West Lane Elementary

• Mon 11/2 – No School: Parent/Teacher Conferences
• Tue 11/3 – No School: Professional Development Day
• Wed 11/4 – PTO School Store; SEMO Reading Academy, 3:30–4:30 PM
• Thu 11/5 – WL Singers, 3:30–5:00 PM
• Fri 11/6 – Monday Specials, Hargis & Elfrink Ste. Gen field trip; 2nd Grade Field Trip to Dino Museum in Ste. Gen.
• Mon 11/9 – SEMO Reading Academy, 3:30–4:30 PM
• Tue 11/10 – We Run Club, 3:30–4:30 PM; PTO Meeting, 4:00–4:30 PM
• Wed 11/11 – SEMO Reading Academy, 3:30–4:30 PM
• Thu 11/12 – 3rd Grade Music Concert / Art Show, 6:00–6:30 PM; 4th Grade Music Concert / Art Show, 7:00–7:30 PM
• Fri 11/13 – Bohn & Summers Ste. Gen field trip, 8:00 AM–2:00 PM
• Mon 11/16 – SEMO Reading Academy, 3:30–4:30 PM
• Tue 11/17 – We Run Club, 3:30–4:30 PM; ROX Club, 3:30–4:30 PM
• Wed 11/18 – SEMO Reading Academy, 3:30–4:30 PM
• Thu 11/19 – Book Character Day; WL Singers, 3:30–5:00 PM
• Mon 11/23 – Fri 11/27 – No School: Thanksgiving Break
• Mon 11/30 – SEMO Reading Academy, 3:30–4:30 PM

West Lane families,

Our 6th annual Trunk or Treat was so much fun today - thank you to all of the families and community members who donated or hosted a trunk for our students.

With the cooler temperatures, I wanted to remind families that we will take students outside for recess or a break as long as the temperature OR wind chill are above 32 degrees. Please send your student to school with a jacket or sweatshirt. Our lost & found is growing daily ... if your student is missing something, please encourage them to check there!

The Jackson R2 School District is currently planning our 8th Annual Hope for Christmas Event in December and WL is collecting new coloring books, drawing pads, and journals that will be distributed during the event. Please consider donating if you are able.

Looking for ways to help your child with their reading at home? Visit the following website to access fun activities that can help get your child excited about reading!

https://www.mclass.amplify.com/homeconnect/

With the turning of the calendar to November, I often reflect on things that I am thankful for - one of those is the connection that we have with our families! Thank you for sharing your child with us each and every day.

Samantha Trankler, Principal

strankler@jr2mail.org

Dear West Lane Families,

As we welcome November and begin to enjoy the sights and traditions of the fall season, we are reminded of how thankful we are for our West Lane families! Thank you for the many ways you support your children, encourage their learning, and partner with our school. When home and school work together, we create a strong foundation for student success.

This month, we are highlighting three important areas that help children become confident, capable learners: fine motor development and reading fluency. Small moments of practice at home can make a big difference in the classroom!

Little Hands, Big Skills: Fine Motor Development

Fine motor skills involve the small muscles in our hands and fingers. These skills help children write, cut, manipulate classroom materials, fasten coats, and complete everyday tasks independently. Building these skills can be fun and doesn't require special supplies!

Try these activities at home:

• Build and create: Use LEGOs, blocks, puzzles, or playdough to strengthen little hands and fingers.

• Practice everyday skills: Encourage your child to zip a coat, button clothing, open snack containers, or use utensils independently.

• Make it a game: Use child-safe tweezers, clothespins, or tongs to move small objects from one container to another.

• Get creative: Draw, color, cut paper, make fall crafts, or help prepare a simple snack together.

Remember, these activities are about practice and progress—not perfection!

Building Strong Readers: Reading Fluency

Reading fluency means reading accurately, at an appropriate pace, and with expression. When children become more comfortable reading the words on a page, they can devote more attention to understanding what they read.

Here are a few simple ways to support reading at home:

• Make reading a daily habit: Aim for 10–15 minutes of reading together or independently, as appropriate for your child's age and reading level.

• Read it again: Rereading a familiar book or passage helps children build accuracy, confidence, and smoother reading.

• Take turns: Read a page or paragraph aloud and invite your child to read the next one. Hearing a fluent reader provides a helpful model.

• Make it expressive: Encourage your child to use different voices for characters and pay attention to punctuation.

• Talk about the text: Ask questions such as, “What is the most important thing that happened?” “What lesson did the character learn?” or “What clues helped you figure that out?”

Most importantly, keep reading positive! Let your child choose books that interest them, and celebrate the progress they make along the way.

We are grateful for our students, families, and staff who make West Lane such a special place to learn and grow. We wish your family a safe, joyful, and restful Thanksgiving season filled with opportunities to connect, make memories, and give thanks.

With gratitude,

Shanna Wilson, Assistant Principal

swilson@jr2mail.org

Staying Healthy as the Weather Gets Colder!

November is here! Thank you for helping keep our school healthy by watching for signs of illness at home and keeping your children home when they are sick. Your efforts make a big difference!

As the weather gets colder, please remember to send your child to school with a warm coat and hat. I have a limited supply of extra coats and cannot guarantee one will be available if your child forgets theirs.

• 🧥 Missing a coat? Have your child check the lost and found!
• 👕 Borrowed clothing: If your child has borrowed clothing from the Nurse’s Office, please wash it and return it as soon as possible so it is available for another student who may need it.
• ✏️ Helpful tip: Label your child’s coat with their name to help prevent it from getting lost.

❤️ Healthy Reminders for November

Let's work together to keep our students and staff healthy this season!

• 🌡️ Fever - If your child has a fever of 100.1°F or higher, please keep them home until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine.
• 🤢 Vomiting or Diarrhea - If your child has vomiting or diarrhea, please keep them home. They may return to school after being free of symptoms for 24 hours.
• 👀 Eye Discharge - If your child has yellow or green discharge coming from their eye, please keep them home and contact their healthcare provider. Students may return 24 hours after their first dose of prescribed eye drops has been given.
• 🩺 Sore Throat or Strep - If your child’s doctor suspects or diagnoses strep throat, they must have received antibiotics for at least 24 hours before returning to school.

💙 Thank You, Families!

Thank you for partnering with us to keep West Lane Elementary a healthy and happy place to learn. We appreciate all you do to help our students stay healthy, warm, and ready to learn!

Stay warm and have a healthy November! 🍁

Nurse Morgan

mloesel@jr2mail.org

Book It:

October was the first month for Book It. To participate, just reach out to Mrs. Dunham who will send home a form with your child. Once they read or sit and listen to a story you read to them for 240 minutes, then they can bring the form in. At the end of each month, certificates will be printed off for each student who reached their goal. The certificate can be taken to Pizza Hut and redeemed for a free personal pan pizza. While the Jackson location did close, there are still locations in Cape and Scott City.

Veteran's Display:

We are putting up the Veterans' Display and posters have been updated for any pictures I already have. If you have a family member who has served or is currently serving in the military, send a pic of them to Mrs. Dunham at jdunham@jr2mail.org or via Seesaw. Include their branch of government, rank if you wish, as well as how they are related to the person in the picture. Thanks so much!

Library News:

So far, we've had 3,534 books checked out from the library.

The top 5 books checked out so far this year are:

• The Pigeon Has to Go to School
• I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 (Graphic Novel)
• Minecraft Essential Handbook
• Creepy Pair of Underwear!
• Dog Man Big Jim Believes

This month we'll have several stories to go along with Veterans' Day and Thanksgiving. Also, the students in grades 1-4 have been working on writing thank you notes that we can pass out to Veterans who attend the 3rd and 4th grade Patriotic Concert. Any we have left afterwards will be taken to the Veterans Home to be passed out. Kindergarten will be working on their picture for them the first part of November.

New releases in popular series right now:

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Fight or Flight - Book 21 (October release)
• Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time - Book 11 (November release)

Mrs. Jenny Dunham, librarian

jdunham@jr2mail.org

We Run is a girls' running and healthy lifestyles club for 3rd & 4th graders. We are no longer accepting runners to join us this year, so please look for that invitation next Fall! The girls and staff of We Run have been working hard on our strength and running endurance for the past month, gradually increasing our distance each week. Please don’t forget to send a change of clothes, shoes, and snacks as needed; we run outside together when the weather permits.

Here is our November schedule:

• November 3rd - NO PRACTICE - no school this day

• November 10th

• November 17th- Last practice!

Questions? Please contact Mrs. Ellison at mellison@jr2mail.org

You can also download the School Cafe app on your smart device.

The enrollment takes less than 5 minutes and it is a tremendous help to our district.

HELLO FAMILIES!!! Can you believe it’s already November? Christmas break will be here before we know it!! I want to thank all of you who personally helped make parent teacher conference meals a success. The monetary donations along with the items brought in took a huge burden off the PTO!!! I’ve heard from several teachers how wonderful the meals were!!!

So from the PTO Board….

THANK YOU!!!

THANK YOU!!!

THANK YOU!!!

Next school store is Wednesday, Nov. 4th.

Next PTO meeting is Nov. 10th in the Library at 4PM. Snacks and childcare will be available

If you have any questions, comments, ideas, concerns, etc. please feel free to email us at westlanepto@gmail.com

After School Kids’ Club (ASKC):

Jackson R-2 School District offers After School Kids’ Club for JR2 students in preschool-6th grade. The program operates Monday–Friday after school until 5:45 PM, whenever school is in session. ASKC is a safe, fun, and engaging childcare program where students can work on homework (if needed) and play at stations that build social, emotional, cognitive, and physical skills!

Tuition / Sibling Discount

September-May tuition for the first child is $170.00. Additional children pay $153.00

For more information visit the Kids’ Club Website.

Full Day Kids Club (FDKC):

• November 2 & 3, 2026 will be the next Full Day Kids’ Club Event hosted at South Elementary.

• The last day to register and pay to avoid a late fee is October 23rd. Registrations and payments received past the deadline of October 23rd will result in a non-refundable late fee of $20.00.
• To register your child for the November 2 &3 event, click here.

• November 23-25, 2026 will be the next Full Day Kids’ Club Event hosted at South Elementary.
• The last day to register and pay to avoid a late fee is November 13th. Registrations and payments received past the deadline of November 13th, will result in a non-refundable late fee of $20.00
• To register your child for the November 23, 24, or 25 event, click here.

Dates to Remember

• No School or Full Day Kids’ Club November 26 & 27 in observance of Thanksgiving.

JHS Class of 2027 / Jackson Yard Signs 🏹

With 30 different designs to choose from, there’s something for everyone! Show your Indian pride while supporting our students!

❤️ Cost: $25 per sign

🖤 Order Deadline: Friday, November 13th

🏹 View all 30 designs here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A6iq3LOXt8rUyIquUYECuH394wI4eaCo/view?usp=sharing

📝 Place your order here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9DwpnVtET4d3S77GgrwYk_KOsU9j0ntTg5UtO1KOHJqFW6A/viewform?usp=header

Email: strankler@jr2mail.org
Website: https://wes.jacksonr2schools.com/
Location: 338 North West Lane, Jackson, MO, USA
Phone: 573-243-9565
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestLaneElementaryJR2