News from Spalding Park

March 3rd - 7th - Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

• See daily themes below!

March 21st - Bring a Book Take a Book

March 24th - 3rd - 5th Grade to Orpheum - Opera Concert

March 25th - Conferences - 3:40 pm - 8:00 pm

March 27th - Conferences 8:00 am - 4:00 pm - No School for Students

March 28th - No School - Exchange Day

Monday, March 3rd - My Many Colored Days - Wear as many colors as you can!

Tuesday, March 4th - Snuggle Up with a Good Book - Wear your favorite PJs - no slippers please. Bring your favorite book to share.

Wednesday, March 5th - Wacky Wednesday - Dress in mix-matched clothes, backwards, inside out, etc.

Thursday, March 6th - Head over Heels for Dr. Seuss - Wear Silly Socks & Crazy Hats

Friday, March 7th - Oh, the Places You'll Go - Dress up in your future profession. (What do you want to be when you grow up)

Friday March 21st - our Title Reading Team has a table set up in the front lobby for your student to bring a book from home and exchange it for a different book.

March 25th - Conferences 3:40 pm - 8:00 pm.

March 27th - Conferences 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Get signed up on My Conference Time or call our front office (712) 274-4043 and we will help you get signed up with your students teacher.

March 28th - No School

Hello Spalding Park families!

As you can see, our schoolwide attendance has jumped nearly 3 percentage points from January! I am so excited to see more of your students in school with us continuing to learn and grow! Though we are still below our goal of 96%, I am glad to see that we have worked hard to have more of your students healthy, on time, and present at Spalding Park.

Moving into the March, please be aware that I will be attempting to contact you regarding your students' attendance if they have missed 4 days of school or more in this semester. This contact must occur as part of our district policy, and I must hear back from you for this contact to count. If I am unable to reach you, I will continue to contact you throughout the school year until I am able to make sure you understand the attendance policy. Keep in mind that as your child misses more school throughout the semester, they are considered "chronically absent", and you may progress to an attendance meeting to discuss the attendance policy and reason for your students' absences. Keep in mind that tardiness does affect your students' attendance as well, and your student may be considered "chronically absent" based on the number of tardies they have.

As a reminder, students may be dropped off no earlier than 8:00am, as there is no supervision for them prior to this time. School begins at 8:30am and students are considered tardy after 8:35am. School ends at 3:30pm every day except for Fridays when students are released at 1:30pm. Please make sure you have arrangements for your student made in advance to drop off and pick up times. If you are in need of busing or have someone not listed in Infinite Campus picking your child up, please call the school at notify us as soon as possible.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your student, please call the office at 712-274-4043. If you have questions or concerns with your student's attendance, please ask for the attendance specialist or Mrs. Allen when you call, and I would be more than happy to speak with you. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation, and let's make March a great month!

Go Panthers!

Just a Friendly Reminder: I-Smile - Free Dental screening for all Pre-K, 2nd and 3rd graders. A form was sent home to be filled out and returned. If you need another form please call (712) 274-4043 and we will have one sent home with your student. These screening will take place on April 7th-11th here at the school.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

• Lucky charms cereal: 1 box of lucky charms cereal or you can buy just the marshmallows.
• Pretzel sticks: 6 cups of pretzel sticks.
• White chocolate baking bars: 1 (8 oz.) white chocolate baking bar.
• M&M’s: 1 (9 oz.) bag of M&M’s.
• Sprinkles: 1/4 cup of your favorite sprinkles.
• Candy melts: I used pink, yellow, and lime green candy melts, but you can use any colored candy melts you’d like.
• 1. Pick out the marshmallows: pour a box of cereal out onto a large baking sheet. Pick out all the marshmallows and set them aside. Or if you bought just the marshmallow, use about 2 cups.
  2. Mix it up: in a large bowl mix the pretzels, m&m’s, and marshmallows together.
  3. Heat the chocolate and toss: in a medium microwavable bowl, microwave the white chocolate chips for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chips are completely melted. Pour them over the mixture and toss until evenly coated.
  4. Sprinkle, let stand, break, and enjoy: spread the mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with candy sprinkles and drizzle with melted pink, yellow, and green candy melts. Let stand until set, about 15 minutes. Gently break up the mixture and enjoy!

Every 2 weeks a new staff member is chosen for "Being a Light" in our school. They are chosen from other staff members for things or ways they have brought the light to a classroom, a student or to the school.

All Iowa public school districts are required to administer an annual school climate and culture survey to students in grades 3-12 called Conditions for Learning Survey. The survey is designed to measure their engagement in school, safety, and the overall learning environment. The survey will be administered to students in April.

Parents and families of students in preschool through grade 12 will also have the opportunity to participate in the Parent Conditions for Learning Survey. The survey contains similar items to those on the student survey, focusing on areas that range from student safety and positive adult and student relationships to school rules and how they are enforced. Participation in the survey is encouraged, but it is completely voluntary, and all questions are optional to answer.

Please watch your email for more information on the survey.