We pledge to be drug free! Cardinal Elementary shined in red and we celebrated our staff with a visit from the Cardinal Caring Cart. Happy Friday! 😍
3 days ago, Sara Bennis
red ribbon week
red ribbon week
red ribbon week
red ribbon week
Today we had another round of lunch with the Law. This time the students picked to eat at Hall of Fame in downtown Maquoketa an exciting opportunity for all those who got to go. Thanks again to our Maquoketa Police Department. Congrats to Ava Hicks, Sebastian Tobias, and Ja'Zayvion Haddock who were chosen for being good role models for others and following the rules of the school! They each picked a staff members who inspires them to make good choices. Thank you Mrs. Gravel, Mrs. Graham, and Mrs. Trusty for your impact! 😍
3 days ago, Sara Bennis
Lunch with the Law!
Lunch with the Law!
Lunch with the Law!

Hello Cardinal Elementary Families,

Thank you to all those who helped us recognize Red Ribbon Week with the fun dress up days as we Pledge to be Drug Free! Next week we will celebrate Halloween with costume parties on Thursday for PK and Friday for K-2 students. Please watch the CWNK news (https://youtu.be/enl9UOsbLjY) with more information about our week ahead.

Highlights Include:
Fun celebrating Red Ribbon Week
Halloween parties Friday, Oct. 31st
Trunk or Treat at the Y on Oct. 30th
High Hopes and Count on Me assembly
Level Up for Leadership Day Nov. 25th
Jokes of the Week

Have a great weekend!

3 days ago, Sara Bennis
Today we celebrated our Kindergarten Leaders of the Week! So proud of you all for leading the way!

Harper Dirks does an excellent job of finishing daily work on time. Her work is always neat. Harper also takes good care of her supplies and she puts her work and supplies away when finished working. Keep up the great work Harper!

Zoey Goodenow does an amazing job getting her work done before she goes to centers.

Vinny Baker is doing a great job of prioritizing things that need to get done in order to move to the next step, but still doing his very best. He is emphasizing our "work first, then play" motto! Keep up the great work.

Finn Henderson does a great job of showing his classmates Habit 2 in action! He knows what work he needs to get done and then he does it so that he can then go to centers and have fun! Keep showing Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind!! Ms. Cari is so proud of you!!!
3 days ago, Sara Bennis
Leaders of the week
Today was an exciting opportunity for our 1st and 2nd grade leaders as they met city manager, Josh Boldt, and voted on the playground equipment they felt would be best for Maquoketa. 😀🛝
3 days ago, Sara Bennis
city park
city park
city park
city park
city park
city park
Yesterday we were reminded that "Your Dreams Can Come True Without Drugs" and got to wear our pajamas to school ♥️ It's been a great Red Ribbon Week promoting drug prevention and awareness in a mission to keep kids drug-free!
3 days ago, Taylor Fuerste
Yesterday we were reminded that "Your Dreams Can Come True Without Drugs" and got to wear our pajamas to school ♥️

It's been a great Red Ribbon Week promoting drug prevention and awareness in a mission to keep kids drug-free!
Yesterday we were reminded that "Your Dreams Can Come True Without Drugs" and got to wear our pajamas to school ♥️

It's been a great Red Ribbon Week promoting drug prevention and awareness in a mission to keep kids drug-free!
Yesterday we were reminded that "Your Dreams Can Come True Without Drugs" and got to wear our pajamas to school ♥️

It's been a great Red Ribbon Week promoting drug prevention and awareness in a mission to keep kids drug-free!
Yesterday we were reminded that "Your Dreams Can Come True Without Drugs" and got to wear our pajamas to school ♥️

It's been a great Red Ribbon Week promoting drug prevention and awareness in a mission to keep kids drug-free!
Yesterday we were reminded that "Your Dreams Can Come True Without Drugs" and got to wear our pajamas to school ♥️

It's been a great Red Ribbon Week promoting drug prevention and awareness in a mission to keep kids drug-free!
Sweet dreams from Cardinal Elementary! We pledge to be drug free! ❤️
4 days ago, Sara Bennis
pajama day
pajama day
pajama day
pajama day
pajama day
pajama day
pajama day
pajama day
pajama day
pajama day
Congratulations to District Champ and State Qualifier, Izzy Hardin ! Izzy will run on Friday, October 31st at 2:00 in Fort Dodge at the State Championships. Let’s go Izzy!
4 days ago, Devin Hardin
1
We were too BRIGHT for drugs today! Tomorrow our dreams will come true without drugs. Join us in wearing pj's at Cardinal and Briggs Elementary!
5 days ago, Sara Bennis
red ribbon week
red ribbon week
red ribbon week
Today we said, "Peace Out" to Drugs! Join us tomorrow as we show we are "Too Bright For Drugs!" at Cardinal and Briggs Elementary!
6 days ago, Sara Bennis
Red Ribbon Week
Red Ribbon Week
Red Ribbon Week
Red Ribbon Week
Congratulations to Cardinal Cross Country runners Izzy Hardin and Riley Buttz! Izzy and Riley were both named Elite All-Conference runners at last weeks River Valley Conference Cross Country Meet in Iowa City.
Riley finished in 9th place with a PR time of 20:58. Izzy finished in 1st place with a PR time of 17:58. In addition to the elite all-conference designation, Izzy was named River Valley Conference Runner of the Year. Her personal record time also set another school record for the 5k race.
8 days ago, Devin Hardin
Screenshot 2025-10-20 at 8
Hello Cardinal Elementary Families,

We hope that you all enjoy the extra day with your child(ren) as we will not be having school tomorrow (October 17th). We greatly appreciated the opportunity to meet with many of you and share more about your child's progress at Cardinal Elementary. Please check out this week's addition of CWNK news (
https://youtu.be/mYueFB0SlOw) to learn more about what we have happening next week. We have some fun dress up days included as we celebrate Red Ribbon Week!

Highlights Include:
Red Ribbon Week Oct. 20-24
Dress Up Days
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Congrats to Leaders of the Month
Level Up for Leadership Day Nov. 25th
Joke of the Week
11 days ago, Sara Bennis
Red Ribbon Week
1st Grade have been working on their counting and numeracy skills with the help of a few pumpkins! 🎃
12 days ago, Sara Bennis
pumpkin math
pumpkin math
pumpkin math
pumpkin math

Cardinal and Briggs would like to give a big SHOUT OUT to those families and businesses that provided treats for the P/T Conference Nights. We enjoyed all the yummy treats and delicious beverages! Your kindness and generosity does not go unnoticed! THANK YOU!

Sorry if I missed anyone that may not have been on the sign-up.
Mike Hayward
Dena & Victor Ochoa
Holly Kuhlman
Michele Larson
Becky Nowachek
Kacee Nohr
Katie Lucas
Heather Drury
Lisa Loewen
Caves Road Produce

12 days ago, Sara Bennis
Desserts for Conferences

Hello Cardinal Families,

We will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week next week at Cardinal Elementary and Briggs Elementary ❤️🖤 This year’s theme is “Life is a Puzzle, Solve it Drug Free”. We will celebrate Red Ribbon Spirit Week with Red Ribbon Week 2025 Dress Up Days during this special week! This week promotes drug prevention and awareness in a mission to keep kids drug-free! In elementary school, we talk about what type of choices are healthy for our body and what choices are not healthy.

Red Ribbon Week is meant to bring awareness to the devastating effects of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. It is a way for communities to show that they are taking a stand against drugs. The symbol of a Red Ribbon has been around since 1985 to symbolize a commitment to a drug-free America. Red Ribbon Week is celebrated nationwide. October is also Safe Schools Month, as well as Bullying Prevention Month.

Let’s take this week to celebrate and teach students about making safe and healthy choices for their minds and bodies! ❤️🖤

12 days ago, Taylor Fuerste
Red Ribbon Week 2025 Dress Up Days
Reminder: Parent/Teacher Conferences on October 15th and 16th. There will be a 1:30 early dismissal schedule for both of these dates. Please sign up for conferences if you haven't already done so. No School on Friday, October 17th.
15 days ago, Maquoketa CSD
Screenshot 2025-10-12 at 8
Congratulations to our 1st Grade Leaders of the Week.

Declyn Johnson does an amazing job of beginning with the end in mind. He always knows what he needs to get done and makes a plan to complete it. He follows the steps he needs to in order to reach his goals. On top of that, he is a great role model for his classmates, raising his hand to speak, following directions the first time, and being kind to others. Good job, Declyn!

Axl James is working hard to follow directions the first time and do his very best on assignments. He is a good friend and is trying hard to be a good example.

Chyriah Aiseam has been doing an awesome job beginning with the end in mind! She is good at thinking ahead when it's time to work on activities and showing others her leadership skills. She has been a great friend to all, and playing with new friends at recess. Way to go, Chyriah!
17 days ago, Sara Bennis
unnamed

Hello from the Elementary Parent Lighthouse Team! Our Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences are coming up and we would like to support our teachers with some snacks to get them through these evenings after a day of teaching! We have come up with a list of items enjoyed by teachers but have also left some spaces for those special treats you like to make. If you are willing to provide these items, please add your name to the column on the right. You can drop off your donation to either Briggs or Cardinal and someone from the Parent Lighthouse Team will make sure to deliver it to the schools. We will ask that all donations are delivered by 12pm on Wednesday, October 15th.

Remember: Please package your items in tossable containers, as we will not be keeping track of containers to return to owners.

Thank You!

Kayla Flenker, President; Ashley River, Vice President; Lorene McLaughlin, Co-Secretary; Tayler Hayes, Co-Secretary; Megan Simmons, Treasurer

Team Members: Sara Bennis, Gabe Recker, Hannah True, Heather Drury, Becky Nowachek, Michele Larson, Sarah Duhme, Dena Ochoa

Click here to access the Google doc sign-up (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gKvUCDXeTMmFtiL-8EqlLU9ExISVk2Oj159h9S5X2gs/edit?tab=t.0)

If you have trouble opening the link you can email building principals and request the link.

Sara Bennis (sbennis@maquoketaschools.org)

Gabe Recker (grecker@maquoketaschools.org)

23 days ago, Sara Bennis
Desserts
Congratulations to our 2nd Grade Leaders of the Month for October.

- Ember Cross does a great job of practicing all of the habits, all of the time! He sets a good example for other students every day by being polite, prepared and ready to learn.

-Fin Notz contributes to a respectful learning environment through his leadership. He is a friend to all and models the school rules for others. When a friend is in need he is always there to support.

-Ensleigh Flenker is a phenomenal role model and is always willing to lead others by good example. She always makes the right choice when others are not and is kind to all. She is a great example of a leader!

- Emmi Widel is a great leader! She follows directions the first time, is prepared for class, asks clarifying questions, participates in class discussions, and is a good friend to others. Way to go, Emmi!!!!
24 days ago, Sara Bennis
2nd Grade Cardinal of the Week!
Cardinal Elementary brought on the PEP for the High School Pep Assembly today! GO CARDS! 🎉
24 days ago, Sara Bennis
pep assembly
pep assembly
pep assembly
pep assembly
pep assembly
pep assembly
pep assembly
pep assembly
pep assembly
pep assembly