York Elementary School Information

Dear York Family,

Our staff is excited to welcome you back to the 2022 - 2023 school year! The following information outlines our procedures and expectations at York Elementary. This resource will be used throughout the year so please do not throw it away. At this time we are still located at our temporary location at 1813 S. Scenic. Our main office is currently open, and you may reach us at 417-523-3000. The first day of school is Monday, August 22, 2022.

Sincerely,

Shondra Fetter

York Principal

Due to the building size of our temporary location we will have two nights scheduled. Teachers will only be present on the night that they are scheduled below. The purpose of this evening is for you and your child to visit their classroom, meet their teacher, drop off supplies and for teachers to give out information. During this time, the teacher will not be able to address individual student concerns due to privacy. If you have any concerns about your child, please email or call your child’s teacher prior to the first day of school. You may also pick up your child’s car tag, fill out free and reduced meal forms and join our PTA for only $5.00 at our Meet the Teacher Night!

Class List: On Friday (8/5/2022) we will be mailing out important Back to School Information along with the name of your child's teacher.

Many of your child’s school supplies will be donated again this year. Your child may bring their supplies during Meet the Teacher, or on the first day of school.

School Hours

8:10 AM - 3:10 PM

Important Notes

To ensure the safety of our students, please be patient with our arrival and dismissal procedures. In the first few weeks of school this process can take longer as the students and staff adjust to the new routines. Adults must remain in their vehicles. Students will need to enter and exit out of their car on the passenger side

Arrival

Doors open at 7:40 am with students waiting in the gym. Students should not be dropped off earlier than 7:40 am because there is no supervision. Students must be dropped off through the carline. Adults must remain in their vehicles. Students will need to exit out of their car on the passenger side. At 7:55, students are dismissed from the gym to walk to class for breakfast. School begins promptly at 8:10 am. If a student arrives after 8:10 they are considered tardy and an adult must check them in at the office.

Dismissal

School dismisses at 3:10 pm. Buses are required to dismiss first. Students must be picked up through the carline. Adults must remain in their vehicles. Students will need to enter their car on the passenger side. Any student who is picked up late must be signed out by a guardian in the main office.

Car Tags

If your child will be a car rider, you will need to pick up a car tag at Meet the Teacher or at the York office prior to the first day of school. Car tags must be displayed in the window every afternoon in the carline.

Car Drop-Off and Pick-Up Directions

Cars will enter the parking lot from west Washita Street in front of the building. It is best if you are coming south on Scenic, at the intersection, turn right onto Sunshine. Go one block west and turn left onto Glenn Street. Then, turn left on west Washita Street so that traffic is not blocked on Scenic.

When entering the parking lot, use driveway #1 to enter (the sign says ENTER). There will be only one drop off lane. The lane will follow a U-shape marked by cones. There will be staff members in the parking lot before and after school to help direct traffic and keep our students safe.

Cars will stop in the parking lot marked by cones. Staff will escort children to the cars during drop-off and pick-up. Cars will follow cones to exit the parking lot at the exit driveway which is #2 using a right turn only onto Washita.

Bus Lanes

The bus lanes are designed to drop-off and pick-up along the sidewalks in front of the school. This area is for buses only. Please do not park in the bus loading and unloading.

Change of Dismissal Plans

If your child has a change in dismissal, call the office at 414-523-3000 by 2:30 so that we can have time to notify your child’s teacher. Parents/Guardians should not notify the teacher as they have limited access to emails, messages and phone calls during school hours. For the safety of your child, all changes must go through the office.

Boys and Girls Club (417-869-4111)

SPS will continue to offer after-school support through SHINE with the Boys and Girls Club. Any student can attend SHINE and students who qualify for free/reduced meals can receive scholarships through the SHINE Fund that allow them to access academic support free of charge for after school care. Registration is open and details are available at www.sps.org/shine. After school care is from 3:10 - 7:00 pm for children 5+ years of age. Students will be dismissed to the designated area to board the Boys and Girls Club bus.

Salvation Army (417-862-5509)

The Salvation Army will be providing bus transportation to their location for after school care. Please contact the Salvation Army for further details.

It is the mission of York and SPS to have students reach 95-100% attendance by the end of the year. Students who have 95% attendance each month will be able to participate in monthly celebrations throughout the school year.

Absences

For every absence, a guardian must call the school and let the administrative assistant know the student’s name, reason, and the teacher’s name by 8:10 am. If there is no contact, an attendance officer will be sent to check on the safety of the student. The safety of all of our students is of utmost importance. Absences are considered excessive when a student misses 2 or more days each month. It is our desire to have students at school as much as possible to ensure their academic success.

Tardies

Students who arrive after 8:10 am must be accompanied by a parent and signed in at the front office. Tardies are counted against the student’s attendance percentage.

Leaving Early

If a student has to be checked out early, a guardian must sign them out. Please make every effort to schedule appointments or other activities after 3:10 pm. Leaving early is counted against the student’s attendance percentage.

It is the mission of York to have all students exhibit PRIDE behavior. At York, we have school-wide behavior expectations. One student from each class will be nominated as the PRIDE Student of the Month and will be celebrated at our monthly PRIDE assemblies. Teachers will handle behaviors proactively, but if a student’s behavior interrupts the learning environment or is unsafe they will communicate this to parents.

It is our commitment to ensure every student feels safe at school and is able to learn in a calm and orderly classroom environment. The staff will positively and proactively work with students with varying needs to ensure students are able to identify their feelings, correct their behavior, and make a plan to be successful. It is vital that the school and our families work together to make sure our students are growing academically, socially, and emotionally during their time here at York. If at any time you have questions or concerns, please call your student’s teacher as your partnership is the key to your student's success.

Student birthdays that occur during the school year are recognized by staff and students during the morning announcements. If you wish to bring an item for the class to share in honor of your student, please send in items such as pencils or stickers. The school district Wellness Policy states that student birthdays will be non-food celebrations, so please do not bring in food for the class.

Please ensure the school has your most updated contact details to receive important information. This includes phone numbers, mailing address, and email address. You can call the school to update this information at 417-523-3000 or email bbaier@spsmail.org.

Teacher to Family Communication

The teachers at York will provide information in a weekly newsletter. Please take the time to read their newsletters to ensure that your family remains informed of what is happening in their classroom.

School to Family Communication

The staff at York will also be communicating on a regular basis with families. The majority of our communication will be posted on our Facebook page and through text messages using the Black Board platform. Please make sure your phone number is up to date to receive text messages. There will be a monthly newsletter that goes out to families that provides information at the building-wide level. Please take the time to read their newsletters to ensure that your family remains informed of what is happening here at York Elementary. Join York’s Facebook Page by searching York Elementary Page on Facebook, or by visiting https://www.facebook.com/spsyorkeagles

Electronics including handheld games, cell phones, and tablets should not be visible during the school day. School personnel are not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen items.

All families must fill out the Free and Reduced Meal Application this year to qualify. You may fill out the application at Meet the Teacher, or save time and do it now online at https://www.sps.org/Page/2400

York will have a drawing for those that fill out the application to win a $100.00 gas gift card!

Throughout the school year it is important that you keep Nurse Kim informed of any medical and/or medication changes concerning your child. A parent or guardian must bring any medication to school that needs to be administered during school hours. For the safety of your student, please do not send medication with them in their backpack. The nurse will assist you with a required form. If you need to contact Nurse Kim her email is kmhansen@spsmail.org.

Our PTA has some amazing events planned for this year that we know your family will love! Please purchase a PTA membership this year for $5.00 which helps make their events possible for our students. Join the PTA’s Facebook Page by searching SPS York Elementary PTA on Facebook.

Please mark your student's name on backpacks, lunchboxes and coats. Leave toys, fidget spinners, etc… at home. These items may be held by the teacher if they are causing a disruption. There is important teaching and learning taking place during the school day, and it is important to avoid distractions for your student and others in the classroom.

Kindergarten students will be issued an iPad and 1st-5th grade students will be issued a Chromebook. Their device must stay at school so it is charged and ready to use for school work. Devices will not go home with students.

Email: smfetter@spsmail.org
Website: https://www.sps.org/york
Location: 1813 S Scenic Ave, Springfield, MO 65807, USA
Phone: 417-523-3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spsyorkeagles
Twitter: @York_SPS