The McKelvey Messenger
JANUARY 8, 2021
Looking Ahead
1/11 - Group 2 IN PERSON
1/12 - Group 1 IN PERSON
1/13 - Group 2 IN PERSON
1/14 - Group 1 IN PERSON
1/15 - NO SCHOOL *Leveled Book Return for Virtual Students*
A Note from Mrs. Lackey
Happy New Year and welcome back, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the time away and felt refreshed and ready to go again! It was wonderful to see students jump back into learning as we push for a strong finish to the first half of the school year. Teachers and staff spent time together on Monday learning about Resilience - for ourselves, our school families, and our students. Our partnership with Alive and Well Communities has been a critical one in light of the dual pandemics we are experiencing in our nation this year; we are grateful for their support and collaboration. Here's a small glimpse into our work that day.
The events at our nation's capitol on Wednesday gave us an immediate opportunity to practice what we learned. As we process emotions that range from sadness to rage and confusion to disbelief, please know that we are committed to creating a safe space here at McKelvey for all students to be heard and seen. We are here to partner with you in supporting your children in this ever-changing world, a world that often feels turned upside-down right now. We must not lose hope.
This week at school, we also began preparing in-person learners for the return of all of their friends on January 19. We are excited for the opportunity for classes to unite as one. We are taking these final days of hybrid groups to practice and reinforce the two strategies we know are the most critical to keeping us well - proper mask wearing and good hand hygiene. We appreciate any support you can give at home. As we re-examine our daily routines and procedures at school, any changes or tips will be communicated to parents and guardians next week. One example can be found in Mrs. Sinnott's Nurse's Notes below - tips for snack time at school. Enjoy the weekend!
Kiara
#seeksilverlinings #mckproud
Counselors' Corner
Happy new year!
We would like to share our plan for upcoming classroom lessons. Two topics we will be teaching about are digital citizenship and anti-bias anti-racism (ABAR).
This year we have seen an increase in inappropriate internet usage among students. We know that there are many possible reasons for this: increased Chromebook time, curiosity, gaming, peer communication, etc. We want to help our learners practice good digital citizenship which involves using the internet safely and appropriately. Our fabulous librarian, Mrs. Schone, is partnering with us to teach these lessons. All K-5 classes, virtual and in-person, will be taught at least one digital citizenship lesson between now and the end of the school year.
Additionally, in light of recent and historical events and the current state of our society, at the district level, elementary counselors have added ABAR lessons to our counseling curriculum. All K-5 classes, virtual and in-person, will be taught at least one ABAR lesson between now and the end of the school year. We will continue these lessons next school year as well.
As always, you may contact us with questions and concerns by using the Counselor Connection Form. Some helpful resources are listed below.
Resources:
Emergency Resources:
911
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
Behavioral Health Response Crisis Line: 1-800-811-4760
Saint Louis Crisis Nursery: 314-768-3201
Salvation Army: 211 (mortgage, utility bills, clothing, medication bills, etc.)
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Roth and Mrs. Lescher,
McKelvey School Counselors
Nurse's Notes
Hi and Happy New Year to everyone.
Returning to school is always exciting, but sometimes difficult to get back into the routines. As we build healthy habits for the new year, here is an interesting article from the CDC's page focused on screen time and the importance of physical activity (CDC, 2018).
For our returning in person learners, I would like to talk a little bit about snacks once we are back to 4 days a week. If the weather is mild, we still hope to go outside for recess and have snacks at that time, but during the winter months this may not always be an option. If snacks are eaten in the classroom, we will use two strategies to ensure proper safety:
1) we will ensure greater distancing by staggering the times, having half of the class eating at a time, and 2) we will limit snack time to no more than 10 minutes. To support us, please send only one snack for your child that does not require time to open or prepare. For example, if you are sending a clementine, please peel it and put in a ziplock bag so they will not have to take the time to peel it. Other snacks can also be placed in the ziplock bags to be eaten quickly. If it is a packaged snack, please make sure your child is able to open it easily on their own - practice at home.
As always, call or email me with any questions or concerns.
Jane Sinnott, BSN, RN, NCSN
314-415-6510
Important Info for Virtual Families
Leveled Book Return this Friday
PICTURE RETAKES for Virtual Students
Here is the digital copy of the retake flyer. If you would like to have your child get retakes, they need to return the original package and Inter-State will re-print it with the image taken on retake day. Parents do not need to re-order and do not need a flyer. Only Students who were not photographed on picture day or are new to school since picture day need the flyer for retake day. The website for ordering pictures is www.inter-state.com and our school's order code is 56715PA.
Important Info for In-Person Families
Current In-Person Calendar
K-12 In-Person Second Semester Calendar (BOE approved 12.21.20)
** Please pay close attention to Jan 11-14. We are in-person Mon-Thur & start with Group 2.
PICTURE RETAKES for In-Person Students
Picture retakes for In-Person students will be on Friday, January 29th.
Kindergarten Registration 2021-2022
Online registration for Kindergarten 21-22 opened on Thursday, January 7, 2021.
Step 1: Documents needed (Documentos necesarios) to upload in your application. If you do not have the requested documentation, or you do not rent or own property, please contact Cindy Wester at cwester@parkwayschools.net.
Step 2: Complete the online application and upload your documents. Click here to get started.
Step 3: A Registrar will reach out to you via email to finalize the process.
Please note, current Parkway preschool students will need to complete a new student registration for Kindergarten. Missouri law states that students must be 5 years old on or before July 31 to enroll in Kindergarten.
Family Resource Section
Parkway 2020-2021 Academic Calendar (rev. 8/19)
What to do if... Quarantine Guidance for Families
Parkway's Video Resource Library
Getting Started with Chromebooks (Youtube)
More Tips and Tricks for your Chromebook (Youtube)
Welcome to Your Chromebook (Doc)
Chromebook Registration & Insurance (recommended for grades 3-11)
About Us
Email: klackey@parkwayschools.net
Website: https://www.parkwayschools.net/mckelvey
Location: Maryland Heights, MO, USA
Phone: (314) 415-6500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mckelveyelementaryschool
Twitter: @McKelveydragons