Key Elementary

Weekly Family News | November 21, 2021

Weather Changes

  • It's getting cold outside. Be sure to dress your children appropriately. We still may have outdoor recess unless it is below 32 degrees.
  • Please try not to drop off your child too early. They are cold. The doors do not open until 8:05am since school does not start until 8:15am.
  • The change in weather also means that it is likely that our staff will not be outside some mornings to manage the car line. We will be standing right in the lobby to receive the children. We will go off the "honor system"...trusting that you are still completing our daily COVID screener (Clear to Go or the paper to send with your child).

Student Spotlight on the District's Facebook Page! (We're so proud!)

Big picture

Parents...

  • Thanksgiving break is this Wednesday, November 24 - Friday, November 26th. School resumes on Monday, November 29th.
  • Students are accumulating too many absences and tardies. This is not helping our children. We can only do our job if children are at school, on time, every day.
  • Report card #1 is available in your MISTAR Parent Portal. Click this link for directions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zE_l3MF_2Uei9Sa6YH-cKE7Lgn7CJjGu1fWh4AQUjwM/edit?usp=sharing
  • Any student who received all unsatisfactory grades will be receiving a letter from the principal, Mrs. Murphy.
  • Please label your child's things...bookbags, coats, lunch boxes, etc.
  • Our Lost & Found is overflowing. If your child is missing any items, please have them look in the Lost & Found located in our lobby.

Student Learning Experiences

  • Ms. Bleakley (Kindergarten) -- Last week for science, students observed and took notes (drew pictures of trees). They are learning about the parts of a tree, what trees need to grow, the resources they provide and how important they are to our environment.
  • Our PreK babies are having fun learning their letters (Mrs. Templeton) and giving thanks (Mrs. Taylor & Mrs. Z)!
  • Shout out to Trey Page in Mrs. Pace's class (3rd grade) for being the Spelling Star of the Week! He received a 100% on his spelling test.

Key Kindness Kudos

Our children continue to get recognized by their teachers for demonstrating kindness and respect in our schoolhouse! Below are some students who were recognized this past week: Sa'Rye Nowell (2nd), Apyrl Howze (Kdg), Hazel Johnson (3rd), Mar'khi Rundles (3rd), & Taryn Stribling (3rd).

We Need Menfolk!

Calling all of the men...dads, granddads, uncles, big brothers, goddads, family friends, etc...we need you at the schoolhouse! Please consider coming to volunteer! There are a number of things you can do such as help with arrival/dismissal traffic, serve as hall monitors to encourage our children, help with our boys mentoring group, or anything else! Please let Mrs. Murphy, your child's teacher, or the front office know if you or someone you know is interested!

What's Happening in Our Schoolhouse?!

Sister Circle Girls Mentoring Group

Shout out to Ms. Jayla Hugan & Ms. Blair Glanton for sponsoring our Grades 3-5 girls mentoring group "Sister Circle"! Every Thursday, during lunch, these ladies meet with any girl who is willing to meet up and connect! This week they did "sister-ship" bracelets!

Join our Key Family Remind

You can contact Mrs. Murphy (Principal) directly!


Stay informed about what is happening in our schoolhouse! Join our Key Family Remind today! Text @keyfami to 81010.

*Your child's teacher(s) may also have their own Remind for their class.

Journey to Healing

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with healing from losing a loved one, Journey to Healing provides support for children/adults/families that have faced any traumatic experiences. They offer offer a wide range of treatments and services that support youth and adults from individual treatment in therapeutic bereavement groups. They also support behavioral health concerns.


They have free parent support groups and an emergency crisis helpline.

Big picture

State of Emergency: Our Children are Underachieving

In reading, 91% of our children are 1 or more grade levels behind, 53% of them are 2 or more grade levels behind, and 19% (almost 100) of our children are 3 or more grade levels behind.


In math, 97% of students are at least 1 grade behind, 60% are at least 2, and 28% are 3 or more behind.

Let me be clear: THIS IS A STATE OF EMERGENCY.


We need more of you to engage with us. Provided below are the things we are asking parents to do at home to make sure that our children can read. Check in with your child's teacher for their IREADY information so they can practice at home. Also check in with the teacher for any other things you can do to support your child.

Big picture

Student Writing & Inventive Spelling

Parents, please do not be alarmed if students in grades K-2 are not spelling words "correctly" when they write. They are still learning letter sounds and sometimes do not hear or know all of the letters that make up a word. Encourage them to write the letters they hear. Please do not force them to correct their writing. Their teachers are working with them to understand how to say sounds (Phonological Awareness) and how to write matching letters to those sounds (phonics). Check out the link below to get an understanding of how a child's writing develops.
Big picture

Addressing Parent Concerns

OPS Communication Protocol

Please click the button to find our district's communication protocol. This provides info for parents to know who to call and when, if an issue arises.

Elementary Lunch Menu

Click here to view our elementary lunch menu.

2021-2022 School District Calendar

Click here to view our district calendar.

Parent Quick Links

Click here for district quick links for parents.