MEADOWLARK NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2017
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Thank you for a great first quarter to the 2017-2018 school year. This year, we have had a lot of fun doing a pep rally every Friday with the entire student body. As the students enter the cafetorium, there is music being played and the students dance and sing! Our fifth grade students share the daily announcements. During the assembly each week, we honor our weekly character Star award winners and we also award a Kindergarten through Second Grade class and a Third Grade through Fifth Grade class who has worked hard and/or has improved the most in the cafeteria, in library, in music, in art, and in PE. The class receives a certificate and a "trophy" that gets to hang outside their classroom for the week. It has been fun to see the excitement that the students and the teachers have when they win!!!
Thank you for the great participation in the fall conferences. In the spring, we will be having a Meadowlark Open House instead of the designated spring conferences. Historically, the spring conferences have been set up for a few students but we want an opportunity for all students to highlight their successes! More information will be coming in the next few months.
The district is working diligently on securing land for the new Meadowlark Elementary. We will be sure to communicate with you the exciting news when we hear more!!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or have concerns.
Dana Matheny
November CALENDAR
November 1
- Transportation - Bus evacuation drill for All Students
November 3
- 8:45 pm - All Star Pep Rally
- 1:35 pm - 2nd Grade Landform Presentation
- 3:45 pm - Learning with Legos
November 4
- 2:00 pm - Meadowlark Family Fun Day at WSU
November 5
- Daylight Saving Time Ends - Clocks Fall Back 1 Hour
November 6
- NO SCHOOL - Professional Learning Day
November 7
- 3:45 pm - Art with Mrs. Russo
November 8
- 6:30 pm - PTO Meeting
November 9
- CAMP OUT - Guinness World Record Stack Up 2017
- 10:40 am - Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl
November 10
- Veterans Day Observed
- Spelling Bee participants name to Mrs. King
- 3:00 pm - Circle of Friends - Ornament Decorating
- 3:45 pm - Learning with Legos
November 11
- Veterans Day
- 10:00 am - 3:00 pm - REC-N-BALLS @ ACHS
November 14
- 10:05 am - Mrs. King meet with Spelling Bee Participants
- 3:45 pm - Art with Mrs. Russo
November 16
- 9:30 - 11:00 am - Seussical the Musical @ ACHS (2nd - 5th grades)
- 10:15 am - Swimming at YMCA (Resource)
- 2:15 pm - 5th Grade Lung Dissection
- 4:15 pm - Site Council Meeting
November 17
- 2nd Grade Eye Dissection
- 8:45 am - All Star Pep Rally
- 3:45 pm - Learning with Legos
November 21
- 3:45 pm - Art with Mrs. Russo
November 22
- NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
November 23
- NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Day
November 24
- NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break
November 27
- 11:30 - 1:00 pm - November Birthday Lunch with Principal Matheny
November 28
- 3:45 pm - Art with Mrs. Russo
November 30
- Box Top Pick Up
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR STAFF!
November
14 - Sanna Alfers (Resource Teacher)
17 - Kathryn Rogers (Health Clerk)
18 - Cathy Huffman (Administrative Assistant)
19 - Cami Kasel (Reading Specialist)
21 - Polly Haynes (3rd Grade Teacher)
26 - Maki Kretik (Cook)
30 - Kenneth Tysick (Band Teacher)
Thank you
The staff at Meadowlark would like to thank our wonderful PTO for the delicious dinner from Hog Wild at Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, October 19th.
A special thank you to Abbie Collinsworth, a parent at Meadowlark, for providing lunch from Poplar at Parent Teacher Conferences!
health office
The Health Office is in desperate need of boys and girls gym pants, leggings & underwear, sizes ranging from children's 5 to 14/16. Please feel free to drop them off at the Health Office.
Thank you
Tamara Hall, Nurse
Kathryn Rogers, Health Clerk
Students should arrive at 1:15 pm!
Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl
The 5th Grade Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl, scheduled for Thursday, November 9th at 10:40 am, is approaching quickly. We begin practicing for the competition on Wednesday, November 1st. If you are interested in learning some new information or just enjoy random trivia, be sure to check out www.greatauk.com. On the left hand side choose “This Week’s Quiz” and free questions. Be warned – these questions are very tough, but are a great way to practice learning some new information. Best of luck to the members of the team for the Fall 2017 competition!!
Spelling Bee Buzzing This Way!
The time is quickly approaching for our annual spelling bee, which is held on January 18th. This school spelling bee is for grades three, four, and five. Each classroom will be selecting two classroom representatives to participate in the school spelling bee. This selection process will take place in early November in their homeroom classroom. The teacher will conduct a written and oral spelling bee with those students that returned a spelling bee permission form. From the classroom bee, two students will be selected to represent their classroom in the school bee. There will be one school spelling bee winner with an alternate chosen as back up. The first place winner will represent our school in the county spelling bee on February 2nd in El Dorado.
As a way to prepare for the bee, any student may begin studying right now!! The web address is: www.myspellit.com. The student may practice any of the words on the left hand side of the web screen under the various languages or words you need to know section in order to practice being a good speller. Parents can also download and print the Spell It! booklet for printed practice of words. This is a fun way to learn new words as well as the origin of different words.
Please contact Mrs. King, Spelling Bee coordinator, with any questions you might have about our bee. Meanwhile………happy spelling!
Stack Up 2017
On Thursday, November 9th, thousands of participants will take part in what Guinness World Records terms the "World's Largest Sport Stacking Event." During the course of Guinness World Records Day, sport stackers from all reaches of the world will be up stacking and down stacking various pyramids in prescribed patterns at lightning speed for at least 30 minutes, all combined with a variety of fitness activities. The Guinness World Record number to beat (set last year) is 622,809 for the "Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations in One Day!"
Sport stacking is an activity enjoyed by all ages and cultures. It promotes hand-eye coordination, brain activation, fitness, teamwork, speed and lots of fun. This is the 12th year that Speed Stacks has teamed up with Guinness World Records, and we are excited to have another shot at breaking the
Custodian Appreciation Week
Monday, October 2nd, was National Custodian Appreciation Day. Custodial workers work behind the scenes and are often underappreciated for the had work that they do day after day keeping our school clean and well maintained. Our school could not function without our wonderful custodians which makes them an important part of our success.
John Harpstrite
Night Custodian
Fred Taylor
Lead Custodian
Tyler Taylor
Night Custodian
Bus Driver Appreciation Day
School Bus Drivers are sometimes the first smiling adult a child sees each morning and the last before they go home. They brave the weather to get our students safely where they need to be, while being a shining example as they do it. #schoolheroes - Teresa Kwant
Monday, October 16th was Bus Driver Appreciation Day. To show our appreciation, students held up a THANK YOU banner as buses loaded into the Meadowlark bus zone at the end of the school day. Each driver was given a card and a bag of cookies to show how much they are appreciated.
Fire Safety Week
During the month of October, we take part in Fire Prevention Week across the country. It is held in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire which began Oct. 8, 1871 and destroyed 17,000 structures. President Coolidge proclaimed the first week in 1925.
Meadowlark first and fourth grade students were fortunate enough to have Andover Fire Department bring the Butler County Department of Emergency Management’s Safety House to our school! The students learned about fire safety in the home, the importance of two exits and were able to experience what exiting a smoke-filled home would be like. It definitely showed them the importance of staying low when a room is filling with smoke.
The first grade students also got to Skype with Molly the Fire Dog! Molly is a dalmatian dog who travels all over the country to educate young children about the importance of fire safety.
Honor Choir
These students....Addi D., John H., Bella K., Bryson P., Chandler R., and Emilie T. represented Meadowark at the South Central District Honor Choir on October 7th. They learned 5 pieces of music during their recess time in preparation for this event. These students were fine examples with their work ethic and good behavior and made us here at Meadowlark proud. Way to go!!
5th Grade Music Program
The 5th Graders from Meadowlark honored the Veterans as well as those who serve on the Fire and Police Forces. The program took place on Thursday, October 26th at Andover Central High School. The Honor Choir sang "Amazing Grace" as they dedicated it to those who serve on Fire and the Police Forces. These brave individuals came down front as they sang. In addition, the students learned the songs from each branch of the Armed Forces. These brave people came forward at that time as well. It makes for a powerful display of courage as the crowd shows their much deserved appreciation. These students made Meadowlark proud as well. Way to go!!
Book fair
We had a very successful book fair! Thanks everyone who supported the book fair by helping us increase our sales from last fall by $1000 to a whopping $6000+ in total sales. We were able to raise over $300 for the All For Books Fund via the “sucker pull” which allowed our library to select over $400 in FREE books The exciting thing is that Scholastic matches our All For Book Funds to donate up to 1 million dollars to needy schools. Anyone that submitted online orders, will receive their books in a few days. Thanks to ALL our wonderful PTO volunteers who helped before, during and after the book fair! Thanks also to Mrs. Collinsworth for her vision with all the wonderful decorations that created a “wild west” atmosphere inside and outside of our Meadowlark library!
Fall 2017 Scholastic Book Fair Results
Books Sold: 1246
Reading Minutes: 224300
Author Visit: Dan Santat
Meadowlark was fortunate to get to have a FREE author visit via Watermark Books during his After The Fall tour. Author and illustrator, Dan Santat, mesmerized over 500 kids and adults in grades 1-3 from Meadowlark, Prairie Creek, Sunflower and Cottonwood elementaries. It was so awesome to get to host such an awesome event in our Meadowlark gym. Many thanks to Mrs. Crusinberry for sharing her gym with us for the afternoon and for Mrs. Salmans for coordinating the awesome event. Dan Santat is a New York Times best selling award-winning author and illustrator of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend and his newest book After The Fall which tells the story of Humpty Dumpty’s triumph over his fear of heights.
Art News
We have been busy creating in Art! We are reading a book called Felix: World Tour in First grade. It is about a bunny, Felix, who gets lost at the airport. He writes to his owner, Sophie about each place he visits. We are learning about famous places like London, Paris, Rome, Africa, and New York City!
Fourth graders have been working hard on their Jungle animals, where we applied our knowledge of texture and value with oil pastel to make our animals look realistic! Art helps students understand themselves and their world in a fun and engaging way.
Salt Mine Field Trip
REd Ribbon Week
The week of October 23rd -30th, our school celebrated Red Ribbon Week, which focused on preventing drug, alcohol, and cigarette use for children. While this can be a difficult topic to approach, research shows that parents who talk to their children about it are less likely to have kids that use!
Here's some kid friendly points of discussion:
- Medicine safety: Only take medication from a trusted adult or medical professional. Take medicine exactly as it is prescribed. Taking more doesn't mean that you will feel better faster.
- Never share prescription medicine with others even if a friend or family member is sick.
- Sometimes medicine and candy look just alike so don't eat candy without asking an adult.
- Never try any pills from a friend even if/she say's it's safe.
- Alcohol and cigarette use is harmful for growing children and teens. They can hurt your brain and body. They will change how you feel, act, and develop.
- It is illegal for kids to use cigarettes and alcohol.
Together we can make a difference in keeping kids healthy and drug free.
All-Star Character Education Program
Friday, October 6 - Character Education Assembly - Respect
Tuesday, December 5 - Character Education Assembly - Responsibility
Wednesday, January 31 - Character Education Assembly - Caring/Kindness
Friday, March 2 - Character Education Assembly - Fairness
Friday, April 13 - Character Education Assembly - Citizenship
These students were recognized for showing the Character trait RESPECT.
Fall Party Celebrations
Students and staff had fun dressing up on Tuesday, October 31st. Students played games and enjoyed some delicious snacks. THANK YOU TO ALL PARENTS who volunteered their time to make their child's classroom party a success!
Turn Your Grocery Receipts into Cash for Our School!
Earn even more cash to help Meadowlark get what it needs through the Box Tops for Education Bonus App. Turn your everyday receipts into cash for our school. It's free and as easy as 1-2-3. Here's how it works:
BUY
SCAN
EARN
New Features
Now with new and improved geolocations it's easier to find Box Tops offers at stores near you! PLUS, the latest Bonus App updates enable you to:
Edit the school you're supporting
Track your school's earnings progress
See your school's Clip Board
Try it for yourself! You can earn Bonus Box Tops in the Box Tops Bonus App in Combination with the on-pack Box Tops clip and any other coupon, discount, store program or promotion.
DOWNLOAD THE APP TODAY!
Amber Kear
Jessica Cicora
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 does not have to be updated every year. Once signed in, select your Community Rewards under your Account Settings. Search for Meadowlark to earn extra $$$ for our school!
We currently have 66 households signed up! They shopped at Dillon's between 7.1.2017 and 9.30.2017. Meadowlark received a check for $716.43!
Freddy's Family Night
Meadowlark received $98 from Freddy's October Family Night!
Thank you for your support!
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!
PEACHJAR
Peachjar is simple and fun to use- you'll start to receive emails from us with flyers in them!
You never have to log in! But you can to manage your account preferences. Login information is sent to you. You will regularly receive emails with the latest flyers. They can also be viewed on the Meadowlark website. Simply look for the Peachjar logo! If you aren't receiving emails, create an account.
2017-2018 DISTRICT CALENDAR
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