Midland Messenger
February 7-11, 2022
Midland Elementary
Email: midland@fpschools.org
Website: http://midland.fpschools.org/
Location: Midland Elementary School, 105th Street East, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-4500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Midland-Elementary-Mustangs-112865059416899/?ref=settings
From the Principal:
February is always a fun time at school! We celebrate friendships with Valentines’ Day, celebrate 100 days of being at school, and this year we are also raising money and celebrating with The Kids Heart Challenge (formerly called Jump Rope for Heart). Thank you for participating, as we raise awareness for our kids to be active 60 minutes each day and to be heart healthy. Thank you, also, for your generous donations to support the American Heart Association!
I deeply appreciate you- our Midland families- for helping to make Midland a great school for all kids! You are important to our school!
It's great to be a MUSTANG!
~Dr. Paula Dawson
Bus Safety and Expectations
This past week our counselor and principal rode several bus routes and visited a few bus stops in an effort to promote safer bus conditions for our students. As a reminder, the bus expectations are just like the classroom. Students should sit respectfully in their assigned spots, face to the front, use a quiet level voice, and follow all directions from the adult. Please help us keep our bus rides safe for all kids by reminding your student to follow the bus safety expectations. Thank you!
PTA and Volunteers Wanted!
Our PTA has historically been an important part of our school community. Truthfully, with COVID and the movement of our previous PTA leadership, we have had a difficult time having an active PTA. I feel strongly that we are missing this important part of our community and it's time to build it up again! I would love your ideas of what you would like to see in a PTA. If you have ideas, please email them to me at pdawson@fpschools.org.
Have you been wanting to volunteer at Midland? It's been almost two years since we have been able to have parents in our building, but we are excited that we can now do so! Due to the ongoing pandemic, we do have some restrictions which are outlined in the attachment below. Our classrooms could use tutors, we would love to have additional adults on our playground, and we could even bring back Friday snack sales during recess if we had adults who could help. Again, please email me and we will get you plugged in!
I'm looking forward to your partnership!
~Dr. Dawson
Important Dates to Remember:
February 8 ~ Election Day
February 8 ~ HOPE Assembly
February 9 ~ 1:55 Dismissal
February 14 ~ Happy Valentine's Day!
February 16 ~ 1:55 Dismissal
February 21-25 ~ No School for Mid-Winter Break
**For additional future scheduled activities, please check out our Midland calendar at https://midland.fpschools.org/**
Employee Appreciation
On February 8, voters will have an important choice to make on two levies that support all students enrolled in Franklin Pierce Schools. Propositions 1 and 2 are replacement levies which means that tax rates will not increase.
- Proposition 1: Educational Programs and Operations Levy accounts for approximately 15% of annual operating budget and pays for things not funded or only partially funded by the state: teachers, paraeducators, counselors, nurses, athletics, curriculum adoptions, routine maintenance of school facilities, security measures, transportation, special education, McKinney-Vento, etc. Prop 1 replaces an existing levy passed by voters in 2018 at $4.74/ $1,000 with a new levy set at $2.50/$1,000 from 2023-2026.
- Proposition 2: Technology Levy pays for staff and 1:1 student computing devices, classroom technology, network infrastructure that supports all of the devices, safety technologies, telecommunications, technology help desk and technicians, etc. Prop 2 replaces an existing levy passed by voters in 2018 at $.41/1,000 with a new levy set at $.41/$1,000 to support continued investment in technology from 2023-2026.
Have questions? Visit www.fpschools.org/vote or contact the Public Information Office at info@fpschools.org or (253)298-3087.
Social Emotional Learning:
Social emotional Learning corner
Content by Mrs. Blaisdell
February 7th
Empathy and the Emotions of Others”
We are learning about the definition of Empathy—"The ability to understand and share the feelings of another”. When we can identify and understand the emotions of others, we can connect and establish relationships that can support each other’s well-being, as well as our own. We can identify the emotions of others by using cues and clues such as 1. Facial expressions 2. Body Language 3. Verbal Clues 4. Situational Clues.
Yearbook Cover Contest for Students
Healthy and Safe practices at Midland
Just a reminder of the things that we'd like you to consider before sending your child to school each day:
- A temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or above?
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
These are some safety precautions we will be practicing at Midland:
- Students will be required to wear a mask on the bus, in the halls, in class, and at recess.
- Students will wash hands and use hand sanitizer throughout the day.
- Students will sit 3 feet apart in the classroom, and 6 feet apart during breakfast & lunch.
If your child has been exposed to COVID, or if they are showing symptoms of illness, you may not send them to school until they have been quarantined and symptom free for 5 days. After 5 days, they can be tested at school and if they test negative, they can return. Teachers will provide work for students during this time. We are counting on everyone to keep Midland safe for all students and staff. Thank you!
Franklin Pierce Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.
Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to James Hester, Compliance Coordinator for State and Civil Rights Laws; Wendy Malich, Title IX Officer; or John Sander, 504/ADA Coordinator at 315 129th ST S, Tacoma, WA 98444-5099 or at (253)298-3000.