The Prairie Dell Elementary Post
It is the beginning of August, which means the start of school is just around the corner! Our first day of school is Monday, August 24th. We are incredibly excited to get students back into the building and get our school year off to a great start. The majority of our school information will be communicated through this newsletter which will be sent out each month.
- In the email that we just sent, the attachment has your student's classroom teacher for the school year.
- In this newsletter you will find beginning of the year information, important dates, other useful information for you as you start to plan for the school year.
- 2026-2027 Prairie Dell Elementary Student Handbook is a good resource for you to find information that is not in this newsletter.
We are here to partner with your family and know that students are most successful when families and schools work together. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us or stop by the office if we can support you in any way.
Ashley Smith
Prairie Dell Principal
Our Open House Night is on Thursday, August 20th from 5-7pm. This will be a great night to come into the building, meet your teacher, drop off supplies, and see your classmates. You can arrive anytime between 5-7. We are looking forward to seeing our students back in the building after summer break.
Our first day of school is on Monday, August 24th. Our doors open at 7:15 and the instructional day begins at 7:45. We begin our dismissal process at 2:45. Please pay close attention to the information below for more logistical details.
Kindergarten students will meet in the gym upon arrival for the first week of school.
Our school doors open daily at 7:15am. Prior to 7:15, the doors will be locked as we do not have supervision for students before 7:15. Please remain with your child until doors open and a staff member is present to greet and supervise students.
All students should be dropped off at the side entrance. Please drive around the side parking lot and drop off on the side of the school (by the Pre-K Playground and colored pillars.)Be patient and do not pass other vehicles (our arrival and dismissal processes go slower on the first several days of school as it takes students more time getting back into routines).
To help ensure student safety, the front parking lot will be used for preschool and bus drop-offs only.
Bus routes will be posted on the school’s website, www.unionrxi.org, and Prairie Dell Elementary’s Facebook page as soon as they are finalized in August.
Breakfast is available for purchase for all students starting at 7:15am. Students will eat breakfast in the cafeteria before heading to their classroom.
Our instructional day starts at 7:45 a.m. We want all students in their classrooms at 7:45 ready to start their day. Our doors lock again at 7:45 for safety purposes. If a student arrives at school later than 7:45, parents need to park their vehicles, walk their student(s) into the building, and sign them in for the day.
We begin dismissing at 2:45. Family members picking up students will follow the same process as arrival. Students will be dismissed from the colored pillars on the side of the gym.We will load 4-5 cars at a time and then the next 4-5 cars can pull into their spots to pick up their students.
We will be using KidAccount again this year. You will need to have your KidAccount card and your ID in order to pick up your students. We will begin shuttling students out to cars as soon as possible and we appreciate your patience with this process. Please drive carefully and do not pass other vehicles during this process. New students will receive their KidAccount card at Open House on the 20th.
Bus riders will be dismissed out the front of the building at 2:45pm. For safety purposes the front driveway shall be for buses only. Buses will leave school and begin their routes shortly after 2:45. Kindergarten and first grade students will not be allowed to get off the bus without supervision from an adult or older sibling.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework that aims to establish the foundation for delivering regular, proactive support and preventing unwanted behaviors. During our first weeks of school, we will spend time learning and practicing our school wide behaviors. This common language creates consistency and a unified support for expected student behavior. Children thrive when they have consistent, predictable expectations and consequences. These are some of the components of the PBIS Framework:
- Students can earn Paw Points and Paw Parties for showing their ROAR
- Students can earn Wildcat Wows for showing their ROAR
- Students of the Month: Students are selected monthly for being model ROAR students.
- Prairie Dell Pride T Shirt Award: Students are selected monthly for academic recognition (growing their brains) and for doing their Wildcat Best on academics
- We celebrate as a whole building every quarter for meeting PBIS goals with ROAR Rallies
We show our ROAR at Prairie Dell Elementary. We teach and expect our students to be RESPECTFUL, take OWNERSHIP, have a positive ATTITUDE, and be RESPONSIBLE.
Don't forget! School is dismissed one hour early every Friday for staff professional development. Our dismissal processes begin at 1:45.
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