Back-to-School Gator Gab
July-August 2019 School Newsletter
Union Chapel Elementary
Welcome back!
Please take time to review this back-to-school edition of our Gator Gab parent newsletter for important information regarding a wide variety of items and topics. Class placement information will be emailed to families on Friday, August 2nd by 5:00 pm.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Union Chapel office at (816)359-4310.
Back-to-School Night
This is an informal meet-and-greet event that provides students with an opportunity to meet their teachers, see their classrooms, learn the layout of the school, and drop off school supplies!
A few helpful pieces of information:
- Our food service manager, Mrs. Franksen, will be available in the cafeteria of you would like to pre-pay for lunches and/or breakfast.
- PTA will be in the gym with information about volunteer opportunities, membership, student directory, and spirit wear sales.
- Madison Neff from Adventure Club will have an information table set up in the cafeteria.
- Pre-ordered school supplies will be on students' desks.
First Day of School
Here is what you can expect from a regular school day:
Start
8:20 am -Breakfast
8:35 am - Dismissal to class
8:40 am - Classes begin
*Students arriving after 8:40 am will be counted as a partial absence.
Dismissal
3:30 pm - Dismissal for walkers, car riders and Adventure Club takes place around 3:27 pm. Bus rider dismissal occurs as soon as the other groups have cleared the hallways.
Boo Hoo, Woo Hoo! Breakfast and PTA Meeting
Regular Car Rider Preparation
Arrival & Dismissal
In order to ensure appropriate supervision each morning, students should not arrive before 8:20 a.m. Students who arrive by car between 8:20 - 8:35 am may sit outside the LMC in grade level groups or go to breakfast. At 8:35 a.m., all students are dismissed to class. Classes begin at 8:40 a.m. Students arriving after 8:40 will be counted as a partial absence.
Dismissal for walkers, car riders & Adventure Club takes place first (around 3:27). Once these students have cleared the hallway, we begin bus rider dismissal. During dismissal, it is extremely important for parents of car riders to remain in vehicles. Car riders will be called in the order parents are lined up in the two car rider lines. Do not congregate near the entrance or leave your car unattended. Following these processes will support a safe, efficient dismissal each day.
Bus Transportation
In the first full week of August, your family will receive an email from the PHSD detailing bus information including stop location, time, and bus number. If you have questions or concerns regarding bus issues, please contact First Student at (816)741-4023 or: Kay.Burnos@firstgroup.com.
First Student will respond to emails or messages within a 24-hour period.
Student Attendance
Regular attendance and punctuality are important for children to gain the most from their educational experiences. When your child is tardy, absent or leaves school early, it will be noted on his or her attendance record.
If your child is going to be absent, please call our office (816-359-4310) before school so we are assured of your child’s safety. If you forget to call, one of our administrative assistants will call to verify the absence.
If a child’s attendance becomes a matter of concern, the classroom teacher, as well as our social worker, Ms. Ellie Hart; or counselor, Ms. Beth Dusin, may contact the parent or guardian to offer support.
Please try to schedule appointments before or after school. We want our Gators here as much as possible to maximize their learning opportunities!
Keeping our Students Safe
Ensuring the safety of our students is our most important goal. All outside doors including the main entrance are locked during school hours.
ALL visitors will need to be "buzzed" into the office by pressing the intercom button near the main entrance. One of our administrative assistants will then verify your identification and reason for visiting Union Chapel. Please be prepared to provide proof of identification upon request. Safety procedures are in place to ensure the well-being of every child, staff member and guest at Union Chapel. Thank you for honoring our safety procedures and helping us create a safe environment for our U.C. Gators!
Visitors and volunteers must sign in at the front office to receive a visitor's sticker. All adults must wear this visitor badge at all times in the building and on the playground.
Should you need to pick up your child for early dismissal, please come to the office, and Mrs. Sadler, Mrs. Burch, or Mrs. Rezac will call the classroom. Of course, where possible, please schedule appointments before or after school to prevent interrupting your child’s learning.
Free & Reduced Breakfast/Lunch
Meal Prices
Breakfast and lunch are served daily in the Gator Grill. This year’s meal prices are listed in the below.
MEAL PRICES
Student Breakfast-$1.50
*Breakfast includes an entree, fruit/juice, and a milk
Student Lunch-$2.40
*Lunch includes an entree, fruit/juice, vegetable, bread, and a milk
Extra milk-.$.60
Extra Juice- $.40
Adult Breakfast-$2.00
Adult Lunch-$3.50
Breakfast/Lunch Payment
Students who bring lunch money to school should turn in the payment envelope to the cafeteria before school.
The Park Hill School District Food Service Department also offers automated prepayments to a child’s meal account via telephone or online. Money can be applied to a child’s food service account so children will not need to carry cash to school each day. SchoolCafe.com is our online portal for making payments to accounts, viewing purchase history, setting account restrictions, etc. Parents who wish to use online applications will need to set up a SchoolCafe account.
Students will be reminded when their account balance is low. Please refer to the monthly menu for specific meal selections. The August menu will be available on your child’s desk at Back-to-School night. Monthly menus can be found at the Park Hill website: www.parkhill.k12.mo.us.
Birthday Treats
To protect the health and safety of our students, students may bring only pre-packaged treats to school to share with classmates in recognition of birthdays and other celebrations. Homemade treats will not be distributed to students. Due to allergies and other food intolerances, please consult with your child’s classroom teacher before the pre-packaged treats are brought to school. The packaging label must list all ingredients.
For grades 1-5, birthday treats will be served in the cafeteria during the student’s lunch time. For kindergarten, individual arrangements may be made with the classroom teacher. Please note these two important details:
1. UC supervisors are in charge. Treat distribution in the cafeteria happens while the supervisors are taking care of many other responsibilities. The supervisors have worked out an efficient process, and we ask that guests follow the lead of the supervisors so that all students’ needs may be met.
2. We ask that all treats be prepackaged or pre-portioned. Supervisors are not able to take time to cut treats (e.g., cookie cakes), due to the time constraints and overall responsibilities of safely supervising the entire cafeteria.
Students who have extra birthday treats may take them to the office to be placed in teachers’ boxes. Students will not be allowed to take treats to individual teachers’ rooms, in order to avoid interrupting another classroom.
We encourage parents to think of healthy choices (i.e., fruit instead of cupcakes) when choosing a treat to share with the class.
Student Dress
Families should use good judgment in choosing clothes that are appropriate for school. Clothing which may cause a distraction from the learning process is not permitted. Clothing such as “short” shorts, see-through shirts or blouses, halter tops, spaghetti strap tops, t-shirts with inappropriate printing, clothing advertising drugs or alcohol, or clothing that does not cover the midriff are not allowed. Roller skate shoes are not to be worn to school. Tennis shoes should be worn on P.E. days. Refer to the student handbook or PHSD Board Policy JFCA for more detailed information.
** Flip-flops & other backless sandals are strongly discouraged, as they can pose a danger on stairs and on the playground.**
Mail from School
UC Report Cards
Assessment of student progress will continue to be based on learning standards as outlined in the PHSD curriculum, which is available for parent review on the district’s website.
Of course, telephone calls, notes, emails and face-to-face conferences will continue to be important ways to share more immediate feedback. If you have any questions about your child’s progress at any time, we encourage you to contact the classroom teacher.
Forgotten Items
Student ID Badges
This school year your student will be issued a student ID badge to be worn each school day. The ID badge supports our safe and caring environment by providing proper identification and improved processes for transportation, lunch, and more. Please click Here for more information about student badges and expectations for the 2019-2020 School Year.
*Students arriving late/leaving early will check in/check out at the front office using their badges.It is imperative that these be brought to school each day.
2019-2020 Union Chapel Staff
Park Hill Volunteer Screening
Kindergarten Orientation-August 7th from 6:00pm - 7:00 pm
Kindergarten Orientation will be on Wednesday, August 7th from 6:00 until 7:00 pm in individual kindergarten classrooms, and will focus on the details and questions kindergarten parents may have about their child’s first year of elementary school. Kindergarten students should not attend, since this meeting is for parents/guardians only.
Back to School Night-August 12th from 5:30 pm-7:00 pm
Parent Orientation for Grades 1-5- August 22nd from 5:30 pm- 7:00 pm
Parent Orientation for grades 1-5 will be on August 22, 5:30-7:00 pm.There will be two sessions (5:30—6:10 and 6:20—7:00) in individual classrooms. Orientation is intended for parents/guardians, so please make other childcare arrangements.
Got Caffeine?!
We all know that teachers run on awesome learning activities and coffee! Union Chapel currently utilizes a Keurig Coffee machine. If you would like to donate Keurig K Cup pods, simply bring them by the front office or send them with your student.
Ideas for donations; K Cup coffee, K Cup tea, coffee creamers.
Of course these donations are optional. Thank you!
Union Chapel Spirit Wear Shop
We are teaming with PTA to bring students, families, and staff a wonderful array of spirit wear items this year. Please click here to visit the spirit wear shop and see the new designs for the 2019-20 school year. Take advantage of FREE SHIPPING from August 7 – 21. Make sure to stop by the PTA Spirit Wear table during back to school night for more information.
Park Hill Parent Night
Click Here for more details.
2019-2020 KidGuard Insurance Enrollment
Park Hill is very interested in providing a safe environment for all students. However, accidents do happen every day during school activities. Therefore, the
school offers all parents the opportunity to enroll their child in a low cost, school approved insurance program. Because of the high risk of injury in sports, all students
that want to participate in school sports should have basic insurance protection. We strongly urge all parents to read this description of low cost coverage
available through the school.