Citizens Connection

Included in this week's newsletter:

• Summer School Registration & Fee Payment
• Staff & Teacher Appreciation Week - May 4th-8th
• Thank You for a Great Final First Friday!
• Elementary Choir Concert - Tuesday, May 5th
• Spirit Week - May 11th-15th
• Night Off Broadway (& New Name Reveal!) - Thursday, May 14th
• Spring PBL Showcase - Friday, May 15th
• 8th Grade Celebrations - Wednesday, May 20th
• Field Day - Thursday, May 21st
• Parent Leadership Opportunities
• Debate Celebrations
• 2026-2027 Enrollment

Don't forget to pay your supply fees! Summer school fees have now been added to all student accounts and can be paid either through your Parent Portal or with cash or credit card at the front desk during school hours. Please reach out Ms. Kidd if you need help getting into your portal.

We currently have waitlists in multiple grade levels for summer school, so if you'd like for your child to attend, please be sure to register soon! We will work through the waitlist if spots open, so it doesn't hurt to be added to the waitlists. If you registered your child but now cannot participate, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can open that seat for a child on the waitlist!

We will not accept any more registrations past Friday, May 22nd!

Director of Summer School: Ms. Katie Kriefall
Dates: Monday, June 1st – Friday, June 26th (no school on Friday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth)
Location: Cristo Rey High School (211 Linwood Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64111)
Daily Schedule: 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (no early release Wednesdays)
Before & After Care: Not available due to the alternative site
Lunch: Option between lunch from home and sack lunch at school (no breakfast available)
Supply Fee: $20 per student, due by May 15th

Click here to register or reach out to Ms. Katie with any questions!

Today is Blooms for Buddies! This morning our students shared flowers with teachers and staff members, and smiles filled the hallways!

We would still love to stock our teacher workrooms with snacks and drinks all week long, so feel free to drop off treats, healthy snacks, or other goodies for our teachers this week!

We are so thankful that so many current families, alumni, founding families, and founding staff were able to join us for the celebration on Friday. It was such a joyous event led almost entirely by our students! Visit the Facebook link below to see photos from the event. More to come!

Join us at the Warwick Theatre (3927 Main Street, Kansas City, 64111) on May 5th at 6:30 pm for the CWC Elementary Spring Choir Concert. This event is free to attend, and all community members are welcome to come celebrate the choir's hard work this semester! Doors open at 6 pm.

Our middle school student leaders have organized another fun spirit week for our entire Broadway building next week!

Comfy Monday: Wear your pajamas to school!

Throwback Tuesday - Decade Day: Dress in clothes from a past decade!

Wacky Wednesday - Anything but a Backpack Day: What will you use to carry your stuff to school?

Thursday - Dress Like Your Grandparents Day: Dress up like Granny or Pops!

Fav Friday: Dress like your favorite movie/TV character, athlete, or just wear your favorite outfit!

Join us for a spring concert featuring all of our first floor classrooms on Wednesday, May 13th at 10:10 am! The performance will take place in the MPR, and all families are invited to attend!

Night Off Broadway is almost here! Join us on Thursday, May 14th at Kansas City Young Audiences (3732 Main Street) for an evening of student performances. The art show will begin at 5:30 pm, followed by a choir concert, majorette performance, musical theater production, one-act play, and parent vs. student debates in both English and Spanish. There will be walking tacos and funnel cakes available for purchase, as well!

And we're saving the best for last. At the end of the night, we'll be unveiling our school's new name and logo! It's something we've been working toward for a long time and can't wait to finally share. You won't want to miss it - you may even go home with some free swag!

Additionally, the electives team is working on putting together a coupon book with discounts for Midtown businesses and services. Please help us spread the word - please share this letter with any Midtown organizations, services, or businesses that you visit often!

Mark your calendars! On Friday, May 15th from 2-3 pm, we're hosting our Spring Project-Based Learning Showcase and would love to have you there to cheer on our 3rd-8th grade students.

All spring, students have been investigating the animal world, from exploring habitats and researching species to digging into what it takes to protect wildlife. Stop by to hear directly from them about what they learned and what surprised them along the way!

Parking can be found along 35th Street, 34th Street, 34th Terrace, and Broadway. Students may be picked up by caregivers at 3 pm when the showcase wraps up. We can't wait to see you!

We have some special celebrations coming up for our 8th graders on Wednesday, May 20th!

First, join us at 9 am as we send our 8th graders off in style with a Clap Out, a tradition where the whole school lines the halls to celebrate them as they walk the halls one final time. Families are welcome to line up outside along the Broadway sidewalk to cheer on our 8th graders as they head out for their end-of-year field trip celebration!

That evening, we'll celebrate again at the 8th Grade Promotion at 6 pm at Midtown Baptist Temple (3953 Walnut Street). We hope all 8th graders will attend, and we would love for their families to be present, as well! Students are welcome and encouraged to dress up for the event. More details will be sent home to 8th grade families as we get closer to the event.

It's almost time for our 10th annual Field Day on Thursday, May 21st! We need about 75 adult volunteers to make this day great for the students! No background clearance is needed, so please consider setting aside time to come volunteer with us that day. When signing up, please take note of which time block you are signing up for. Thanks in advance for your time and care!

Don't forget - the last day of school will be a half day, dismissing at 12 pm! There will be NO Camp Fire on the last day of school, so ALL students need to be picked up at noon. Staff will use the afternoon to pack up their rooms so that interior building renovations can begin right away. Thank you so much for your attention in helping us end the year strong!

We are always looking to connect strong parent leaders with opportunities across our community! Area organizations regularly invite us to recommend parents for data summits, advisory programs, and other initiatives that shape local education decisions across Kansas City. If you are interested in being considered for opportunities like these, please let us know.

About PLTI

One program we especially recommend is the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI). PLTI equips parents with the skills and knowledge to become effective advocates for their children and communities. PLTI parent leaders have testified before elected bodies, led PTAs, served on boards, wrote Op-Ed pieces, and started new initiatives to improve outcomes for children and families across the city. Coming up soon are "Taste of PLTI" workshops - shorter sessions designed to give you a feel for the program. These are free to attend and include childcare and food!

Parent Literacy Ambassador Program

We are also looking for parents or guardians to join a new initiative in partnership with PLTI: the Parent Literacy Ambassador Program. Ambassadors serve as trusted, informed parent leaders who help strengthen communication between our school community and families around literacy. Ambassadors will support family engagement at events, share information about literacy best practices, and help grow parent connections. The role comes with a stipend supported by SchoolSmartKC, with an estimated time commitment of about 25 hours per semester. If you're interested, please email info@cwckansascity.org! An onboarding training will be held on June 2nd from 6-8 pm.

Whether you'd like to become more involved in our school community or would like to be considered for programs such as these, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at info@cwckansascity.org so we can keep you in mind for future parent leader opportunities!

Last week, the Citizens debate team was honored at the annual Debate Kansas City (Urban Debate League) Awards Night. The following nine students finished the season on the DKC power rankings list and finished the season ranked in the top 5 -10 percent of all competitors throughout the entire Kansas City, Missouri & Kansas City, Kansas urban core in competitive debate:

Ahmara Murillo

Allison Alvarez

Brianna Martinez-Gomez

Kameo Beaman

LeAnthony Briggs

Ysabella Jewel Carreon

Zoey Oquendo

Titan Hesser

RobBriere Fennix

Additionally, LeAnthony Briggs, 8th grader at Citizens, was selected by the Debate Kansas City staff to give the Middle School ceremonial address. Of the 256 middle schooler competitors, Briggs was selected to speak Monday night on behalf of the entire urban debate league. He presented a phenomenal speech in front of a standing room only crowd of more than 300 people!

The re-enrollment period has now ended, and students' spots for next year are no longer guaranteed. Re-enrollment through your Parent Portal will still be available if there is not a waitlist in your child's grade, and you can find instructions for completing re-enrollment by visiting the Re-Enrollment page of the CWCKC website.

If your family will not be returning for the 2026-2027 school year or if your plans have changed, please email Ms. Lineberry or text/call her at 816-550-5276 with this information, as we are required to account for every student's intentions for next year.

Offers for next year are already being sent out to newly enrolling students! If you are interested in enrolling a sibling who will be a NEW STUDENT at Citizens next year, please be sure to complete a SchoolAppKC application soon to secure their seat for next year! Don't forget to add your current student's name on the sibling question so that sibling priority is applied!

If you have any questions, please contact Katy Lineberry right away.

Don't forget to check the Family Dashboard for the full calendar, including upcoming field trips!

May 4th-8th - Staff Appreciation Week

May 5th - Elementary Choir Concert, 6:30 pm (The Warwick Theater)

May 8th - No School (Professional Development Day)

May 13th - First Floor Classrooms Spring Concert, 10:10 am

May 14th - Pop-Up Food Pantry, 3:30-6pm

May 14th - Night on Broadway, 6-8 pm (Kansas City Young Audiences)

May 15th - Spring PBL Showcase, 2-3 pm

May 20th - 8th Grade Clap-Out & Field Trip

May 20th - 8th Grade Promotion, 6 pm (Midtown Baptist Temple)

May 21st - Field Day

May 21st - 5th Grade Picnic, 5-6:30 pm

May 21st - Board of Directors Meeting, 6 pm (Offices at Park 39)

May 22nd - Last Day of School, 12 pm Dismissal

June 1st - Summer School Begins (Cristo Rey High School)

Email: info@cwckansascity.org
Website: www.cwckansascity.org
Location: 3435 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO, 64111
Phone: (816)499-8000

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cwckansascity

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cwckansascity