Maude Saunders Elementary

First Lego League meeting for the 2023-2024 season. Students created their Club Rules, signed their contract, and completed a Lego challenge. The veteran Lego Club members helped the new members in creating a build that had a moving part, and then shared with the group.

Mrs. Tucker's 4th graders have been busy polishing their "S'more Paragraph" writing skills by the light of a cozy campfire. They are practicing sentence and paragraph formation while staying on topic in order to become better writers!

School Resource Officer Hunter Tice helping the Safety Patrol prepare for their first day!

As our 5th grade Student of the Month, Raya will represent Maude Saunders at the September Kiwanis Club meeting. The Kiwanis Club recognizes one deserving fifth grader each month and provides the student and a guest with lunch, a certificate, a treat bag, and the opportunity to participate in a service club meeting. The students always enjoy this experience, and we appreciate the support of the DeFuniak Springs Kiwanis Club.

At Maude Saunders, every child and staff member belongs to a "HOUSE". Each HOUSE represents a character trait (Respect, Integrity, Grit, Leadership, and Courage) that we want ALL of our Scholars to exhibit. Last week, our Littlest Warriors in Kindergarten received their HOUSE assignments. It was an exciting time for them and we are so happy to welcome each one into their respective HOUSE! The Ron Clark HOUSE system is an exiting and proven way to create a positive school climate and culture that builds character, relationships, and school spirit.

Mrs. Ascetta's first graders recently read the Peter H. Reynolds' book, "The Dot", which is a story that celebrates the creative spirit in everyone. Afterward, they painted their own dot to see what creativity lies within themselves.

We are very proud to announce our September students of the month! These students were selected by their teacher because they show respect, responsibility and resourcefulness in the classroom and throughout the school. Way to go, MSE Scholars!

SMILE! It's Friday! If you have not returned your child's mid-term progress report, please sign and return it as soon as possible!

Mrs. Morrison's 3rd graders took advantage of the nice weather to have lunch in the courtyard last Friday. If you would like to join your child for lunch, you are welcome to! Just show your identification at the front office and as long as your name appears on the emergency card, you can join your personal child(ren) for lunch in the courtyard, weather permitting. Lunch times are as follows: Kindergarten -10:20 First - 11:30 Second - 10:30 Third - 11:00 Fourth - 12:40 Fifth - 11:40

It's always nice to see older students helping out younger ones. Each day, we say "We are One school, One Team, with One mission....excellence!" This is an excellent example of Mr. West's students working together to bring that statement to life!

Who ya' gonna call??? MY SELF! Mrs. Merchant's first graders are practicing using their "whisper phones" to hear themselves speak. The phones amplify sounds so that beginning readers can better hear the sounds and words they are forming when they read.

Miss Shanaughy's first graders said playing tag at recess time is waaay more fun when the teacher is "it"!

Superintendent Hughes delivers his September Monthly Update! September is a busy month full of holiday, remembrance, and celebration. Make sure to watch the monthly updates to ensure you are up-to-date on all of the EPIC happenings in Walton County! https://youtu.be/qzxVY7PoUzY

Our first Volunteer Orientation will be held this Friday, August 25th. Choose the time that is most convenient for you - 8:15 or 1:15! The orientation takes about 45 minutes and is required in order for you to become a registered volunteer at our school. Prior to attending, use the link below to complete the application online. We can complete the notarized affidavit portion of the application at the orientation. If you have any questions, call Krisy Spence at 850-892-1260, ext 2414. We look forward to seeing you on Friday! https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NTA2OmVuLVVT

Thank you to the many organizations and individuals who have donated school supplies, backpacks, incentives, and snacks for our staff and students, including Destiny Worship Center, First Presbyterian Church, Coldwell Banker, Food for Thought, and CHELCO. Along with generous individuals, these organizations made sure every child at MSE had supplies needed to start the school year. We are so fortunate to have you on our TEAM!

Those "TRICKY LETTERS" won't trick Mrs. Price's students! They tested out their fresh, new crayons as they identified the tricky letters that might fool a Kindergartener, but not these first graders!

Walker, one of our adorable Kindergarten students, would like to announce some great news to everyone...it's the first Saturday of the school year!! We hope everyone gets rested and reset for next week. The drop-off and pick-up lines are already moving faster and instruction will be from 7:50 until 2:25. Checking in late or leaving early results in children missing out on valuable instruction. In order to achieve our goal, we need our students here all day, every day!

Another EPIC first day of school at Maude Saunders!

We loved seeing all of our MSE families at Orientation/Preview on Tuesday. We look forward to seeing all the students on the first day of school tomorrow! Student drop-off begins at 7:15 and instruction begins daily at 7:50.

Superintendent A. Russell Hughes delivered a powerful and inspiring address at the 56th Annual PAEC Leadership Conference. The crowd rose to their feet on fire to begin a new school year!