UPCOMING EVENTS January 8 PTA Board Meeting 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. 10 Early Dismissal 1:55 p.m. 12 PTA FREE Movie Night 6:30 p.m. “Despicable Me 3” 15 Martin Luther King Day NO SCHOOL 17 Early Dismissal 1:55 p.m. 18 Kindergarten Reading Night 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. 24 Early Dismissal 1:55 p.m. 26 Band/Orchestra Concert 2:25 - 2:55 p.m. 30 Teacher Workshop Day NO SCHOOL 31 Early Dismissal 1:55 p.m. February 5 PTA Board Meeting 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. 7 Early Dismissal 1:55 p.m. 8 Honoring Goals Assembly TBD 12-16 Student/Teacher/Parent Goal Conferences 12:55 p.m. Dismissal PTA Bookfair 13 Parent Late Night Conferences 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Martin Sortun Elementary 12711 SE 248th Street, Kent, WA 98030 253-373-7314 http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/MS

Mountaineer Messenger

January 4, 2018

Kent School District Mission Statement

Successfully Prepare All Students For Their Future.

ORDER YOUR STUDENT'S YEARBOOK TODAY!

Online orders are now available at: YBPAY.LIFETOUCH.COM

Yearbook ID Code: 13079118 Cost Per Book: $15.00

If you have any questions, please contact

Nicole Wright at msptayearbook@gmail.com.

Kindergarten Orientation Kindergarten registration packets and district kick off starts January 16, 2018 for the 2018-2019 school year. Please keep in mind the below information when preparing to register your student with the Kent School District. • Students must register at their boundary school, according to the attendance area boundaries. • Records of Immunizations completed and signed Washington State Department of Health Certificate of Immunization Status. • Proof of Residency - Acceptable forms of residence/address verification include residential rental or lease agreement, resi-dential utility bill or cable bill no more than one-month old that includes the parent/guardian name and address. Please note that a cell phone bill is not an acceptable form of residence/address verification. • Student Identification & Proof of Age - Original or certified copy of birth certificate, or other legal document which include the student’s name and date of birth, such as, passport, court documents, Washington State identification card, adoption papers.

Congratulations to the Martin Sortun

Volleyball Team. The girls tied for 1st Place and the

boys took 4th Place in the District competition on

Saturday, December 9th.

Awesome job everyone! Way to go!!

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From the Cook…

Student meal low and negative balances notices are sent home on Thursdays.

Auto-dialer will notify parents if your student owes money for lunches.

Breakfast is from 8:55 - 9:10 a.m.

******************************************

**Weather Schedule Changes**

If school starts one hour late due to weather, breakfast will be served at 9:55 a.m. (1 hour late).

If school starts two hours late - NO breakfast will be served.

Occasionally, due to food availability from Central Kitchen, there could be unplanned menu changes. Call 253-373-7938, to hear a recording of the

elementary lunch menu for the entire week or view the menu online at:

www.kent.k12.wa.us/KSD/ck/printablemenus.html

Pay for School Meals Online

Lunch Money Now - On-Line Tools for Managing Your Student’s Meal Account Have you tried the on-line services available on our Lunch Money Now

website? Here are the things you can do: • Check your student’s meal account balance • Deposit funds into accounts using your credit

or debit card. Start managing your child’s meal account on-line today at: https://www.lunchmoneynow.com/lmn001/Main.htm Questions? Call the Kent School District Food and Nutrition Services office at 253-373-7275.

Kent School District does not discriminate in programs, activities, admissions, access, treatment, or employment on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Title IX and State Law Compliance Coordinator, Chief Accountability Officer, 253-373-7134; Section 504/ADA Coordinator, Executive Director, Student and Family Support Services, 253-373-7010. Kent School District will also take steps to assure that national origin persons who lack Eng-

lish language skills can participate in all education programs, services and activities. For information regarding translation services or bilingual education, contact the Director of Multilingual Education at 253-373-7269.

From the Nurse’s Desk…

Dear Parents, We are heading toward cold and flu season, YIKES!!! Please keep your student home from school for any of the following: A fever of 100 degrees or greater (off any fever medications) vomiting diarrhea discharge from the eyes if your child is not feeling well he/she has a deep hacking cough that causes

gagging, disrupts sleeping at night, or if he/she cannot do normal activities without having a coughing attack

If your child needs medication at school we MUST have a medication authorization form signed from your student’s doctor on file at school. Students are not allowed to take medications at school without a medical authorization. This would include ALL med-ication to include prescription and non-prescription medicines (cough drops, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, eye drops, medicated creams, inhalers). In the absence of a medication authorization, a parent may come to the school and administer any needed medication. If you have questions, please contact the school nurse.

New Phone? New Email?

If you have a new phone number or

email address, please let the school

office know. We want to ensure that

we can contact you when we need to

speak with you concerning your

child. You can update your infor-

mation by calling the school office at

253-373-7314, stopping by the office

to let us know, or sending a note

with your child. Thank you!

All Reflections art entries that advanced to district level will be on display at MOD Pizza in Kent Station this Saturday, January 6 from 11AM to 3PM.

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HURRY UP AND SLOW DOWN! We have kids walking, biking, and playing, skies darkening and weather worsening!

I want to remind everyone in our community to SLOW down when approaching and leaving our school and especially in our parking lot. Martin Sortun is a popular place to be and we are filled beyond capacity! With overflow parking on the street and no sidewalks, it is very important that we all take a moment to SLOW DOWN to put Safety 1st! You can help: • Have students take the bus, you paid for it already! • Have students walk, walking brains learn more! • Follow our parking lot guidelines • Give yourself enough time for traffic congestion • Walk your students to and from the car • Cross only at designated crosswalks • Do not park near crosswalks or school entrance

Go SLOW, be a tortoise! Let’s make sure we all cross the finish line!

Washington State Teacher of the Year

School District Nomination

We are beginning the process of selecting the KSD Teacher of the Year who will then compete for the 2019 Washington State Teacher of the Year. Please provide concrete and specific examples of what this teacher has done for students, colleagues, and his or her school.

Nomination forms need to be turned in by Jan. 8, 2018.

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develops your vocabulary

improves learning

increases math problem-solving skills

increases scores on standardized tests

increases earning power as an adult

1. ‘just right’ books daily and/or have your parents read to you. Reading can be done a little throughout the day, in little bits or larger chunks.

until mastered.

more screen time.

4. Spend time and talk with your family.

5. et a good night’

6. learning as developed by students, parents

or teachers.

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Getting To Know the Martin Sortun Staff

Each month we will be featuring a Martin Sortun grade level. This month’s featured grade is Third Grade. Please read below to get to know our Third Grade teachers.

How long have you been at Martin Sortun? Mrs. Baldacci - In my 11th year here! Mrs. Cooke - This is my 1st year at Martin Sortun! Mrs. Den Herder - This is my 1st year! Ms. Jamieson - This is my second year here. Mrs. Roach - This is my 5th year. Mrs. Sandahl - 4 years Why do you like working at Martin Sortun? Mrs. Baldacci - I love working for Mr. Kroll. I love the staff here and the kids are great! Mrs. Cooke - The students and staff are amazing! It’s a school full of hard-working and dedicated individuals! Mrs. Den Herder - Students, staff, and basically I like everything about MS! Ms. Jamieson - I like working here because everybody is so awesome. We get to have fun learning! Mrs. Roach - The staff and students. Relationships with families. Mr. Kroll. Mrs. Sandahl - It is a place where I get to use my creativity to inspire and teach others. It’s a caring environment with the best people. What is your favorite food? Mrs. Baldacci - It’s a 3-way tie between Mexican, Thai, and Pizza. Mrs. Cooke - Lumpia - a Filipino dish Mrs. Den Herder - Pizza Ms. Jamieson - My favorite food is Mexican food. I love spicy stuff. Yum! Mrs. Roach - Cheese Pizza Mrs. Sandahl - Chinese chow mein or anything fried. What is your favorite holiday? Mrs. Baldacci - Christmas Mrs. Cooke - Christmas - I love seeing how happy others get when opening gifts and it’s a great time to spend with family. Mrs. Den Herder - Winter holidays Ms. Jamieson - My favorite holiday is Christmas. Mrs. Roach - Christmas Mrs. Sandahl - Christmas and Mother’s Day Family/Pets? Mrs. Baldacci - My husband, Bruno, my daughter, Felicite, 13, is an 8th grader and my son, Lorenzo, 9, is a 3rd grader. Our family pet is Heidi, our black lab mix. Mrs. Cooke - Mom - Mrs. Cooke, dad - Mr. Cooke, 2 brothers - Michael and Jason, fiancé - Carlos, and 3 dogs - Bailey, Cooper, and Roxy. Mrs. Den Herder - My daughter has a mastiff. Mrs. Roach - I live with my husband, Kyle, our daughter, Nora, and our 100 pound dog, Jax. Mrs. Sandahl - My husband Brice (married 4 years in July), daughter, Olivia, 8 months, and Molly, our giant dog. Continued on next page

Child Find 2017-2018 The Kent School District will offer free Child Find screenings for children three through five years of age who may have a disability. The screening will be in the areas of language, learning, and motor

development. All Screenings will be at various KSD schools. DATES: January: 10th, 24th March: 14th, 28th April: 18th, 25th May: 9th Scheduling & More Information Call (253)373-7513 Note: At least one adult must accompany the child to the Child Find screening. Screenings take approximately 1-1/2 hours and are conducted by Certificated Staff. If your family is in a temporary living situation, you may contact the district where you are staying for screening appointments.

We Need Your Pictures!

Do you have pictures of Martin Sortun students or staff that would make great yearbook photos?

You can submit your pictures for yearbook consideration to msptayearbook@gmail.com.

Please include the following in your email:

The activity taking place in your photo with the date.

Any names of the children you can identify and teacher names/grade.

Pictures with a higher quality work best.

Thank you for your help in making our yearbook a great memento for our students.

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Getting To Know the Martin Sortun Staff continued

Hobbies? Mrs. Baldacci - Movies, T.V., and books Mrs. Cooke - Playing sports, reading, and spending time with family and friends. Mrs. Den Herder - Sports/I love cycling with my husband. Ms. Jamieson - READING! I carry a book with me everywhere. I also like to knit, travel, and be outside. Mrs. Roach - I love to read, do puzzles, play games, and spend time with my family. Mrs. Sandahl - I love to snowboard, sew, and decorate. I especially love to refinish furniture. What was your favorite subject in school? Mrs. Baldacci - Writing Mrs. Cooke - Reading and math! Also, let’s be honest, PE was high on the list of favorites, too! Mrs. Den Herder - Math (and Reading) Ms. Jamieson - My favorite subject was reading of course. Mrs. Roach - Math Mrs. Sandahl - Reading and writing What was your favorite children’s book and/or movie? Mrs. Baldacci - Book - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Movie - E.T. Mrs. Cooke - Book - Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Movie - Mulan! Mrs. Den Herder - Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards Ms. Jamieson - My favorite children’s book is The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. Mrs. Roach - Harry Potter Mrs. Sandahl - I love Harry Potter, all 7 books and 8 movies. They brought me into a world of adventure and joyful magic!