A Message from Principal Johnson
What an awesome week it was! We celebrated kindergarten starting full days which included going to the cafeteria for lunch and they did so incredibly well! Students have made it through their specials and TEAMS Lab rotations more than once and curriculum is underway. In the month of September, extracurricular opportunities are beginning, teachers are digging into data to drive instruction to meet students' needs, and our students are rocking and rolling like they didn't skip a beat from one school year to the next. I am so proud of our strong August beginning and can't wait to see what else September will bring!
A special thank you to our parents and guardians for your valuable insight about your child during your conference time last week. You are such an integral part to our school's success and to the success of your child. You are appreciated!
Important Dates
September 2nd: No School-Labor Day
September 3rd: 5th Grade Band Begins
- Students in band should be dropped off (no instrument needed) using the car rider procedures (West doors) between 7:20am and 7:30am.
- All band students attend each morning for this first week.
September 5th: Band Rental Night
- Mrs. Hughey, our music teacher who also teaches band, has been communicating through email about this event which occurs at 6:00pm at Eisenhower Elementary.
September 6th: Early Release
- Same dismissal procedures are in place for these days. The time for dismissal changes.
- K-5 student dismissal is 1:30pm.
- Pre-K AM session dismissal is at 10:00am.
- Pre-K PM session dismissal is at 2:20pm.
- Early Release Days take place twice a month (some exceptions) and are reflected on the district academic calendar for your planning purposes.
- Teachers take part in Professional Learning Communities in which they use data to plan for instruction with their grade-level peers.
September 6th: Count Your Kid In Screeners
September 7th: Hearts Apart Kick-Off
- See details below
September 11th: Freedom Walk
- See more information below to begin the planning.
- More communication to come separate from this monthly newsletter.
- If you ordered spirit wear, to include Freedom Walk t-shirts, those items should arrive in advance.
September 12th: Papa Johns Night for MacArthur
- See flier below!
September 20th: Early Release
- Same schedule as above for 9/6
September 27th: Character Strong Assembly at 2:30pm
- See details below about this monthly student recognition event!
October 2nd: Fall Pictures
- More Information will be coming as the date approaches.
Specials Schedule
September 2nd: No School Labor Day
September 3rd: A Day
September 4th: B Day
September 5th: C Day
September 6th: D Day Early Release Dismissal
September 9th: A Day
September 10th: B Day
September 11th: C Day
September 12th: D Day
September 13th: A Day
September 16th B Day
September 17th C Day
September 18th: D Day
September 19th: A Day
September 20th: B Day -Early Release Dismissal
September 23rd: C Day
September 24th D Day
September 25th: A Day
September 26th: B Day
September 27th: C Day
September 30th: D Day
Hearts Apart
Fort Leavenworth Unified School District 207 offers a wonderful program we refer to as "Hearts Apart." Hearts Apart is designed to help students cope with the deployment of a parent. Your permission is required for your child to participate.
Hearts Apart provides students and families with a sense of community and belonging district wide. This is a great opportunity for spouses and their children to enjoy good food, relax, and enjoy the conversation and company of others. These events help children and their families understand that they are not alone in their experiences.
Sign up for Hearts Apart - Here
Character Strong at MacArthur: Building Purposeful People
- September focuses on Respect! Please take a look at the family newsletter below.
- Our 1st Assembly for recognizing students for the monthly character strong trait is September 27th at 2:30pm in the MacArthur Auditorium.
- If your child is being recognized, you will be notified by your child's teacher in advance.
- Students will receive a certificate and a yard sign!
Junior Guard
Data Drives Instruction
- Tier 1 instruction is underway for both academics and Social Emotional Learning , or SEL.
- Data from STAR, common formative assessments, and daily work is used to drive future instruction, to include Tier 2 and Tier 3 instruction.
- What I Need time, or WIN, is held daily to provide students with Tier 2 instruction based on priority standards.
- Families will be notified via a letter and will need to return a signed compact if their child will be receiving Tier 3 interventions for reading and or math.
- Weekly grade-level newsletters are emailed to families weekly and will provide useful information as to how families can engage their children in the curriculum while at home. You partnership in your child's education is imperative and appreciated!
Attendance Reminders
Attendance
The Fort Leavenworth School District requires all students to regularly attend classes in which they are enrolled. However, the district understands that some absences cannot be avoided. Kansas state statute is very clear that a student is considered truant when the student is absent from school for all or a significant part of three consecutive school days, or five school days in a semester, or seven school days in a school year, whichever occurs first, without a valid excuse. When a student is absent from school, an attempt will be made to contact the parent or guardian to determine the reason for their absence.
Excused/Unexcused Absence
With parent notification, student absences will be classified as excused for the following reasons: personal illness; professional appointments unable to be scheduled outside the school day (e.g., doctor and dental appointments); serious personal injury or family issues; school related activities (e.g., athletic events). For extended absences for matters of a family nature, prior notification is required for excusal. All other absences will be considered unexcused. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the necessary information from the student’s teachers with respect to making up the schoolwork missed during any absence. There are limitations on the number of school absences that can be excused. Absences in excess of 10 school days per year must be accompanied by a doctor’s note in order to be excused. At any point when school educators have determined that the number of excused absences (for any reason) is adversely affecting a student’s academic and learning progress or when the well-being of the student is compromised due to excessive excused absences, school educators may require a conference with the parents. School administrators or their designees are authorized to request, from parents or students, evidence to verify the validity of the reason given for an absence.
Leavenworth County:
Students who have excessive unexcused absences; three consecutive days; five days in a semester; or seven or more school days in any school year, will be considered truant.
Food Service and Skyward
The district enacted Food Service alerts, which will notify when a student's account balance goes below zero dollars. As a parent/guardian, you must opt-in to receive this notification in Skyward Family Access. If you are interested in receiving this notification, please take a look at the attached document with directions on how to ensure you are opted in. The attached document also shows the steps on how to set a purchase limit on your student's food service account. Setting up notifications and purchasing limits works best on a laptop or desktop computer rather than through the app on a mobile device. Please reach out to the office if you need any assistance setting up notifications or purchase limits.