment.
When was the last time you were in an elementary classroom? Back in the 1970s the second-graders in my classroom were much different than second-graders of today. I would be delighted to take you to a school for a visit. You have an open invitation to contact my office and set an appointment. We are proud of our staff and enjoy sharing the great work that our teachers conduct every day.  

Thank you again for placing your trust in Perry Township Schools. We are blessed to serve in a community that supports their schools. We are committed to maintaining that trust.

By Dr. Tom Little
Perry Township superintendent

The ability to measure a child’s academic achievement is important to the continued improvement and growth of Perry Township Schools.  Achievement tests are used to measure the skill attainment of an individual child, as well as provide a measure of achievement in comparing schools and school districts. The measure builds into a level of accountability that is welcomed by the district.     

In the spring of 2012 the Indiana Department of Education introduced a new assessment called IREAD-3 (Indiana Reading Evaluation And Determination) for third-graders. The assessment specifically provides a standard to measure all pupils and their ability to read and comprehend material at the third-grade level.  
The achievement test is composed of three tests administered over a two-day period. Accommodations are provided, as needed, to support students. For example, some children may require large print, braille or amplification equipment. 

The content is based on the Indiana Academic Standards and measures the following skills: beginning, ending and vowel sounds, synonyms, antonyms, homographs, suffixes, context clues, vocabulary and reading comprehension.

If you are interested in viewing a sample of the test, visit http://lsurl.me/12KXH. I believe you will be surprised at the level of difficulty. The test is challenging for many who have not attended school for a while.
We all know that attitude and motivation play a large role in the success that our children will achieve. Our schools emphasize the importance of eating a good breakfast and attendance on test days.  

Letters were mailed to parents in conjunction with a report of their students’ results. Parents of students who did not pass received phone calls from the school. Those children are invited and encouraged to attend a summer school session specifically designed for IREAD-3 remediation. 

Mastery of reading skills is a crucial milestone of our third-graders. It is often described as moving from learning to read to reading to learn.  We welcome testing that provides data to identify those children who need additional support before moving on to the rigors of Grade 4.

This year the district is proud to announce that 47 pupils recorded perfect scores. These outstanding children and their parents will be honored by the board of education at a reception before its May meeting.  
Perry Township … Perry Pride!