Matheny-Withrow Elementary School

Good morning, families! We have a busy and exciting week ahead of us! Today, each student will bring home a pumpkin, generously provided by our farmer friends, Farmer Alan and his sister, Julie. We are so grateful for their kindness and generosity! We will also be kicking off our Book Fair following Trunk or Treat this Friday at 1:00 p.m. A flyer with additional information will be sent home today and again on Thursday. We are still looking for a few more families to help fill our circle drive for Friday’s event. If you are available to volunteer, please complete the form and return it to school, or email me at **mmorris@sps186.org** with your name and your student’s name to let me know you will be joining us. Thank you in advance for your continued support, generosity, and involvement. We appreciate all you do to make our school community so special! Have a wonderful day!

Would your student like to see Mrs. Harris taped to our gym wall? To raise money for our United Way Campaign, students will bring in their change to fill our United Way Jar. If we fill the jar, all students will help tape Mrs. Harris to the wall!

Reminder: Students will be dismissed at 2:30 tomorrow for parent-teacher conferences. There is also no school on Friday for conferences. If you haven't scheduled your conference, please call the school tomorrow to set one up!

Don't forget about our Spirit Week this week!

Good afternoon families and staff, Today at dismissal we are giving away cereal bags, oatmeal and granola bars. Bags are already prepared and packed. We look forward to seeing you in the car lane at dismissal until it's all gone. Thank you to Central Illinois Food-bank.

Check out this amazing resource for laundry support in our community!

Good morning, Matheny Families! Today, October 5, we will be holding our 2nd FACE Meeting at 4:00 p.m. in the library. FACE stands for Family, Community, and Engagement. Our goal is to give families a voice, strengthen our school community, and help plan meaningful events and activities. We are looking for six parent representatives, with one from each grade level. The commitment is one hour per month. If you are interested in joining us, please let me know. We would love to have your voice and partnership! Thank you for supporting our students and school community!

Did you hear about our awesome Surprise Attendance Day? On Thursday, students who came to school were greeted by signs, noisemakers, bubbles, music, and even some characters! Then at lunch, all students received a slushie! It was a wonderful time to celebrate the importance of coming to school!
Check out our Instagram account for more pictures and videos!

Good afternoon Families Today we will have a food giveaway at 2:30pm. We will have pork loin, ground pork, apples, potatoes, frozen blueberries and strawberries for families to enjoy. We hope to see you today at 2:30pm.

⚾ FREE TICKETS FOR DISTRICT 186 FAMILIES!

The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) is proud to call Springfield home for its inaugural season, and we’re excited to help our families experience the action!

As part of a special partnership with District 186, District 186 families have the opportunity to receive FREE tickets to select Thursday night WPBL games this season.

📅 Available Games:

Thursday, August 20
Thursday, August 27
Thursday, September 3

🎟️ Up to six tickets per family are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

To claim your tickets, simply complete this form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSejd0rCj5WQU_SUHXfI1t2l0zOP95D7dnobbj3gVVJN6TH_AA/viewform?usp=dialog
Once your request is processed, tickets will be sent to the email address provided on the form.

We’re grateful to the WPBL for welcoming Springfield and partnering with District 186 to provide our students and families with this exciting opportunity to enjoy professional baseball right here in our community!

We can't wait to see you TODAY!!!

Join us for the Community Back-to-School Celebration and get ready for an incredible start to the 2026-2027 school year!

Today, July 30th | 4:30–7:00 p.m.
Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe
3751 Imagineer Drive, Springfield, IL

Students, Families & Staff won't want to miss this FREE community event featuring:
✅ Over 90 community exhibitors with valuable resources and information
✅ Back to School Physicals available on-site
✅ Free school supplies (while supplies last)
✅ Free food and treats
✅ Family activities and so much more!

Whether you're looking for helpful resources, getting ready for the first day of school, or just wanting to connect with the community, there's something for everyone.

A huge thank you to our incredible community partners whose generosity and support have made this event possible. ❤

#WeAre186 #sps186 #BackToSchool #ourcommunity

Keep Kids in School Clinics -No Appointment Needed

District 186, in partnership with SIU Medicine and the Sangamon County Department of Public Health, is offering walk-in clinics to help families complete required school physicals and immunizations—no appointment necessary.

Wednesday, August 12
Matheny-Withrow Elementary School
8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
1200 S. Pope Ave., Springfield
School Physicals Only

Sangamon County Department of Public Health
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
2833 S. Grand Ave. E, Springfield
Immunizations Only

Get your child ready for a healthy, successful school year before the first day!

Looking for a meaningful career where you can make a difference in the lives of students? Join us at the District 186 Career Fair on July 7 and learn more about the many opportunities available across our district.
📅 Tuesday, July 7, 2026
📍 District 186 Administrative Office, 3063 Fiat Avenue
Session 1: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Session 2: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
You don't have to wait until the career fair to apply. Visit https://www.sps186.org/o/sps/page/human-resources to view current openings and begin your application today!

Check out our supply list for 2026-2027 school year - https://files-backend.assets.thrillshare.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/2556/Matheny_Withrow/52796bbd-5309-4e86-9ae7-869ab517a96d/MATHENY-SUPPLY-LIST-26_27.pdf?disposition=inline

The countdown to a new school year is on, and District 186 is excited to welcome students, families, staff, and community members to the 2nd Annual Community Back-to-School Event on Thursday, July 30, 2026.

The Community Back-to-School Event serves as a one-stop destination for families preparing for the upcoming school year while strengthening connections between schools, families, and the community.

Event Details
Date: Thursday, July 30, 2026

Time: 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Location: Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe

Address: 3751 Imagineer Drive, Springfield, IL

We look forward to welcoming students, families, educators, and community members for an evening of fun, resources, and excitement as we kick off the 2026-2027 school year together.

Good afternoon families It's not to late to send in your Dad pictures for any Dads that could not make the March 11 celebration. I have one more dad that I will be putting up from a email. In addition please remind students to look on the lost and found table for their things we have quite bit on the table. Secretary Jackson will have report cards available until next Thursday please reach out to her if you need your students report card. Thank you to all our Matheny - Withrow Dads ⭐️Pictures can be emailed to mmorris@sps186.org

Good morning families, Thank you to all the families that had students in kindergarten and 5th grade that were able to attend our ceremonies on Friday. If you were able to capture some great content or photos could you please send it to mmorris@sps186.org for the Family and Community Engagement Event book I'll be putting together to capture our fantastic events we had this year. In addition, this week we would like to showcase our MW Dads. I have the photos from the dads that attended Doughnuts for Dad event in March. If you could not make this event please send a school appropriate picture to mmorris@sps186.org, so we can honoring you. Students loved seeing their moms and grandmothers and aunts on the Mothers Day board so I know they will be equally honored to show you off to their friends 💐😊

Good evening Friendly reminder that our Kindergarteners will be graduating at 9:30am tomorrow morning and our 5th graders will have a Moving up ceremony at 2pm in the Gym. We hope to see you tomorrow celebrating your students special day 💐🎈