Ray Crowe Elementary

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.

Are you ready to make a difference in the classroom? Become a substitute teacher in our school district through Kelly Education! Apply today and embark on a fulfilling journey shaping young minds. Click here to inquire: https://bit.ly/3TsxY26 or call 800-991-5157 option 2.

The Time to Prepare is NOW! Governor Eric Holcomb has proclaimed March 10–16, 2024, as Severe Weather Preparedness Week. Clark-Pleasant Community School Corp. urges everyone in our community to be as prepared for severe weather as possible. Here are some important reminders.

March Madness Book Tournament! RCES. Kindergarten students kicked off their March Madness book tournament Friday. There are 16 books total and each day they will read 2 and narrow it down to 8 then the final 4, 2 then we will have a book of the year. We also have guest readers coming to help us read to the kindergarten.

Living History Museum! RCES students put on a Living Indiana History Wax Museum Friday. Some of the featured Hoosiers included, Michael and Janet Jackson, Abe Lincoln, Ray Crowe and several Reggie Miller's. Other sports figures included Don Mattingly and Bob Griese

Ray Crowe Families: We have had a few questions about the fun run. So we wanted to take a minute and answer any questions you may have. Who: All students in our building will participate in the fun run regardless of if they receive any pledges or not. When: March 19, 2024 *with a makeup day of March 21* Students will participate in the fun run during the school day. Each grade level will go out together at their designated time. What: The fun run is an excellent time for us to promote a healthy lifestyle and a sense of community while raising funds for our school. Students collect pledges before the day of the race, by sending out their individual pledge website. Family and friends donate money electronically towards the student, and the student receives prizes for raising funds. Which is great because anyone anywhere in the world can donate towards your student, and you don’t have to worry about shipping a fundraiser product to them. They can simply support and encourage your child from wherever they are. If you haven’t done so already, here is the link to register your child: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/raycrowe/addme There are individual prizes, classroom prizes, grade level prizes, and a school-wide incentive! On the day of the race, all students will get to participate, warm up with their grade level, race and run to an awesome playlist, and then cool down afterwards with a snack. Laps around the track will be tallied and the class with the highest average laps will win the school trophy, extra recess, and a special treat! Why: All funds raised from this event will go directly to our students and staff. It will help fund things like a book vending machine, staff appreciation week, snow cones on field day, student and staff appreciation events, and so much more. Every little bit helps and no donation is too small. If every student in the school were to raise $35, we could raise $20,000 as a school! Appreciation: Thank you so much to all of our families and friends for your generosity and for supporting the staff and students here at Ray Crowe. We are confident that with your help, we can reach our $15,000 goal!

CPCSC STAFF SPOTLIGHT Sherry Pryor 4th Grade Teacher at RCES Sherry Pryor has been teaching elementary school since 2010 and since 2013 at Clark-Pleasant Schools. She has been a teacher at Ray Crowe Elementary since it opened in 2021. The married mother of two daughters has a Bachelors in Psychology from IUPUI and has worked toward a Master’s in Education. One daughter is a senior at WCHS and the other attends Huntington University where she’s studying Education. Mrs. Pryor is an English Language Arts, Reading and Writing teacher. She is also Co-Captain of the RCES Robotics Team and she works with “Girls Who Code''! “What I enjoy the most about being a teacher is that distinctive moment when a kid discovers that books can take them anywhere”, says Pryor. She says she loves the challenges that come with teaching, especially the technology focus and the fact that there are daily assessments built into the curriculum all of which are data driven. Mrs. Pryor is a strong champion of diversity and inclusion and works daily to make all students feel included. She works a lot with the district's DEI Coordinator to help build strong cultural relationships so that there is a comfortable learning environment. She says she had a defining moment in her career when she had a student with cancer. She says since that time she has always tried to develop a sense of family in her classrooms. The payback for being a teacher, says Pryor, is when she’s at a high school game or activity and one of her former students comes up and thanks her for sharing the love of reading with them. Pryor has a constant goal of having at least three books going to satisfy her appetite for reading. As passionate as she is about reading, she’s just as passionate about teaching. In fact, she didn’t go back to school to become a teacher until after she’d had her children. She knew it was her “career calling”. Mrs. Pryor commends her principal for treating all staff with respect and playing to the strengths of each individual. Another fun fact about Mrs. Pryor is that she and her husband and daughters raise bees in their apiary and sell local honey. Congratulations to Mrs. Sherry Pryor for being our CPCS Staff Spotlight!

Look at these fierce competitors! We are preparing for the Fun Run on March 18! Check your child's backpack for more information.

Our school fun run is officially underway. Instructional flyers and prize sheets will be coming home today with every student. Pledges can be collected now up until March 18. Simply register your child by clicking on this link, and adding them to our fundraiser website. https://app.99pledges.com/fund/raycrowe/addme Each child will have their own pledge page to send out to family and friends to collect donations. Check out or amazing prize list! With the top seller in the school being our VIP for the day and getting to ride to school on the Greenwood Fire Department’s fire truck or Camaro! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at rcespto@cpcsc.k12.in.us Happy pledging!

Grassy Creek Elementary is honored to host a fundraising campaign to benefit the Riley Heart Center at Riley Children's Health. Your gift helps support a multidisciplinary team of experienced pediatric specialists who manage complex heart care. https://bit.ly/3SYT86q

Don't forget the 24-25 RCES yearbook is on sale for a few more weeks, online orders only!