The Broken Arrow Trailblazer

Website: https://brokenarrow.smsd.org/
Location: 5901 Alden Street, Shawnee, KS, USA
Phone: 913-993-2300
Twitter: @batrailblazer

Breakfast: 7:40 AM - 8:00 AM

School Hours: 8:10 am - 3:10 pm

Office: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm

913-993-2300 (Office)

913-993-2388 (Attendance Line)

Principal — Mr. Ryan Horne

DIBELS and MAP benchmark testing was facilitated in August allowing for instruction to be designed to best meet individual student needs. It is important to know that at Broken Arrow we are committed to providing individualized instruction through the use of a multi-tiered instructional model:

Tier 1: All students receive core instruction at their current assigned grade level.

Tier 2: Some students, demonstrating a need for additional support after receiving grade level core instruction, meet with the teacher to receive small group support (reteaching).

Tier 3: Some students, demonstrating a need, receive below grade level instruction to “fill the holes” that they are missing.

Last school year BA teachers worked together to create learning targets for each of the reading and math priority standards. Priority standards are curricular standards identified by the state as standards that should be mastered at each grade level, in order for students to stay on track for college and career readiness. Learning target checklist posters were created to hang in every classroom to keep the focus on addressing mastery of priority standards.

This school year our teachers will be working on developing formative assessments that students will take in order to demonstrate mastery of the priority standards or demonstrate a need for additional instruction. This is an essential tool used to plan and organize individualized instruction to meet the needs of each student.

At Broken Arrow we are committed to providing each student an exceptional school experience. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or myself at anytime with questions or concerns.

We hope to see you at Parent Teacher Conferences scheduled for October 24 and October 25.

It is essential we work together as a team to have the greatest positive impact on your child’s academic success.

Please note that effective Monday, October 14 students not verified by DS Bus as enrolled will not be allowed to ride the bus home from school.

Students who are not verified as registered will be asked to report to the Broken Arrow office to phone home for a ride.

Please make arrangements now if you would like your child to continue to ride the bus (if they are not already registered through DS Bus).

If you have not spoken with DS Bus to set up busing, then most likely your child is NOT ENROLLED for busing.

Thank you for taking action now, to avoid transportation challenges beginning Monday, October 14.

DS BUS: 913-384-1190

EARLY RELEASE DAY at 12:30 PM

· Thursday, October 10

· No School for Pre-Kindergarten

NO SCHOOL DAYS:

· Friday, October 11 (Teacher Workday/End of Quarter)

· Friday, October 25 (Parent/Teacher Conferences)

Dear Broken Arrow Families,

We had a great turn out for our first general PTA meeting in September. Thank you to everyone who made it. We are so excited to start the journey for the National PTA School of Excellence. Please remember to turn in your survey or take the online survey. With your help, we will be able to make some much needed changes to our PTA to ensure that we are meeting every child and family’s needs while we continue to support our school and teachers.

Our next PTA meeting will be on Thursday, October 3rd at 6:30 pm in the library. We will have a special guest speaker, Patty Mach, to discuss what’s new with the district as well as any other important information we will need for the upcoming school board election. We will be offering child care for this meeting in the gym. Please RSVP your child if you would like child care so we can have an accurate number of volunteers.

We still have some opening for volunteers. If you would like to help with either the birthday billboard or Tyke Time, please let me know.

With your continued support, we can make this a great year for our students and school!

Sarah Alberico

PTA president

Sarahalberico18@gmail.com

Thank you to everyone that came to our Plate it Forward on September 17! Just by eating at McAlister's, you were able to help the PTA raise $261! Thank you McAlister's!

Don't forget about our upcoming Plate it Forward nights and make sure to mention that you are supporting Broken Arrow!

• Monday, 10/21 (11am-8pm) @ Papa Murphy's

• Tuesday, 12/3 (11am-midnight) @ Johnny's Tavern

• Monday, 1/13 (5-8pm) @ Old Shawnee Pizza

It’s only the beginning of Fall, but we all know how fickle Kansas weather can be!

Per District policy, there will be no outdoor recess when:

· The temperature is 15 degrees or below

· The wind chill index is 0 degrees or below

· There is falling moisture

The only other time your child would not go outside for recess would be with a doctor’s note.

• If your child has a fever of 100 or above, vomiting and/or diarrhea, they should stay home for at least 24 hours or until your student is completely well. Please note they have to be fever free without fever-reducing medications. Even though your student is feeling better, they still can pass the virus/illness to other people.

• Contact the attendance line 913-993-2388 if your child will be absent for an illness and mention what symptoms your child has for the nurse.

• If your child becomes ill at school with a fever of 100 or above, vomiting and/or diarrhea, they will need to go home. Keep your phone number and emergency numbers up-to-date so we are able to contact you. If you will be unable to pick your student up during the school hours, please have an emergency contact available as a backup.

Thank you for your cooperation in these matters,

Jamie Knight

Nurse at Broken Arrow Elementary

Choir News

The choir is working really hard to prepare for both the Halloween Assembly (10/31) and the NWArea Choral Festival (11/7)! Pink permission slips have been sent home for the festival

rehearsal that happens during the school day. If you have not returned that yet, please do so at your earliest convenience. If your student lost the permission form, they may ask me for

another one.

KC Civic Orchestra and Education Outreach

Representatives from the KC Civic Orchestra will once again be coming to Broken Arrow on

Nov. 1 to play for our 4th, Kindergarten, and 1st grade students during their specials time. This is always very enjoyable and educational for our students! I will also be sending out information about a kid friendly concert (complete with an instrument petting zoo) the KCCO performs every November. It is a great time for kids and parents alike. I hope you are able to carve out time in your busy schedule to attend.

Lorinda James

Music Teacher

This is a special bulletin-board in the Multi-Purpose Room that everyone can see during lunch and assemblies. Every month the Birthday Billboard gets updated with the birthday’s for that month.

For a $5 donation your child will have the opportunity to have their name up for everyone to see for an entire month!

We don’t forget the summer birthdays—if your student has a Birthday in late May, June, July and early August—their names will be displayed on their “1/2 Birthday” month.

Forms will be available in the office year round. Please contact Sarah Alberico with any questions at sarahalberico18@gmail.com

Wednesday, October 2

Picture Day packets were sent home the week September 16.

· Be sure to select and mark the package you wish to purchase

· Enclose your money (or pay online) and

· Send in your Picture Day envelope on Wednesday, October 2 with your student

You may order and pay online before or after Picture Day at:

· Inter-state.com/order and

· use the Order Code 40554QA

Picture retakes will be Wednesday, November 13.

Hey Parents! Help us make Broken Arrow even better and achieve the PTA School of Excellence designation. Please click below to fill out this short survey by October 5th so we know where we can improve! Thanks to Liz Indellicate for spearheading this effort!

Mrs. Gural's 5th grade class won the golden stake for the the first skating party of the year! Way to go 5th graders! 84 Broken Arrow students attended the skating party and 14 were from Mrs. Gural's class. Thanks to Beulah Mathew, skate party chair, for arranging these great parties!