For New Families

 

Welcome New Families!

We’re delighted to have your family joining our Union Chapel family! The following information is provided to help you get to know our school better. If at any time you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or the office.

Attendance

Consistent daily attendance is necessary for students to make the progress we expect here at Union Chapel. Please try to schedule appointments before or after school whenever possible. Arriving on time and being here for the entire day sends important messages to your child. It says you value their education and that there are very few things significant enough to take them away from their day-to-day learning. If your child must be absent, please call the office at 359-4310 prior to the start of the school day and leave a message for the Administrative Assistant for Attendance, Mrs. Janelle DeCaro. If you e-mail your child’s teacher about an upcoming absence, please copy Mrs. Janelle DeCaro at decaroj@parkhill.k12.mo.us. 

Buses

The Park Hill School District contracts with an outside bus company, FirstStudent, to provide transportation for all our students. FirstStudent is responsible for establishing bus routes, pick-up/drop-off times, and bus stop locations. Drivers are employees of FirstStudent, as well. Questions or concerns about bus transportation should be directed to FirstStudent at 359-4560, or you may also contact the Union Chapel office.

Communication

A parent newsletter called the Gator Gab is published each month. We send it via e-mail to reduce copy costs and to ensure it gets home to all parents. Parents who do not have an e-mail account may ask the classroom teacher to send home a print version. Every classroom teacher sends weekly or daily updates via e-mail. Some also have websites where they post additional information about their classrooms and links to educational resources on the Internet. We encourage families to register for Park Hill School District communication.

Curriculum

Parents may access all areas of the Park Hill curriculum on the district’s website. You may then review the curriculum by content and grade level.

Health Room

Our health room nurse is Nurse Madeleine Martin, and she can be reached at 359-4314. Please refer to information in the Elementary Handbook for details about the services that are and are not provided through the Health Room, as well as the guidelines to follow for sending medications to school.

Meals

Breakfast is available daily for $1.75*.  Lunch is $2.95*  Á la carte food items are available and priced individually. Parents may pay for lunches by sending a check payable to Park Hill Food Service. Be sure to include your child’s first and last name and student number on the memo line. Checks are to be turned in before school so funds can be credited to your child’s account prior to lunch time and in order to avoid slowing down lunch lines. Parents may also use SchoolCafe, an online payment service which can be accessed from the PHSD website under the Menus and Nutrition.  Monthly menus are available at this link, as well. A copy of the breakfast and lunch menu is sent home with students each month. Any questions about food service or managing your child’s account can be directed to our Food Service Department Manager, Ms. Chrysie Franksen, at 359-4310.  

PTA

We have an active Parent Teacher Association (PTA), and we invite you to join! Memberships are just $20* per family, and are a great way to show your support for our school. The Union Chapel PTA conducts a fall fundraiser and a silent auction in the spring.  PTA provides funding for field trips, cultural arts programs, music program t-shirts and other activities throughout our school. PTA collects Campbell’s labels and Box Tops; funds from these two projects have been used for special purchases, such as additional recess equipment, and our welcome mats at the front and bus doors.

School Hours

School hours are 9:10 A.M. until 4:10 P.M. Students who arrive after 9:10 are counted late, resulting in a partial absence for the day. Please make every effort to have your child at school on time each day.

Specials

We follow a 4-day rotation  for our specials classes: art, library, music and physical education. Specials classes are 50 minutes each.

Student Drop-off and Pick-up

Bus transportation service is available for all our students.  Students may arrive as early as 8:50 A.M. and are to be picked up no later than 4:15 P.M. Families needing to bring children before 9:00 or pick up after 4:10 should make childcare arrangements through Adventure Club (our before/after school childcare) or an outside provider. The office is a very busy place, particularly at the start and end of the day, and no one is available in the office to provide childcare. 

Car rider lanes are at the front of the building. To ensure safety and a smooth process, it is important to follow the directions given in the Car Rider information sheet, as well as those given by supervisors of the car rider lanes.

Transportation Changes

If your student is going to have different transportation, a note or phone call from the parent must accompany the request. Please contact the office prior to 2:30p to request a change in transportation. You can call the front office at 816-359-4310 or email the Janelle DeCaro and Deanna Hon. Bus changes will only be issued for changes in daycare or for the safety of the student. If an alternative person is checking out your student, the person must have their ID scanned.

If you are picking your child up prior to the end of the school day, please arrive in the office prior to 3:30p. Parents who arrive after 3:30p, will need to join the car rider line or wait until dismissal begins for their child to be called out of class. If your child is a bus rider, it is especially imperative that we plan for any transportation changes prior to dismissal. Buses leave once they are loaded.

Again, welcome to Union Chapel! We hope you find this information helpful as you transition to a new school and that you’ll contact us with any follow-up questions you may have.

*subject to change