Flynn Park Family Pride
11/16/25
Greetings Flynn Park Family,
Happy Sunday! I hope you had a restful and restorative weekend! It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving Break is a week away! We’ve had a wonderful fall full of learning, friendship, and fun. As we head into the last week before the start of our break, here are a few important updates and reminders:
💡 Reminders
Please remember consistent daily attendance is vital to student success. Please make sure that they are on time and stay for the full instructional school day (8:30am - 3:40pm).
Please make sure that your student learner has a coat for the cooler temperatures. Unless the temperatures are dangerously low or rain impacts the forecast, we will go outside for recess.
Please make sure that your student learner has an adequate amount of medication on hand if they require daily medication, or if they have asthma so that we can keep them safe in the event of an emergency.
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Please label all jackets, hats, lunchboxes and bookbags—our lost and found is growing.
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There will be no school November 24–28 for the Thanksgiving holiday.
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Morning arrival begins at 8:30 a.m.; please do not leave students unattended before that time.
Dismissal begins at 3:40pm. Please ensure that all students are picked up daily by 3:55pm.
Thank you for continuing to support our school community through volunteering, attending events, and encouraging learning at home.
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!
November 17 - Virtual CommUnity Chat with Dr. Hardin-Bartley, 5-6pm
November 18 - 2nd & 3rd Grade Concert @ 6:30pm
November 19 - Barnes & Noble Bookfair @ Ladue Crossing Location, 5-7pm
November 24-28 - NO SCHOOL - FALL BREAK
December 1 - School resumes for all students and staff
Million Cans Competition
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 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!
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.
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.
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