The Eagle Soars
Sunflower Elementary - January 11, 2019
About Us
Email: jacobsc@usd231.com
Website: www.usd231.com/se
Location: 775 North Center Street, Gardner, KS, USA
Phone: 913-856-3700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sunflower-Elementary-2134875270174250/
Twitter: @SEEagles231
Happy New Year!
Principally Speaking
The start of a new year is always a good time to reflect on our present circumstances and adopt resolutions designed for improvement. Our learning community is no different. At the start of the 2017-18 academic year, Sunflower teachers chose relationships (family engagement) and rigor (professional learning communities) as improvement initiatives associated with the state's accreditation process. This year, our goals were refined within the two broad categories and we continue to make progress in our pursuit to have a positive impact on the lives of our students, families, and staff. Site council has also chosen to support our family engagement goal by providing guidance and feedback using a multifaceted evaluation instrument to rate our effectiveness with respect to communication with families and stakeholders.
In closing, watching your children flourish with the instruction and guidance of our teachers and staff, coupled with your encouragement and support is rewarding. I believe I have the best job in the world because I get to witness children of all ages (PreK-4) grow academically, socially, emotionally, and physically over the course of a single school year. I am proud to be a part of the Sunflower learning community and am looking forward to a successful 2019!
Things to Put on Your Calendar!
Friday, January 18
Eagle Pride Assembly - Kdg-1st 2:00 pm, 2nd-4th 2:45 pm
Monday, January 21
Martin Luther King Day - No School
View our online calendar (select individual events for more details):
We are a Latex Free School!
Sunflower Elementary has been proclaimed a Latex Free School. We strive to make Sunflower a safe place for all students. In order to ensure a safe environment, we need to make sure latex items like balloons are not allowed in our building.
Please refrain from sending anything containing latex into the building (gloves, balloons) even if there are not latex allergies in your student’s grade level. Latex reactions can be contact and airborne, so even breathing in latex particles in the air can cause an anaphylactic reaction.
All the gloves and band-aides from the health room are latex free. Small novelty erasers and items usually have a low content of latex. The main thing is no latex balloons.
Please understand that we want our school to be a safe and healthy environment for all of our students, and with your support and cooperation, we can achieve our goal. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at any time.
sunflower spelling bee champions
Eagle Pride Assembly, Friday, January 18
New district website
Thank you for your patience during the transition!
News from the SE Lit Lab
Empty Toilet Paper Rolls
Egg Cartons
Small Plastic Tubs
Cotton Balls
Index Cards
Bendable Straws
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.
Absences Due to Vacations
If your family is planning to go out of town and your student will miss any days of school, this is technically an unexcused absence (per district handbook). Please email Dr. Jones at mailto:jonesja@usd231.com ahead of time. This will allow us to take a look at previous attendance history and determine whether or not the absence will be excused.
Sunflower Cafe: Lunch Guests
Parents and family members are welcome to have lunch with their student(s). Guests need to check in at the office, wear a visitor badge, and stay in the cafeteria until returning to the office to check out. Please sit at the table designated for guests. Enjoy your meal and conversation with your child (other students should not be invited to join you).
Drop Off and Pickup...Intimidating?
Our car line can be intimidating. If you follow these simple rules, it's a breeze!
If you choose to remain in your vehicle when dropping your child off in the morning, please proceed to the drop off lane.
If you are using the crosswalk to safely escort your child to the building, the "Park & Walk" lot is available for this purpose. This is used for the same purpose in the afternoon during dismissal.
Please take a look at the document link below for more detailed drop off and pickup instructions!
Cold Weather and Recess Policy
There will be no outside recess when:
- The temperature is 20 degrees or below,
- The wind chill index is 20 degrees or below, and/or
- There is significant precipitation.
Teachers may take their class out briefly for fresh air at their discretion. Students should be prepared for sudden changes in Kansas weather. Dress appropriately!
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.
What's for Lunch (and Breakfast)?
Click here for our lunch schedule and lunch menus. There's also an app that you can download for your phone called "Nutrislice" where you can pull up the breakfast and lunch menus.
Click here for our District Nutrition Services webpage where you can catch up on the latest special events, order classroom catering, apply for free & reduced lunches, and see the lunch prices for the 18-19 school year.
To pay for lunches, you can either pay online via Skyward (the same way you paid for the $70 Instruction Material fee when you enrolled) or bring cash or check into the school office.
Watch D.O.G.S. & Eagle M.O.M.S.
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.
If you would like to sign up for a day to spend with your student, please call the office at 913-856-3700.
2018-2019 YEARBOOKS ON SALE NOW!
- Full Color Pages
- All Grades Represented
- Great Pictures From School Events
2 Easy Ways to Order:
- Click on the picture above or access your Skyward account via www.usd231.com to place an order using your debit/credit card.
- Download and print out an order form below. Return the completed form along with cash or check to the Sunflower office.
Enroll Now for the Next Session of Young Rembrandts!
Join the USD231 Team
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.