The Stampede

3/17-3/21 - No School - SPRING BREAK

3/18 - WPTO Fundraiser Night at Chipotle

3/26 - Early Release - 1:45 dismissal

3/27 - Spring Picture Day

USD 231 District Calendar

Our state assessments are right around the corner.

Students will be taking the following assessments:

Grades 5-8 Reading: April 1-3

Grades 5 and 8 Science: April 8-10

Grades 5-8 Math: April 15-17

Please ensure that your students get a good night's sleep as well as eat a good breakfast.

We thank you for your continued support and partnership in your student's academics this year!

Attendance Reminder: Students must attend at least half of the school day to be able

to participate in any after school related activity.

Visit mustangsrun.weebly.com and click on the Parent Information tab to learn more about our Track & Field season.

WMS Athletics Schedules can be found on our website. Click here to access our school calendar.

Students must have a physical and all required forms on file before they can attend any practice/tryout. Physicals for the 2024-2025 school year must be dated after 5/1/2024.

CLICK HERE FOR PHYSICAL FORMS

Physicals can be emailed directly to our Athletic Secretary at schesserb@usd231.com

Counselors will be in classes during the month of March to begin enrolling 5th-7th grade students for the 2025-2026 school year. Your student will bring home their forms which require a parent/guardian signature after your review. Please reach out to Ms. Bohi or Mrs. Church if you have any questions. Below are the dates of the counselor's visits and due dates:

• 5th Grade: counselor visit on 3/28 - forms due by 4/4
• 6th Grade: counselor visit on 3/3 and 3/5 - forms due by 3/11
• 7th Grade: counselor visit on 3/24 and 3/25 - forms due by 4/1

Ready to help them rock their high school years, college plan, and beyond? The stage is set, and your students are about to experience an unforgettable event! This is your students’ backstage pass to an exclusive webinar that’ll give them the skills to succeed.

On Wednesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT, help your students have a spot in the audience for the Building Skills for Success in High School, College, and Beyond webinar, hosted by Collegewise and ACT. You’ll get expert advice from Michael Cohen and Kaila Brown — and trust us, this is the event you don’t want to miss!

Your rockstars will learn:

• How to develop key academic and life skills to make high school feel like their favorite festival.
• How to balance school, extracurriculars, and their social life without feeling overwhelmed. Every performer needs a break, and so do they!
• What changes in college admissions mean for your students, the headliners of their future.

Your middle school student will be able to level up their skills and get ready for the spotlight, with an assist from My Journey.

Ready to join the crowd? Register now for a VIP pass to the event of the year!

Register Now!

Don’t worry if you can’t make the live show; your registration includes a recording of the event delivered straight to your inbox. Catch you in the pit!

All meetings will be held at 6:30 in the WMS Library

April 8th

May 13th

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wheatridgepa/

The Gardner Edgerton Youth Theatre Academy is offering two musical theatre production camps this summer! Enrollment can be completed through MySchoolBucks.

For questions, payment plans, employee discounts, or financial assistance applications please contact:

• Current K-5th Grade-- Kimberly Arzoian at arzoiank@usd231.com
• Current 6th-8th Grade-- Courtney Smith at smithc@usd231.com

Thank you for your support!

K-2nd Grade: https://tinyurl.com/2025IMAGINEADRAGONK2

3rd-5th Grade: https://tinyurl.com/2025IMAGINEADRAGON35

6th-8th Grade: https://tinyurl.com/2025THELITTLEMERMAIDJR

The following info is from previous editions of The Stampede

In the event USD 231 closes school due to inclement weather or other school-related closures, the information is communicated as soon as the decision is made in the following ways:

• Posted on our website - www.usd231.com
• Posted to social media ( https://www.facebook.com/gardneredgerton and https://twitter.com/gardneredgerton.
• Local television stations (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC)* Please know we are at the mercy of these stations as to whether or not they relay the information. There have been instances when the district has provided information, and the news station did not get it posted.

Our inclement weather procedures can be found here: https://www.usd231.com/o/district/page/inclement-weather-procedures

Thank you for your continued support and understanding.

Parents are welcome to visit during lunch.

You must check in at the office with a valid photo ID.

We are writing to remind you of our employee and student recognition programs.

• The "Gardner Edgerton Students of Distinction" (GESD) program is designed to recognize students throughout the school year (approximately 3 to 4 employees a month - 30 or more a year).
• The "Great Employees Serving the District" (GESD) program is designed to recognize employees throughout the school year (approximately 3 to 4 employees a month - 30 or more a year).

Answers to a few questions you may have:

1. Nominations from previous years have been removed from the database.
2. Even if a student or staff member has been selected as a GESD in previous years, they are again eligible.
3. To learn more about the GESD - Students program, click HERE.
4. To learn more about the GESD - Employees program, click HERE.

Please see the attached for more information and start nominating!!! We will recognize our first student and staff member sometime in September. This will allow time for nominations to be submitted.

Nominate a deserving EMPLOYEE by clicking HERE.

Nominate a deserving STUDENT by clicking HERE.

The 2024-2025 District calendar can be found at this link

5th and 6th Grade Parents:

We encourage you to drop off and pick up your student in the back of the school (East Side) loop (by the playground). Students will enter through the back doors. Doors will not open until 7:50 am. At this point, 5th and 6th grade students will report to the commons and auditorium until the 8:00 am bell.

7th and 8th Grade Parents:

We encourage you to drop off and pick up your student in the front of the school (West Side) loop (by the flagpole). Students will enter through the gym doors. Doors will not open until 7:50 am. Usually, at this point 7th and 8th grade students will report to the gym until the 8:00 am bell.

How to Add Payments to Lunch Account

Ever wonder what your student is eating for lunch? Review their meal purchases in your MySchoolBucks account to stay in the know! This option is available for ALL families even if you pay with cash or check.

Log in through your PowerSchool parent portal or create your FREE account today: https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain.action
Questions about your student's account? Email us at nutrition@usd231.com. We're here to help!

WMS has several ways to communicate with our Mustang Families!

WMS Website - https://www.usd231.com/o/wheatridge You will find a calendar of events (which you can copy to your personal calendar), a link to the current newsletter, current news and live feed from our social media channels

The Stampede - weekly newsletter sent to your email

Twitter - Follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/WMSMustangs231

Website: https://www.usd231.com/o/wheatridge
Location: 318 East Washington Street, Gardner, KS, USA
Phone: 9138562900
Twitter: @WMSMustangs231