Eagle Heights Family Newsletter
April 2023
THANK YOU!
Thank you for coming out to Shine Night last night. It was so good to see you all, what a great turnout. It was a wonderful celebration of student learning. The excitement of our students and the smiles on parents' faces were priceless!!
Boosterthon Results
Thank you for supporting the Eagle Boosterthon Fun Run. We raised over $19,000! This money will be used to purchase whiteboards for classrooms, robots for our Innovation and Tech classes, as well as many other classroom resources. In addition to raising this money, our students had a great time working with the Boosterthon Team leading up to the run, and of course, the run itself. We so appreciate your continued support.
MAP Testing Starts April 24 for Grades 3 - 6
Students in 3rd through 6th grade will be taking the MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) beginning April 23rd. The following grades will test the following days:
- 3rd Grade - April 24 - 28
- 4th Grade - April 27 - May 4
- 5th Grade - May 4 - May 11
- 6th Grade - May 1,2 and May 8 - 10
In addition to encouraging students to get plenty of rest and eat healthy breakfasts, we also like to give them snacks and brain treats on the days that they test. Sign up below if you would like to donate items to be given out to students during MAP testing.
MAP MVP Lounge
Each grade level will host an MVP Lounge after their MAP testing window ends. Students who consistently show positive test-taking and post test-taking behaviors can earn special tribe tickets, which can be cashed in for a wristband needed to attend the MVP Lounge. The MVP Lounge will take place on the playground and will have snacks, yard games, and other fun experiences. The dates are as follows:
May 1 - 3rd Grade
May 8 - 4th Grade
May 11 - 6th Grade
May 12 - 5th Grade
Please click the button below and sign up for what you are able to contribute. Questions can be sent to orschelj@smithville.k12.mo.us
News from Encore!
Hello Eagle Heights Families! Here a quick update on what students have been up to lately in the art studio: PreK students worked with shape stencils & created drawings with them. We also made collage bumblebees in March. K-1 has been stitching into lace ups this past month. I’ve been teaching them the difference between the running stitch and the whipstitch. I also opened up a play doh station for them in March. 1st graders also did some yarn wrapping around popsicle sticks to make turtles! 2nd grade began the month with an optional cardboard owl that was later wrapped with yarn. In between the clay penguins getting fired in the kiln they worked on the owls and then the penguins were painted with tempera paint. 3rd began stitching into burlap and I showed them how to use pom pom makers! This was a very popular thing I hadn’t anticipated! So many great ideas were sparked from pom poms! I also opened up modeling clay for them the last week of March so they could practice making their clay project - more on that in April! 4th grade was introduced to a cardboard structure that was turned into an animal with notches on the sides to be able to weave into and they also had modeling clay opened up for practicing for their clay project. Here’s a hint - their clay assignment had to have a pinch pot with attachments! I gave them lots of examples so we had quite a wide variety of pieces made. 5th graders also had the cardboard animal structure for weaving and modeling clay - we are getting ready to do a coiling clay project! Sixth grade 2D Art finished up their work before spring break and 3D Art has now begun. 3D students have been working on projects using clay, perler beads, paper sculpture and weaving - quite the variety but they have a list to choose from so they have choice in what they’d like to make.
I hope you were able to make it to Shine Night - we had a lot of great art on display from so many of our Eagle artists! Thanks to everyone who has signed up on Artsonia and followed along with their student(s) art! Mother’s Day is a great time to order gifts that are unique and one-of-a-kind so keep that in mind!
Items needed in the art room this month:
White perler beads
Perler bead plates (to build upon) - any shape/size
Jewelry jump rings - ¼” in size or there about
Googly eyes - any size!
Orange handled kid scissors - why can’t I find these?
Thank you again for your support and donations! We wouldn’t have the amazing artists we do without it!
Mrs. Thompson - Innovation
Greetings from the innovation classroom! This month we are highlighting third grade and first grade.
Your first graders have become robotic programming masters! They have been working with our Dash robots to learn how to drive AND program dash through a course we created in the room. They will use all of their skills and knowledge to program dash through the maze to pick up “trash” for Earth Day. They will need to program dash through the maze and collect as much “trash” as possible. Ask your student about Dash tonight to see what knowledge they can share with you! The next project your first graders will be doing is a project using recycled cereal boxes. We could use all the cereal box donations. If you are able, start sending empty cereal boxes in with your first graders.
The third grade classes are in the middle of a big building AND robot project. They are working in teams to create a building for our Dash City. Similar to first grade, third grade has been busy programming Dash through our “city.” When they are done with their buildings they’ll create the robot city and have several Dash robots interacting with each other. Ask your third grader what their favorite thing is about Dash City!
As always, thank you for the donations. Our supply closet is still LOADED with recyclables and cardboard. However, we are low on toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls. If you are willing to save a bunch and send them in, we would love that!
As always, reach out to me via email or phone call with any questions or concerns. Thompsoa@smithville.k12.mo.us or 816-532-5959 Ext. 7628
Mr. Parker - PE
K-1st grade students have continued to build on their locomotor movement skills through different activities. Students have learned new games, exercises and are continuing to get stronger. Students have been working on station rotations and are reviewing some of the skills that they have learned earlier in the school year.
2nd- 6th grade students learned a game called “Sink the Ship”. This game has multiple components and involves students throwing, blocking, and using their lower body muscles to ride scooters. This game involves teamwork, skill, and allows students to have different jobs.
Thinking Ahead
Field Day Dates:
May 19th (Make Up Date TBD):
Kindergarten-2nd Grade: 9:30-11:30
3rd & 4th Grade: 12:30- 2:30
Eagle Heights Gym/ Back Parking Lot
May 23rd (Make Up Date 5/24):
5th & 6th Grade: 9:30-11:30
High School Track
**Be on the lookout for a SignUp Genius in the next few weeks. We will use this as our parent volunteer sign up sheet.**
Mrs. Rice - Library
Eagles library has been busy! This month we have been participating in our March Madness Book Brackets and looking at influential women for Women's History Month. In addition to that, we also geared up and decorated for our Literati book fair, which is happening now at the EHE Library!
Our PreK, Kindergarten, and 1st graders learned about Rosie Revere, the engineer and designed their own inventions for keeping squirrels out of the bird houses! As well as focused on Shark Lady: Eugenie Clark and designed their very own fish tank! A lot of fun went into discovering different jobs that women had that left a mark in different career fields!
We’ve continued our March Book Madness throughout the month and the votes are in for our brackets! For our novel competition, the two in the championship game were The Fort by Gordon Korman is up against Glitch by Laura Martin. In the picture book competition, the two that were in the championship game were That’s Not My Name by Anoosha Syed challenges My Pet Feet by Josh Funk and Billy Yong. All classes have really gotten into the competition and chose Glitch by Laura Martin as the winner for the novel and My Pet Feet by Josh Funk as the winner for the picture book competition.
This upcoming month of April will be filled with Poetry, Ocean Discovery and Earth Day! As well as celebrating teachers for Teachers Appreciation Week!
Mr. Venner - Music
The good times keep coming in the music room at EHE!
KG and First grade will be preparing for their Music Night performances at the EHE Gym on May 4 with KG performing at 6 pm and First Grade performing at 7 pm. I will send detailed information closer to the performance date.
Second Grade will be preparing for their Music Night performance at the EHE Gym on April 26 starting at 6. The classes will each have a 20 minute block to teach parents about all the wonderful things we study and learn in the music room. I have not decided in what order they will present yet but will send detailed information soon.
Third and Fourth grades will be learning to read music on recorders with short breaks to play in drum circle and mallet madness. For the final quarter Fifth Graders will be working in small groups to create recording projects that we will share out digitally. Sixth graders will be exploring bass, drums, violin, electronics and guitar. There is a small group of the 6th graders who will be creating and teaching music games to groups of first grade students (15 at a time).
Returning Student Registration is now open! Families that will be returning to the Smithville School District must register their student and update their demographic and other information online.
The 3 steps to enroll your K-12 student are:
Step 1: Returning Student Registration can be completed by parents logging into their Powerschool Parent Portal Account.
Step 2: Gather the following documents needed for online enrollment:
Proof of residency (utility bill, lease, or real estate contract) **Grades: Incoming Kindergarten, 4th, 7th, and 9th
Step 3: Once logged into the Powerschool Parent Portal Account, you will click on Forms from the menu on the left side of the screen, click the Enrollment tab. Complete each form in the Smithville Returning Student Forms section.
For more information regarding Returning Student Registration, visit https://www.smithvilleschooldistrict.net/.../returning....
New students to the district, please go to the New Student Registration page:
Feed Northland Kids Spring 2022-2023
Feed Northland Kids is a unique organization focused on addressing weekend nutrition and hunger by providing healthy, kid-friendly foods for school-age children, living in the Northland of Kansas City, MO.
The Feed Northland Kids food kit program requires sign up. To receive a food kit, families MUST sign up by the dates listed below for that month's distribution - NO EXCEPTIONS. ie, December 30th for January 12th distribution. Families must sign up for each month needing assistance - one sign up equals one month of food kits. Families must have a child enrolled in Smithville School District to participate.
- Sign up by April 28th for May 11th distribution
Families of 4 or less will receive 4 kits. Families of 5 or more will receive 6 kits. Each kit typically contains food for a week which may include two canned soups, two canned vegetables, two canned pastas, two boxes dry mac and cheese, a canned tuna, a canned chicken, a jar of peanut butter, a breakfast cereal, granola bars, a loaf of bread, and a main meal.
Important Upcoming Dates
- April 19
- EHE Jubilee Choir Festival @ PAC - 6:00 p.m.
- School Board Meeting - 7:00 p.m.
- April 21 - Behavior Interventionist Day
- April 26
- 2nd Grade Music Night - 6:00 p.m.
- Administrative Professionals Day
- May 1 - Incoming Kindergarten Night - 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
- May 4 - Kindergarten/1st Grade Music Concert - 6:00 p.m.
- May 5 - School Lunch Hero Day
- May 8-12 - Teacher Appreciation Week (show your teachers some love!)