Pathfinder Press
Information for Pathfinder Families / October 21st, 2022
Weekly Update
Hello Families!
We have had an incredibly busy week! Between our first Student Leadership Team meetings on Wednesday, Trunk or Treat on Wednesday night, Miss Missouri's visit Thursday, and Leadership Social today, it has been a very active and fun week at Pathfinder. This newsletter is full of important information about upcoming events at Pathfinder. Please enjoy your weekend with those that you love!
-Dr. Bohn & Mrs. Miller
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Oct. 19th: Student Leadership Team Reports
Students in Grades 1-4 traveled throughout the building on Wednesday's PLC Day to their various Student Leadership Teams! Students put on their Leadership Shirts (thanks PTA!) and went on to meet their new teachers and teammates for the school year. Dr. Bohn and Mrs. Miller took all Kindergarten students to the cafeteria for a lesson on the 7 Habits! After Student Leadership Teams concluded, one or two students from each team came down to the Library to report out what they did during Teams. The attached slides summarize what each team did during this time. We will provide an update on Student Leadership Teams to parents each month. Enjoy the kids' reports through the slides below and you can also check out the Pathfinder Facebook Page for pictures of all of the fun things that happened during Student Leadership Team meetings on Wednesday!
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Oct. 19th Trunk or Treat - Thank You
Thank you all so much for your participation in Pathfinder's 7th Annual Trunk or Treat! We were thrilled to welcome over 700 students (a record for us!) at this one-of-a-kind event. Thank you to all those that donated candy, hosted trunks, and came to the event! Again, please check out the Pathfinder Facebook Page for pictures of all of the cute trunks and costumes from Wednesday night!
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Oct. 20th: Special Guest...Miss Missouri!
One of our Pathfinder parents connected us with Miss Clare Marie Kuebler, who has the title of Miss Missouri! While we tried to coordinate Clare as our Leadership Social guest speaker on Friday, the timing didn't work out. However, Clare is able to visit on Thursday, October 20th during lunch. Our Pathfinder Student News Team (PSN) introduced Clare during the daily news and was able to visit with students during the lunch window on Thursday, October 20th. The kids loved our special visitor! Check out the PSN link below to view the interview with Miss Missouri!
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Oct. 21st Leadership Social: Responsibility
Our second Leadership Social of the year took place today (Friday, October 21st) around the Pirates R.O.C.K. monthly character trait of Responsibility. Students were nominated by their peers, Mrs. Zackert, Mrs. Hanman, and Mrs. Barton to attend today's Leadership Social. Students got to wear their Leadership Shirts (thanks again, PTA!) and came down to the cafeteria for a special treat, a presentation, and a shared learning experience.
Today's guest speaker was Kathy Saunders from MainStreet Credit Union, Pathfinder's Pirates R.O.C.K. Business Partner!
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October Leadership Social
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Upcoming Reminders!
- Friday, October 28th: Fall Parties sponsored by PTA
- Wednesday, November 2nd: Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Thursday, November 3rd: Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Friday, November 4th: No School
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Due Oct. 27th: Literary Pumpkins! (optional)
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Oct. 27th - Nov. 3rd: Pathfinder Book Fair
We are so excited to have the Scholastic Book Fair back again at Pathfinder! The Fall Book Fair will run from October 27th to November 3rd! Flyers came home this week and include the day each class will come to the library while the book fair is here. Students will have time to do their shopping during their regular class time on that day. If students bring money to school before their Library Day, they should save their money until the day they come to the library with their class. We will still have all of our regular Library Classes that week in addition to running the Book Fair.
* The Book Fair will also be open during Parent/Teacher Conferences for any parents who are in the building from 4:30-8:30 PM on Wednesday and 4:30-8:00 PM on Thursday.
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Oct. 28th: Report Cards Emailed Home!
As you all know, consistent behavioral approaches and emotional regulation of students is a huge focus for Pathfinder this school year. Student, Parent, and Staff feedback from the 2021-22 school year suggested a need for our Behavior Expectations Matrix, the explicit teaching of expected behaviors, and extensive community-building within classrooms. Schools that do this well are able to dive deeper into academic content with fewer interruptions due to behavior throughout the school year if that time is spent up front. In an effort to build these skills in students early on, we at Pathfinder took the first few weeks of school to teach, model and practice behavior expectations, teach processes and procedures in all settings, and work to build relationships that foster a collective commitment to our day-to-day environment. Because of our commitment to making that happen this school year, our academic units of study started a little later than normal. The reason we are sharing this is because it could potentially affect the scores you see on your child's Report Card versus what the Parent Guide (linked below) says you should expect. Please direct your questions to your child's classroom teacher or administration.
Additionally, Quarter 1 Report Cards will be emailed home on Friday, October 28th. Your Classroom Teachers will include the Parent Guides to the Report Card (separated out by grade level) in next week's Classroom Newsletters. We will also print a copy of the Parent Guide to send home (for 1st Quarter only). However, we wanted to get these in front of your prior if you are someone who likes to process those things beforehand.
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Oct. 28th: Fall Parties & Volunteers
Our PTA Fall Parties will take place in the Pathfinder gym on Friday, October 28th. These parties will be funded by our amazing PTA and will consist of games and activities for kids, as well as a snack to enjoy once back in their classrooms.
Students will not be permitted to wear costumes to school on Monday, October 31st (Halloween). Additionally, students will not be allowed to distribute snacks, treats, and Halloween candy as all approved snacks will be provided by the PTA. Thank you for your support in helping us to preserve the educational environment, while still providing a fun opportunity for our kids on the 28th!
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Nov. 2nd & 3rd: Fall Parent Teacher Conferences (In-person & Virtual)
At this point in time, you should have received information regarding Fall Parent Teacher Conferences at Pathfinder. Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on Wednesday, November 2nd from 4:30-8:30 PM and Thursday, November 3rd from 4:30-8:00 PM. We will offer both in-person and virtual options and each conference will last 15 minutes in order to have enough slots for everyone. Please check your teacher's classroom newsletter for the sign up link for that classroom!
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4th and 5th Grade Archery
Did you know that PCR3 offers archery for our 4th and 5th Graders? Tryouts for this team will be held at the end of October. Please use the sign up link below to secure your spot today. Please join us for a fun team experience in a sport that is built for everyone! There is no requirement for equipment purchase unless you are interested in doing so. Practices will begin in early November and will run until March. Tournaments will take place from December to February, with State taking place in March in Branson. If you would like more information or have questions, please reach out via email at Garlandl@platteco.k12.mo.us.
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Classroom Spotlight: Mrs. Krieger's Art Class!
After spending six years at Siegrist Elementary, I joined the Pathfinder team and am very excited to be so close to home! This is my 12th year of teaching. I have a Bachelor's in Fine Art from William Jewell College and a Master's in Teaching from Park University, and my favorite art techniques are painting and printmaking! Our Pathfinder artists are working on so many awesome creations right now...
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
Art Room
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Visitors at Lunch
The Pathfinder Cafeteria is open for visitors! Please sign up in advance to eat with your child! Below are some guidelines that will help make this experience a success:
- Prior to visiting, please verify your student's lunch time and utilize the sign up to reserve your spot (1 sign up = 1 visitor seat). No more than 2 adults can sign up.
- Bring a state-issued ID to get signed in. Visitors must be listed on the student’s SISK12 account or parent permission must be received at the office prior to the visit.
- Please keep in mind that we have limited seating for visitors. Finding other arrangements for younger siblings during the lunch visit would be appreciated.
- Parents can either bring outside food or a packed lunch for their child and themselves. Parents may also purchase a lunch from school, but need to use this sign up to do that in advance.
- Parents may not go back to the classroom or recess after lunch.
- Only the child (no friends) can sit with parent during lunch.
- Outside food and drink will only be permitted if you are staying to eat with your student.
- Parents who show up for lunch without signing up will be added if there is an open spot. If not, the office can help the parent sign up for a future date.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation in making this opportunity a success!
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Substitutes Needed!
You have most likely heard a lot about staffing shortages in schools throughout the metro area. To be as transparent as possible Pathfinder is being impacted by the shortage due to staff illness and lack of substitutes. We begin with finding coverage for classrooms as that has the greatest impact on students. At times we are needing to cancel specific content area classes (Reading Improvement, English Learning classes), or we are utilizing staff who are not directly supervising students (Library Aide, Behavior Coach, Instructional Coach). Our coverage process is on a rotating basis so that we are not continually canceling the same content areas.
The main reason we are communicating this information to you is so that you know our plan for continuing the educational process at Pathfinder. However, we do have another reason for sharing this with you. WE ARE IN NEED OF SUBSTITUTES! If you or you know of someone who may want to substitute in our schools please apply using the link below!
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Pathfinder Lost and Found
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After-School Opportunities
Bricks 4 Kidz - Early Engineers
Who: Pathfinder Students
What: Bricks 4 Kidz Early Engineers Lego Club
When: Mondays (November 14th, 21st, 28th, December 5th, 12th, & 19th) from 7:30-8:30 AM
Where: Pathfinder Library or Art Room (TBD)
Cost: $84 for a 6-week session
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Pathfinder Parent Calendars
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Text Notifications
The District uses text messaging and automated phone calls to notify parents of upcoming events and days off, school closings due to weather, and during emergency situations. Newly enrolled families will automatically receive an opt-in message from 67587. If you missed it, simply text “Yes” to 67587 to receive text messages.
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Keep in Contact with Us!
You can always pick up the phone and give us a call anytime. The school number is 816.436.6670. If you have a specific question for administration, please email us at bohna@platteco.k12.mo.us (Dr. Anna Bohn, Principal) or millere@platteco.k12.mo.us (Mrs. Emily Miller, Assistant Principal).
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Thank You to our Pirates R.O.C.K. Stars!
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Pathfinder Elementary
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