News Blog - Riverview Elementary School - Marion Community Schools

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News for Riverview Elementary School

Smith named director of elementary education for Marion

Posted: Jun 13, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Marion Community Schools is pleased to announce its new director of elementary education: Michele Smith.

Smith has served in various roles for Marion Community Schools, including teacher, preschool manager, elementary principal, and most recently curriculum coordinator with a focus on secondary education and technology. To her new role she brings expertise in curriculum development, data analysis, professional development, parent involvement, and much more. She will focus on P-6 education and will also head up Title I programming for the district.

Marion Community Schools Superintendent Brad Lindsay said Smith’s experience will be invaluable.

“Michele Smith is moving into her niche role as director of elementary education and Title I administrator,” Lindsay said. “Her experience as an early childhood teacher, elementary principal, and district curriculum coordinator prepares her well for this role.”

Smith said she is looking forward to this new opportunity.

“My passion is literacy and supporting students to reach their full potential. I want to support buildings as they design individualized instruction to meet students’ needs,” Smith said. “I’m looking forward to building on my past experiences here at Marion Community Schools and continuing to invest in the families of our community.”

Lindsay said he is looking forward to continued progress as Smith steps into this new role.

“Michele is a doer, a producer, and an excellent communicator. She is mission-motivated, and she loves the faculty, staff, students, families, and community of Marion,” he said. “Michele is a collaborative leader, an excellent facilitator, and professional trainer. Her passion includes early childhood literacy and working with teams of administrators and teachers to make better learning experiences and opportunities happen for the students of Marion. Michele is the right leader at the right time to take the baton and continue our path upward.”

Smith earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Virginia, her master’s in early childhood Ball State University, and is completing her doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction through Oakland City University.

Free meals available this summer through MCS

Posted: Jun 05, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Marion Community Schools is a Summer Food Service Program participant. Free breakfast and lunch is available to the public (to anyone 18 or younger) as follows this summer:

All meals will be served at the cafeteria at Marion High School, 750 W. 26th St., Monday through Thursday, June 5 through June 29.

Breakfast for the public will be served from 8:30 to 8:40 a.m.
Lunch for the public will be served from 12:30 a.m. to 12:40 Monday through Wednesday and 11:30 to 11:40 on Thursday.

Giant Summer Academy and MHS summer session students will also be provided free breakfast and lunch, but there will be separate meal times for them: 7:30 to 8 a.m. for breakfast, and between 11 and 12:30 p.m. for lunch Monday through Wednesday, and 11 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, or sack lunch on field trips.

The Summer Food Service Program for Children was created to serve nutritious meals to children when the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program meals are not available. Under this program, free meals are provided to all eligible children ages 1 to 18 as well as people with disabilities, regardless of age, who participate in a special education program.

Acceptance and participation requirements for the program are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

>> Click here for a flier to post or make copies available in your office or business, or to hand out to those who need to know

State names Little Giants Preschool as On My Way Pre-K provider

Posted: May 23, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Little Giants Preschool is now an Indiana On My Way Pre-K provider, as part of the expansion of the state-funded pilot program.

The Indiana Legislature opted to roll all current grantees in the early education matching grant (EEMG) program into the On My Way Pre-K expansion. Marion Community Schools was named an EEMG grantee in 2016, covering the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years.

This change will allow Little Giants Preschool to maintain the added enrollment spots for 4-year-olds made possible by the EEMG, because funding will continue to be available past the original expiration of 2018. This means more spots will be available for low-income families every year, through this funding stream alone. (This is in addition to federally funded spots at Little Giants Preschool’s Head Start program, which also meets needs of low-income families, and federal Title I funding, used to boost academic success.)

Preschool expansion was one of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s priorities, and although the funding provided falls below what he and preschool advocates originally had asked for, he praised the action.

“This important legislation gives more children in more counties the chance to start their educational journey on the right foot,” he said in a statement after the legislation passed.

Not only is this news incredibly exciting, but it is extremely important for our whole community. With nearly one-third of children in Grant County living in poverty, this free, high-quality preschool option is an essential component to the success of our community. High quality early childhood education provides opportunities for our children to build their language skills, their social skills, their math concept awareness, and more, building a foundation for lifelong learning and success.

Marion Community Schools is grateful for the community support that paved the way for this development, with their donations that made participation in the EEMG possible. Those funds will go even farther under the On My Way Pre-K program, which has a much smaller matching funds requirement.

Kerri Wortinger, Little Giants Preschool director, expressed gratitude to the community and school leaders who made this possible through their work and donations, and to the state for recognizing the vision, commitment, and quality of the program and the school system.

“We know that high-quality early learning can help fill the gaps that many of our children have when it comes to language skills and other experiences,” she said. “It is so exciting to be able to give more kids this crucial opportunity!”

Enrollment assignments for the 2017-18 school year have already been made, but we will continue to accept applications to fill spots that are open or any that re-open. Little Giants Preschool maintains a waiting list year-round. Call 651-2080 for more information.

VIDEO: Our favorite things about Riverview!

Posted: May 18, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

Check out this great video of our students sharing their favorite things about Riverview Elementary:

It's a great time to be a Giant!

Giant Dreams Tour: MHS Class of 2017 visits elementary schools

Posted: May 16, 2017 by Patricia Gibson, Communications Director

The Marion High School Class of 2017 visited Marion Community Schools elementary buildings on Friday, May 19, taking a "walk of fame" through the hallways dressed in their caps, gowns, honor cords, and other awards.

>> Click here to view the full photo gallery of the 2017 Giant Dreams Tour!

For many of the seniors, it was a homecoming, revisiting the schools they attended in earlier years. There were plenty of hugs from former teachers and administrators to go around for the soon-to-be-graduates!

For the elementary students, it was a glimpse into their own futures, a visual representation of a milestone they are all striving to reach: high school graduation.

This is a great reminder that each of us has someone, somewhere, watching us, looking up to us, and being inspired by our choices, attitudes, and accomplishments. It's a good reminder for us all, and it’s a great way to celebrate the Class of 2017!

At the end of the tour, the seniors gathered back at the high school for a group photo: