Anderson Angle

Dear Anderson Families,

We have had an exciting and eventful time here at Anderson Elementary, and we are delighted to share some highlights with you!

October Conferences

We were thrilled to see such strong participation, with 97% of families attending conferences. Your involvement means so much to us—thank you for your continued support and engagement!

Scholastic Book Fair

Our recent book fair was a huge success! Thanks to your generosity, all of our teachers were able to select new books for their classroom libraries. We’re grateful for your support in fostering a love of reading among our students.

Science Curriculum Pilot

Some of our teachers have been piloting a new science curriculum. They’re carefully evaluating options to ensure we choose a program that will inspire curiosity and help our students explore the wonders of science.

Read-a-Thon Success

A huge shout-out to our PTO and students for an incredible Read-a-Thon fundraiser! Together, we raised nearly $55,000—an amazing accomplishment. Way to go, students! Keep up the great reading habits.

Winter Break Reminder

Winter break is just around the corner! Students will have an early dismissal at 2:00 PM on Friday, December 20, and school will resume on Friday, January 3.

As we approach the new year, we want to wish you peace, prosperity, and wonderful moments with your loved ones in 2025.

As always, my door is open, and our staff is here to support you. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s education. We value your partnership and are grateful for everything you do to make Anderson Elementary a special place.

Respectfully,

Mel Hewitt

Principal, Anderson Elementary

Anderson Elementary on Social Media

Twitter: @AndersonBFCSD, #AndersonJays

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andersonbfcsd

20 - 2:00 Dismissal

23-31 - Winter Break

January

1 - Winter Break

2 - No School - Professional Development Day for Teachers

3 - Students Return to school

10 - End of 1st Semester

10 - Report Cards Available Online

20 - No School - Professional Development Day for Teachers

Please don't miss out! This is the link if you would like to order an Anderson Yearbook. They will be sent home with students in May - once we capture memories from the entire school year.

A friendly reminder: If your child misses school due to a medical appointment, please provide the office with a doctor's note to medically excuse the absence. Thank you.

On Friday, December 6th, the JH Student Council will be partnering with the B-F After Prom Committee to host the ninth annual Bluejay Bash event for all 3rd through 6th graders. Students in grades 3-4 are invited to a fun after-school event that will be full of games and activities that will take place from 4:00-6:00 p.m., while students in grades 5-6 are invited to attend from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Students will be able to play dodgeball, decorate cookies, have their faces painted, and have a dance party, along with other fun activities. This is a great opportunity for your child to come to have fun with their friends while parents are able to go do some holiday shopping or go out for dinner. There will also be a concession stand open if you would like for your child to eat at school the night of the event. They may purchase a slice of pizza, chips, and a drink for $5. Other items will also be available for purchase.

The cost to attend is $20 per student. All registrations will be done online this year.

3rd/4th grade Bluejay Bash tickets

5th/6th grade Bluejay Bash tickets

Registration will be open through 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 5th. Students that are not registered before that time will not be able to attend.

We do ask that you drop your student(s) off and/or pick them at the front of the junior high school the night of the event and that they check-in with one of the adults by the door when entering.When the event is over, please pick them up in the same location where you dropped them off. All students that are attending Bluejay Bash should bring a copy of the barcode that you’ll receive when registering your child for the event or they can provide their name at check in.We’ll have a list of students that have registered at the check-in table at the front entrance. In order for all of our 3rd and 4th graders to get picked up safely, we do ask that 5th and 6th graders not be dropped off before 6:30 p.m.

We’re fortunate that the B-F After Prom committee will be helping with this event, so there will be plenty of adults on hand to help with the event along with one of our school nurses, so please know that your child will be in good hands. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about this event by emailing hurleyj@bfschools.org or calling 957-7970.

We hope your child can join us for this fun event!

Jennifer Hurley, Junior High School Counselor and Student Council Advisor

We are excited to share what’s been happening in our second-grade classrooms at Anderson Elementary!

We have LOVED our latest reading unit, which is all about plants, animals, and people and their vital roles in the world around us. The students have been buzzing with excitement as we explore how these living things benefit from one another, with a particular focus on the incredible role bees play in our daily lives.

As part of our unit, students are learning about the amazing role bees play in pollinating plants that we depend on, like cotton (which gives us clothing) and the wide variety of honey products we use daily. The students were also fascinated to discover a unique historical relationship between the Boran people of Kenya and a bird called the Honeyguide. For over 20,000 years, the Boran and the Honeyguide shared a remarkable partnership in gathering honey from beehives. The Honeyguide would lead the Boran to the hives, and in return, the Boran would collect the honey while the bird feasted on the grubs found inside.

However, this extraordinary connection has since stopped, as the Boran now obtains honey more conveniently from local grocery stores. Despite this change, Honeyguides continue to live in nature reserves and try to communicate with people, hoping they will help them find grubs from the beehives. It’s been a fantastic journey for our students to learn about this fascinating interaction between humans, animals, and nature.

We’re excited to wrap up our unit on Plants and Animals this week and start our new unit over Earth in Action!

This month, students in Anderson Elementary honored and learned about Veterans Day! In 3rd grade, students learned about the history of Veterans Day and the five branches of the military through videos, reading passages, writing activities, and more! Students are knowledgeable about our veterans and how our freedom comes from their past, present, and future heroic acts! Thank you to all our Veterans from our students at Anderson Elementary!

Exploring Iowa's Agricultural Roots: A Journey Through History

Our fourth graders have been digging deep into Iowa's rich agricultural history during social studies! Through hands-on exploration and engaging lessons, they've uncovered how farming, technology, and economics have evolved.

Students have learned about the legacy of John Deere and how his groundbreaking innovations shaped modern agriculture. From patents to advertisements, they've examined historical documents dating back to the early 1900s.

Using pictures and videos, students have compared and contrasted farming equipment from different eras. Students watched fascinating videos of old farming equipment to bring the past to life. They've seen how advancements revolutionized farming, from horse-drawn corn pickers to early tractors.

Another focus of this unit has been learning about supply and demand and how these forces influence prices. Students discovered that prices go down when supply is low, and demand is high, and when supply is high, and demand is low, prices go down. To make this concept come to life, students worked through real-world scenarios. For example, they discussed why a Christmas tree would cost more in December than June. This hands-on activity helped them connect economic principles to everyday situations. This journey through Iowa's agricultural history has given students a greater appreciation for the hardworking farmers who paved the way for the future and the economic principles that continue to shape our world today. Be sure to ask your child about their favorite discovery—they might surprise you with what they've learned!

1. Mason and Heinitz Quarter Reports - "Here's what we have accomplished in the first quarter of the 24-25 school year! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Mason or Ms. Heinitz!"

2. Holiday SAP Reminder - "BFCSD offers a Student Assistance Program that helps support students and their families with telehealth counseling services and much more! Please feel free to access these services as you need throughout the year!"

3. Giving Season Books - "The giving season is upon us! If you are looking for some books to share with your kids about being thankful, showing compassion or helping out during the holiday season, here are some of our favorites!"

We have begun another fun year in the library. This year, we added a very informative and interesting series of books called Girls Survive. They are stories taken from important times in history told from a girl’s point of view. The books are similar to the I Survived series, a series students have been enjoying for a number of years. We also added a series of biographies called Ordinary People Change the World. In the future, we plan to use those for an exploration unit about famous people. Pictured below is a small sample of some of them.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the library. Thank you for continuing to remind your students to return those library books every week!

As we move into the cooler months ahead, cold and flu season will be upon us before we know it. Here are some things to keep in mind regarding when to keep your student home due to illness:

Your student should not be in school if any of the following conditions exist:

• Fever – a fever is considered a temperature of 100.4 or above. Students should be fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of antipyretic medications (Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, aspirin, etc), before returning to school

• Diarrhea – students should be diarrhea-free for 24 hours and be able to eat and drink without becoming ill, before returning to school.

• Vomiting – students should not have vomited in the last 24 hours and they should be able to eat and drink without becoming ill, before returning to school

• In the case of a COVID diagnosis - BFCSD follows the Polk County Health Department guidelines

• As with other respiratory illnesses - stay home until at least 24 hours after both:

• Your symptoms are getting better overall, and

• You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication)

Your student will be sent home from school if they have any of the following symptoms:

• Fever - temperature above 100.4

• Diarrhea or vomiting - one or more incidents of diarrhea or vomiting

• At the discretion of the nurse due to student symptoms, severe or bothersome enough to inhibit learning in the classroom

• PE and Medical notes: Physical Education (P.E.) Iowa law requires that all students who are physically able to participate in physical education each semester they are enrolled in school. A student may be excused from physical education if:

• The student/guardian presents a written statement from a doctor stating such activities could be injurious to the health of the student. Physician notes should include a beginning and ending date for the time the student is to be excused. Students will not be allowed to return to PE (or recess) without a clearance note from their physician.

• Medications:

• Medication Administration: According to Board Policy 507.2 - Medication will be administered when the student's parent or guardian provides a signed and dated written statement requesting medication administration and the medication is in the original, labeled container, either as dispensed or in the manufacturer's container.

• Parent Authorization Forms, Diet Modification Forms, and Emergency Action Plan forms are all available on the district website (Departments > Health & Wellness)

• Medication Security: No medications are to be carried during school hours by students - including cough drops and other OTC medications. The only exception would be with a​ ​physician’s​ ​written​ ​orders​ ​and​ ​a​ ​parent/guardian's written authorization for a student to carry the medication with him/her for self-administration as necessary​​ ​(ie:​ ​inhalers,​ ​diabetic supplies,​ ​emergency​ ​medications)

• ​ALL​ ​medications,​ ​either​ ​prescription​ ​or​ ​over-the-counter,​ ​must​ ​be​ ​brought​ ​to​ ​the school​ ​nurse​ ​by​ ​a​ ​parent​ ​or​ ​other​ ​authorized​ ​and​ ​approved​ ​adult.​ ​​​​​Absolutely​ ​​no medications​ ​are​ ​to​ ​be​ ​transported​ ​to/from​ ​school​ ​by​ ​any​ ​student.​

• All medications will be stored in a secure area, accessible only to those who are authorized to administer the medication.

Dear Parents & Guardians,

Our district screens all 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th-grade students for possible identification for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) program.

Identification Screening Process:

We use the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), aReading/aMath, and ISASP to identify students for TAG. Every 2nd & 4th grader at Anderson and Morris will take the CogAT screener in late spring.

Students who score at the 89th percentile or better will continue testing and complete the full CogAT.

TAG Program Identification:

All scores are reviewed by the K-12 TAG department to determine eligibility for the program.

For identification at the 3rd-12th grade level, students must:

• score at or above the 96th percentile on at least two areas of the CogAT (Verbal/ Quantitative/Nonverbal/ Composite) AND
• have qualifying aReading/aMath/ISASP scores

Currently identified TAG students must requalify using this process to continue receiving TAG services.

Mrs. Teeselink, Anderson Elementary, TAG 3rd -6th

Mrs. Girling, Morris Elementary, TAG K-2nd

Julie Hall, Secretary

Anderson Elementary

hallj@bfschools.org

515-967-7494