Ray Crowe Elementary

5-YEARS IN A ROW!!! Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation Receives National Recognition for Music Education Support Distinction Awarded for Fifth Year in a Row! Whiteland, IN – April 9, 2024 – Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Now in its 25th year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement for providing music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, CPCSC answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program and community music-making programs. Responses were verified by school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas. “I am super excited to announce that CPCSC is one of only 17 school districts in the State of Indiana named a NAMM "Best Communities for Music Education", stated Whiteland Band Director, Peter Sampson. “Congratulations to all of the music teachers, our amazing students, and of course our incredible school administration. This is definitely a recognition worth celebrating”, said Sampson. Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music: After two years of music education, researchers found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores than their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school but also to attend college as well. In addition, everyday listening skills are stronger in musically trained children than in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to the ability to: perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention, and keep sounds in memory. Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound: young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism. # # # About The NAMM Foundation The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit supported in part by the National Association of Music Merchants and its 15,000 global member companies and individual professionals worldwide. The foundation advances active participation in music making across the lifespan by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving, and public service programs. For more information about The NAMM Foundation, please visit www.nammfoundation.org.

Superintendent Coffees! You're invited to join the Superintendent for a discussion on Tuesday April 9, 2024 at 7:00 pm at the administration building.

Warriors Swim Club Swim and Scoops

Dear Clark-Pleasant Families, This is a final reminder that a total solar eclipse will take place, Monday, April 8, 2024. This eclipse will reach across 16 states but will be most prominent in Central Indiana, especially in Johnson County. Therefore like many nearby school districts, we are making plans for a live synchronous E-Learning Day on 04/08/2024. Learning will continue online, Monday and we hope it will be a great educational opportunity for our students to learn more about the solar system. For more information on the path and viewing times of the eclipse please click on the link below. We are making this decision out of an abundance of caution as the eclipse will take place in Indiana for over several hours. Additionally, we are being told by local emergency management officials that there will be a significant influx of visitors coming to Johnson County during this time period creating major concerns with transportation and traffic congestion. Thanks for your cooperation and we look forward to seeing students back in their classrooms on Tuesday. Sincerely, Dr. Timothy Edsell Superintendent Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation Where & When | 2024 Total Eclipse – NASA Solar System Exploration https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/.../apr-8-total/where-when/

Now Hiring!!! Clark-Pleasant is looking to fill some very special positions. If you're qualified and interested please scan the attached QR code to apply.

Know an Incoming Kindergarten Student? It's Time to REGISTER!!! https://www.cpcsc.k12.in.us/page/2024-25-kindergarten-registration

Coffee with the Superintendent! Dr. Edsell will be discussing future High School Diploma changes!!!

April at The JCPL!

Superintendent Coffee - April 29, 2024 @ 9:30 a.m.

Ray Crowe Elementary's 2024 Spelling Bee was exciting, right down to the last word! Our Champion, Manvith Tanneru, will go on to represent Ray Crowe at the Johnson County Spelling Bee in April. Manvith and the other spellers made us all proud. He admitted to studying day and night. Hard work definitely makes a difference. Congratulations to our Spelling Bee Champion!

CPCSC STAFF SPOTLIGHT Bree Brown STEM Teacher at RCES Bree Brown has been Teaching STEM Education for the past 6 years, first at Pleasant Crossing and now at Ray Crowe Elementary. She graduated from OCTC, Owensboro Community & Technical College, in Owensboro, Kentucky, with a degree in Special Education. With her focus on STEM she says every day is exciting when things start to click for her students. “STEM is a challenge for different parts of the brain. Kids who struggle in math may still excel in technology”, says Brown. “A student might be able to write code but not write an essay for example”. She says STEM excites the creativity part of the brain. Key parts of STEM include; Coding, Science and Technology, Forces and Motion, Biology, Genetic Traits and Animal Adaptation. One thing that sets her apart from other teachers is that she works with all grade levels, K-through 5, interacting with most of the 600 students at RCES. Her biggest goal, she says, is to incorporate more robotics, working to expand kits toward “littles” to get them excited about learning and teaching them how the future of their lives will work. One thing she’s passionate about is reading and having a few books going at the same time. Bree was born in England and for a long time had a British accent, but once her family moved back to the states the accent started to fade. She grew up a student of the Arts; choir, acting and she loves games, especially “Dungeons & Dragons”. She’s a dice collector and can’t wait for Comic Con to start. Her plan is to dress up and paint herself pink. Ms. Brown says STEM is a “team” effort, “My team is the backbone of related arts in our school”. Administration is super supportive. They hear us out. Our PTO is very supportive, as well”. She says her “aha” moment is when a student feels comfortable in the space and environment that is the STEM lab. “I had a kindergarten student who didn’t like STEM at first and didn’t even want to come into the room and now he loves it. He loves the solar system, studying moons and planets. He has truly found a place that he feels he fits.” And that’s her other passion; Making sure students “fit”. She says growing up in England, Panama and Georgia she didn’t always feel like she “fit” so she’s made it one of her teaching career goals to ensure no kids are unseen or left out. Congratulations to Bree Brown for being our CPCS Staff Spotlight!

Ray Crowe Fun Run! There was a strong cheering section at Ray Crow Elementary cheering on runners Thursday in the schools first "Fun Run". Volunteers and family members brought motivational signs and pom poms as they wished their students the best in their efforts to raise money for school events and activities. The kids didn't seem to mind the cold and windy conditions.

Softball Fundraiser! The deadline is Friday!!!

WAITLIST OPEN FOR YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID The April 13th YMHFA Training for CPCSC families is officially FULL! If you wish to be placed on the waitlist, please sign-up by clicking the link below or scanning the QR Code. If seats become available, we will contact those on the wait-list. We will be offering more courses, in the future, for CPCSC families so be on the lookout for those dates! Here is the sign-up link: https://forms.gle/rmwQzTtpSnEkavyw6

Mrs. Pryor’s class is battling it out with Ms. Nuhfer’s class for first place for the most funds raised in the entire school. Who will win?! 🥇 The class with the highest amount of funds raised in the building will earn either a water balloon or silly string party. Don’t forget about our midweek challenge. Every grade level in the building has a chance to win a special treat at recess next week, for having the most students registered per grade level. The contest ends at 3:00PM today. To register your child, please click on the link: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/raycrowe/addme

Ray Crowe Families: All students, new and returning, need to submit a registration for the 2024-2025 school year. Even if your student is currently enrolled at a Clark-Pleasant school, an updated registration needs to be submitted for every student for every school year. The registration process contains essential questions and agreement statements that are required by state and federal agencies for schools and districts to ask all households, every school year. At a date to be announced later (likely in mid July), a process in ParentVUE will require ParentVUE users to complete an updated registration for the new school year before they can access any other modules in ParentVUE. Please be sure to have your updated registration submitted before that process locks in. Please contact RCES office at 317-530-4018 with any additional questions. ***Families who live outside of the Clark-Pleasant Community School boundaries are welcome to apply to attend a CPCSC school of their choice. This process also applies to families who live within the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation boundary, but would like to attend an elementary school that is different from their school of residence. Clark Pleasant Community School Corporation's window for In and Out of District Transfer Requests for the 2024-2025 school year will be open February 16, 2024. To request an In or Out of District Transfer for the 2024-2025 School Year, CLICK HERE . The deadline for In-District (Elementary Only) Transfer Requests is April 12, 2024. Employees can request an In or Out of District Transfer for the 2024-2025 School Year - HERE. Our Board policy states students must be in "good standing" in attendance and discipline to be considered. Your student must also remain in good standing in these two areas throughout the school year to remain eligible. Good standing is defined as: ATTENDANCE- 24 days missed unexcused or less DISCIPLINE- No expulsions, no major violence, etc. Please contact our Administration office at 317-535-7579 with additional questions.

Our very own Eliana Freed, a Ray Crowe Elementary fourth grader, received an Honorable Mention in the 2024 Indiana Letters about Literature Competition! She received a cash prize, swag, and a publication of the Letters about Literature as recognition of her accomplishment. Eliana wrote about J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Her essay exhibits her beautiful vocabulary, her love for riveting stories, and her fabulous writer's "voice." We are so proud of Eliana for her accomplishments. In addition to being a great writer, she also exhibits the Warrior Way by being a respectful, responsible, and safe human at Ray Crowe each day. Congratulations to Eliana!

“Ray Crowe” State Historical Marker Dedicated in Whiteland! A new Indiana state historical marker commemorating esteemed basketball coach, educator, and politician Ray Crowe was unveiled in the town of Whiteland Friday. The text follows for the state marker entitled “Ray Crowe, 1915-2003”: Trailblazing basketball coach Ray Crowe of Johnson County excelled at multiple sports at Whiteland High School and Indiana Central College in the 1930s before beginning a career in education. In 1950, he became head basketball coach at Indianapolis’s all-Black Crispus Attucks High School. Crowe led Attucks to the state finals four times, winning titles in 1955 and ’56. Crowe’s emphasis on good sportsmanship and fast-paced, aggressive play helped Attucks become the first all-Black team to win the state championship and challenged pervasive racism. He served as athletic director at Attucks from 1957-1967. As a member of the Indiana House of Representatives (1967-1975), Crowe worked to make education more equitable and accessible. The new state historical marker examines Crowe’s lasting impact on Indiana basketball. Crowe grew up on a Johnson County farm and was a multi-sport athlete at Whiteland High School before enrolling at Indianapolis Central College (now the University of Indianapolis). He became a coach, teacher, athletic director, Republican State Representative, director of Indy Parks and Recreation, and Indianapolis City-County Council member. In 1968, he was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame for his contributions to the sport. Crowe led Indianapolis’s Crispus Attucks High School to consecutive state basketball titles in 1955 and 1956, becoming Indiana’s first all-Black team to win the state championship. The Indiana High School Athletic Association had prohibited all-Black and Catholic schools from participating in the tournament until 1942. Oscar Robertson has said that the success of Crowe’s Attucks teams helped racial relations in Indianapolis and eased integration of the public schools. “When I met Ray Crowe, I could tell immediately he was a special person”, says CPCSC School Board member, and former Whiteland Athletic Director, “Butch” Zike. “We renamed our top athletic award after Ray because of his impeccable character and leadership. He just did things the right way”, stated Zike. Clark-Pleasant Superintendent Timothy Edsell shared similar thoughts on Crowe’s contributions. “You’re not in Johnson County very long before hearing about Ray Crowe. When you read about his history of growing up on a farm here, leading the charge for racial equality through basketball, education, state government and Indianapolis politics, it’s an unprecedented story to say the least,” says Edsell. This is the first state historical marker in the town of Whiteland and the seventh to be installed in Johnson County.

Let's get ready for Spring Break!

SCHOOL ZONE COMING TO U.S. 31 IN WHITELAND! The Indiana Department of Transportation plans to implement a new school zone along US 31 near Whiteland Road beginning on/after Tuesday March 12, 2024. A total of 6 school zone flashing signals will be installed along U.S. 31, as well as 2 advance school zone warning signs. The school zone speed limit will be 35 mph, while school zone signals are flashing.