The Morris Minute
September 2018
Welcome to The Morris Minute!
Website: bfschools.org
Location: 700 Garfield Street Southwest, Bondurant, IA, United States
Phone: 515.967.6361
Twitter: @BFMEprincipal
From The Desk of Mr. Anderson...
Welcome back to school! I am sure you all are very pleased to have your children off and running! We get them from 8-3:30, then you get to run them to all of their activities! It has been a pleasure getting to know all the new faces at Morris Elementary the past week and a half!
I did want to remind you of a couple of things, in case you are new to the building/district:
1. If you are dropping off your child via car, please stay in your vehicle if you are in the traffic line. If you park and walk them to the doors, you will need to leave them at the door and send them on their way. We will be closing the north doors and those are not doors where visitors are allowed to come in. If you enter the building, you need to do so at the east (main) entrance, as if you were checking in like a visitor.
2. Please call ahead if you are going to visit for lunch. Our lunch count is important and we want to have the appropriate amount of food for everyone! Thank you in advance!
Once again, Morris Elementary is participating in a national study concerning principal use of time. If you recall from last year, a data collector shadowed me for three days. This year, my “shadow” will return for another two days. They will be noting every five minutes what I am doing. The data collector can't talk to me, or anyone else. The data collector will carry a clipboard with a stop watch and will try to be as "invisible" as possible and not disrupt our work.
I will receive the results of the data collection ten days later and will work with my School Administration Manager to compare this year’s data with last year’s. I am very hopeful this information will show an increased percentage of instructional time. Please make every effort to interact with me as you do every other day. (Even waving at them is fun, especially if they try not to smile!)
It's been a great start to the year! I look forward to seeing you throughout the 2018-2019 school year! It's going to be one for the books, that's for sure!
Yours In Education,
Mr. Anderson
Important Dates to Remember
September 10 - 2pm Dismissal
September 17 - 2pm Dismissal
September 24 - 2pm Dismissal
September 25 - Picture Day
October 1 - 2pm Dismissal
October 8 - 2pm Dismissal & 4-8pm Parent Teacher Conferences
October 11 - 2pm Dismissal & 4-8pm Parent Teacher Conferences
October 12 - Professional Development - NO SCHOOL
October 15 - 2pm Dismissal
October 22 - 2pm Dismissal
October 25 - Literacy Night
News from the Art Room
Congratulations to our artist who exhibited art at the Des Moines Art Festival in the Student Art Exhibition over the summer, Emerson Berkenes, Adelyn Bruce, Abigail Applegate, and Mimi Jackson. A special congratulations to Mimi who was honored with a banner of her amazing art! The banner will be on display through conferences at Morris Elementary for our school to enjoy.
Thank you as always for supporting your student’s art. Keep your eyes open for more AMAZING creations this year! - Mrs. Bahr
Backpack Program
Hello! My name is Mrs. McConnell, and I am the School to Home Coordinator at Morris Elementary. One of the things that I help organize at Morris is the Backpack Program. This is a partnership between The Food Bank of Iowa and Bondurant-Farrar Elementary Schools. The goal of this program is to help end childhood hunger in Iowa and assist preschool through fifth grade families that are experiencing financial hardship or food insecurity. On Fridays, a Backpack food bundle is put into the backpack of each participating student. The Backpack bundles are made up of packaged food items that can easily be opened or prepared by children for a two-day weekend. If you are a family who would like to participate in this program or have more questions, please let me know. You can reach me at my email mcconnellk@bfschools.org.
Drop Off / Pick Up Procedure
Car pick up line students are dismissed at 1:50pm on Mondays and 3:20pm Tuesday through Friday. All students should be picked up by 2:15pm on Mondays and 3:40pm the rest of the week.
We appreciate your help in following the drop off and pick up procedures to ensure a smooth and event free drop off and pick up each day!
Our new Morris Jays are already family! From left to right: Miss Lindman, Mrs. Hogan, Mrs. Christian, Miss Olson, and Mr. Anderson
Save the date! Literacy Night, Thursday, October 25th. Author Julia Cook will be here to talk with families! More details to come!
A few notes from Ms. Jen
Everyone is doing a great job adjusting to our new year and new schedules! As a reminder, the main office number is 967.6361 and my email is keelerj@bfschools.org - be sure to call or email any schedule changes/attendance issues you may have.
If you drop off a student after 8:25am, you will need to come into the office to sign them in for the day. You will also need to sign them out of the building if you pick them up early.