Bulldog Bark

It is hard to believe that we are now in the midst of the holiday season. I must admit, one of the benefits of working in a school is that I get to see the eyes of children light up when they talk about the holidays and what they are looking forward to. Despite the commercialism in society today, there is something captivating about the holidays for elementary students. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday season!

This year, Mentone Elementary will be featuring our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students in our annual Christmas program in the gym on December 10th. The front doors will open at 6:00 p.m. We ask that you not be here before 6:00 pm because the teachers will not be here. Make sure your student is in their classroom no later than 6:15. Staff will need the extra time in case someone is not here for us to find a sub for their part. The program will start at 6:30 p.m.

Mentone Student Council would like to thank everyone for their generous contributions of food and money for our annual food drive. We set high goals and had a solid food drive collecting 1,692 items. All food collected was donated directly to The First Baptist Church of Mentone (it was important to our student council to keep the food collected in our community). Thank you for your contributions!

The Student Council is very excited about the first ever Buddy's Bake Shop Breakfast! This breakfast is for girls and the superhero men in their lives. For this breakfast, Student Council is partnering with Buddy's Closet to collect new hats and gloves for Bulldogs in need. We have a goal to fill Buddy's Closet before Christmas. For breakfast, families can choose to pay $2 per person or bring a donation of new hats or gloves. We're excited to enjoy a great morning together while also giving back. Don't forget to sign up before December 4th.

Parents, just a reminder that as the weather is getting colder, we will go outside for recess as often as possible. When making decisions about whether to go outside, Mentone Elementary will usually stick with a wind-chill of twenty degrees. If the wind is blowing and it dips below that temperature, we usually will stay inside. Otherwise, we do go outside as it helps students to get some fresh air in the middle of the day. Please make sure your children come to school with a coat (and a hat and gloves during the cold winter months if possible). Thank you!

Parents, if you drop your children off before school starts, please do not drop them off before 8:15 a.m. At 8:15 a.m., we will have staff that will let students inside our foyer area as the weather turns colder going into the winter.

Parents, you are invited to our Mentone Bulldog Bash on Friday, December 6th at 8:45 a.m.

The PTO wants to sincerely thank all of those who placed a Spirit Wear order. Our annual fundraiser was a huge success. You can look for your order to be delivered to your student before Christmas Break! From our PTO family to yours, we hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

As this newsletter is being written, our fifth-grade boys basketball team has done a fantastic job representing our school.

Our fifth-grade girls basketball callout will be on Wednesday, December 4th. Just a reminder that to participate in basketball, a physical that is less than one year old needs to be on file in our school office (parents, if your daughter played volleyball that physical will be good for basketball as well). The fifth-grade girls basketball season will begin right after Christmas break with practice starting soon after school.

Just a reminder to all parents and families that the last student day before Christmas will be Friday, December 20th. School will resume after the New Year for all students on Tuesday, January 7th. Report cards for the first semester will be sent home on Friday, January 10th. I hope that your families enjoy a safe and restful holiday season!