Mark Twain Elementary
February 2024 Newsletter
A message from the principal
The month of February is here and we have already missed several days off from school because of the weather. I am hopeful we won’t have very many more snow days this winter, but you can never tell. Speaking of winter...we have several coats, hats, gloves and other items in the lost and found. Please ask your child to look for his or her missing items. We are asking students to wrap their coats around their waist if they don’t want to wear it on days when they bring them outside. This has reduced the number of coats in our lost and found area considerably.
We continue to try to take our students out for recess as the weather allows. We often receive calls requesting children stay in during recess. Our school follows a recess temperature guideline and we do not have supervision arranged for students not attending recess. In fact, schools find leaving students in for recess often subject students to germs by having them wait in areas where sick children wait for their family to arrive when they are being sent home. Furthermore, having children in the office during recess is not acceptable with all of the confidential information we must discuss in our office. Please make sure your child has the appropriate attire for recess and we will keep an eye on the temperature to make sure your child is not outside when the “feels like” temperature is too cold.
Don't forget...school will not be in session on February 16th for a teacher workday and also on February 19th for Presidents Day! We hope our families enjoy a 4-day weekend.
One final note, our school is participating in Valentine’s Day on February 14th. Students look forward to this day every year and there are activities planned in each grade level. As a reminder, we do not allow gifts, flowers, or balloons to be dropped off for students. Teachers will be sending out Valentine's Day party information soon, so keep an eye out for that.
Have a great February!
Matt Fridley
Principal
Please send your student with a coat every day.
COLD WEATHER GUIDELINES
Wind chill (feels like) 20 or below - No outside recess
Wind chill (feels like) 21 - 31 - Modified recess (no more than 10 minutes outside).
TREATS AT SCHOOL
We are excited to celebrate birthdays, holidays, or any other special days with your student! If you send in treats for your student's class, please only send individual servings (cupcakes, donuts, snack cakes, ice cream sandwiches, etc...). It makes it much easier to pass out & clean up. We also do not allow deliveries of flowers, gifts, balloons, etc for students. Thank you for understanding!
Important Cafeteria Information
The cafeteria department will continue to send reminders to families regarding low and negative balances. We are sending paper letters home with our students that have a negative balance. Students with a negative balance equal to the cost of two lunches will be served an alternative tray. Please ensure your child's cafeteria account is up-to-date. Thank you for your cooperation.