Deerfield Monthly Newsletter

Deerfield has shown me such a warm welcome over the past several months and I am thrilled for the opportunity to lead this school into its next era! My commitment to Deerfield students, staff and families is unwavering.

• I will be visible throughout the building
• I will be communicative and available
• I will provide a safe and supportive environment for all learners
• I will treat all with respect and kindness
• I will have student success (academically, behaviorally, socially/emotionally) at the forefront of all decision making
• I will promote engaging, rigorous, project-based content
• I will embrace family and community involvement
• I will lead by example with a collaborative and service-driven mindset
• I will work to ensure that Deerfield is a joyful place to be for all who enter

Thank you all for your support thus far, and for your continued support in the days, weeks, months and years to come!

Our Lawrence Schools Foundation will be sending each school grade level backpacks full of supplies. If you are in need of school supplies for your child, please contact the school office and we will arrange for your child to have a backpack of supplies when they arrive on the first day of school. Call Amy Treat at 785-832-5660 or email her at atreat@usd497.org.

Hopes and Dreams conferences will take place on August 12th. These conferences are a wonderful time for teachers to listen and learn about your student. During these conferences, students will have the opportunity to see their classroom and drop off their school supplies. Free childcare for siblings will be provided in the library so that families and teachers can maximize their time together.

Join us at Deerfield from 5:00-7:00 on August 12th to celebrate the start of a wonderful school year! PTO has planned an incredible evening for our learners to get together and enjoy each other's company! Kona Ice will be here and 20% of all sales go directly to our Deerfield PTO! We hope to see all of you there!

Click here if you are interested in helping with donations for our Back to School Bash or Hopes and Dreams Conferences.

• The first day of school for Kindergarten students ONLY is Tuesday, August 13th. School starts for Kindergartners at 8:00 am and will end at 11:15 am. Breakfast will be offered on this day, but no lunch due to early dismissal. Kindergartners will enter through the North Playground door beginning no earlier than 7:45 am. Families will be allowed to walk their child to their classroom on this first day of school only and will need to exit the building by 8:00.

• The first day of school for grades 1-5 is Wednesday, August 14th. We will follow our regular Wednesday schedule (8:00-1:35). Parents will be allowed to walk their child to their classroom on this first day of school only and must exit the building by 8:00. Assigned entrances are listed below in the arrival/dismissal section.

• Beginning on August 15th, our school day will be from 8:00 am to 3:05 pm.
  

KDG Families-Please note that the first three days of school this year will have different dismissal times each day.

• Tuesday, August 13th: 11:15
• Wednesday, August 14th: 1:35
• Thursday, August 15th: 3:05

Please take a few minutes to review our procedures for a safe and efficient arrival and dismissal. School hours are 8:00-3:05 on M, T, Th, F, and 8:00-1:35 on Wednesdays. The building doors will be open for students at 7:45 am. We will continue with assigned entrances for different grade levels (see below). Students arriving after 8:00 am will need to enter through the front doors.

• Doors open at 7:45 a.m.

• Students eating breakfast should be at school by 7:45. Breakfast will not be served after 8:00.

• Students should not come to school before 7:45am as doors are locked and there is no adult supervision.

• Parents may wait outside with their child prior to doors opening for the day.

Deerfield Entrances from 7:45-8:00 am:

• Jen Walter's Class - Northwest Door

• Kdg & 1st grade students enter through the North Playground door

• 2nd & 3rd grade students enter through the South Playground door

• 4th & 5th grade students enter through the Front Entrance

**Note-Older students can enter with their younger sibling if needed.

Late students arriving to school after 8:00 am will need to enter through the front entrance.

Procedure Reminders:

1. Students will enter the building through their assigned grade level door.

2. Students wanting to eat breakfast will go directly to the cafeteria. All other students will go directly to their classroom.

3. Students arriving after 8:00 am will enter through the front entrance.

4. Breakfast will not be served after 8:00 am.

Students leaving before dismissal

• Call the office once you arrive at the school and ask for your student to be released.

• Office staff will sign the student out and watch the student until they are safely in your vehicle.

• OR you may come into the office to sign your child out.

Dismissal

• Parents should follow the Traffic Plan when picking up students from school at dismissal time.

• Teachers will exit with students at dismissal time: MTTF: 3:05, Wednesdays: 1:35

• ALL Teachers will walk their own students outside to wait for students to be picked up.

• Older students can wait with their younger siblings in the younger sibling waiting area.

• Ms. Walter's classroom will exit out Northwest door

• Kindergarten will wait for parent pick up on the North playground

• First Grade will wait for parent pick up on North lawn area

• 2nd and 3rd Grade will wait for parent pick up on the South front sidewalk

• 4th and 5th Grade will wait for parent pick up on the North front sidewalk

A link for breakfast and lunch menus is provided at the bottom of this newsletter. Families MUST apply to receive free or reduced-price meals and school fee waivers for the 2024-2025 school year. We encourage all families to apply! District Food Service staff are happy to assist families with completing the application at the Educational Support Center, 110 McDonald Drive, or contact them by phone at 785-832-5000 for assistance.

Below you will find the links for applying for free/reduced breakfast and lunch. It is encouraged that all families apply. More information is available at https://www.usd497.org/FoodService

• Apply Now (English)
• Apply Now (Spanish)
• Apply Now (Arabic)
• Apply Now (French)
• Apply Now (Filipino)
• Apply Now (Vietnamese)
• Apply Now (Chinese-Mandarin)

COST OF MEALS

Full Price

Breakfast -$2.00 Lunch-$3.00

Reduced Price

Breakfast - $.30 Lunch - $.40

Adult

Breakfast - $2.55

Lunch - $4.65

Extra Milk

$.85

If your child will require medication during the school day, please fill out a medication permission form(s) available in the office. You should then send the form(s) AND the medication(s) to school with your student. Please be sure that any PRESCRIPTION medication includes the CURRENT LABEL with the prescription information adhered to the bottle. For any OVER-THE-COUNTER medication, please be sure that the directions for use are clearly labeled on the bottle AND that the medication is for CHILDREN (not adult). Adult strength over-the-counter medication cannot be given to children without a prescription.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE notify the school nurse or teacher that your child has the medication with them on the first day and we will gather the supplies from your student and keep them readily available at school. If you have any questions or want to discuss your child's medication plan please contact Diane Thomas at dthomas@usd497.org or by calling the office at 785-832-5660.

Be Respectful

Be Responsible

Be Ready to Learn

Students will be taught our expectations within the first few weeks of school, and will continue to review and practice these expectations throughout the entirety of the school year. We appreciate your support in reinforcing these expectations with your student(s).

The FERPA Annual Notice directs parents who object to the public release of directory information to let office staff know and they will submit the request on the guardians behalf through PowerSchool. If we do not receive word of objection your student's contact information will be listed as shown below....

Student Name:

Parent/Guardian 1:

Address:

Phone:

Email:

Parent/Guardian 2:

Phone:

Each Thursday your child will bring home a folder filled with school work, newsletters from their teacher, and more. Please remove and look through the contents of this folder each Thursday evening and bring the empty folder back to school on Friday. The QR code attached to this folder is a direct link to the Newsletter portion of our school website so that you have easy access to current and previous classroom and building wide information.

The Lawrence Schools Foundation Kids Expo event will include free screenings, educational opportunities, free shoes, haircuts and back to school supplies as well as prize drawings and free giveaways, food, entertainment and more!

The Kids Expo is a free event for the community where families and children are able to participate in a wide variety of creative activities while learning about Lawrence Public Schools and community services, educational programs, businesses, and extracurricular activities.

More than 27 businesses and organizations will be joining in on the fun including fire & medical, Dottie the book truck from Lawrence Public Library, live music and inflatables with KU athletics!

Join us from 9:00-1:00 at 110 McDonald Drive.

101 Lawrence Avenue

Lawrence, Ks 66049

785-832-5660

summer.moeckel@usd497.org