Mustang Memo - 9/9/22
Happy Friday Mustangs~
I hope you all have enjoyed the wonderful September weather during the first weeks of school. Did you know September is National Suicide Prevention Month? During this month mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members unite to promote suicide prevention awareness. Working together to develop our collective understanding and awareness of suicide in order to prevent it is something we need to be doing every day. Talking to a counselor about any questions you or your child has about how to help support others or how to get help for yourself is a great place to start. At Moorlands we have a wonderful fulltime counselor, Mrs. Estela Gerlinger and a mental health specialist, Mrs. Sarah Hoff who works with us one day a week and every other Wednesday. Please feel free to reach out at any time with questions or concerns, all Moorlands staff are here to support our students and their family.
The theme for World Suicide Prevention Day 2022 is “creating hope through action.” We also wanted to share a video with you from one of our student mental health advocates from Inglemoor High School (Laney Brackett) who recently completed a documentary with real stories, ways of coping, and resources for those in the community about suicide: Youth Suicide Documentary Official (TeenSelfHealth.com).
As a reminder, on July 16th, “988” was designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) and is now active across the United States.
Book of the Week
Everyone written & illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
This book gives an overview of all emotions, positive and negative. From feeling frustrated to happy to all the emotions at once, Neal helps normalize the fact that everyone experiences a range of feelings.
Until next week,
Meghan Griffin, Principal (mgriffin@nsd.org)
LaTisha Joseph, Assistant Principal (ljoseph@nsd.org)
COVID Update
3 positive cases 09/06-09/09
Dates to Remember
- September 20: Curriculum Night, K-2 (meeting in the gym for the first 15 minutes)
- K/1 at 6:00pm
- 2 at 6:45pm
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Champions will provide childcare - details to come
- September 27: Curriculum Night, 3-5 (meeting in the gym for the first 15 minutes)
- 3/4 at 6:00pm
- 5 at 6:45pm
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Champions will provide childcare - details to come
2022-23 School Calendar and Hours
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You can view the 2022-23 one page calendar here
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Moorlands Elementary school hours for 2022-2023 are 9:15am-3:45pm
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Early dismissal Wednesdays 9:15am-2:15pm
Absence Reporting
As we are all getting settled into the routine of things I wanted to remind you that you can now report an absence online. Just click the link and fill out the form.
Car Drop-Off
Please be aware the gates will be locked at 9:15am for the start of school. If your family is arriving late to car drop-off and there is no longer an adult at car drop-off, please drive your student to the front office and use the main office gate as it will be the only gate unlocked during the day.
Car Pick-Up
At this point, you all should have been given signs to use during car pick-up. Thank you all who have been using the signs provided. This is very helpful and is a safety measure. If you need more signs or need something changed, please email the main office at g.moorlandsoffice@nsd.org
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Please display your sign in the front window or passenger side window.
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DO NOT park in the church parking lot. If you would like to park and pick your child up, please do so on the street. Parking in the church parking lot creates a backup, and causes those who are using the church parking lot correctly to be delayed in picking up their child.
Tech News
- Chromebooks: Most of our 2nd-5th graders have now been assigned a Chromebook for the school year - just a few stragglers remain that I'll get sorted next week! Students who had a Chromebook last year and kept it through the summer will just continue using that one. Those who didn't have one will now start bringing one home. Please help them remember to charge their Chromebooks each night and bring them to school each day. Also, please make sure to review helpful tips and expectations with your student using this document.
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iPads: At this point, all district iPads and chargers should be returned to the school. Our 2nd graders need to turn them in so I can be clean and assign them to one of our incoming Kindergarteners, and our 1st graders need to bring them in so I can get them set up and charging in carts for this school year. I will be getting all the iPads ready at the start of next week, so please make sure you return them as soon as you can. At some point, any devices that haven't been returned will be entered as missing or lost and fines will be assigned. All fines will be cleared once the device is returned and checked in at the school.
Notes from the Nurse
COVID Updates: We have adjusted our COVID-19 protocols to align with current Washington State Department of Health and CDC recommendations, and we continue to prioritize the health of our students and staff. Please continue to isolate and test for symptoms of illness and notify the office and nurse of positive test results.
Counselor’s Corner
Hello! I hope this second week of school finds everyone well. Every month, I will be sharing a Social Emotional Calendar with ideas for daily small practices that can help us improve our quality of life. I hope to implement these in my own home too, as we can always find reasons to be more mindful, grateful, and calm.
Have a great week!
Ms. Gerlinger aka: Ms. G
This week:
September 11 Grandparents Day
September 17 Constitution Day/Citizenship Day
September 17 World Clean-Up Day
Library News
Checkout has begun! Please have a safe, dry place for library books at home and make note of your Mustang's library day so books that are read can be returned for new ones.
We are in need of parent volunteers for several classes. This would be an every other week commitment:
Ms. Emerick's 4th grade class (Mondays 10:05-10:50)
Mrs. Klein's 5th grade class (Wednesdays 9:20-10:05)
Mrs. Wytko's 2nd grade class (Thursdays 2:15-3:00)
Mrs. Finch/Mrs. Caruso's 3rd grade class (Fridays 11:50-12:35)
Mrs. Stevenson's 1st grade class (Fridays 1:30-2:15)
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.
Welcome Back to School from the Mustang Choir!
Last June, the Mustang Choir prepared "Pamoja" for the start of the school year. "Pamoja" is a Swahili word meaning "Together" or "Inclusive." The artwork came from students to inspire us all to work as a team to create something wonderful this year! We hope you enjoy our performance. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q79ulxToPs2e5n7TgttHDt0JsoQmcYg_/view?usp=sharing
Students in Grades 3 - 5 are eligible to sign up for choir and sign-up forms will be coming out soon. Grade 3, "Moorlands Colts" will rehearse on Monday mornings from 8:25 AM - 9:10 AM, starting October 10 - April 3. Grades 4 -5, "Mustang Choir" will rehearse Wednesday mornings 8:25 AM - 9:10 AM, starting October 12 - April 5. Stay tuned for more information!
School Meals
Families can pay by cash or check here at school. Checks should be made payable to Northshore School District and indicate "school meals" on the memo line. Families can also manage their student's meal account online with TITAN School Solutions. The TITAN Family Portal allows parents to:
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Make online payments to your student's account (Accepts Visa and MasterCard)
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Add money to multiple students during the same session and only pay one convenience fee of $2.60.
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Remotely monitor your children’s cafeteria meal accounts
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Set up automatic and recurring payments
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Set up low account balance email and text alerts
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Transfer money between students
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Submit an online application for free and reduced 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.