Donnelly Elementary Newsletter

On October 27th, Donnelly Elementary completed the 1st quarter of school. We are proud of our students' hard work and dedication and we are looking forward to 2nd quarter! As we enter the month of November, I wanted to once again let our families know how much we appreciate your support. We are very thankful that we get to work in the community that we do!

David Pickard, Principal

• November 4th DES Basketball vs. McCall
• November 9th and 10th Parent-Teacher Conferences
• November 17th Donuts with Grownups @ 8:15
• November 22nd-November 26th Thanksgiving Break
• November 29th Picture Retakes

Link to MDSD 2023-2024

2023-2024 Calendar

We are extremely proud of our staff and students for their hard work and commitment to learning. Jim Griffith and the entire reading team at Donnelly Elementary School are amazing! We are very fortunate that our parents and community members go above and beyond to support public education. In addition, we benefit immensely from having a superintendent and school board that truly put students first by ensuring that our staff members are highly trained and equipped with the necessary resources.

Idaho Ed News Article

The Moto Dragons is a competitive Lego Robotics team. It is made up of eleven students in fourth and fifth grade that compete in the Lego's Inspire Program. Fourth grade teacher, Melissa Maini is the coach and Annette Rooney, a senior at McCall Donnelly high school, is their mentor. Annette has returned to Donnelly and Lego League for her senior project. You will see the Moto Dragons in Boise at a scrimmage on November 4, and then at their Regional Challenge in January. They are creating an innovative solution to a problem using art as this year's theme.

November 4th

1st / 2nd Grade Boys 8:30

1st / 2nd Grade Girls 9:15

3rd / 4th Grade Girls v. McCall 10:00

3rd / 4th Grade Boys v. McCall 11:00

5th / 6th Grade Girls v. McCall 12:00

5th / 6th Grade Boys v McCall 1:00

We are excited for the return of PACE!

On Mondays, students will choose which activity they would like to participate in. If they reach their classroom goal(s), students will attend their chosen activity on Fridays. Some examples of "choice rooms" are fitness, legos / blocks, board games, arts and crafts, and basketball.

We will host Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 9th (evening) and November 10th (morning). We encourage all parents to sign up. Ms. Wendy will send out a link the week of October 30th that parents can use to sign up for a conference.

Donnelly Elementary is excited to announce our partnership with Hope Squad. Hope Squad is an evidence-based, peer-to-peer youth suicide prevention program, dedicated to spreading hope and creating a school culture that promotes connectedness. The Hope Squad is comprised of students selected for their kindness, approachability, and trustworthiness. Hope Squad is being implemented throughout the McCall Donnelly School District in partnership with the Youth Advocacy Coalition. The Hope Squad curriculum is differentiated for elementary school, so we will be implementing the “Jr. Hope Squad” curriculum specifically developed for this age group, which talks about being a good listener, having hope, being a good friend, reducing stress, and other similar topics. Students will be nominated by their peers from 4th and 5th grades to participate on the Jr. Hope Squad. We are grateful to offer this resource in our community and at DES!

Email: dpickard@mdsd.org
Website: mdsd.org
Location: 327 East Roseberry Road, Donnelly, ID, USA
Phone: (208) 325-4433