Dragon News

Dear McKelvey Primary Families,

It was great seeing some of you on the playground last week!

There is a lot of important information in this newsletter, so be sure to take some time to become familiar with all of it. Please check out the information about our arrival and dismissal procedures which is very important for you to understand before day 1. The McKelvey Primary Family Digital HUB and the handbook also have a lot of information that will answer most of your questions. These will be linked at the bottom of this newsletter throughout the school year for your reference.

Sincerely,
Dr. Christina Pliske

McKelvey Primary is our Kindergarten and 1st Grade school, located at 12657 Fee Fee Road, St. Louis, MO 63146.

Mark your Calendar!

More information to come about these specific dates!

August 11: Kindergarten Parent Information Night | 4:00–5:00 PM

August 25: PTO Dine out Night-Qdoba (flyer below)

August 28: Kindergarten Meet the Teacher/Supply Drop | 4:30-5:30

September 20: Party at the Playground @McK Intermediate (flyer below)

September 28: McKelvey Night @ City 2 (flyer below)

KINDERGARTEN FAMILIES ONLY!

Drop your Kindergarten student off in the cafeteria to enjoy some activities and then head to the library to meet Dr. Pliske and other staff members at 4pm.

I will share some important information about Kindergarten and the first days of school. When we are finished, you can collect your student from the cafe, find your child's "soft placement" classroom (where you will have some things to take and info to leave for us), and then walk around the building and check out all of the different spaces. You can end your tour on the playground. PTO will have popsicles for your Kindergartener to enjoy! Don't forget to stop by the PTO and scouts tables!

See you Monday at 4pm!

KINDERGARTEN families: There will be staff available to supervise your Kindergarten student while you learn more about our school on August 11th. Please do not bring supplies on this day.

FIRST GRADE families: We will see you and your first grader on August 13th to briefly drop supplies, say hello to your teacher, and enjoy a popsicle on the playground!

If you ordered supplies through PTO to be delivered, they will be in your child's classroom for the first day of school.

Car Rider Procedures:

Thank you for helping us keep safety a priority. Below are the guidelines we feel will help make the arrival and dismissal process smooth and safe for all.

To ensure a smooth, safe, efficient dismissal, we ask that anyone picking up students follow these guidelines:

• Students should not be dropped off in the morning before 8:50 and should be picked up at 4:00 pm. We do not have supervision for students outside of those times. If you are persistently late picking up your child, you will be encouraged to register your child for Adventure Club or consider a different mode of transportation.

• Carefully follow the traffic flow map below!

• When entering McKelvey Primary’s parking lot please follow the arrows

• Stay to the left, closest to the parked cars and curb, as you proceed around the lot so that our buses can pass you on the right

• The middle lane in the parking lot will be used for car loading, the lane closest to school is used for buses.

• Please pull up as far as possible (to the last cone)

• Teachers will walk students out to the loading zone and load cars in the middle lane

• Please refrain from using your cell phone during pick-up and drop-off

• Please remain in your vehicle at all times

• Please have your child enter and exit from the right side of the car so they are not crossing traffic.

• You must have a car tag (given at Kindergarten Parent Information Night and 1st grade Open House) in your car so we can identify who you are picking up. If you do not have a car tag in your car, you will be asked to provide an ID

• After the first group of cars is loaded we will dismiss them so more cars can move up to be loaded.

• Please pay attention to the stop signs when exiting (stop at the first stop sign when buses are incoming, stop at the second stop sign when buses are also exiting-buses have the right away)

• You must be in the pick-up line to pick up your child. Please do not park nearby and walk to retrieve your child.

• Please be kind to our neighbors. Do not block exits or crosswalks and follow speed limits etc.

• Please refrain from picking up your child from the office after 3:30 as we are busy preparing for dismissal. Contact the office if there is an emergency.

Below is a link to our district calendar (click the green button) as well as a snapshot of the half days throughout the year. We know unplanned absences will occur, but your child's attendance is extremely important. We miss them when they are gone and they miss important learning and social interaction when they are not at school. If possible, when planning for appointments and/or vacations, please attempt to use the afternoons of half days or days off school throughout the year.

The Transportation Department is hard at work creating bus routes for the first day of school. They juggle the many changes and typically wait to create routes until the last minute to accommodate all late enrollees. Bus routes will not be given out until the Friday before school. If you do not receive information before then, please do not panic. If for some reason you do not receive them by the Friday before school, please reach out to the Transportation Department. The school does not have access to bus route information.

Kindergarten "soft placement" assignments will be give out at Kindergarten Parent Information Night. You will receive communication from that teacher on that day. You will be notified of final teacher placement/classroom assignments on August 27th when you receive communication from the teacher.

First Grade will receive their classroom placement via email introduction from their classroom teacher. You may see something on IC, but please wait to hear from your teacher before inquiring.

Please bring only a backpack with a change of clothes, reusable water bottle, one small snack and a *lunch box (*if bringing lunch) on the first days of school. Kindergarten students will use community supplies until "soft placement" timeframe is over. KINDERGARTEN FAMILIES --> Do not bring additional supplies until the Meet the Teacher/Supply Drop-off on August 28th.

Here are some things your student can practice before the first day!

1. Practice packing and unpacking their backpack
2. Try lunchtime with their lunchbox (have them practice opening and closing items on their own, and finishing their meal in 20 minutes)
3. Practice bathroom routines from start to finish
4. Talk about what drop off and pick up will be like
5. Set a consistent morning and bedtime routine (and also get enough sleep)
6. Let them practice choosing clothes for the day (weather appropriate :)
7. Play simple games and practice turn-taking
8. Practice saying their first and last name
9. Role play asking for help, raising a hand, and problem-solving with a friend
10. Practice waiting in line and sitting with a group
11. Try different calming strategies when frustrated or upset (deep breaths, counting, etc.)
12. Read books together (even ones about starting school)
13. Practice putting on shoes, buttoning, and zippering
14. Create a positive and special goodbye ritual to ease separation
15. Gradually limit screen time (especially before bedtime)
16. Let your child know that you are proud of them and excited for them to start school

The first day of Kindergarten is a big milestone—for both children and caregivers! Our BooHoo / Yahoo Breakfast gives Kindergarten parents a chance to take a breath, share a few tears or cheers, and connect with other families experiencing the same moment. Whether you're feeling a little emotional ("boohoo") or ready to celebrate this new chapter ("yahoo"), you're not alone—and we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Popsicles on the playground will occur after our Kindergarten Parent Information session AND after 1st grade students drop supplies and say hi to their new teacher.

Hooray for a night off from cooking!

Save the date for PTO’s first Dine-Out Night fundraiser of the year - August 25!

Don’t forget to mention McKelvey when you order—part of the proceeds will go back to support our school!

McKelvey Primary & Intermediate Families

Let’s Do It Again!

When your PTO President loves soccer and fundraising for McKelvey, you get more McKelvey Nights at City2 games!

Save the Date:
Join us for McKelvey Night at City2
Sunday, September 28th
Kickoff at 4:00 PM

Grab your tickets through the link below — a portion of each ticket sale goes back to support McKelvey! It’s always a fun evening of soccer, school spirit, and time with McKelvey friends and families as we cheer on City2!

Tickets: https://pa.exchange/marketplace/d477451a-5751-11f0-916d-7df2ed3d8bba/storefront/d477466e-5751-11f0-8099-dd0f61a9c412?fbclid=IwY2xjawL0cHdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBIYlV4M2IyQkdxRG5xVnBhAR6mTmxTc-_gziC_Jz8_mwjdAI5VlF0353kAAqmA9bcF-hq4icWUnEQ0Vnf_MA_aem_lI7Ne-_hxZTuwHHep2ocIg

The links and buttons below can be found below. I will keep these here throughout the entire year so that you can easily reference them when needed.

To stay updated on PTO programming and events, follow McKelvey PTO on Facebook!

Scan the QR Code or click: https://www.facebook.com/groups/193392074178596 to join.

Already a member? Please invite your McKelvey friends to join the page too!

McKelvey Primary Family Handbook

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Website: https://www.parkwayschools.net/domain/2773
Location: 12657 Fee Fee Road, St. Louis, MO 63146, USA
Phone: 314-415-5000