ARROWHEAD CHRONICLES   
September 2018 

 
“Building Knowledge, Character & Community in Each Child” 

Principal’s Message 
 

Dear Arrowhead Families,

The new school year is off and running. If you are a new family to Arrowhead, the
staff, PTA, and I welcome you. We encourage you to be involved within the school
community and PTA helping in small or large ways.

New faces around Arrowhead include:

● Kindergarten: Mrs. Marci Brown

● Speech Therapist: Mr. Nathan Hickle
● Psychologist: Ms. Brittany Lewno

SIGN UP for Freshschools!! NEW this year, ALL newsletters will be distributed via
FreshSchools and the website.

Instead of paper copies, the Arrowhead Parent-Student Handbook is on the school

website, along with the lunch schedule, calendar, PTA info, and all classroom
websites/ blogs. I update the website frequently with all the latest news. Check it out
at ​arrowheadelementary.weebly.com​.

The “Manners and Respect” program will continue this year at Arrowhead. Every
Monday, beginning on September 10, throughout the year during our morning
announcements, a new manner of the week will be shared. Hopefully you see the
results of this at home.

The Arrowhead Open House is set for Thursday, September 6 from 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Teachers will share identical information at two separate sessions: 1) at 6:00pm; 2) at
6:30 p.m. Plan on attending one of the sessions that evening to gain knowledge about expectations for your child.

On Monday, September 10 at 9:00 the entire student body will be practicing our “evacuation to an alternate site”
drill. We will walk to the Lillis Chapel at St. John’s/Mission Ridge which is the site for any emergency if the school
needs to be evacuated.

Individual Lifetouch Picture Day will be Wednesday, September 19. Look for forms to be coming home soon.

Kindly,

Mrs. Pam Meier

 Coming to Pioneer Park on September 22​nd​, it’s Saturday
Live! Join us to celebrate the biggest carnival in the West!
The fun begins at 10am and lasts throughout the day until
4pm. We have old-fashioned carnival games, non-stop live
entertainment, and delicious food.

Start your day at Daylis Stadium for the Saturday Live 2 Mile
Fun Run/Walk at 9:00 am. Same day registration begins at
7:30 am or go online to register at ​www.efbps.org​. There will
be lots of fun prizes for all, including a prize to the school
with the most participants!

Live entertainment will happen on the main stage all day.

Zoo Montana will showcase some animal friends on stage at 11:30 am. At 12:30 pm students from
Senior, Skyview and West dig into pie in the annual pie eating contest. It will be messy, fast, and fun!
Rounding out the day at 3pm will be the best kid’s rock band in Billings, The ABC Band! Join us to dance
in the grass.

The fun never stops with over 70 carnival booths throughout the park. Tickets for Saturday Live will be
on sale at each elementary school prior to Saturday Live. This year, pre-event tickets will sell at a special
price of 10 for $4. You can also purchase tickets at the event for $.50 each.

Don’t worry about parking; we have two shuttle buses running to ease the congestion. One shuttle bus
runs from the Billings Clinic lot at 9​th ​Avenue and 30​th​ Street (by the Riverstone Billings Inn). An
additional shuttle bus runs from the Montana State University Billings parking lot on Rimrock and
Virginia Lane. Both shuttle buses run every 15 -20 minutes with drop off/pick up at the Zimmerman
Center.

For more information, visit our website at ​www.efbps.org​ or call the Education Foundation for Billings
Public Schools at 245-4133.

   
A Message from the PTA…...
 
 
Welcome Back, Arrowhead Families!

We are excited to take on the role as co-presidents this year for the PTA, and want to take just a second
to introduce ourselves. My husband and I (Meagen) have four kiddos, Molly is in West High, Liam is at
Ben Steele, and two at Arrowhead this year. Tilly is a fourth grader, and Sean is a first grader, and you
can usually find me lingering out by the basketball courts before and after school waiting for those two.
Lynette and her husband have two beautiful girls, Aubrey at Ben Steele, and Peyton is a fifth grader here
at Arrowhead. We love to get to know the families at school, so give
us a hello when you see us, and we promise not to immediately attack
with upcoming volunteer opportunities.

We already made it through our first big event, and despite the wind, I
think a good time was had by all at the ice cream social! Thank you to
all the volunteers who kept everything running smoothly.

Wednesday, September 5​th​ will be our first PTA meeting at 8:30 am,
we invite everyone to come check out a meeting (little siblings are
welcome too) and we can help find just the right fit and volunteer
level for you here at school. We will be meeting in the Care room. Teri
at the office will point you in the right direction, and we will work
hard to keep the meeting to an hour so you can get on with your day.
Our meetings will be held the first Wednesday of every month at 8:30,
so if you can’t make it in September, we will look for you in October!

Thursday September 6​th​, we will have Open House here at Arrowhead,

and you can look for our PTA table in the front where you can get
signed up for PTA, get any help with Fresh Schools you may need,
and also sign up to be a school sponsor! What’s that, you say? Well,
only the coolest way to get your kid’s name on our school t-shirts!
We will have more information and ways to sign up coming home in
the Tuesday folders, and we are happy to tell you all about it at Open
House as well.

Thanks for helping us start the year off with a fabulous ice cream
social, and we look forward to keeping the ball rolling through a busy
year here at Arrowhead. We welcome any suggestions or comments, you can reach us at:

Lynette Ryder: ​lryder@guildmortgage.net (406)698-9648

Meagen Heenan: ​meagenbh@yahoo.com (406)697-0793

 
 
 
 
10 Reason to Join the PTA 
The Arrowhead PTA is a recognized group of parent and teachers that work together for the benefit of our school.
Taking an active role in your child’s school is critical to their success. Here are ten reasons why joining PTA will
greatly improve your child’s education experience:

1.​ It’s good for your child:​ Research shows that children whose parents are involved in their school make better
grades and have fewer disciplinary problems at school. When parents get plugged in at school, their children do
better.

2.​ It’s important to the school.​ PTA provides support to teachers and administrators, and creates a caring and
supportive atmosphere in the school. With all of the budget cuts, schools are becoming more and more dependent
on parent groups.

3.​ You’ll get connected.​ There’s no better way to know what’s going on at the school than to be in the school’s
PTA. You’ll be the first to hear about important decision and changes the school is thinking about making and you
will get to know the teachers and administrators on a familiar basis.

4. ​You’ll be part of a fun network. ​Every PTA function is an opportunity to meet other parents in the same
situation as you. You will be connected with a group of parents who share a common goal of improving the school
for all of the children.

5. ​You’ll make a difference. ​By volunteering with the PTA, you’ll be able to use your skills for a noble cause - to
help create the best educational environment possible for our children.

6. ​You’ll be there.​ As children get older, many have a desire to be independent. They may pull away, but being in
the PTA keeps you involved in their lives without feeling like you’re intruding.

7. ​You’ll be a role model.​ You’ll show your children that not only are they important to you, but their education is
as well. They’ll see you taking a stand to make education better for them, and chances are they’ll do the same.

8. ​You’ll help raise necessary funds.​ The PTA raised funds to provide more educational services for children.
Fundraisers remain important to improving the quality of the school overall, and parent groups make them
possible.

9. ​It’s flexible.​ The PTA has progressed to meet the changing needs of parents. There are a variety of small ways
parents can help and be involved in PTA depending on your availability.

10. ​It’s for every parent. ​You voice and opinion matters! It make a difference when you speak up. Your voice and
ideas can help improve the quality of education for your children and their peers.

The more time you take out of your busy day to become involved with your child’s education, the better. Being an
involved parent can be as simple as helping your child with homework or reading together. You don’t have to make
PTA a full-time job to make a difference. However, volunteering occasionally and attending school events really
matters. Showing your children you value education will teach them to value it as well. The national PTA website is
www.pta.org​.

   
Little Things Make a BIG Difference! 
Did you know there are several little things you can do to help benefit our school? Arrowhead
Elementary is proud to be a part of the following programs. Check it out!

AMAZON SMILE:​ This is a simple and automatic way for you to help support our
school every time you order on Amazon.com, at no cost to you! When you shop from
the ​http://smile.amazon.com/ch/81-0419769​ link, Amazon automatically donates
0.5% of your purchase price to our school. Or go to ​https:amazon.smile.com​ and choose
“Arrowhead PTA” from the list of organizations.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION:​ These are available on so many of the products
that you already buy which makes this program a snap! Simply cut out the
Box Tops from participating items, collect them, and then bring your
collection to school in October so that they can be counted and sent in.
Arrowhead will receive $0.10 for each Box Top collected.
 
Eagle Eye 

The Arrowhead staff is recognizing kids who are being EXTRA kind and helpful to the adults
and other students at school. If they are caught going above and beyond with kindness and
respect they will be given an “Eagle Eye” card to share with you! Your support with modeling
how to be respectful to adults at home makes a difference at school.
 
Drop Off and Pick Up 

Please park along 38th St. or in the baseball field parking lot to drop off and pick up your kids.
DO NOT drive or park in the front of the driveway/loop or park in the parking spots in front of
the school to wait for your children. Buses and daycare vans use this area and children run in
between these vehicles if you are parked in the parking spots. Safety is a concern when these
rules aren’t followed. Also, inform anyone who picks up
your children of this guideline. Thank you!!

   
CROSSWALK SAFETY 

Your crossing guard has one main purpose, and that’s to get your
child(ren) across the street safely. A list of reminders below is to assist
the crossing guard, you, and your children to get to school and on their
way home safely. Please go over this information with your child. We
must work together as a team to keep all children safe.

If your child needs to cross the street to get to or come from school,
please use the marked crosswalk area for the safety of your child.

1). Please do not park in the yellow areas near the crosswalk, it will delay the crossing guard from
crossing the children. It also interferes with other drivers from seeing the children. Remember they are
hidden in your and other drivers cars blind spots.

2). Please do not drop your children off on the street side (drivers side) of your vehicle. Have them leave
and enter your vehicle on the curb/sidewalk side, protecting them from oncoming traffic.

 
3). If you park in the middle of the block, please walk to the crosswalk and don’t cross the street in the
middle of the block.

 
4). The crossing guard at Arrowhead School will instruct your child every day, at every shift, to wait at
the sidewalk, until she is in the middle of the street, and CALLS your children out, that is safe to cross the
street. If your child rushes out before instructed, he or she will likely be sent back to sidewalk for further
instruction on safe crossing. (It’s important that they wait until called out, as other children will
automatically follow the other child into the street) out of impulse. Safety, safety, safety is always first.

5). Children should always cross in the crosswalk, between the

cones, and in front of the crossing guard, Never behind her.

6). To prevent falls in the street, please walk in the crosswalk. No

running.

7). Please expect delayed crossing during winter and hard rain. It
takes longer for vehicles to stop and your crossing guard will be
making sure all cars are able to stop, all the way down the line....
we don’t want the immediate car stopped being hit from behind and pushed through the crosswalk. This
can happen even in good weather if a driver is looking at their cell phone, or everywhere but in front of
them.
8). As a driver, please do not stop in the middle of the crosswalk. Obey, speed limit, and pedestrian laws,
and watch for children for several blocks.

9). Teach your child to look LEFT, RIGHT, AND LEFT again.

And STOP( at the curb) WAIT( for the crossing guard), LISTEN( to the crossing guard for instructions. )

Every day is a PRACTICE run between your crossing guard and your children, so that when your crossing
guard senses a dangerous situation, the children will respond immediately.

Thank you for reviewing these safety rules with your child, and for following them yourself when your
child is with you. If you find an excuse to do the opposite, in your child’s presence , so will your child,....
and so will other children watching your child....it’s like a dominos effect. If you support the crosswalk
rules, so will your child.

Here’s to a safe and happy school year at Arrowhead School,

Mrs. B (crossing guard on 38th St.)

Education Technology  
Mr. Casey will be providing information to 3rd - 5th
graders on technology safety at school. Students are
required to sign an internet safety pledge with the
following pledges:

● I promise to never send or post personal

information, such as my addresses, phone number, or school name.
● I will never send a picture of myself to anyone without a parent's permission.
● I will not open e-mails from people I don't know.
● I will not follow links to sites that I do not recognize.
● I will tell an adult if I see any information on the Internet that makes me feel
uncomfortable.
● I will never give out my passwords to anyone, except my parents.
● I will never download and install files to my computer without a parent's permission.
● I will never e-mail or post mean or hurtful things about other people.
● I will follow all Internet rules set by my parents.
Parking Spots 

Have you noticed reserved parking for Nursing Staff and Itinerant Teacher in the front of the school and
wondered the purpose of these spots? Our nursing staff are in and out of the school frequently on a
daily basis and need quick access to the front door. Also, we have specialist teachers who come and go
during the day and haul their materials from their cars. Having easy access to the front door helps them
transition between schools quickly.

Watches 

A friendly note about technology and student watches. These nifty devices are like a phone and we ask
students to not use them during the day to check messages or texts. We treat them like a cell phone -
off and in the backpack during the day. If there is an emergency, please call the office and we are
certain to give your child the message.

Lego Robotics Informational and Organizing Meeting 

Who: ​Grades (3-6) - Parental Involvement is Required Date: ​Tuesday, September 11th.
Contact​: Don Casey at 698-9138 Time: ​6:30 PM
Place: ​Arrowhead Library Cost​: $50 (Arrowhead Robotics)
Lego Robotics is for students in third through sixth grade. Students do not need to be
Arrowhead students, however, parental involvement is required. Every attempt is made to
place a student on a team. Since teams spend many hours working together, it is imperative
that a team is cooperative with all members on the team. Participants also need to have
schedules that don’t consistently conflict with the team mission.

FIRST LEGO is more than Legos. This year’s theme is about space and how humans interact.
In addition to programming a robot to perform tasks, each team needs to develop a “science
fair” type project that is presented to judges.

The Montana State FIRST LEGO competition is in Bozeman on January 26th, 2019. Transportation and lodging is
the responsibility of parents.
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