The Eagle Soars
Sunflower Elementary - September 22, 2023
About Us
Upcoming Events
September 22: PTO Color Run
- Dinner 6:00 pm
- Run 7:00-7:30 pm
September 26: Watch DOGS and Eagle MOMS Orientation 6:30 pm in the cafeteria
September 27: Early Release Day 1:55pm
High School Homecoming Parade at 6:00pm
October 3: Pre-K Field Trip
October 3: PTO Meeting 7:00 at Sunflower Library
October 4: NO EARLY RELEASE
October 4: 3rd Grade Field Trip
October 5: 4th Grade Field Trip
October 6: No School
October 11 & 12: Parent Teacher Conferences- No School
October 13: No School
October 17: Fall Picture Retakes
October 18: Early Release Day 1:55pm
October 19: 4th Grade Goodies, Games, & GRAND Event
4th Grade Musical 7:00pm
October 20: 1st Grade Field Trip
Come see some of our Sunflower Elementary staff and our student council at the High School Homecoming Parade on Wednesday, September 27th at 6:00 pm!
Watch D.O.G.S and Eagle M.O.M.S
Watch this video as Dr. Jones explains a little bit about our Watch D.O.G.S and Eagle M.O.M.S volunteer opportunities and shares some information about the upcoming orientation!
Safety Drills are Essential Parts of Learning
Dear Parent/Guardian,
The safety of your child and all children in our school, as well as the safety of staff members, is my utmost concern. Subsequently, we take proactive measures by practicing our emergency operation plan through drills designed to exercise our procedures. The information provided below hopefully helps you understand each type of drill we will practice during the 2023-24 academic year.
The students and staff of Sunflower Elementary will be practicing three primary emergency drills: fire, tornado/severe weather, and intruder/campus evacuation. Each type of drill is explained in further detail below:
Fire Drills
Sunflower Elementary School conducts a fire drill four times (one per quarter) during the school year. The rationale for this practice is to ensure students and staff are safely able to exit the building using primary and secondary exits.
Tornado/Severe Weather Drills
Tornado drills are conducted two times per school year (September & March). The purpose of this drill is to be prepared to move to a safe location within the building in case of severe weather or tornadoes.
Intruder/Campus Evacuation
The intruder (lockdown) drill will secure the school building and safely shelter all students, staff and visitors inside the building. The evacuation drill will be activated any time students/staff need to be evacuated from the building. The purpose of these drills is to keep students and staff safe from any danger outside or inside the building. Intruder drills will be conducted four times (one per quarter) during the school year. The evacuation drill will occur once.
In closing, please remember our drills are reviewed, rehearsed, and refined with the support of emergency personnel to ensure our school is a safe place to learn and work. To maintain the integrity of our emergency operation plan, I may not be able to communicate specific details, but I would gladly visit with you should you have questions regarding our emergency drills or other safety concerns.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jason Jones, Ed.D.
Attendance Matters
Watch this video as Dr. Jones explains why your student's attendance matters!
Cornhole Tournament
Come out and support Team Sunflower who will be represented by Mrs. Runge (grade 3 teacher) and Mrs. Arnold (grade 3 teacher)! You can also register for your own adult or youth team. More information below!
Dear Parents:
The 2nd annual Gardner Edgerton Schools Foundation cornhole tournament is less than a month away. All funds generated support the WE CARE Fund and scholarships. The WE CARE Fund assists USD 231 students and their families during times of hardship. How can you support this exciting event?
PLAY
Find a partner and have some fun on Saturday, October 7th. We start at 10:00 AM and will be done by 1:00 PM. The cost per team is only $40 ($30 for youth division). Click HERE to sign up. It is fast and easy. Skill level is not important. Coming together for a great cause is what really matters. Let's make sure our school is represented. See flyer for more details.
WIN
Purchase raffle tickets to WIN a set of USD 231 or GE Blazer cornhole boards/bags. Click HERE to purchase raffle tickets, scan the QR code, or pay via Venmo @231Foundation_. You don't have to be present to win. $20 gets you 50 raffle tickets. Other pricing options are available. Go ahead, order your raffle tickets now.
SPONSOR
Perhaps you or your company would like to sponsor a cornhole board or other available partnerships. It's really simple. Click HERE or scan the QR code below.
CELEBRATE
Our school is experiencing a great year. Our students are receiving quality instruction and support. Plus, our school has remarkable parents who are key stakeholders. Let's support the Foundation in their efforts to support our students and staff.
If you have questions regarding the information above, feel free to contact Tim Brady, GESF Executive Director, at bradyt@usd231.com.
Parent Teacher Conferences October 11 & 12
October conferences are quickly approaching! On 9/27/23 you will receive a link to schedule
your K-4 student conference. If you have an EC student, your child’s teacher will contact you
prior to this date with your EC conference time so scheduling conflicts can be avoided for older
siblings. Fall conferences are facilitated by your child’s teacher and are designed to be conducted in-
person. If your family will need a Zoom option, you will need to contact the respective teacher to
make him/her aware.
2023-2024 Student Fees
Student fees for the 2023-24 school year have now been added to your child's account. Please log into your MySchoolBucks account to view all invoices now due. If you have questions, please contact your student's building office for assistance. Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.
Pay for Field Trips Online
Order Your Yearbook Today!
Counselor's Corner
Back to school can be a stressful time for everyone. Mrs. Gabriel has lots of resources on her padlet. Click on the picture to see what is available!
World Wide Wednesday
Share Your Travels
Have you recently taken an amazing trip or have lived somewhere other than the Midwest? We would like to highlight the location on our new segments during announcements...World Wide Wednesday! Reach out to Mrs. Rains (rainsj@usd231.com) or Mr. Prall (prallg@usd231.com) with photos and we will do the rest.
Watch this video for our latest example. Share Your Travels Video
Sunflower's Got Talent
Hello, Sunflower Families!
We are introducing a change to how we are handling Sunflower’s Got Talent this school year. There will be two in-person talent shows on Wednesday, December 13th, and Thursday, May 16th. More information about those talent shows will be available at a later date. Video talents have been very popular in the past, so we will be introducing a new weekly segment to our morning announcements: Talent Tuesday! Rather than two opportunities per year to submit a video talent, students will be able to send in videos throughout the school year to be premiered on Talent Tuesdays. We are requesting the length of the videos be no more than a minute to keep the announcements at a reasonable length. Additionally, parents are asked to review any content or media within the videos to ensure that they are school appropriate. Videos deemed inappropriate will not be premiered and families with rejected submissions will be informed as to the reason why. All videos can be sent to Mr. Prall at prallg@usd231.com. Any questions regarding Sunflower’s Got Talent, or Talent Tuesdays can be directed to Mr. Prall as well. I am excited to share this new opportunity with our students and I look forward to all of the amazing talents we will get to experience this school year!
Mr. Prall
In Case Of An Absence...
IF YOUR STUDENT...
...HAS AN EXCUSED ABSENCE due to illness, appointment, funeral or family emergency, please email the attendance line SEattendance@usd231.com as soon as possible. If we haven't heard from parents by 9:00 am, we will call to check on your child. You can also call in student absences to the absentee line at 913-856-3749.
...WILL BE LATE TO SCHOOL, please let our office know ahead of time (if possible). When your student arrives at school, they will need to stop by the office first, and the secretaries will give them a hall pass.
...WILL BE ABSENT BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING OUT OF TOWN, this is considered an UNEXCUSED absence, unless preapproved by Dr. Jones. Please do not just tell the teacher! Please request approval in writing by emailing Dr. Jones at jonesja@usd231.com.
...NEEDS TO LEAVE SCHOOL EARLY, you can call to let us know you are on your way, but students will not be called out of class UNTIL a parent is present to sign them out. Please plan ahead for appointments, as we would like to minimize missed class time. You will need to come into the office to sign your student out. You won't be able to park outside and call us to send your student out to you.
...HAS DIFFERENT DISMISSAL INSTRUCTIONS, please call the office as soon as possible. If change of dismissal instructions are received after 3:00 pm, we can do our best to relay the message to your student.
AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST...
If you notify your student's teacher of an absence, please also let the office know. Everybody's lives are crazy and busy...everybody's human...everybody can forget to forward an email on to the appropriate person. So, if you send an email to your student's teacher about an absence, please "cc" Terra (dupreet@usd231.com) and Janet (mcconvillej@usd231.com). That way, at least one of us gets the email and gets it taken care of right away. Thank you!!
Site Council
The Sunflower Site Council will be meeting at 6 pm in the library on the following dates:
September 5, 2023, December 5, 2023, February 6, 2024, April 9, 2024
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 Elementary PTO
Don't forget to register your student(s) for the PTO Color Run Fundraiser with MyBooster! This is PTO's main fundraiser this year, besides monthly dine-out fundraisers! It's super easy! Register your student and share with your friends and family. Any amount helps PTO reach their goal of $15,000!
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.
Winter Prep Academy 2023
Follow Us on Social Media!
Districtwide At-Risk Preschool Offered
Great news! Due to funding from KSDE, USD 231 will again be able to provide At-Risk Preschool for 3 and 4 year olds (the program was slated to end but we received word last week our district would be able to qualify).
USD 231 will be providing At-Risk Preschool for 3 and 4 year olds during the 2023-24 school year. The program will be held at Moonlight, there will be an AM and PM section, and students will attend M, T, Th, F with transportation provided. We will be able to have 10 students in the morning and 10 students in the afternoon.
If families are interested, please contact Angie Plank at 856-2030.
Students need to meet one of the following criteria:
1. Poverty (Preschool-Aged At-Risk) Qualifies for free meals under the National School Lunch Program /KSDE Household Economic Survey on September 20, 2021.
2. Single parent families; Custodial parent is unmarried on the first day of school.
3. Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) referral
4. Teen parents - one parent was a teenager when the child was born.
5. Either parent is lacking a high school diploma or GED
6. Limited English Proficiency
7. Lower than expected developmental progress in at least one of the following areas: cognitive development; physical development; communication/literacy; social emotional/behavior; adaptive behavior/self-help skills
8. Child qualifying for migrant status
9. Child experiencing homelessness
Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP)
The Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP) provides qualifying parents and guardians with a $1,000 award per eligible student to pay for a variety of educational goods and services that promote learning and facilitate academic enrichment opportunities.
Why should families apply for KEEP?
- No fees to apply or participate in the program
- Multiple students per household can apply
- Online Education Marketplace with service providers that offer qualified goods and services
- Use awards on camps, classes, tutoring, and even school supplies and technology
NOMINATE A DESERVING STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE TODAY!!!
The GESD recognition program has been established to recognize students and employees who exceed expectations.
"Gardner Edgerton Students of Distinction" (GESD) nominees can be any current student in the Gardner Edgerton School District who exemplifies traits of outstanding character and serves as a positive influence on their peers and the community-at-large.
"Great Employees Serving the District" (GESD) nominees can be any certified or classified employee in the Gardner Edgerton School District who exemplifies traits of outstanding customer service and is a positive influence on students, parents, co-workers or members of the community. The award will be presented on a weekly basis.
Answers to a few questions you may have:
Nominations from previous years have been removed from the database.
Even if a student or staff member has been selected as a GESD in previous years, they are again eligible.
We will recognize our first student and staff member sometime in September. This will allow time for nominations to be submitted.
Nominate a deserving STUDENT by clicking HERE.
Nominate a deserving EMPLOYEE by clicking HERE.