Halstead-Bentley USD 440

Yesterday, we honored School Lunch Hero Day by celebrating the incredible individuals who nourish our students every day. Special recognition goes out to our wonderful lunch heroes: - Lisa Morris - Roni Monfort - Kris Cherry - Thonja Davis - Charlotte Bouma - Yliana Tripp -Mary Ann Myers Visit any school cafeteria and you'll witness the heroics of school nutrition specialists as they craft meals for all of our students. They achieve this feat by following rigorous nutrition guidelines, accommodating students' dietary allergies, and always serving with a smile. These individuals are genuine champions in their field! That's why every year, on the first Friday of May, we commemorate School Lunch Hero Day. This yearly celebration highlights the significant impact that these dedicated professionals have on each child that passes through the cafeteria lines.

Community Service Day holds a special place in our hearts here in the district. It's a day when our students venture out into Halstead and Bentley to participate in various community service initiatives, responding to requests from the public and local businesses. Their tasks vary widely, from clearing sidewalks and parking lots of debris to power washing the train depot, relocating items to storage facilities, and picking up litter in parks, along the riverside, and at the ball fields. Over in Bentley, they've been busy clearing brush, among other activities. This event provides an invaluable opportunity for our students to contribute to and appreciate the community that offers them unwavering support.

Reminder: Preschool screenings begin today! If you haven't yet registered your 3 or 4-year-old for a screening, we encourage you to do so. We aim to evaluate all potential students for the upcoming year. If you're still undecided about enrollment, we recommend signing up for a screening regardless.

Every year, we celebrate School Bus Driver Appreciation Day on the fourth Tuesday of April, which will be observed on April 23 in 2024. This day is dedicated to acknowledging the vital role that school bus drivers play in safely transporting our children. Whether it’s the daily trips to and from school, driving to various activities, or ensuring the teams make it to their sporting events on time, school bus drivers play a critical part in our education system. Today, we express our gratitude for their dedication and the care they provide to our most valuable assets throughout the school year. We want to thank all of our drivers and subs who fill in when needed to transport out students safely where they need to go. Thank you goes to: Penny Knapp LaDawna Friesen Gerald Wilson Robin Bliss Amy Beck Bill McCary Polly Douglas Mike Branson Ronni Monfort (bus sub) Charlie Robinson (bus sub)

Happy Earth Day Here are some fun facts about Earth Day: Earth Day an international movement though it began in the United States, it became an international movement in 1990. Earth Day is celebrated in almost every country in the world. Every Earth Day has a theme. While Earth Day is always on April 22, EarthDay.org creates a new theme each year. This year, the theme is Planet vs. Plastics, with a goal of reducing plastic consumption 60% by 2040. According to earthday.org 1 billion people participate annually. In 2020, the world celebrated Earth Day's 50th anniversary. Organizers are trying to have the biggest Earth Day cleanup event in history in 2024. Tens of millions of trees have been planted on Earth Day

Payments can conveniently be made online via your Skyward Account. If you have questions or need assistance please call 316-835-2641.

If you have a student that will be 3 or 4 by Aug 31 and are thinking about sending them to preschool next year call to schedule your screening. 316-835-2694.

Well deserved! Bentley Primary School 2nd grade teacher, Misty Faudel, was honored today as USD 440’s 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year nominee. We appreciate all you do for the students and families!

Reminder No School tomorrow Friday March 29, 2024.

Check out how our staff is engaging in continuous improvement! #440PROUD #LEARN2GROW

The English Language Arts review team has been hard at work examining new reading PreK-12 curriculum resources. The team recommended Amplify CKLA & Amplify ELA for our PreK-5th grade levels and McGraw-Hill StudySync for 9th-12th grades to the Board of Education at Monday's meeting. *6th-8th grades currently have Amplify ELA. If you are interested in viewing any of these materials, please contact our Director of Student Learning, Marcie Carr. She is available by email at mcarr@usd440.com or by phone at 316-835-2641 via the district office extension. Resources will be available through April 7th, 2024.

Bet most everyone who is on Spring Break is feeling this today! ENJOY!!!

Enjoy a well-deserved break over Spring break! Take this time to relax, unwind, and rejuvenate. We wish you a wonderful break and look forward to seeing you return ready to finish the year strong. Happy Spring Break!

Driver's Ed enrollment forms can be picked up from both the HMS and HHS offices.

Whew February was a busy month even with the extra day we about forgot to wish all of our February Staff members a Happy Birthday. We hope you all had a fantastic birthday. Ms. Shirley 2-2 Mrs.Jones 2-2 Coach Schutte 2-2 Ms.Gwaltney 2-3 Ms. Denise 2-5 Mrs.Aurora Farmer 2-8 Mrs.Hedges 2-9 Mr.Johnson 2-9 Mr.Regier 2-10 Ms. Rita 2-12 Mrs.Gundy 2-12 Ms. Tiffiani 2-15 Mrs.Hill 2-15 Ms. Mary 2-16 Mr.Bernal 2-24 Mrs.Pedruzzi 2-25

Preschool Screening will be held on April 24, 4-8pm April 25, 8am-4pm April 26, 8am-12pm May 17, 8am-12pm Please call to schedule your appointment at Halstead Middle School 316-835-2694 (PREK is housed in the middle school) Child MUST be completely potty trained and 3-4 years old by August 31, 2024. We ask that you bring all documents required to the screening or have them uploaded to the New Student Enrollment (if you have a student currently in prek you do not have to fill out the new student enrollment you will fill out registration once it opens in July)

Today is World Compliment Day, a day dedicated to spreading joy and positivity. Let's take this opportunity to give a heartfelt compliment to someone at USD 440 who has made a positive impact on you or your children. A simple compliment can truly brighten someone's day.

NATIONAL LEAP DAY A little information on Leap Day: For a day that is celebrated only once every 4 years (with some mathematical exceptions we'll go over later) it sure seems to have a lot going on around it. Leap year has devious explorers, beloved saints, partying boarder towns and proposal popping Irish ladies. And let's not forget all the birthdays babies. They do have some making up to do on the celebrating, you know! Since the beginning of time, man has been improving the way we keep it. That applies to calendars as well. Early Egyptians had a leap year in their calendar. The early Roman calendar had entire leap month from time to time to keep the days in line with the astronomical year. It was Julius Casaer and astronomer Sosigenes who revamped the Roman calendar giving it 12 months with equally (almost) distributed days and adding a leap day every 4 years. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII adjusted the calendar once again. Because the Earth revolves around the sun once every 365.2421 days, one leap day every 4 years is just slightly too much. Instead of shortening the leap day, the Gregorian calendar is designed such that leap days only happen every 4 years except years evenly divisible by 100 but not 400. There was not a leap day in 1900 and there will not be one in 2100. So a baby born on February 29, 2096 will be in the 3rd grade on his 1st birthday! And even this adjustment doesn't keep the days perfectly aligned with the seasons. Those humans who are still around in 10,000 years will have to address those issues. It's truly not a leap day concern.

We have two Preschool Transition days planned. If your child does not attend our preschool currently please contact us at 316-835-3000 to schedule your visit.

We want to congratulate Halstead-Bentley Schools Director of Food Service, Mrs. Lisa Morris, as she received recognition from the Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas State Board of Education for completion of the Kansas Certificate in Child Nutrition Management. She was recognized for completing the required 120 hours of KSDE-approved Child Nutrition Management classes. We are proud to recognize her commitment and continued growth in her profession! Congratulations!