The Morris Minute
November 2019
Welcome to The Morris Minute!
Email: andersonb@bfschools.org
Website: bfschools.org
Location: 700 Garfield Street Southwest, Bondurant, IA, United States
Phone: 515.967.6361
Twitter: @BonduMorrisJays
A Note from Mr. Anderson
WOW! We are almost done with the 1st trimester of the 2019-2020 school year already! Conferences have come and gone and we really appreciated the opportunity to have great conversations with you all surrounding our kids and their education. We are proud to have right around 98% of you participate, which is awesome!
Speaking of the end of the trimester, that means report cards will be coming home. We will still be sending paper copies for now. I anticipate we will look to send those via email down the road. Look for some communication regarding this in the future. Also, you may see that your child receives a "1" on the report. Please remember, these report cards are showing what your child knows "at that time". Standards-based reporting is hard work and can be slightly confusing. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you need any clarification when you receive report cards. These are set to come home November 15.
You may also have heard about our "WIN" time at Morris. WIN stands for "What I Need". Almost every school has an intervention block where they get students into groups and teach them skills at their instructional levels. We've been doing this for years and this practice is at every building in our district in some capacity. Again, do not hesitate to check in with your child's teacher if you have any questions.
I have been observing Garfield St. as regularly as I can. Garfield St. is the road running north/south out in front of Morris. It is a ONE WAY moving from north to south. Please do not enter at 9th st. (South end of Morris) and proceed north to find a parking spot. We have DO NOT ENTER signs posted, as well as WRONG WAY signs. We want this campus to be as safe as possible and we thank you for following those signs for safety reasons.
This year is going fast! We have celebrated our kids and their efforts at being Bondurant's BEST on a couple of occasions and it has been so fun! They are working hard, and so are their teachers at showing all what it takes to be kind and respectful, have excellent effort, staying safe, and taking responsibility! I am truly proud of everyone for getting this year off to a great start!
Take care! The Holidays are coming!
Sincerely,
Ben
Important Dates to Remember
November 4 - 2pm Dismissal
November 5 - School Board and City Elections
November 5 - Picture Retakes
November 7 - PTO Meeting - 6:30pm in the Morris Library
November 11 - 2pm Dismissal
November 14 - 5-7pm - PTO Fundraiser pick up - PLEASE NOTE - THIS IS THE ONLY TIME YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PICK UP ITEMS - Any orders not picked up during this time will incur a $10 delivery charge. Pick up will be at Anderson Elementary.
November 15 - Report Cards Go Home
November 15 - Preschool Muffins with Moms - 10:45-11:15am & 2:30-3pm
November 18 - 2pm Dismissal
November 25 - 2pm Dismissal
November 27-29 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
December 2 - 2pm Dismissal
Want to see the entire year? Click HERE!
Socktober was a HUGE success!
Picture Retakes
MORRIS YEARBOOKS - You can go to www.jostens.com to place your order now.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
SECOND GRADE - December 5
FIRST GRADE - March 26
KINDERGARTEN - April 23
All vocal music concerts are held at the High School Auditorium - grade levels are split into two sections, the first group performing at 6pm and the second at 7pm - Mrs. Anderson will send out more details when the dates are closer, but we just wanted to make sure everyone had the nights reserved for now.
Lost & Found is OVERFLOWING!
Busy Bluejay Beginnings
At the end of September, the preschool students took a field trip to Giesler Farms in Bondurant.
Students had the opportunity to go on a hayrack ride, play in the corn pit or on the jumping pillow, just
to name a few. Our preschool students were very excited to ride a bus! Thank you for the PTO for
funding our field trip, and thank you to all of our parent and family volunteers who were able to attend!
In the last several weeks, students have been experimenting with shadows and using various light
sources to make shadows. They have used blocks, cars, animals, and puppets in their explorations.
Lastly, students have been practicing peer skills with one another and the correct way to get a peer’s
attention by following these steps:
1. Look at the peer.
2. Tap their shoulder
3. Say their name.
If your child does this to you at home, they are trying to get your attention!
Lunch Menus
Current lunch menus are always available on the website - if you hover over the little milk carton on the right side of the main page, you can find the breakfast and lunch menus for the month.
Reminder: You can apply for Free/Reduced Price Meals anytime during the school year, even if you have been turned down before & your circumstances have changed. You can find the 2018-2019 Iowa Application for Free & Reduced Price School Meals on the school website under Departments and Food Services. You can also pick up a hard copy in any building office or contact Karen Miller at millerk@bfschools.org and request to have one mailed to you.
Lunch Times
2nd: 10:55-11:20 & 11:10-11:35
1st: 11:30-12 & 11:45-12:15
Kindergarten: 12:10-12:35 & 12:25-12:50
Morris Jays Celebrating Excellent Effort
Wish List
Traffic Patterns
A few notes from Ms. Jen
Be sure to have your students check the Lost and Found bins for items they may have misplaced. They are OVERFLOWING. Another tip - write their name in/on lunchboxes, jackets, sweatshirts, water bottles - pretty much anything that may get left behind and need help to find its rightful owner again. :)
Conferences have come and gone - thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello. It's a crazy couple of nights, so I appreciate sharing smiles with everyone along the way.
Tuesday, November 5, elections will be held for City Council and for School Board. I encourage you to get to know the candidates for both and exercise your right to vote next Tuesday. Decisions made at the local level and by our school board generally have a bigger impact in your day to day life than state and federal level decisions, so it is important that you participate in the election process. (Stepping of soap box now.) :)
The PTO fundraiser pickup is scheduled for Thursday, November 14 from 5-7pm at Anderson Elementary. If this time does not work for you and you cannot find a family member or friend to pick up your items for you, there will be a $10 delivery charge to bring your items back to us at a different time. Many of the items are frozen, so delivery times/pick ups are carefully orchestrated to keep everything safe. The $10 charge is new this year - so please be sure to get your items picked up during that time frame to avoid the charge.
Thanksgiving is late this year, but please note that students will not have school November 27, 28, and 29 for Thanksgiving Break. I know it is in the Important Dates - but sometimes we have friends show up on days we do not have school so I wanted to get it your your radar now.
Have a wonderful weekend and a great rest of November!
jen