The Mission of Middlebury Elementary School, in cooperation with family and community, is to develop compassionate, productive, responsible citizens and life-long learners.
Middlebury Elementary School
News from Mr. Hostetler, our Principal
I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas break. A huge thank you goes out to all of you who helped MES collect mittens, hats, and food for the Middlebury Food Pantry Drive. On Friday, December 20, we delivered all the items to First Mennonite Church, where the food pantry used to be located. Our student leadership team also provided the pantry with a check for $250. This walk is a wonderful sight to see and provides a great opportunity for students to learn about giving back to their community. Several staff members dressed up in costumes. I was Buddy the Elf, Mr. Peery was Rudolph, Mrs. Diller and Mrs. Imel were Wise Women, and Mr. Miller was a Wise Man, Miss Reed was a present, and Mrs. Stover was a snowman. The kids loved seeing everyone dressed up as they walked by them!
January Calendar
2 - Old Hoosier Giveback Day
7 - WELCOME BACK MIDDIES!
7 - Happy Day Club
8 - Report cards sent home
14 - Happy Day Club
14 - Family Swim Night: NHS pool 5:30-8:00
15 - PTO Meeting 3:30
20 - NO SCHOOL - MLK Jr. Day
21 - Happy Day Club
21 - School Board Meeting 4:00
22 - Mobile Dentist
28 - Happy Day Club
Make sure your child is prepared for the cold and snow!
We will go outside for recess as long as the temperature (with wind chill) is above 15 degrees. To play in the snow the children needs to have a winter coat, snow pants, snow boots, gloves/mittens and a hat. If you need assistance purchasing any cold weather items, contact the school.
IF YOUR CHILD WILL BE ABSENT FROM SCHOOL PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CALL THE OFFICE @ 514-825-2158 BEFORE 8:30AM
2-HOUR DELAY INFORMATION
If we have a 2 hour delay, school will start at 9:40am - EVEN IF IT IS A WEDNESDAY. You will get an automated call for all school delays or closures. However, if your have a phone with an extension our system is not able to work around that to leave a message. You can always call the school at 574-825-2158 to see if there is a delay or closing if the weather looks bad. Please make sure we always have an up to date phone number. Please eat breakfast at home on 2-hour delay days, if possible. We will only offer a grab-and-go breakfast to those who cannot eat at home.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Students are expected to be in school except in the cases of emergency, illness, or school-approved absences. Parents should call the school office at 574-825-2158 on the day a student is absent. The school will call if no parent contact is made by 8:30 AM. A doctor's note may be required for an extended illness. If your child cannot participate in PE or recess due to illness or injury he/she must bring a doctor's note stating the reason for being excused.
BACKGROUND CHECKS
The safety of our students is top priority. ALL adults who will be interacting with our students are required to fill out a background check YEARLY. Click here to fill out the form online. If you do not have internet access, call the school for a paper copy.
When visitors come to the school they will need to present an ID or driver's license to scan into our security system and receive a visitor badge.
School Breakfast
Mornings can be rushed, but it is important to make time for breakfast. Children can benefit from the School Breakfast Program! Studies show that school breakfast can raise test scores while improving classroom attentiveness and behavior. Make sure your kids start the school day with a healthy meal!
MCS WEBSITE
Here you can find breakfast and lunch menus, photos from our school system, newsletters, and fun educational websites for your child to brush up on their skills.
SIGN IN/OUT
Any student that arrives after the tardy bell or leaves the school before the end of the day must be signed in or out by an adult. If this person is not a parent/guardian, please make sure the office is aware. Thank you!
TRANSPORTATION
If you know in the morning that your student will have a change from their normal routine at the end of school, please send a note that morning. If you are unable to do this, please call the school before 1:30PM. Notes are appreciated more than telephone calls. Your cooperation is appreciated.
FREE/REDUCED MEALS
Click here to apply online for free or reduced meals. If you do not have internet access and need a paper copy of the form please call the school. If your financial situation changes at any point during the school year you may apply for free or reduced meals.
LATE START WEDNESDAY
Remember that school will start later every Wednesday at 8:05AM. Bus routes will run 20-25 minutes later than other days.
HOWEVER If we have a 2 hour delay on a Wednesday, the day will start 2 hours later than a regular Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday. The 2 hour delay time does not include the Wednesday delay time.
MEAL PRICES
BREAKFAST
$1.70 per day
$8.50 per week
LUNCH
$2.45 per day
$12.25 per week
REDUCED BREAKFAST
$0.30 per day
$1.50 per week
REDUCED LUNCH
$0.40 per day
$2.00 per week
If your child receives free or reduced meals and packs their lunch but wants milk, they need to buy milk. Milk costs $0.65.
You can deposit money into your child's lunch account online through the LINQ Connect website or by sending money to school clearly labeled with your child's name.
Negative balance notices are bright pink and sent home daily. Please take care of negative balances as soon as possible.
Mighty Middies Quarter 2
ART NEWS FROM MRS. RUSK
As the year ends, please save any calendars with beautiful pictures (scenic, animals, etc) for use in Art Class.
PE NEWS FROM MRS. FREY
Please be on the lookout for Kids Heart Challenge information coming home this month. The KHC will run from January 13th- January 31st, 2025. This is a special fundraiser put on by the American Heart Association. We will be doing special jump roping activities and learn about heart health awareness. In the past, we have raised several thousand dollars for the AHA and also helps our school earn NEW PE equipment! Looking forward to helping the AHA again this year.
Mrs. Frey
MUSIC NEWS FROM MR. LOAR
Concert Dates for 2025
Third Grade: March 20, 2025 @ 6PM
First Grade: May 8, 2025 @ 6PM
Cosmic bowling in PE - So much fun!!
Middlebury Elementary is an ALLERGY AWARE building. We have many students with various food allergies. PLEASE FOLLOW GUIDANCE FROM YOUR STUDENT'S TEACHER REGARDING SNACKS AND TREATS FOR THE CLASSROOM! In some cases, very specific brands known to be safe will be requested. Thank you for your cooperation so that all classmates feel safe and included in celebrations.
NEWS FROM OUR NURSE, MRS. GLEIM
If your child is sick, please KEEP THEM HOME! Remember - students must not have had a fever (below 100.4), vomited, or had diarrhea for 24 hours (without the help of medicine) before they may return to school.
The clinic would appreciate donations of sizes 5 and 6 bottoms and underwear for both boys and girls.
Please keep a seasonally appropriate CHANGE OF CLOTHES in your child's backpack. Accidents, spills, & playground messes are all possible and I may not have the right size to loan your child.
Middlebury Schools needs substitute nurses!! If you or someone you know would be interested I'd be happy to talk about it with you!
The mobile dentist is coming to school on January 22nd. Call Mrs. Gleim if you would like to sign up your student to be seen.
CHANGES IN CHILDREN'S INFORMATION
Many changes may occur throughout the school year regarding telephone numbers, work numbers, addresses, and transportation arrangements. Please notify the school office when these changes happen and give new information to the office.
Morning Transportation Changes
If you have last minute transportation changes in the mornings (for example, on 2 hour delay days), then a call needs to be made to Transportation @ 574-825-9410 or to your child's bus driver.
ROOMS - classroom communication tool
If you have not yet accepted the invitation from your child's teacher to ROOMS, please do so as soon as possible. This new platform will be the district's main source of communication going forward.
Hi MES Family! We hope you all had a wonderful winter break and enjoyed your time off! We are looking forward to some exciting things in the coming months! We will kick off our new calendar fundraiser in February so look for more info on that coming this month. We will also have our Hacienda give back night happening at the beginning of March. If you would like to learn more about other activities and get involved with PTO, the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 15 at 3:30 at the school. Childcare is always available for school-aged children. We are always looking for new members and would love to have you join us if you’re able! Hope everyone has a great month!
Middie Staff Spotlight
Our Middie Spotlight staff member for December is Mrs. Troyer! The students had so many great things to say about her, and really appreciate all she does for MES. She got so many compliments on how kind and nice she was :) Make sure to say hi and thank her for all she has done at MES!
Here is a little about Mrs. Troyer:
I think this is my 35th year teaching. I taught 2nd grade in Goshen schools for 6 years. Then I stayed home for 7 years when our children were little. Once they were in school, I came back to teaching and have been in 3rd grade at Middlebury Elementary ever since. I have worked for and with some amazing and wonderful people. I believe teaching is my calling. My favorite things about it are the students, their parents, the people I work with, and I simply enjoy creating and teaching lessons that are fun for the children.
I am married to Wendall Troyer. We have been married for 41 years. Wendall graduated from Northridge. I went to Penn High School. We met at Bethel College. We have two married sons and have six grandkids. I love being a grandmother. My nickname is Mika.
I am a Christian and believe that Jesus Christ is God's Son. My hope and faith are in Him. I would be lost without Him, so I am thankful and humbled by His care daily. Also, outside of school I like to read, walk, cook, swim, and sing. I am trying to teach myself to play guitar and piano also.
It has been a blessing to work for Middlebury schools these years. I have learned from each child and family and am thankful for the blessing of each one.
. -Mrs. Troyer
Mrs Troyer and her class composites through the years!
Do you shop at Hardings?
Did you know Harding's offers community rewards? This is a way you can help earn money for MES doing something you would normally do! Information on how to sign up is at this link. When you shop just enter your phone number at check out. So simple!
Cafeteria News:
January is National Soup Month! Check out our featured soup every week. Celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day with us on the 17th. The 31st is National Hot Chocolate Day. Join us for a hot chocolate treat!
