The Eagle Soars
Sunflower Elementary - August 17, 2018
About Us
Email: jacobsc@usd231.com
Website: www.usd231.com/se
Location: 775 North Center Street, Gardner, KS, USA
Phone: 913-856-3700
Aloha!
Welcome back to Sunflower! We have had such a busy week...it has flown by!! We started off the school year with a giant school-wide Hawaiian luau celebrating the beginning of the school year. Superintendent Pam Stranathan even joined us!
Check out our slideshow of First Day of School photos!
Notes from the Office
Change of Transportation
Please let your child's teacher know how your child will be leaving school ahead of time. If you need to make a change during the day, contact the office with a phone call, preferably no later than 3:00 pm. A child will not be allowed to go home in a different manner unless we hear from you. Thank you for your understanding as we work to ensure all of our students arrive home safely.
Absences Due to Vacations
If your family is planning to go out of town and your student will miss any days of school, this is technically an unexcused absence (per district handbook). Please email Dr. Jones at mailto:jonesja@usd231.com ahead of time. This will allow us to take a look at previous attendance history and determine whether or not the absence will be excused.
Online Absence Reporting
Please use our new online absence reporting link to report all school absences by 9:00am for EACH day your student will be absent. There is an icon on our website at http://www.usd231.com/se for our new online absence reporting link. You can also call in student absences to the absentee line at 913-856-3749.
What's Coming Up?
Thursday, August 30 - Watch D.O.G.S. and Eagle M.O.M.S. Informational Meeting 6:15 pm
View our online calendar (select individual events for more details):
Introducing a New Addition!
The site-based Eagle M.O.M.S. (Moms of Magnificent Students) initiative serves to complement the national Watch D.O.G.S. program. The specific goal of this initiative is to enhance our student’s educational success by utilizing the positive impact of mothers and mother figures in the lives of their children and all students.
Research shows a convincing relationship between positive parent involvement and student success (Henderson & Mapp, 2002). Decades of research, as noted on the National PTA web site, show when parents are involved students have:
Higher test scores, grades, and graduation rates
Better school attendance
Increased motivation, better self-esteem
Lower rates of suspension
Decreased use of drugs and alcohol
Fewer instances of violent behavior
Watch D.O.G.S. and Eagle M.O.M.S. Duties:
Volunteer a day (or half) in our school
Serve in your child’s classroom and in other classrooms
Help students with their work or facilitate other special projects
Participate in recess
Eat lunch with your child
Help supervise students at lunch
Shelve library books
Typical Day:
Moms are asked to report to the office at 8:15 a.m. (sign-in and orientation).
Greet students at the front door
Morning announcement introduction
Follow daily schedule
Complete survey
SE Student Speakers at Convocation
Sunflower PTO
We invite everyone to join the Sunflower PTO Facebook page. By searching "Gardner Sunflower PTO" under Pages, you will be able to join the group and receive updated PTO information.
Drop Off and Pickup...Intimidating?
Our car line can be intimidating. If you follow these simple rules, it's a breeze!
At Meet the Teacher Night, you will receive a sign with your child's name on it. When you pick up your child in the car line, please hang this sign up on your rear view mirror. Even if your current after school plan is for your child to walk home or ride the bus or go to JCPRD, please take your sign home. There might be a day when you will need to pick up your child in the car line.
Please take a look at the document link below for more detailed drop off and pickup instructions!
School Safety
If you need to drop off something for your student, for example, their lunch, there will be a table available for parents to drop it off each time as well. Just make sure to notify the front office who the item(s) are for.
Click here for a quick video if you aren't familiar with the procedures or if you want a refresher!
What's for Lunch (and Breakfast)?
Click here for our lunch schedule and lunch menus. There's also an app that you can download for your phone called "Nutrislice" where you can pull up the breakfast and lunch menus.
Click here for our District Nutrition Services webpage where you can catch up on the latest special events, order classroom catering, apply for free & reduced lunches, and see the lunch prices for the 18-19 school year.
To pay for lunches, you can either pay online via Skyward (the same way you paid for the $70 Instruction Material fee when you enrolled) or bring cash or check into the school office.
Young Rembrandts Art Classes
Sunflower Staff Fun before the kids come to school!
Sunflower Site Council Meetings 2018-2019
The Sunflower Site Council will be meeting at 6 pm in the library on the following dates: 9/11/18, 11/13/18, 2/5/19, 4/9/19.
All meetings are open to the public.
Kansas schools are required to establish site councils composed of the principal, teachers and other school personnel, parents, business representatives, and other community groups.
Site councils have a responsibility to provide advice and counsel in the following areas: evaluating district and school performance goals and objectives, determining methods to meet those goals and objectives, and other areas as requested by the board of education.
Remember, the work of the site council is advisory only; it makes recommendations, not decisions.