Happy February, Hornets!

Third quarter is off to an amazing start! Sometimes the cold weather and multiple AMI days causes us to be blah and tired, but NOT at Graden!!! Our hallways and classes are filled with a wonderful buzz of learning and excitement.

We miss our Hornets when they are gone. If you have a student that is sick, please contact the front office and your classroom teacher. If not, please make prompt arrival and attendance a priority. We have a busy and important 2nd semester ahead of us.

It is already approaching the time of year for enrollment. Watch for information from the district or from Graden regarding enrollment and registration dates.

We are so excited to share that we are holding an election to name our Graden hornet. This is open to all students, staff, families, alumni and community members and will be held on February 21st, February 22nd, and February 23rd from 9:20 am - 10:00 am in the Graden cafeteria. If you would like to participate in the election, bring your ID to the Graden office and check-in. Let our staff know you are here to vote on a name for our hornet.

Don’t forget that February 7th is EARLY RELEASE @ 2:00 pm

Wear your leadership shirts!!!

We would like to invite you to join us for our friendship parties on Friday, February 16th, from 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm. Please access the link below to register.

Friendship Party Registration Form

Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday, February 7th - Early Release @ 2:00 PM

Thursday, February 8th - Mathletics Competition- Graden Elementary @ 5:00 pm

Tuesday, February 12th - Thursday, February 14th - Kindness Cakes for Sale (Info. Below)

Tuesday, February 13th - PTA Meeting @ 6:00 pm

Friday, February 16th - Friendship Parties @ 3:00 pm

Monday, February 19th - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, February 20th - DEIB Forum @ 6:00 pm - Virtual

Wednesday, February 21st - Friday, February 23rd - Hornet Election - 9:20 am - 10:00 am in the Graden Cafeteria

Thursday, February 22nd - 1st Grade Musical @ 6:30 pm

Monday, February 26th - Friday, March 1st - PTA Read - A - Thon (Info. to come)

Monday, February 26th - DEIB Forum @ 6:00 pm - Virtual

It's truly a GREAT DAY to be a HORNET!!!

Dr. Vanna Easley

Miles of Smiles (Level Up Kids) will be at GRADEN ELEMENTARY

MARCH 5 – MARCH 21, 2024!

Miles of Smiles, a program of Level Up Kids, provides free dental care to children in the Northland who do not have access to oral health services. The dental care will be provided to students at GRADEN during the school day March 5-21, 2024! All care is provided by a licensed dentist and assistants and all patients receive a comprehensive exam, cleaning and x-rays.

Please register by accessing the links below ASAP if you would like your student to be seen during the school day. We highly encourage online registration, which is quick, easy and convenient! You can register right from your phone!

Paper forms will also be sent home in your student’s backpack or folder. If you wish to complete the registration that way, please fill out in its entirety and return as soon as possible.

Please contact Karen Schaff (816-359-6175) or Allison Dawson (816-359-5765) if you have any questions or need help registering your student.

Members of the Park Hill School District's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Council will facilitate this community update and conversation in partnership with Sophic Solutions. Join us!

Park Hill School District parents/guardians, staff, and community members are welcome to join us for these conversations. In these upcoming online forums, we will start with a presentation to all participants, overviewing the work our DEIB Council and DEIB Action Teams have accomplished since our 2023 community forums. We'll also share how this aligns with the current 2023-2028 Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP). After our large group presentation, we will move into small groups where participants will have an opportunity to engage in dialogue about the work that is being done and provide input regarding how they would like to see this work carried out within the specific school(s) they are associated with.

We look forward to sharing the work of our council and action teams thus far. We also look forward to our next steps, in alignment with our DEIB drivers and narratives, and the individual council work at each building. Thank you for your connection to this critical work in Park Hill.

We are hosting two community forums. Please choose only one of the forum dates to register below. The forum Zoom link will be sent on the day of your event.

Registration links:

• 6:00 PM on Tuesday, February 20, 2024
• 6:00 PM on Monday, February 26, 2024

Students are expected to go out for recess each day. Appropriate clothing and shoes should be worn for outside activities. On days when the temperature and/or wind chill is above 20 degrees Fahrenheit and the playground is cleared of snow and ice, there will be outdoor recess. Please send warm coats to school daily as the weather is beginning to change and all students will go out to recess each day the weather meets our guidelines. Per the Park Hill Parent and Student Handbook, "If your child is to be excused from recess, a written explanation is required. To be excused for more than three days a written doctor's recommendation is required."

Students may bring birthday treats into class to celebrate their birthday as long as they come from our list of treats that contain none of the major allergens.

Thank you for understanding that all classroom treats must come from this list, because we do not have the staff capacity to check for allergens that could threaten the health of some students.

Each classroom celebrates birthdays at a time that is conducive to their schedule. We do not allow parents or families to join classrooms for birthday celebrations as these are opportunities for students to celebrate with the teacher and classmates.

Approved Birthday Treats:

Please bring birthday treats ahead of time (two hours after the start of school, at the latest).

• Stickers
• Erasers
• Pencils
• Crazy straws
• Blow Pops
• Juice boxes
• Popcorn
• Smarties
• Dum Dum lollipops
• Jelly Belly
• Nerds
• Ring Pops
• Skittles
• Sour Patch Kids
• Starburst
• Swedish Fish
• Life Saver Gummies

Early release days will be on Wednesdays for the 2023-24 school year. Dismissal on early release days begins at 2:00 pm.

All students will engage in a cultural arts assembly and, some months, students will join interest groups to participate in an activity of high interest to them.

Early Release Dates

Wednesday, February 7th

Wednesday, March 6th

Wednesday, April 3rd

Wednesday, May 1st

2nd Semester Lunch Schedule for Early Release Days:

The lunch schedule is different second semester and changes each month. Please contact your classroom teacher if you plan to eat lunch with your student on early release days.

Wear Your Yellow "Strive in the Hive" Leadership on All Early Release Days!!!

Lunch visitors are welcome each day at Graden. If you would like to join your Hornet for lunch, please bring your license upon check-in at the Graden office. If you plan to purchase a school lunch, please have funds in your student's account or bring payment with you.

Visitors may also join recess after lunch. Please head immediately to the Graden office after recess to check-out.

Graden Lunch Schedule:

Kindergarten: 11:00 am -11:20 am

1st Grade: 11:20 am - 11:40 am

2nd Grade: 11:40 am - 12:00 pm

3rd Grade: 12:20 pm - 12:40 pm

4th Grade: 12:00 pm - 12:20 pm

5th Grade: 12:45 pm - 1:05 pm

Graden PTA Board Members:

Hayley Cooper, President

Emily Miller, Vice President

Brittany Conklin, Secretary

Maggie Wright, Teacher Rep

Angie Liberty, Parliamentarian

PTA is very excited to kick off the 2024 Read-A-Thon! The Read-A-Thon will look a little different this year as we now have the ability to collect donations online. However, our goal, like always, is to encourage students to read! This is PTA’s biggest annual fundraiser. Our goal is to raise $10,000! These funds support various activities such as assemblies, teacher grants, field days, and other student supports!

Read-A-Thon prize winners will be announced on March 21st. The incentives for this year are:

· A foam party for the class with the highest minutes read per grade level!

· The annual trophy and a pizza party for the class with the highest minutes read total in the school!

· A movie bucket for the student with the highest individual total of minutes read!

· A DQ treat for the student with the most minutes read per class!

· And each class will get an extra recess if our donation goal of $10,000 is met!

The Read-A-Thon will be February 26-March 1st! Look for more information to come home on February 20th

Also, if you would like to get more involved in PTA and would like to be on the PTA Board next year, please email GradenElementaryPTA@gmail.com by February 12th.

Important Dates:

· Feb 9th- River Roll Roller Skating Fundraiser! 5:30-7:30pm

· Feb 13th – PTA Meeting at 6 p.m. in the Graden library, childcare provided

· Feb 16th- Friendship Parties and 5th Grade Dance Party!

· Feb 19th- NO SCHOOL

· Feb 21st- "Pop-Up" Treat Bar for Teachers/Staff

· Feb 26th- Read-A-Thon Begins!

Connect with us on Facebook to see our upcoming events and learn how you can get involved with PTA.

2023-24 PTA Meeting Dates

Tuesday, February 13th, 2024

Tuesday, March 12th, 2024

Tuesday, April 9th, 2024

Tuesday, May 14th, 2024

School Hours: 9:10 am - 4:10 pm

Doors open at 8:55 am for breakfast

Dismissal begins at 3:55 pm

813-359-4340

easleyv@parkhill.k12.mo.us

Assistant Principal: Morgan Taylor

816-359-4340

taylormo@parkhill.k12.mo.us

Executive Administrative Assistant: Nikki Suchanick

816-359-4340

suchanickn@parkhill.k12.mo.us

Graden Registrar: Angy Bullin

816-359-4340

bullina@parkhill.k12.mo.us

Email: easleyv@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Website: https://graden.parkhill.k12.mo.us/
Location: 8804 NW Highway 45, Parkville, MO 64152
Phone: (816) 359-4340