Compiled by Nicole Davis
Ready or not, school is soon to be back in session. This week, Southside public and private schools share information about the coming school year.
Enrolled in a Catholic school? Be sure to check next week’s edition of The Southside Times for the Catholic Back to School special section.
How to prepare your child for the coming school year
Beech Grove’s Hornet Park Elementary Principal Erin Probus shares some advice for setting your children up for success for the coming school year:
- Consistent and predictable routines are important to minimize stress and maximize confidence for children preparing to return to school. Plan for your morning and evening routines and begin inching toward those now. Consider bumping up your child’s bedtime and waking up a bit earlier to help your child’s body gradually adjust to the school schedule. Dabble with an evening routine that helps prepare the family for a smooth start each morning (bath time, packing lunch, checking folder/backpack, laying out clothes, etc.).
- Talk with your child about their feelings regarding the upcoming school year. What does he/she find exciting? Anything making him/her feel nervous? What questions does your child have? Be honest and patient in working through the range of feelings that your child will experience leading up to the start of school.
- Project confidence and positivity regarding the upcoming school year. Our attitudes shape our children’s perceptions. Talk about the school, teachers, building, and your child’s abilities and wonderful characteristics in a positive way. Your child will expect good things which often transpires into more positive experiences.
- Share with your child’s school about potential roadblocks or obstacles so that you can work in partnership to prepare for your child’s success. Does your child struggle with certain social situations? Does your child have behavioral challenges? Are there medical considerations? Please, communicate openly with your child’s school. The better the school knows your child, the better the school can serve your child!
- Ignite your child’s brain! Help your child begin feeling like a capable student! There is such power in story time together. Modeling reading and talking about the stories you read will jump start their thinking. Identify environmental print that kiddos can already read, such as “Stop” on a stop sign, or the McDonald’s sign. Get these little minds thinking to prepare to do big things!
Beech Grove City Schools
In our school district, you will frequently hear words like, “Together,” “Family,” and “We Before Me.” These words aren’t used by accident. Beech Grove City Schools is a school district unlike any other in Marion County. We are a small, tight-knit community who loves our children while holding very high expectations for their success.
Being enrolled in Beech Grove City Schools means you are a Hornet for life. We take our colors and our mascot very seriously and this school pride is evident across our incredible city. In March, the Beech Grove High School Boys’ Basketball team won the 3A State Championship and our community showed up in droves during this historic run. It was one of the greatest thrills of my life to stand on the court at the State Finals and witness a sea of orange and black filling the stands.
We are Hornet Proud for many reasons. We offer extraordinary academic offerings that position our students for post-secondary college and career success. A world class FFA program is the flagship of a comprehensive agricultural science pathway that is launched at Beech Grove Middle School and amplified at Beech Grove High School. Our Performing Arts programs consistently realize state titles and awards of distinction for Choir, Band, and Theater. Our JROTC program instills character development and leadership skills in their cadets that translate into lifelong achievements.
The newest “Buzz” in Beech Grove City Schools is the opening of our state-of-the-art Early Childhood Center at Hornet Park Elementary School. With the addition of four early learning classrooms, we are positioned to serve 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds with premier early learning programming. From highly qualified instructors to a Paths to Quality “3” rating that positions us to accept CCDF Vouchers and On My Way Pre-K funding, we stand ready to serve Beech Grove’s youngest learners and their families when the center opens in August, 2022.
Beech Grove is a very special city with very special schools. Come home to Beech Grove; Our City. Our Schools.
Dr. Laura Hammack, Superintendent
Center Grove Community School Corporation
On behalf of the Center Grove Board of School Trustees, administration, faculty, and support staff, we would like to welcome everyone back to school on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022!
While COVID-19 mitigation has been a focus of our administrators and staff for the last two years, we have never wavered on our commitment to safety. Last spring, Center Grove utilized the 2021 Indiana School Safety Grant to help fund the installation of the Centegix Crisis Response Solution in every building in the corporation. The system includes wearable badges with an emergency button for every staff member, along with strobes in classrooms, offices, hallways, gymnasiums, and cafeterias. The system allows for an instant lockdown of an entire building. The Centegix system and the more than 700 cameras throughout the district are monitored by our Center Grove Police Department staff at the new Emergency Operations Center, which opened in January. You can view more information about safety in Center Grove on our website at centergrove.k12.in.us/Safety.
While our CGPD staff and technology are important, we cannot keep our campuses safe without the partnership of our students and families. We encourage students and families in grades Pre-K through 12 who see a potential safety concern to share that information quickly and responsibly to a CGPD officer, school administrator, or via our anonymous reporting system, Safe Schools Alert (centergrove-in.safeschoolsalert.com). A link is available on the homepages of our district and all school websites under shortcuts.
We look forward to a new school year filled with exceptional educational experiences for all students!
Richard A. Arkanoff, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Center Grove Community School Corporation
Franklin Township Community School Corporation
As our new school year begins on Monday, Aug. 1, on behalf of the Franklin Township Community School Corporation School Board, administration, faculty, and support staff, we would like to welcome everyone back to school for the 2022-2023 school year! Franklin Township Community School Corporation (FTCSC) schools focus on learning, collaboration, and results. FTCSC continues to be a leader in Marion County and Central Indiana in performance and opportunities for our students. Franklin Central High School (FCHS) continues to be ranked as a Best High School in Indiana and America by U.S. News & World Report. FCHS is ranked in the Top 25 for Indiana and the Top 12 percent nationally for Best High Schools in America. Besides receiving a rigorous K-12 academic experience, our student-athletes compete in one of the toughest conferences in Indiana, the Hoosier Crossroads Conference. Between performing arts, sports, and clubs, FCHS offers over 100 different teams for students to participate in, and over 80% of our students participate on one of these teams.
We know that student success increases when our parents and community actively participate in our schools. Download the ParentSquare to ensure you receive newsletters and vital information from your child’s school and teacher. Download the Skyward app for information on grades, schedules, fees, etc. We encourage you to contact your child’s school to find ways to volunteer in the school. In addition, please visit and bookmark our website at ftcsc.org for resources and information to help your child experience success this school year. Finally, we encourage you to follow our district, departments, schools, classrooms, teams, and clubs on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!
Dr. Bruce Hibbard, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Greenwood Community School Corporation
The Greenwood Community School Corporation and the Board of Education wish to welcome students, parents, faculty, staff, and our community partners back for the 2023-23 school year. We are looking forward to school starting on Aug. 3 and to see our returning students! The strength of Greenwood Schools is forming a positive relationship with all of our students and their families.
Greenwood’s success starts with the governing body of the Board. The support of the Board to put students first is the foundation of our ability to build relationships with our students so we may help them grow and learn. The members of our Board are Mike Metzger, president; Brian Ford, vice president; Chris Zaborowsky, secretary; Deanna Burton, member; and Jack Napier, member. I wish to thank them for their dedication to our schools.
Beginning my second year back home again in Greenwood, I am looking forward to continuing to build positive connections in our community. There are many people who positively impact our students and schools. It is truly a community effort that has made our school system so strong and I look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to improve our schools. Your input helps us move forward and get better. My personal goal will always be to make Greenwood a great place for everyone to learn and grow.
The enrollment here in Greenwood is expected to be near 3,900 students. We welcome everyone to our schools including those from outside our regular boundaries. Many of our students choose to attend our schools based on our size, location, and outstanding opportunities both in academics and extracurricular activities. Greenwood is able to give each one of our students the individual attention they deserve to reach their full potential. Our goal is to prepare our students so they are ready to be successful when they graduate.
Our district is supported in many ways. One example is the Greenwood Education Foundation. This wonderful organization continues to grow each year. They have a focus on supporting student achievement through teacher grants, scholarships, and GEF Cares.
On behalf of the Greenwood Community School Corporation Board of Education and all of the faculty and staff, I wish to thank everyone for their support. We value the time we have impacting the next generation, and we need your help. Volunteering in our schools is a great way to help us succeed in our mission. Thank you to our community for sharing this responsibility and being the school district’s partner in education. We look forward to a great 2022-23 school year.
Dr. Terry Terhune
Superintendent
Perry Township Schools
Welcome to the 2022-23 school year. As we approach this school year, we are all excited to return to school to further pursue our mission of growing our students academically, socially and behaviorally. Perry Township Schools is expecting to welcome more than 16,000 students again this school year. As we enter this school year, school safety is at the forefront of our minds more so than ever before. This year we have finished the installation of cameras and alarms on doors in every school building. This state of the art technology allows us to see who is entering and leaving our buildings twenty-four hours a day.
We will also be implementing additional security procedures at our secondary buildings, including random backpack searches and sporadic wanding of students as they come to school. The benefits of keeping our schools safe far exceed any inconvenience. We will continue our procedure of requiring school guests to provide a valid driver’s license for a security check before entering our buildings. Indiana law allows a constitutional right to carry. However, this does not extend to schools or federal buildings. The federal law prohibits guns from being carried into our schools.
Our police department has been working all summer to keep our community safe and they are ready to support our students as we begin the new school year. We ask that you help us by monitoring your child’s social media platforms and their online activities. We encourage all students and families to continue to notify us through the “See Something, Say Something” practice. Our district’s safety hotline is 317-789-3905.
We realize that there are many factors that influence our students’ lives. It is important for us to work together to reach our academic goals. We need parents to be involved in their child’s education. Please read to your young children. Be proactive and know the subjects that they are learning and make contact with teachers to see how you can help your student. When education is important and supported by the family, students will have greater opportunities throughout their lifetime.
Together, we will make this a great school year!
Patrick W. Mapes
Superintendent
Perry Township Schools
