The Eagle Soars
Sunflower Elementary - August 24, 2018
About Us
Email: jacobsc@usd231.com
Website: www.usd231.com/se
Location: 775 North Center Street, Gardner, KS, USA
Phone: 913-856-3700
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):
Notes from the Office
Transportation Changes
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, no later than 3:00 pm. After 3:00 pm, we can not guarantee that your child will get the new instructions. 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.
Birthday Treats
Parents/Guardians should coordinate with classroom teachers in advance. Leave treats and all necessary supplies (e.g. napkins, serving utensil, etc.) in the office. Teachers will retrieve and distribute treats at a suitable time to limit instructional disruptions. As an alternative, families are encouraged to celebrate in non-food oriented ways including the purchase of small tokens such as pencils and stickers, or, donate a book or a game.
Walking to the Classroom in the Morning
Beginning Monday, August 27, we ask that all students walk themselves, even the kinders, to the classroom or their designated morning locations.
The 5 rules parents must not break in the school car line
Rule #1: Do NOT get out of your car. Not to “quickly grab” your kid, wave “come on” to your child over the playground fence, or just say “hi” to your friend in line behind you. Stay in your car. The teachers on duty will put your kids in your car.
Rule #2: Put down the cellphone. Waiting for your kid in your empty (and wonderfully quiet) car seems like the perfect opportunity to catch up on texts or emails – but it’s also a distraction. More importantly, it’s dangerous.
Rule #3: DON’T cut the line. It doesn’t matter that there is a gap ten cars up. Zipping into that gap is like cutting the line at a cupcake shop.
Rule #4: Teach your kids how to buckle their seat belt. If they struggle to do it, pull into a parking space to help them out.
Rule #5: Move swiftly, but also carefully. Once your kids locate you, get them into the car and get going.
Watch D.O.G.S. and Eagle M.O.M.S
Attention All Moms & Dads!
What: Information Meeting
When: August 30, 2018 at 6:15 pm
Where: Sunflower Elementary
We will be having an information meeting for adults only about our Watch D.O.G.S. and Eagle M.O.M.S. programs for the 2018-19 school year. Childcare will not be provided.
Watch D.O.G.S. is an innovative program being used by schools across America that helps students to be positively impacted by the committed involvement of fathers and father-figures in their student’s life.
Eagle M.O.M.S. is a new program that we have implemented here at Sunflower. We want our moms to also be an active part of our school. The specific goal of this initiative is to enhance our students’ educational success.
A bright yellow invitation was sent home in your child's backpack. It is also available below for you to download and print out. Fill out the bottom portion of this invitation and return it to the office by August 29 saying that you will attend, so we’ll have an accurate headcount for ordering light snacks.
Mark your calendar for Thursday, August 30th from 6:15-7:00 pm. Official Watch D.O.G.S. and Eagle M.O.M.S. T-shirts will be available to order.
MAP Testing Schedule
A Message from the SE Lit Lab!
Welcome to a new school year in the Sunflower Elementary Lit Lab! We have received some new books this summer so I am thrilled to be able to share those with students during their upcoming visits to the library. Below you will find some general information about the Media Center. Be sure to check with your child or their teacher to find out their library schedule.
Students will come to the Library Media Center on a weekly basis for library skills, literature appreciation, STEM activities and checkout. PreSchool and Kindergarten students will checkout one book every week. 1st-4th graders can checkout two books per week.
All books have a one-week checkout period. Students must return both books on checkout day in order to participate in checkout that day. Classes that come to the library twice a week will checkout first library day of the week. Every week, it is expected that students will either return or renew their library books. A student with overdue materials will not be allowed to checkout any more items until the overdue materials are returned or paid for. Students are encouraged to visit the Lit Lab between scheduled Library classes if they finish their books early (or return them late) so that they may select new reading material. This type of checkout would be with teacher’s permission.
We are working hard to keep our library collection in excellent shape.
Please help your child remember the following things so they can do their part in this process:
Remind your child to have clean hands when reading books, to use a bookmark, and to turn the page from the top upper right-hand corner.
Help your child find a safe place for his/her library books which is out of reach of pets or younger siblings. I recommend storing them in their backpack when not reading.
Remind your child to return books on time.
Encourage your child to use a bookbag in which to carry his/her books when returning them.
I will be working with your child’s classroom teacher to create a passion of reading, writing and learning for your children.
Sincerely ~ Julie Rains Sunflower Elementary Library Media Specialist
YOUNG REMBRANDTS ART CLASSES
In Search of Amazing Yearbook Photos
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!
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.
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.