East Lynne District 40

🎃✨ **NEW THIS YEAR AT FALL FEST!** ✨🎃

We’re adding something new to the fun this year, a **Pumpkin Decorating Contest!** 🧡

Get creative, get crafty, and show us what you can come up with! Pumpkins can be spooky, silly, cute, colorful, or completely one-of-a-kind!

🎃 **$5 to enter a pumpkin to be judged**
📅 **Sign up by October 16**
🏆 Prizes for our winners!

**Sign-up sheets went home yesterday, so be sure to check your child’s backpack!** 🎒

We are SO excited to see what you come up with! 🎃🍂

🎭✨ MIDDLE SCHOOL MASQUERADE BALL ✨🎭

Get ready for a night of music, dancing, and fun! Our Middle School Dance is coming up directly following the Fall Festival!

🖤 Theme: Masquerade Ball
📅 October 30th
⏰ 7:30–9:30 PM
📍 East Lynne School Gymnasium

Come enjoy the Fall Festival, then stick around as we transform the gym for a Masquerade Ball! 🎶💃🕺🎭

Questions? Contact Mrs. Schroeder.

We can't wait to see our middle school students there! 🖤❤️

🍂🎃 MARK YOUR CALENDARS — FALL FESTIVAL IS COMING! 🎃🍂

The East Lynne Parent Booster Club invites you to our Annual Fall Festival!

📅 Friday, October 30th
⏰ 5:30–7:30 PM
📍 East Lynne School

Bring the whole family for a fun fall evening with our school community! ❤️

🚗 Trunk or Treat
🚜 Hayride
🌭 Food & Drinks Provided
🍿 Popcorn & Hot Chocolate
🎯 Games
🍰 Cake Walk
👻 Costume Parade
👑 King & Queen Crowning

Event Schedule:
5:30–6:00 — All activities begin
6:00–6:30 — King/Queen Crowning & Costume Parade
6:30–7:30 — Activities resume

🍁 ALL ARE WELCOME! We can’t wait to make some fall memories together!

❤️🐾 GO COUGARS! 🐾❤️

Save the Dates

Here is your OCTOBER COUGAR COURIER

https://app.smore.com/n/z9qtp

📣 Don’t miss our Parent Booster Club meeting THIS THURSDAY at 5:30 PM in the Community Room!

We’ll be planning for the Fall Festival 🎃 and talking about some other fun upcoming events!

We’d love to have you join us and hope to see you there! ❤️🖤

Congratulations, Mr. Steve! We are incredibly proud to celebrate Steve Johnson on becoming a Certified Facility Manager! This certification represents hours of learning and training in everything from building systems and maintenance to budgeting, leadership, environmental health, and school safety. But if you spend any time at East Lynne 40, you know Steve is so much more than the person who manages our facilities. He is an important part of the heart of our school. Walk down the hallway with Mr. Steve and you’ll quickly discover he has reached a bit of celebrity status around here. Kids want to stop him. They want to talk to him. They want to tell him something. And Steve always seems to have a minute for them. That matters. Steve takes tremendous pride in caring for our building, but even more importantly, he cares about the people inside it. He connects with our kids, supports our staff, solves problems, and continually works to make East Lynne better. We are proud of the work you put into earning this certification, Steve, and even more proud to have you as part of our learning community!

🍎❤️ **Happy Cafeteria Worker Appreciation Day!** ❤️🍎

Today we are celebrating two wonderful ladies who help make our school such a special place , **Ashley and Jennifer!** 🥰

Ashley has been such a bright light in our school since taking over our kitchen. Her heart for our students, dedication, and welcoming smile do not go unnoticed. We are also so thankful to have Jennifer working alongside her! Together, they make sure our students are fed, cared for, and greeted with kindness each day. ❤️

There is so much more that goes into feeding a school full of kids than what we see at lunchtime, and we are incredibly grateful for everything these two do behind the scenes!

Please help us show **Ashley and Jennifer** some love today! 🥰👏

**Happy Cafeteria Worker Appreciation Day! We appreciate you both!** ❤️🖤

COUGAR HAT FRIDAYS ARE BACK! 🐾🧢

Support the East Lynne Scholarship Fund while enjoying Hat Fridays all year long! Students can participate in the 35 remaining Cougar Hat Fridays by paying $30 for the entire year, a $5 savings, or they may pay $1 each Friday they choose to wear a hat. If paying for the year, please send the $30 in an envelope labeled with your child’s name. All money raised will go directly to the East Lynne Scholarship Fund to support our students! Please note that no refunds will be given for missed Hat Fridays. Thank you for supporting our Cougars and helping us invest in their future! ❤️🖤🐾

Mango had a GREAT first day at East Lynne 40! She spent some time getting used to all the new sights, sounds, smells, people, and spaces that come with being a school therapy dog. Our students did an awesome job giving Mango the space she needed. They used good manners and helped her feel comfortable in her new environment. And one special moment, Kaden even read Mango a story! We’re so proud of Mango and our students. It was a wonderful first step as Mango slowly gets acquainted with life at ELS. We think she’s going to fit right in with our Cougar family!

🏆 Our 8th grade volleyball girls brought home two wins last night against Adrian and Clinton!

Congratulations to McKinley, Sophia, and Caroline! We’re so proud of you! ❤️🖤

Hi, East Lynne 40! I have some BIG news… I’m coming to school! You may know my human, Mrs. Bell, but you haven’t met me yet. My name is Mango and after more than three years of learning, practicing, and working really hard, I passed my test and am officially a certified therapy dog! This Thursday will be my very first day at East Lynne 40! Now, I know what you’re thinking… MANGO! A DOG! AT SCHOOL! CAN I PET HER?! Not quite yet! School is a brand-new place for me, with lots of new people, sounds, smells, bells, doors, classrooms, and activity. So Mrs. Bell and I are going to take things nice and slow while I learn how everything works. For now, I’ll only be coming in the mornings, and when you see me, the best way you can help me is to look, smile, and give me some space—no touching just yet. That will help me feel safe and comfortable while I get used to my new job. Once I’ve settled in, Mrs. Bell will share a way for classes to sign up for a chance to officially meet me. I can’t wait for that! I’ve been working toward this for a long time, and I’m pretty excited to become part of the East Lynne 40 Cougar family. ❤️ 🐾 See you Thursday! Love, Mango 🐾

What is getting to be my favorite 20 minutes of my day? Middle school lunch. ❤️ There can be a lot of negativity out there about middle school kids, but they are some of my favorite people on the planet. They’re funny. They’re curious. They’re honest—sometimes to a fault. They’re figuring out who they are, testing their independence, finding their people, and learning how to navigate this whole growing-up thing. And ours? Simply some of the best. Today alone, I’ve seen acts of kindness that would touch your heart. I’ve watched kids hold doors for one another. I’ve watched them make sure someone else felt included and seen. I’ve watched them laugh together and encourage each other. And I’ve had three different middle schoolers go out of their way just to ask me, “How’s your day going?” They didn’t have to. They just noticed someone else and cared enough to ask. Middle schoolers sometimes get a bad rap, but there is so much GOOD happening in these years—and I get a front-row seat to it every. single.day. So do yourself a favor: get to know a middle schooler. Listen to their stories. Laugh at their jokes. Ask them what they think. Give them a little grace while they figure things out. You might just discover what I already know: Middle schoolers are pretty awesome people. And ours? I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

It was fun seeing some of our East Lynne kiddos participating in the Harrisonville Homecoming Parade! 🐾💙 It is always fun to see our students out in the community, making memories and being part of traditions that connect us beyond the school day. We love cheering them on wherever we see them!

Shout out to our very own Mrs. Katie Schork who participated in the Murder on Maui with the Pleasant Hill Theatrical Guild's Murder Mystery Dinner. Some of the staff were able to join in on the fun! Well done Mrs. Schork... well done!

Due to a water main break on town East Lynne 40 School District will dismiss at 10:00 AM.

When you are writing, two heads can be better than one. In 5th grade, we talked with a partner about our ideas for our first essay and shared ideas on how to improve our stories. Collaboration to spark imagination!

🐾 COUGAR SPIRIT GEAR IS HERE! ❤️🖤

Spirit Gear order forms were sent home with students last week! If you haven’t checked those backpacks yet, now is the time! 🎒

We have shirt designs to choose from, plus a NEW Cougar blanket this year! 🐾

👕 T-Shirts — $20
👕 Sweatshirts — $30
👕 Hoodies — $35
❤️ NEW Blankets — $30

📅 Orders are due September 25!
💵 Payment is due when the order is turned in. Exact cash or checks payable to East Lynne Boosters will be accepted.

Orders are expected to be delivered by October 30, just in time for plenty of Cougar spirit this fall! ❤️🖤

Thank you for supporting our Cougars! 🐾

Shout out to Mrs. Schroeder for being awarded a grant from the Voya Unsung Heroes program. She will use the money to continue improving our school garden and chicken coop that provide a hands on learning experience for our students.

We know the donuts are pretty great, but the best part of Donuts with Grownups is definitely the grownups! ❤️ Thank you for taking the time to show up and share these moments with our students. They may not always say it, but having you here matters. Our school is a better place because of the people who love, support, and show up for our kids. 🐾❤️