SDUC Newsletter 09/05/24

We join with schools across the nation in expressing our sorrow in the wake of Wednesday's tragedy at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. What should have been a promising start to a school year ended in the senseless loss of two students and two teachers. I speak for all in The School District of University City when I say that the safety of staff and students are always our top priority. We remain committed to our own work in safety and security, providing social-emotional supports and the pursuit of well-being and joy for every student and family. Please keep Georgia and these families in your hearts.

School year 2024-2025 is the year of the “FAMILY” in The School District of University City. One of the exciting things about being Superintendent is the ability to set the course for the year in ways that best serve all students and staff. Families and family engagement are critically important as we work together to excite and inspire academic performance and personal growth and development in all students.

We have always valued our families but, this year, I want to make it a focus in everything we do. Our board, administration and school leaders are united in doubling efforts to give families a sense of belonging and purpose within our schools.

The timing is perfect as we have recorded an influx of new families. Although the final numbers are not yet in, we are showing a nearly 10 percent increase in new students districtwide. That includes an increase in multilingual families who, through their active engagement, will help to strengthen cultural relevance and elevate learning inside and outside the classroom.

Family engagement is a partnership between parents/caregivers and the school team and it takes on many forms. We invite families to consider joining the One U. City parent organization (serving K-8th grade families) or the University City High School PTO. Please inquire at school and you will be connected to these hardworking groups of parents.

Families can also stay connected when attending events, field trips, reviewing homework, meeting with teachers, talking about school and learning at home and, very importantly, encouraging regular school attendance. Students cannot take advantage of all the opportunities we and our partners provide if they are not in their seats every day.

For our part, we pledge to communicate regularly, schedule events respectfully and share timely updates on student progress throughout the year. My Superintendent's Message has been redesigned to provide more information on the topics that are important to you and your family. As always, I remain open to your ideas, suggestions and I invite your feedback. All of our voices together create the most powerful messages and – we have a lot to say and great news to share!

It’s a great time to be a student – and for that matter, a Superintendent – in The School District of University City! I thank you in advance for your partnership and support. Working together, we will all have a lot to look forward to in the months to come.

If you ever have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me directly at shardin@ucityschools.org or by cell phone at 314-399-0941.

Welcome to our FAMILY!

In Service of Our Children,

Sharonica L. Hardin-Bartley, PhD, PHR

Superintendent

• September 10: Elementary Curriculum Night & Open House | 5:30-7:00 pm
• September 11: One UCity Community Connect Meeting at Brittany Woods | 5:45-8:00 pm
• September 12: Brittany Woods Fall Title 1 Meeting (Curriculum Night) | 5:00-6:00 pm
• September 13: No School - PD Day | Full Day
• September 18: UCHS/LLC Curriculum Night & Open House | 5:00-7:00 pm
• September 19: Board Regular Meeting | 7:00 pm
• September 25-26: Parent-Teacher Conferences | Evening
• September 27: No Classes - Teacher Comp Day

To view SDUC's District Website Calendar, please visit ucityschools.org/calendar.

In the first edition of SDUC's School Spotlight, we'd like to highlight Pershing Elementary School!

During the 2023-2024 school year, Pershing Elementary was awarded the “Rookie of the Year” Spotlight Award in the Green Schools Quest, due to their air-quality friendly achievements and sustainability initiatives. These achievements were made possible by Pershing's after school program, led by School Lead and Sustainability Facilitator Lora Davenport, Principal Deitra Colquitt, and Green Mentor Anne Cummings.

Students in this program had the opportunity to look around Pershing and find an environmental aspect they wanted to improve on, and with their peers and teachers, they worked together to find a solution. One of these initiatives included Pershing's kindergarten students, who took on the project of removing styrofoam trays from the cafeteria, since the styrofoam manufacturing process releases large amounts of pollutants into the atmosphere.

As Principal Colquitt stated, "This goes to show everything is not always packaged in a nice neat bow. Let's continue to be messy and give our students experiences beyond what others expect!"

Congratulations, Pershing! Click here to read the full article!

The School District of University City is presently working to establish a cell phone use practice or policy that would address the use of cell phones in class. As we survey teachers, students and parents, we believe that we can find common ground that balances the convenience of staying connected with the importance of being able to limit classroom disruptions. The intent is to reinforce practical solutions and potentially create new guidelines regarding cell phone use.

After speaking with members of our parent organization, One U. City (serving K - 8 families), we decided to launch a series of surveys to get input from our students, staff and families. We have early feedback from respondents, but we will continue to add more voices to the discussion. Particularly, we want to hear from adults who remember the world before we became tethered to our cell phones and the near constant connections to whoever or whatever is on the other end of the line. Here is what we are hoping to do:

• REVIEW current cell phone protocols and reinforce as needed.

• REINFORCE use of lockers at the middle and high school levels.

• EXPLORE “cell free or cell-use zones,” specific areas or times in the school day when students would have access (and not have access) to their phones.

• PROVIDE training and guidance to staff as needed (allowing teacher discretion on accessing phones for class work).

Let us know your thoughts by completing one of the surveys below.

Yesterday, our new website went live! We are excited to unveil a modern website that is more user-friendly and offers a more engaging experience! There are more and larger format photos and videos, an optimized search engine, and translation services. Most of the content can be navigated in one click, with the most frequently accessed information upfront. A robust search engine will guide you through our high school, middle school, four elementary schools and early childhood education center. MARTI, our AI, will generate answers on topics districtwide and will be a big help to you and your school community. Finally, you will find our social media now displays on the website for easy updates, likes and shares!

Visit ucityschools.org to see everything our updated website has to offer!

For any questions regarding the website, please contact website@ucityschools.org.

Our UCHS students had a FABULOUS time at The Fabulous Fox Theatre!

Last week, a group of UCHS music, theater, and social studies classes took a field trip to The Fox Theatre to see Hamilton, where they studied the performance from a musical, theatrical, and historical lens. After the show, the students visited the Angad Arts Hotel where they ran into none other than Jimmie "JJ" Jeter and Marja Harmon --- the actors who they had just seen star as Aaron Burr and Angelica Schuyler! Obviously, our students were ecstatic, and they even got to take a group photo!

Newsflash! The School District of University City was featured on KSDK’s Back to School Special!

Many of our UCHS students, staff, and administration were up bright and early Friday, August 23 to showcase their #UCityPride and celebrate the first week of school. With performances and lots of school spirit from our drumline, Golden Girls, cheer team, and football team, our students definitely demonstrated what SDUC is all about!

To watch clips from KSDK's segment, please visit www.ucityschools.org/KSDKPropU and www.ucityschools.org/KSDKNewPrograms

The CDC dropped isolation recommendations as of March 2024 and aligned COVID-19 with any other respiratory virus. COVID-19 is now considered as any other cold or flu, even if you test positive. Based on the Department of Health guidelines, as long as you are fever free for at least 24 hours (without the aid of a fever reducer) and feeling better, you can return to school or work.

We encourage parents to keep students with cold, flu and COVID-19 symptoms at home until the symptoms subside. In such cases, a mask is recommended (optional) upon return.

For more information, please contact your school nurse.

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

Contact: cco@ucityschools.org