Mahaffey Happenings
December 2018
Upcoming Events:
November 28-December 14: Holiday Toy and Food Drive
December 1 P2P United Multicultural Celebration
December 1 Wunderlich Farm Old Fashion Christmas Market – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
December 6: Reading Express Night 5-6:30pm & 5th Grade Musical 6:30-7pm
**Parent University Credit Eligible*
December 7: Running Club Toy Drive
December 12: McTeacher Night at McDonalds (5:00-8:00)
December 14: PreOrder autographed books from Nathan Hale for 3rd-5th grade due
December 19: Scotties on the Move-Caroling through Inverness (details to come soon!)
December 20: Early Release Day/End of 1st Semester
Winter Classroom Parties 9am-10am (RSVP for parents/guardians coming in folders soon!)
Early Release Dismissal 12:45 (usual release pattern, just earlier)
--REMINDER: Early Childhood(EC) and PreK students do not attend this day!
December 21-January 7: Winter Break, No School for students
January 7: Staff Development/Teacher Work Day
January 8: Students return/Start of 2nd semester
Message from Mrs. Mason
"The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments. If you don't celebrate those, they can pass you by." -Alek Wek
For may of us, the holiday season is upon us. In today's society, it can be so easy to get caught up in the material and costly gift giving. While giving gifts and fulfilling those wish lists can be rewarding to almost everyone-both the giver and the receiver- what I hope we all give this season is the gift of time. Making memories and moments with our children is more valuable and meaningful than any toy we can buy on a shelf.
This holiday season, we challenge you to give the gift of time to make some great memories with your kids. We encourage you try some of these things to make those moments happen:
- Go camping/hiking
- Play sports together
- Cook/Bake
- Memory Lane Chat (spend time reminiscing on years past)
- Volunteer together
- Music/Singing/Dancing
- Bike Riding/Jogging
- Board Games
- Arts & Crafts
We hope you all have an amazing, joyful holiday season. We continue to be amazed and blessed by this school family we are all in together and look forward to what 2019 has in store for us!
My admin team and I are always here to support our community and families. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, comments or concerns.
Thank you,
Holly Mason, Principal
Charla Wilson, Assistant Principal
Jonathan Harvell, Assistant Principal
Playground Expansion News!
Thanks to the generosity of Campus Kids, LLC, our amazing PTO Mahaffey, and Mission Custom Builders, we are able to begin some upgrades immediately.
After surveying the students, making our wish list, and getting bids from vendors, we have made some great playground decisions.
Phase 1: To Be Completed ASAP
-EC/PK-2 Playground- add monkey bars, 2+2 Swinger, sidewalk paint games (see images below)
-3rd-5th Playground-add Ring Race, Large GaGa Ball Pit, sidewalk paint games (see images below)
Phase 2: Fundraising In Process/Seeking Donors/Sponsors Now. Goal to be done by start of 19-20 school year
-EC/PK-2 Playground-add swings and musical equipment
-3rd-5th Playground-add swings and Fly Around
Phase 3: Fundraising In Process/Seeking Donors/Sponsors Now. Goal to be done by end of 19-20 school year
-Canopy covers over each playground main area
-3-4 tables with bench seating on each playground
-3-4 benches sporadically placed throughout each playground
We know how much our Scotties are looking forward to these expansions, and we can't wait to bring them to life!
If you, or someone you know, may be interested in making a donation directly toward our playground upgrades, please contact us!
2by2 Swinger and Monkey Bars (EC-2)
Ring Race (3-5)
GaGa Ball Pit Game (3-5)
Ways to Support Mahaffey:
General Financial Donations Directly to Mahaffey!
-Mahaffey Elementary is always accepting help in the form of money donations. General donations can be sent to Carrie Rentfro (crentfro1@kleinisd.net)Financial Secretary for Mahaffey. If you would like to make an online donation, she can assist you in the process. Cash or check is also accepted. We are a 501(c)(3) organization and can provide you with information to complete on your taxes for claim.
*If you are a business owner, we would LOVE to partner with you!!
Contact Carrie Rentfro for ways you can support
Please also connect with our PTO Rresident Tiffany Bumbaugh at tbumbaugh@live.com
-By joining PTO you are not required to physically and formally volunteer, although we would love to have you help in one or more of the MANY ways you can volunteer. You are putting forth fiscal help as well and partnering with our primary community organization that helps bring resources into our school that we might not be able to have otherwise.
Become a WatchDOG Dad Volunteer!
-We love having positive, male role models working with our students and setting great examples in your dedication to education. WatchDOGS can sign up to spend either all day Thursday or Friday here on our campus experiencing many fun activities and helping us make a difference.
Attend Our Events:
-Any time we host an event, try your best to attend. This shows your student that school is an important and welcoming place. Studies have shown, increased attendance at extracurricular and other after school events increase student success and positively influence the home-school connection.
From Our Literacy Specialists:
Below are some great resources for building literacy and the importance of allowing time for children to read for pleasure.
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/encouraging-your-child-read
https://www.rif.org/blog/10-tips-families-young-children
Check out this infographic to learn even more!
Transportation/Attendance Reminders:
Dismissal Notices:
If your child will be going home a different way, please let the FRONT OFFICE and your child's TEACHER know right away. Telling the teacher is wonderful, but sometimes they can't check voicemail or email until it is after school-so your best option is always the main front office.
We ask that you have the call made by 2:30pm. If messages are not cleared or given in time, please know the teachers are trained to send kids home their regular way unless told otherwise by administration. We CANNOT take a child's word for it when it comes to leaving school safely.
Walker/Car Rider reminder:
While we know the line can sometimes be long, please be sure you are not sending your child home a walker but parking in front of the school to bypass our lines. It has been reported that many cars are doing so and obstructing traffic and safety for our students. We ask that you please follow our dismissal procedures, and be courteous of our neighborhood traffic.
Parent University
Library/MakerSpace
Clinic Information
KISD Policy for Birthday Snack orders/requests is 2 WEEKS advance notice, no exceptions.
Emergency Contact Information is REQUIRED for the nurses office. It is imperative that we be able to contact guardians in the event of your child being sick or in an emergency.
If your child has a temp of 100.0 or higher please keep them home until they are fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing (Tylenol, Motrin) medication.
Mahaffey Core Values
We believe that our sole purpose is to ensure that all kids leave us with a continued promise in fulfilling their purpose in life. We feel that to accomplish this, students must be given foundational pillars that guide us all in to well-rounded individuals who are capable of anything. When we say we are PLAID, we mean we are/have:
Positive Purpose
Learners Leading
Aspiring Academics
Innovative Ideas
Dedicated Discipline