Mendota Elementary School

09/01/2026

🎉 Mendota Open House & Meet and Greet 2026! 🎉

We can’t wait to welcome our newest Cougars and our returning students to Mendota! ❤️💛🖤

📅 Wednesday, September 2
⏰ 4:00–6:00 p.m.

Come meet your teacher, visit your classroom, connect with our specialists and support staff, meet the Mendota PTA, and get ready for a fantastic school year!

🚌 Kindergarten Families

✨ Optional student bus rides at 3:40 or 3:55 p.m.
📍 Meet by the flagpole in front of the school.

Then:
🏫 Meet your classroom teacher and check out your classroom
🎨 Connect with Art, Music, PE, Science, Special Education & Intervention teachers
👋 Stop by the Mendota PTA tables in the front of the school
🌭 Enjoy a FREE hot dog meal starting at 4:20 p.m. in the north courtyard by the playground, provided by the Mendota PTA!

📚 Grades 1–4

🏫 Meet your teacher and visit your classroom
👋 Connect with our Specialist, Special Education & Intervention teachers
💬 Stop by the Mendota PTA tables
🌭 Enjoy a FREE hot dog meal starting at 4:20 p.m. in the north courtyard!

We are SO excited to see familiar faces, meet our new Tigers, and kick off another amazing year together! 🐯❤️💛

See you Wednesday!

08/31/2026

🌿✨ **Mendota Teachers Never Stop Learning!** ✨🌿

Today was the **first day back for Mendota teachers**, and what a way to kick off the school year! ❤️💛🖤

Instead of sitting inside for professional development, our teachers headed outside for a special learning experience at the **confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers**. We’ve been doing a lot of learning and preparation around **Bdote**, but being *there*—seeing the land, hearing the stories, and experiencing the place firsthand—was truly amazing. 🌊

Our learning continued at **Indian Mounds Regional Park**, where we explored:
📍 The top of Wakan Tipi Cave
📍 A Burial Mound
📍 Star Maps in the Gazebo
🎨 The *Grandmother’s Hands* sculpture

A huge **THANK YOU to Ramona Kitto Stately ** for leading us through such a meaningful and memorable day of learning! Ramona is an enrolled member of the Santee Sioux Dakhóta Nation and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in Dakota art, culture, education, and teacher leadership.

Today was a powerful reminder that **learning doesn’t just happen in a classroom—it happens through connection, place, stories, and experience.** ❤️

Our teachers are learning, growing, and getting ready to bring this knowledge back to our students.

📚🍎 **Mendota teachers never stop learning—and we can’t wait to share it with our students!**

**We’re getting ready, Mendota… WE’RE SO EXCITED TO SEE OUR STUDENTS!** 🎉❤️💛🖤

08/21/2026

🎭✨ **TWICE UPON A TIME AT MENDOTA!** ✨🎭

The curtain is ready to rise! Join us **TONIGHT at 6:00 PM in the Mendota gym** for a **FREE performance** of *Twice Upon a Time*! ❤️💛🖤

Come out and support our incredible Mendota students as they take the stage and share all their hard work with our community. We are SO proud of these performers! 🌟

🎟️ **FREE ADMISSION**
📍 Mendota Gym
⏰ **Tonight at 6:00 PM**

Bring the family and get ready for a night of fun, laughter, and lots of school spirit! 🎭👏

08/21/2026

🎭✨ **THE SHOW MUST GO ON!** ✨🎭

Our Mendota students and alumni are taking the stage today for ***Twice Upon a Time***—and we couldn’t be more excited to cheer them on! ❤️💛🖤

These talented students have put in so much time, creativity, and hard work to bring this production to life, and it is SO fun to see their dedication shine on stage! 🌟

🎟️ **Performances TODAY at 12:30 PM & 6:00 PM!**

Come support our amazing **Mendota students and alumni** and enjoy this super cute show! We are so proud of all the work they’ve put into ***Twice Upon a Time***. 👏🎭

**Great work, Mendota students! We can’t wait to see you shine!** ⭐️

08/17/2026

🌻 Wow! The sunflowers in the Mendota garden are HUGE!! 🌻 A big thank you to our amazing garden committee for all their hard work! 🌱🌞

06/04/2026

🎉💙 What a way to wrap up an incredible school year! 💙🎉

Today, our Mendota Cougars came together for our final all-school assembly of the year—a celebration filled with gratitude, recognition, music, and Cougar pride!

We honored so many amazing members of our school community, including our dedicated parent volunteers and supporters who help make Mendota such a special place. We also celebrated the retirement of Mary Lay and recognized our incredible administrative assistant, Ms. Adams, for all she does for our students, staff, and families.

Our students were recognized for their hard work and achievements in writing, reading, and math, and we proudly celebrated our fourth-grade athletes who participated in the first-ever district-wide fourth-grade athletic event at Two Rivers.

From the singing and cheering to the awards and heartfelt moments, this assembly was the perfect way to celebrate a year full of learning, growth, friendships, and accomplishments.

Thank you to our students, staff, families, and volunteers for making this school year one to remember. Have a wonderful summer, Cougars! ☀️🐾

Once a Cougar, always a Cougar! 💙

📸 A perfect sendoff to summer and a wonderful reminder of what makes the Mendota community so special.

06/03/2026

🎓🐾 **Fourth Grade Recognition 2026** 🐾🎓

What a special day celebrating our amazing fourth graders! From music and favorite memories to recognizing each student, today’s Fourth Grade Recognition Ceremony was a wonderful sendoff for an incredible group of Cougars.

A huge thank you to the team who planned this meaningful event and to our PTA for helping make this day possible. Your support helped create lasting memories for our students and families.

Fourth graders, we are so proud of all you have accomplished during your time at Mendota. As you take the next step in your journey, know that we will be cheering you on every step of the way. We can't wait to hear about all the great things you'll achieve in the years ahead!

💙 Once a Cougar, always a Cougar. 🐾

🎓✨

06/03/2026

06/03/2026

🌟 **Kindergarten’s BEST. DAY. EVER!** 🌟

What an incredible day for our amazing kindergarteners! From exploring the garden 🌱, to enjoying pizza for lunch 🍕, to an exciting visit from some fascinating reptiles 🦎🐍, the smiles and excitement were nonstop!

These special end-of-year experiences are what make the last days of school so memorable. Our kindergarten students were full of wonder, curiosity, laughter, and joy as they learned, explored, and celebrated together.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this day so special for our youngest Cougars. Watching their excitement and hearing their stories was truly the **best day ever**! 💚

🐾✨

06/01/2026

Check out the schedule for the last week of school! Go Mendota Cougars~