Flynn Park Family Pride
8/31/25
Greetings Flynn Park Family,
Happy Sunday! Our school year is off to a wonderful start! We appreciate your positive feedback, shout outs, understanding and patience as we get acclimated to our new space.
Please note that there is NO SCHOOL on Monday September 1st in honor of Labor Day. School will resume for all students on Tuesday September 2, 2025.
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!
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!
PLEASE COMPLETE THE CITY CONNECTS SURVEY FOR FLYNN PARK
We’re excited to share that Flynn Park Elementary School is partnering with the City Connects program as part of a district-wide initiative to strengthen support for our students and families. This partnership will help us build a system that not only enhances support at school but also connects you with out-of-school resources and enrichment opportunities.
An important step in building this new program is to hear your thoughts on the challenges facing your student(s) and the strengths and needs of our school community. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey–your voice is critical to this process.
City Connects Family Survey for Flynn Park Elementary School
The survey is available in both English and Spanish. All responses are anonymous and will not be shared with anyone at the school or district level.
Thank you for helping us build a stronger community of support for every child.
In Service of Our Children,
Sharonica L. Hardin-Bartley, Ph.D., PHR
Superintendent
Notifying Flynn Park Staff About Changes in Student Dismissal
When and if you need to change your student's dismissal plan for the day, please note that you should email the child's teacher and CC Ms. Rivers @brivers@ ucityschools.org and Mr. Murdock @ damurdock@ucityschools.org. Please remember to include all 3 staff members on your email regarding any changes in dismissal. Please make sure that all changes to student dismissal are reported no later than 2pm each day so that we can ensure that students get home safely. Thank you in advance!
Late Arrival Update
Arrival for Flynn Park students begins at 8:30am each day. Staff will be present to greet students from 8:30am to 8:45am. Our entrance doors will close at 8:45am, and families arriving after that time must escort their student into the building and sign them in. Please do not send students into the building alone. They are required to be signed in if they arrive after 8:45am.
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.
Flynn Park Bus Expectations
Please Review Bus Expectations with your Student Rider
Please review the following bus expectations with your student learner if they ride the bus. Please note that failure to meet bus expectations can and will result in the loss of the privilege to ride the bus. We hope that by partnering with you, that we can avoid further incidents and impending consequences.
Flynn Park Bus Expectations:
1. Student riders are expected to follow the instructions of the bus driver and of the Flynn Park staff who lead them to the bus. Students are expected to follow instructions the first time they are given.
2. Student riders are to sit in their assigned seats everyday, in the morning and afternoon. Students should remain seated in their assigned seats, sitting upright for the duration of the bus ride.
3. Students should talk in a quiet voice and refrain from shouting or using inappropriate or abusive language.
4. Students should refrain from eating or drinking on the bus.
5. Students must keep their hands and feet to themselves at all times. Physical aggression and fighting are not permitted on the school bus.
6. Students are only to get off the bus at their assigned bus stop. Parents must be at the stops on time to get their students from the bus.
7. Students should have their cellphones put away, and are not allowed to take pictures or record videos on the bus.
8. Students are to remain in their assigned seats and not move until the bus arrives at their designated bus stop and comes to a complete stop.
9. Parents are never allowed to board a school bus. The parent must wait until the student learner gets off of the bus.
Thank you to our school community for partnering with us to reinforce these expectations with our riders, in an effort to keep our students safe.
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 314-290-4421, 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.
1UCITY IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP OUT AT FLYNN PARK
Want to get more involved at school? We're looking for Co-Leads and Grade Leads to join the FPCC! Roles are flexible and meant to be shared—we aim to keep the time commitment low and the fun high.
Grade Leads help with 1 all-school event and 2 simple grade-level events per semester (like playdates or teacher appreciation efforts).
Interested or want to learn more? Email 1uc.fpcc@ucityschools.org We’d love to have you!
September 1: Labor Day | District Closed
September 9: Curriculum Night/Open House @ Flynn Park from 5-6:30pm
September 15: 1UCity Community Connect @ Brittany Woods from 6-8pm
September 15 - October 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month
September 19: NO School/District Professional Development
September 22: Flu Clinic at McNair Building
September 22 - September 24: Rosh Hashanah
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