Flynn Park Family Pride
8/10/25
Greetings Flynn Park Family,
Happy Sunday! I hope that you had a great week. We enjoyed seeing many of our students and families at the National Night Out/Back to School Bash at Centennial Commons on August 5th. There were a variety of games, giveaways, and resources that were provided for families in the district. If you didn't make it, we hope that you will attend Flynn Park's Meet The Teacher Night, on Thursday August 14th. You will have an opportunity to meet the teachers and staff members who will be working with your student learner this year.
We are just one week away from the start of the 25-26 school year and the excitement is buzzing. We are excited to begin this new journey with our students and staff. Keeping in step with the construction that took place this year, our theme for the 25-26 school year is "Building and Growing Together." I am inspired by the work that we, the students, staff, parents, and school community, will do TOGETHER.
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. We look forward to seeing you at the start of the 2025-2026 school year on Monday August 18, 2025.
Daily Arrival Procedures for All Flynn Park Families
At Flynn Park, our students travel to school in a variety of ways. We have students who walk, those who are dropped off by either car or daycare vans, and those who ride the bus. Arrival begins at 8:30 a.m. Students will be greeted by staff members assigned to AM duty posts and admitted into the building at 8:30 am. Please do not drop off students before this time or leave them unattended, as there is no adult supervision prior to 8:30 a.m. Every moment of the school day is essential to our students' academic success, so we ask families to ensure that their student learner is on time every day.
For students walking or arriving by car or van, they will enter the building through the north door, labeled door 1 (the old main entrance).
For students riding the bus, they will enter the building through the south door, labeled door 3.
Staff assigned to AM duty posts will be outside welcoming students until 8:45am. At that time, they will re-enter the building and close the doors. Any students being dropped off after that time, must be escorted into the building by their parent or guardian and signed in at the main office. Please note that late arrivals do have a significant impact on students' attendance, so please do all that you can to ensure that students arrive by 8:30 every day. Students will be counted as tardy after 8:45am.
First Day of School Visiting Guidelines
To kick off the start of the 25-26 school year, we invite you to walk your student learner to class on the first day of school, if you so choose. For many older students, they may not view it as cool, but our primary students certainly enjoy the comfort of having a trusted adult guide them to their classroom on the first day. Please note the following:
All families will be asked to exit the building by 9:00 a.m. sharp, so that we can begin our instructional day. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Please do not take any photos inside the building due to the privacy of our entire school community.
Teachers will not be available to meet/chat, as they need to be attentive to all students entering their classrooms. If you would like to schedule a meeting to share important information, our staff is happy to accommodate your request.
Please do not block parking lot entryways or our neighbor's driveways.
Enjoy the moment of sharing the first day experience of the 25-26 school year with your student learner! Welcome to the Flynn Park family!
Daily Dismissal Procedures for All Flynn Park Families
1. Unleashing Potential - If your student learner is enrolled in Unleashing Potential Aftercare, they will be sent to the cafeteria where the supervising staff for Unleashing Potential will be there to greet them.
2. Bus riders - Bus Riders will be escorted to the bus by Flynn Park teachers and staff and supervised until the buses depart campus. If a bus is late, students will be supervised by staff inside the school until the bus arrives and the escorted to the bus in the same manner. Please note that our youngest learners, Kindergarten and 1st grade students, must be met at the bus stop by a parent, guardian, or caregiver, or they will be returned to the school and parents must come to Flynn Park to pick them up. Please be at the bus stop on and remain at the stop until your student learner arrives. 2nd thru 5th grade students may exit the bus and walk home independently. The buses that support Flynn Park are U1, U8, U9, U10, and U11. Bus assignments and bus stop information for students who ride the bus can be found in Infinite Campus.
3. Daycare Van Riders - Daycare van riders will be supervised by staff until their van arrives, and will then be escorted out to board their van. If you are the parent of a daycare rider, please provide the main office and your student's teacher with the specific daycare information name of the daycare and phone number for the daycare) prior to the first day of school.
4. Walkers and Parent Pick Ups - This year, all walkers and parent pick ups, Kindergarten thru 5th grade, will be dismissed from the blacktop behind the school. Cones will be set up, by grade level, where students will be waiting with their teacher until they are picked up by their parent or guardian. Kindergarten thru 2nd grade students must be picked up by a parent or guardian Parents are encouraged to pick up their older students as well , however, students in 3rd thru - 5th grade shall be permitted to walk home, independently, unless the parent/guardian provides prior written notification to the school of any arrangements for students requiring pick up by an elder sibling (middle school or older), parent, guardian, or caregiver. Students must be picked up by 3:50 p.m. daily.
Flynn Park Bus Expectations
Please Review Bus Expectations with your Student Rider
Please review the following bus expectations with your student learner if they ride the bus. Please note that failure to meet bus expectations can and will result in the loss of the privilege to ride the bus. We hope that by partnering with you, that we can avoid further incidents and impending consequences.
Flynn Park Bus Expectations:
1. Student riders are expected to follow the instructions of the bus driver and of the Flynn Park staff who lead them to the bus. Students are expected to follow instructions the first time they are given.
2. Student riders are to sit in their assigned seats everyday, in the morning and afternoon. Students should remain seated in their assigned seats, sitting upright for the duration of the bus ride.
3. Students should talk in a quiet voice and refrain from shouting or using inappropriate or abusive language.
4. Students should refrain from eating or drinking on the bus.
5. Students must keep their hands and feet to themselves at all times. Physical aggression and fighting are not permitted on the school bus.
6. Students are only to get off the bus at their assigned bus stop. Parents must be at the stops on time to get their students from the bus.
7. Students should have their cellphones put away, and are not allowed to take pictures or record videos on the bus.
8. Students are to remain in their assigned seats and not move until the bus arrives at their designated bus stop and comes to a complete stop.
9. Parents are never allowed to board a school bus. The parent must wait until the student learner gets off of the bus.
Thank you to our school community for partnering with us to reinforce these expectations with our riders, in an effort to keep our students safe.
Reporting Absences and Late Arrivals
Parents needing to report an absence of any kind, must call the school at 314-290-4421, 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.
Unleashing Potential Update - No Before Care for the 2025-2026 School Year
Unleashing Potential will not be offering a before-care program for this school year. Please plan accordingly if you require AM childcare before our school day begins at 8:30am. There is no adult supervision of students at Flynn Park before 8:30 AM. We understand the impact that this presents for our families and will share information about any available before-care program options in the U-City area if/when they become available to us. Aftercare is still being provided by Unleashing Potential. Please contact them at 314-466-5230 if you have any questions about signing your student learner up.
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.
Meet The Teacher Night - August 14, 2025
Please join us for Meet the Teacher Night on Thursday August 14, 2025 from 5-6:30pm in the school cafeteria.
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.
1UCITY IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO HELP OUT AT FLYNN PARK
Want to get more involved at school? We're looking for Co-Leads and Grade Leads to join the FPCC! Roles are flexible and meant to be shared—we aim to keep the time commitment low and the fun high.
Grade Leads help with 1 all-school event and 2 simple grade-level events per semester (like playdates or teacher appreciation efforts).
Interested or want to learn more? Email 1uc.fpcc@ucityschools.org We’d love to have you!
August 14th: Meet The Teacher Night @ Flynn Park from 5-6:30pm
August 15: Immunization Clinic @ Jackson Park from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
August 18: First Day of School
September 1: Labor Day | District Closed
September 9: Open House @ Flynn Park from 5-6:30pm
September 19: NO School/District Professional Development
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