Dear Graden Families,

As we find ourselves in the final month of 2024, it's a perfect time to reflect on the incredible journey we've had together this semester.

Our first quarter celebration assembly was a testament to the hard work and dedication exhibited by our students, staff, and teachers each day. The halls of Graden resonate with the buzz of enthusiasm for learning, and it's heartening to witness the collective effort that goes into making our school a truly remarkable place.

As we approach the winter break, I extend my sincere gratitude for your unwavering support. Your involvement in our school community is invaluable, and it contributes significantly to the positive atmosphere at Graden.

I would like to invite you to join us for our winter parties on Friday, December 20th, during grade level special times. This event will look similar to our fall parties.

4th Grade: 10:05 - 10:55

3rd Grade: 10:55 - 11:45

5th Grade: 11:45 - 12:35

1st Grade: 1:15 - 2;05

Kindergarten: 2:05 - 2:55

2nd Grade: 2:55 - 3:45

Graden Winter Party Pre-Registration Link

Upcoming Dates:

• Monday, December 9th: 6:00 pm - PTA Meeting - Library
• Thursday, December 12th: 4:45 pm - Mathletics - Gym
• Thursday, December 19th: Q2 Celebration Assembly
• Friday, December 20th: Winter Parties

Thank you once again for being an essential part of the Graden family. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful winter break filled with warmth and cherished moments.

It's a GREAT DAY to be a HORNET!!!

Dr. Easley

Principal, Graden Elementary - Home of the Hornets

Graden's winter parties will be on Friday, December 20th during each grade level specials time.

We are excited to welcome 2 adult visitors per student and would like to make the check-in process as smooth as possible.

Fall Party Schedule:

4th Grade: 10:05 am - 10:55 am

3rd Grade: 10:55 am -11:45 am

5th Grade: 11:45 am - 12:35 pm

1st Grade: 1:15 pm - 2:05 pm

Kindergarten: 205 pm - 2:55 pm

2nd Grade: 2:55 pm -3:45 pm

If you would like to provide items for our parties, please access the links below to sign-up.

All visitors MUST be checked in using our Raptor visitor system with photo ID prior to entering the building.

If you plan to attend the fall parties, please complete the pre-registration form below to notify Graden that you will attend. If you are already in our system, you will have a visitor sticker upon your arrival on Friday, December 20th.

*** If you are NOT in our Raptor system, you will be notified by the Graden office to come to Graden and pre-register with your photo ID prior to the 20th. If you are not able to pre-register, you will need to complete this process at the front office before joining class parties. Pre-registering is highly encouraged.

* If you have multiple students, please fill this out for your oldest student ONLY.

Hornet Pride Days will replace early release days for the 2024-25 school year. Once a month we will celebrate our Hornet Pride with a full day of team building, class building, student celebrations, assemblies, and interest groups.

Our next Hornet Pride Day is November 22nd. Don't forget to wear your grade level Hornet Pride Shirt.

Hornet Pride Days:

Dec. 19 (Q2 Celebration)

Jan. 31 (Interest Group)

Feb. 28 (Interest Group)

March 19 (Q3 Celebration)

April 25 (Interest Group)

May 23 (Q4 Celebration)

Students may bring birthday treats into class to celebrate their birthday as long as they come from our list of treats that contain none of the major allergens.

Thank you for understanding that all classroom treats must come from this list, because we do not have the staff capacity to check for allergens that could threaten the health of some students.

Each classroom celebrates birthdays at a time that is conducive to their schedule. We do not allow parents or families to join classrooms for birthday celebrations as these are opportunities for students to celebrate with the teacher and classmates.

Approved Birthday Treats:

Please bring birthday treats ahead of time (two hours after the start of school, at the latest).

• Stickers
• Erasers
• Pencils
• Crazy straws
• Blow Pops
• Juice boxes
• Popcorn
• Smarties
• Dum Dum lollipops
• Jelly Belly
• Nerds
• Ring Pops
• Skittles
• Sour Patch Kids
• Starburst
• Swedish Fish
• Life Saver Gummies

We are looking forward to having parent volunteers support our classrooms this year. If you would like to volunteer in your child's classroom or on field trips, you will need to complete the volunteer screening process below.

Volunteer Screening Information:

• Any volunteer who will be alone with students must have a full screening, which includes a criminal background check, a check of the child abuse and neglect registry, and a check of the sexual offender registry. Volunteers must complete the paperwork (attached below) and return to the Park Hill Communications department or to the Graden office.

• Any volunteer that plans to attend a field trip with students must have a full screening completed which includes the above information.
• If you completed a background check with Park Hill before March 2020, you must do it again, because the earlier screening process did not include the criminal background check.
• If you have completed the full screening, you will NOT need to do it again.
• All volunteers must read and agree to the rules in our policy and procedure, and each volunteer will sign in and reaffirm the rules each time they arrive at a school to volunteer.
• The district will receive updates if a volunteer’s screening status changes. Someone’s volunteer status can change at any time.

• The district must pay a fee of $42.75 for each background check, as required by the state. If you would like to donate to help defray this expense, please enclose a check made out to the Park Hill School District for this amount with your screening form. This donation is not required.

The screening process can take up to two weeks or longer, depending on the time of year. Please be aware of this when submitting your application in anticipation of volunteering for specific events.

Lunch visitors are welcome each day at Graden. If you would like to join your Hornet for lunch, please bring your license upon check-in at the Graden office. If you plan to purchase a school lunch, please have funds in your student's account or bring payment with you.

Just a reminder, due to student allergies, you may only bring food items for your own child.

Visitors may also join recess after lunch. Please head immediately to the Graden office after recess to check-out.

Graden Lunch Schedule:

Kindergarten: 11:00 am -11:20 am

1st Grade: 11:20 am - 11:40 am

2nd Grade: 11:40 am - 12:00 pm

3rd Grade: 12:20 pm - 12:40 pm

4th Grade: 12:00 pm - 12:20 pm

5th Grade: 12:45 pm - 1:05 pm

Happy December Hornets!

This month, our PTA meeting is on December 9th from 6:00-7:00pm in the library! Child care is provided! We would love to see you there! We will be sending out emails to members soon about opportunities to serve on PTA next year since redistricting is impacting many of our hornets. We will have information about both Graden PTA and Union Chapel PTA.

One way to give back to our school is to use the Box Tops app. You can scan paper receipts or upload digital receipts. It is very easy to use. The money goes directly to Graden!

Our fundraising night this month is at Chipotle on Wednesday, December 5th! This is at the 64th street location! We hope to see you there!!

Upcoming Dates:

Chipotle Fundraising Night 12/05

PTA Meeting 12/09

Special Gift of Time 12/19

PTA Board Members:

President: Brittany Conklin

Vice President: Angie Liberty

Treasurer: Marissa Sundeen

Parliamentarian: Betsy Verhoeff

Secretary: Marissa Sundeen

Teacher Representative: Maggie Wright

Brittany Conklin

Mom of K and 2nd Hornets

Conklinb@parkhill.k12.mo.us

School Office (816) 359-4340

School Fax (816) 359-4349

Attendance Line (816) 359-4341

First Student Bus Company (816) 359-4560

Adventure Club (816) 359-5015

Email: easleyv@parkhill.k12.mo.us
Website: https://graden.parkhill.k12.mo.us/
Location: 8804 NW Highway 45, Parkville, MO 64152
Phone: (816) 359-4340