Prairie Point Express
Family Newsletter
August 27, 2021
School Address: 8101 NW Belvidere Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64152
School Hours: 8:15 am - 3:05 pm
School Phone: 816-359-4380
Principal: Dr. Danny Todtfeld
Assistant Principal: Mrs. Sarah McQuinn
Counselor: Mrs. Ally Swisher
School Social Worker: Miss Marla Anderson
Upcoming Dates
September 2nd: Parent Orientation - 5:30 - 7:00 pm
September 6th: NO SCHOOL, Labor Day
September 8th: Early Release, 1:00 pm
September 14th: PTA Virtual Meeting - 6:30 pm
September 28th: Picture Day
Parent Orientation
Parent Orientation will be Thursday, September 2nd and will be split into two sessions to help reduce the number of people in the building. Parent Orientation is a very important event for families to attend because you will hear a presentation from your child's teacher. Teachers will introduce you to the curriculum and explain how a day looks in their classroom.
Registration is REQUIRED if you plan to attend. Click here to view a flyer with more information.
The session times are listed below. Please select whichever session fits your family's schedule the best and sign up by using one of the links below. If you have students in more than one grade, you can toggle between the different sign-ups, or return to this email to click another link.
Session 1: 5:30-6:00 PM | Session 2: 6:15-6:45 PM
Safety Precautions
- Attendance will be limited to 2 adults per student and everyone will be required to wear a mask.
- Families will sign in at each classroom to assist with contact tracing.
- Registration is required to be able to attend the event. This helps us maintain a balanced number of attendees.
Links to Sign-Up
If you have questions, please contact your child's teacher or the front office at 816-359-4380.
Student Safety and Masks
Prairie Point Hours
7:55 am: First bell rings. Students may not be dropped off before 7:55 am as there will not be supervision available.
8:20 am: Tardy Bell Rings and School Officially Begins
3:05 pm: Dismissal
Supervision of students begins at 7:55 AM. Please do not drop off students before 7:55. Students who wish to eat breakfast will pick up a breakfast from the cafeteria on their way to class.
PBIS BOOT CAMP
Students learned our Big 3 Expectations: BE SAFE, BE KIND, BE RESPONSIBLE. Students explored our PBIS Matrix and our expected behaviors.
Early Release - September 8
message from your school social worker
Dear Prairie Point Parents!
Please complete this Confidential Resource Checklist. If you prefer, you can complete the paper copy I sent home today. This information is used to help determine what programs your child might want to participate in and what resources might be helpful to your family. Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete this form. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Marla J. Anderson, LMSW
School Social Worker
Prairie Point Elementary School
816-359-6379
Birthday Treats
Arrival and Dismissal
Bus Transportation
On August 17th, families will be able to log into their parent portal to view their child's bus information. During that same week, families receive a communication from Lana Dudzinski, Park Hill’s Transportation Coordinator, detailing how to access your child’s bus transportation information. Please check your contact information in the parent portal (Infinite Campus), to ensure your contact information is up to date. If you have questions or concerns regarding bus issues, please contact First Student at 816-359-4560.
On the first day of school, and every day after, teachers will walk their students to their individual buses and check off their names as they get on. Students will also scan their badges as they get on the bus. This is another important reason to ensure that students bring their badge to school each day.
Transportation Changes
If your student is going to have different transportation, a note or phone call from the parent must accompany the request. Please contact the office prior to 1:30 pm to request a change in transportation. Bus changes will only be issued for changes in daycare or for the safety of the student. If an alternative person is checking out your student, the person must have their ID scanned.
If you are picking your child up prior to the end of the school day, please arrive in the office prior to 2:45 pm. Parents who arrive after 2:45 pm, will need to wait until dismissal begins for their child to be called out of class.
Car Riders
Students who will be car riders every day will be considered “every day car riders.” All parents will be given a placard on the first day of school when they drop off their children. The placard MUST be displayed in the front window of the vehicle so staff can identify the parent or guardian. During dismissal, these students will be dismissed through the front doors. Staff members will supervise the car riders until a parent arrives.
We request that parents remain in cars and form a pick-up line in the front driveway. In order to eliminate congestion in the front office and keep students safe, we ask that you wait in the “car rider” line, in your car, and refrain from coming into the building to pick up your child unless it is an emergency situation.
Please avoid driving around cars who may be slower to load or unload students. Sometimes students use car doors on both sides of the vehicle. In order to keep students and staff safe, we request that you stay in line until the car in front of you moves.
Bus Information
A Message from Lana Dudzinski (District Transportation Coordinator)
Park Hill Parents and/or Guardians,
I can’t believe that the 21/22 school year is about to start. Time flies!
I am writing to share that bus information in now available in Infinite Campus. To view your student(s) bus information, visit the Infinite Campus Parent Portal at https://ic.parkhill.k12.mo.us/campus/portal/parkhill.jsp . From the menu, click MORE. Select Transportation.
- If there is no bussing information on this page, it may mean that you selected to “opt out” of transportation services while completing the Online Enrollment Verification. If your needs have changed, transportation may be added by notifying your student’s school or the district’s transportation office at transportation@parkhill.k12.mo.us .
- If the bussing information is incorrect, please contact First Student at 816-359-4560 and select option 1 or 2; or you may email First Student at 20275.busrequest@firstgroup.com .
- If your student(s) will not be riding on the bus, and bus information is listed, please notify your student’s school or the district’s transportation office at transportation@parkhill.k12.mo.us . We will mark your student as a non-rider, which will also remove you from receiving future transportation emails from me. Getting Started- FirstView.pdf Get Your Access Code - FirstView.pdf
I would like to add a few tidbits regarding school bus transportation:
- Please allow a ten (10) minute window, five (5) minutes before and five (5) minutes after the estimated pick-up time, for the bus to arrive at your bus stop. Students should be at the bus stop, waiting for the bus. Unfortunately, the bus is not able to wait for late riders.
- Students who cross the road at the bus stop must wait for the bus driver’s hand signal and must always cross in front of the bus. It is important to teach your students to make sure that the bus driver is looking at them, and to wait for their signal to cross.
- Please be aware that during the first days of school, bus routes tend to be delayed. This is where the FirstView app comes in handy and allows you to be able to anticipate your student’s arrival.
Lastly, I have attached the Park Hill School District’s Transportation Pamphlet for further transportation information. PH Student Transportation Pamphlet Rev2021.pdf
I wish much success to you and your family during the 21-22 school year!
Lana Dudzinski, District Transportation Coordinator
Contact Information
School Supply Lists
Title I Annual Meeting
A Message from Maria Walsh (Reading Interventionist)
Hello Prairie Point Families,
Thank you for taking the time to view this presentation to learn more about our Title 1 program at Prairie Point Elementary. Please click the link below to access the video presentation. After you have watched the presentation, please click the second link and add your signature to the sign-in sheet.
Click Here to View Title 1 Presentation: https://www.loom.com/share/b99af5e67cd043449943cb8ea4c8b459
Click Here to Sign-In: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJFw9KqZ5_RvrzSde2H9-wxJthNWbSz0nu9mQglsFhIiQRrA/viewform?usp=sf_link
After you have viewed the presentation and signed in Mrs. Walsh will be available to answer any questions or provide further feedback on Friday, August 27th from 9:00 - 9:30 am. Please click below on Friday, August 27th to ask Mrs. Walsh a question.
Date: Friday, August 27
Time: 9:00 - 9:30 am
Zoom Link: https://parkhillschools.zoom.us/j/6678016754?pwd=VXpWdDVvd3ZBNnMzMkg5aCttVzdlZz09
Password: read
Thank you for your time,
Mrs. Walsh
Student Badges
If students lose their badge, they will be sent to the front office for a replacement. Students will be provided one replacement badge, if needed, free of charge. After the first free replacement badge, there will be a $5.00 fee for each additional badge issued.
Please help us by ensuring that all students wear their badge to and from school each day.
Free Breakfast and Lunch!
It’s official – the program that allows us to provide free meals to our students and to children throughout our community is going to continue through the summer and the 2021-2022 school year. This is not just for families who are in need – everyone may feel welcome to access this resource for their children.
Free Meals During the 2021-2022 School Year:
- For in-person students:
Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, we will provide free breakfast and lunch to our in-person students each day.
Students in our area who do not attend our schools in person will be able to order our five-day frozen bulk meal kits.
Breakfast Menu for September
Lunch Menu for September
Prairie Point Health Room
Prairie Point PTA
2021-2022 PTA Board
Sarah Porter-President
Amanda Wilson-Fundraising
Johnathan Oladitan-Membership
Denna Nachlinger-Treasurer
Teresa Sidwell-Secretary
2021-2022 Committee Members
Angie Daniels
Anne Morris
Cara Kent
Christina Hall
Kate Conrad
Sara McGuff
Be sure to check out the attached newsletter for some additional information. We look forward to connecting with everyone this year!
Do You Know A Park Hill Star?
The Park Hill Star recognition program was started in 2015 to celebrate support staff and teachers whose work is especially noteworthy.
The following is an overview of the Park Hill Star Program:
Our employees are the reason we are so successful here in the Park Hill School District, and we would like to recognize them for all they do for our students.
That is why we present the Park Hill Star award once a month to a pre-K or elementary teacher, a secondary teacher and a support employee.
Prairie Point Communication
Of course, we know that two-way communication is best. Please feel free to call or email with any questions you have regarding your child's education.
Dr. Danny Todtfeld
Principal
816-359-6512
Mrs. Sarah McQuinn
Assistant Principal
816-359-6895
Prairie Point Mission
Our Vision
Prairie Point Elementary School provides all children with a safe, caring educational environment that focuses on high expectations and promotes lifelong learning.
Our Mission
To create a safe and caring student centered environment, to empower students to be independent learners, problem solver, and responsible citizens in the 21st Century.
At Prairie Point School, we value:
- Keeping the focus on the student
- Continuous learning and professional growth
- Warm, caring, open-minded environment
- High expectations for all students and adults
- Team work and collaboration
- Empathetic approach with our actions.