Meadowlark Newsletter
MARCH 2017
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Wow! The month of March means: book fair, Fitness for Fund$, spring break, the beginning of fourth quarter, and state assessments! All third graders, fourth graders, and fifth graders will begin taking state assessments. The Kansas State Department of Education has reduced the number of testing session by half....yippee!!! This means we can spend more time on teaching and less time on testing!
The breakdown of the state assessments is as follows:
Third Grade - ELA (English/Language Arts) - two sections/two days; Math - two sections/two days
Fourth Grade - ELA (English/Language Arts) - two sections/two days; Math - two sections/two days
Fifth Grade - ELA (English/Language Arts) - two sections/two days; Math - two sections/two days; Science - two sections/two days
Specific grade level testing dates and times will be provided to you through your classroom teacher.
We believe that the state assessments are a valuable piece of data to help us gauge where Meadowlark students are performing against their own personal ability, against other grade level peers in the district, and against other grade level peers in the state. Thank you for your support in getting your student to school on time, having them get a good night sleep and a good breakfast.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to me or to our counselor/building state assessment coordinator, Tammy Clarkson.
Happy Spring!
Dana Matheny, Meadowlark Principal
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MARCH CALENDAR
March 2
- Read Across America
- Book Fair School Spirit Week - Hat Day
March 2-9
- Scholastic Book Fair
March 3
- Spirit Week - Battleship Day (K-2 wear red) (3-5 wear black)
- 1:30 - 2:15 pm - Kindergarten Donuts With Daddy
March 6-10
- National School Breakfast Week
March 6
- Spirit Week - Team Shirt Day
- 3:35 pm - Student Council Meeting
- 3:35 pm - Learning With Legos
March 7
- Spirit Week - Pajama Day
- 2:00 - 3:00 pm - 3rd Grade Skype Denali National Park in Alaska
- 3:30 - 7:00 pm - Book Fair Family Night
March 8
- Spirit Week - Crazy Socks/Crazy Hair Day
- 12:30 - 1st Grade Skype Mrs. P.
- 1:50 pm - 2nd Grade Animal Skype
March 9
- Spirit Week - School Spirit
- End of 3rd Quarter
March 10
- NO SCHOOL - Teachers on Duty
March 12
- Daylight Saving Time Starts - Clocks spring forward 1 hour
March 13
- 9:30 am - 2nd Grade Animal Skype
- 3:35 pm - Learning With Legos
- 6:30 pm - Board of Education Meeting
March 14
- 10:00 am - 3rd Grade Skype Elephant Conservation Center in Florida
- 6:30 pm - PTO Meeting
March 15
- Papa John's Pizza Fundraiser (20% of your sale goes to Meadowlark)
- 9:30 am - Resource YMCA Swim Day
- 10:40 - 11:40 am - 5th Grade Science Assessment
- 12:30 pm - 3rd Grade Skype Yellowstone National Park
- 6:00 - 8:00 pm - PTO Carousel Skate Night
March 16
- Spring Individual & Classroom Group Pictures
- 10:40 -11:40 am - 5th Grade Science Assessment
- 1:30 pm - The Great Grant Give - AAF Assembly
- 4:30 pm - Site Council
March 17
- Last Day to Order Your Yearbook
- Report Cards Sent Home
- Staff Vs. 5th Graders Basketball Game
- St. Patrick's Day
March 20
- First Day of Spring
March 20 - 24
- NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
March 27 - April 14
- Roller Skating During P.E.
March 27
- 12:30 pm - 3rd Grade Skype Northwest Trek Raptors
- 3:35 pm - Monart Drawing Classes
March 28
- 1:00 - 2:00 pm - 3rd Grade ELA Assessment
- 6:30 pm - Kindergarten Roundup
March 29
- 1:00 - 2:00 pm - 3rd Grade ELA Assessment
March 30
- Lazy 2 Hours (3rd Reading Incentive)
- 1:15 - 2:15 pm - 4th Grade ELA Assessment
March 31
- 11:35 - 1:05 - March Birthday Lunch with Principal Matheny
- 1:15 - 2:15 pm - 4th Grade ELA Assessment
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR MEADOWLARK STAFF!
March 4 - Tammy Clarkson (Counselor)
March 9 - Rachael Hoopes (5th Grade Teacher)
March 21 - Joe Emery - (5th Grade Band Teacher)
Last Chance to Order Your Yearbook!
ORDERS NEED TO BE TURNED IN BY MARCH 17TH!
- Package A - $24.50 BEST VALUE!
- Package B - $23.00
- Package C - $21 .50
- Package D - $17.00
- Yearbook $15
Order your yearbook online at ybpay.lifetouch.com Yearbook ID Code: 3328815
PICTURE DAY IS COMING!
SKATETIME
Beginning on Monday, March 27th, our 2nd-5th grades will be participating in an in-house skating program during their physical education class. The skates will be delivered directly to the school. Due to insurance purposes, we will be exclusively using Skatetime's skates.
The Skating unit is being implemented because of its emphasis as a "Lifetime Activity". Skating provides a variety of benefits, which include balance, coordination, motor skills, and a top rated cardio-respiratory workout. Students will also learn basic skating skills such as starting, stopping, forward skating, backward skating, cornering, and a number of safety tips for being a smart skater.
Wrist guards will be provided for each student during the program. However they are allowed to bring their own wrist guards. Students are strongly encouraged to bring helmets, elbow pads, and/or knee pads for extra safety precautions.
The fee for this unit will be $7.00 per student. The fee includes delivery and pickup of the equipment as well as use of skates for 5 days of skating during their P.E. class. Checks should be made to Meadowlark Elementary.
Please have your child return their permission slip with the fee no later than Friday, March 17th. If you have any questions regarding the skating unit please contact Traci Crusinberry, at crusinbt@usd385.org.
We Offer Half and All Day Kindergarten Classes!
Please call the Meadowlark office if you have a child turning 5 on or before August 31. If you have friends or neighbors who will not receive this communication and will have a kindergartner who will attend Andover Schools next fall, please encourage them to call the Meadowlark office 316-218-4630.
IMPORTANT DATES
- April 5 - ADK Online Applications Due
- April 14 - ADK Notifications
- May 1 - ADK deposit and automatic bank drafts form due
- September 1 - Deadline for paying ADK in full and receive one month tuition free
VALENTINE'S DAY CELEBRATIONS
VALENTINE BOX DECORATING CONTEST
JUMP ROPE FOR HEART EVENT
Hey Allstars! The results are in from our Jump Rope for Heart Event.
A big thanks to everyone for helping make it a huge success.
I am proud to announce that Meadowlark Elementary raised over $6,000 for the American Heart Association.
Our top fundraisers were Imre T. in Mrs. Finney's class, Isabella F. in Mrs. Zarich's class, and Bradford C. in Miss August's class. You are the lucky 3 who will get to be "chaeffered" by Mrs. Matheny for a day! Great Job!
Thank you All Stars for helping to make a difference!
KINDERGARTEN CELEBRATE 100TH DAY AT SCHOOL
2ND GRADE EYE DISSECTION
ALL-STAR CHARACTER PROGRAM
BOX TOPS ARE AN EASY WAY TO EARN CASH FOR OUR SCHOOL!
Each Box Top you clip and submit is worth 10 cents!
Pull out your scissors, clip those valuable little Box Tops and turn them in!
Please check the expiration date. We cannot redeem if expired. Go to www.btfe.com for more information.
DOWNLOAD THE DURHAM BUS TRACKER
To provide parents and guardians with a greater sense of comfort with your children's transportation, Durham developed an app that allows monitoring of your children's bus: The Durham Bus Tracker.
Durham Bus Tracker allows you to view your student's, children's current school bus location and information about the route, in near real time, including the schedule arrival time to your home.
Benefits Include:
- Free for our customers to download and use
- User-Friendly
- Manage all your students, your children
- View bus locations with a route
- Parents and guardians are able to track all of their children and buses in one grouped view
- Available in English and Spanish
RECIPES FOR SUCCESS - PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES TO HELP YOUR CHILD
READING - Pass It On
Everyone in the family take a turn reading with this fun activity.
Ingredients: storybook, paper, pencil
Choose a book the entire family will enjoy. Then, brainstorm 15 instructions with your child.
Examples: Pass to any other reader; sing a song while pass to your left; pass to your right while standing on one leg. Write each instruction on a slip of paper and put the slips in a bowl.
Then, pick someone to read the first page of the book aloud. That person draws a slip and passes the book according to the instructions. (Return used slips to the bowl.) Continue drawing slips and pass the book until you finish the story.
SPELLING - Picture This!
Your child can practice spelling and phonics by making these spelling pictures.
Ingredients: Spelling list, old magazines, scissors, paper glue or tape
Let your youngster cut out magazine pictures that start with the letter of his spelling word.
Example: For "cat" he could use a (c)ar, and (a)pple, and a (t)rain. Have him glue the pictures on the piece of paper and write each letter of the spelling word under the pictures.
Variation for older children: Glue the pictures on separate pieces of paper. Then, scramble the pictures for a word and have your youngster put them in order.
SCIENCE
Have your child pretend she is a magnet. Can she find three things she would stick to?
Examples: soup can, paper clip.
Can she think of three things she wouldn't stick to (crayon, comb)?
Let her use a refrigerator magnet to check her answers.
Contact Information
Email: harveyr@usd385.org
Website: http://meadowlark.usd385.org/
Location: 1411 N Main St, Andover, KS, United States
Phone: 316.218.4630
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meadowlarkelementary