8/04: New Teachers Report

8/09: Welcome Back All Teachers!! Thanks to PTA for providing breakfast!

8/08-8/10: Teacher Professional Learning

8/10: Teacher Assignment goes live for families to view in Skyward K-6th grades (Dist. directed, so unsure of exact timing)

8/14: 4:30-6pm Ice Cream Social

8/15: First Day for Grades 1-6; Early Dismissal at 12:30 (Bring a lunch. Students will have 30 minutes in cafeteria to eat.)

8/15-8/16: Kindergarten Small Group Conferences (Sign up coming 8/10) See email from me for more details about Kindergarten.

8/17: First Day for Kindergarten; Coffee & Kleenex in Garden for parents after arrival

8/24: 5:30-6:15 & 6:30-7:15 Back to School Curriculum Night for parents only (Gr. 1-6)

I am sure you have noticed, Prairie has been a construction zone all summer long! We are excited to wrap up all of the projects so we can welcome you back! Here are a few of the improvements made over the break:

• Freshly asphalted Walking Trail & converted old areas into green spaces
• Bathroom renovations: new flooring, sinks and automatic flushing toilets!
• Turf installed in Courtyard: new tables for outdoor learning space coming soon! (Thanks for donating to our Fund-a-Need multi-year project through our Prairie Fund auctions!)
• Climbing wall installed in gym (Thanks PTA!)
• Converted Special Education Learning Center (Rm 202) into a 1st grade classroom including custom built cubbies in the hallway
• Converted Maker Space into a Learning Center for small groups and built walls for a private learning space in the back for individuals and small groups
• Removed large cabinets from Music Room to open up space for movement during lessons
• Mrs. Papineau is making the finishing touches on our mosaic mural in the art room!
• MakerSpace learning opportunities will be provided in an area of our beautiful, large library!
• New roof is still being installed overhead! No more leaking classrooms!
• Still to come: Garden Improvements: Trimming trees, removal of dead trees, turf and new tables for our outdoor classroom space! (Continued thanks for this multi-year effort through our Prairie Fund auctions! Thanks to Smith Bros. for donating )
• Mission Road Message from the City of Prairie Village: Mission Road will remain closed into late fall. The city has struggled with traffic on 67th not going west to Roe but cutting through to the south on Granada and El Monte. Use 67th to Roe and not residential street cut throughs. It is VERY important for cars to drop off in the BACK of the building. Only buses and students with special circumstances use the circle drive in the front off of 67th Street. We cannot have traffic blocked in this area! There will still be a Crossing Guard helping students cross at that intersection, so be sure to use that intersection to cross Mission Rd.

• This is a great opportunity to drop off your child's supplies for the year!
• PTA Supply Orders will be distributed in the gym this year.
• Click here to find the school supply lists on our website.

You will be able to view your child's classroom teacher in Skyward on Aug. 10th. Please be sure to follow the online verification process so you will have access to this important info!

Important: Go to Fee Management on the left to pay the instructional materials fee of $60. This helps support ELA & math hands-on materials as well as programs used for personalized learning online.

Steps to fill out forms:

• Click here to log into Skyward & find resources for families.
• If you do not have a Family Access account, you may contact your child’s school office to inquire about setting up account access.
• Under “Home” you will see “2023-2024 Student Annual Online Verification.”

There will be directions that walk you through the entire process.

• They include permission forms, a health history review, and a medication permission form. The process should take only about 5 minutes to complete.

You can donate funds to the school or bring items with you to the Ice Cream Social.

Here are some items Daisy needs:

• Costco Kirkland brand dog food
• toys
• treats

Click on this link to find out more about our Daisy.

Daisy is eager to return to work! She really misses serving your children!

On behalf of the PTA, we’d like to welcome you back to the start of another great year at Prairie Elementary. We’re excited to get back to a school year filled with fantastic events and community activities. But most importantly, we’re eager to be back at Prairie supporting our kids and teachers so they can continue to attain excellence in education.

We look forward to seeing you on August 14th at the Ice Cream Social where you can sign up for a PTA membership, join the garden committee and many others, sign up for volunteer positions and purchase some Prairie Panther Spirit Wear!

Our weekly newsletters will be emailed to all Prairie families on Sunday mornings.

Thank you for your support, and please let us know if you have any questions or suggestions at prairieelementary@gmail.com. Together, we’ll make this year another wonderful year for our children.

Sincerely,

Julie Prewitt and Lindsey Bock