Moran Prairie Messenger
Weekly Moran Prairie Family and Community Newsletter
Friday November 3rd:
Highlights for the week:
- Mrs. Lemmon's class planned and designed unusual monsters!
- We had our annual Halloween parade and classroom celebrations this week!
- Mr. Martin's first graders were practicing their hand skills with fun ribbons in fitness and health!
- Mrs. Stumbaugh has engaged all 5th graders in the 40 books challenge! The goal is to read 40 books across a variety of genres and they're tracking books read by making chains!
- Mrs. K Brown's class modeled different multiplication strategies on candy corn!
And congrats to all 4th Graders who participated in "America Recycles Day" poster contest. There were 30 winners selected out of 250 entries. Four winners are here at Moran Prairie. Congrats to Kasey W., Gemma R., Cora L., Phoebe L. Their posters will be on display in River Park Square.
Principal Update
It's been a fun week full of festivities and celebrations. We honored our October Top Dog winners (and our September winners), and their photos are now featured in our new monthly display! Thank you to 3rd grade parent Lindsey Alice for helping to put the display together and to our office assistants Dewi Campbell and Carolina Johnson for collecting all the photos for it!
Tuesday was Halloween with our annual parade and classroom celebrations. The parade was an opportunity to show off costumes to all students. The classroom celebrations featured safe snacks and themed activities like bingo, mad scientist experiments, pumpkin painting, and more. Mrs. Lemmon's class even had one of those mystery sensory activities where they felt brains, eyeballs, and more without looking! Thank you to our PTG and all of our amazing room parents for organizing such fun events.
On Wednesday, staff made it through with a friendly game of "Pumpkin in my Pocket." The spent the day asking all staff they encountered if they had a pumpkin in their pocket. If they did, they had to give the pumpkin up. Those with pumpkins at the end of the day came to the office to pick some prizes! We have some pretty competitive staff with some taking their class out of the building on long walks to avoid other staff, some hiding under their desks with the lights off, and others hiding around corners to wait for other staff to ask first!
Next week is our Veteran's Day Assembly to honor all the veterans in our lives and community.
Thank you to the fire department!
Ongoing Reminders
- Interested in joining our Moran Prairie mission and vision workgroup? Reach out to Ms. Hellenthal! (see previous 2 newsletters for more information)
- It's getting colder and colder! In addition to sending students to school with appropriate clothing for being outside, we are also in the season of possible school closures or delays. To learn more about the process and how this is communicated, visit the district webpage here.
- Wondering when to keep your sick student home? Find information and recommendations at the district webpage here.
Interested in running an after-school club? Parents and/or community members who run afterschool programs are hired and paid for their time. Let Ms. Hellenthal know what kind of club you want to run (follow your passions!) and we'll get you set up!
- Want to see photos from the family dance and claim yours? Follow this link!
- Our lost and found is getting full! If your child is missing something, that's the first place to check. Unclaimed items by winter break are donated to a local charity! (we will continue with reminders for families)
- Thank you for continuing to park in other spots in the lot rather than in our bus and Zum zones. We appreciate your attention to this!
- Please continue to provide input on our school community and your hopes for our students using this survey: Survey for families and students.
Find our new Moran Prairie Instagram and follow us for regular updates of the amazing things we're doing this year!
Scholastic Book Fair 11/6 Through 11/9
It’s that time again! Our Fall Scholastic Book Fair is back just in time to stock up for the holidays.
Our book fair will be in the library November 6th – November 9th. All students attending the book fair must have a parent or guardian with them, including those who go to express or ride the bus. We also ask that all bags and backpacks are left in the hallway before entering the library.
***This year we will only have ONE day for cash sales. MONDAY from 3-6pm we will except cash or credit/debit. For Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, payments will only be accepted in the form of credit/debit card. ***
Open Hours:
Monday 11/6 = 3 - 6 pm
Tuesday 11/7 = 3 - 4:30 pm
Wednesday 11/8 = 3 - 4:30 pm
Thursday 11/9 = 3 - 4:30 pm
If you can’t make it to the Fair, follow QR code below to see our Moran Prairie home page and order online.
If you would like to volunteer to help, use the QR code below!
Moran Prairie PTG Meeting - Special Guest Speaker
Our next PTG Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 14th at 6:30pm in the Library. Karrie Brown, 3rd grade teacher extraordinaire at Moran Prairie with 36 years in education will be the Keynote Speaker. Karrie is excited to provide parents and caregivers with resources, strategies, and real-life examples that can be used at home to nurture a love for learning, stimulate healthy brain development, and foster social and emotional learning (SEL) in primary and intermediate learners. Her insights and guidance are certain to help parents and caregivers ignite curiosity and inspire young minds.
More details to follow in the coming weeks for this engaging Moran Prairie community event.
Tuesday, Nov 14, 2023, 06:30 PM
Moran Prairie Elementary School, Library
Counselor Corner
This week's counselor lesson focus is on bullying. Moran Prairie students are learning the different between bullying, conflicts, and mean moments. We are talking about who students can report bullying to if they see it or experience it. Students are also learning how to be an upstander if they see someone being bullied by being a friend to the target, standing up to the bullying, and reporting to an adult.
Kindergarten Interest Form
Do you have a future kindergarten student at home?
Chase Middle School's CCTV
Upcoming Dates
- Monday November 6th: Student late start at 9:30 for staff collaboration, Prairie Dog Monday, Book Fair, National School Psychologist Week Starts, ASB meeting after school
- Tuesday November 7th: Election Day, Book Fair
- Wednesday November 8th: Fire Drill #2, Book Fair
- Thursday November 9th: Hearing & Vision Screening, Veteran's Day Assembly @ 2 pm
- Friday November 10th: No School for Veteran's Day
- Monday November 13th: Student late start at 9:30 for staff collaboration, Prairie Dog Monday
- Tuesday November 14th: PTG Meeting @ 6:30 pm in the library
- Friday November 17th: PTG Event Cider and Cookies @ 4 pm on the blacktop
- Monday November 20th: Student late start at 9:30 for staff collaboration, Prairie Dog Monday
- Wednesday November 22nd - Friday November 24th: No school for students, Thanksgiving Holiday
You can find the calendar for the 2023-24 school year here. This may help with planning for next year!
PTG Events Coming Up
PTG General Membership Meeting at 6:30 pm with special guest speaker Karrie Brown, topic is around student curiosity and creativity.
Friday November 17th:
Cider & Cookies on the Moran Prairie blacktop from 4 - 5:30 pm
See the newsletter (click the blue linked button above) for more information!
Stay Connected
- Email us: mrnprairie.ptg@gmail.com
- Moran Prairie PTG Website: www.moranprairieptg.org
- Like us: www.facebook.com/MoranPrairiePTG/