Early Dismissal coincides with Winter Parties on Thursday, Dec. 22 at both ECE buildings (we will have parties on both Dec. 21 and 22; early dismissal pick up pertains to those classrooms with parties on Dec. 21). Some families will attend classroom parties, and some families will not, either is completely fine.

We anticipate a large number of families taking their students home after their classroom party, as has been the case in previous years. For this reason, we do not have pre-selected pick up time slots for families, (as we do with the end of school year early release day). We anticipate a busy parking lot at ECE Center from 7:00 - 11:30 am, with evenly spaced busy times. Please be aware of the additional congestion on the 22nd. You will need to plan ahead to pick your student up on time.

Please be aware that LHS has their finals during the upcoming week, and the finals end at 11:15 am. This could make the parking lot busy shortly before 11:15 am.

ECE West Families:

Your pick up will follow the normal time/format on Dec 22, but please be aware that Truman Middle School will also have an early release, earlier than the ECE time, but it may still cause traffic congestion. You may also choose to take your student home after their classroom party.

December 22 Early Dismissal times are:

-11:00 am for ECE Full Day families (one hour before elementary dismissal, due to our start time being one hour earlier than elementary)

-11:30 am for ECE Part Day AM families, No ECE Part Day PM classes

Your teachers have a speaker for professional learning on the 22nd. We very much appreciate the time and effort required of parents to pick up their students on time so that their teachers may participate in this required professional learning.

Testing is one of our most important tools during the fall and winter months. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services offers free drive-through testing for COVID-19, RSV and the flu at South County Health Center on Thursdays from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.. This testing will continue through March 2023.

Patients of all ages are able to get tested, no appointment required. To receive a test, simply enter the drive-through line at the clinic. Patients can pre-register through the NextGen patient portal, and they will receive results by email. If a patient does not have an email account, NextGen staffers will register them at the site and call them with results. The Get Tested patient portal can be found at dynd.gettested.me.

COVID test kits continue to be available for pickup at South County Health Center Mondays and Fridays, from 8 a.m. until noon. For more information please visit the DPH Testing page.

As colder weather approaches, now is a good time to remind families and staff how we prepare for potential school closures that can result from snow, ice, or other severe weather events.

In the event of inclement weather, we will decide to close school based on a number of factors, including student safety, bus transportation, road conditions and wind chill temperature. When possible, the decision to close school is made by 10 p.m. the night before. However, if the decision cannot be made by 10 p.m., then a decision will be made between 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. the next morning.

If the decision is made to cancel school, all families and staff will receive a phone call, text message and email notification.

• Learn more about weather-related closures