Anderson Angle

Dear Anderson Families,

It's hard to believe we've already completed six weeks of school! By now, your child is settling into their daily routines and becoming familiar with the expectations at Anderson. This year, we were excited to welcome 36 new students to our school and bid a fond farewell to 14 friends. It is fun to witness our school community's continued growth.

In September, our teachers administered the FAST screeners, which include assessments in aReading, aMath, and CBMReading. These tools help us track your child's progress compared to previous assessments and identify any areas where extra support might be beneficial. We will share your child's results with you when they are available.

Parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner! We look forward to connecting with you on Monday, October 21, and Thursday, October 24, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Please note that school will dismiss early at 2:00 p.m. on both days. While you're here, be sure to check out the Scholastic Book Fair, which will be happening during conference hours. Also, remember that there will be no school on Friday, October 25, as teachers will be engaged in Professional Development.

As always, please know that the staff and I are available to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about your child's education. We value your partnership in education and appreciate all you do to support our school.

Respectfully,

Mel Hewitt

Principal, Anderson Elementary

Anderson Elementary on Social Media

Twitter: @AndersonBFCSD, #AndersonJays

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

October

21 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3-7pm - School Dismissed at 2:00

22 - Picture Retakes at Anderson

24 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3-7pm - School Dismissed at 2:00

24 - Report Cards Will Be Available Online

25 - NO SCHOOL - Professional Development 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.

Friendly reminder: If your child misses school due to a medical appointment, please supply the office with a note so as to medically excuse the absence.

Second grade has done a wonderful job transitioning to Anderson. As the school year has kicked off, we have been working hard to review and practice following Bondurant's Best expectations. Students have been doing a phenomenal job at exhibiting these traits throughout the building. Many students have earned BEST tickets and are working on earning classroom rewards for parties. Please continue encouraging and supporting students in following and representing Bondurant's Best.

Third graders continue to become familiar with classroom routines, teachers, and school expectations. During our first week, students took a tour of the school. They learned our BEST expectations in the classroom, bathroom, hallway, lunchroom, and playground. We have continued practicing these BEST expectations in all areas of the school. During the second week, students went over expectations for certain recess games. They were able to practice the games outside with other classes. Students have worked hard over the last month to learn routines and expectations.

Students are rewarded with BEST tickets by showing their BEST in all areas of our school. Those BEST tickets are turned in weekly for a school-wide drawing. One student from each classroom is drawn and announced on Friday. Then, they get to pick from the prize cart. It is a great way to honor students showing their Bondurant’s BEST.

Some Third Grade Fun to look forward to

Students have begun learning about the continents around the world and our different states in the US and understanding how they all work together and where they are located on the globe. As a final social studies project for all third graders, they will create their own globe. Each student will blow up a balloon and paper mâché their balloon with paper towels first and then blue tissue paper. Next, we will finish the project by placing the continents and ocean labels on the globe.

Globes will be on display in classrooms for parent/teacher conferences. They will be sent home afterward. Our students always love and remember this experience in their third-grade year.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we prepare for the upcoming fall conferences! This year, they will be held on Monday, October 21st, and Thursday, October 24th. In 4th grade, we have an exciting opportunity for students to lead their conferences.

Student-led conferences allow our students to showcase the incredible growth and successes they have achieved this year. It’s a chance for them to take ownership of their learning and engage in meaningful conversations about their goals alongside their families and teachers. We encourage parents to bring their students to these conferences to enhance the experience.

In the weeks leading up to the conferences, students will prepare materials and reflect on their progress in 4th grade. These reflections will be discussion points during their meetings with guardians and teachers. Additionally, there will be time to review student progress, including aReading and aMath scores, and current classroom academics.

Every year, the 4th grade team looks forward to these conferences. They provide our students a platform to celebrate their achievements, and it’s always wonderful to witness their excitement as they share their accomplishments with their families.

Thank you for your collaboration in making this a memorable experience for our students!

.

Greetings from the Anderson Elementary art room! I am Mrs. Reyerson, your child’s art teacher, and I have been very busy getting to know your student and having LOTS of fun already! Here are a few highlights from the first couple of weeks…

Third graders started the year with an OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD project we liked to call “Texture Name Aliens: Using Symmetry & Asymmetry,” and they are turning out phenomenal. This project helps me learn names; getting to know my new students is always a BIG priority. The Name Aliens challenges students to use their creative imaginations, transforming their written name into a symmetrical, textured alien body that inhabits otherworldly planets! OH MY! We are talking about ‘texture’ words that we will use to cover our aliens. Look for these to be inhabiting our hallways at Anderson very soon!

Students in 4th grade began the year with my FAVORITE ALL-TIME project called Monochromatic Jellyfish! These jellyfish swim in a monochromatic underwater background of the student’s choice. Students first learned how to mix tints (adding white to a color to lighten) and shades (adding black to a color to darken). Then, one color was chosen for an underwater ocean background.

The 4th graders are learning to draw jellyfish and add texture and dimension using oil pastels. These jellyfish are one of my favorites, and I cannot wait to show them off!

The Anderson 2nd graders completed their first unit inspired by the book “A Beautiful Oops.” written by Barney Saltzberg. The book inspired students to use those “oops” moments as an opportunity to make something beautiful! We did several activities encouraging this creativity, including torn drawings, folded animals, and bubble creation drawings. It has been so much fun getting to know these 2nd graders, and I think I’ve been learning as much as they have!

Don’t forget to follow our Anderson artists on X @andartteach

Welcome to another exciting year of Bluejay Music! Our music room has expanded with new instruments, brand-new digital resources, and printed sheet music.

Our concerts will again be held at the High School Auditorium this year. Each grade's concert will be divided into two performance groups to provide more opportunities for our performers, accommodate more space on stage, and help with parking.

Concert Schedule:

· 4th Grade Concert: Thursday, November 14th

· 6:00 pm: Students in the classes of Fox, Adams, Lehman, and Lubbinga

· 7:15 pm: Students in the classes of Garton, Bishop, Swearngin, McDonald, and Howard

· 2nd Grade Concert: Thursday, December 12th at 7:00 pm

· 3rd Grade Concert: Thursday, January 23rd

· 6:00 pm: Students in the classes of Hansen, Fall, Finney, and Hunt

· 7:15 pm: Students in the classes of Taylor, Reents, Friederich, Kloster, and Peavy

I am excited to work with this talented group of students and look forward to a fantastic year ahead. Please join our Anderson Elementary Music Facebook group to stay updated on our classroom activities! As always, please get in touch with me with any questions or concerns.

Have a great year!

Mrs. Preston

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

Additional Health Reminders:

• PE and Medical notes: Physical Education (P.E.) Iowa law requires 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 detrimental to the student's health. 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 them for self-administration as necessary​​ ​(ie:​ ​inhalers,​ ​diabetic supplies,​ ​emergency​ ​medications)

• ​ALL​ ​medications,​ ​​ ​prescription​ ​or​ ​over-the-counter,​ ​must​ ​be​ ​brought​ ​to​ ​the school​ ​nurse​ ​by​ ​a​ ​parent​ ​or​ ​other​ ​authorized​ ​and​ ​approved​ ​adult.​ ​​​​​​ ​​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 authorized to administer the medication.

Have a great week, and take good care of each other!

Julie Hall, Secretary

Anderson Elementary

hallj@bfschools.org

515-967-7494