Buzzin' in the Hive
Graden Parent and Family Newsletter October, 2023
Dear Graden Families,
Thursday, October 19th, marks the end of the first quarter. We have engaged in many learning opportunities this quarter and I am proud of all of our Hornet's hard work. Our AVID binders are designed to be sent home each night so your child can share about their day. I encourage you to take time with your child to reflect on their growth and numerous accomplishments he/she has gained in the first quarter of school.
We have over 150 students participating in building leadership roles spanning from the cafeteria, bus, office, bathroom quality control, spirit, speaker, and greeter leaders! We truly have leadership occurring in every aspect of our building.
Friday, October 20th will be a NO school day for Park Hill Elementary students as teachers will be working on preparing report cards and finalizing information for the end of the quarter.
Our fall parties will be Thursday, October 19th. Classroom teachers will send out information regarding parties and parent support. All parents are welcome for our Fall Party on October 19th. Find more information below about our processes for check-in on Fall Party Day.
Our Student Leadership Team will be hosting a Fall Trunk or Treat event on Monday, October 30th from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. If you would like to host a trunk, access this link and provide our Student Leadership sponsors with your information. If you would like to donate candy for this event, please send any size bag of individually wrapped candy to Graden and place them in the collection bins by the front office. We will collect candy all the up until the day of this event.
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held the week of Monday, October 23rd - Thursday, October 26th. If you have yet to sign-up for a conference time, please reach out to your classroom teacher.
In closing, I would like to thank each of you for all that you do at home to support all of us at Graden. It truly takes a village to provide exceptional learning experiences for our Hornets and I appreciate all of your support!
Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday, October 4th: Early Release - Dismissal at 2:00 pm
Tuesday, October 10th: PTA Meeting - 6:00 pm - Library Media Center - DR. KIMBREL, PARK HILL SUPERINTINDENT WILL JOIN US TO GIVE PARK HILL UPDATES
Thursday, October 12th: Mathletics Competition - 4:45 pm - Gym
Wednesday, October 18th: 4th Grade Musical - 6:30 pm - Gym
Thursday, October 19th: Fall Party Day - 3:00 pm - Graden
Friday, October 20th: NO SCHOOL
Monday, October 23rd: Thursday, October 26th - Conferences
Thursday, October 26th: NO SCHOOL
Friday, October 27th: NO SCHOOL
Monday, October 30th: Trunk or Treat - 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
It's truly a GREAT DAY to be a HORNET!!!
Dr. Vanna Easley
GRADEN FALL PARTIES
We are excited to welcome 2 adult visitors per student and would like to make the check-in process as smooth as possible.
All visitors MUST be checked in using our Raptor visitor system with photo ID prior to entering the building.
If you plan to attend the fall parties, please complete the form below to notify Graden that you will attend. If you are already in our system, you will have a visitor sticker upon your arrival on Thursday, October 19th.
*** If you are NOT in our Raptor system, you will be notified by the Graden office to come to Graden and pre-register with your photo ID prior to the 19th. If you are not able to pre-register, you will need to complete this process at the front office before joining class parties. Pre-registering is highly encouraged.
* If you have multiple students, please fill this out for your oldest student ONLY.
GRADEN BOOK FAIR
TRUNK OR TREAT
Graden Student Leadership is so excited to host our 3rd Annual Graden Trunk or Treat on Monday, October 30th- 6:00 pm-7:30 p.m. We are in need of volunteers to sign up to host a trunk! If you would like to participate in this event with us, please access the link below to host a trunk.
The event will take place in the lower playground parking lot on the east side of the building and on our upper playground on the north side of the building. if weather does not cooperate, we will plan to set up shop within the building. That will be a game time decision based on that day's weather forecast.
Thank you in advance for your help and support with making this fun event for the kids happen! If you have questions about the sign-up, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Fohl by e-mail: fohlc@parkhill.k12.mo.us or Mrs. Schmidt by email: schmidt@parkhill.k12.mo.us.
GRADEN DEIB COUNCIL
PARENT AND FAMILY FEEDBACK SURVEY
Park Hill provides opportunities three times a year to provide feedback about your experiences as Park Hill families. If you have not had an opportunity to complete the survey sent to you via email, please access the link below, type in the passcode and provide us feedback. This information helps inform our practices.
PASSCODE - 1263014447
NEWS FROM MRS. GITTEMEIER SCHOOL COUNSELOR
BIRTHDAY PARTY FAVORS & DAILY TREATS
Students may bring birthday treats into class to celebrate their birthday as long as they come from our list of treats that contain none of the major allergens.
Thank you for understanding that all classroom treats must come from this list, because we do not have the staff capacity to check for allergens that could threaten the health of some students.
Each classroom celebrates birthdays at a time that is conducive to their schedule. We do not allow parents or families to join classrooms for birthday celebrations as these are opportunities for students to celebrate with the teacher and classmates.
Approved Birthday Treats:
Please bring birthday treats ahead of time (two hours after the start of school, at the latest).
- Stickers
- Erasers
- Pencils
- Crazy straws
- Blow Pops
- Juice boxes
- Popcorn
- Smarties
- Dum Dum lollipops
- Jelly Belly
- Nerds
- Ring Pops
- Skittles
- Sour Patch Kids
- Starburst
- Swedish Fish
- Life Saver Gummies
Early release days will be on Wednesdays for the 2023-24 school year. Dismissal on early release days begins at 2:00 pm.
All students will engage in a cultural arts assembly and, some months, students will join interest groups to participate in an activity of high interest to them.
2023-24 Early Release Days:
Wednesday, October 4th
Wednesday, November 8th
Wednesday, December 6th
Wednesday, January 10th
Wednesday, February 7th
Wednesday, March 6th
Wednesday, April 3rd
Wednesday, May 1st
Look for more information about interest group days in our monthly newsletters.
Lunch Visitors
Lunch visitors are welcome each day at Graden. If you would like to join your Hornet for lunch, please bring your license upon check-in at the Graden office. If you plan to purchase a school lunch, please have funds in your student's account or bring payment with you.
Visitors may also join recess after lunch. Please head immediately to the Graden office after recess to check-out.
Graden Lunch Schedule:
Kindergarten: 11:00 am -11:20 am
1st Grade: 11:20 am - 11:40 am
2nd Grade: 11:40 am - 12:00 pm
3rd Grade: 12:20 pm - 12:40 pm
4th Grade: 12:00 pm - 12:20 pm
5th Grade: 12:45 pm - 1:05 pm
Graden PTA Board Members:
Hayley Cooper, President
Emily Miller, Vice President
Brittany Conklin, Secretary
Rick McConnell, Treasurer
Maggie Wright, Teacher Rep
Angie Liberty, Parliamentarian
Silent Auction was a HUGE success and raised over $5,000! This money will go towards supporting our students and staff throughout the year. PTA is reaching out to confirm details with some families, so be on the lookout for an email from gradenelementarypta@gmail.com. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Thank you to the volunteers who are helping put together party kits and coordinate the special events sponsored during the auction.
PTA loved getting to support the teachers & staff with a meal from Texas Roadhouse on Parent Orientation Night and a "Pop-Up" Treat Bar at school. Additionally we organized a school wide assembly for the students with the KCMO Fire Department and Police as well as Children's Mercy Critical Care Transport and Life Flight Eagle. Thank you to all who made that happen! We have lots of exciting events throughout October and would love your support and involvement. Please sign up for PTA today and help us make a difference for Graden.
Important Dates:
· Oct. 10 – Fundraising Dinner Night at DAIRY QUEEN! Every DQ purchase gives back to Graden.
· Oct. 10– PTA Meeting at 6 p.m. in the Graden library, childcare provided! Dr. Kimbrel will be in attendance.
· Oct. 18 – "Pop-up" snack cart for Graden staff!
· Oct. 19 – Fall Class Parties 2:50-3:35 p.m.
· Oct. 25 – PTA Olive Garden Dinner for Staff
Connect with us on Facebook to see our upcoming events and learn how you can get involved with PTA.
2023-24 PTA Meeting Dates
Tuesday, October 10th, 2023 - Dr. Kimbrel will Join to give a PH update
Tuesday, November 14th, 2023
Tuesday, December 12th, 2023
Tuesday, January 9th, 2024
Tuesday, February 13th, 2024
Tuesday, March 12th, 2024
Tuesday, April 9th, 2024
Tuesday, May 14th, 2024
GRADEN INFORMATION
School Hours: 9:10 am - 4:10 pm
Doors open at 8:55 am for breakfast
Dismissal begins at 3:55 pm
813-359-4340
Assistant Principal: Morgan Taylor
816-359-4340
Executive Administrative Assistant: Nikki Suchanick
816-359-4340
Graden Registrar: Angy Bullin
816-359-4340
GRADEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Email: easleyv@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Website: https://graden.parkhill.k12.mo.us/
Location: 8804 NW Highway 45, Parkville, MO 64152
Phone: (816) 359-4340