Dragon News for Families

School Hours: 7:30 am - 2:00 pm

School Phone: (816) 359-4510

Principal: Tara Kalis

School Based Therapist: Matthew Fey

Administrative Assistant: Amy Rockey

Nurse: Melissa Coleman

Oct. 1: Fall Pictures

Oct. 17: End of first quarter

Oct. 18: Teacher workday (no school for students)

Oct. 23: DEIB Council Meeting - All are Welcome

Oct. 29 - Fall Family Festival (6:00p)

November 19th - Fall Picture Retakes

November 22nd - Cultural Appreciation

November 25th - November 29 - No School - Thanksgiving Break

December 20th - Jolly Jamboree - Parents Welcome

December 23rd - January 3rd - Winter Break

In Makerspace, students will be completing activities related to the book The Wild Robot. They will be making their own Roz the Robot and will be challenged to design and create a camouflage disguise for Roz. Students will also design and create a shelter that is large enough for both Roz and Brightbill and can withstand weather elements such as wind, rain, and snow.

Jones Center students and staff have been engaged in a school wide Big Read this year on The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. This novel was just made into a motion picture and for our end of the quarter celebration we are going to go as a school community to watch the film. There will be a permission slip and specific details coming home soon from your classroom teacher.

As a component of our School Wide Positive Behavior Supports, we have put together expectations we would like students to follow in order to meet eligibility requirements to attend. I am including them here for you as well. Let your child's teacher know if you have any questions at all.

In art class, we kicked off the year with a self-reflective portrait project. Students have also been exploring printmaking and textile art. As we enter the Fall season, we are going to begin painting watercolor leaf and do a few seasonal crafts.

The therapy team is excited to share that we will be implementing the Skillstreaming curriculum, into weekly groups for both elementary and secondary students. Skillstreaming is a well-researched program designed to teach essential social-emotional skills, such as problem-solving, self-control, and effective communication. These skills will help our students navigate daily social interactions, build positive relationships, and enhance their emotional well-being. By incorporating this curriculum into our weekly groups, we aim to provide students with practical tools they can apply in their classrooms, at home, and in the broader community. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this program will have on our students' development!

Living with an intellectual or developmental disability or other type of impairment can bring its stressors and challenges to the individual and those who love and help care for them. As life progresses for each of these persons, the care and concerns provided may become more difficult even for those once capable of caring for themselves. Individuals with disabilities often receive governmental assistance to maintain their quality of life. A Special Needs Trust is used to supplement, not replace, public benefits such as SSI or Medicaid. The Trustee of a Special Needs Trust spends the funds within the trust for the benefit of the beneficiary. This is where a trustee can be chosen to eliminate such a challenge. Whether a trustee is a family member or trusted professional, the roles and responsibilities need to be understood and defined so that the person receiving help is cared for.....according to the individual's needs and life plan.

Did you know.... Good hand washing is the first line of defense against the spread of many illnesses — from the common cold to more serious infections, such as meningitis, bronchiolitis, the flu, hepatitis A, and many types of diarrhea.

Germs can spread many ways, including:

• touching dirty hands
• changing dirty diapers
• through contaminated water and food
• through droplets in the air released during a cough or sneeze
• on contaminated surfaces
• through contact with a sick person's body fluids

When kids have contact with germs, they can become infected just by touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. And once they're infected, it's usually just a matter of time before the whole family comes down with the same illness.

So don't underestimate the power of hand washing! The time you spend at the sink could save you trips to the doctor's office.

Please call the School Health Office if you have any questions or concerns.

Melissa Coleman,LPN

Russell Jones Education Center - Nurse

Office: (816) 359-4514

If you need access to services to support your family, please reach out to our School Based Therapist, Matthew at (816) 359-6914 to seek more information or access the link below.

The Park Hill School District PTA runs a clothing center that provides free, gently used clothing, plus new socks and underwear to district students. Please visit our Facebook page for updated information.

The PTA Clothing Center serves all Park Hill School District students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The PTA asks you to bring proof that you are currently enrolled in the Park Hill district. This could be a student ID, dated letter from a principal or social worker, class schedule, or enrollment form. You can also show us the district portal with student information in it.

The Park Hill Clothing Closet is available to all Park Hill Families on the following dates and times during the 2024-25 school year:

• October 1st & 15th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• November 5th & 19th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• December 3rd & 17th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• January 7th & 21st 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• February 4th & 18th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• March 4th & 18th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• April 1st & 15th 10am-12pm and 5pm-7pm
• May 6th 4pm-6pm

The Jones Center uses Positive Behavior Intervention & Support (PBIS) as a systems approach to establishing the whole-school social culture and intensive individual behavior supports needed for schools to achieve social and academic gains while minimizing problem behavior for all students.

PBIS has helped us decrease behavior, improve our school climate, and overall provides us a safer school community and allows more time for meaningful instruction to occur. Students positive behaviors are reinforced through Dragon Dollars. Students get to use the Dragon Dollars they earn to purchase items from our school store. If you have questions about our PBIS implementation, I encourage you to ask your student about it, then follow up with their classroom teacher to learn more!

The Matrix below identifies the expectation for each area in our building. The expectations focus on:

• Being Safe
• Being Respectful
• Being Responsible

Park Hill School District uses Infinite Campus as our student information system. You can access your child’s essential school information and district information quickly! This includes Attendance, Grades, Schedule, Bus Information, Technology Fees and School Communications.

Infinite Campus - Parent Portal

You can also use the FirstView® bus-tracking app, provided by our transportation provider, First Student. You can download the FirstView® app on your smartphone or use the app on your computer by visiting firstviewapp.com.

Using FirstView®, you can track your child’s bus in real-time, set up alerts to notify you when their bus is at a certain location, and you can link up to three email accounts. The app is password protected, to keep your child safe.

FirstView - Getting Started

Our employees are the real deal and the reason we are so successful. We would like to recognize them for all they do for our students. Each month, the district recognizes a pre-K or elementary teacher, a secondary teacher and a support staff member. Nominate an employee for this award by clicking the button below.

Student Hours: 7:30 am - 2:00 pm

Office Hours: 7:00 am - 3:00 pm

Principal: Dr. Tara Kalis, (816) 359-6305

Social Worker: Matthew Fey, (816) 359-6914