School Hours
Office Hours: 8a-5p
School Hours: 9:10a-4:10p
Arrival/Breakfast: 8:55-9:10a
**Please do not drop off students before 8:55a. Students eating breakfast should report to the cafeteria between 8:55-9:10a.
Dismissal: 4:10p
**We will begin helping students make it to their dismissal locations at 3:50p.
Contact Information
Address: 7100 NW Hampton Road, Kansas City, MO 64152
School Phone: 816-359-4310
Website: www.UnionChapel.parkhill.k12.mo.us
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UnionChapelElementary
Technology Support: 816-359-5000
Principal: Dr. Sarah Sieminski
Assistant Principals: Mr. Marquis Hall & Mrs. Kristen Mitchell
Counselors: Beth Dusin & Rebecca Irwin
Social Worker: Ellie Logan & Nurse: Madeline Laun
Office Staff: Angela Barlow & Susan Sadler
Cold Weather and Recess
As we move into winter, we would like to share information regarding Union Chapel’s cold weather practices, which are in keeping with the PHSD Parent-Student Handbook (p. 49). “On days when the temperature and/or wind chill is above 20 degrees Fahrenheit and the playground is cleared of snow and ice, there will be outdoor recess.” Please send coats, gloves, hats, etc. daily with students to ensure they are prepared for outdoor recess any day the temperature or wind chill is above 20 degrees.
Instead of hosting Friendship Parties on Februrary 14th, Union Chapel will align with our district calendar and host Spring Parties on March 20th (the last day prior to Spring Break). Our amazing PTA is working with party coordinators to ensure these parties are a fantastic time for students to celebrate the season in a way that is inclusive to all students at our school! The purpose for this change district-wide is to move away from celebrating holidays that are not shared by all.
All enrolled students have an active school meal account in Park Hill.
Parents are encouraged to register for a SchoolCafe account to:
- set ala carte/snack restrictions
- monitor meal account balances
- set low balance notifications
- apply for family meal benefits
- make payments to student(s) meal account(s).
When registering for a SchoolCafe account, parents will need their student’s ID (“S”) number (5-digit number), minus the “S”. This number can be found on Infinite Campus or by calling the Nutrition Services office at 816-359-4090.
Please remember to put your child(ren)'s name on their belongings (especially: coats, hats, gloves).
All unlabeled items left in Lost and Found as of Friday, December 20th, will be donated to the Park Hill Clothing Center. Please have your child look through the lost and found or feel free to come in to look during school hours.
Union Chapel is a Latex-Free School.
Please make sure you/your child avoid bringing anything with latex to our school. Some examples are:
- rubber bands
- gloves
- balloons
- tape
There are people at our school with severe latex allergies, and we want to be sure to keep everyone safe. Please reach out if you have any questions!
We wanted to share some exciting updates on the school-wide incentives students have been earning! We are always celebrating students, but our quarterly assemblies are a time when we make big announcements regarding incentives. Rockin' Recess, Golden Spatula, and Blissful Bus support us with fostering a positive and engaging learning environment while upholding high expectations for student behavior. These initiatives help us reinforce our gator expectations in a positive way by ensuring that students follow our school-wide matrix of expectations that is aligned with our big 3:
- own our actions
- respond respectfully
- stay safe
The "Rockin' Recess" award is an opportunity for students to earn extra recess! For this award, classes can earn stickers by following our gator expectations. The class that fills out the most sticker charts each quarter is awarded the coveted Rockin' Recess Trophy and an extra recess!
Similarly, the "Golden Spatula" award, is presented to the class that completes the most sticker charts during their lunch time each quarter. Winners of the Golden Spatula award get to enjoy a delicious treat as well as the Golden Spatula trophy.
This year, we've also implemented the "Blissful Bus" initiative. Students who demonstrate exemplary behavior on the bus are rewarded with stickers, which they can use to fill up their bus sticker charts. A variety of prizes are given to buses that fill up their charts!
Congratulations to the classes who were celebrated first quarter!
If there were to be a "snow" day this year, students would continue to learn from home by having an Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) day. As we approach the winter months, we want to share our school's plan for what learning will be on an AMI day.
The state allocated five AMI distance learning days, which means that on bad weather days, all students will learn from home from 9a to 3:40p. On the sixth bad-weather day, the district would call a snow day, which would mean all students will not have school.
District staff will communicate directly with families using communiation preferences families have opted for (e.g., text, call, email, etc.). Dr. Sieminski will email ALL Union Chapel Families at 8:00a to let them know that they will receive communication from their child's classroom teacher no later than 9:00a. Your student's teacher will communicate learning plans for the day, including any times for online meetings and the specific learning plan for your student(s).
Dear Parents,
We want to extend our heartfelt thanks for supporting our school through the Scholastic Book Fair! Your purchases help foster a love of reading in our students while also providing much-needed resources for our school library. Every book bought contributes to a brighter future for our students' learning journey.
Thank you for your continued support!
The Union Chapel Student Showcase will take place on April 3, 2025, 5:30-7p! There will be many components shared that night including our spring Scholoastic Book Fair, a classroom showcase, and an art showcase!
Families can view and order student art online from March 31st-April 6th. All students will have a framed piece of artwork on display in our school during our in-person Student Showcase. All purchases made after April 3rd can be shipped back to Union Chapel for free and sent home. The price per frame will be $28. Framed artwork can be purchased with credit card only at the show. The art department will earn $6 per frame sold.
Monies raised this year will be shared and will fund a gift of unique supplies for the art teacher at Angeline Washington Elementary and further improvements across Union Chapel!
If you have any questions about the Spring Art Show, please reach out to our art teacher, Ashley Sewell (SewellA@parkhill.k12.mo.us).
Artsonia
Artsonia is the World's Largest Student Art Museum. Yet, it's so much more than that! It's a free, safe, educational program designed to connect parents and families with their child's creative activities at school.
Below, you will find information to connect to your child's online portfolio (if you haven't already). You can view and share artwork that Mrs. Sewell has uploaded with family via social media platforms, purchase artwork on gifts for upcoming holidays, connect with your student about their artwork through comments, and even upload at-home masterpieces to share with her, if you'd like. If you choose to share artwork with family and friends, starting a fan club for your artist alerts members of newly posted artwork.
In addition, Artsonia helps to support the arts program at Union Chapel! Our art program recieves 20% of your purchase. In the past, these funds have helped to get stools for the art room, provide fun art materials and supplies, replace and purchase additional recess equipment, and purchase individual ceramic supplies to safely provide clay experineces to students during the COVID pandemic.
To set up your students account (if you do not already have one), please use the following link and code. I will approve the account when information is sent to me.
Link: https://www.artsonia.com/connect/TPZ93F29
Code: TPZ93F29
Check out the linked Curriculum Connections below to see what our Gators will be working on in each subject area during the month of December! We want to share the learning topics at all of the grade levels so that you are familiar with what topics and content are taught this month!
In the month of November we awarded 41,607 Gator Golds!
Union Chapel staff are working hard to recognize students for all the great things that they are doing. When staff notice students following our school PBIS expectations (Own Our Actions, Respond Respectfully, Stay Safe) they often award students a Gator Gold.
If your child is going to be absent, please call our office (816-359-4310) before school so we are assured of your child’s safety. If you forget to call, you will receive a call to verify the absence.
If a child’s attendance becomes a matter of concern, the classroom teacher, our social worker, Mrs. Ellie Logan; or counselors, Mrs. Beth Dusin or Mrs. Rebecca Irwin, may contact a parent or guardian to offer support.
Research shows a direct relationship between school attendance, academic achievement and success in school. The state’s Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP6) expectation for public school attendance is 90% or above. We are striving to ensure that at least 90% of students are here at least 90% of the time.
Kindergarten: 82 out of 96 or 85% of students have a rate of attendance that is at least 90%.
1st Grade: 78 out of 89 or 88% of students have a rate of attendance that is at least 90%.
2nd Grade: 93 out of 109 or 85% of students have a rate of attendance that is at least 90%.
3rd grade: 89 out of 96 or 93% of students have a rate of attendance that is at least 90%.
4th Grade: 94 out of 112 or 84% of students have a rate of attendance that is at least 90%.
5th Grade: 90 out of 111 or 81% of students have a rate of attendance that is at least 90%.
As a school, 526 out of 613 or 86% of students have a rate of attendance that is at least 90%.
- Parents/guardians are welcome to join their child for lunch.
- A visitor wishing to purchase lunch from the cafeteria must order no later than 10a by contacting Mrs. Chrysie Franksen, 816-359-4316.
- There will be designated seating for the guest and student in the cafeteria.
- Other students will not join the guest and student for lunch.
- Guests must provide identification every time when visiting.
Volunteers are important to the success of the Park Hill School District, and we appreciate their service to our schools. In order to keep our children safe, all volunteers who will be around students without an employee present must be screened. Thank you for making a difference for our students and thank you for helping us keep our students safe.
Any volunteer who will be alone with students, including field trips, must have a full screening, which includes a criminal background check, a check of the child abuse and neglect registry, and a check of the sexual offender registry.
Click here to fill out screening paperwork. Please submit all paperwork to the Park Hill School District Central Office.
Students may bring a birthday treat or favor to school to share with their classmates, as long as they come from our list of treats that contain none of the eight (8) major allergens - milk, wheat, egg, soy, peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish.
Thank you for understanding that all classroom treats must come from this list because we do not have the staff capacity to check for allergens that could threaten the health of some students.
Please bring birthday treats ahead of time (two hours after the start of school, at the latest).
Our employees are the reason we are so successful here in the Park Hill School District, and we would like to recognize them for all they do for our students. That is why we present the Park Hill Star award once a month to a pre-K or elementary teacher, a secondary teacher, and a support employee. Nominations from families are so meaningful to our staff!
We will keep this link within the helpful links section of this newsletter throughout the school year for your easy-access.
Our Vision
Building Successful Futures * Each Student * Every Day
Our Mission
Union Chapel is a safe, caring environment that upholds high standards and inspires students to achieve their personal best so they will become successful lifelong learners and citizens of character.
At Union Chapel Elementary School, we value:
- A positive and structured environment.
- Open line of clear and regular communication.
- Collaboration.
- Students feeling valued, respected and safe.
- Variety in learning approaches to meet individual learning needs, styles, and interests; and
- High standards and a clear purpose for learning.