Monitor Elementary School

The 2023-2024 school year is off to a great start! Our students have been getting to know their new classmates and have been learning all about what it means to be a mallard. Students have learned about our school wide expectations and how mallards SOAR! As mallards, we work hard to Stay safe, Own our Actions, Act Responsibly, and Respect Ourselves, Others, and This Place. Our students have made us proud!

Thanks to all of the families who joined us at Arvest Ballpark to see our students perform the national anthem. Our kids represented us well and we loved seeing our families together enjoying a fun night at the ballpark! We will be returning to Arvest Ballpark on Wednesday, September 13th for the Springdale Schools Back to School Rally. We hope to see you then!

We will hold our first parent booster club meeting on Tuesday, September 19th at 5:15pm. We will be sharing information about our school and how parents can be involved. All parents are invited to attend!

We also look forward to seeing all of our families for conferences! This will be a great opportunity for you to connect with your child's teacher and hear all about what your child has learned so far this school year. Thank you for partnering with us to help your child succeed! We are so thankful for all of our Monitor families!

Mrs. Andi Acuff, Principal

Mrs. Cassie Marquette, Assistant Principal

Below are some important upcoming dates:

• Monday, September 4th: No School - Labor Day
• Friday, September 8th: Spirit Day
• Monday, September 11th: Mobile Food Pantry @ 2pm
• Monday, September 11th: Mallard University Begins
• Wednesday, September 13th: SPS Back to School Rally @ 5pm
• Friday, September 15th: Spirit Day
• Tuesday, September 19th: Booster Club Meeting @ 5:15pm
• Friday, September 22nd: Spirit Day
• Monday, September 25th: Fall Student-Led Conferences
• Tuesday, September 26th: Fall Student-Led Conferences
• Friday, September 29th: Spirit Day
• Friday, September 29th: Food Day - $1.00 Freedom Pop Sale

Our school hours are 7:45am-3:10pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Students are dismissed early on Wednesdays with our school hours being 7:45am-1:50pm. Students who arrive after 7:45am will need to be checked in by an adult in the front office. When using the front entrance to check in students arriving late to school, please park in a parking spot and walk your child to the front entrance. Our car rider line is in the back of the building. Car rider line begins at 7:30am each morning and closes at 7:45am. When picking up students in car rider line in the afternoon, please be sure your student's car tag is displayed in the front window of your car and leave the car tag visible until your child has loaded.

In partnership with First Church Springdale, all students at Monitor have been provided with school supplies to start the school year. Instead of purchasing supplies, we ask families to pay a small school supply fee to help teachers replenish supplies throughout the school year. This year, the school supply fee is $9.99. Students will be provided with a water bottle as part of their school supplies, and school t-shirts will be available for purchase at a later date. You can pay your child's school supply fee online using the link below or by sending cash or a check to school with your child. When paying online, please include your child's name and grade at checkout.

https://tinyurl.com/mrypkc7z

Mallard University (MU) is an after school program funded by a 21CCLC grant for students in 2nd-5th grade. Students can apply to be part of Mallard University in the front office. For students selected for the program, Mallard University will begin on September 11th. Mallard University runs Monday-Thursday after school until 5:30pm.There will be NO Mallard University on September 25th and 26th due to conferences.

Our next mobile food pantry will be Monday, September 11th at 2:00pm. Food will be distributed in FRONT of the school. Families can pick up food and then join car rider line if picking up a student. If you would like to help distribute food to families, please contact Mrs. Engelmann at (479) 750-8749.

Join us on Wednesday, September 13th for the 5th Annual Springdale Public Schools Back to School Rally at Arvest Ballpark! The event is FREE for all Springdale students, families, employees, and staff and the evening will include student performances and more than 40 booths. Gates open at 5pm, performances begin at 6pm, and the game begins at 7:05pm. We hope to see you there!

Conferences will be held Monday, September 25th and Tuesday, September 26th. Please look for information from your child's teacher regarding scheduling a time for your conference. We look forward to sharing more about what your student will be learning this year and the progress they have made so far!

Sign up to run in the Mini Wild Dog Races! A one time entry fee of $5.00 enters your student into all three races. Your student can pick up an entry form with race information during P.E. class or in the front office. Kindergarten-2nd grade students run a half mile race, and 3rd-5th students run a one mile race. The dates and locations for each race are as follows: September 20th at Har-Ber High School, October 11th at George Junior High School, and October 25th at Sonora Middle School.

Attendance at school is important for successful academic progress. Regular attendance it also required by Arkansas State Law 6-18-221. It is important for students to be at school each day and on time. Our goal at Monitor Elementary is to have all students miss no more than five days each semester. We do understand that children get sick periodically, however students should be at school unless they have a fever, have been vomiting, or have diarrhea. In addition, every effort should be made to schedule appointments outside school hours or on non-school days. Please call the school office at (479) 750-8749 or reach out to your child's teacher if your student will not be at school.

We encourage ALL families to submit an application for free/reduced lunch. A full price student lunch costs $2.45 but is FREE for all who qualify. All students will continue to receive free breakfast each day through the breakfast in the classroom program. To apply for free/reduced lunch, please use the link below.

https://bit.ly/3cysZuf

By state law, we are only allowed to offer food that does not meet smart snack criteria on nine school days each year. These school days have been designated and submitted to the state. To remain in compliance with this requirement, please avoid sending food items for the class for birthday celebrations or other reasons. Teachers will send home information on when classroom celebrations will occur and when outside food may be provided. On our designated food days, we will offer treats for sale as a fundraiser for our school. Students are welcome to participate but not required to do so.

Monitor Elementary School has a therapy dog that will come to school once a week during the school year. Gus is a certified therapy animal through Love on a Leash and is handled by Mrs. McGooden, our speech language pathologist. More information about the benefits of a therapy dog in a school setting will be sent home along with and opt out form if you would prefer your child not interact with Gus while at school. If you are comfortable with your child interacting with Gus, no action is needed. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Mrs. McGooden at (479) 750-8749.