Peek at the Week

• Meadowlark Food Drive (see information below)
• 7:50 am - Jag Choir Rehearsal in Music Room

Tuesday, Oct. 1

• Meadowlark Food Drive

Wednesday, Oct. 2

• 7:50 am - Jag Choir Rehearsal in Music Room
• 8:45 am - 5th Grade Music Rehearsal at ACHS
• 3:45 pm - Sign Language Club (4th & 5th Grade)

Thursday, Oct. 3

• Meadowlark Food Drive
• 8:45 am - 5th Grade Music Rehearsal at ACHS
• 7:00 pm - 5th Grade Music Program at ACHS (see information below)

• Meadowlark Food Drive
  
• 7:40 am - Student Council Meeting

September 27, 2024

Dear Parent or Caregiver,

The Andover USD 385 Board of Education approved the purchase of a new elementary school counseling program called Safer, Smarter Kids to support our counselors in addressing the Kansas Social, Emotional, and Character Model Standards. This curriculum was created by educators, developmental psychologists, and experts in abuse prevention to teach personal safety with engaging age-appropriate lessons and activities. The Safer, Smarter Kids curriculum will provide your child with protective principles and the knowledge needed to identify and avoid unsafe situations, people, and behaviors - and how to access help.

The school counselor will teach these lessons during the regularly scheduled counselor class time. The lessons incorporate videos and in-class activities that address topics such as body boundaries, respecting yourself and others, the difference between safe and unsafe secrets, listening to your “Guiding Voice” and telling a trusted adult when a situation makes you feel confused or uncomfortable. You may view the lesson sequence, specific lesson topics, and related resources for each grade level using this link.

If you would like to learn more about the curriculum and see sample lessons, please visit www.SaferSmarterKids.org. For more information on ways to keep your child safe, teach personal safety lessons at home, and how to identify unsafe adults, visit www.SaferSmarterFamilies.org.

If you have questions about the curriculum, or, if after reviewing the lessons you would like to “opt-out” of specific lessons for your child, please email Brooke Holcomb no later than Friday, October 4,, 2024.

Sincerely,

Dana Matheny, School Principal

mathenym@usd385.org

Brooke Holcomb, School Counselor

holcombb@usd385.org

Andover USD385 Schools Celebrate National School Lunch Week

“School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure” Campaign highlights NSLW24

To recognize the National School Lunch Program, serving nearly 30 million children each day,

Andover schools will celebrate National School Lunch Week from October 14-17, 2024. The fun

and creative campaign theme, “School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure,” highlights the

importance of a healthy school lunch to a student’s success both in and out of the classroom.

For NSLW this year we will be offering some new and exciting dishes for our students to

experience. We get things started on Monday with Burrito Bowl. Students will have a variety of

toppings to choose from to go along with the entre. Tuesday we will have Chicken Alfredo

Flatbread. This will be presented much like a pizza with the ingredients contained on top.

Wednesday will see the high schools serving Tatchos which is a bowl of tater tots with cheese

sauce topped with taco meat. At the elementary and middle school level we will be having our

chicken patty day. The shortened week wraps up on Thursday with Dorito Walking Tacos. This

will be Doritos topped with cheese and taco meat.

The NSLW this year will be one you don’t want your children to miss. We look forward to seeing

all of our Andover students for this special week and throughout the entire year.

“School lunches offer students fruits and vegetables, whole grains and milk, and meet federal

nutrition standards limiting fat, calories and sodium,” said Aaron Miller, District Food Director,

“National School Lunch Week helps us educate parents and students about all the wonderful

benefits of our lunch program.”

The federally funded National School Lunch Program (NSLP) has been fueling students for

success for 77 years. Students can enjoy the convenience of a healthy school lunch for just

$3.30 elementary, $3.60 middle and $3.65 high school. Some students may qualify for free or

reduced-price meals. Contact Bonnie Scarth at 316-218-4603 to learn more.

The “School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure” campaign is made possible by the nonprofit

School Nutrition Association. Parents and students can follow the fun on social media using the

hashtags #NSLW24, #SchoolLunchPirates and #SchoolLunch.

For more information on National School Lunch Week, visit www.usd385.org or

https://schoolnutrition.org/nslw/.

Create a Book Fair eWallet for convenient, secure, and cash-free shopping where children can choose the books they want to read! The eWallet setup period starts today! Create eWallets from September 20 through October 21!

I want YOU to join my team of superstar readers. To get on the team, print out the Read for 15 follow along program and read for just 15 minutes a day for 15 weeks! There are some fun activities included that you can do throughout the program as well. There are so many cool benefits to reading, like discovering new places, learning new words, and expanding your imagination. We'll have some cool prizes throughout the program, so don't give up. How many books can you read in 15 weeks? I can't wait to hear about every last one of them!

Patrick Mahomes II

1. Create a "to-read" list that your child can check off
2. Read as a family - taking turns reading passages
3. Ask open ended questions about your child's books
4. Turn off the television and designate a set reading time
5. Try allowing 15 minutes of electronics AFTER 15 minutes of reading
6. Reading out loud helps build confidence
7. Give books as gifts and find a special place for your child to keep them
8. Make reading a privilege, not a chore
9. Encourage your child to point to the words as you read to keep their attention
10. Talk with your child about the pictures on the page
11. Talk as the characters would talk - use funny voices and facial expressions
12. Let your child see you reading for pleasure
13. Allow your child to read independently before falling asleep
14. Go to the library and let your child pick out their own books
15. Invite your child to read with you

School begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:45 p.m. Students should arrive no earlier than 8:30 a.m. All doors will remain locked until 8:35 and supervision can happen. There will be no direct supervision of students prior to 8:35 a.m., so for the safety and well being of your children, we ask that you make child care arrangements for your children. Neighbors or relatives may be able to watch your children before school, or the YMCA has a latchkey program at Meadowlark. Information about the program can be found at https://ymcawichita.org/programs/child-care-and-camps/before-and-after-school

Students who wish to eat breakfast at school may arrive as early as 8:15 a.m. and enter through the front entrance.

Students who arrive after 8:45 a.m. must check in at the office.

Due to our enrollment size and cafeteria capacity, we are not able to accommodate visitors during lunch. If you’d like to eat lunch with your child, you may check him or her out of the building and eat off-site.

Please call the Meadowlark office at (316) 218-4630 if you are picking up your children prior to 3:45 pm.

ARRIVAL

Please drive to the back of the school building (southeast end). Students need to remain in the car until school personnel signals students to exit the car. Doors will be locked at 8:45. ALL students must be dropped off in the back unless they are walking, cycling, arriving late (after 8:45), or eating breakfast (before 8:35)

DISMISSAL

Please drive to the back of the school building (southeast end). Students will be dismissed to your car. ALL students need to load the car from the passenger side. This is done for the safety of your child. We ask that you have a sign (8 1/2 x 11) visible on your front dash/window so that we can quickly identify which child goes with each vehicle. Please list the names of all the children whom you are picking up (WRITE BIG!). Click on the form below.

1. Students may ride a bike or scooter with parent permission.
2. Students must have a bicycle/scooter contract on file.
3. You must wear a helmet when riding!
4. When arriving on Campus, students must stop at the stop sign located at the south entrance intersecting 159th street, look both ways before crossing and walk their bike across the road. Students must walk their bike on the sidewalk all the way to the building.
5. When leaving campus, students must walk their bike on the sidewalk to the stop sign located at the south entrance intersecting 159th street, look both ways before crossing and walk their bike across the road.
6. Bikes and scooters must be parked in the bicycle racks and locked. (Meadowlark Elementary assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged items).

CONTRACT

Bicycle/Scooter Contract

Map for Bicycle Contract

In the morning, the buses should arrive at the school at approximately 8:35 am and will deliver students to the bus oval on the north end of the building.

In the afternoon, the buses should arrive at the school at approximately 3:35 pm and will pick up students from the bus oval on the north end of the building. This is NOT to be used by parents for pick up or drop off.

Email: harveyr@usd385.org
Website: http://meadowlark.usd385.org/
Location: 1122 N 159th St E, Wichita, KS 67230 USA
Phone: 316-218-4630
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meadowlarkelementary