Union Chapel Gator Gab
September 2019
Union Chapel Elementary
Mrs. Vanna Easley, Assistant Principal
Website: https://unionchapel.parkhill.k12.mo.us/home
Location: 7100 Northwest Hampton Road, Kansas City, MO, USA
Phone: 816-359-4310
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnionChapelElementary?ref=br_tf
Twitter: @Union_Chapel
Pre-register for Class Parties
Elementary Early Release Dates 2019-2020
Union Chapel will release at 1:30 pm on the following Thursdays.
Teachers will be engaged in professional learning on those afternoons.
September 12th
October 3rd
November 7th
December 12th
January 9th
February 6th
March 5th
April 9th
May 7th
2019-2020 School Hours
Start
8:20 a.m. Breakfast
8:35 a.m. Dismissal to Class
8:40 a.m. Classes Begin
*Students should not arrive before 8:20 unless you are checking them into Adventure Club.
*Students arriving after 8:40 will be counted as a partial absence.
Dismissal
3:30 p.m. Dismissal for walkers, car riders & Adventure Club takes place first (around 3:27), followed by bus rider dismissal (as soon as other groups have cleared the hallways).
Upcoming Dates
September 2nd-No School for Labor Day
September 3rd-6th-Vision and Hearing Testing
September 10th- Picture Day
September 10th- PTA Meeting from 6:30 -7:30 pm
September 12th- Early Release Day-Out at 1:30 pm
September 13th-Pastries with Parents at 7:45 am - 8:20 am (Families with last names beginning with F-N)
September 17th- Pastries with Parents at 7:45 am - 8:20 am (Families with last names beginning with O-Z)
Fall Picture Day- Tuesday, September 10th
All students will have their individual pictures taken this day as these pictures will appear in the yearbook. Once again this year, there will be online ordering only. Families have the option to prepay or wait for a proof picture with the option to order online at a later date. There will be fall picture re-takes on October 22 for any student absent on September 10.
Please click here for more information.
News from the Gator Grill
Union Chapel always welcomes parents who wish to eat lunch with their child. If you are interested in joining your child for lunch, please check in with the front office ahead of time so that our Gator Grill staff can add you into our lunch count. This will ensure that we have enough food prepared for both students and parent visitors.
Eliminate Bullying
También disponible en español aquí
How can I tell the difference between bullying and other mean behaviors?
Click here to read more.
Let's Stay In Touch!
Please sign up for phone/text alerts at www.parkhill.k12.mo.us to receive all notifications and alerts from the district. This includes school closing notifications. You will click on the yellow and green icons at the top right side of the main page to access the registration forms.
Social Worker Spotlight
Hi Union Chapel families! I’m school social worker Ellie Hart, and I've been looking forward to putting a spotlight on attendance. At Union Chapel, we want ALL of our students here every day! We know that due to sickness and other unforeseen circumstances, that isn’t always possible. However, when do attendance concerns turn in to chronic absenteeism? Chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10% or more of school days. This percentage can be made up of both full and partial day absences. In elementary school, we don’t differentiate between excused and unexcused absences; every time your child misses school, for whatever reason, his or her percentage of absences increases. Poor attendance has adverse effects on reading, math, social skills, test scores, high school graduation rates, and more. It is so important that we start the year with STRONG attendance, because research shows that students who miss more school in September are significantly more likely to become chronically absent later in the year. The good news? Students who miss fewer than two days in September typically have good attendance rates for the entire year! Please help your Union Chapel Gators start the year strong by getting to school each day.
How can you boost your child’s attendance?
- Make school a priority! Make sure your child knows how important it is to be at school every day.
- Ensure your transportation plan is strong. Do you have a back-up plan for unforeseen transportation issues?
- Always let your child’s teacher know when he or she will miss school, and make sure you’re requesting makeup work.
- Carefully weigh sick days. Keep in mind that we have a school nurse, who is happy to see your child if they’re not feeling well. When your child is sick, always check with your child’s healthcare provider to determine how long he or she should stay home from school.
- Arrange appointments and vacations outside of school hours, whenever possible.
- Prepare your child for successful mornings—try setting an alarm, having your child lay out their outfit the night before, having backpacks and shoes ready, etc.
- Contact me, your child’s school social worker, to talk more in depth about how to improve your child’s attendance. I’m here to help!
Thank you for working hard to instill positive attendance habits in your students! Please contact me at 816-359-5733 or harte@parkhill.k12.mo.us with any questions, suggestions, or for assistance.
All information from www.attendanceworks.org
2019-2020 Union Chapel Music Programs
October 10, 2019
3rd Grade-Children of the World
November 14, 2019
5th Grade-On the Radio
January 16, 2020
4th Grade-Broadway
February 27, 2020
1st Grade-Dr. Seuss
March 12, 2020
Kindergarten-Barnyard Moosical
April 16, 2020
2nd Grade- Lemonade
Each year, the UC PTA asks the UC Staff to be a part of the UC Staff Favorites google doc. We
are fortunate to be a part of a very generous community and this is a list of our favorite things.
Whether you want to know a teacher’s birthdate or bring them their favorite Sonic drink, this list is available for your reference. Click here to view the UC Staff Favorite Things.
School Start Times Update
Based on overwhelming feedback from our Park Hill parents, staff members, students and community members, we decided not to change our start times for the 2019-2020 school year. However, we still have challenges due to the nationwide shortage of bus drivers. In addition, while costs for transportation increased sharply over the last few years, state funding for transportation has not kept up. Because we have some money in our reserves, this gap in funding is not an immediate crisis, but we cannot keep taking money from the reserves indefinitely for this and other costs.
The district has an advisory committee, which will take the findings from our Sleep and Start Times work group and make some recommendations to the district and the Board. We will also ask for more public feedback to inform the Board as it makes its decision. In addition to an in-person public feedback meeting, we will continue to get your feedback using our public engagement web site, Park Hill Listens. To get the latest information and give us your feedback, go to https://www.parkhilllistens.com/school-start-times.
Stay in the Know
For schoolwide updates, our UC Instagram is uc_gators.
Parent-Student Handbook
Park Hill Stars
The Park Hill Star program was started in 2015 to recognize employees who reflect the district’s values of continuous improvement, high expectations, integrity, visionary leadership, equity and student focus.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. Anyone can nominate an employee for the monthly recognition.
We present the Park Hill Star award once a month to a pre-K or elementary teacher, a secondary teacher and a support employee. The nomination form for the Park Hill Star award is open! To nominate an exemplary Park Hill employee, please click here .
2019-2021 National PTA School of Excellence
Way to go, Gators!
Union Chapel Vision and Mission Statement
Our Vision
Building Successful Futures * Each Student * Every Day
Our Mission
Union Chapel is a safe, caring environment that upholds high standards and inspires students to achieve their personal best so they will become successful lifelong learners and citizens of character.
At Union Chapel Elementary School, we value:
- A positive and structured environment;
- Open line of clear and regular communication;
- Collaboration;
- Students feeling valued, respected and safe;
- Variety in learning approaches to meet individual learning needs, styles, and interests; and
- High standards and a clear purpose for learning.