Saddle Up for Success 2024-2025

MacArthur Families,

Welcome to 2025 at MacArthur! With the 1st semester under my belt as the principal of the Mustangs, I am excited to greet students back into our building on Tuesday for the start of the 3rd quarter.

2nd semester will fly by so hang on! Providing students what they need in for will continue to be our focus in the classroom and within the school community. That takes the great efforts of all teachers, administrators, and support staff day in and day out. We truly have the best staff at MacArthur to help ALL students be successful and to feel connected.

January not only marks the start of the second half of the school year, but in Kansas, it often brings some inclement weather (as we are currently experiencing). Please take a moment to review the communication piece that Dr. Mispagel sent to families last quarter. On a brighter note, January also brings us a 1st grade musical performance and another parent/teacher conferencing opportunity!

I am greatly anticipating the upcoming month and semester!

Mrs. Johnson

January 7: 3rd Quarter Begins

January 9: Papa Johns Night

• Use code KSM017 when ordering!

January 9: Early Release

• K-5 out @ 1:30
• AM Pre-K out @ 10:00am
• PM Pre-K out @ 2:20pm

January 9: Parent/Teacher Conferences Sign-Up

• Teachers will send sign up links in their Friday Family Newsletter for our January 31st P./T Conferences.

January 15: Hearts Apart Bowling

• See flier below!

January 20: No School-MLK, Jr. Day

January 24: Early Release

• K-5 out @ 1:30
• AM Pre-K out @ 10:00am
• PM Pre-K out @ 2:20pm

January 31st is another opportunity for families to conference with their child's teachers. This conference date is not mandatory for all families as we encouraged for the August and October times. Sign up will be done through Skyward and you will get notification of availability this Friday in teacher newsletters.

Families,

We are continuing to see some areas at arrival/dismissal time in which we need some help in order to maintain student safety and an effective traffic flow.

1. Due to our Pre-K program, which requires hand-to-hand drop off and pick up, I ask that families who do not have a child in Pre-K and choose to walk their child to the doors, utilize parking spaces in the Northwestern spaces. This will allow for more parking spaces to be freed up for our Pre-K families who are required to park and walk their child into the building and pick them up.
2. If you are driving your child to school, please utilize the car rider line. It's a smooth and safe process with proper supervision and quick and easy access to the school for students. This is especially helpful during the colder months when the lots and sidewalks aren't always completely cleared. If you need a car rider line sign for your car for easy identification at dismissal, call the office and we will get one sent home. Staff use the signs to call for students inside so they are ready to get into the car once you pull around.

Your help in keeping our campus and our students safe is appreciated!

January 6: No School-Staff Development (cancelled due to weather)

January 7: A

January 8: B

January 9: C

January 10: D

January 13: A

January 14: B

January 15: C

January 16: D

January 17: A

We've gotten several questions recently regarding how to add funds to your child's Food Service account. That is all done through Skyward - no money/credit card info is taken through the schools. Click here for instructions on how to set up/replenish your child's account.

The MacArthur Elementary Site Council is up and ready to do great things! Scan or click the QR code for the Site Council Facebook page where you can find important information and ways to sign up for volunteer opportunities.

Our next meeting is set for Wednesday, January 8th at 9:00am in the MacArthur Cafeteria.

Fort Leavenworth Unified School District 207 offers a wonderful program we refer to as "Hearts Apart." Hearts Apart is designed to help students cope with the deployment of a parent. Your permission is required for your child to participate.

Hearts Apart provides students and families with a sense of community and belonging district wide. This is a great opportunity for spouses and their children to enjoy good food, relax, and enjoy the conversation and company of others. These events help children and their families understand that they are not alone in their experiences.

Sign up for Hearts Apart - Here

Our January event will be bowling. **Please note the day change...it will be on Wednesday, January 15th. The Bowling Alley will be open only for Hearts Apart so we will have the whole place to ourselves! Please RSVP by Monday 1/13/2025.

If you have any questions regarding Hearts Apart, please reach out to Kayla Njoku, MacArthur School Counselor at knjoku@usd207.org or Michelle Speer, School Social Worker at mspeer@usd207.org

K-2 classes receive weekly 15 minute lessons with Mrs. Njoku. The focus is the Little Spot of Feelings by Diane Alber. If you're curious about this, here is a Parent Guide that will provide an overview of what we are learning.

3rd-5th classes receive a monthly 30 minute lesson with Mrs. Njoku. Our focus through September and October was Growing Friendships and Learning about bullying and peer pressure. In November, we focused on Growth Mindset and the Power of Yet. In December, we learned about Empathy. January we will focus on goal setting.