Henry Happenings

Dear Henry Families,

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed a restful and meaningful Thanksgiving Break with your loved ones. We’re excited to see our students return and look forward to a wonderful few weeks of learning together as we head into the winter season.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support!

Continue reading below for more information about: Food Drive, Notes from the Nurse, Yearbook Information, PTO Trivia Night Info, Henry Harmonizers, Holiday Help, and More!

With Gratitude,

Dr. Jodi Oliver

Follow us!

Facebook: facebook.com/henryelementaryschool
Instagram: @pkwyhenrybulldogs

December 1 - December 4 - Talent Sharing in Music for Grades K, 1, 2 & 4

December 2 - PTO Tab Top Collection Day

December 4 - Strings Open House

December 4- PTO Night Out at the Movies

December 9 & 11- Kindergarten Field Trip to the Magic House

December 10- Half Day, 1:05 PM Dismissal

December 10- PTO Papa John's Night

December 19- Half Day, 1:05 PM Dismissal

Lack of sleep can cause: irritability, forgetfulness, difficulties with learning, and low motivation. It increases stress, anxiety, and depression.

Helpful Tips to go to Sleep:

-Set bedtime and wake-up times at the same time each day.

-Model good sleep behaviors for kids.

-Make sure kids are active during the day so they can fall asleep at night

-Keep bedrooms quiet, dark, and a comfortable temperature

-Avoid large meals and caffeine before bedtime

-Remove electronic devices from the bedroom

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

3-5 year olds need 10-13 hours

6-12 year olds need 9-12 hours

13-18 year olds need 8-10 hours

Dear Parents and/or Guardians,

Every year the Henry community adopts several families who need a little bit of help for the holidays. Our community works together to demonstrate kindness by providing gift card bundles to Schnucks, Walmart, Target, Amazon, McDonalds and Quik-trip. If your family is in need of help, please complete the form below. This information goes directly to Lauren Turner and Nate Banderman, the school counselors. All names will be kept confidential. Gift card bundles will be ready to be sent home the week of Winter Break. Also, please indicate if there are any other needs to can we help with.

Warm wishes,

Mrs. Turner and Mr. Banderman

Online orders will be available until March 20, 2026.

On December 11th, Ms. Weber and Ms. Cordy who will be the 6th grade administrator and counselor next year will be stopping by to visit the 5th grade class. Their presentation will focus on what to expect at West Middle, what classes students will have to choose from and how the registration process works.

Henry Families & Staff…JOIN US!

Our “Henry Harmonizers” (our voluntary 5th Grade Choir that meets before school on Monday mornings) will be singing “God Bless America” at an Ambush game at the Family Arena! They will be performing on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 3:50 p.m. This is always a fun, memorable event for our Henry families. If you want to come cheer on our 5th Grade Choir, and then enjoy a great game together, here are the details:

• Attached Flyer: I've attached a flyer for all of you to share out. It includes details about the event and a QR code that directs to the Henry Elementary ticket link. The more people that attend for our Henry community, the more fun we have!

OUR HENRY ELEMENTARY FLYER WITH QR CODE

• Ticket Link: Our ticket price (per person, including each singer - anyone over the age of 2) is $25.00. Here is our direct ticket link in case anyone has issues with the QR code:

26-1-24 Henry Harmonizers - St. Louis Ambush

Important Notes:

• Tell Mrs. Plesia: When you purchase your tickets, please send Mrs. Plesia a quick email to let me know your family is coming (so I can wave to you in our Henry section)!

• All performers and supporters (family, friends, teachers, etc.) must purchase their tickets through this specific link to ensure you receive the group rate and are seated together.

• The ticket link will close on 1/9/26, so we encourage everyone to secure their tickets early. Please note the clear bag policies when attending.

We’re excited to have the Henry Harmonizers perform at the game and look forward to a fantastic evening! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Mrs. Plesia

We’re cooking up something special—our very own Henry Cookbook! In an effort to celebrate the wonderful mix of cultures, traditions, and favorite foods that make our school community so unique, we would like to create a Henry School Cookbook with your help!

Please send us one of your favorite recipes to include—whether it’s a treasured family dish passed down through generations or a simple meal that always brings smiles around your table. We would love for every family to be part of it!

Please fill out the Google Form to share your recipes. Together, we’ll create a cookbook full of flavors and stories that reflect the heart of our school family. The recipes and pictures will be displayed in our cafeteria, allowing all students to see their favorite recipes represented. At the end of the year, we will share a digital cookbook with all of the recipes. Let’s make this something delicious to share for years to come!

25-26 Henry Cookbook

Thank you: "In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our PTO members. Thank you to all those who participated in our Bulldog Dash fun run. By registering your student, donating money, and/or sharing the link you helped it be a huge success. Thank you to those who participate in our other ongoing fundraisers. By dining out, scanning box tops receipts, and/or purchasing wrapping paper & spirit wear you are contributing to our general fund. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make our Reader In Me Prize Days, Book Fair Shopping, Fine Dining Day, and Fall Classroom Parties a fun success for our students. Thank you for showing your generosity by stocking the teacher's lounge with snacks, dropping off your tab tops, feeding the teachers dinner on conference night, and/or sending in canned food for the food drive. Thank you to those who participated in our Trunk or Treat, Skate Night, and/or (the upcoming) Movie Night to build community. Thank you for supporting the PTO board by filling out our surveys and/or joining our general meetings. It is with the help and participation of so many that we have been able to accomplish so much in these first 3 months of school. We are grateful to be surrounded by such a giving community. We'd also like to share just some of the thanks we've received from the Henry staff in pictures below.

"Henry PTO"

-MSD/MO Botanical Garden Grant: At our last two general meetings there has been discussion of the MSD/MO Botanical Garden grant for rainscaping. As this project will require multiple steps and lots of planning, we thought it would be best to create a focus group. If you would like to join this group to discuss possible plans to share with the district, please email us at henrypto@gmail.com with your interest by December 1. We will then reach out to all those interested to schedule a meeting.

Looking to treat a Henry teacher this holiday season? We've put together a list of our teachers' favorite things to make gift giving easy and personal! This is completely optional, but if you'd like to treat your teacher with something special, feel free to check it out by clicking the link below.

Flyer provides information for our school families to share with their extended friends/family to encourage participation for Henry!

Did you know that families can recognize staff members with Bulldog Brags, just like we do for students? If you or your child notice a staff member demonstrating one of our Henry Core Values—Kind, Responsible, Persevere, or Inclusive—we invite you to share it using the button below.

Each staff member who receives a Bulldog Brag will be honored with a certificate and a special surprise. As part of our character education, it is important for students to see adults modeling these values every day—and to hear real examples of what they look like in action!

Email: joliver2@parkwayschools.net

Email: lsmith6@parkwayschools.net

Website: https://henry.parkwayschools.net/

Instagram: @pkwyhenrybulldogs