Henry Happenings
August 27, 2023
Principal Message
It was so great to see kids back in the building last week! We had a wonderful first week of school learning about each other, our school routines, and our new Core Values. Based on feedback in the spring from parents, students, and teachers our Henry Core Values are: Kind, Responsible, Persevere, and Inclusive. We will continue to send more information home about our Core Values in the coming weeks.
Just a reminder, to allow us to build routines and procedures with the students we ask for no lunch visitors until after Labor Day. After that time, we welcome parents at lunch once checking into the office with your identification. Any lunch visitor need to be listed as the student's emergency contacts in Infinite Campus.
Please click here to see the Parkway Back to School guide. This link provides many back to school updates.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jodi Oliver
Upcoming Dates
August 31 - PTO New to Henry Family Welcome Breakfast @ 8 AM
September 4 - No School - Labor Day
September 5 - PTO Meeting @ 7:00 PM
September 7 - Curriculum Night (Grade 1 and 2 @ 5:00 PM) (Grade 3-5 @ 6:30 PM)
September 13 - Early Release @ 2:05 PM
September 14 - PTO Room Parent Meeting (Library) @ 7 PM
September 22 - Family Outdoor Movie Night @ 7:45 PM
Smart Watch and Cell Phone Reminder During School Hours
A Note from Nurse Munch
The school year is off to a great start. To help keep everyone healthy and minimize the spread of illness, here is a review of when children should stay home:
- For a fever of equal or greater than 100.4. If a child has a fever they must stay home until they have been fever free for 24 hours without taking medication to reduce their fever
- Vomiting. If a child vomits, they should stay home for 24 hours after the last episode
- Diarrhea. If a student has more than one episode of diarrhea, they need to stay home until symptoms have resolved for 24 hours.
- Persistent headache, coughs or significant nasal congestion. Even if your child doesn't have a fever, if they are feeling unwell, it is hard for them to learn and they can spread germs to others.
We do not carry over the counter medication at school. If you would like for your children to have medication available for allergies, headaches, etc, the medication must be provided from home. Parkway Policy requires all medication to be in the original pharmacy container and must be accompanied by a Medication Authorization Form signed by both the parent and pediatrician, which is linked below. Please remember, for safety reasons, it is strongly preferred that medication be dropped off by a parent or guardian. Per Parkway Policy, elementary aged children are not allowed to self carry medication and nursing staff are not allowed to send medications home with students.
Medication Administration Form
Finally, our clothing closet is in need of a restock, especially girls bottoms in sizes 10-18 and boys bottoms in sizes 14-18 and medium and large boys underwear. Stretchy clothes are especially appreciated as they are easier to fit and tend to be preferred by most children. Thank you for your help with this!
Strings Information
Mrs. Branch will be working with 4th and 5th grade students (Byrd and Call students) on the following days.
4th Grade
- Ayers - M and W
- Simon - M and F
- Kaliyaperumal - W and F
- Zinselmeier - M and F
5th Grade
- Byrd - M and W
- Call - W and F
Mrs. Henderson will be working with 5th grade students (Lois and Valleroy) on the following days.
5th Grade
- Lois - M and W
- Valleroy - W and F
An email detailing the sign up process and more was sent Friday afternoon to all 4th and 5th grade parents. If you did not receive the email, please contact abranch1@parkwayschools.net or khenderson1@parkwayschools.net.
Update Your Family Profile
Update your family profile here.
Access the School Calendar
The Henry School Calendar has been updated for the 2023-2024 school year with school-wide events and information (as much as can be planned at this time).
Please click here to access a printable district calendar that includes days off school and early release days.
You can access the school calendar by visiting our website (click here).
You may wish to load the calendar into your personal electronic calendar. Please use this web address to access the calendar from other applications: https://www.parkwayschools.net/site/handlers/icalfeed.ashx?MIID=15. You can copy and paste this into any calendar product that supports the iCal format (i.e. Google Calendar, iOS devices, Android devices, and Microsoft Outlook). Detailed instructions are available by clicking here.
Bus Information
Bus Stop Information: Bus information is available on the Parkway mobile App. Download the app and log in to access the bus stop location, pick and drop-off times.
Students in the VICC program and anyone receiving specialized transportation will receive a postcard in the mail with their bus stop information.
Call the transportation office at 314-415-8415 for questions or additional information.
Kindergarten Bus Safety Video: This message is designed for kindergarteners, but the tips are important for all bus riders. Please click here to view the bus safety video with your child.
Reminder for Parents of Kindergarten Students: Kindergarten students (unless riding with an older sibling) must be met at the bus stop by an adult. If an adult is not at the bus stop when the bus arrives to drop off your child, your child will be brought back to the school office.
Bus Procedures and Safety: Please review these bus rules with your child.
1. Be at the bus stop early.
2. Respect the bus driver and listen to instructions.
3. Take your seat right away after boarding the bus.
4. Stay seated at all times.
5. Always get on and off the bus at your bus stop.
6. Leave the bus carefully using the handrail.
7. Keep your head, arms, legs and hands inside the bus.
8. Look both ways before crossing the road.
9. Wait for the bus in a safe place away from the road.
10. Keep away from the bus if you drop or forget something.
11. No eating or drinking on the school bus.
12. Do not ride the bus if you feel ill/sick /have a fever.
13. Specific seats may be assigned by the bus driver.
Driving to Henry
In collaboration with the Ballwin Police Department, to keep our car drop-off & pick-up lane safe and the traffic moving on Henry Ave, please follow the route through the neighborhood as outlined below. Please help us keep the non-school traffic moving on Henry Avenue by following this right turn only plan and NOT making a left turn from Henry Ave into the school lot. Please only enter the Henry lot AFTER you have been on Guenevere.
DROP-OFF LOOP
From BOTH DIRECTIONS on Henry Ave:
Turn onto Clayworth Dr.
Left on Ruthwood Dr.
Left on Guenevere Dr.
Right on Henry Ave.
Right into Henry Elem
Proceed to the Rear of the School
Right Turns Only for Entering the School Drive! Please enter the school drive only from Northbound Henry Ave (going toward Clayton Rd) AFTER you have LOOPED THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD and are exiting the neighborhood from Guenevere. THE LINE BEGINS ON GUENEVERE.
DO NOT TURN DIRECTLY ONTO GUENEVERE
If you turn directly on Guenevere, you will have to make a U-Turn to enter the line. This causes a major safety issue for those children walking to school. It also upsets our neighbors when cars turn around in their driveways. Please help us be safe and good neighbors by entering Guenevere only by using the route through the neighborhood. When waiting in line, please be considerate of neighbors needing to enter or exit their driveways.
FROM GLENMEADOW DR OR SPRING MEADOWS DR
If you are coming from Glenmeadow Dr or Spring Meadows Dr, please turn Right onto Henry Avenue and loop back to make a right turn into the Henry drive.
SAFETY REMINDERS
For safety, please do not use cell phones in the pick-up line where students are loading. Students should always load on the passenger side of the vehicle in order to avoid walking between cars.
PICK-UP AND DROP-OFF LANE
Please refer to the map below for the loading/unloading zones, waiting zones, and exit path.
Procedures for Car Riders/Pick Up
Please refer to the maps above!
See the map through the neighborhood and follow this route before attempting to turn into the Henry lot so we avoid traffic back-ups on Henry Ave.
You will circle around the shed and then go into the upper playground blacktop and circle around the perimeter of the blacktop.
Always pull forward as much as possible. Please drive all the way to the stop sign past Door 4 to ensure the maximum number of cars can load and unload at one time. This helps us keep the line moving efficiently!
Drop-Off:
The back drop-off doors will be open from 8:50 - 9:05 a.m. Once the doors close, you will need to bring your child to the front of the building, park, and walk them to the door. Please do NOT drop off your child if the doors are closed because the doors lock and they will not be able to get in.
Students do not need to wait for a staff member to open the car door. Once the cars have stopped moving, students may exit through the passenger side of the vehicle. Adults will assist younger students as quickly as possible, but to keep the line moving, please practice with your child unbuckling and opening the car door independently.
Pick-Up:
Please have a car sign hanging from your rearview mirror.
All families will receive a rearview mirror tag at Meet the Teacher or it will be sent home with your child on the first day of school.
If you do not yet have a sign, please be prepared to show photo identification and ensure that anyone picking up your child is listed as a guardian or emergency contact in your child’s Infinite Campus profile. This is our safety procedure all year long and everyone having a sign helps the line move faster.
Safety Reminders:
Students can ONLY unload/load from the passenger side IN the specified ZONE.
Drivers side doors should ALWAYS stay closed.
Do Not pull up in front of the building to drop off your child during arrival/dismissal. This is an important safety procedure due to the unloading of the buses in the front area. Please remember that due to the size of the buses, the drivers have limited visibility. Never walk between buses because they can roll back which can cause a serious accident.
For safety and so that full attention is given as students walk to their cars, we ask that cell phones are NOT used in the pick-up line.
Dismissal and Parent Pick Up
**All families will get new hangtags available at Meet the Teacher Night. Family numbers will be emailed out before the first day of school.
HANGTAGS AND FAMILY NUMBERS
Each family will have a hangtag with its family number. The hangtag and/or family number allow the Henry staff to quickly confirm that an authorized individual is picking up each child.
For car pick-up, please display your hangtag by hanging it from the rearview mirror.
For walkers and bikers, please hold your hangtag and show it to the Henry staff member at the dismissal door.
If the person picking up the child does not have a hangtag or does not know the family number, photo identification will be required. Not having your hangtag will slow down the dismissal process. If you need a new hangtag or need your family number changed, please contact the school office and a new tag will be made for you. Please know that the hangtags are only used during regular dismissal. When children are signed out early, the adult must present photo identification.
Walking and Biking to School
The safety of children walking to school is very important. Please show your child the route you wish him/her to take before school starts. Also, please review with your child the necessity of using the designated crosswalks near the school and also to follow the instructions of our crossing guard. Children should always be aware of any strangers who approach them and should let a responsible adult know immediately if anything unusual occurs. They should also remember not to approach anyone in a car who may stop to ask them questions.
The school crosswalks are supervised from 8:50 a.m. to 9:05. Students should leave home at a time when they will reach the crosswalks when they are supervised.
Students riding bicycles to school should park their bikes at one of the two bike stands in front of the building and secure their bikes using a lock. Per St. Louis County ordinance, bicycle riders under the age of 16 are required to wear a helmet.
PARENT-LED WALKERS & BIKERS
Parents are asked to wait outside the building when waiting for those students who are walking. When walker dismissal begins, please walk down to the main entrance and show your hangtag with your family number to the school staff.
INDEPENDENT WALKERS & BIKERS
If your child will be walking or biking home without an adult (or siblings middle school-age or older), please email permission for your child to be released independently. Please send emails to your child’s teacher and to Carolyn Schenck in the main office via cschenck@parkwayschools.net.
Transportation Changes
If at any time during the school year, your child will be going home a different way than normal (e.g., parent picking up instead of the bus, walking instead of car pick-up, going home with a friend, etc.), please send a note to your child’s teacher.
Children being picked up by someone other than their parents are to also bring a note and get a pickup pass. Notes from the parents of both children will be needed if a child is going to another student’s home.
If you are calling in with a last-minute change of transportation, you need to call the main office by 2:30 p.m.
Free/Reduced Lunch
If you would like to apply for the free and reduced lunch program it is available for online submission at this link. Please contact the Henry office if you would like to request a paper copy. If you think you may qualify, please fill the forms out completely and return/submit them promptly. Students are charged the full price of their meals until the application is submitted and then, if approved.
Visitor and Volunteer Information
A Parkway volunteer is an individual who has an opportunity to be alone with a student.
A Parkway visitor is an individual in a school for a limited period of time who does not have the opportunity to be alone with a student.
Parkway Volunteers must go through the background check process outlined below.
Parkway Visitors do not need to go through the background check process.
Per Missouri Statute 168.133, those who wish to volunteer must complete a fingerprint
background check through the Missouri State Highway Patrol and FBI. The cost for the
background check is $41.75 and is the responsibility of the volunteer. Please reach out if you
need assistance. The background check will remain current as long as a volunteer stays active.
If a year passes, the volunteer will need to complete and pay for another background check.
Volunteers may complete the App Garden/TransAct (Parkway volunteer tracking software) now. Use this link to start App Garden/TransAct Application. It can take volunteers anywhere from 4-6 weeks to be approved so please do not delay if you plan to assist in the coming months.
PTO Updates
PTO Upcoming Restaurant Nights
Please join us for our first restaurant night at Ballwin Sno-Cone (151 Ries Rd, Ballwin, MO 63021) on Tuesday, 8/29, from 5-9pm. Ballwin Sno-Cone donates back 10% of sales to the Henry PTO. They have sno-cones, food, drink - come for dinner or just for dessert. Grab your friends and let's kick off another awesome year!
Mark your calendars for our next restaurant night at Papa John’s (21 Stonegate Shopping Center; Valley Park, MO 63088) on Wednesday, September 6th, from 4-8pm. Papa John’s will donate 10% of sales back to the Henry PTO.
PTO Reminder: Volunteer for Fall & Spring Classroom Parties
Our Fall and Spring parties at Henry would not be possible without volunteer help! Please consider helping by signing up as a room parent to plan and lead the parties or as a party volunteer to help out at the party. We need two room parents per class and additional party volunteers. More information is included in the links below:
Questions? Email Kim Torrence at kimachappell@yahoo.com.
PTO New Family Breakfast
Are you new to the Henry community? The PTO is hosting a New Family Welcome Breakfast on this Thursday, August 31st, at 8am. We want to welcome all new families to the Henry Elementary family and give them a chance to ask any questions or meet some friendly faces to help make their transition smooth for kids and parents! If you are a new family at the school please RSVP to Bethany Papacostas (BethanyPapacostas@gmail.com).
Parent Volunteer Opportunities
We would love for everyone to look at the volunteer opportunities at Henry!
There are opportunities to support just 1 event or ongoing projects!
Can you help from home or during the school day?
Are you interested in supporting the school on the weekend or during the school day?
The activities include - 5th grade activities, Book Fair, Community Service, Dad's club, Field Day, Fine Dining Day, Hospitality, Multicultural Night, Reader In Me, Restaurant Nights, School Beautification, STEAM Night, Teacher Appreciation, Trunk or Treat, Trivia Night, Acquiring Auction Items, Yearbook, Library support, Nurse support, and AS NEEDED ITEMS!
Please look at this link to sign up = https://forms.gle/kYiXZ9gbB29GLk659
We also have separate links if you are interested in supporting class parties.
Co-room parent party sign-up (These people plan both parties in grade level groups):
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A094BA4AB29A6FC1-coroom1
FALL Party volunteer sign-up (These people show up the day of the party and help):
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A094BA4AB29A6FC1-fall3
SPRING Party volunteer sign-up (These people show up the day of the party and help):
Henry Elementary School
Email: joliver2@parkwayschools.net
Website: https://www.parkwayschools.net/Domain/15
Location: 700 Henry Avenue, Ballwin, MO, USA
Phone: 314-415-6350
Facebook: facebook.com/henryelementaryschool
Twitter: @BulldogsHenry