Dragon News for Families

Russell Jones Education Center

School Hours: 7:30 am - 2:00 pm

School Phone: (816) 359-4510

Principal: Tara Kalis

School Based Therapist: Matthew Fey

Administrative Assistant: Amy Rockey

Nurse: Melissa Coleman

We hope you have enjoyed a great summer with family and friends. Newkirk Novak Construction Management have been hard at work to get all the remodeling done at the building. Your teachers are anxious to get back in the building to get their rooms prepared. I can't wait for you to get to see it during our Back to School Night on August 15th. We are looking forward to another great year with our students and families! I am confident that we will have an exciting, enjoyable and learning-filled year! If you are new to the Jones Center, we want to personally welcome you to our school community!

You can expect a newsletter each month called the “Dragon News.” This newsletter will be filled with important reminders and information about events at the Jones Center. Please take a few minutes to read the email for important announcements.

Our school also has the following sites to provide information to our families!

Jones Center Website

Jones Center Facebook

Prior to the first day, we invite all families to our “Back to School Night” on Thursday, August 15th from 5:00-6:30pm.

As a reminder, every family must complete online verification and residency before your student can begin school. This process is quick and necessary to verify your student’s information, as well as make any updates to emergency contacts. Please contact the office at (816) 359-4510 as soon as possible if you need assistance.

School begins Monday, August 19th! Arrival time is 7:30 am with dismissal at 2:00 pm. On behalf of our entire staff, we look forward to working with all of our Jones Center students and families! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

It’s a great day to be a Dragon!

Tara Kalis, Principal

Aug. 15 - Back to School Night (5-6:30 PM)

Aug. 19 - First Day of School

Sept. 2: Labor Day (no school)

Sept. 23-26: Parent Teacher conferences

Sept. 27: No school

Oct. 1: Fall Pictures

Oct. 17: End of first quarter

Oct. 18: Teacher workday (no school for students)

Oct. 29 - Fall Family Festival (TBA)

Our Back to School Night is on Thursday, August 15th! Come and meet your child’s teacher and drop off school supplies, take a tour of this beautiful building! It helps everyone make a smooth transition for the first day of school. We hope you can join us!

• Bring your school supplies and meet your teacher.
• Welcome new staff members.
• Pick up Lunch Menus, complete Free/Reduced lunch forms and put money on your account. (Click here to complete Free/Reduced lunch form)
• Turn in medications and immunizations to Nurse Melissa
• Finish paperwork for online verification and residency. This process must be complete before beginning school
• This is a casual come and go event.
• If you have questions, give us a call (816) 359-4510.

The Park Hill School District PTA runs a clothing center that provides free, gently used clothing, plus new socks and underwear to district students. Please visit our Facebook page for updated information.

The PTA Clothing Center serves all Park Hill School District students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The PTA asks you to bring proof that you are currently enrolled in the Park Hill district. This could be a student ID, dated letter from a principal or social worker, class schedule, or enrollment form. You can also show us the district portal with student information in it.

The Park Hill Clothing Closet is available to all Park Hill Families on the following dates and times during the 2024-25 school year:

• August 20th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm

• September 3rd & 17th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm

• October 1st & 15th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• November 5th & 19th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• December 3rd & 17th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• January 7th & 21st 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• February 4th & 18th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• March 4th & 18th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• April 1st & 15th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• May 6th 4pm-6pm

School attendance is vital for student success and academic growth. Please help your student(s) be successful by arriving to school on time each day and make every effort to schedule any necessary appointments either after school hours or on non-attendance days. Students should be in their classroom and seated when school begins at 7:30 a.m. Students are tardy if they arrive after 7:40 am. If your child will be absent, please contact the school office by 8:00 am. Also, if you have changes in plans regarding transportation home, please notify your child’s teacher or the school office before 1:00 pm at (816) 359-4510. Thank you for making your child’s education a top priority!

Students may bring their lunch from home or enjoy a school lunch from the cafeteria. Menus can be accessed under Nutrition Services on the Park Hill Website.

Meals prices for the 2024-2025 school year are listed below, unless your family has been approved for the free and reduced meal program. You can add money to your child's lunch account online or in person.

These are the prices for the 2024-2025 school year

Elementary Meals

• Elementary breakfast: $1.75
• Elementary lunch: $2.95

Middle School & High School Meals

• Secondary breakfast: $1.95
• Secondary premium breakfast: $2.10
• Secondary lunch: $3.25
• Secondary premium lunch: $3.65

Adult/Visitor Meals

• Breakfast: $2.00
• Adult lunch: $4.00

Beverages

• Ala carte milk: $0.70
• Ala carte juice: $0.40

Meal Payment Options:

If a student plans to purchase Breakfast, Lunch, or A la Carte/Snacks at school, please ensure money is available on the student's meal account. Payments are accepted at school (with cash or check) and online through SchoolCafe.com. If assistance is needed to set up an online account or to find out the student’s ID number, please contact the district Nutrition Services office at 359-4090 or your student’s school cafeteria manager.

To add money to your child’s meal account, please visit the Park Hill Nutrition Services webpage.

Family Meal Benefits (Free or Reduced-Priced Meals):

Applications for the 2024-25 school year will be available for completion after August 1, 2024.

Students receiving free or reduced-price meal benefits during the school year will continue to receive those benefits during summer school. If you have any questions, please contact Park Hill Nutrition Services at (816) 359-4090.

Completed applications may be mailed to or dropped off at any school building (you only have to fill out one for each family).

Families may send birthday treats or favors. Any treats brought to school must be on the approved list to ensure that they do not contain any of the 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).

APPROVED BIRTHDAY TREATS AND FAVORS

Stickers
Erasers
Pencils
Crazy straws
Blow Pops
Juice boxes
Popcorn
Smarties
Dum Dum lollipops
Jelly Belly
Nerds
Ring Pops
Skittles
Sour Patch Kids
Starburst
Swedish Fish
Life Saver Gummies

Healthy students are a priority in the Park Hill School District, and we work together with both parents and health departments to keep our students healthy. We have health room staff in each building, ready to assist students as needed.

Our health room is available if your child becomes ill or injured while at school. All non-prescription, over-the-counter medication must be sent in the original container with a written request by the parent or physician. If for any reason your child is on medication, before it can be administered, the medication must be in a prescription labeled bottle accompanied by a doctor’s note. The medication is kept in the health room. The medication authorization form must be completed and signed by the parent or guardian for all medications given at school. Medication should NOT be sent to school with the children. Parents should bring the medication to the health room. Please feel free to stop by and visit with Nurse Melissa in our Health Room any time.

You will notice a few new faces around the hallways this year. We are excited to welcome the following staff members to our school family:

• Chase McCollom, Recovery Room

• Jordan Nutt, School Psychologist (part time)
• Samuel Pour, Behavior Support Assistant
• Joe Reed, School Psychologist (full time)
• Carrie Rider, Behavior Support Assistant
• Amy Rockey, Executive Administrative Assistant
• Tyler Simcoe, Behavior Support Assistant
• Alexis Stanton, Middle School Teacher
• Andrea Stillman, Behavior Support Assistant
• Sara Vance, Middle School Teacher
• Ketlin Raymond, Evening Custodian

Park Hill School District uses Infinite Campus as our student information system. You can access your child’s essential school information and district information quickly! This includes Attendance, Grades, Schedule, Bus Information, Technology Fees and School Communications.

Infinite Campus - Parent Portal

You can also use the FirstView® bus-tracking app, provided by our transportation provider, First Student. You can download the FirstView® app on your smartphone or use the app on your computer by visiting firstviewapp.com.

Using FirstView®, you can track your child’s bus in real-time, set up alerts to notify you when their bus is at a certain location, and you can link up to three email accounts. The app is password protected, to keep your child safe.

FirstView - Getting Started

Helping our students succeed academically means we need to support the whole child, so we want to support their families, their physical health and their mental health.

If you need access to services to support your family, please reach out to our School Based Therapist, Matthew at (816) 359-6914 to seek more information or access the link below.

School Phone: (816) 359-4510

Student Hours: 7:30 am - 2:00 pm

Office Hours: 7:00 am - 3:00 pm

Principal: Dr. Tara Kalis, (816) 359-6305

Social Worker: Matthew Fey, (816) 359-6914