Pathfinder Press
Information for Pathfinder Families / August 9th, 2022
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The Starting Line
It is hard to believe it, but August is upon us! It is that time of year where the To-Do List gets a little longer and we are all starting to gear up for school! This newsletter contains a lot of information regarding preparation for the year, the First Day of School, and Pathfinder policies and procedures as well. As you begin to digest this information, please remember to add "Enjoy these last days of summer with my kids," to do those ever-growing To-Do Lists! We will see you soon!
-Dr. Bohn & Mrs. Miller
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Lights, Camera, Leadership!
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Now Hiring!
Pathfinder has several open positions for the 2022-23 school year! As of right now, we are seeking:
- 2 Lunch Monitors (Hours are 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM)
- 1 Building Aide (Hours are 8:25 AM - 3:55 PM)
If you are interested in coming to work every day in a community-oriented, fast-paced atmosphere, either of these positions might be for you! Apply online via the Platte County R-3 Website today!
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Join PTA!
Our Pathfinder PTA is amazing and we encourage you to join this great organization. But joining does not mean that you are required to donate anything, volunteer, or plan a school event. Joining simply means that you are supporting our students, parents, and staff. The Pathfinder PTA does so much for our school, like:
Purchases Leader In Me shirts for all students
Sponsors our grade level field trips
Provides a Fall and Spring party for all students
Coordinates fun family events
Purchases recess equipment
Sponsors an AMAZING Field Day
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Order your School Supplies Now!
Bypass the lines this summer and order your school supplies online today. The deadline has passed for them to be delivered to school, but instead they will be delivered to your house. The website for ordering is linked below.
Go to SchoolToolbox.com
Type in "Pathfinder Elementary" (Make sure you select the one in Kansas City, MO)
Shop away!
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2022-23 Supply Lists
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Proof of Residency
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Teacher Reveal Letters (Mailed August 12th)
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New Faces
- Mrs. Shyanne Rever - Kindergarten
- Mrs. Corinna Mills - 1st Grade
- Ms. Kayli Bragg - 2nd Grade
- Ms. Kendall Fuller - 2nd Grade
- Mrs. Katie Farley - 2nd Grade
- Mrs. Jamie Duddy - 3rd Grade
- Ms. Morgan Thompson - 3rd Grade
- Ms. Madelyn Pinney - 4th Grade
- Mrs. Amanda Cunigan - 4th Grade
- Ms. Amanda Smith - 4th Grade
- Mrs. Lindsey Krieger - Art
- Mrs. Victoria Zackert - Music
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Back to School Night (August 18th)
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Pathfinder Resource Checklist
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Y Club Enrollment for 2022-23
The Before and After School Program available to families in the Platte County R-3 School District is Y Club. With Y Club before and after school, children in kindergarten through 5th grade will benefit from homework enrichment, physical activity, and small and large group activities with a focus on building community and youth voice and leadership. Full-time and part-time Y Club is available at each of our elementary buildings (Compass, Pathfinder, and Siegrist), along with Y Club on days when school is out of session for inclement weather, seasonal breaks, and other days off (enrollment permitting). Operating hours are each weekday from 6:30 a.m. until school begins, and again after school until 6:00 p.m. Registration is now open. Click here to register.
If you have any questions about the Y Club program, please contact YMCA at (913) 345-9622.
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First Day of School Procedures
First Day: Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022
School Hours: 8:50 AM - 3:50 PM
The first day of school is an exciting time filled with a few tears and possibly a few nervous butterflies. To help ease the anxiety of the first day, we do allow parents to walk their child into school on the first day. We do ask that parents park their cars in one of the parking spots or at Barry-Platte Park and walk over to Pathfinder. We need to make sure the front curb and south curbs are not blocked for our car rider and bus arrivals.
If you are picking your child up at the end of the day, please follow our dismissal process. We ask that parents stay in their cars and not walk up to the front of the building or get out of their car to buckle in their child. There is an area specifically designated for buckling up your child once they are loaded in the car. A visual of our dismissal process for car riders is shown below.
If your child is a bus rider, please expect delays the first few days. Our bus drivers will be ensuring that every child is getting on and dismissing at the correct stop. This process will take some time, and on average our afternoon buses are typically delayed approximately 15 to 20 minutes during the first few days of the school year.
Thank you for your patience as we work through the first day processes!
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Walking Students In
If parking permits, 1-2 parents/guardians may park and walk their child to the classroom door on Tuesday, August 23rd (the First Day of School) only! We do ask that parents park their cars in one of the parking spots or at Barry-Platte Park and walk over to Pathfinder. We need to make sure the front curb and south curbs are not blocked for our car rider and bus arrivals.
Staff members will be stationed all throughout the building to assist students in getting to their classrooms. In order to begin our school day in a timely fashion, we will ask that all parents exit the building by 8:55 AM.
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Arrival Procedures & Traffic Flow
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Breakfast
Breakfast will be available from 8:30-8:50 AM in the Pathfinder Cafeteria daily. Students that arrive to the building or the cafeteria past the time of 8:50 AM will bring a grab-and-go breakfast to the classroom. The daily breakfast menu can be found on Nutrislice (through our website) and costs for school breakfast are as follows:
- Elementary Breakfast: $1.85
- Reduced Price Breakfast: $0.30
Students are not permitted to bring breakfast food or drinks from home or outside vendors (QuikTrip, for example) into the building. Please talk with your student about whether or not they should be going to breakfast each day before heading to their classrooms!
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Snacks, Water, & Allergies
Students may always have a water bottle with them in the classroom. Pathfinder is equipped with several bottle refill stations throughout the building. Please note that sodas, sports drinks, etc. are not permitted. Just water, please!
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Lunch
Each day, students will have a 25 minute lunch in the Pathfinder Cafeteria. Each morning students will be asked to select from the following:
- Home Lunch
- Salad
- Hot Lunch Choice 1
- Hot Lunch Choice 2
The daily lunch menu can be found on Nutrislice (through our website) and costs for school lunch are as follows:
- Elementary Lunch: $2.60
- Reduced Price Lunch: $0.40
- Extra Milk or Milk by itself: $0.55
Students that bring a home lunch may bring items that contain peanuts or tree nuts. We will have a separate allergy table for each classroom grouping to avoid any issues. If you are sending your child with a home lunch, please help us ensure an efficient and positive experience by double checking that the items included are largely items that your student can open independently.
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Visitors at Lunch
In order for our staff to establish lunchroom processes with our students, the first day parents can attend lunch with students is Tuesday, September 6th. Due to space limitations, this will be on a rotating schedule by grade level and there will be a sign up capping the number of adult visitors each day. Keep your eye out for that Sign Up, coming soon in an upcoming edition of the Pathfinder Press!
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Recess Temperature Guidelines
The Platte County R-3 School District has established best practices regarding extremely high or low temperatures as these relate to outdoor and indoor recess. The guidelines are:
- Indoor Recess will be held when the temperature or heat index is above 95 degrees Fahrenheit
- Indoor Recess will be held when the temperature or wind chill is below 20 degrees Fahrenheit
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Dismissal & Car Rider Traffic Flow
If your student is a car rider, please refer to the information map below for our car rider pick up procedure.
- Please do not arrive to Pathfinder prior to 3:35 for car rider pick up. We begin dismissal at 3:40 and the line will begin moving at that time.
- We will begin forming two lines on the east side of Barry School and a staff member will direct car riders into one lane for pick up.
- We will be blocking off the northeast entrance into Barry School and routing traffic to Barry School’s northwest entrance (“Enter Here” on the diagram below). We will continue two lines along the east side of Barry School and a staff member will direct cars into one lane in front of Pathfinder. We anticipate that this will limit the traffic that backs up on 87th Terrace.
- You also have the option to arrive at Pathfinder at 3:45 to help stagger car rider pick up. This will alleviate backup of cars coming for dismissal
If you have any questions regarding our car rider dismissal call the Pathfinder Elementary office (816) 436-6670.
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Transportation Changes
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Volunteers
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Birthday Treats & Celebrations
We believe that birthdays are an important time in a child’s life, and Pathfinder students will receive a Birthday Book in celebration of their special day. However, for several reasons including increased food allergies, preservation of the instructional day, and student equality, students are not allowed to bring treats from home or a store or have flowers/balloons or other items delivered to the classroom for birthdays, going-away parties, or other personal events. If a student receives a delivery at school, the student will be notified to come to the office to view the item. Parents will be responsible for transporting the item home. Birthday party invitations may only be distributed if invitations are given to every student in the class.
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Electronic Devices
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Hall Pass
After Labor Day, parents will have the option to sign up to come have lunch with their student. At this time, all visitors will be asked to check in with the office upon arrival at school prior to entering the school. Hall Pass Visitor Management system has been installed in all of our schools to improve overall building safety/security and visitor management. The Hall Pass Visitor Management system will:
Conduct a screening on each visitor using the sex offender registry
Will log in volunteers to track their hours
Will be used to document late arriving students.
Whenever any non-student or non-district employee requests to enter any area of the building where children are accessible, essentially beyond the front office, they will be asked to produce a government issued ID:
State driver’s license
State issued ID
Passport
US Military ID
Permanent resident card
The ID will be scanned and a badge will be given to visitors. This process is key to continuing to maintain and improve a safe and caring environment for our students and staff. A visitor’s badge needs to be worn at all times while visiting the school.
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Save the Date: Fall Picture Day!
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Amazon Wish List: Zen Zones Refresh
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Pathfinder Parent Calendars
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Text Notifications
The District uses text messaging and automated phone calls to notify parents of upcoming events and days off, school closings due to weather, and during emergency situations. Newly enrolled families will automatically receive an opt-in message from 67587. If you missed it, simply text “Yes” to 67587 to receive text messages.
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Keep in Contact with Us!
You can always pick up the phone and give us a call anytime. The school number is 816.436.6670. If you have a specific question for administration, please email us at bohna@platteco.k12.mo.us (Dr. Anna Bohn, Principal) or millere@platteco.k12.mo.us (Mrs. Emily Miller, Assistant Principal).
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Thank You to our Pirates R.O.C.K. Stars!
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Pathfinder Elementary
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