The Eagle Soars
Sunflower Elementary - October 5, 2023
About Us
Upcoming Events
October 6: No School
October 11 & 12: Parent Teacher Conferences- No School
October 13: No School
October 17: Fall Picture Retakes
October 18: Early Release Day 1:55pm
October 19: 4th Grade Goodies, Games, & GRAND Event
4th Grade Musical 7:00pm
October 20: 1st Grade Field Trip
October 20: PTO Spirit Stick Sales 8:00-8:20am
PTO Movie/Game Night 6:30pm- Hocus Pocus 2
October 25: Early Release Day 1:55pm
October 31: Fall Class Parties
November 1: Early Release Day 1:55pm
November 7-14: Book Fair
November 8: Early Release Day 1:55pm
Family Literacy Event
Early Release Feedback Survey
Good afternoon, USD 231 Families.
After three Early Release "sessions", USD 231 is seeking feedback from families as to what has gone well and areas still needing improvement. Please take three minutes to complete this survey. Your responses will remain confidential, and the information gathered will be used solely for the purpose of improving our Early Release program.
The survey is now open and will close at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 9.
Thank you!!!
Book Fair November 7-14
Sign up to volunteer with Watch D.O.G.S and Eagle M.O.M.S
Sign up online to be a role model at Sunflower! We promise you'll have the best day ever!
If you would like to order an official Watch D.O.G.S or Eagle M.O.M.S t-shirt, please fill out this form. Send cash or check to the Sunflower office. All shirts are $20.
Attendance Matters
Pay for Field Trips Online
Order Your Yearbook Today!
Counselor's Corner
Back to school can be a stressful time for everyone. Mrs. Gabriel has lots of resources on her padlet. Click on the picture to see what is available!
World Wide Wednesday
Share Your Travels
Have you recently taken an amazing trip or have lived somewhere other than the Midwest? We would like to highlight the location on our new segments during announcements...World Wide Wednesday! Reach out to Mrs. Rains (rainsj@usd231.com) or Mr. Prall (prallg@usd231.com) with photos and we will do the rest.
Watch this video for our latest example. Share Your Travels Video
Sunflower's Got Talent
Hello, Sunflower Families!
We are introducing a change to how we are handling Sunflower’s Got Talent this school year. There will be two in-person talent shows on Wednesday, December 13th, and Thursday, May 16th. More information about those talent shows will be available at a later date. Video talents have been very popular in the past, so we will be introducing a new weekly segment to our morning announcements: Talent Tuesday! Rather than two opportunities per year to submit a video talent, students will be able to send in videos throughout the school year to be premiered on Talent Tuesdays. We are requesting the length of the videos be no more than a minute to keep the announcements at a reasonable length. Additionally, parents are asked to review any content or media within the videos to ensure that they are school appropriate. Videos deemed inappropriate will not be premiered and families with rejected submissions will be informed as to the reason why. All videos can be sent to Mr. Prall at prallg@usd231.com. Any questions regarding Sunflower’s Got Talent, or Talent Tuesdays can be directed to Mr. Prall as well. I am excited to share this new opportunity with our students and I look forward to all of the amazing talents we will get to experience this school year!
Mr. Prall
In Case Of An Absence...
IF YOUR STUDENT...
...HAS AN EXCUSED ABSENCE due to illness, appointment, funeral or family emergency, please email the attendance line SEattendance@usd231.com as soon as possible. If we haven't heard from parents by 9:00 am, we will call to check on your child. You can also call in student absences to the absentee line at 913-856-3749.
...WILL BE LATE TO SCHOOL, please let our office know ahead of time (if possible). When your student arrives at school, they will need to stop by the office first, and the secretaries will give them a hall pass.
...WILL BE ABSENT BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING OUT OF TOWN, this is considered an UNEXCUSED absence, unless preapproved by Dr. Jones. Please do not just tell the teacher! Please request approval in writing by emailing Dr. Jones at jonesja@usd231.com.
...NEEDS TO LEAVE SCHOOL EARLY, you can call to let us know you are on your way, but students will not be called out of class UNTIL a parent is present to sign them out. Please plan ahead for appointments, as we would like to minimize missed class time. You will need to come into the office to sign your student out. You won't be able to park outside and call us to send your student out to you.
...HAS DIFFERENT DISMISSAL INSTRUCTIONS, please call the office as soon as possible. If change of dismissal instructions are received after 3:00 pm, we can do our best to relay the message to your student.
AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST...
If you notify your student's teacher of an absence, please also let the office know. Everybody's lives are crazy and busy...everybody's human...everybody can forget to forward an email on to the appropriate person. So, if you send an email to your student's teacher about an absence, please "cc" Terra (dupreet@usd231.com) and Janet (mcconvillej@usd231.com). That way, at least one of us gets the email and gets it taken care of right away. Thank you!!
Site Council
The Sunflower Site Council will be meeting at 6 pm in the library on the following dates:
September 5, 2023, December 5, 2023, February 6, 2024, April 9, 2024
All meetings are open to the public.
Kansas schools are required to establish site councils composed of the principal, teachers and other school personnel, parents, business representatives, and other community groups.
Site councils have a responsibility to provide advice and counsel in the following areas: evaluating district and school performance goals and objectives, determining methods to meet those goals and objectives, and other areas as requested by the board of education.
Remember, the work of the site council is advisory only;
it makes recommendations, not decisions.
Sunflower Elementary PTO
We invite everyone to join the Sunflower PTO Facebook page. By searching "Gardner Sunflower PTO" under Pages, you will be able to join the group and receive updated PTO information.
October Newsletter
Movie/Game Night Flyer
Winter Prep Academy 2023
Follow Us on Social Media!
Districtwide At-Risk Preschool Offered
Great news! Due to funding from KSDE, USD 231 will again be able to provide At-Risk Preschool for 3 and 4 year olds (the program was slated to end but we received word last week our district would be able to qualify).
USD 231 will be providing At-Risk Preschool for 3 and 4 year olds during the 2023-24 school year. The program will be held at Moonlight, there will be an AM and PM section, and students will attend M, T, Th, F with transportation provided. We will be able to have 10 students in the morning and 10 students in the afternoon.
If families are interested, please contact Angie Plank at 856-2030.
Students need to meet one of the following criteria:
1. Poverty (Preschool-Aged At-Risk) Qualifies for free meals under the National School Lunch Program /KSDE Household Economic Survey on September 20, 2021.
2. Single parent families; Custodial parent is unmarried on the first day of school.
3. Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) referral
4. Teen parents - one parent was a teenager when the child was born.
5. Either parent is lacking a high school diploma or GED
6. Limited English Proficiency
7. Lower than expected developmental progress in at least one of the following areas: cognitive development; physical development; communication/literacy; social emotional/behavior; adaptive behavior/self-help skills
8. Child qualifying for migrant status
9. Child experiencing homelessness
Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP)
The Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP) provides qualifying parents and guardians with a $1,000 award per eligible student to pay for a variety of educational goods and services that promote learning and facilitate academic enrichment opportunities.
Why should families apply for KEEP?
- No fees to apply or participate in the program
- Multiple students per household can apply
- Online Education Marketplace with service providers that offer qualified goods and services
- Use awards on camps, classes, tutoring, and even school supplies and technology
NOMINATE A DESERVING STUDENT OR EMPLOYEE TODAY!!!
The GESD recognition program has been established to recognize students and employees who exceed expectations.
"Gardner Edgerton Students of Distinction" (GESD) nominees can be any current student in the Gardner Edgerton School District who exemplifies traits of outstanding character and serves as a positive influence on their peers and the community-at-large.
"Great Employees Serving the District" (GESD) nominees can be any certified or classified employee in the Gardner Edgerton School District who exemplifies traits of outstanding customer service and is a positive influence on students, parents, co-workers or members of the community. The award will be presented on a weekly basis.
Answers to a few questions you may have:
Nominations from previous years have been removed from the database.
Even if a student or staff member has been selected as a GESD in previous years, they are again eligible.
We will recognize our first student and staff member sometime in September. This will allow time for nominations to be submitted.
Nominate a deserving STUDENT by clicking HERE.
Nominate a deserving EMPLOYEE by clicking HERE.