Sunflower Elementary School 616 E. Douglas, Andover, KS 67002

Mrs. Rita Decker, Principal (316) 218-4730

“Where Students Blossom”

   August  12,  2010    Dear  Parent(s)/Guardian(s):    Welcome  to  Sunflower  Elementary!    Being  in  school  is  an  exciting  time  for  children  as  they  embark  upon  new  adventures  in  the  world  of  learning.        So  much  happens  in  school.  Your  child  will  learn  how  to  read,  write  stories,  add,  subtract,  and  so  much  more.    We  at  Sunflower  Elementary  hope  to  make  your  child’s  time  in  school  a  daily  learning  experience  filled  with  fun  and  excitement,  while  instilling  a  love  of  learning  that  will  last  throughout  your  child’s  life.    It  is  important  for  parents  to  set  high  standards  for  their  children  at  home  and  in  school.    Students  whose  parents  expect  them  to  do  well  in  school  have  a  better  chance  of  learning  success.  Encourage  your  youngster  to  give  their  best  effort  in  everything  they  do.    Let  them  know  that  some  things  may  be  harder  for  them  than  others,  but  there  is  no  excuse  for  not  trying.    A  new  fee  approved  by  the  district  board  of  education  is  the  Technology  Fee.    The  district  has  worked  hard  to  determine  ways  to  make  budget  cuts  and  not  lose  the  integrity  of  our  district.      This  fee  will  pay  for  instructional  software  used  by  students  K-­‐12.    Some  of  the  software  the  district  is  looking  at  currently  is  United  Streaming,  Accelerated  Reader,  NWEA  (Northwest  Evaluation  Association)  Testing  software  and  DIBELS  (Dynamic  Indicators  of  Basic  Early  Literacy  Skills).    Without  this  technology  fee  we  would  have  to  find  the  equivalent  money  somewhere  else  within  our  budget.    We  are  looking  to  the  future  when  the  financial  woes  of  our  state  have  improved  and  we  don’t  have  to  make  these  difficult  decisions.    Sunflower’s  academic  achievements  continue  to  show  high  levels  of  academic  success  with  the  ongoing  effort  provided  by  all  stake  holders.    “Effort”  has  been  our  theme  for  the  past  few  years  and  with  the  dedicated  efforts  of  the  talented  educators  working  to  meet  your  child’s  educational  needs,  everyone  gained  success  at  Sunflower.    We  are  looking  forward  to  reaching  our  2010-­‐2011  goals  again  in  all  areas.      As  students  arrive  at  school  around  8:25  a.m.,  please  instruct  them  to  report  to  their  classroom  on  the  first  day  of  school,  Thursday,  August  19th,  and  to  the  gym  for  Jump  Start  on  Friday,  August  20th.    Kindergarten  students  will  go  to  their  classrooms  on  the  first  day  of  class,  Monday,  August  23th  when  they  arrive  at  school.      In  the  past  few  years  we  have  had  extra  supervision  with  our  aides.    Those  positions  have  been  cut  by  4  positions  district  wide  impacting  Sunflower  with  the  loss  of  two  instructional  aides  and  reduced  hours  for  those  remaining.    Our  building  will  be  locked  until  8:00  a.m.  and  only  those  

students  that  are  paying  for  the  YMCA  Latchkey  service  will  be  entering  through  the  cafeteria.    We  ask  that  you  provide  daycare  for  your  child  before  8:25  a.m.  and  not  send  them  to  school  unsupervised.    We  will  have  staff  on  duty  at  8:15  a.m.  for  those  students  eating  breakfast.    Please  call  me  if  you  have  questions  or  concerns  about  this.    The  Sunflower  Newsletter  and  website  will  provide  you  with  information  to  help  keep  you  up-­‐to-­‐date  on  the  school  happenings.    We  have  scrolling  photos  of  our  students  on  the  initial  webpage  so  make  sure  to  check  it  out!  The  newsletter  will  come  out  at  the  end  of  the  month  for  the  upcoming  month.    You  will  receive  a  form  at  “Meet  Your  Teacher  Night”  asking  if  you  would  like  an  electronic  copy  or  a  hard  copy.    Please  return  that  form  to  your  child’s  teacher.    We  have  only  a  couple  of  changes  this  year  with  staff.  Liz  Kitterman  will  be  joining  us  in  the  office  as  a  new  Administrative  Assistant.    Liz  Kitterman    and  her  husband,  Doug,  have  lived  in  Andover  for  18  years  off  and  on.    She  has  one  daughter,  Alex,  that  just  graduated  from  ACHS  and  a  son,  Cole,  that  is  a  sophomore  at  ACHS.    She  joined  us  on  August  2nd.    Please  introduce  yourself  to  her,  helping  her  get  acquainted.    The  library  will  share  two  librarians  as  we  welcome  back  Mrs.  Kathy  Reichenberger  two  days  a  week  and  Ms.  Suzanne  Eastman  two  days  a  week.    The  other  day,  Mrs.  Pyles,  our  Library  Clerk,  will  be  working  in  the  library.    Sunflower  will  share  a  librarian  with  PCES  and  MES.      The  only  other  changes  will  be  the  same  staff  teaching  in  different  classrooms.    They  are  noted  below.           1st  Grade:    Lisa  Stonehocker       2nd    Grade:    Karen  Perkins              Please  welcome  our  new  Administrative  Assistant  and  renew  acquaintances  with  continuing  staff  by  joining  us  at  Sunflower  Elementary  on  August  17th  from  5:30  p.m.  to  6:30  p.m.  at  Meet  Your  Teacher  Night.    This  is  a  “come  and  go”  evening  for  you  to  visit  your  child’s  teachers  in  their  classrooms.      We  will  have  greeters  at  the  doors  to  help  guide  your  family  to  the  classrooms.    We  appreciate  your  cooperation  and  look  forward  to  an  exciting  new  year.        Sincerely,            Mrs.  Rita  Decker  Sunflower  Elementary  Principal    Enclosures    Your  teacher  assignments  are  enclosed  with  this  letter!