August 22, 2025

News and Notes...

Bond Election Hub- Click here to learn more about the upcoming Bond Election in November.

Win Time at BES- Our staff have been working hard to assess every student using the Fastbridge screener and students will soon be going to WIN groups for Math and Reading. WIN stands for What I Need and ensures that all students receive small groups with instruction targeted at their specific level for Math and Reading. Students often travel to various classroom teachers and/or to Reading Specialists to receive targeted instruction.

Thank You Advisor's Excel- Advisor's Excel generously provided BES with lots of teacher tape so that staff can post student work throughout the building and not harm the walls. We truly appreciate their support!

Meet our Office Team- Officer Ryan Ladner is now housed in the BES Main Office and is a beloved member of our team. He partners with us in ensuring our school is safe. Mrs. Laurie Rand supports our staff with purchasing items and making our budget stretch as far as possible. Mrs. Miranda Moore recently joined our Office Team and supports our transportation needs. Mrs. Tanya Howbert is the Administrative Assistant of Berryton Elementary. She is the person to speak to regarding enrollment, attendance and fees.

Grandparent's Day Information- Next week our Grandparents Day RSVP form will be shared. This form will give us a headcount and allow grandparents to take their grandchildren with parental/guardian consent.

BES Spirit Store- Click here to see lots of BES apparel.

BES Drama Club

BES Art Corner

Welcome back to school and welcome back to art class! This week and last week we covered art expectations, and we learned about our first famous artist, Takashi Murakami!

Takashi Murakami (born 1962) is a Japanese artist known for blending traditional Japanese art with pop culture. His bright, playful style—called Superflat—mixes anime, cartoon characters, and fine art. His famous smiling flowers and colorful designs have appeared in museums, fashion, and even music albums. Murakami’s art invites both kids and adults to enjoy creativity in fun, imaginative ways.

At BES, every student designed their own flower petal. When we put them all together, they became 11 giant flowers inspired by Takashi Murakami’s bright and joyful artwork! This project celebrated creativity, teamwork, and the fun of making something amazing as a school community.

A few class started learning about our next famous artist, Keith Haring.

Keith Haring (1958–1990) was an American artist known for his bold, colorful, and energetic artwork. He often painted in public spaces, using simple lines and bright colors to create figures that seemed to move with life. Haring’s art carried messages of love, community, and social justice, making it both fun and meaningful. His murals, paintings, and drawings can be found all over the world, and his playful style continues to inspire both children and adults today.

I am excited to introduce students to Keith Haring! His bold lines, fun shapes, and colorful artwork inspire creativity and joy. Kids love how his art is full of movement and energy.

Attendance Matters

DID YOU KNOW?

Starting in preschool and kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.
Students can still fall behind if they miss just 1 or 2 days every few weeks.
Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves.

Start building this habit now so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in high school and college.

Important Attendance Definitions:

Tardy - arriving after 9:00 am, But before 10:00am
½ day absence if arriving 10:00am-12:30pm
½ day absence if leaving 12:30pm-2:59pm
Early pick up – leaving at 3:00 pm or after
Unexcused Absences - absent without reasonable justification, or no parental notice given by end of school day.

According to Kansas law (K.S.A. 72-1113) a student is truant if they have missed the following without legitimate excuse:

Three (3) consecutive days
Five (5) unexcused absences in a semester
Seven (7) unexcused absences in a school year

If a student has excessive excused absences (more than 10), a doctor’s note or official documentation will be required for it to be excused.

Support the BES PTO

Berryton PTO has an immediate need for a craft fair chair. This event is Saturday November 22 9-3. Responsibilities include soliciting vendors, collecting fees, assigning booths, advertising for the event, communicating updates with PTO, and being there for the entire event. Most planning can be done from home. There will be other PTO members available to assist with planning or questions. This is a nice fundraiser and community event we don’t want to see canceled. If you have an interest in chairing this event or have questions please reach out to Karlee Bocquin at krboc@msn.com.

Download our FREE App!📱

Find school events, news, menus, and more in one easy place. 🌟 Don't miss out - search "Shawnee Heights" in your Google Play or App Store

Community Opportunities

Check out our Community Opportunities page, where flyers are posted from local businesses and organizations about events and opportunities in our community.

Breakfast & Lunch Menus

Find this month's breakfast and lunch menus. Scroll to the bottom of the page if you would like to download and print a copy.