MEADOWLARK NEWSLETTER
JUNE 2018
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
I hope that everyone enjoys their summer! The office staff will be available if you should have any questions until Thursday, June 21st. We will return to the office on Thursday, July 26th. Enrollment information for the 2018-2019 school year will be communicated to you over email by the district office in July. Please be sure to do your online enrollment in order to secure busing, to pay enrollment fees, and to apply for free and/or reduced lunch. (As a reminder, free and reduced lunch applications need to be filled out yearly). I encourage families to take advantage of this option!
We look forward to seeing students for Meet the Teacher on Tuesday, August 14th from 5:00 until 6:30. Please feel free to send me an email if you have needs this summer at mathenyd@usd385.org.
Thanks, Dana
Calendar
JULY
23 - Online Enrollment Begins (District Office will communicate this by email)
AUGUST
2 - Returning Students Enroll (8 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m.)
3 - New Students Enroll (8 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m.)
14 - 5:00 - 6:30 pm - Meet Your Teacher Night (1st - 5th Grades Only)
16 - First Day For Grades 1-5
16 - 20 - Kindergarten Screening
20 - Kindergarten Meet Your Teacher Night
21 - First Day for Kindergarten
2018-2019 DISTRICT CALENDAR
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR STAFF
June
JUNE
1 - Marissa Collins (Kitchen Manager)
1 - Leah Russo (Art Teacher)
26 - Bev Finney (Kindergarten Teacher)
July
August
12 - Dana Matheny (Principal)
21 - Michaila Pfaff (Librarian)
24 - Amy Buchanan (Instructional Aide)
ART NeWS
Dear Parents,
I would like to let you know that I am excited for my new chapter in life and I will be relocating to Indiana to be closer to family I and will not be returning to Meadowlark next year. Meadowlark is truly remarkable school. The staff, parents, and student have become like family to me and I am forever grateful for the joyful memories spent here! I refrained from telling students during the school year because I did not want them to be sad on their last couple days of school. I know that they will be in good hands next year! Thank you all for all of your support and, like the saying goes, "Once an All-Star, always an All-Star"
Love,
Leah Russo
Hero Award
Every year, each grade level team of teachers selects one student from their grade level for the Meadowlark Hero Award. A Meadowlark Hero is a student who exemplifies the positive character traits that will make a successful student/person in life. These traits include: responsibility, respect, integrity, perseverance, etc.
We are very pleased and proud to tell you that Christina R., Gabby P., Justin H., Blayne R., Sarah W., Dallas J., and MacKenzie H. were selected as our Meadowlark Heroes! Each student is a hard worker, a great friend to everyone and is very deserving of this recognition!
Meadowlark PTO
Thank you for making Fitness For Funds 2018 a HUGE Success! We raised $27,000! Way to go Meadowlark All Stars!
Meadowlark students earned the following prizes and awards:
190 students earned an hour of free time and a popcorn party for submitting five (5) address labels by Wednesday, February 21st.
492 prizes were distributed!
The top 3 classes with the highest % of students returning their completed label sheets earned a PE day of their choice: Zarich (77.8%), August (76.5%), and Hoopes (70%).
The top 3 classes with the highest AVERAGE dollar amount in sponsor donations received by Friday, April 20th, will receive $100 in educational materials for their classrooms: August ($172), Todd ($144), and Segraves ($115).
There were 62 Top Student Fundraisers ($150+) who enjoyed the “Gaming Den” on Thursday, May 3rd.
Meadowlark students exceeded our goal of $20,000, so every certified teacher as well as each grade level team will receive $300 to be used in the classrooms! In celebration, the entire school participated in a DJ dance party on Friday, May 11th.
The PTO would like to a thank everyone for their support!!!
Thank You
Teacher Appreciation Week
The staff would like to thank the Meadowlark PTO during Teacher Appreciation Week. A special thank you to committee chairs, Shelley Dunnegan, Gaylene Alderson and Aimee Steffan for decorating the teacher workroom, providing daily gifts and treats, McDonalds breakfast, photo booth, Mexican lunch from Los Cocos and much more. The staff had an awesome week and felt very much appreciated!
2017-2018 Box Top Winners!
ALL-STAR CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM
These students were all recognized for showing the Character Trait
CITIZENSHIP!
Meadowlark college
On Tuesday, May 17th, Meadowlark students got to experience a day in a college. Students had the difficult task of selecting six out of twenty five fun courses. Each class was 40 minutes long with a 5 minute transition period between each class. Students not only had a valuable experience but a lot of fun as well.
COURSES OFFERED
Paper Airplanes
Building Circuits in a Snap
Wacky Water Colors
Puzzle Party
LEGO & Cardboard Construction
Coaster Mania
Meadowlark Family Feud
Pente
Go Noodle
Meadowlark Construction Zone
Tenzi Frenzy
Games Galore!
Have a Clay Day!
Cosmic Yoga Adventure
Come Back to Kindergarten
Team Relays & Games
Tech Time
Breakout-PE Style
Watercolors
Drums Alive
Silly Face Flowerpots
String Art Creativity
Finnish 101
Making Ice Cream
B-I-N-G-O
It was a beautiful day for the "Fun In The Sun" field day event on Friday, May 18th at the District Stadium. Students enjoyed a day of fun games and competitions.
We would like to give a big thank you to all of the parents, ACMS students, and staff who volunteered their time to help with this event. We could not do it without you!
I want to just say how proud I am of all of the students who joined the Milers this year. I was so impressed by their willingness to come before school as well as after school to run and try to reach that next goal! Family and friends got to come and enjoy the final run on the Red Bud Trail along with some Kona Ice afterwards. Throughout the spring, students received mile tokens for every 10 miles they reached. The ultimate goal was to reach 40 miles by the end of the year, and If they did they received a medal. Bronze was given to the students that reached 40 miles, but most of those miles were earned on spring break. Silver was earned by reaching 30 miles through running club or reaching a total of 40, with the majority of those miles being from running club. Students who received the Gold Medal reached 40 miles all through running club.
Great Job Milers!
Mrs. Crusinberry
P.E. Teacher
Side Walk Send Off
It has become a tradition at Meadowlark that on the last day of school, the 5th grade girls decorate the sidewalk with chalk pictures and inspirational words for a colorful send off for all our students. At 7:40 am on Wednesday, May 23rd, the 5th grade girls met in front of Meadowlark. It was a great way to end their happy years at Meadowlark!
Exercise Kids' Minds During the Summer
If students laze away the days of summer without using their minds, they can lose up to a month of learning - especially in reading and math. Stem the summer slide and keep your child engaged with these fun, brain-friendly activities.
Devise a plan. Tell your child that reading and learning activities will be an important part of their summer. Assure them that they’ll still have lots of time for play.
Teach mini-lessons. Transform everyday activities into learning opportunities. Children can count change, read directions for a trip, write a shopping list, or calculate a recipe’s measurements.
Gather activity books. Give children their own activity book with crossword puzzles or number games customized for their specific age group. Set a “due date” to keep them on track, but let them work at their own pace.
Initiate a writing project. Have your child keep a summer journal, write letters to family members or friends, or craft a play to perform with siblings or neighbors. Or, start a family cookbook with your favorite recipes, instructions, and shopping lists.
Strategize screen time. Educational computer games or apps can engage students’ minds, but make sure your child is spending enough time away from the screen. Assign a daily block of time for family members to turn off phones, computers, and the TV, and instead play a board game or read together.
Designate daily reading blocks. Set aside at least 15 minutes a day for your entire family to read. (That means parents, too!) Find reading recommendations by grade level on the American Library Association’s book lists (see Web Resources). Organize a summer read-a-thon with goals for each family member, or sign your child up for your library’s summer book club.
Go global. Set aside several nights during the summer to have an international evening. Together, cook a meal with recipes from a different nation. Learn basic words in that country’s language. Find the country on a map, and together examine a book or article with information on what life is like there.
Sneak learning into family trips. If your family is able to take a vacation during the summer, include stops at zoos, children’s museums, or historic sites. Have your child help you plot out the journey using maps and keep a journal along the way. Older children can tally up miles, keep track of expenses, or compute gas mileage.
Get moving. Build physical activity into your child’s summer days. Even if he or she can’t participate in a local sports league or community-based team, encourage activities such as jumping rope, playing catch, and taking family walks.
Report to Parents, written to serve elementary and middle-level principals, may be reproduced by National Association of Elementary School Principals members without permission. It can be posted to school websites, blogs, or sent via email. Back issues are available to members at naesp.org.
From all the staff at Meadowlark Elementary, we wish you a fun and safe summer!
Meadowlark Elementary School
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