Middie News - August 2026

Posted Date: 08/10/26 (10:51 AM)

MIDDIE NEWS

Middlebury Elementary School - August 2026

OUR MISSION

The mission of Middlebury Elementary School, in cooperation with family and community, is to develop compassionate, productive, and responsible citizens and life-long learners.

AUGUST CALENDAR

10 - BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT 5:15-6:30 PM

12 - WELCOME BACK MIDDIES! SCHOOL STARTS AT 8:05 AM

18 - SCHOOL BOARD MEETING 4:00 PM AT THE AD BUILDING

19 - PTO MEETING 3:30 IN THE LIBRARY

News from Mr. Hostetler, our Principal

Welcome back to another school year!!! I hope all of you had a wonderful summer and are ready to get back to school. The beginning of the school year is an exciting time for students and staff here at Middlebury! It is a wonderful time to reconnect with old friends, meet new friends, and share stories from our summer adventures.

We don’t have any changes in our start/end time or pick-up/drop-off. However, please be aware of those times and procedures in your registration packets. Be cautious when you drop off your child. Please stay in your vehicle in the car rider line. We will have staff members to help your children in or out of the vehicle if needed. We need to make sure we are not blocking traffic on Main Street. Please don’t come too early. We will not be letting students into the building before the posted times. Doors open at 7:25 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Doors open at 7:50 on Wednesday.

We invite volunteers, friends, and family members into our building. However, our number one focus is safety. Everyone will need a background check to be with students in the building or to go on a field trip. You will also need to present an ID or driver’s license to the secretary. Middlebury Schools uses the Raptor security system that runs a background check for outstanding charges and scans the sex offender registry. The system will then print a visitor’s badge for you that must be worn while visiting the school.

As usual, our goal is to partner with you to give your child as many opportunities as possible to make the year successful. We have an amazing PTO that supports us in a variety of ways and plans fun community events. We are looking for more parents to join our PTO. You can connect with them through their MES PTO Facebook page or contact the school.

I look forward to a GREAT year!

Close-up of an 'ATTENDANCE RECORD' form with columns for Date, Time, and Signature.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Regular school attendance plays a critical role in student success. Students who attend school consistently are better positioned academically, socially, and emotionally. Middlebury Community Schools values strong partnerships with families to support regular attendance for all students.

Indiana Code establishes an attendance target of 94%, meaning a student is expected to be present for at least ninety-four percent of the instructional days in which they are enrolled during the school year. This generally allows for no more than 10 absences.

All absences, and the reason for the absence, must be reported to the school office (825-2158). The school will contact parents/guardians if we do not receive notice by 8:30 AM.

WELCOME NEW STAFF MEMBERS!!

You may notice some new faces at Middlebury Elementary this school year! Mrs. Shay Amstutz is joining us to teach third grade. Mrs. Katy Gaskill is transitioning from a grade-level classroom teacher to be our new art teacher. Miss Connie Miller is joining us as our new special education assistant. Please help us welcome them to MES.

Breakfast and Lunch Prices

The costs for elementary student meals are as follows: breakfast $1.80, lunch $2.70, milk only $0.65. The costs for secondary student meals are as follows: breakfast $1.80, lunch 3.00. The costs for adult meals are as follows: breakfast $2.50, lunch $4.60.

If your financial situation changes at any time throughout the year, you may fill out a free and reduced meal application. This information is kept strictly confidential.

Free/Reduced Application

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

For news about what is happening around the school, please follow us on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063559781115

Background Checks

To better protect the safety of our students, Middlebury schools changed our policy on background checks. There was a letter explaining this new process in everyone's grey registration folder. The standard free background check will still apply to most instances for visiting or volunteering. However, if you would like to chaperone field trips, there is now a higher level screening that has a fee. This screening is good for two years. Background checks are good across all Middlebury schools - if you have students in multiple buildings, you do NOT need to do multiple background checks. Due to the nature of the new screening process, ALL background checks need to be filled out online. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in helping keep the safety of our students a top priority. If you have any questions, please contact the office.

Link to Background Check

A yellow school bus drives down a highway on a sunny day.

Afternoon Transportation Changes

If you need to change how your child will be going home (for example, being picked up instead of riding the bus), please send a note in your child's backpack or contact the office as soon as possible during the day. The office can get very busy towards the end of the day - especially the first few days of school - and the earlier we know, the better. Thank you!

Mum Sale

Back to School means it's time for our annual PTO Mum Sale! Everyone received an order form in their grey registration folder. We're thankful to Homeland Gardens for their continued support of our PTO and their mums are beautiful! Order forms and money are due on Tuesday, September 1st. Pickup will be Wednesday, September 9th at Homeland Gardens.

Late Start Wednesday

Just a reminder that Wednesdays are LATE START days. Every Wednesday we will start at 8:05. Busses will arrive about 25 minutes later than other days and our doors will open 25 minutes later than other days.