Flynn Park Family Pride
11/02/25
Greetings Flynn Park Family,
Happy Sunday! Welcome to the start of a new month. November is a very special month for many, as we focus on the things that we are especially thankful for. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of such a rich and diverse school community. I am thankful the gift of community, fellowship, and partnership with the students, staff, and families of Flynn Park.
While I know that many celebrate during this season, I also realize that it can be an especially hard season for those dealing with loss and grief. Due to factors beyond our control, many across our country are being negatively impacted by the government shutdown. If your family has been impacted in a way that has impaired your ability to meet basic needs that we may be able to help with, please reach out to our school social worker, Ms. Jackson, who may have access to resources that may help. Please know that we are here to help, and we understand the hardship that the shutdown is causing.
We are in the midst of our 2nd year participating in the Million Cans contest, and with the amount of cans that continue to pour in, we are all but sure to win. Please continue to send any empty aluminum cans to Flynn Park to help us secure the victory this year. Thank you for your continued support in helping make Flynn Park a safe, fun, and engaging place for your children to grow and learn.
Please remember that there is NO SCHOOL on Monday November 3rd or Tuesday November 4th. All students and staff will resume school on Wednesday November 5, 2025.
We appreciate your positive feedback and teacher and staff shout outs. Your messages of positivity go a long way toward filling our staffs' "buckets". Please continue to send them in to Mr. Murdock at damurdock@ucityschools.org. They will be shared with the staff as they are received.
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!
PS. Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour, if you have not already done so!
Please Help Us Reach Our Attendance Goal
We are reaching out for the support of our school community to help us reach our school wide attendance goal of 95% PROPORTIONAL ATTENDANCE.
Proportional Attendance is the percentage of time that students are actually at school each day. Arriving late to school (after 8:45am) and leaving school before dismissal at 3:40pm significantly impacts our proportional attendance. The state of Missouri tracks the percentage of time that students spend at school each day, so arriving a few minutes late and leaving a few minutes earlier negatively impacts our school in ways that some may not recognize.
It is vitally important that we have our students at school each day for 100% of the time that they are supposed to be in school. Our doors open at 8:30am and all students are welcome to arrive to enjoy breakfast before going to class. Our instructional day begins promptly at 8:45 am, so any students not arriving prior to that time are missing important instructional minutes. Students are supposed to be at school for the full instructional day from 8:45am - 3:40pm each day. Please help us to reach our attendance goal. Meeting the attendance goal for the year is the easiest way to show school improvement! Thank you in advance for helping us meet our goal!
NO SCHOOL Monday 11/3 or Tuesday 11/4/25
Please remember that there is no school for students on Monday November 3rd (Teacher Plan Day)or Tuesday November 4th (District Wide Professional Development). School will resume for all students and staff on Wednesday November 5th.
IMPORTANT DISMISSAL UPDATE - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Due to the overlapping of 5th grade recess and our dismissal process, we are asking that all families who are picking up students at dismissal please stay off of the playground and blacktop until 3:45pm. Please wait outside of the gates until our dismissal process has started, so that our students can have recess safely and without interruption. Members of the staff will open the gates once recess has ended, indicating that it is ok to join us on the blacktop to pick your student learner. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us to keep our students and our school community safe! We appreciate you!
Elementary Basketball Forms - Calling All Coaches and Players
Greetings Flynn Park basketball players and coaches. The time is now to fill out the interest surveys if you would like to coach or play basketball for our University City elementary basketball rec league. Please complete the links below to register to play or coach. The links will close at 5pm on November 9th.
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 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.
Inclement Weather Dismissal Plan For Car Riders and Walkers
Wet, rainy, and cold weather has finally arrived in St. Louis. The unpredictable weather can and will impact our dismissal procedures.
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.
Reporting Absences and Late Arrivals
Parents needing to report an absence of any kind, must call the school at 314-290-4420, 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.
November 3 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Plan Day
November 4 - NO SCHOOL - District Professional Development
November 7 - Flynn Park Movie Night
November 10 - State of the District/Community Strategic Planning Meeting
November 13 - District STEAM Expo @ Brittany Woods at 6pm
November 14 - Turkey Trot @ Flynn Park
November 18 - 2nd & 3rd Grade Concert @ 6:30pm
November 24-28 - NO SCHOOL - FALL BREAK
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