Prairie Creek Panther Post

We’re excited to kick off our first full week of school! It’s been wonderful having our students back, and we’re looking forward to welcoming our Preschool and Kindergarten students very soon.

This week, students are learning schoolwide procedures, practicing teamwork, and beginning academics. Some classes will also start testing toward the end of the week, so it’s important that students come to school well-rested and ready to learn each day.

📲 ClassDojo Reminder
Hopefully everyone has signed up for ClassDojo!

Online: Visit the ClassDojo homepage, select Parent, and create an account using your email or Google sign-in. You’ll need a code from your child’s teacher to connect to the class.
App: Download the ClassDojo app, tap I’m a Parent, and follow the prompts to connect using your teacher’s code.
Note: There is a paid version, but you can bypass that—ClassDojo remains free for families.

🚗 Car Rider Reminder
For safety, parents should not stand in the car rider area. If you would like to walk your child in, please park your car and use the front entrance on the north side of the building.

August 18 – First Day of School for Kindergarten and Early Learning

August 21 – Transportation Fees Due

Students with unpaid fees will no longer be allowed to ride the bus.

We are a Capturing Kids’ Hearts school, and our Word of the Month is Empathy. Throughout the month, we will focus on understanding others’ feelings, showing kindness, and building stronger connections with those around us.

As part of this month and September, we are also exploring careers in Family and Consumer Science! These careers are all about teaching important life skills such as cooking, nutrition, budgeting, and caring for others.

If you work in this field and have a picture of yourself at work, we would love to feature it on our Career Bulletin Board to inspire our students.

🎉3rd-5th Grade Girls! Inner strength. Build confidence. Make meaningful connections.

Sign ups for Girls on the Run ends Sept. 19. Practices will be Monday/Wednesday 4-5:30pm, finishing with a 5k on Saturday, November 22

https://www.girlsontherunks.org/

🎶 Prairie Creek Singers 🎶
We are excited to share that Prairie Creek Singers will begin on August 26th! More information will be coming home this week from 4th and 5th grade classroom teachers, so please keep an eye out for details.

-Mr. Vajnar

Welcome Back to a New School Year!

We are excited to kick off another great year in the library! Book checkout will begin next week, and we’ve taken time to review how to properly care for books and library materials.

This year, our schedule will look a little different. I'll be seeing K-5th grade classes more than once a week. Please note that students are not expected to return a book at every visit. I've explained to students that they should return books once they've finished reading them. After returning their books, they will be able to check out new ones.

As a reminder, students may keep library books for up to two weeks. After that, books are considered overdue. At that point, students must either return the book or renew it in order to continue borrowing materials.

Looking forward to a great year of reading and learning together! Don’t forget to check the library website for information, pictures, and upcoming events!

https://sites.google.com/usd385.org/prairie-creek-library/home

It was so great to see all the smiling faces coming back to school! Excited to see our new Kindergarteners and Early Learning students join us on Monday! Here’s to an amazing 2025-2026 school year!!

Mrs. Bradford

School Counselor

BradforK@usd385.org

(316) 218-4830

Be on the lookout for a PTO flyer coming home with your child. There is a lot of great information about the PTO, what we do, and why we do it! If you are a part of this school, you are a part of the PTO! We would love to see you at monthly meetings, events, and around the school. We're ready to Glow and Grow this year!

👕2025-2026 Glow and Grow tshirt orders have begun!

https://artistikpromo-pce.square.site/

🛼Our first family event!! Skate night at Carousel Skate ICT, August 29, 6-9pm! Free skate rental when ordering tickets online. Class with the highest attendance receives a pizza and lemonade party at the event; and the teacher receives a $20 amazon giftcard!

Our FIRST PTO meeting of the year will be September 9th, 6pm, PCE Library. This will be an important kickoff meeting - we will be approving this year's budget, making final plans for the main fundraiser of the year, and discussing other fall events!

Stay connected by joining our parent Facebook group:
📘 Prairie Creek Parent Group

🍎 Prairie Creek PTO Page

Or follow the school on Facebook:
🏫 Prairie Creek Elementary

September 1 – Labor Day (No School)

September 2 – Deadline for Online Registration

Accounts will be deactivated for those not registered.
Students signed up for transportation after July 31 are not guaranteed transportation.

Arrival and Dismissal

School Hours: 8:45-3:45 (All Day Kindergarten – Fifth Grade)

Doors Open at 8:35. Dismissal begins at 3:45.

8:35 - 11:50 (A.M. Pre-K and Early Childhood)

12:30 - 3:45 (P.M. Pre-K and Early Childhood)

Arrival - The doors will remain locked until our first bell at 8:35 A.M. If you are in the Car Rider Line, children may NOT exit your vehicle, until the doors open. If you need to walk your child to class, or visit the office, you must enter the North Side of the building, and check-in through the Office. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. This is a District Wide Mandate, and it will be followed, as it ensures the safety of our staff and our students.

Late Arrivals after 8:45 A.M. - The school day starts at 8:45 A.M. Promptly at 8:45 A.M. Bell, the East and West Exterior Doors will be locked. If your child arrives late, please drop your child off at the front of the building which faces the YMCA. Students will be checked in, lunch order taken, and students will be given a tardy slip to enter their classroom.

Dismissal - All Prairie Creek KG - 5th Grade families will be given a Car Rider Number. This number MUST be displayed in order for your child to be released to you in the Car Rider Line. Please have your Card Rider Sign clear and visible in your windshield. If there is no Car Rider Sign, the parent/guardian will be asked to go to the Office to pick up their student(s). This is for the safety and well-being of our staff and students, and there will be no exceptions. While in the Car Rider Line, it is important that you pull up as far as possible to allow us to dismiss students smoothly and quickly. Parents are NOT allowed to park and walk up to get their students. This creates an unsafe situation and will not be allowed. Please watch your speed and attention while in the Car Rider area, as there are many students exiting their cars and/or walking home.

Car Rider Pickup and Dropoff for PreK & Early Childhood is on the East Side of the Building, next to the YMCA Turf Fields. Parents will enter from YMCA Drive.

Car Rider Pickup and Dropoff for Kindergarten - 5th Grade is on the West Side of the Building. The line will form on the road in front of the Farha Center. Parents should NOT try to drive south on Yorktown, and attempt to make a left hand turn into the Parking Lot!

Week of August 18th Week of August 18th

📆 Our Schedule This Week 📆 Our Schedule This Week

💛🖤Capturing Kids Hearts💛🖤 💛🖤Capturing Kids Hearts💛🖤

Girls on the Run 🏃🏻‍♀️ Girls on the Run 🏃🏻‍♀️

A Note From Music 🎶 A Note From Music 🎶

A Note From the Library 📚 A Note From the Library 📚

Counselors Corner🎒 Counselors Corner🎒

A Note From PTO 🏫 A Note From PTO 🏫

🍕 Weekly Lunch Menu 🍕 Weekly Lunch Menu

🙌 TAKE A LOOK INSIDE PCES 🙌 TAKE A LOOK INSIDE PCES

💡Reminders 💡Reminders

📆Upcoming Dates this Month 📆Upcoming Dates this Month

Arrival and Dismissal