Flynn Park Family Pride
10/12/25
Greetings Flynn Park Family,
Happy Sunday! We hope that you have had an amazing weekend. Parent teacher conferences will took place this past week on Tuesday October 7th and Friday October 10th. We were excited to see all of our families in the building to be updated on their student's academic progress. This weekend also brought cooler fall temperatures that we hope you were able to get out and enjoy this weekend. Please note that there will be NO SCHOOL this Friday (10/17/25), as teachers will have a 1/2 work day and 1/2 records day.
We appreciate your positive feedback and teacher and staff shout outs. Your messages of positivity go a long way toward filling our staffs' "buckets". Please continue to send them in to Mr. Murdock at damurdock@ucityschools.org. They will be shared with the staff as they are received.
Thank you in advance for partnering with us and supporting our school community this year. Please check your email inbox weekly for the Flynn Park Family Pride Newsletter for important updates about all things related to our school community. Have a great evening!
UCHS Homecoming Parade - Saturday October 18, 2025
Please join Flynn Park as we walk in the the 2025 U City School District Homecoming Parade that is taking place on Saturday October 18, 2025 at 10am. All parade participants are asked to report by 9am to the Loop North parking lot to allow plenty of time to get everyone in the line up. The Loop North parking lot is located off of Kingsland and Delmar. Participants walking in the parade will walk the distance from the Loop North parking lot to University City Highschool where the parade will end. We invite you to join us to represent our Flynn Park Pride.
UCHS Homecoming Parade -Volunteers Needed for Decorating
This year’s float theme is inspired by A Different World, celebrating the growth, friendships, and journeys of our students. We want to highlight the experiences and community culture that make Flynn Park special. We are looking for volunteers to help create decorations for our float and those who are willing to walk in the parade on Saturday October 18, 2025. If you are interested, please email Mr. Murdock at damurdock@ucityschools.org
School Wide Expectations
At Flynn Park we are building and growing a safe and inclusive environment for all students. This means that we take care of each other's physical well being, as well as our emotional well being. We want all students to feel loved, valued, respected, and safe.
As a school community, we expect all of our learners to meet the following expectations.
1. We keep our hands and feet to ourselves. We do not solve problems by using physical violence. If and when a learner makes physical contact with another student, we ask that the person harmed tell an adult so that the adult can keep them safe and report it to the principal to be handled. We ask that parents reinforce this value at home.
2. We use kind words. If we do not have anything kind to say to another student learner or adult, it is ok (and actually preferred) to not say anything at all. It is never ok to use unkind words.
3. We use walking feet when traveling throughout the building. It is never ok for students to run or be unsafe with their body while they are transitioning in or outside of the building.
4. We respect others. This includes adults and peers. We respect each other's personal space. We respect each other's personal belongings (we don't take anything that doesn't belong to us), and we respect each other's feelings. We don't always have to agree, but we always have to remain respectful.
5. We make amends when we hurt others. Flynn Park is a restorative practices school. When issues arise, restorative conversations conducted by a member of our SEL team are a foundational aspect of "building and growing together."
6. We take accountability. It is human to make mistakes. We understand that members of our school community will make mistakes. It is important that when we make mistakes, that we hold ourselves accountable, work to repair the harm that was done, and make efforts not to make the same mistake again.
We ask that our families review the expectations with students, and reinforce the messages included above as often as you can. Thank you in advance for your help in making our school community a great place to "building and grow together."
Every Minute Matters - Student Attendance
We want to remind all families that it is vitally important that our students attend school every day that they are healthy enough to do so. If your student learner is sick, please keep him or her at home until they feel better. Please note that when students attend school, they are expected to attend school for the full instructional day (8:30am - 3:40pm).
When students arrive late and are picked up early, it is disruptive to their learning experience, as well as that of the rest of the students in the classroom. It is also very detrimental to students' attendance. The Missouri Department of Education (DESE) tracks the number of minutes that students attend each day. When students arrive late and leave early, those minutes are counted up and totaled for the week, and it negatively impacts their attendance status.
For example, if a student arrives 20 minutes late and is picked up 40 minutes early each day, the state calculates the number of minutes missed for the day, and totals the number of minutes missed per week/month, etc. So if a student has a consistent late arrival and early pick up (as outlined above) that student would miss 5 hours of instruction per week, and 20 hours of instruction (2.5 days) of instruction per month.
Please reserve late arrivals and early pick ups for doctor's and dentist appointments, and note that proper documentation will be required. Help us to help our students by making sure that they are here on time and attend for the full instructional day! Thank you in advance!
Inclement Weather Dismissal Plan For Car Riders and Walkers
Please be reminded that our inclement weather plan for car riders and walkers was shared last week via school messenger, but we wanted to provide it again for any families that may have missed it.
Our Inclement Weather Dismissal Plan for car riders and walkers is as follows:
Kindergarten will dismiss from the Kindergarten hallway. One staff member from Kindergarten will be at the designated door to assist parents as they arrive.
1st Grade will dismiss from the cafeteria using the glass doors to dismiss students. Students should be lined up, waiting for their parents to pick them up. A member of the first grade team will at the designated door to assist parents as they arrive.
2nd and 3rd grade will dismiss from the gym, using the exterior doors between the PE storage and the breezeway (double glass doors that we use for recess). A member of the 2nd and 3rd grade team will at the designated door to assist parents as they arrive.
4th and 5th grade will dismiss from the gym, using the exterior doors near the stage (opposite end of the gym from where 2nd and 3rd will dismiss from). A member of the 4th and 5th grade team will be will at the designated door to assist parents as they arrive.
Please note that this will only be followed if/when we experience inclement weather that impacts dismissal. For regular dismissal, all car riders and walkers will dismiss from the blacktop and there will be cones to designate where each grade level should stand and wait for families to arrive.
Please Help to Keep Our Students Safe - Food Allergy Alert
At Flynn Park, we prioritize safety and overall well being for our students and staff. This year, we have a number of students and staff with allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and a host of other allergens. We ask that you refrain from sending ANY food products that may contain peanuts and tree nuts of any kind. This includes food items that may be part of a home packed breakfast, lunch, or snack. As we compile a more comprehensive list of our students’ and staff allergens, we will provide it to all families.
Reporting Absences and Late Arrivals
Parents needing to report an absence of any kind, must call the school at 314-290-4420, to report their child’s absence or tardiness from school as soon as possible. If you know in advance that your student learner will be absent for a doctor's appointment or dental visit, please notify your child's teacher, and our office coordinator, Ms. Brandi Rivers at brivers@ucityschools.org via email. Please provide corresponding medical/dental letters/documentation to the main office upon your student learner's return to school.
Please share your Pictures with Us
This year, we'd love to incorporate family friendly pictures from our school community, giving us a view into your world, your vacations from this summer, or cool and interesting things you are doing around the community. Please send any pictures you'd like to share to fppics@ucityschools.org . Please note that by sending them, you give us permission to share the pictures in our newsletters and/or Brightsigns (tv displays) in our building.
October 13 - Rep your favorite sports team with Jersey Day
October 14 - Cozy up in your favorite PJ's for school wide Pajama Day
October 15 - Wear Matching Outfits with a friend/group for Twin Day
October 16 - Dress to Impress for Flynn Park Picture Day
October 17 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Teacher Work Day/Records Day)
October 18 - UCHS Homecoming Parade
Always Remember...
We truly appreciate you for all that you do for our students and our school community. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful school community of families and teachers. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at damurdock@ucityschools.org. Looking forward to seeing you soon! Until next time, please remember the following…
U MATTER!
U MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
U ARE WELCOME HERE!
U ARE VALUED!
U BELONG!
U ARE LOVED!
Warmly,
Darion Murdock, Ed.S
Principal
Flynn Park School