Wednesday Word
November 10th, 2021
From the Principal
Next week is American Education Week! This is the time of the year when we express our appreciation for all staff working in education from classroom teachers to all support staff. We have an incredible team here at Sunflower! Feel free to reach out with a note of appreciation for any staff member who has had a positive impact on your child's educational journey.
We had a great Site Council meeting last night. The team brainstormed ways we can communicate more effectively around important topics that impact our entire community, we discussed the impending traffic changes that could potentially impact Sunflower and SWMS, we formed a parent outreach committee for new families to name a few things. The agenda is linked below.
We are at our six week check in time with our WIN Time. Staff will be looking at our progress monitoring data to determine how scholars are progressing and adjusting our groups and skills based on that data.
As always it is an honor to serve as the Principal of Sunflower Elementary.
Melissa Blevins
National School Psychologist Week
Thank you Ms. Davison-Symmonds! We appreciate you!
From the District Office/Julie Boyle
As you may have heard, the CDC approved a recommendation that children ages 5-11 receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. This follows the Food and Drug Administration's grant of an Emergency Use Authorization for the vaccine.
Lawrence Public Schools had already started collaborating with our local public health partners Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health (LDCPH) and LMH Health to plan. LDCPH will offer Pfizer vaccine clinics for children ages 5-11 in our four middle schools and in neighborhood recreation centers.
The attached clinic schedule is subject to availability of the vaccine and may change. All clinics require an appointment. A parent or guardian must accompany the child. This will give you the opportunity to ask questions of the provider and help your child feel more comfortable with the process.
You may schedule an appointment for your child at http://www.ldchealth.org/getmyvaccine.
· Use the Registration Code from the clinic schedule that corresponds with the clinic you want to attend.
· You may call 785-843-0721 for assistance.
· When completing your registration, please include your insurance information, if available.
· If you do not have insurance, enter "COVID19 HRSA" as the Insurance Name and your child's first and last name as the Policy Number.
· When you successfully submit your registration, you will receive a confirmation email or text with a QR code.
· Children will receive the vaccine in two doses, given at least three weeks apart.
· LDCPH will provide instructions for signing up for the second dose after your child receives their first dose.
· This list of transportation options around Douglas County also may be of assistance to you: http://dgcoks.org/transportation.
Pediatric COVID-19 vaccines may also be available at many primary care providers and local pharmacies. Find a complete list at lmh.org/vaccine, douglascountyks.org/coronavirus, or vaccinefinder.org/search.
You may review Frequently Asked Questions about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 at www.usd497.org/COVID19. We recommend that families direct any additional questions to your primary healthcare provider, pediatrician, or the health department.
Lawrence Public Schools encourages COVID-19 vaccination for all who are eligible to receive the vaccine. The school district does not require it.
Thank you for helping us maintain safe learning environments for all students and staff.
HELP OUR STUDENTS BE ON TIME:
As the weather has been changing, so has the arrival of some of our students. It takes a little longer to get on those warm coats, gloves, and hats, so please keep this in mind when getting your children to school on time. Tardies are accruing rapidly and our students are being late to class. On average, Sunflower has about 30-40 students tardy on a daily basis. This is around 9% of our total student body. Please remember that ALL students K-5 MUST be IN the building BEFORE the 8:45 AM BELL RINGS, otherwise they are considered tardy. Being on time is a life-long skill that, together, we are teaching them to be successful!
Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pick Up
The Southwest Middle School parking lot is specifically reserved for our bus drop off and for our families who have students that require extra assistance with arrival. We would ask that all other families please use the circle drive for drop off. This also applies to afternoon dismissal, please do not pick up walkers in the SWMS parking lot. This is a safety concern.
We appreciate your attention to this matter.
November Staff Members of the Month
Please find below the links to nominate a staff member (classified or certified) for Staff Member of the Month! We will keep accepting entries until November 22nd! Thanks!
Classified: https://forms.gle/T9NHdqKy5Lz3G8AZ6
Certified: https://forms.gle/Tg1aaiUnE2otdYUZ7
Student Council Fundraiser/Donation Campaign
The Sunflower Fall Student Council is proud to present our fall fundraiser/donation campaign!
StuCo has voted to support: LMH Health (Lawrence Memorial Hospital) and their pediatric and emergency departments to help out children in our community who need medical care!
Monday, November 15th – Friday, November 19th!
StuCo is accepting the following donations:
*please note that all donations need to be “new” not used as these will go to children needing medical care.
-Crayons, markers, colored pencils, coloring books, puzzle books, picture books, stickers, all different kinds of stuffies, party packs, fidgets, etc.
StuCo will have boxes in the rotunda with signs showing where to drop off the donations!! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Julie Heatwole at jheatwol@usd497.org or #785-330-4860. Thank you for your support in helping kids needing medical attention in our community!
FREE Dental Services!
By Healthy Futures: a program through Heartland Community Health Center!!
This wonderful program which provides FREE dental services to all Douglas County children (insured and uninsured) has a NEW updated LINK that parents/guardians may check out: https://heartlandhealth.org/services. Scroll down to Healthy Futures and all of the forms will be located there. Any questions, please Amanda Holding at #785-841-7297 ext 5601. Thank you!
Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program:
BB/BS currently has less than 20 kids on the waitlist!! Their primary need, as always, is for Little Sisters, but the wait for Little Brother’s is also relatively low. Below is the link that you can use to refer your child to this wonderful program! Please let Julie Heatwole (jheatwol@usd497.org or #785-330-4860) know if you have any questions.
Just Food Thanksgiving Sign Up
And Holiday Assistance through Salvation Army for gifts! See below...
Important Dates
11/11 - Veteran's Day
11/24 - 11/26 - Fall Break
Looking Ahead...
12/14 - Rock Band Concert, 7pm
12/16 - 3rd Grade Music Program #1 (Kreutzer and Cook), 5:45pm
12/16 - 3rd Grade Music Program #2 (Mockry and Le), 6:30pm
12/16 - Choir Concert, 7:30pm
12/21 - End of 2nd Quarter, No School
12/22 - Winter Break Begins