The Gladden Gazette
A School Newsletter for Gladden Families - November 2024
Dear Gladden Families -
As we move into November, we’re reminded of the importance of gratitude and reflection. This is a wonderful time to acknowledge the growth and achievements of our students and the strong partnership we have with you, our families. We’ve seen remarkable progress so far this year, and it’s thanks to your continued support that our children are thriving in their learning journey.
November is another busy month at Gladden Elementary. Please see information below about our Veterans Day Breakfast which will be held on Monday, November 11th. We encourage you to RSVP for this event! Additionally, make sure you continue reading this newsletter to see some of the students who we have recognized for their efforts and achievements during 1st quarter!
We are grateful for your involvement in our school, and we look forward to the continued success of our students as we head into the holiday season.
Warm regards,
Karen Snider
Principal, Gladden Elementary
November 1:
Staff Professional Development Day - No School for Students
November 4:
PTA Meeting at 4:00 p.m. in GES Library
November 5:
3rd Grade Field Trip to Symphony from 9:00-11:30 a.m.
November 7:
Fall Bingo for Books from 5:30-6:30 p.m.
November 11:
Veterans Day Breakfast from 7:30-8:15 a.m. in GES Cafe
November 14:
Fall Picture Retake Day
November 15:
4th Grade Field Trip to Science City from 9:15-2:00 p.m.
November 27-November 29:
Thanksgiving Break - No School
We are excited to be able to celebrate and host Veterans who are connected to our students! Please join us for a Veterans Day breakfast on Monday, November 11th from 7:30-8:15 a.m.
Additionally, to increase awareness with our students and honor those who serve our country, Gladden Elementary will be creating a school family Veterans Day bulletin board. We invite you to submit a picture of your family member who is a Veteran OR currently serving in the military and is related to your student(s) who attends school at Gladden Elementary. Please submit your photo to awebel@bsd124.org.
Please include the following information when sending your picture:
1. Individual's name
2. Branch of Service
3. Student(s) name and relationship to the family member.
Here is the link to RSVP for the breakfast - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFSQUOPvm3hyICFNy46SEXSvmMUZQ3UK6s20gVOig_8rMB2A/viewform?usp=sf_link
Please RSVP and submit any pictures of your Veterans by Friday, November 1st.
We held our first Pirate Pride Assembly on Friday, October 18th. During this assembly, we recognized our first quarter "Shout-Out" winners. These are students who went above and beyond to exemplify our Pirate Principles of equity, perseverance, integrity, and critical thinking as well our building expectations of being safe, respectful, and responsible. These students had their "Shout-Out" read during morning announcements over the intercom, had their picture taken for the "Shout-Out" board, and got to pick a prize from the office treasure chest! Congratulations to the following students were 1st quarter Shout-Out winners:
- Samual Dobson
- Hannah Morton
- Israel Hamilton
- Josephine Lee
- Sharin Thompson
- Parker Hensley
- Edgar Avila
- Kayden Mayo
- Sebastian Atkinson
- Jacob Graham
- Gavin Morehead
- Ava Wiggins
- Rose Bartholomew
- Axyl Rhoads
- Isa'Dora Hamilton
- Landen Sims
- Cooper Wray
- Zaliam Lawson
- Mary Howard
We held our School Spelling Bee on Monday, October 28th. We want to congratulate all of our 4th grade participants, who won their class spelling bee, and participated in the school bee. Our participants were:
Amia Standifer
Beau Clark
Gryffin Allen-Cash
Aleandria Thomas
Mohammed Baquir Ehsan Al Ainizi
Vincent Madrigal
Isa'Dora Hamilton
Ava Wiggins
Logan Johnston
Amarah Johnson
Aaron Schwaebler
Takai Thompson
Vincent Brashear
Lizzy Swift
Lila Benally
A huge CONGRATULATIONS to our Gladden Spelling Bee winner, Takai Thompson from Mrs. MacInnis's class and our runner up, Aaron Schwaebler from Mrs. Stegner's class. Takai will represent Gladden at the District Spelling Bee on Thursday, November 14th at Belton Middle School.
- Kindergarten - Mrs. Redhair's Class
- 1st Grade - Mrs. Leffert's Class
- 2nd Grade - Mrs. German's Class
- 3rd Grade - Mr. Bocanegra's Class
- 4th Grade - Mrs. Stegner's Class
We also want to celebrate kindergarten student, Rodney Howard! He had the most cookie dough sales for the building! Rodney got to be "Principal for a Day" with Mrs. Snider!
Dear Parents,
Last month, we had an amazing week dedicated to teaching Digital Citizenship! Our focus was "Pause and Think Online," where students learned about the importance of media balance, leaving a positive digital footprint, showing kindness online, and other essential digital skills. As part of Belton School District’s commitment to helping students navigate the online world responsibly, we use Common Sense Media for our Digital Citizenship toolkit. They offer wonderful resources for parents and families as well, so I encourage you to visit their website and explore tools that can support safe and balanced digital habits at home.
Additionally, our 3rd and 4th grade Student Advisory teams had an exciting opportunity to meet with a book vendor to help select new books for the Gladden Library collection. Each student in the advisory took part in choosing books, and these new additions have been ordered. They should arrive soon, and we can’t wait for your children to enjoy them!
Looking ahead, November is packed with activities at the library! We are thrilled to invite you to our Bingo for Books Night on November 7th from 5:30 - 6:30 PM. It will be a wonderful evening where you can play Bingo alongside your students and win free books to build up your home library. We hope to see you there!
Throughout the month, we’ll continue with our Missouri Building Block Award books for Kindergarten and our Show Me Award books for 1st through 4th grades. Our classes will also be diving into lessons about the parts of a book, as well as the difference between Fiction and Non-Fiction—fundamentals that help foster strong, confident readers.
November is the perfect time to cozy up with a good book, and we’re so excited to share these new titles and activities with your family.
Happy Reading!
Blessings,
Mrs. Stegmaier
Classroom Lessons - Minute Meetings:
In lieu of classroom lessons this month, Mrs. Webel has been meeting with all students individually for “Minute Meetings.” These short meetings take place right outside of the classroom and include questions that help us ensure every student feels safe at school, can name a trusted adult, has positive school connections, and provides an opportunity for students to identify any school struggles as well as share future goals and aspirations.
Having these short meetings with every student gives them a voice and helps Mrs. Webel identify areas of need when it comes to lesson planning for our monthly classroom counseling lessons. It’s also amazing how those short minutes help build and maintain a relationship of trust!
Wayside Waifs Classroom Visits:
Wayside Waifs visited all 1st through 4th grade classrooms with their companion animals during the month of October. 3rd and 4th grade classrooms took part in the No More Bullying! program while 1st and 2nd grade classrooms took part in an “Understanding Em-PAW-thy” lesson.
Should you need to make transportation changes for your student, please do so prior to 2:30 p.m. by emailing the office at gladden@bsd124.org or by sending a handwritten note. For the safety of students, we do NOT accept transportation changes over the phone.
Gladden Elementary School
Email: gladden@bsd124.org
Website: https://www.beltonschools.org/Page/14
Location: 405 Westover Road, Belton, MO, USA
Phone: 816-489-7530
Facebook: facebook.com/GladdenElementary