Information for 2019-2020

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION

 Kindergarten Registration is still open for the 2019-2020 school year

If your current student has a sibling who will attend Leawood next year as an incoming Kindergartner, we still need you to come in and register them in person.   All of the instructions can be found on our website click here, click on the Registration Link. 

 First, enroll online through Jeffco Connect and then log in to  EnrollJeffco  site prior to coming in to register in person.  Please bring  a copy of your child’s birth certificate, immunization records, and proof of residency (Xcel, phone, utility bill, etc.). All three documents must be turned in at the time of registration.  If any items are not included, we cannot complete the registration.  Children must be 5 years of age on or before October 1, 2019.  Additional information regarding Jeffco Connect instructions and the registration process can be found on our Leawood home page.

PRESCHOOL

Preschool continues to accept applications for the 2019-2020 school year. Leawood Preschool will have two classrooms.  One classroom will host an AM (Tuesday-Friday, 8:30-11:30am) and a PM Tuesday-Friday, 12:30-3:30pm).  The other classroom is a full day program (Monday-Friday, 9:00am-3:45pm).  Each program is offered to 3 and 4 year olds.  Tuition assistance is available for qualified students.  

For more information about Preschool and how to register, please visit Leawood Preschool.  

You can also call 303-982-7923 or email our preschool director, Mrs Michelle Hetterscheidt at Michelle.Hetterscheidt@jeffco.k12.co.us

CURRENT Leawood Students

There is a new enrollment process in Jeffco that EVERYONE must complete.   

Preschool-4TH Grade Parents

Have you let us know you are planning on returning to Leawood for the 2019-20 school year?  In order for us to plan our staffing for next year, ALL CURRENT Leawood students must still log into EnrollJeffco and select that you plan to return.  Currently, less than half of our current students have completed this process.  There are a few simple steps and it only takes a couple of minutes to complete.  However,  it does need to be completed by February 8th.   Current families click here: EnrollJeffco

 5th & 6th Grade Parents

Have you registered your student for middle school yet?  New this year, all current families need to go through the EnrollJeffco process before February 8th!  This is an easy 3 step process which takes less than 5 minutes. Just log into EnrollJeffco using your JeffcoConnect username and password and confirm where you plan to attend 5th & 6th grade for 2019-2020.  Even if Ken Caryl is your home school, you must complete this process to let them know that’s where you plan to attend.  You will also be given the opportunity to choice enroll at a different middle school. This process must be completed before February 8th so they can plan appropriate staffing for next year.  Thank you!

Preschool and Kindergarten Graduation Photos

Parents, we will be  celebrating our little ones success of moving onto the next grade level. Our picture company is going to be taking Graduation pictures of our Preschoolers and Kindergartners. You will receive a free diploma and picture for your child which will be given out at the end of the school year during year end celebrations. You will have the option to purchase additional photos if you choose. Photos will be taken on Thursday, February 21st. More information will be coming soon.

BakPak Program

Leawood is still offering the BakPak weekend food program, sponsored by local faith-based ministries and businesses. Please call our school counselor Mrs. Magri (303-982-4765) if you are interested in participating.

We Need Your Help

Dear Leawood Community, 

Leawood is once again participating in "Grub Club", a biweekly program in which homeless and/or emancipated students in Jefferson County receive boxes of food and hygiene products.   We are trying to fill more than 1,600 boxes for 2019, so any help you can give will help.  Leawood is collecting individual cookie packets and cans of chicken with a "pop-top" to distribute to these students.  It is important that the cans have a "pop-top" as the students don't have access to a can opener or regular kitchen, although they do have access to a microwave.   We would greatly appreciate your help in donating items between January 14th and February 7th.  

Thank you!

SAFE2TELL

SAFE2TELL® is designed to help students anonymously report any threatening behavior that endangers them, their friends, family, or the community. Call 877-542-7233 to get help

From Chef Diann in the Kitchen

Just sending out a reminder that Leawood serves breakfast.  If you need to get to work early on those cold snowy mornings, or would like a little extra time for another cup of coffee for yourself, you can drop your students off at 8:40am for a nice warm breakfast. (price is $1.85 per meal and free for those who qualify).

Leawood’s Food Pantry

We welcome any family who may be in need of food assistance to reach out to our school social worker, Mrs. Magri, and arrange a time to come to our small food pantry.  We have collected a variety of soups, ingredients for casseroles, pasta, beans, and some dessert items. We also have personal hygiene items, as well as paper products such as kleenex and toilet paper.  The food pantry is located in the back of the school, which is easily accessed by driving into the driveway off of Jay Street and pulling your car up to the second blue door. If your family is in need of specific items, you can share these with Mrs. Magri and she will do her best to gather them.  Please call (303) 982-4765 or e-mail jennifer.magri@jeffco.k12.co.us  if you would be interested in this resource.  All information is confidential. A special thanks to Chef Diann for her support in organizing and contributing to this effort!  

Skate City Night-

Come join us at Skate City on Tuesday, February 26th from 6-8pm.  It’s always so much fun to skate, laugh, and eat with fellow Leawood Lions.

Still Looking for Aspiring Artists

 Each year, Leawood chooses student art work that will be used by VanGogh to put together our montage. (An example of a Montage is located in the front hall where you can find pictures of all of the students). You can use any form of art - pencil, crayon, paint, etc. The direction must be in landscape form (sideways, not up and down and cannot be on lined paper). Please sign the back of your art along with your teacher’s name on it. Please bring it to the office. All artwork needs to be submitted by Friday, February 8th. One winner will be chosen for the school.

H.E.A.L.

Health Education & Attendance for Life-When students miss too many days of school, they fall behind and struggle to keep up with their classmates. Whether the days missed are due to illness, truancy or for any other reason, the end result for the student is the same — learning time is lost. Children and adolescents will get sick at times and may need to stay at home, but we want to work with you to help minimize the number of days your student misses school.

Missed Days Add Up Quickly!

• Just a few missed days a month adds up to several school weeks missed in a year.

• Both excused and unexcused absences can make it more difficult for your child to keep up with other students, especially in math and reading.

• Kindergarten and first grade are critical for your child. Missing school during these early years makes it more difficult for children to learn in later years and they often have trouble reading by the end of third grade.

Work with Your Child and Your School

• As the parent, be strong with your child and don’t let your child stay home when it is not necessary. This will help your child succeed.

• If your child has a chronic disease, make sure that the school staff is aware of the disease so the staff can assist your child if he or she becomes ill. Information about your child’s chronic disease should be noted on the school emergency or health information card.

• For students with asthma: if your child has asthma, the school needs an Asthma Action Plan completed by his or her doctor that includes permission to carry an inhaler at school. Make sure that all supplies (inhaler, spacer, etc.) needed to manage your child’s asthma are at the school.

• For students with diabetes: if your child has diabetes, the school needs a Diabetes Management Plan completed by his or her doctor. Make sure that all supplies (insulin, blood sugar meter, test strips) needed to manage your child’s diabetes are at the school.

• Keep an open line of communication with school staff and teachers. The more the school knows about your child’s health, the better prepared everyone will be to work together for your child.

Helpful Ideas:

• Make appointments with the doctor or dentist in the late afternoon so your child misses as little school as possible.

• If your child must miss school, make sure you get his or her home work assignments and follow up to see if the work is completed and turned in.

• Call the school as soon as you know your child will be absent and tell school staff why your child will be out and for how long.

• Be prepared to get a doctor’s note when requested by school personnel.

• If you need medical advice after business hours, most doctors’ offices have answering services 24 hours a day to assist you.

• If your child has an emergency, call 911.

WHEN SHOULD I SEND MY CHILD TO SCHOOL?  The suggestions below in this link are for children 5 to 18 years of age.

• Parent is Sick, Stressed, Hospitalized.   YES - If you are sick, your child still needs to attend school. Your illness does not excuse your child from attending. We all are sick at times so your child to school and pick him or her up.

• Chronic Diseases (Asthma, Diabetes, Sickle Cell, Epilepsy etc.)  Chronic disease is a long-lasting condition that can be controlled but not cured.  YES Your child should attend school. School personnel are trained to assist your child with his or her chronic disease and associated needs.

Child Doesn’t Want to go to School

• Frequent crying, fear, anger, not wanting to socialize, behavior change,stomach ache, nausea  (These can be signs of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, or fear)  YES–You should keep your child in school, but try to determine what is causing the changes. Talk to school personnel and consult a health care provider. Your child may be experiencing bullying or trauma; may be behind in his or her school work or not getting along with others. These and other issues may require your or school personnel’s attention.

• Cold Symptoms - Stuffy nose/runny nose, sneezing, mild cough. YES - If your child is able to participate in school activities send him or her to school.

• Head Lice-Intense itching of the head; may feel like something is moving. YES – Your child can be in school if he or she has had an initial treatment of shampooing of hair with a product for lice.

• Strains, Sprains and Pains YES – If there is no known injury and your child is able to function (walk, talk, eat) he or she should be in school. If pain is severe or doesn’t stop, consult a health care provider.

• Menstrual Issues.   YES – Most of the time menstrual (periods) issues should not be a problem. If they are severe and interfering with your daughter attending school, consult with a health care provider.

• Fever-Fever usually means illness, especially if your child has a fever of 101 or higher as well as other symptoms like behavior change, rash, sore. NO – If your child has a fever of 101 or higher, keep them at home until his or her fever is below 101 for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. If the fever does not go away after 2-3 days or is 102.0 or higher, you should consult a health care provider.

• Diarrhea-Frequent, loose or watery stool may mean illness but can also be caused by food and medication.  NO – If, in addition to diarrhea, your child acts ill, has a fever or is vomiting, keep him or her at home. If stool is bloody, if the child has abdominal pain, fever or vomiting, you should consult a health care provider.

• Vomiting-Child has vomited 2 or more times in a 24 hour period. NO – Keep your child at home until the vomiting has stopped for 24 hours. If vomiting continues, contact a health care provider.

• Coughing-Severe, uncontrolled, rapid coughing, wheezing, or difficulty breathing.  NO – Keep your child home and contact a health care provider.

• Asthma - if symptoms are due to asthma, provide treatment accordingto your child’s Asthma Action Plan and when symptoms are controlled send your child to school.

• Rash With Fever. NO – If a rash spreads quickly, is not healing, or has open weeping wounds, you should keep your child at home and have him or her seen by a health care provider.

• Strep Throat-Sore throat, fever, stomach ache, and red, swollen tonsils. NO Keep your child at home for the first 24 hours after an antibiotic is begun.

• Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Chicken Pox - fever, headache, stomach ache or sore throat, then a red itchy skin rash develops on the stomach first and then limbs and face.

Measles & Rubella (German Measles) – swollen glands, rash that starts behind ears then the face and the rest of the body, sore joints, mild fever and cough, red eyes

Mumps – fever, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite, swollen tender salivary glands

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) – many rapid coughs followed by a high-pitched “whoop”, vomiting, very tired

For all of the above preventable diseases.  NO – Keep your child at home until a health care provider has determined that your child is not contagious.

This information is based upon recommended guidelines from reliable sources to include the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics, Public Health

Attendance 

Just a reminder regarding absences: If your child is going to be late or absent, please call the attendance line at 303-982-7813. You will also need to give a reason as to why your student is going to be out or late. If no reason is given, your student will be marked unexcused. If you are picking a child up early, we will call them down after you arrive to sign them out. Unfortunately, we cannot call them down in advance. Thank you. 

From the Financial Office

Please don't forget to go login to Jeffco Connect and verify that all of your student's fees have been paid. Fees that start with "OPT" are Optional fees for optional activities such as Gymnastics. Keep in mind that all of our field trips are paid online.  Students with outstanding fees at the end of the school year will not receive their report cards.   We will be adding the fees to your student as the date of the field trip approaches, as well as library fines for lost books. While you are in Jeffco Connect, please verify your personal information and make sure we have updated phone numbers and email addresses. In addition, please be sure to add additional emergency contacts other than just parents listed just in case we are unable to reach a guardian. If you need assistance with fees, feel free to contact Mrs. Russell at 303-982-7860 ext. #5

From the Health Room:

Head Lice FAQ

Did you know that as many as 6 million to 12 million people worldwide get head lice every year, and cleanliness has nothing to do with who will be the targets of the blood-sucking insects. ​​

Head lice are a common problem that typically affects school-aged children and their families. They can attach to the hair of anyone's head, and it doesn't matter how clean, dirty, rich, or poor the place/person is.  Though head lice may be a nuisance, they do NOT cause serious illness or carry any disease.

Head lice are tiny bugs about the size of a sesame seed. Their bodies are usually pale and gray, but their color may vary. One of these tiny bugs is called a louse.

Lice lay and attach their eggs to a hair strand close to the scalp using a sticky substance that holds them firmly in place. The eggs and their shell casings are called nits. Nits are oval and the sizes of a knot of thread that blends in with the hair. After the eggs hatch, the empty nits stay on the hair shaft.  

Head lice live about 28 days and develop in three phases:

Egg or nit ~ Eggs/nits hatch in 6 to 9 days. Eggs are usually found within 4 to 6 mm of the scalp and do not survive if they are farther away.

Nymph~The nymph looks like an adult head louse but is much smaller Nymphs become adults about 7 days after hatching.

Adult louse ~ An adult louse multiplies fast and lay up to 10 eggs a day. It takes only about 12 to 14 days for newly hatched eggs to reach adulthood. This cycle can repeat itself every 3 weeks if head lice are left untreated. 

Head lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly. They are spread by close, prolonged head-to-head contact with the hair of an infested person. Spread by contact with clothing (such as hats, scarves, coats) or other personal items (such as combs, brushes, or towels) used by an infested person is uncommon. Head lice feed specifically on human blood (not animal blood) and don't stray far from their food source. They're not going to strike out on expeditions to find new heads. When away from a person they're going to die within 24 hours, because they must have human blood

Control of head lice depends on prompt diagnosis, effective treatment and teamwork! Your help in inspecting your child frequently throughout the school year for the presence of head lice would be greatly appreciated.

• Seat your child in a brightly lit room.

• Part the hair and look for crawling lice/nits the scalp a section at a time. Live lice are hard to find. They avoid light and move quickly.

• Nits will look like small white/yellow/brown specks and be firmly attached to the hair near the scalp. The easiest place to find them is at the hairline at the back of the neck or behind the ears. Nits can be confused with many other things such as dandruff, dirt particles, or hair spray droplets. The way to tell the difference is that nits are firmly attached to hair, while dandruff, dirt, or other particles are not.

• Use a fine-tooth comb to help you search the scalp section by section

• Notify your student’s school health room  if lice are found or if you have any questions or concerns regarding lice and your student

The most effective way to treat head lice is with head lice medicine followed by the comb out method every 2-3 days for 2-3 weeks.

• Choose a product that contains Permethrin. Over-the-counter treatments contain 1% permethrin. Anything higher than 1% must be obtained from your healthcare provider.

• After each treatment and then daily, use comb-out method to remove nits and eggs. 

• Follow the directions on the package exactly as written.

• Never let children apply the medicine. Medicine should be applied by an adult.

• Do not use medicine on a child 2 years or younger without first checking with your child's health care provider

• Never place a plastic bag on a child's head.

• Do not leave a child alone with medicine in his or her hair.

• Repeat the treatment in  7 - 9 days after the first treatment (according to manufacturer’s recommendations)

• Contact your student’s healthcare provider if lice remain following 2 treatments of recommended shampoo.

In order to avoid a recurrence the environment must also be treated

• Wash your student's clothes/ towels/ bed linens/hats in hot water and dry on high heat if they were used within 2 days before head lice were found and treated.

• You do not need to throw these items away. Items that cannot be washed may be dry-cleaned or vacuumed.

• Vacuum all furniture/mattresses.

• Do not spray pesticides in your home.

• All household members and close contacts should also be checked and treated if necessary.

• NEVER use a lice treatment if live lice are not seen, unless you are using a product stating it is ovicidal ( eliminates nits). MOST PRODUCTS ARE NOT OVICIDAL.

From the Health Clinic

If a child becomes sick at school the parent will be called. It is expected that the parent, or another designated adult, will pick up the child within the hour. We recommend that a child with a fever should return to school when they have been FREE of the fever (without medication) for a 24-hour period and recovered from their symptoms. Same rule applies to children that have the stomach bug.  We ask that all parents follow the “Golden Rule of Health”. Please remember that a child who is too sick to take part in outside activities would be more comfortable at home. For the protection of your child and his/her schoolmates, it is advised that children be kept at home if the following symptoms are present: 

• Skin Rash or sores

• Stomach ache or nausea  

• Vomiting  

• Flushed face  

• Inflamed eyes  

• Chills symptoms  

• Diarrhea 

• Earache 

• Coughing 

• Fever of 100˚ or more 

• Heavy nasal discharge 

With the weather slowly changing we would like to remind everyone that the Health room does not provide any type of Chap Stick/Vaseline or lotion. Your student is allowed to keep Chap Stick in their back pack/class. The best way to stay healthy for the upcoming sick season is to wash hands thoroughly.  Also remember, as we’ve stated in previous newsletters, if you want your student to have any type of over the counter or prescription medicine, you must have your doctor fill out the appropriate medical forms.  We have them on our website or they are also located in our parent information rack outside the front office. 

Stay Healthy,

Ms. Hake

Easy Ways to Support Leawood

You Can Still Support Leawood by participating in the following programs . We are still collecting Box Tops and Milk Caps for Mooola . We have a collection bin in the front entryway of the school. We are also participating in the American Furniture Warehouse and Burgers for Better Schools Programs. 

·       Box Tops Marketplace 

·       Milk Caps for MOOLA

·     American Furniture Warehouse “Better Your Home, Better Your School”

If you shop there, please let them know you have students at Leawood. Use code LES016 when you make your purchase and 2-4% comes back to our school. 

·     Burgers for Better Schools Program 

Leawood has been selected by Red Robin to be a part of this new program. Every time you eat at Red Robin, 1% of your check will be donated directly to your school of choice. Be sure to invite your friends, family and neighbors to join Red Robin Royalty and opt-in to support your school, too. Remember, the more you devour – the more they’ll donate!  

February Menus

Leawood Breakfast

Leawood Lunch

From the Principal 

From the School & Office  

From Our Teachers

From Our Preschool  

From PTSA/Accountability  

From the District/Community