MEADOWLARK NEWSLETTER
December 2019
Dear Meadowlark Families,
One of our Redesign goals is Connections. We want to provide opportunities for families to connect with the school and we want to find opportunities to build business and community partnerships. As we embark on learning more about Problem Based Learning, we are excited to see how we can learn from professionals in our community. Our Fall Showcase is one way in which we hoped to provide a building wide connecting event. We had 81% of our students in attendance. We have found that our families want to be involved and are eager to connect when they have the opportunity to be part of the learning with their child. In order to plan for our Spring Showcase Night, we would love your feedback! Please click on this link.
In terms of connecting with our local community, we partner with the Andover Food Bank each November. This year was a HUGE success. With a little friendly grade level competition, we collected over 2000 pounds. This is 800 more pounds than last year. Even with Meadowlark being the smallest school in the district, we raised the most for our local community!
Our 2nd Annual Meadowlark Service League is scheduled for Monday, April 20th. We are beginning to work on identifying global and local organizations in which we can show support. In January, we plan on reaching out to you, our families, in order to help us identify organizations that we can learn about and support!
Have a great holiday season!
Dana Matheny, Principal
CALENDAR
- 3:45 pm - STUCO Meeting
- 3:45 pm - After School Spanish
December 5
- 3:45 pm - After School Monart Drawing
December 6
- 8:50 am - All Star Pep Rally
- 2:00 pm - Kindergarten Music Program
- 2:10 pm - Gifted Auctions
December 7
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
December 9
- 9:00 am - PTO Meeting
- 3:45 pm - After School Spanish Club
- 6:30 pm - Andover Board of Education Meeting at District Office
December 11
- 8:50 am - Crew Morning Meeting (begin activity)
December 12
- 8:50 am - Crew Morning Meeting (finalize activity)
- 11:00 am - Holiday Staff Lunch Provided By PTO
- 3:45 pm - After School Monart Drawing Class
December 13
- Giving Campaign Ends
- 8:50 am - Pep Assembly (ACMS 7th/8th Grade Choir Perform)
- 1:30 pm - 5th Grade Kindness Agents Meeting
December 16
- 3:45 pm - After School Spanish Club
December 17
- 9:00 - 11:00 am - 4th Grade Holiday Shopping Trip
- 2:00 pm - 5th Grade Band Concert in Meadowlark Cafetorium
December 18
- 11:20 am - December Birthday Lunch with Mrs. Matheny
- 2:00 pm - Kindergarten Make Gingerbread Houses
December 19
- End of 2nd Quarter
- Students Dismiss 2 Hours Early
- 9:00 am - Holiday Sing-a-long & Staff Ugly Sweater Assembly
December 20 - January 3
- NO SCHOOL - Christmas Break
January 6
- School Resumes
Rhona Harvey - Secretary
Maggie Donley - Instructional Aide
Patrick Madden - Night Custodian
FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SERVICES
Food Services works to provide nutritious and appetizing meals in a supportive and inviting atmosphere. Our department supports the education of children by promoting lifelong, healthy attitudes and eating habits by providing services in a clean, safe environment in a cost-effective manner.
Opaa! Food Management operates the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program, which incorporates locally grown farm-fresh fruits and vegetables and scratch cooking. We provide a wide variety of fresh, safe and nutritious choices to support a healthy learning environment.
Food Services is headquartered at Support Services, 202 W. Market in Andover. You can reach them at 316-218-4603.
Free and Reduced Meals
Families meeting certain income requirements may be eligible for free or reduced-cost meals. Click here to check your eligibility.
Click here to begin the application process online. Paper forms also are available at Support Services, 202 W. Market in Andover.
Please note: The consent of disclosure form does not need to be returned for your child to receive free or reduced-cost meals. However, if this form is not returned, you will still be responsible for the following fees: textbook, technology, transportation and pay to participate. This form must be returned to Support Services.
Purchasing A La Carte Items
HOLIDAY GIVING CAMPAIGN 2019
Helping Those Less Fortunate During the Holiday Season
The goal for our Holiday Giving Campaign for 2019 is to raise at least $2,500. At the end of the campaign, Mrs. Matheny will treat the whole school to a Pajama and Hot Cocoa Day! The grade that brings in the most money will be treated to a Donut Party!
Color a wreath for every member of the family! Put your name on it and return to school along with at least $1. If you know of a local business or corporation that might be willing to support our Holiday Giving Campaign, please contact them. Ask them to make a donation in your child's name.
Summary draft of PTO Meeting on 11-11-2019
Present: Amber K., April L., Jessica C., Wendy G., Krysti Y., Melissa S., Dana M.
Old Business
- Minutes from October-summary was reviewed and approved
- Aviate Night - Still waiting for Aviate to send us a check
- Merchandise sale during conferences- Sold $342
- Conference meal a success-Thank you parents!
- Krysti’s husband looking into building gazebo price-put on hold until new school is further along and we see what space we actually have
New Business
- Food Drive going on, 5th grade deliver on Nov. 22nd. Donations started slow, hoping to promote it more through Facebook and drop off/pick up line.
- Kindergarten Music program coming up on December 6th at 2:00 pm
- PTO board approved grant for Traci Crusinberry ($195) to attend hockey game. There was not as much STEM activities as were hoped for and promoted. May not do this event again, but students enjoyed the game.
- Meadowlark Daddy/Daughter Dance a possibility-Jessica getting info from Prairie Creek on how is has worked for them over the years. Cost? Number of volunteers?
- Christmas fundraiser coming up-info out by Thanksgiving break
- Teacher Grants-No new grants
- Treasurer Report- No major changes, saving a chunk of money for the new school and booking into what can be used/ is needed now. Remind parents to use Amazon Smile to boost that give-back opportunity.
- Principal Notes-Exact Path is working well for Teachers, they are receiving more training soon to further the ways they can use it in the classrooms
- Next PTO meeting December 9th, 9:00 am in cafeteria
- Go to smile.amazon.com
- Log in to your amazon account
- Select a group to support
- You must fully type out Meadowlark Parent Teacher Organization for it to pull up our school
- Make sure it says Andover, KS
- Start shopping!
It’s time for another fabulous, fun filled, Hometown Christmas! The whole family is sure to enjoy this year’s holiday event. Hometown Christmas takes place in Andover Central Park and includes activities at City Hall, The Lodge, and the Andover Public Library. Central Park is transformed into a winter wonderland with luminaries lining the sidewalks, illuminated trees, and activities for everyone.
The evening begins with a tree lighting ceremony and the arrival of Santa Claus. Afterwards, you can choose from a variety of activities. A Chili Cook-off will beheld in The Lodge. For just $2 you can buy a tasting kit and try out the entries. The Andover Public Library will be hosting children’s activities that are always a big hit! City Hall will have live music and, of course, Santa will be there to hear Christmas wishes and take pictures. Afterwards, if you take your phone or camera to Walgreens, they will give you 1 free print of your picture. Hot beverages will be provided in all three buildings
If you are looking for something to do outdoors, you can make S’mores around a fire pit with Andover first responders or enjoy a horse drawn wagon ride around Central Park.
A light show coordinated to music will be held at the Capitol Federal Amphitheater®.
The Hometown Christmas event is not only fun for families but it also benefits the entire community. Attendees of Hometown Christmas are encouraged to donate toys, canned goods and cash to benefit the local Caring and Sharing 501c program and the Andover Food Bank.
MEADOWLARK LEARNING SHOWCASE
Kindergarten - 86%
First Grade - 84%
Second Grade - 90%
Third Grade - 85%
Fourth Grade - 78%
Fifth Grade - 65%
ALL-STAR CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM
Meadowlark Elementary School’s Vision Statement: To ignite a student’s passion with the freedom to go beyond anything they can imagine.
Meadowlark’s Code of Conduct: I will be Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn in All Settings.
Capturing Kids’ Heart: “If you have a child’s heart....you have a child’s mind.” - Flip Flippen
Our teachers have been trained in Capturing Kids’ Heart (CKH) and we implement the CKH’s process in the school building and within the walls of our classrooms. It is a powerful process of making connections between staff and students, students and their peers, and staff with families.
Key Components of Capturing Kids’ Hearts:
EXCEL Model:
Engage - A way of building A bridge by teachers and students personally greeting each other with a handshake, a high five, or a hug. Teachers are instrumental in modeling appropriate handshakes and eye contact.
eXplore - A way to identifying the needs of students by teachers/staff looking for opportunities to connect and interact with students. This is most often seen through “Good Things.” Students throughout the day share the good things happening in their life. Teachers and students also work on affirming each other through their words and their actions.
Communicate - A way of meeting the needs of students by creating varied instructional dialogue. The interactions can be whole group with the teacher directing the communication, collaborative within small groups with the teacher facilitating, or a personalized reflective mode. The teacher and students refer back to the social contact. The social contract is built by each classroom to establish expected behaviors by the group. The teacher and students work collaboratively to create this displayed tool. The ultimate goal is for the students to work as a self managing group.
Empower - A way of transferring the instructional, communicative, and collaborative power to the students. This is accomplished by students working more directly with their peers and through the usage of student voice and choice in what and how they are learning. This is an ongoing work in progress for teachers and students.
Launch - A way to end a lesson or the school day in a meaningful and valuable way. This is done consciously by the teacher to leave the day with an impactful quote, a classroom motto or song, or a video.
These students were recognized for showing all character traits in November!
Friday, November 8
Friday, November 15
Friday, November 22
THINKING CAP QUIZ BOWL RESULTS
Several selected Meadowlark Elementary fifth grade students competed in the Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl Contest on Thursday, November 7th. The contest is open to students in Kansas, Nebraska, South and North Dakota in the Regional Great Plains Division. There were 19 fifth grade teams that competed against each other. The contest is a self-scoring, computer contest of 100 multiple-choice questions to be answered by the group. Areas covered included math, geography, government, sports, spelling, science, literature, English, history, general information and just plain fun trivia. Several students selected the team’s answers on the computer, while the others read through the questions and answers. Each question offered two chances to answer correctly. Points were awarded based on how fast the question was answered by the group, as well as how accurate. No adult assistance was given! The nine fifth grade students scored a total of 960 points with 83% accuracy. They earned 6th place in Andover and 9th place in Regional Great Plains Division. The 2019
Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl team members include: Ollie S., Hayden H., Bryce S., Cora F., Avery U., Simon L., Sarah L., Peter H., and Addi E.
Congratulations to the team for all their hard work!!!
2ND GRADE LANDFORM PORJECT
SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR UPDATE
We surpassed our goal of $6000.00 in sales by $216! With our profits, we were able to use funds for the following:
- Provide $165.00 in coupons to our parent volunteers who kept our fair going all day each day.
- Award $120 worth of gift certificates and prizes for our Teacher Raffle, Family Night Raffle and Student Raffles
- Donate $260 to schools in need through the All For Books Program.
- Keep $680 in books for our own library.
- Receive $1553 in profits that can be used to purchase books and tools for our library from other vendors as needed.
We LOVED the new Scholastic eWallet payment system! Thirty three students utilized the easy payment service totaling over $750 spent at our book fair! The nice thing about the eWallet is that parents do not need to send cash that students might accidentally lose, parents can input notes to let us know if it's okay to purchase something besides a book, and the best part is that was $750 cash didn't have to go through our cash drawer and be counted! It's a win-win for everyone! We highly recommend eWallet for our Spring Book Fair!
Our winners for the Book Fair are:
K-2 Guessing Jar snowballs (marshmallows) & $10 gift certificate: Colt M., 1st Grade
3-5 Guessing Jar polar bear food (goldfish) & $10 gift certificate: Tucker T., 5th Grade
Teacher $25 Gift Certificate Wishlist Winner: Mrs. Zarich
Family Night $25 Gift Certificate Winner: Julia P., 5th Grade
Royals Poster: Tevin M., 3rd Grade
Royals Poster: Naya M., 1st Grade
Polar Bear Hat: Ben B., 2nd Grade
Bag of Books: Hudson G., Kindergarten,
Husky Stuffed Animal: Aiden P., 5th Grade
Inflatable Sled: Delia L., 4th Grade
Michaila Pfaff
Library Media Specialist
GUINNESS WORLD RECORD DAY - 2019 STACK UP!
Click on the link below to verify the final count:
MEADOWLARK FOOD DRIVE
On November 22nd, the fifth grade went to volunteer at the Andover Food Bank in the United Methodist Church across the road from our school.
By Julia P. , Mia N. & Brooklynn G
Serving the food bank was a lot of fun for the 5th grade because we were able to help the community by gathering food and sorting it. We carried all the food items over to the Andover Food Bank from Meadowlark. We ended up moving a total of 2,087 lbs. of food! We sorted cans and boxed goods. Then, we organized them into groups. The goods are going to be given to people who are less fortunate.
There were a lot of categories of food like peas, beans, corn, green beans, and a whole lot more. After we organized the can and boxed goods we put them in the pantry. We finished the job in less than 45 minutes. We, and all the fifth-grade thought it was good to help the community in a different way than we usually do.
NEW MEADOWLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
The new school will be ready for the 2020-21 school year.
New Address:
1122 N. 159th St. E.Andover, KS 67002
HOW TO EARN CASH FOR OUR SCHOOL
Dillons Community Rewards Program
Dillon's makes fundraising easy---all you have to do is shop at Dillon's and swipe your Plus Shopper's Card! Go to Dillons.com and sign in or create an account to enroll. This enrollment must be updated every year. Once signed in, update your Community Rewards under your Account Settings. Search for Meadowlark to earn extra $$$ for our school!
Shoparoo
Every photo of a grocery receipt earns money for our school! Free to download, free to use. Nothing to buy or sell. Help us raise thousands of dollars a year!
- Download the Free Shoparoo App in the App Store & Play Store http://www.shoparoo.com/
- Select Meadowlark
- Take pictures of Receipts!
- Watch Meadowlark earn money!
eFLYERS
In the past, our schools sent home loads of fliers in students’ backpacks. As part of our efforts to be more environmentally friendly and to embrace innovative technology, we are moving from paper to a digital flyer delivery.
With our Peachjar e-flier program, the e-fliers will be sent directly to parents’ email inboxes as well as posted on school websites for easy access. All fliers may be accessed by clicking on the logo.
Each year, our schools will save tons of paper and reduce copy costs by thousands of dollars. In addition, paperless delivery of school fliers removes a significant administrative burden from teachers, office staff, and volunteers.
School and school district-approved e-fliers will keep you informed about upcoming school activities, programs and events. And our children's backpacks will be a little bit lighter!
Mrs. Clarkson - Counselor
Mrs. Crusinberry - P.E.
Mrs. McLain - Art
Mrs. Middleton - Music
Mrs. Pfaff - Library
Mrs. Allison - Kindergarten
Mrs. Thompson - 1st Grade
Mrs. Ek - 1st Grade
Mrs. Zarich - 1st Grade
Mr. Bextel - 2nd Grade
Mrs. Loy - 2nd Grade
Miss August - 4th Grade
Miss Hoopes - 4th Grade
Mrs. Moss - 5th Grade
Mr. Smith - 5th Grade
Meadowlark Elementary School
Email: harveyr@usd385.org
Website: http://meadowlark.usd385.org/
Location: 1411 N Main St, Andover, KS, United States
Phone: 316-218-4630
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meadowlarkelementary