Kellogg Marsh March Newsletter
Message from Mrs. Moeller
KM Bear Families,
We can’t believe it is almost the end of March! The weather is slowly improving, and the school year is approaching a very important homestretch. Spring Break is just around the corner, and I know everyone is looking forward to a well-deserved break. We are off April 1st-5th and return to school on Monday, April 8th ready to finish the year strong! Grades 3, 4, and 5 students will begin state testing in early May. April is a vital month for final preparations and assessment readiness. Our teachers continue to do a fantastic job teaching across all subjects with high expectations and individual accountability.
Parent-Teacher Conferences Details: Our Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for March 25-28. These conferences provide a valuable opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions with your child's teachers, gaining insights into their academic progress, social development, and overall well-being. If you have not scheduled your conference with your student’s teacher, please reach out through email, phone call, or Remind. A friendly reminder that dismissal is at 12:40 all this week. Please pick up your student (s) on time to allow our KM teachers to have a quick lunch and be ready to go at 1 pm for their parent conferences.
We are excited to have you attend the Parent-Teacher Conferences and truly value your dedication to your child's education. Your involvement in these conferences strongly indicates a collaborative relationship between the school and home. Together, we can foster a positive and supportive learning environment that empowers students to achieve their maximum potential.
Our Panorama Survey has been extended for our families, students, and staff until Friday, March 29. If you have not provided your input please take a few minutes to fill out the survey. Every voice matters. The information provided helps with future planning and areas for growth. All responses are anonymous. https://surveys.panoramaed.com/marysvillewa/Family24/surveys
Kellogg Marsh staff wish to see every student here every day. Chronic absenteeism is an issue at nearly all schools. At Kellogg Marsh, students who have attended more than 90% of the time went from 51.25% in January to 58.07% in February. While our rate has improved by 6.82% we still have room to grow. Let’s continue to improve our monthly rate by sending our students to school every day.
School Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
Our students' safety is extremely important, we need to review our dismissal procedures with our KM families. The car line is running smoothly. Thank you to all of you who are being patient and stopping before the crosswalk and waiting for the cars in front to move forward before proceeding to pick up your student. We are seeing a few parents that are dropping off as well as picking up in the back of the building. This area is designated for buses only. Unfortunately, this is the area where we are having a lot of close calls and safety concerns. We are asking parents not to park and leave their cars parallel to the Sped bus drop off and pick up area. In some cases, many are completing u-turns where the busses are parked to drop off and pick up. Then we have a few cars that are parking near the entrance in the back of the building where are larger busses are dropping of and picking up which makes it very difficult for our bus drivers to maneuver the wide turn to park. We appreciate your cooperation in following these dismissal procedures to ensure the safety of all our students and families. Lastly, we understand that unexpected circumstances may arise, and a student may arrive early to school. However, we strongly encourage families to ensure that students arrive at school no earlier than 9:10 am to ensure proper supervision and safety.
Lost and Found
Attention students and families, we have noticed that the number of lost and found items at our school is increasing rapidly. We understand it's easy to misplace items, but we kindly request your help reducing the number of items left behind. We encourage all students and families to take a few moments to label all of their belongings with their name, grade, and teacher's name. This will help us quickly return any misplaced items to their rightful owners. We also ask that you regularly check the lost and found area to retrieve any misplaced items. Items not claimed within a reasonable time will be donated to a local charity. Our school's lost and found area is located off the Office. If you have misplaced something, please stop by to check if it has been found. Thank you for helping us keep our school organized and reducing the amount of lost and found items.
Accountable
This month, our KM Bears have been working on the character trait of Accountable. We learned the importance of accepting our mistakes, taking accountability for our actions, and correcting our mistakes by apologizing or finishing a task. Students have talked with teachers and staff members about taking responsibility for their actions, behavior, and choices. Hopefully, this trait will be carried on at home, too. As April rolls in, we will be learning and discussing the importance of being organized.
Reading Night
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in our recent Reading Night school event. The event was a great success with a fantastic turnout from families and staff alike. We are thrilled to see such enthusiasm for promoting literacy and engaging families in reading. We want to extend a special thanks to all the volunteers who helped with planning, set-up, and running the event. Your dedication and hard work did not go unnoticed, and we couldn't have done it without you. The interactive activities, book displays, and guest readers during the event were truly inspiring. We hope that the night sparked a love of reading in our students and inspired families to continue reading together at home. Once again, thank you to everyone who participated in making our Reading Night a huge success. We look forward to seeing you at future school events and continuing to work together to promote literacy and support our students.
All About Anxiety
Everyone worries sometimes. School, friends, and stress can cause children and teens to feel anxiety. For some children, anxious feelings can become difficult to manage. This can cause problems at home, school, and/or with friends. Medicine Net has a 3-3-3 rule, a mindfulness technique simple enough for young children. It asks them to name three things they can see, identify three sounds they can hear, and move three different parts of their bodies. It's an enjoyable activity that distracts children from their worries and refocuses them on the here and now. Older children can practice the 5-4-3-2-1 method. This technique asks you to name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Check out this two page handout with information and tips for parents.
Upcoming Dates
April 1-5 Spring Break-Enjoy your time off
April 8 Classes resume
April 10 PTA Meeting at 4:30 pm
April 10 & 11 Community Health Center Dentist/Hygienist visit
April 12 Accountable Recognition Assembly
April 15-23 Volunteer Appreciation Week
April 24 PTA Planning Meeting
April 25 PTA Skate Night
April 26 Day of the Child Carnival 4:00 to 6:00 pm (PTA Event)
Phone: 360-965-1900
Fax: 360-965-1904
Carmen Moeller, Principal
Danielle Atkins, Assistant Principal
Melissa Pascoe, Office Manager
Gayle Goudsward, Secretary/Registar
Janice Williams, Nurse-Health Room
Heidi Mooring, Counselor
Non-Discrimination Notice