Wednesday Word

Dear Sunflower Families,

It is almost time for parent-teacher conferences! Please see the blurb below for more information and to sign up for your conference times.

We are proud to announce our February Staff Members of the Month! Mr. Byers, Kindergarten Teacher, was nominated by a parent. This parent wrote, "Mr. Byers has done an excellent job with my child through the transition of Kindergarten. Even on the bad days he finds a way to make sure my child feels loved and accepted. My child loves to come to school and loves Mr. Byers. It is so refreshing to have your child want to go to school and enjoy learning."

Cara Muths, School Nurse, was also nominated by a parent. This parent writes, "Thank you Nurse Cara for taking such great care of the Sunflower Scholars; especially this flu season. You’re the real MVP!!!" Nurse Muths is incredibly calm in emergency situations which makes our scholars feel safe and secure in her hands.

We appreciate the support and kind words from our families, it means a lot to our staff. Please keep them coming! You can nominate a staff member for our monthly staff recognition program by submitting a shout out on the Google form below.

On Monday staff participated in our district professional development day. The training focused heavily on the Science of Reading. Teachers learned specific structured literacy approaches and strategies they could implement right away in the classroom.

As always it is an honor to serve as the Principal of Sunflower Elementary.

Melissa Blevins

Know a Sunflower staff member that deserves a shout out?! Fill out the google form below! We use these shout outs as nominations for our staff member of the month recognition.

Dear Sunflower Families,

We can not wait to see you in the building on March 8th and 9th, 2023 for Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences. Your scholars are three-quarters of the way through their academic year and have been working with our staff to meet goals, build their community, and find success on their path as AVID scholars. Please use the link below to sign-up for a slot to meet with your scholar’s teacher. Our goal is to have 100% attendance.

Just a reminder there will be no school for students on Thursday and Friday of Parent-Teacher conference week (March 8th and 9th, 2023.) This is followed by Spring Break the following week (March 13 - 17, 2023). A huge shout out to all the families who will be helping PTO by donating food and snacks for our staff on these long days.

Check out 3 tips from Sunny the Eagle for Parents at Parent-Teacher Conferences in the video below.

Sunflower International Night

March 2, 2023

6:00-7:00 PM

Come travel the world with us!!

It’s not too late to sign up to host a table at Sunflower International Night showcasing your family heritage! This opportunity is open to ALL Sunflower families. You can represent a country, tribe, region, or state that represents your family’s roots.

How to sign up? Contact Valisha Buselt or Molly Soukup

vbuselt@usd497.org msoukup@usd497

OR

Fill out a digital form online below.

We have two openings at this time. One for a full-time Paraprofessional and one for our Lead Lunchroom Monitor. This position works Monday-Friday from 10:45-1:15. You can apply online by clicking the linked job titles or contact Melissa Blevins at melissa.blevins@usd497.org.

Use the sign up below to volunteer in our lunch room!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C45A8AE2DA5FCC70-lunchroom

5th grade will attend School of Economics on March 7th. The bus will leave promptly at 8:50am and we will return by 2:30.

If you have great photos of our students at school events/clubs, we would love to have them for the yearbook! The more photos we get, the better the yearbook will be!

The yearbook staff will review all photos and determine the final yearbook content. We cannot guarantee that all submissions will be used in the book. Pictures will be accepted until March 1st. Please label them so we know what grade level each photo is.

Please email your pictures to Nancy at nlett@usd497.org.

The Lost and Found is getting really full! Items not claimed by the end of the day Thursday, March 2nd will be donated! Please stop by or have your students check for lost items!

Harvesters BackSnack program provides a FREE bag of non-perishable food and snacks like cereals, fruit snacks, water, vegetables, soup, granola bars, and more! We also receive fresh fruits like apples and oranges. This program occurs throughout the school year and the food is distributed to our scholars on the last day of each school week. At this time, Sunflower is able to include MORE scholars in this program. There is no paperwork to complete and no eligibility requirements. If you are interested in having your scholar participate in the Harvesters BackSnack program all you need to do is contact Julie Heatwole (school counselor) at #785-330-4860 or jheatwol@usd497.org to let her know you would like your scholar/s to participate in these programs.

Bring in donations for our Lawrence Humane Society (animal shelter) during the week of February 27th-March 2nd! Drop off in the labeled "donations here" boxes just outside the counselor's office. Any questions, please contact Julie Heatwole at #785-330-4860 or jheatwol@usd497.org

Some donations that the animal shelter needs includes:
Urgent Needs = soft dog treats (Pupperoni is their favorite), peanut butter, block-style cheddar cheese, muffin tins (for enrichment!), & large kennels
Other Needs = towels, blankets, kongs, dry cat & dog food, wet cat & dog food, cat litter, pet beds, kennels, cleaning supplies (bleach, laundry detergent), & MORE!

Read-a-Thon through 2/27

Read-aThon is in full swing, but it's not too late to sign up!

We encourage you to activate your reader’s account today by clicking on https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/eqDMkZ/1 and following the simple instructions.

All funds raised from Read-a-Thon will be used for the Educational Support Fund & Teacher Classroom Start-up Fund.

Teacher conference meals
Conferences are coming!
Wednesday, March 8th we will be providing easy grab and go items. Thursday, March 9th we will have a taco bar set up as well as sides and desserts.
Please have items for Wednesday in the teachers lounge by 1:30 pm and on Thursday by 10 am.

Sign up to bring items here

and a thank you to everyone who helped make the Friendship Parties a success!

The 2023 Sunflower Fun Run/Walk will take place at 9 am on Saturday, April 29, at Sunflower Elementary. Whether you're a walker, runner, skipper, or even jumper, all are welcome to participate!

Sign up here for the 2023 Sunflower Fun Run and Tot Trot: 2023 Sunflower Elementary Community Fun Run/Walk Sign UP

RACE T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST: Want to know another great thing about this event?! The race t/shirt is designed by one of our very own Sunflower scholars! Entry forms with directions were sent home with our Sunflower scholars earlier this week, but if you have seen the entry forms yet and your child is interested in entering the contest, the form can also be found HERE. Submit entries via the folder in front of Julie Heatwole’s office. Entries are due March 8th.

INTERESTED IN DONATING TO THE EVENT?! Our event wouldn't be possible without our amazing business and personal sponsorships! Here's how you can donate:

• Email Becky Armstrong at becky.r.armstrong for more information on how to donate via PayPal or check
• Donate via our website link above by selecting the "Donate" tab at the top of the page (FYI: 4% fee added onto donation via website)
• Or....pick a form in front of the Sunflower office.

We can't wait to see you on race day!

Garden Club will meet Mar 1st at 7:45am

Garden Week is March 4th - 10th!

Girl Scout Troop 1571 is coming Saturday, March 4th, from 9am - 2pm. Their goal that day is to move the existing 6 raised beds into our new configuration. We are opening up this day for parents and families to come and help. We will have to empty dirt from the beds, move them in place and refill with dirt.

If there are any gardeners/farmers with a rototiller, we could till up the space for the 2 new ground beds that day too.

Are your students interested in garden club? Fill out the link below:

https://forms.gle/JdoaVztTG1VGHtWv9

Feb 27-Dental Clinic Returns to Sunflower

Mar. 2 - International Night @6pm

Mar 2- End of 3rd Quarter

Mar. 3 - No School

Mar. 6 - K-2 to Lied Center

Mar. 7 - 5th to School of Econ.

Mar. 8 - Conferences

Mar. 9 - No School - Conferences

Mar. 10 - No School

Mar. 13 - 17 - Spring Break - No School

March 31 - PTO Sponsored Glow Party