Deerfield April 2023 Newsletter

April 11- PTO annual meeting at 7 p.m.in the music room or attend via the link in the newsletter. Officer elections will be held.

April 13- Eileen’s cookie dough pick-up 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the cafeteria

April 14- No School

April 17- No School

April 18- High Five nominations due

April 20- 3rd Grade Theatre Arts Day

April 25- KDG & 3rd Grade Music Program

April 26- Kindergarten Orientation 2:00-2:45pm & 3:00-3:45pm

April 28- KDG Field Trip to the Kansas Discovery Center 11:15am-2:45pm

April 29- Deerfield Carnival 3-6pm

TBA- April’s Deerfield Dines Out will be at Topper’s. Watch PTO’s Facebook page for more details.

May 1- Deadline for Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week donations

May 2- 3rd-5th West Middle School Chorale Spring Show at Deerfield 9:40am-10:15am

May 2- 4th & 5th Music Program

May 3- Kindergarten Orientation 2:00-2:45pm& 3:00-3:45pm

May 5- Field Day

May 8-12- Teacher/ Staff Appreciation Week

May 9- PTO meeting at 7 p.m. in the music room or attend via the link in the newsletter

We are still accepting yearbook orders! Hurry and get yours! The yearbooks are $20.00. Cash or check accepted. Please make checks payable to: Deerfield Elementary.

Deerfield will have Field Day this year on Friday, May 5th (rain option May 12th). There will be three sessions:

• Session 1 Grades 2-3 - 8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

• Session 2 Grades 4-5 - 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

• Session 3 Grades k-1 - 1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Parents and guardians are welcome to attend their student’s session. Upon arrival, all adults must check in at the “Visitor Check-In” table located outside on the blacktop to receive a visitor’s sticker. The activities will take place along the southwest side of the school (playground, blacktop, field). Students participating in field day will have the opportunity to move freely between the activities. Please send an extra set of clothes with your child on Field Day just in case they get wet or muddy. Let's have a safe and fun day!

Deerfield Elementary uses academic, behavioral and social-emotional data in a collaborative process among teachers to place students in class sections for the following school year. Our goal is to achieve the best possible balance for each class within a grade level. As a reminder Deerfield does not accept requests for specific teachers, nor are students automatically assigned to a teacher the family has had in the past. Additionally, we will not accept requests to be placed with specific classmates. Class placements for the 2023-24 school year will be made public the first week of August.

However, you may provide us with information about your child for our consideration in this process by completing the Learner Profile form below. The information you provide to us is appreciated and serves as supplemental information in our process to achieve the desired balance. Please use the link below if you wish to provide us with additional information.

Student Learner Profile for 2023-24

The office and Teachers are in need of some small donations....

• Individually packaged snacks for students that are not able to provide their own.
• K-cups(and creamer)/ disposable coffee cups/ snacks for teacher's lounge/ soda for teacher's lounge
• Sandwich size Ziploc baggies for Nurse's office.
• Dry Erase Markers
• Construction Paper
• Post-It notes
• Index Cards
• Black or Blue Pens

We are so appreciative of each and every donation! Thank you!!

It's that time of the year again! Kindergarten enrollment is now open! Children eligible for kindergarten enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year, must be 5 years of age on or before August 31, 2023. Our orientation dates are Wednesday, April 29 and May 3, 2023. After you have registered your child please call the office to schedule a time slot.

Register your kindergartner Here!!

Here is some great information to check out for incoming kindergartners!

Please visit our Kindergarten Orientation Google Site to learn more about our Kindergarten program and prepare for Kindergarten Orientation.

The district's current outstanding fee balances on active students is $934,826.84. If we add in outstanding fees for inactive students, the district's total is $1,012,031.89. Deerfield's outstanding balance for active and inactive students is $20,270.19 and $65.00 respectively.

Fees assessed to a student dated prior to May 1, 2023 will be sent to collections on June 15, 2023. March statements included a sticker with this deadline to make families aware of this date.

Districtwide, we have 1,354 students who qualify for free or reduced-priced lunches whose families have not submitted a Consent for Disclosure form. The Consent form is not required, but if it is completed and on file in the business office this allows certain fees to be waived.

In an effort to be inclusive of all people, Deerfield is moving away from the WatchDOGS program and moving to Deerfield VIPs. Deerfield VIPs (Very Important People) is a volunteer opportunity aimed at adults who are important to our students. Deerfield VIPs can be individuals who serve as a positive role model in the life of any Deerfield student. As a Deerfield VIP, you will volunteer for your child's teacher/grade level in a variety of settings and complete a variety of tasks. For example: a Deerfield VIP could help supervise recess, work with small groups of students, and/or complete clerical tasks. The VIPs will receive a daily schedule for the amount of time they volunteer. VIP dates/times are at the discretion of the classroom teacher. Due to limited space, VIPs will not be able to stay for or to help with lunch in the cafeteria. At this time, we're asking that VIPs only sign up for a maximum of 2 times per semester.

KDG VIP signups

1st grade VIP signups

2nd grade VIP signups

3rd grade VIP signups

4/5 VIP signups

Our goal is for our students to see themselves in our change makers and to also learn that they can do anything they put their mind to. Another goal is for our students to see people who are unfamiliar to them, to grow in empathy, and push for justice for the inequalities that marginalized communities face.

4/11-4/13- Wallace Amos

4/18-4/22- Fred Rogers

4/25-4/29- Ashley Fiolek

The Equity Resource guide was created by the Deerfield Equity team in the hopes that families can find resources, events and additional information to support our vision of all students attaining an equitable education. Expect 1 more guide to be sent out this year.

Please call or email to notify us any time your child is absent from school by 8:30 (deer.attendance.googlegroup@usd497.org or 785-832-5660). Please remember, we need a doctor's note if your child is absent three or more consecutive days AND after your child has been absent from school a total of 15 days.

All parents/guardians must come into the school to sign out their child if checking them out during school hours. This was our policy prior to Covid and we are now following this procedure again.

President-Angela Wilson

Vice President-Melissa Pam

Treasurer-Christina Terfler

Secretary-Brooke Hesler Ramsey

Come to a PTO Meeting or Follow us on Facebook

TUESDAY, April 11, 2023, 7 p.m. in the music room. You can also join via our Webex link below.

awilson@usd497.webex.com

Come learn about the ways PTO supports students and staff, find out how you can help, and VOTE on issues that matter to you, including how PTO spends its budget. We will vote to fill three open officer seats at this meeting.

Want to stay in the know?

Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/deerfieldPTOlawrence

We also share all of our events and announcements in the Deerfield Parents & Guardians Facebook group. Join the group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1559532244201069 and invite all your Deerfield Facebook friends!

Remind (sends text reminders)

Text 81010 with the message @dfpto

Deerfield Carnival Volunteers & Donors Needed!

The Deerfield Carnival is back! Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 29, from 3-6pm. This is PTO’s largest fundraiser and it’s only as successful as its volunteers! We need help in all areas-set up, chaperoning stations, clean up and more. Please use the Sign Up Genius to volunteer for a spot. Thank you, in advance, for making our first carnival since 2019 a success!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F054DACAF23A6F49-deerfield7

Eileen’s Cookie Dough Pick-Up Coming April 13

This Spring, Deerfield PTO brought back the Eileen's Colossal Cookie fundraiser. Thank you so much to all families who sold cookie dough to help PTO raise much-needed funds. Now it’s time to mark your calendars for Thursday, April 13, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for cookie-dough pick-up in the Deerfield cafeteria. Special thanks to Kim Grooms for coording this year's fundraiser!

PTO is also in need of a few volunteers to help with distribution. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4cafac2ca2fa7-eileens#/

Teacher Appreciation Week Planning is Underway

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week will be celebrated May 8-12 with treats, snacks, & meals! If you would like to volunteer or contribute, contact Ashley All at 785-766-0382 or venmo @Ashley-All before May 1st. PTO would like to thank Ashley All for all of her work coordinating these events this year and in past years!

Penny Wars Runs April 3-7

Penny Wars is coming April 3-7! Start checking those pockets, purses and couch cushions for spare change!

Penny Wars is a class competition. All pennies and bills are positive points for your class. All silver coins take points away from a class.

Students can win daily mini-prizes if their classroom is in the lead, and the classroom to collect the most positive penny points over the whole week wins a Topper’s Pizza Party

Proceeds from Penny Wars benefits Just Food. Each $1 donated provides 2 meals to our community.

PTO is looking for volunteers to help count the change each day. Use the Sign Up Genius to sign up to help! Email ksdeerfieldpto@gmail.com with questions.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F054DACAF23A6F49-penny

Congratulations to our High Five March winner, Mr. Josh Cuffe!

Mr. Josh is one of Deerfield’s amazing para educators! He was nominated by Aubrey Rajaei, a student in Mrs. Bates’s 5th grade class. Aubrey thinks Mr. Josh deserves a HUGE high five because “he helps students when needed. He always gives everyone positive thoughts and when someone is upset, he always cheers them up. He makes sure everyone is included and is happy. Mr. Josh is a nice guy!”

Congratulations Mr. Josh! Thank you for all that you do!

The beautiful flowers were donated by Dillons on Lawrence Avenue. Mr. Josh, Aubrey and her class will be treated to a pizza party from Toppers to celebrate!

Thank you to all the students who nominated our amazing Deerfield staff and teachers this month. Nominations for April will be accepted until Tuesday, April 18th! Students can fill out a paper form in the library or complete an online submission here: https://forms.gle/K59vX78cMufd1bvc8

April’s winner will be our last High Five winner of the school year.

Below you will find our Deerfield Expectations for following our 3R's - Be Respectful, Be Responsible and Be Ready to Learn. Students will be taught our expectations within the first few weeks of school. Please help reinforce these expectations with your student(s).

Our main mode of communication will be direct email and newsletters. However, on occasion we send text reminders for special events our announcements. If you would like to received text reminders, o sign up by texting 81010 with the following message according to your child's last name:

A-D: @deera-d

E-K: @deere-k

L-Q: @deerl-q

R-Z: @deerr-z

When prompted, enter your name and your child's name in parentheses. Please know that you number is not shared with anyone else. You can unsubscribe anytime by texted @leave.

Email: japplema@usd497.org
Website: https://www.usd497.org/Domain/10
Location: 101 Lawrence Avenue, Lawrence, KS, United States
Phone: 785-832-5660
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deerfield497/