Dear BW Families,

We are close…so very close to the first day of school! While our hallways are a little emptier than normal, our teachers and staff have been working furiously around the clock to make sure we are prepared to welcome kids to BW and kick off the 20-21 school year. In this unprecedented opening of school, there are a handful of things that are different. I hope that the information below is helpful in answering questions as we get ready for the first day of school.

Schedules:

By now, kids would be eagerly checking out their schedules and texting friends to see if they were on the same teams. This year, we are later in getting out schedules but they will be live on Friday. This year, we will also hold a back to school drive thru for kids to pick up some basic universal supplies along with math consumables and a hard copy of their schedule. Cars will be directed to line up along the curb off of 81st Street. (Please see graphic below for direction of traffic.) If you are unable to stop by school on Friday from 4-7pm, please stop in anytime the following week, Monday through Friday from 8am-4pm. Our front office team will be happy to assist and get you the supply bag.

The BW Learning Hub:

Our hope is that we are streamlining communication and making your life a little easier for round 2 of distance learning. The BW Learning Hub will house all of the teacher information and links to the zoom classes. The site will also be an archive of lessons taught so students can go back and revisit lessons for understanding. Parents can also click on subjects to see an overview and assignments to help support student learning at home and keep kids engaged.

The BW Learning Hub will go live on Sunday. Please go to the BW Learning Hub and practice finding the zoom links. The first class every day (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) will be advisory and it will be the same teacher for the entire year. Advisory is similar to Home Room and will be the first class at 8am that students check in.

If your child ever gets “lost”, please go to the Brittany Woods District website and click on the Learning Hub link. The BW Learning Hub is home base and will house all the zoom links for kids to get to class.

Supplies:

We have created a bag of basic universal supplies for each student. Supply bags can be picked up this Friday from 4-7pm. Cars will be directed to line up along the curb off of 81st Street.

Supply bags will also include math consumables. If you are unable to stop by, please feel free to stop in Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm.

We also have donated student desks for families who are looking to add work space for their child. Please contact your grade level principal, counselor or our school social worker and a desk will be held for you. Supplies are limited, so please reach out quickly!

Attendance:

Teachers will take attendance for each class. If we notice a student is not attending class, a grade level team member will reach out to see how we can support the student. Attendance is not taken for punitive purposes but to make sure we are all staying connected to each other during this time.

Grades:

For round 2 of distance learning, students will receive letter grades and it will be recorded in Tyler SIS. If you have any questions about grades and assignments, please visit the BW Learning Hub or reach out to your child’s teacher, grade level principal or counselor.

Contact Information:

Grace Lee, principal – glee@ucityschools.org

Pablo Flinn, 6th assistant principal – pflinn@ucityschools.org

Kellie Willis, 6th counselor – kwillis@ucityschools.org

Yvonne Rooks, 7th assistant principal – yrooks@ucityschools.org

Emily Bardot, 7th counselor – ebardot@ucityschools.org

Cate Pautsch, 8th assistant principal – cpautsch@ucityschools.org

Rashaad Davenport, 8th counselor – rdavenport@ucityschools.org

Stephani Hudson, SSD area coordinator – shudson@ucityschools.org

Allegra Grawer, school social worker – agrawer@ucityschools.org

Brittany Woods Main Office – 314-290-4280

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out!

Welcome back, BW families. We are excited to see you!

With gratitude,
Grace

Hello Brittany Woods Middle School Families!

My name is Dena Bashiti and I will be your student’s new school nurse at Brittany Woods. I have been a school nurse for the past 12 years working with all ages and grade levels, but my favorite place has always been amongst middle school-aged children. They are rapidly growing and changing, and I understand the great challenges they are presented with emotionally and physically and how that can translate into the classroom. I will advocate for your student’s overall health and wellness, and assist them to understand the importance of the mind-body connection. University City is an amazing community and I am so excited to be a part of it! Please see the information below that is sent to all families in our District, with specific requirements for middle school-aged children:

The health care team of the School District of University City welcomes all new and returning families. We also would like to remind families of the importance of annual physicals and up-to-date immunization records. Vaccine preventable diseases have the potential to increase when the number of vaccinated children starts to decline. This puts our children at increased risk of catching these diseases. During a pandemic, it is best to be fully vaccinated to minimize the risk of becoming infected with preventable diseases.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Bureau of Immunization, states requirements remain the same for 2020-2021 school year enrollments. All immunizations must be up-to-date before school enrollment. This also includes virtual enrollment because children who do not receive all of their vaccines are still at risk of being exposed to diseases.

Students entering 8th grade need a Tdap booster (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis) and at least one dose of MCV4 (Meningococcal) to meet the requirements. You can scan the updated immunization record directly to my email or fax to Brittany Woods, the number is listed above.

The health team is also recommending an annual flu vaccine for all children 6 months and older. Pediatric offices and clinics are open for physicals and vaccinations. Please make your appointment as soon as possible. If you do not have a private doctor, North County Community Health Center, 4000 Jennings Station Road has a walk-in immunization clinic Monday-Friday. The phone number is 314-615-9700. A flyer is located on the district website or Peach Jar.

If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to meeting you and your students in the near future!

Stay Safe and Healthy,

Nurse Dena

Location: 8125 Groby Road, University City, MO, USA
Phone: 314-290-4280