Piper Prairie Parent Blast
October 15, 2021
News from the Principal!
HELLO OCTOBER PIPER PRAIRIE FAMILIES!
How in the world can it already be the middle of October? We are continuing our journey towards excellence! The District's vision of "Building the Future One Child at a Time" is alive at Piper Prairie Elementary! This means that student achievement at every level will continue to be our primary focus.
Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences will be in person or zoom, but how you decide to prepare for them is crucial. Conferences provide great insight into your child's progress and are an excellent opportunity to strengthen the parent/teacher relationship. To get the most out of this brief encounter, we encourage parents to consider these four important points:
1. Before your conference, be prepared.
While teachers are the "main event" at conference time, your role as the parent is no less vital. To prepare for the meeting, make sure you have all the proper documents in front of you at your computer or in-person meeting.
2. When the time arrives, be there on time.
Attending the conference is essential to building a relationship with your child’s teacher and maintaining lines of communication. By arriving on time, you communicate to teachers that you respect and appreciate their time. Keep in mind you are not the only parent with whom the teacher is meeting—try to stay within your allotted conference time. You can always schedule a follow-up phone call or check-in if needed.
3. Plan for the future: Keep the lines of communication open.
Arrange a way to communicate going forward. Ask whether the teacher’s preferred method of communication is phone calls, e-mails, or continued meetings. If you want to monitor certain behaviors or skill development for your child, set a future check-in point. For example, “Let’s all encourage Johnny to e-mail his teacher for math support if he does not understand the assignment this week. Why don’t we check in again on Monday for an update?”
4. Don't forget to CELEBRATE!
Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for October 27 & 28 and report cards will be shared at that time.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Grable
Important Dates in October!
- Friday, October 15 ~ End of the 1st Quarter!
- Friday, October 22 ~ Kindergarten Pumpkin Day! 8:50 am - 10:45 am
- Tuesday, October 26 ~ 2nd Grade Fall Parties, 11 am - 12 pm! (Party Set-Up 10:45-11)
- Wednesday, October 27 ~ EARLY DISMISSAL, 11:30 am (ALL Transportation Changes due to the office by 10:30 am) Kindergarten & 1st Grade Fall Parties 10 am - 11 am (Party Set-Up 9:45-10am)~ Parent/Teacher Conferences 4 pm-8 pm
- Thursday, October 28 ~ NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ~ Parent/Teacher Conferences 8 am-8 pm
- Friday, October 29 ~ NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS ~ Teacher Professional Development / PTA & PHS Student Council Trunk or Treat, 6 pm - 9 pm, PPE
- Monday, November 1 ~ NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS & STAFF
Congratulations Val Anaya
Your work is LOVE made VISIBLE!
PPE After School Paint Party
The Book Fair is BACK!
Go to our Book Fair Website to shop the fair online, preview the fair, or set up an eWallet for your student to shop during school hours:
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/piperelementaryschool3
Megan Riggs
(913)721-1243
Library
Fall Parties
Costume Guidelines:
· Be sure the costume allows free movement and is easy to get into and off (bathroom reasons).
· No bare chests or midriffs.
· Costumes cannot include weapons or look like a weapon of any kind.
· Costumes cannot depict violence, blood or gore.
Piper PTA - Volunteers NEEDED for TRUNK-OR-TREAT!
Click to read the PTA Newsletter! A wonderful organization that supports our Piper Schools!
Piper PTA is excited to announce that we are partnering with Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office F.O.P Lodge #40 and PHS STUCO to host a Trunk or Treat for the community!
This is a FREE event!
If you are interested in decorating a trunk please click the link below and sign up!
https://piperpta203.memberhub.com/store/items/534303
Thank you so much for your support
Any questions can be directed to the PTA members. Please reach out to: piperpta203@gmail.com
Mrs. Krejci uses every minute to teach phonics!
Piper Gold!
Having Fun with New Playground Equipment!
News From Nurse Chelsea - Clothing Donations Needed!
Dental screenings are completed and we will be moving on to vision and hearing screenings soon! Each year Kindergarten is given vision and hearing screenings. 1st grade is given a hearing and 2nd grade is given a vision screening.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support this school year. I appreciate your communication when your child is ill and helping us keep kids healthy and in school!
The following link will give information about frequently asked questions involving COVID-19 and returning to school. COVID-19 Info
If someone in the household is positive for COVID-19 please keep your student home and contact me. I’m looking forward to a great school year!
Chelsea Fletchall, RN, BSN
Piper Prairie School Nurse
(913) 721-1243
Thank you Mr. Wardwell for being our first WatchDOG Dad!
Counselor's Corner!
Daneen Kelsey and Morgan Crusoe are your two school counselors here at Piper Prairie Elementary School!
We go into classrooms to teach lessons about feelings, friends, problem-solving, character traits, and more. Please visit our Piper Prairie Elementary Counseling Page for additional information and support!
Our lessons complement those taught by the classroom teachers.
For the first lesson in all classes, we are learning our reviewing about the Zones of Regulation: we are in the red zone when we are angry, aggressive, out of control; in the yellow zone when we are worried, frustrated, excited, anxious; in the blue zone when we are sad, sick, tired, moving slowly; and in the green zone when we are calm, happy, good to go, and ready to learn!
Sometimes, we feel big feelings – but we learned that all feelings we have are normal and okay, none are wrong or bad. Yes, some feelings make us feel bad but the feelings themselves are not wrong. While many of those feelings feel YUCK, when we find ourselves in the red, yellow, or blue zone, it’s our job to use our tools to get ourselves back to the green zone.
Our mantra: Don’t stay stuck in the yuck! Use your tools to BOUNCE BACK to the GREEN
Zone!
We believe kids can better understand why they have the feelings they have and make the
choices they make if they know how their brain works! So in first and second grades, we are
also learning about our hippocampus (memory center), amygdala (feelings center), and pre-
frontal cortex (choices center)!
(Ask your kids to show you with their hand what their brain looks like in the green zone!)
Finally, I want to invite any fathers or father-figures to be part of our Watch DOG program, which is returning after a year off for Covid. This is a national program that encourages dads,
grandpas, uncles, brothers, friends, or any other male role model to come volunteer in our
school for a few hours or for a full day!
Here is more information about the program: About: Dads Of Great Students
Here is where you can request more information Prairie Watch DOG interest sign-up
If you send your contact information, it does not require you to sign up! It simply means we will send you a detailed description of how it will work in our building and if you are interested, help you schools a day that works for you.
If you need to reach us, here is our email addresses:
Daneen Kelsey, dkelsey@piperschools.us
Morgan Crusoe, mcrusoe@piperschools.us
OPAA Birthday Treats - NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME DUE TO SUPPLY
If you have already submitted an order prior to today, that order will be filled. We will notify you when things change. Sorry for the inconvenience.
For now, you may bring store-bought treats to school. Please make sure to reach out to your child's teacher to set up a time.
How will the district's new mask mandate affect adult visitors to our building?
How will the district's new mask mandate affect adult visitors to the building?
* All visitors to the building must wear a mask at all times while inside the building or outside if around our students.
* Parents and visitors will still be allowed in the building for volunteer work or class parties. Only parents/guardians who have signed up to work parties with their child's teacher will be permitted into the building on party days. (This is not due to the mask policy but a reminder of our schools' party policy.)
* Since lunch time is a "no mask" time due to eating and drinking, there will be no visitors allowed during lunch.
* If the district policy changes as variants change in our community, we will alter visitation policies as necessary. We will always keep you informed if things change.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we do everything we can to keep our kids and community safe.
Piper Prairie Communication Matrix!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICE!
Important Information From the Office...
- Official School Hours are 8:35 am - 3:40 pm
- Students may enter the building @ 8:20 am
- Students need to be in their classrooms by 8:35 am to avoid a tardy slip. We will start dismissal at 3:40 pm.
- Students arriving after 9:15 am will be counted as 1/2 day absent.
- Students leaving before 3:35 pm will be counted as 1/2 day absent.
- Tardy Policy: 5 Tardies = 1 unexcused absence
- All transportation changes MUST be made by 2:30 pm on the day the change is requested to ensure that the teacher is notified in time and your child arrives home safely.
- Student Early Dismissal Day transportation changes MUST be made by 10:30 am on the day the change is requested to ensure that the teacher is notified in time and your child arrives home safely.
- Students Arriving Late: If your child has an appointment of any kind that causes them to arrive late to school, please call the office. Please have a doctor's note for the absence to be excused.
- Students Leaving Early: If your child has an appointment of any kind that causes them to leave early from school, please call the office when you arrive. After you arrive, we will call your child to the office.
- Child Absence: Please call and let the office know if your child is absent or late coming to school. Our office will call and verify that your child is safely at home if you have not received notification. The office number is: 913-721-1243