Meadow Brook Parent Newsletter

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

On December 9th, MBI is hosting author Mat Heagerty, creator of the new graphic novel Lumberjackula. All MBI students will have the opportunity to attend a presentation with Mr. Heagerty.

Students will be coming home with an opt-out form soon; if you would prefer your student not to attend the presentation, please sign the form and return it by Friday, December 5th.

We are halfway through the year and some students are running low on supplies. If you wouldn’t mind checking to make sure your student has pencils, colored pencils, for sure. A hand sharpener is also helpful for them to sharpen colored pencils! Teachers would always take extras if you are able to send them.

We have several jackets, hoodies, hats, and other items in our lost and found. Over winter break, items left in there will be donated.

Please make sure your students grabs all of their items out of the lost and found before they head home for winter break!

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 increase to $30 on January 1st. Preorder today and save some money!

We are excited to announce our upcoming Meadow Brook Spelling Bee! All MBI students will have the opportunity to participate, starting with an online, classroom-level spelling test during their ELA classes the week before Winter Break.

Your student has already received a practice word list to prepare for the bee. We encourage students to review these lists and take advantage of the Word Club app, which provides engaging activities and practice tools to reinforce spelling skills.

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to a fantastic spelling bee season! Please reach out to Mrs. Pool with any questions.

Monday, December 9th: Author Visit

Thursday, December 12: Fifth grade GRIT Assembly

Friday, December 13: Sixth grade GRIT Assembly

Tuesday, December 17: Last Day to Turn in Late Work

Wednesday, December 18: Kona Ice

Thursday, December 19th: Basketball Tournament and the last day of the semester!

Friday, December 20 - Jan 7th: Winter Break -- No School

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

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. These articles come from Common Sense Media which is a fantastic resource that we highly encourage families to utilize! Click the button below to access this month's article.

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

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