Perry Township Schools is proud to announce that Lydia Andrews is one of eight students to win a nationwide contest and have her T-shirt design sold in Gap Kids stores.

Lydia, a fifth-grader at Rosa Parks Elementary, entered a contest called Certified Kind, sponsored by Gap Kids and Lionsgate. Students were challenged to design a T-shirt that illustrates what kindness looks like.
Lydia’s shirt shows stick figures holding hands around a globe with the words “Kindness is everything; it’s a chain reaction.” Her shirt went on sale Nov. 13, World Kindness Day. Profits will benefit myFace and Children’s Craniofacial Association, two nonprofit organizations dedicated to supporting children with craniofacial differences.

“It’s pretty neat to have my T-shirt sold at Gap Kids,” Lydia said. “It’s even more important to teach kids at my school and everywhere to be kind to each other.”

Her achievement is remarkable for a number of reasons, especially for aspiring designers who spend many years trying to get into reputable retailers like the Gap. Our board of education was honored to recognize her during its November meeting.

The Certified Kind contest was inspired by the film “Wonder,” which debuted in theaters Friday. Lydia’s class, taught by Shaun Pennington, read the book of the same name, which tells the story of Auggie Pullman, a boy born with facial differences that hindered him from attending mainstream school. 

Mr. Pennington’s class read the book long before they learned about the kindness challenge. He assigned the book to them because the characters are the same age as his students and he felt the situation might resonate with them. It was a happy coincidence that he found out about the contest after they had read the novel. Now that the buzz about Lydia’s accomplishment has gotten around the school, students and teachers in other classrooms are excited to read “Wonder.”

As a reward for winning the contest, Lydia’s class was treated to an early screening of the movie – a special treat for all of the children, especially two students who had never been to a theater. Experiences like these will be remembered by Lydia and her classmates for years to come.
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Congratulations, Lydia! You’ve made your school and our community proud.

Perry Township Schools would like to wish the community a happy Thanksgiving. We are truly aware that we have plenty to be thankful for this year.

We are humbled by our growing student population. We are honored that each year more parents entrust us with the care and education of their children. This year 16,299 students are enrolled in our district. This continues the trend we have experienced of steady growth over the past five years.

We are also thankful for the dedication of our educators, who help students to grow academically. Our most recent ISTEP scores provide a glimpse into the progress they are making. Because of their intentional work to meet every students’ needs we earned, nine A’s, five B’s and three C’s. Two of our elementary schools increased from C’s to an A’s within one year! These scores are incredible achievement, especially considering we serve more than 4,800 English learner students who speak 73 languages.

We are grateful for the opening of our four kindergarten academies, which was made possible because of our generous community. We serve 1,440 kindergarten students in those academies. That allowed us to free up classroom space in other elementary schools. At the start of the year the academies will welcome assistant principals who will help the building principals provide leadership. Because of the focus the district places on professional development, we were able promote our assistant principals from within.

• Stacy Knoop – promoted from master teacher at Homecroft Kindergarten to assistant principal at MacArthur Kindergarten.
• Stacey Snyder – promoted from dean/adviser at Southport Middle to assistant principal at Homecroft Kindergarten.
• Angela Swails – promoted from master teacher at Burkhart Elementary to assistant principal at Rosa Parks Kindergarten.
• Brian Witt – promoted from assistant athletic director at Southport High to assistant principal at Jeremiah Gray Kindergarten.
We welcomed qualified candidates from within and outside the district to apply for the positions that were vacated.

We are also thankful for all that is to come. In June we will start the project to expand Perry Meridian and Southport sixth-grade academies and middle schools. Approximately 455 additional students are estimated for Grades 6-8 by 2021-22, so it’s important for us to plan now for that surge by adding 39 classrooms.

This project will be paid for with savings that remain from our existing construction fund, as well as rainy day funds. The school district will not propose a bond referendum, and taxes will not be increased as a result of this project.
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We have so much to be thankful for here in Perry Township. We take nothing for granted, and we appreciate our community of supporters who encourage us along the way. 

Our food services department plays a critical role in the success and well-being of our students. Even when school is not in session the team works hard to keep our students nourished.

Last month – over nine days of fall break – the department served 1,384 breakfasts and 2,504 lunches and 1,309 snacks to children at Baxter YMCA and students participating in intercession. 

It’s important for us to provide nutritious meals to help children stay focused and energized even when not in class. We know that students who live in low-income households rely heavily on school meals as their main source of food every day, and that need doesn’t go away just because school is on break.
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Food services has launched a new website to provide families with easier access to important resources. With a click of a mouse, visitors can take advantage of several important features:
• View video instructions for the free/reduced meal application.
• Prepay for lunch and breakfast.
• View menus for all grade levels.
• Sign up to receive menus via email.
• Explore nutrition and fitness tips.
• Download nutrition newsletter.  

Because nutrition is so important, our food services department wants to encourage students to take advantage of after-school offerings. At Southport and Perry Meridian high schools and Perry Meridian Middle School. Because the program begins after buses depart, the meals are available to students who have their own transportation and stay at school after classes dismiss – even if they’re not there to participate in extracurricular activities or athletics. The meals must be eaten on-site.
At Perry Meridian High the meals are available from 2:15-2:45 p.m. everyday except Wednesday, when they are served from 1:40-2:10 p.m.

Southport students can grab a bite to eat from 2:05-2:35 p.m. every day except Wednesday, from 1:40-2:10 p.m.

Students at Perry Meridian Middle can enjoy meals from 2:55-3:10 Monday and from 2:40-2:55 p.m. Wednesday. 

The department takes great pride in its offerings, which meet the USDA’s school regulations and comply with the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

According to numerous studies, children who eat a balanced breakfast every day perform better in class; they also learn better and behave better than their peers who do not have access to a proper breakfast. 
More information is available at www.perryschools.org.

Perry Township Schools is proud to celebrate the achievements of its students and staff. We believe that the district and our community succeed when they succeed.

This month we are pleased to join Southport High School as it recognizes the accomplishments of two team members: Assistant Principal Amy Boone and counselor Brianna Underwood.

The Indiana Association of School Principals named Boone the 2017 Assistant Principal of the Year for District 7, which consists of all schools in Marion County.

Boone will join other principals and assistant principals selected from across the state at a special recognition celebration during the association’s annual assistant principals conference Nov. 17.

Boone was nominated for being a person of action. For the past two years she has taken on the task of organizing and administering all state-mandated testing – a challenging responsibility in a school with an enrollment of 2,000-plus students and 300 English learning students. She spearheaded the process without complaint and always with a smile.

Before the start of the 2015-16 school year, Southport faced a difficult task of replacing a long-standing and well-respected administrator. Boone stepped up to help fill in the gaps. She helped transition one of her colleagues into the role of assistant principal – showing him the ropes in areas not normally included in her job description. She assisted with building and grounds duties, school improvement plans, managing support staff, and communication with all school stakeholders. Her assistance helped Southport continue to function without interruption.

Southport is also celebrating counselor Brianna Underwood, who received Indiana School Counselor Association’s Exemplary High School Professional School Counselor Award.

Underwood has created an open-door policy in her department while juggling many roles, including social media and website manager, testing coordinator and 504 coordinator, which ensures compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Two of her biggest projects include career cruising, in which counselors host college campus visits for students throughout the year, as well as the schoolwide career fair, which grew to 150 employers and 1,000 students last year. Underwood does all this while making every student feel special. 
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We applaud Boone, Underwood and all of our staff members who work hard to help our students succeed.