Updates September 24-October 16

	Updates September 24-October 16
24-Sep	Fun Run Heritage
24-Sep	Harriers Running Club 3:45-4:15 PM
25-Sep	Professional Day NO STUDENTS
28-Sep	CSI Simply Science 3:45-4:30 PM
30-Sep	Special Chorus 8:00-8:25 AM
30-Sep	2nd Grade to Mahaffie House 9:00 AM-12:30 PM
30-Sep	Preschool Family Fun Night 5:00-8:00 PM (canceled)
1-Oct	Harriers Running Club 3:45-4:15 PM
2-Oct	Donuts With Dad 7:30-8:15 Am
3-Oct	Jared Coones Run Black Bob Elementary 8:00 AM
5-Oct	Kindness Week Begins
5-Oct	5th Grade Program 2:30, 7:00 PM
5-Oct	CSI Simply Science 3:45-4:30 PM
6-Oct	Math Wings 3:45-4:30 PM
7-Oct	Special Chorus 8:00-8:25 AM
8-Oct	End of 1st Quarter
8-Oct	1st Grade to Johnson Farms 9:30 AM-2:30 PM
9-Oct	Professional Day NO STUDENTS
12-Oct	CSI Simply Science 3:45-4:30 PM
13-Oct	Math Wings 3:45-4:30 PM
13-Oct	PTO Meeting Hyvee 6:30-7:30 PM
14-Oct	No School For Preschool and Kindergarten
14-Oct	Special Chorus 8:00-8:25 AM
14-Oct	Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30-8:30 PM
15-Oct	NO SCHOOL Parent Teacher Conferences 11:00 AM-8:00 PM
16-Oct	NO SCHOOL

Mr. McFarland News

Watch Dogs

We had a tremendous turnout last Tuesday evening at our Watch DOG pizza night with almost 200 guests!  It is amazing to see such wonderful support for our school.  I want to make sure and thank Dan Sorrels for volunteering to lead the program this year as well as our PTO for coordinating the calendar and the 40 pizzas from Pizza Hut.  If you were unable to make it to the kick-off and would like to sign-up for a day to volunteer, please email Dan Sorrels at dansorrels@kw.com.  Feel free to email me at smcfarlandht@olatheschools.org as well with questions on scheduling.  Thanks again for your support for this great program!

Fun Run
Our PTO sponsored Fun Run will be here before we know it.  On Thursday, September 24th, we will have 382 students participating in our 2015 Fun Run!  I highly encourage parents, grandparents, and other family members and friends to attend this fun event.  The track will be located just east of the school where there will be plenty of room for our students to run and plenty of room for guests to watch.  We welcome family and friends to bring chairs to sit and cheer our on our students.  Our kindergarten students will run in the morning from 10:00-10:45.  Grades 1 and 2 will run from 1:00-1:45 and grades 3-5 will run from 2:00-2:45.  I hope you are able to join us to help encourage our Hound Dogs!

Updates September 1-September 25

	Updates September 1-September 25
1-Sep	Math Wings Library 3:45-4:30 PM
1-Sep	Watch Dog Kick Off Cafeteria Emily's Eatery 6:00-7:00 PM
4-Sep	Third Grade Fire Safety
7-Sep	Labor Day NO SCHOOL
8-Sep	Math Wings Library 3:45-4:30 PM
8-Sep	PTO Meeting HyVee 6:30 PM
10-Sep	Harriers Running Club 3:45-4:15 PM
11-Sep	Fall Picture Day 8:30 AM
11-Sep	Mid Quarter Grades Go Home
14-Sep	Fun Run Kick Off Assembly Emily's Eatery 2:30 PM
15-Sep	Math Wings Library 3:45-4:30 PM
17-Sep	Harriers Running Club 3:45-4:15 PM
17-Sep	Rachel's Challenge Parents Night Cedar Creek 7:00 PM
21-Sep	Rachel's Challenge Assemby Emily's Eatery 1:30-2:15 PM
22-Sep	Math Wings Library 3:45-4:30 PM
23-Sep	Preschool Family Fun Night Creative Commons 5:00-8:00 PM
24-Sep	Fun Run Heritage
24-Sep	Harriers Running Club 3:45-4:15 PM
25-Sep	Professional Day NO STUDENTS

Rachel's Challenge

Rachel’s Challenge Implementation in District Elementary Schools

Thanks to a grant from the Olathe Public Schools Foundation, the Rachel’s Challenge program has become a part of elementary schools in the Olathe Public Schools during this school year and last. Half of the district’s elementary schools implemented the program last school year and the remaining half will be implementing the program this fall. The remaining elementary schools will have a 45-minute assembly for students K-5 in the coming weeks.

The purpose of the elementary programs is to encourage elementary school students to live a life of purpose, do simple acts of kindness and create a KC (Kindness and Compassion) Club to make their school a better place. While Rachel Scott was the first person killed in the tragedy at Columbine High school, this program will focus on Kindness and Compassion and will make no mention of the event.

Stories from Rachel’s life and adaptations of her writings exemplify her belief that small, deliberate acts of kindness could have an impact on the world and a profound effect on those around us. All topics are presented in age-appropriate positive language. For more information about the presentation, please visit the Rachel’s Challenge website at: http://www.rachelschallenge.org/big-picture/programs/elementary/

The following schools will have Rachel’s Challenge in 2015-16: Cedar Creek, Central, Clearwater Creek, Countryside, Forest View, Havencroft, Heatherstone, Heritage, Indian Creek, Madison Place, Pleasant Ridge, Prairie Center, Ridgeview, Rolling Ridge, Sunnyside, Tomahawk, Walnut Grove and Washington.

Parent Information nights have been scheduled for any parent in the district wanting more information about the Rachel’s Challenge elementary programs. Reservations are not needed. The parent nights are at 7 p.m.:

·         Wednesday, September 16, Cedar Creek Elementary School, 11150 S. Clare Road in Olathe.

·         Wednesday, September 23, Indian Creek Elementary School, 15800 W. Indian Creek Parkway in Olathe.

 

Implementación del desafío de Rachel en las escuelas primarias del distrito

Gracias a una beca de la Fundación de las escuelas Públicas de Olathe, el programa el Desafío de Rachel ha sido parte de las escuelas primarias en las escuelas públicas de Olathe este año escolar y el anterior. La mitad de las escuelas primarias implementó el programa el pasado año escolar y la mitad restante implementara el programa este otoño. Dichas escuelas primarias tendrán una asamblea de 45 minutos para los estudiantes de kínder a 5to grado en las próximas semanas.

Additional Guidance Lessons and Library Time for 2015-16

As you know, due to budget cuts, the elementary Spanish program has been eliminated for the 2015-16 school year. The school district has a plan to accommodate the scheduled time previously used for Spanish instruction. This plan will provide meaningful learning opportunities for our students. Elementary students previously had 30 minutes of Spanish twice a week. This time will now be utilized to provide additional library experiences and increased guidance lessons for our students.

 

This change will provide an opportunity to elevate the overall impact of our elementary library program. Research, writing, and critical thinking are the cornerstones of the Kansas College and Career Readiness Standards and our library program is the perfect area for this focus. The additional guidance lessons for our students will allow our counselors to provide additional preventative lessons to help our students as they move through their elementary years of school.

Mr. McFarland News

We have had an excellent beginning to our school year here at Heritage.  We welcomed several new families and students and are so glad to have them as part of the Hound Dog community.  There are some important upcoming dates that you can see below, but I wanted to highlight 2 dates.  The first one is our PTO Block Party scheduled for Saturday, August 29^th at 6:00 PM.  ***Please note this change from previous communication.  I highly encourage our families to attend this fun event to meet/see other Heritage families.  This is simply a time for us to gather and get to know each other a little better.  The second date I’d like to highlight is our Watch DOGS Kick-Off Night on September 1^st at 5:30 PM.  We would love for our dads to bring their kids to enjoy some pizza and get signed up for a time to volunteer at Heritage as our Top Dog!

I have had the opportunity to visit every classroom these past few days to meet our new students and to discuss student expectations.  In many classrooms, we discussed the Heritage Vision that was established over the summer.  We have banners with our new vision throughout the building.  I enjoyed sharing this vision with all our students as it is our framework for where we are heading as a school.  I appreciate all the input provided by parents, staff members, and students to develop the vision for our school.

Please don't hesitate to call or email me with questions or concerns.  I look forward to working with all our families to make this an exceptional year, and I hope to see you at the Second Annual PTO Block Party on the HT back playground on August 29th at 6:00 PM.

Sincerely,

Scott McFarland
Heritage Principal

Updates August 19-September 11

	Updates August 19-September 11
19-Aug	Tornado Drill 3:00 PM
21-Aug	Watermelon Feed 10:30 AM, 3:00 PM
28-Aug	Student of the Week Lunches 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
29-Aug	Heritage Block Party 6:00 PM
1-Sep	Watch Dog Kick Off 5:30-6:00 PM
4-Sep	Student of the Week Lunches 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
7-Sep	Labor Day NO SCHOOL
8-Sep	PTO Meeting 6:30 PM - HyVee
10-Sep	Harriers Running Club 3:45-4:15 PM
11-Sep	Fall Picture Day 8:30 AM
11-Sep	Student of the Week Lunches 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
11-Sep	Mid Quarter Grades Go Home