Mustang Memo - 10/28/22

Happy Sunday Mustangs~

Fall is in full swing, and the rainy season has officially begun. Please send your child with a jacket and appropriate footwear as we have recess outside rain or shine. As October comes to a close, we will focus on a new character trait for November - caring (last month was respect). Show you care through compassion, being thoughtful, expressing gratitude, helping others in need, forgiving others, putting others first, performing random acts of kindness, and being a listener. Join our efforts and share with your child how your family expresses caring.

Tomorrow, October 31, is Halloween. It is a time when people dress up in costumes, go trick-or-treating (go from house to house saying, “Trick or treat!” and receive candy), and carve jack-o’-lanterns from hollowed out pumpkins. The origins of Halloween date back to several ancient festivals held in autumn. In ancient times, the holiday was marked by customs started by pagans. Pagans believed in many gods rather than a single god. It was believed that on the last night of October, the spirits of the dead roamed the earth. The holiday is also called All Hallows’ Eve. In the Christian church, All Hallows’ Eve is the night before All Saints’ Day. On November 1, All Saints’ Day honors all the Christian saints.

For those of you celebrating Halloween and going trick-or-treating tomorrow, have fun and be safe!

Until next week,
Meghan Griffin, Principal (mgriffin@nsd.org)
LaTisha Joseph, Assistant Principal (ljoseph@nsd.org)

Dates to Remember

November 8 - General PTA Meeting: 7-8:30pm in the Moorlands Library
November 11 - Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL
November 15 - Picture Retakes
November 17-23 - Elementary Conferences: School ends at 12:25pm
November 24-25 - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL
March 17 - Moorlands Dance-A-Thon

2022-23 School Calendar and Hours

You can view the 2022-23 one page calendar here
Moorlands Elementary school hours for 2022-2023 are 9:15am-3:45pm
Early dismissal Wednesdays 9:15am-2:15pm

COVID Update

The Department of Health (DOH) requires schools to inform families and students about COVID-19 case numbers and potential outbreaks. This week, there were a total of one confirmed case at our school. The accuracy of our data depends on self-reporting. Thank you for continuing to let the school know if your child tests positive for COVID-19. To view additional information, including school and district trends visit the District’s COVID-19 data dashboard. The dashboard is updated weekly on Monday evenings.

If your child is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 keep them home and test for COVID-19. Families can order free COVID-19 tests from the state. Together, we can keep our schools healthy and safe.

Veteran's Tribute Assemblies

We will be holding two assemblies to honor our nation’s veterans. The assembly date will be Thursday, November 10th with grade levels assigned to the below times:

1:20 PM - 4th and 5th Grades
2:15 PM - K - 3rd Grades

This year we are inviting families (students and/or parents) to contribute a brief narrative about a special veteran in their lives. Please limit your submission to a few paragraphs. Digital photos with narratives are fine limited to one page. Our plan is to post these stories in the library during the month of November. Some excerpts may be shared during the November 10th assemblies. Email your veterans tribute to Kelly Griffin kgriffin@nsd.org by Tuesday, November 7, 2022.

Families, including veterans are welcome to join us at one of the assemblies. Please fill out the RSVP form if you wish to attend one or both of the assemblies.

https://forms.gle/mcs6rJ7bp532JsFt7

Sincerely,
Kelly Griffin
Veteran’s Day Coordinator
kgriffin@nsd.org
(425) 408-5109

Old Information

Math Challenge 2022-2023 has started!!!

We are planning to start having in person, before school work-sessions for students to work together and with volunteers on the bi-weekly challenge problems. Beginning Oct. 26th and then every other week following (if we have enough students interested)

If you are interested in having your student participate in this before school work session send them to Mrs Pearia's rm 601 (by the playground) at 8:40 starting Wednesday, Oct. 26th.

This coming week, Oct. 12, we will be handing them out outside the classroom as in the past.

If you are interested in volunteering to help (you must be a district approved volunteer), please email mathchallenge@moorlandspta.org.

If your student is interested in participating in our Math challenge program this year you can follow these easy steps:

There are 2 options to getting the problem sets:
- Print from the school website: https://www.mathinaction.org/moorlands.html
  Just click the 'Current Math Challenge' button on the website to find the link to the problem set.
- Pick-up at school on the date shown above starting at 9am.
  There will be a table outside the classroom, with copies for kids to take home.
- Kids can pick-up a hard copy before class starts, outside of Mrs. Pearia classroom #601 (next to the playground).
- Starting Wednesday Oct. 26th (Challenge 3). We will open up the classroom at 8:40 for work sessions.
There are 2 options for returning the work:
- Email 'Complete' to mathchallenge@moorlandspta.org by the due date.
  Include the following on the email: child's name, grade, teacher's name, and number of problems solved.
  Notice that there is no need to attach a copy of the work done, as parents can check the answers online.
- On the due date, kids can drop-off the papers before class starts, outside of Mrs. Pearia classroom #601 (next to the playground).
  There will be a table outside the classroom, to return the paperwork.
Solution will be available online at the school website https://www.mathinaction.org/moorlands.html
Just click the 'Current Math Challenge' button on the website to find the link to the solution of the problem set.
For any questions (including math problems), email to mathchallenge@moorlandspta.org or post at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/575966879589003/

Happy calculating!!!
Marta B. & Mrs. Pearia.

Absence Reporting

School Meals

School Meal Accounts - Register on Titan

NSD moved from PayPams to Titan in 2020 but many families have not registered in Titan yet due to meals being free for the last two years. All account balances were transferred automatically from PayPams to Titan, but families need to register in order to view or add money to student accounts.

Apply for Free & Reduced Price Meals

Families will need to reapply for benefits by the end of September.

Library News

We have circulated over 7000 books since the first week of school. Way to go, Mustang Readers!!

K-2nd graders have clear bags to store their library books in. These should come back to the library each week.

We are still looking for every other weekly commitment to help out with these classes:
Mrs. Klein's 5th grade class (Wednesdays 9:20-10:05)
Mrs. Wytko's 2nd grade class (Thursdays 2:15-3:00)

Please contact Veronica Webb at veronica.fine.webb@gmail.com if interested

Celebrate your child's birthday and support the Moorlands Library! We will be continuing the online model through an Amazon Wish list Ms. Schroeder has put together. (You are more than welcome to purchase the hardcover copy at your favorite bookstore as well.) By donating to the Birthday Book Club, you will endow our school library with a book chosen by your child. Once purchased, the book will be processed and cataloged. During the month of your child’s birthday (or summer half birthday), a Birthday Book Club bookplate will be placed inside stating that it was donated to the Moorlands Library. Your child will be the first student to read the new book before it is returned to the library for all to enjoy.

Tech News

Hi Mustangs!

Please remember to follow our PRIDE traits regarding school laptops and iPads at ALL times - at school, at home and everywhere in between!

Whether you walk or take the bus to and from school, it's important to keep those devices safely tucked away in your backpack/laptop case. Your device can easily fall out of your hands and break, and we definitely don't want that. Even more importantly for our bus riders, taking your device out is unsafe for YOU and everyone sitting around you. Keep them put away until you get to school or home!