Meadow Brook Parent Newsletter

We hope you had a wonderful holiday break and got a lot of rest! We are looking forward to a great second semester full of learning, growth, and fun! Our mission at MBI is to attend to and foster positive relationships with all stakeholders, ensure high levels of learning for all students, and show GRIT every day. The first quarter of school has been fantastic here at MBI! Our students are really showing a great understanding and application of GRIT and learning is taking place in our classrooms. Our doors are always open and we are here to support your students and our community in the best ways we can.

Mrs. Giblet and Mrs. Thompson

We are halfway through the year and some students are running low on supplies. Take this time to do a good backpack cleanout and supply refresh! Most essential supplies are pencils and colored pencils; a hand sharpener is also helpful for them to sharpen colored pencils. Don't forget to charge Chromebooks each night. Teachers would always appreciate extra supplies such as pencils, colored pencils, markers, and Kleenex if you are able to send them! Tis the season for stuffy noses and sicknesses, so Kleenex and Hand Sanitizer donations would be greatly appreciated!

Over the next few weeks, our counselors will be presenting information to our students surrounding the topic of mental health. We recognize that these topics can be sensitive and each student has their own experience and perspective.

The lessons that our counselors have created are developmentally appropriate and contain research-based information that helps promote identifying struggles with mental health, utilizing coping skills, managing stress, and knowing when to seek help from a trusted adult. Counselors will be meeting with students during the week of January 21-24. If you choose to opt your student out of this presentation, please contact the office at 405-256-6955 or return this opt-out letter, attached below, with your signature to the counselor before January 17, 2025.

If you have any further questions or concerns, you may also contact Heather Wiggins, Director of Student Assistance, at 405-376-7824 or email her at wigginsh@mustangps.org.

To support our teachers, the MPS Bronco Benefit Auction and Dinner this year will be Thursday, February 6, 2025. Meadow Brook is collecting donations for our "I love to eat!" auction basket. We are asking families of MBI to send donations to school by Thursday, January 23 to be included in our basket. Ideas include restaurant gift cards, nonperishable food items, and dining or kitchen accessories.

All funds raised during this event go towards our Teacher Grant Program.

Do you have any photos that you could share for the Meadow Brook Yearbook? We need photos from events such as band or choir concerts, archery tournaments, academic team competitions, or any other groups or activities at school.

Email your photos to Mrs. Cox at coxs@mustangps.org. Please include the grade levels of any students in the photos, names, and the event where the photo was taken.

Don't forget to get your yearbook ordered! Prices are $30 on January 1st. We only have a limited number of books available, so pre-order today to ensure you get a copy!

Monday, January 13: MPS Board Meeting

Thursday, January 16: School Spelling Bee

Monday, January 20: PTSO Toledo's Give Back Night

Monday, January 20: MLK Day--No School

Tuesday, January 28 and Wednesday, January 29: Vision Screenings

Wednesday, January 29: Kona Ice at Recess

Thursday, January 30: Fifth grade GRIT Assembly

Friday, January 31: Sixth grade GRIT Assembly

Friday, February 7: Last day to turn in late work

Monday, February 10 and Tuesday, February 11: PD Days--No School for Students

Friday, February 14: Spring Pictures

February 17-21: Kindness Week (Shirts on-sale starting January 20)

February 24-28: MBI Bookfair

Thursday, February 27 and Tuesday, March 4: Parent/Teacher Conferences

**PTSO Concessions at Recess Sold Every Friday at Recess**

Concessions sold every Friday at Recess for $1.00 each. Contact PTSO at meadowbrookptso@gmail.com

Each month, we will share a helpful, informational article that is relevant to 5th and 6th graders and how the adults in their lives can keep them safe and/or healthy. Click the button below to access this month's article.

Mustang Public School’s buses are the safest way to get to and from school each day. Statistics from the School Bus Information Council show that buses are safer for students than airlines, passenger trains and passenger cars, which have the highest injury rate.

Mustang’s bus drivers go through strict training, which includes written tests as well as driving instruction and a driving test. New bus drivers will have a minimum of 15 hours on-the-road training with Mustang transportation department staff before they begin transporting children. Training is provided in-house.

Besides the benefits of safety, when more students ride the bus it significantly reduces congestion around the schools. It is also means a gas savings for parents.

ROUTE INFORMATION

• Routes - To access route information, simply go to elink.mustangps.org. Be sure to uncheck the box next to “Authenticate using Network Credentials.” Then enter the username of mustang, and the password is guest.

• If your address is NOT populating in the finder, please call our district office for assistance at (405)376-2630.

• As always, we appreciate your patience with our team each year as our school district continues to grow and new neighborhoods are established.

• Safety - Please take a moment to review this to view an Infographic on Oklahoma Bus Laws. Drive Safely!

Parents and Guardians,

Please take a few minutes to review district-wide expectations regarding student conduct on buses. In order to provide safe transportation to and from school, it is very important that all students adhere to the following expectations.

STUDENT CONDUCT ON BUSES

Riding a school bus is a privilege and students must maintain safe and respectful conduct to ensure safe travel to and from school. Student safety is our main priority and rules that are enforced at school also apply on the bus. Our bus drivers have the same authority over pupils while riding buses as the teachers have while in school.

The following rules and regulations shall govern the conduct of school bus passengers:

• Students must be respectful of the driver and other passengers at all times;

• All students must stay in their seats from the time they load the bus to the time they exit the bus;

• Students must keep hands and feet to themselves;

• Students must avoid tampering with the windows or the emergency door of the bus unless instructed by the driver to do so.

Disruptive behaviors, which potentially jeopardize the safety of all passengers, will not be tolerated. The following are some examples of disruptive behaviors which may bypass the warning and result in the loss of bus riding privileges:

• Fighting, shouting, profanity, horseplay, using tobacco or electronic cigarettes, extending any part of the body through an open window, throwing objects, refusing to obey the bus driver, *vandalism.

*Students who deface or vandalize a school bus in any way may have bus riding privileges suspended and will not be permitted to resume bus privileges until all damages are paid.

The following items will not be permitted on the bus:

• Balloons

• Glass containers

• Trash from snacks and drinks

WRITTEN CONDUCT REPORT

A written report about a student’s unsatisfactory conduct will be issued by the bus driver and delivered to the school principal for disciplinary action. The action taken by the principal may include short-term or permanent suspension from bus riding privileges and/or suspension from school- depending on the severity of the behavior.

In considering the different forms of disciplinary action, the faculty and the administration of the school district will consider the following; however, the school is not limited to these various methods, nor does this list reflect any order of sequence of events to follow in disciplinary actions

• Warning and Parent Phone Call

• 3 Day Suspension from Bus Privileges

• 5 Day Suspension from Bus Privileges

• 10 Day Suspension from Bus Privileges

• Loss of Bus Riding Privileges- Remainder of the School Year

• Suspension from school

Car riders will need to be dropped off on the west side of campus. Please see the diagram below for our car rider procedures. After the triangle median you can make 2 lines. Then, at the cone, we merge back into one line. This allows us to clear 15th street off. Please be sure to drop your students off at the curb to ensure an expedited and safe drop-off. Reminder: zipper entry into the car loop/school so cars on coming from both directions may get in line!

Thanks again for being patient and kind!

The Mustang Board of Education passed an updated attendance policy in May 2024 reducing the number of allowable absences per semester for students from 10 to 8. Each day a student is absent is a missed opportunity for learning and personal growth. The issue of Chronic Absenteeism has received significant attention recently, and this policy adjustment aligns our practices with State and Federal guidelines.

THANK YOU for your support in this policy! MBI students have done a fantastic job at following the policy of keeping all devices off and in their backpacks and we have already seen a huge positive impact from this procedure!!

Personal Technology Device Policy

Technology can be a wonderful resource in education. However, the use of cell phones and other personal technology devices (PTDs) are incredibly distracting to the learning environment. MPS has the following policy to ensure the least amount of distraction to our students' learning experiences.

All cell phone/PTD practices in MPS grades PreK-6 will follow Mustang Public School district policy #2140. PTDs include but are not limited to laptops, computers, tablets, cellular phones, smart phones, smart watches, gaming devices, earpods/airpods, or headphones. Devices whose primary purpose is gaming, along with any/all portable speakers are expressly prohibited at all times.

Cell Phones/PTDs are not allowed while at school.

• This includes once the student arrives on campus and until they leave the campus.

Standard consequences of violation of school cell phone/PTD policy/contract (actual consequences may vary due to severity of the violation):

• 1st violation: Cell phone/PTD will be kept in the office & picked up by the student at the end of the day;

• 2nd violation: Cell phone/PTD will be kept in the office & picked up by the student at the end of the day;

• 3rd violation: Cell phone/PTD will be kept in office until a parent/guardian picks it up in the office;

• 4th violation: Cell phone/PTD will be kept in office until a parent/guardian picks it up in the office and meets with administrators to discuss further actions.

*These consequences apply to the incidents per student and not incidents per PTD.

*School administration has the discretion to alter the consequences when necessary.

*These consequences apply to the incidents per student and not incidents per PTD.

*School administration has the discretion to alter the consequences when necessary.

*The school and its employees are in no way responsible for any theft or damage of cell phones/PTDs while on school grounds. The school is not obligated to investigate the loss or damage of any cell phone/PTD.

*Any deviation from this plan will be at the discretion of school administration.

Thank you to all of our Meadow Brook stakeholders. We are so grateful for such a supportive community. As always, if you need anything or have questions, please reach out to one of us and we will gladly take care of whatever we can for you. We are looking forward to a great year!!

MBI Administrative Team,

Principal - Jessica Giblet

Assistant Principal - Taylir Thompson

We are GOAL-DRIVEN.

We are RESPECTFUL.

We have INTEGRITY.

We TREAT OTHERS KINDLY.

- Mrs. Giblet and Mrs. Thompson