Munhall Bulletin
December 17, 2021
Munhall Elementary School
Email: heather.miller@d303.org
Website: http://munhall.d303.org/
Location: 1400 South 13th Avenue
Phone: 331-228-2600
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Munhall-Elementary-1459358344296891/
Twitter: @MunhallD303
Principal Note
Well Deserved Break
Today is the final attendance day for the first semester, which unofficially marks the halfway point of the school year. More than ever before, this year has reminded me of the importance of a strong school community. Our students deserve to come to a school that feels like home away from home, and that is what we strive for at Munhall. On behalf of the Munhall staff, I want to wish all of you Happy Holidays, and I hope your Winter Break is filled with wonderful experiences and memories. Please tell your children we will miss them and we can’t wait to see them on January 4th!
Winter Celebrations
Today our students will engage in Winter Celebrations/Class Parties. K-4th grade students will have their celebrations the last hour of the day, while 5th grade will conduct their celebrations earlier in the day due to specials and lunch/recess scheduling.
The parties will run very similarly to the Fall Parties. Classrooms will be limited to two parent volunteers and all volunteers must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the date/time of the party.
In addition, food is not allowed at classroom parties. This includes goodie bags intended to be eaten at a later time. Therefore, food in any form is not permitted in our classrooms for parties/celebrations.
Pop-Up Food Pantry
We still have food and winter coats for families who may benefit from a little extra support this holiday season. Therefore, we will have our pop-up food pantry open from 3:30-6:00 p.m. this evening. Families should come to the main entrance with bags or boxes ready to fill with food!
CogAT Results
In November our 3rd and 5th grade students took part in the CogAT assessment, which is a cognitive abilities assessment that targets three areas of reasoning: verbal, nonverbal, and quantitative.
Students will come home today with a sealed envelope in their backpacks. The envelope will contain your child’s CogAT report, as well as an informational letter, explaining the contents of the report.
Empower
During the months of November and December, students in Empower experienced new modules! The fifth graders received an introduction to World Languages with our FLEX module, and our K-4 students addressed a need in their community with our Make a Difference Module.
For more information about the current Empower module, please access the links below:
D303 IS LOOKING FOR SUBSTITUTE NURSES
Do you have a friend, neighbor or relative who has a nursing license and is looking for work? A D303 substitute nurse has a flexible schedule, an opportunity to use their nursing skills and work in any of our 18 district school buildings. Many former D303 substitutes have gone on to become district employees.
For additional information, please contact: Juanita Gryfinski, Dept. Chair, D303 Health Services as 331-228-3834 or juanita.gryfinski@d303.org / Kristen Pozna, District Substitute Coordinator at 331-228-4924 or kristen.pozna@d303.org.
NO School on January 3rd
This is a reminder that January 3rd is an Institute Day for D303 staff. Therefore, there is no school for students. The first student day is Tuesday, January 4th.
Building Hours
Our building will be open December 20th-22nd and December 27th-29th. Hours are 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Have an amazing Winter Break!
Jarrod Buxton, Principal
From the Health Office:
If your child is getting vaccinated for COVID-19, vaccine records can be submitted to wendy.plach@d303.org
Covid-19 parent information (please note a person is considered fully vaccinated if two weeks past their last vaccine) Parent Handout - Steps to Take with Notification of COVID-19 Illness or Exposure_100621.pdf
Free Santa visits for children with autism and other special needs
https://dscc.uic.edu/santa-making-sensory-friendly-stops-statewide/
A change of clothing is a good idea to keep in your child’s backpack in case of bladder or bowel accidents, nosebleeds, lunch spills, etc. Our health office has loaned out a lot of clothing that has not been returned. If your child has borrowed clothing from the health office, please wash and return it so we have clothing available if another child needs it. If you have clean extra clothing you can donate for students, it would be much appreciated by our health office. Munhall is in very low supply of all sizes of sweats and t-shirts for boys as well as girls size 6 and above leggings and long-sleeved shirts.