Happy Friday, Lil Steamer Families!

From the Desk of: Principal Hoese

Lil Steamer Families --

Yesterday, our 4th & 5th graders got a break from learning in the classroom. Instead of our traditional school day, we loaded up on the buses and took a field trip for the Quad City Storm hockey game and Education Day!

Here are the experiences and lessons that they learned:

Always greet the bus driver when loading up.
Always say "Thank you" to your bus driver when you arrive at your destination.
This was the first hockey game for about 90% of our students.
Always participate doing the wave; it's fun! If it's not fun for you, it means you're getting old. (This was the first wave experience for many students!)
Say "Thank you" to all event workers (security, ticket takers, food staff, etc.) every time they provide a service for you.
Leave your area cleaner than you found it; it's a simple gesture to show respect to our hosts.
Walking in crowded spaces and not getting separated from your group is a skill; we worked on sticking together and checking on others so no one gets lost.
Thousands of students and fans cheering makes for a very LOUD experience; headphones or earplugs are a great idea to bring just in case (shoutout to the event staff who accommodated many of our students with earplugs)

I received numerous compliments from event staff who shared that our Lil Steamers were both very well behaved and courteous the entire day. Shoutout to our families who help instill those manners at home as well!

JAGH

From the Desk of: AP Marten

Can you feel that? It’s the collective sigh of relief that usually accompanies the first long weekend of the mid-winter stretch. Please note that school will be closed this coming Monday, February 16, 2026, in observance of Presidents' Day.

While modern tradition has occasionally turned this holiday into a marathon of mattress sales and car commercials, it remains a valuable moment to reflect on the leaders who have shaped our history. Whether you are spending the day diving into a history book, exploring a local museum, or simply celebrating the fact that you don’t have to pack a lunchbox on Sunday night—we hope you enjoy the extra time together. It sounds like we might have some really nice weather so maybe you can even enjoy some outside time!

From the Desk of: Counselor Meumann

Valentine’s Day is here! Consider making a valentine for your child. Writing personalized and sentimental messages in your child’s greeting card can make them feel extra loved and special on an otherwise ordinary February day.

Here are some cute messages for your most lovable mini valentines!

“Life is filled with lots of things that make it all worthwhile, but none is better than your little smile.”
“Thank you for filling my life with love.”
“Know what I like about you? Everything! Happy Valentine’s Day”
“May your every heart’s desire come true for you today.”
“It’s so sweet having a [daughter/son] like you. Hope your Valentine’s Day is extra sweet, too.”
“May your life be filled with the kind of heartfelt beauty that you bring to mine.”
“Even in a fairy tale where every dream comes true, I could never hope to find a son/daughter as sweet as you.”

We have been making some exciting changes in the library this year! One of the most recent changes is the addition of a reading "book nook" that has been added to the biography section. This nook is in honor of the former library pup, Benny. Our new reading area was a bit drab, so we went to Mr. Hoese for help! We want to thank him for adding a cozy couch to the corner for the students to curl up on while they read. It still seemed to be missing something. We reached out to Mr. Marten at FHS for a wooden bench to add to our nook. A huge thank you goes out to Mr. Marten and the high school students who helped build us a beautiful oak bench! A local Fulton resident kindly donated the wood for the bench to FHS. (Fun fact: The oak was harvested from a tree that was damaged during the 2020 derecho!) We finally have our completed reading corner, and the students are loving it! We greatly appreciate everyone who has a hand in making our library extra special!

Thank you to all the families who brought treats, drinks, and Valentine's to share with the students in 5B. The students had a fun time enjoying their treats, passing out their Valentine's, and trying to unwrap the saran wrap ball as fast as possible.

It is easy to learn about the teacher that your child/children have or have had. However, at FBP and FES, we are one large team. For this reason, we will introduce and give some fun information about each of our family members in our newsletter!