Circle Towanda Elementary

Mrs. Terri Turner, Principal ~ tturner@usd375.org

Towanda Primary ~ Early Childhood - 2nd grade

316-536-2728

Towanda Intermediate ~ 3rd - 6th grade

316-536-2281

It seems shocking that we are already ready to begin another month of school! How did we get to October already!?! I hope that you and your children are enjoying the start to the school year. It seems great here in the offices! Please let us know should you ever have a question or a concern. We want to make sure you are comfortable with what we are doing in our buildings. Thanks again for sharing your child with us!

We HOPE that we will get to the cooler temps soon. When we do, please be sure to send jackets with your child’s name in them. We have lots and lots of lost jackets, coats, gloves and hats at the end of each winter. It is so sad to see this each year. Please label your child’s coats and we will gladly get them back to them once we find them in the lunchroom, gym, playground or wherever they turn up at the end of the day.

If you are a parent who is wanting to volunteer in your child’s classroom or you just want to come for a short visit, please contact your child’s teacher. We do not allow visits when there is a substitute. That just makes the sub uncomfortable. I also request that you limit the amount of time you stay in the classroom because it can often be disruptive to the other students. Typically, you may visit for 30 minutes or less. This will allow the class to continue with their “typical” day. We do have many children who need the routine to be consistent in order to learn at their best. If a teacher requests that you stay longer to help, by all means, please do. Just try to make those plans in advance so the office is aware. You will need to check in anytime you plan to be in the building. This is a security measure. It has been nice to see so many parents stopping in for lunch this month. Please order your lunch, if you are eating a school lunch, by 9:00 am. This really helps us ensure that we don’t run out of meals for our students.

Now that we are back into the swing of things, please be sure that you check out your child’s powerschool page for your older students. You can keep up on their progress in their classrooms this way. It is also an easy way to make sure they are getting their work completed and turned in each day. We will be ending our first complete nine-week session on October 10th. The teachers will be working on grade cards on October 11th, so there will be no school that day. This gives you a couple weeks to encourage your child to keep working hard and get their work turned in. Thanks for the help!!!

October will bring on a few fun events!! We will host our annual Fall Parade on October 31st. We will all come together at the Intermediate School Gymnasium and parade in our costumes. It will begin at 9:00 that day. We will walk the Primary students over if the weather permits. We will ride a bus if it is too cold or wet. Please be aware that if you park near the gymnasium, you may get blocked in by the buses if we take them. They will remain parked outside until the parade is over. Younger brothers and sisters may join in on the parade as their siblings walk.

Just a reminder, you should be receiving a school messenger each time we conduct our newly required crisis drills. We are now only required to do 3 crisis drills a year but we plan to do more than that. We will do several different types of drills throughout the school year. You will receive an email each time we conduct a drill. We want you all to be informed and aware. Give me a call should you have any suggestions or questions about our monthly. PLEASE note that we will not allow any person to enter our building during a drill. They will typically last less than 10 minutes. You will see a sign on our door buzzer to alert you that a drill is in progress. You are welcome to enter the building once the drill is complete. We will remove the sign. The state does not allow us to notify anyone of the drill more than 5 minutes prior to conducting the drill.

Please don’t forget to attend our PTO/Site Council meetings. We meet the first Monday of each month at 5:00 at the Primary School (please see the calendar to confirm the date. We will not meet on a Monday when school is not in session). We have already met a couple times and have begun discussions about new school T-Shirts, fundraiser, building needs and many more items. Please come and be a part of planning for our school. We will meet on Monday, October 11 to plan for the upcoming Craft Fair. It will be held on November 2nd from 8:30-3:00. We would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE any help you can give to us. We will be making plans for this event at this coming meeting. This is the best place to help us continue the great education your child will receive.

Lunchroom news

Don’t forget to keep a close eye on your child’s lunch balance on PowerSchool. Start by going to our website www.circleusd375.com. There are two ways to view your child’s balance. You can see the actual transactions by clicking on the balance tab on the PowerSchool page. Log in to your child’s account and you can see the daily transactions. If you want to just check your child’s balance and/or make a payment, please go to the online payment tab (located at the bottom of the circle webpage) and set up a payment. If you have any questions feel free to contact the school offices. We have several people ready and willing to help you out.

Please keep in mind that we are not allowed to bring carbonated beverages into the lunchroom. This is for students and adults as well. Please remember this if you are bringing in lunch.

We also would like to remind you that lunches that you send should only need to be reheated and not cooked or popped during lunch. We only have two microwaves and when you have multiple students waiting to use them it takes up too much time. We ask that students bring food that takes one minute or less to reheat please. Thanks for your help and cooperation with this! Happy Fall everyone!!!

Oct. 7 - PTO/Site Council Meeting @5:00pm CTP Library

Oct. 7 - BOE Meeting @6pm

Oct. 10 - End of the 1st Nine Weeks

Oct. 11 - No School ~ Staff Development

Oct. 14 - Fall Fundraiser Ends

Oct. 14 - McTeacher Night! - 5-8pm ~ El Dorado McDonald's

Oct. 17 - Grace Med Dental Check @CTP

Oct. 18 - PreK classes to Applejack Pumpkin Patch ~ AM class departs at 8:40am ~ PM class departs at 12:40pm

Oct. 18 - T.G.I.F.

Oct. 21 - Kindergarten classes to Walter's Pumpkin Patch ~ 9am - 2pm

Oct. 22 - Fundraiser Reward Parties

Oct. 23 - Parent/TeacherConferences (as scheduled 4:30pm-8pm) Conferences held @CTP

Oct. 24 - No School Parent/Teacher Conferences (as scheduled 8am- 3:30pm) Conferences held @CTP

Oct. 25 - No School

Oct. 30 - Honor Roll Recognition - CTI at 2:30pm

Oct. 31 - Fall Parade for CTP/CTI at CTI @9:00am ~ Fall Parties @2:30pm

Frequently Asked Questions about GraceMed Dental

Q: Why does GraceMed come to the schools to provide screenings?

A: Kansas has a statute and it states: school districts are hereby required to provide for free dental inspection annually for all children, except those who hold a certificate from a legally qualified dentist showing that this examination has been made within three months last past, attending such schools. So, basically, it is a legally required service we must provide. GraceMed volunteers to do this for us.

Q: I do not want my child to receive a dental screening. I don’t see an opt out section on the form. What should I do?

A: Parents are welcome to contact the school to opt out if it was not made an option on the GraceMed form. Please send the form back to school with the words “OPT OUT” written on the form, otherwise every child is screened.

Q: I have children in different schools within the district. I noticed some forms do not have an opt-out section. Why are they different?

A: Title 1 schools do not have an opt out option on the form because of that status.

Q: We have dental insurance already. Can my child have their teeth cleaned by GraceMed?

A: Certainly! If a person has insurance and received a cleaning or extra services, GraceMed will attempt to collect from insurance. If insurance doesn't pay, GraceMed will NOT bill parents.

Q: We don’t have dental insurance. Can my child have their teeth cleaned by GraceMed?

A: Absolutely! There is no charge for the services GraceMed provides.

Q: What happens if I don’t return the form sent home from school?

A: Unless you very specifically send a note to school stating not to SCREEN your child, you child will have GraceMed staff look inside their mouths with a flashlight and a little mirror. Screening only includes a very brief visualize inspection of the oral cavity by a dental hygienist. NO OTHER SERVICES ARE PROVIDED.

Q: My child came home with a note saying my student had urgent dental care needs but we can’t afford to take them to the dentist. Can GraceMed help with that?

A: Yes! GraceMed offers sliding scale fees for services, making it an affordable option for treatment. Please talk with the school nurse about other options.

PTO Meeting 10/7 @ 5:00 pm in the Primary Library

THANK YOU for all the wonderful support given for the Family Night Dinner and Book Fair! Your help in ALL areas was greatly appreciated and helped make Book Fair Week a tremendous success!

**Fundraiser kickoff was on 9/27. Orders are due 10/14. There are 3 booklets to choose from again this year! There is also a buyout option. $30 per child or $50 per family. Help your student earn the fundraiser party!

A second T-Shirt Order form will be going home towards the end of October/beginning of November. Be on the lookout! This will be our FINAL order for the school year.

Conferences are at the end of October. Be watching for an email from Sign-Up Genius to help provide teachers a meal the night of conferences.

We want your BOXTOPS!! Send them in baggies with the total number written on the bag. Your child will get a treat! There will be one winner per each building; the Intermediate and the Primary, at the end of each 9 weeks for a free Gambino’s mini pizza! Good luck!

Fall Parties are October 31st at 2:30 pm.

PTO is hosting our 3rd annual Craft Fair! This year it will be held on Saturday, November 2 from 8:30am-3:00pm. Come shop from local vendors and enjoy breakfast and lunch. More information will be coming out soon!

Thank you for your support! Your support MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

BOOK FAIR WRAP-UP

We had an awesome fall book fair this year! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! to everyone who volunteered, made donations, and/or shopped at it. We’ll be able to purchase many new books and other supplies for our two libraries with the proceeds!

Thanks, also, to everyone who donated to the All for Books campaign! We raised over $500 and have already used it to buy gobs of wonderful new books! The amount raised is enough to earn two “minute-to-win-it” contests by the staff at the October TGIF. Losers, of course, will be getting a whipped cream pie in the face! I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures for the next newsletter.

Both the boys and the girls more than met the $130 All for Books goal to receive an extra recess, which I will be scheduling with their teachers very soon. Also, “Penguins” received the most votes in the “Penguins” vs. “Polar Bears” contest, so everyone who voted for “Penguins” will soon be invited to the library to enjoy some Oreos! We had several kids who voted for both just to guarantee they got in on the treats--very clever!!

Scholastic will match the amount of All for Books money we raised and donate it to charities like Kids In Need Foundation, Reader to Reader, Inc., and the National Center for Families Learning, which provide books to schools in need.

Congratulations to the 2019-2020 Stuco Officers:

President– Leah Moore ~ Vice President– Lauren Swilley ~ Secretary– Eric Wellner ~ Treasurer– Jenna Moore

~ 6th gr. REPs– Lauren Burk & Brody Coulter Alts: Taylor Carroll & Haivynn Cundell

~ 5th gr. REPs– Brianna Paul & Alex Crawford Alts: Hayden Oliver & Trey Moore

~ 4th gr. REPs– Kylie Ward & Aubrey Marley Alts: Macy Waldorf & Tucker Janzen

~ 3rd gr. REPs– Peyton Bishop & Jocelyn Karst Alts: Cole Hammer & Teddy Martin

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Elias Anderson, Tallen Cleveland, Sylvir Bills, Teagan Schweigert, Henry Loss, Mace Watkins, Braelynn Brenzikofer, Jase Volvaka, Tegan Mathias, Ethan Chavez, Juan Vazquez, Bentley Schmidt, Aubrey Aitchison, Cylix Alexander, Colton Anderson, Kaitlyn Christy, Alona Owens, Maci Majors, Maryn Young, Huxley Flitz, Duke Jacobson, Connor Gandee, Livia Loss, Chalmers Sarkett, Kennedy Strecker, Maren Swilley, Emelia Davis, Dimitri Farmer, Alice Leatherwood, Noah Weishaar, Brysen Kon, Natalia Gutierrez, Xaiden Burrell, Angelica Lauber, Sawyer Hendricks, Teddy Martin, Lily Oliver, Kyah Miller, Cole Wilbur, Alexius Hornseth, Jaydra Gibson, Eli Foxx-Czepinski, Truett Patty, Paradyse DeLoach, Isabella Farner, Spencer Simpson, Hunter Earnest, Braxton Weyer, Kimber Dorey, Jordan Johnson, Brianna Paul, Alex Crawford, Ace Vargo, Dean Payne, Madeline Karst, Heidi Bodkin, Jackson Strecker, Katy Flores, Gracy Waldorf, Khloe Oliver, Lauren Burk, Jenna Moore, Eric Wellner, Brett Jacobson, Brody Coulter, Natalie Oliver