3^rd Grade

Isaiah Ault

Dalton Baldridge

Anna Bradley

Cyan Bradly

Hailey Borsa

Nash Bouse

Dalynne Bussard

Tatum Carlin

Kinsey Davis

Branden Drummond

Jake England

Arianna Francis

Jasmine Fuller

Emmalie Grossman

Karley Hallstrom

Jamal Hamilton

Harvey Hayes

Noah Henson

Payton Hobbs

Alejandro

Jimenez

Sadie Keirpaul

Will Kelley

Camarah Kimble

Kyra Kiser

Wyett Knight

Payton Kohler

Gavin Leininger

Jaicey Long

Cadence May

Cassandra McVay

Karina Meade

William Mellott

Grady Moriarty

Abril Murillo-Sosa

Nyomi Ortiz

Autumn Parker

Landon Patrick

Sopia Pearson

Lindsay Petersen

Camdin Phipps

Lyric Plew

Makayla Smith

Aaron Stump

Carol Swanson

Abbigail Taylor

Eric Threlkel

Lola Vick

Morgan Yates

 

4^th Grade

 

All A’s

Colton Crabb

Chloe Haussmann

Remington Rickel

Madison Thompson

 

All A’s & B’s

Blaine Baney

James Bartley

Evan Bolinger

Lily Bradley

Brooklyn Cooper

Mackaylie Costello

Lydia Craig

Kacie Davis

Brock Derf

Kade Francis

Marisol Gonzalez

Riley Hale

Nekiana Hamilton

Braylee Hughes

Reed Jones

Rayne Kensinger

Renea Kline

Amber Kluesener

Hugo Lopez

Emma McKenzie

Matthew Owens

Taylor Owens

Emma Patrick

Kinsey Sanders

Blain Sheetz

Noah Spangle

Brooklynn Swindell

Austin Wallace

Isaac Whetstone

Ayden Yaprak

Ethan Young

 

5^th Grade

 

All A’s

Lorna Apt

Devin Boggs

Kynan Cords

Cody Eastgate

Sidney Nelson

Macy Petersen

Makynna Rentschler

Evan Richards

Jessa Schroeder

Kiera Smythe

Adriana Vargas-Hernandez

 

All A’s & B’s

Dalton Alber

Damion Brown

Tiffany Bullington

Bryauna Clodfelter

Carson Craft

Jorge DeLaRosa

Nate Engstrand

Abby Goble

Olivia Jones

Wade Jones

Aiden Kohler

Trent Marshall

Shelby Olivarez

Madison Poe

Carissa Stoneburner

Hailey Swope

Erin VanMeter

Braedon Wallace

Mentone Elementary presented a check in the amount of $1,400 to the Kosciusko County Riley Kids Fund on March 17 during WRSW Riley Radio Days.

The student council sponsored a coin drive from Feb. 13 – 17 to raise money by filling a large jug with pennies. Check and cash donations were also accepted. This year’s goal was to raise $1,000.

Half of the money raised will to the Kosciusko County Riley Kids Fund, while the other half will go to Riley Hospital for Children. Right after the check presentation, Mentone Elementary staff member Lacey Jones and Mentone Elementary parent Kacey Shock talked live on the air about their personal experiences with Riley. Both have kids who have received treatment from Riley.

You can watch part of the interview on the Mentone Elementary School Facebook page.

Picture from back row left to right: WRSW Radio Personality Rita Price, Mentone Elementary Student Council Sponsor Rebecca Hartzler, and KC Riley Kids Fund Co-Founders Alan Alderfer and Mike Bergen. Front row left to right: Mentone Elementary teacher Lacey Jones and her son Kade, and Mentone parent Kasey Shock holding her daughter Rylan.

Akron Elementary School and Mentone Elementary School will host kindergarten roundup events on Monday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. for parents or guardians wanting to enroll their child for the upcoming school year.

Attendees will learn about the expectations of kindergarten, meet teachers and school staff members, tour each school, and discuss the variety of programs offered and the subjects their child will be taught.

School nurses will be on hand to discuss the state-required vaccines and other medical-related documents a student needs to have on file at the start of school year. Parents planning to attend either kindergarten roundup event should bring their child’s birth certificate and immunization records.

Staff members at both schools will be helping parents with online registration in computer labs. Parents will need an email address or cell phone number to setup an account for online registration.

Free childcare will be provided at both events. An interpreter will also be available for parents and children who primarily speak Spanish.

Children that are five years of age on or before August 1, 2017 are eligible to attend kindergarten.

Parents who cannot attend either kindergarten roundup event should call Mentone Elementary School at (574) 598-2590 or Akron Elementary School at (574) 598-2367 for information on how to register their child.

Parents seeking an alternative to traditional preschool can now register their kids for the Mentone Kindergarten Readiness Center for the 2017-2018 school year.

The program is taught by certified teachers using a research-based curriculum. It runs three to five days a week from 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. at Mentone Elementary School located at 301 E. Jackson Street.

“As a parent, this program ensures kids are being taught with the skills that are essential to kindergarten.  Kids also are taught within the HighScope curriculum which lends itself through hands-on learning and discovery and is also interest based,” said instructor Ashley DuBois.

A hot lunch is also available. Parents who need to drop their children off earlier or later than the program’s scheduled hours can purchase additional childcare located inside the school through the Kosciusko Community YMCA Kid’s Club.

The costs of the program will remain the same as last year at $150 a month for five, full days a week or $135 a month for three to four days a week. Parents who meet certain financial guidelines can get a 25 percent discounted price per month.

A registration meeting will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at Mentone Elementary in the Large Group Instruction room for parents wanting more information or to fill out an application.

Demand for the program is high. Interested parents are advised to register their child as soon as possible. Anyone with additional questions can contact the school at (574) 598-2590.

Written By Randy Dahms, principal at Mentone Elementary School

Walking into any workplace, it is satisfying to be a part of an organization that is moving forward.  At Mentone Elementary our staff has refined our practice and has recently made quite a few changes with one thought in mind, “Will these changes help the students we serve?”

Last year, our central office administration and the Tippecanoe Valley school board made the decision to expand our Kindergarten Readiness Program to two sections serving 40 of our 3 and 4 year old students.  When you factor in our Head Start Program and our Little Vikings program, Tippecanoe Valley has made efforts to provide high quality care to our future Vikings at a time when high quality care is hard to find.  Those program help to ensure that our incoming kindergarten students are ready to meet the demands of their future school experience.  Walking in our readiness classrooms and seeing the excitement of our students and what they are learning is amusing and sometimes entertaining.  I’ve enjoyed getting to know these students and their families.  In a small community like Tippecanoe Valley, you are more than just a number.

In today’s school climate, it is important to be aware of how society is changing and to think carefully about what changes need to be made to ensure our students will be ready to meet the demands of an ever changing society.  This year, the elementary schools at Tippecanoe Valley have undertaken Project Lead the Way. This program has offered an increased exposure to curriculum that challenges children to think at higher levels and to question and create.  At Mentone Elementary, our staff is working on creating a robotics program that can serve a number of students. Our Chess Club is gaining momentum as Mr. Gene Hawkins volunteers his time to come and teach chess strategy to our students.  Our students are now not only asked to give “the right answer” but are increasingly being asked to think critically.  As kids work in small groups and with partners throughout the school day, it is great to see both the growth in student relationships and increased collaboration skills that our students have learned.  At Mentone Elementary, our students are more than just a number.

Analyzing and quantifying data has become significant for all different types of organizations in a variety of work environments.  Organizations that are thriving are able to quickly allocate resources to enhance their organization and to move forward.  At Tippecanoe Valley, through our PLC (Professional Learning Communities) work and data analysis (using iReady data), we are refining our practice in how to diagnose a student’s strengths and weaknesses and are adjusting classroom instruction to meet the needs of our students.  In some cases, students receive small group instruction or even individualized instruction to meet their individual need.  In all of our classrooms at Mentone, our students are more than just a number.

The phrase “It takes a village to raise a child.” has been used quite a bit lately. I believe all good schools are successful because of a number of different factors.  Effective schools have caring teachers and staff who build positive relationships with their students.  At Mentone Elementary you feel community support and pride as our local police officers, the Akron/Mentone Kiwanis Club, and several local businesses proudly support our schools.  One feels blessed to be part of a strong community whose care and concern for others is embodied in the culture of all of our schools.  At Tippecanoe Valley, you are always more than just a number.

Valley Insight is a recurring monthly article written by administrators on a variety of topics related to education and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation. Articles will be posted to the district’s website and also shared with the local media.