Written by Julie Giorgi, Vice President, School Board
The school year marches on here in Union Township. For some it is actually sprinting on!
The newly resurrected PTO at John Simatovich Elementary capped off an exciting week of highlighting lifelong healthy lifestyles with the first annual Salt Creek Shuffle. “The 5K Run/Walk on Sept. 23 was a great event that brought together our community and school personnel to raise funds for the PTO in a new and unique way. It was a perfect way to reinforce the healthy habits programs presented by the JSE PTO,” said Phyllis Allison, principal at JSE. Allison is thrilled to have the support of the PTO and she is looking forward to many successful events. Allison reports that the students and staff at JSE have been working diligently this school year and they are proud of what they have already accomplished. The staff has embraced the UTSC mission of Every Student...Every Day, and they are working tirelessly to help every student succeed.
Union Township Middle School is not just satisfied with the recently earned grade of “A” on the Indiana Department of Education report card, rather they are asking their students to strive for three A’s in the positive behavior reward program, STAAAR. Jerry Lasky, principal at UTMS, reports that “Attitude, Attendance, and Achievement make up the three A’s, and students who earn the required level will be recognized and rewarded. Students who do not earn the award one trimester get a fresh start the next, hopefully motivated by their peers’ success.”
UTMS is proud to participate in the third annual UTMS Door-to-Door Food Drive. This community service event will occur from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. UTMS students will go door-to-door within our community collecting non-perishable food items to be made into food baskets for our residents who may need some extra help during this holiday season. The past two food drives have been extremely successful, not just in terms of food collected, but also invaluable in the lessons learned by our students about helping those less fortunate. Please consider donating when the students stop by, or call the school at (219) 759-2562 to arrange for a pick up at your house. Thank you for your support of this worthwhile event.
Speaking of support, please continue to contact your local legislators and let them know that you not only support public education but also encourage the restoration of funding to appropriate levels. It is more difficult every day to provide the opportunities our students deserve while funding continues to be frozen at 2009 levels. A great school benefits all our residents, whether they have children in attendance or not. Let us work together to keep Union Township School Corporation the “A” corporation that it is!