Mighty Mascoutah
December Edition Vol. 12
December is a busy, yet exciting month at Mascoutah Elementary School! Please read as we have several pieces of important information for the month of December.
Communication between home & school is vital for student success. All of us at MES are dedicated to supporting our vision statement: "MES is committed to provide excellence in learning by engaging every student every day. Every student and all staff will be contributing members of society who value the pursuit of learning and service to others by demonstrating critical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, and compassion."
Sincerely,
MES Admin
THANK YOU FOR SHOUTING OUT OUR AMAZING STAFF
We love to hear about all the amazing things our staff are doing in the lives of our MES Scholars. During this joyful holiday season, if your child's teacher has gone above and beyond to make you and your child feel supported, take a moment to share a special shout-out!
Your kind words will be passed along to our staff and displayed in our front office, spreading cheer and filling our halls with heartfelt holiday affirmations.
Let’s wrap our teachers in a little extra gratitude this season! 🎁✨
Santa's Kottage is an independent shopping experience where your child can purchase gifts for their loved ones! Santa’s Kottage is designed to be a safe, kid friendly environment where children can learn how to budget and spend wisely while still experiencing “the gift of giving.”
Each class will have a designated date/time to shop, similar to the Book Fair (schedule posted below). Santa’s Kottage has a wide selection of affordable presents to choose from, ranging from $1 to $10. Packets will be sent home that include a special budgeting envelope...this allows you and your child to decide ahead of time how much they can spend on each gift. We will also have a staff of "elves" on hand to assist your child with their shopping experience!
You can access a list of gifts available by visiting www.santaskottage.com
*Prices will be listed under the Profit Column*
*Purchases will be tax-exempt*
*Cash and Online purchases available*
Volunteers will assist students with selecting gifts within their prices range and wrapping presents (simple gift bags, no cutting or tape!). No skills are needed other than a cheerful attitude! Shifts are in 1 hour increments and during school/duty hours. Any help and time you can volunteer is appreciated!
Please sign up to assist by emailing baerc@msd19.org
**Please note that volunteers MUST have and present a valid driver's license to enter the school, CAC’s are not compatible with their background check systems.
Hello,
We will be having a benefit to raise money for the Mascoutah Food Pantry on Wednesday, December 10th from 5-8pm. Chris Cakes, a catering company, will make and flip pancakes that students and parents will catch with their plates! The dinner will include all you can eat pancakes, sausage, and Tang. Students will also be making a craft, there will be a visit from Santa, story time with retired teachers and our very own Mrs. Kowalski, and Santa’s Kottage will be open if families would like to purchase gifts. If you are curious what all of this is really about, please watch this quick video for a peek in on all of the fun. Feel free to show the video to your class too. Hope to see you there!
Nutriional Facts: https://www.chriscakesstl.com/nutritional-and-allergy-information/
If you would like to assist with this amazing evening please click here.
Thanks,
Mrs. Mafte
Beginning January 1, 2026, our school will be updating the way we communicate about student absences. We will no longer make phone calls to parents or guardians when a student is absent without notification. Instead, families will receive an alert through TeacherEase (TE) indicating that the absence is currently marked as unexcused.
Parents and guardians will then need to contact the school office to provide the reason for the absence so it can be updated in our system. This change will help streamline communication and ensure attendance records are accurate and up to date.
Welcome to MES Nurse Kaitlin Lillard-Pierce
We are so excited to have Nurse Kaitlin Lillard-Pierce join our dynamic team. She is already hitting the road running. Please see a quick note from her desk regarding the winter season.
From the Desk of Nurse Kaitlin
With winter weather arriving, please change out warmer clothes to have on hand at school for your student if you have not already done so. Long Sleeved shirt, pants, and a pair of underwear to keep on hand at school in their locker for spills, tears, accidents, etc. Accidental clothing mishaps happen everyday and to all age groups. Having an extra set of clothes on hand at school helps your student return to class and ready to learn in a timely manner.
Cold and flu season is here too. An information sheet from the CDC is included on how to reduce respiratory Illness this Holiday Season. Staying home when ill, good hand washing habits, and covering a cough also helps reduce spreading illness to others. Students should be fever free (<100.4) x 24hrs as well as no vomiting or diarrhea x 24hrs before returning to school.
Reminder that any medications, including over the counter, must have a medication form completed by the doctor and signed by the parent to be given at school. Please do not send any medications to school with your student. Parents should bring medications to the office with the completed form if they need to be administered at school. If you have questions or need me to send you a form please call.
PICK UP AND DROP OFF REMINDERS
As we approach the winter months, please be mindful that patience is a must for drop off and pick up times due to more cars being present in the parking lot. Please know that we are doing our best to get students in cars quickly, but safety is always our priority. If you need to help your child in and out of the car, please park in the parking lot and walk your child to and from the building. If you are using the pick up/drop off lane, please remain in your vehicle in order for traffic to continue moving. If your child is a walker or a bike rider, please remind them the importance of staying on the sidewalk and looking both ways before crossing the street. As a reminder, state law prohibits the use of cell phones in school zones. Thank you for your cooperation!
Mascoutah School District 19 utilizes a district-wide calling system to notify families of school closures due to inclement weather during the winter months. Please ensure that your phone numbers are updated in Skyward.
In addition to our calling system, announcements regarding school closures will be aired on local television stations KMOV Channel 4 and KSDK Channel 5.
As we transition to colder weather in the Midwest, we want to remind you that students will continue to go outside for recess unless the windchill temperature drops below 20 degrees. Please consider sending extra hats and gloves for students to keep in their locker. Remember to label all hats/coats/lunch boxes with your child's name.
