Season of Gratitude

As we enter the season of gratitude and reflection, I am joyful as I look back over the past few months and the exciting things happening in our schools and community. Right now, I would like to offer this message and the accompanying video as a way to share what gratitude looks like in our district today.

I am truly thankful for the way our school teams and families have embraced this year’s goal to expand opportunities for meaningful family engagement. At each school event, I have noticed our families have come out in full force and I have had the opportunity to meet and speak with many of you. I thank you for your support and partnership and look forward to engaging with you in the coming months.

We are all grateful for Proposition U and the ground we've been able to cover with those funds in Phase One! Students are watching with great anticipation the rise of new playgrounds nearing completion at Jackson Park and Pershing schools. When we return from fall break, you will see that a lot of work will have been done on the entryways at Barbara C. Jordan, Julia Goldstein and Pershing schools.

All of our schools are built to be safe and secure; however, we're learning more and more about modifications we can make to enhance safety. We scheduled the work over fall break to minimize the inconvenience to families at drop-off and pickup. Even so, this extensive work won’t be completely finished when we return. We ask for your patience as we make slight adjustments to entry points at these schools.

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to our excellent staff, some of whom have been publicly recognized throughout the community for their work and for their dedication to children. But, I want you to know that our school district is filled with those types of excellent role models. I ask you, in the spirit of gratitude, please seek them out and share your appreciation. Please feel free to share any suggestions or ideas that you have on how we might better serve you. We are in this together with a goal of creating the best school experience for all of our students and for all of our families.

Finally, I am grateful for all of our parents and caregivers. Together, we are doing really great things. If, at this point in the school year, you find that your child has additional needs or would be excited to be more involved, please talk to your school leaders, teachers, counselors and coaches who will look for ways to bring out their personal gifts and talents. I encourage exploration of our special extracurricular programs and continued parent involvement. As our alumni often tell us, that is what makes the school year more memorable, when students are able to express themselves.

We have so much to be thankful for as a district. To keep you updated, I issue a monthly newsletter, and our communications team sends information via website, social media (@ucityschools) and University City Schools app (download free from the App Store and Google Play).

Please take a few minutes to see the video below for some of my personal insights as I wish you all the very best in this season of gratitude.

In Service of Our Children,
Sharonica L. Hardin-Bartley, Ph.D., PHR

Superintendent

Address: Ronald E. McNair Administration Building | 7700 Olive Blvd., University City, MO 63130

Contact: communications@ucityschools.org