SHES Parent Newsletter

No School for Students: Monday, September 2nd (Labor Day) and Tuesday, September 3rd (Staff Professional Development).

Chiefs Day: Thursday, September 5th

Fall Pictures: Tuesday, September 10th

PLC Days (Late Start):

• Wednesday, September 11th
• Wednesday, September 18th
• Wednesday, September 25th

PTO Meeting: Monday, September 9th from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the SHES Library

Crazy Sock Sprit Day: Friday, September 27th

Hearing/Vision Screenings: Monday, September 30th

Picture Day for Spring Hill Elementary School is scheduled for Tuesday, Sep 10th. This event's Order Code is 86987DF (order at inter-state.com/order).

Online ordering is available before and after Picture Day. Shipping and handling charges may apply to orders placed after Picture Day.

Spring Hill Elementary School will be completing their annual hearing and vision screenings over the next month. K.S.A. 72-6228-6231, requires that students are provided with basic hearing screening without charge during the first year of admission and not less than once every three years thereafter. Hearing screenings will be done on students in kindergarten, second grade and fifth grade . Vision screenings will be done on students in kindergarten, second grade, and fourth grade. New students and students on an IEP will have both screenings done.

As it was presented at Parent Info Night, we are committed to improving our communication between parents and teachers. Positive communication between parents and teachers ensures effective collaboration in the educational journey of students. Spring Hill Elementary School is committed to further improve communication between parents and teachers in order to benefit students’ academic and personal growth. Click here to see how we will partner together. If you have any concerns, please reach out to your student's teacher first before others to ensure we are communicating effectively and following the 7 Habits.

In elementary school, we see the most absences occur in kindergarten and first grade. It is perceived that the workload students do in these grade levels is easy and that students can simply catch-up when they return. Research shows that students who are chronically absent throughout kindergarten and first grade achieve lower proficiency in reading by third grade and are four times likely to drop out of high school. Student attendance does have an impact on student's academic success. The chart below highlights the impact that two to four absences per month have on student learning.

The 2024-2025 PLC Days can be found here and are marked in yellow. On PLC Days, First Student will adjust their school bus transportation schedule to run one hour later in the mornings. Please take note of the schedule below for PLC Days:

7:40 - 8:00 a.m. (YMCA Drop-Off)

8:40 a.m. (Breakfast)

8:40 - 9:00 a.m. (Drop-Off)

9:00 a.m. (School Starts)

7:40 - 9:00 a.m. (PLC)

If you are new to the district or did not complete the PLC registration during online registration/walk-in enrollment, please click here to complete your PLC registration.

School doors will not open until 8:40 a.m. on these days. If you student is not participating in YMCA care during PLC time, they may not enter the school until 8:40 a.m. as staff supervision will not be available until that time.

Click here for more information regarding district PLCs.

Click here to read through the district policies regarding student medications (p. 17 of the Student Handbook). Any medications your student(s) may need while at school are to be checked-in with our school nurse and kept in her office. Our nursing staff is happy to work with our families to ensure medications are being administered at appropriate times and that students have everything they need before going home at the end of the day.

If have questions regarding student medications, please reach out to our school nurse:

Chrystal Farrow, (913)592-7142 or farrowchr@usd230.org

If you need to make a dismissal change for your student(s), please contact the office at (913)592-7277. All dismissal changes need to be made before 2:30 p.m. In our experience, changes made after this time can result in miscommunication and students not getting home the way they should. Making changes by 2:30 p.m. provides plenty of time for our office staff to ensure students arrive home safely.

Due to Scholastic changing the quantity of book fairs a school needs to host in order to host a Buy One Get One book fair in the Spring, we have decided to go a different direction with our book fairs this year. We will be hosting two Literati Book Fairs. There will be one in the Fall and a Buy One Get One book fair in the Spring. We are excited to bring something fresh and new to our school. Be looking for more information on our Fall Literati Book Fair that is scheduled for October 7th - 11th.

Watch D.O.G.S.® (which stands for Dads of Great Students) invites fathers and father figures to volunteer in the school, keep hallways and classrooms safe, and provide a positive role model for kids.

BEFORE you can volunteer for Watch D.O.G.S.® , you must follow the volunteer process outlined on the district website. Click here and follow the steps to register as a volunteer and complete your background check. The background check must be completed and approved before you can come in to volunteer. A Volunteer Card will be sent to you once you complete this process.

Click here for the Watch D.O.G.S.® sign-up link. This link can also be found on our school website and Facebook page.

If you would like, you can purchase your own Watch D.O.G.S.® shirt here or you can wear any school appropriate attire . You can also bring your own lunch or purchase one from the school cafeteria for $5.00.

As a Watch D.O.G.S.® volunteer, you will be given a schedule to help out in several classrooms and will also spend time with your student. Please sign in at the office between 7:40 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and expect to stay until 3:10 p.m. When you go into classrooms, teachers might ask you to help with a small group, read a book to the students, or play a learning game with students in the pod. You will also go to specials classes, lunch, and recess with your children.

Direct any questions about the Watch D.O.G.S.® program to:

Cassity Wooten, (913)592­-7139 or wootenc@usd230.org.

We are so excited to start our Mama Bears program. Click here to sign-up to volunteer on Tuesdays or Fridays from 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Our Mama Bears will be helping with copies, bulletin boards, and working with students in small groups. Thank you in advance for volunteering your time to help our teachers and students.

BEFORE you can volunteer for Mama Bears , you must follow the volunteer process outlined on the district website. Click here and follow the steps to register as a volunteer and complete your background check. The background check must be completed and approved before you can come in to volunteer. A Volunteer Card will be sent to you once you complete this process.