Cougar Update
October Edition 2
Please read the message from Dr. Smith, Principal.
Congress Cougars,
As we approach the end of the first quarter of our school year, we want to express our gratitude for your support. We are thrilled to report that we have had a fantastic start to the year. Please read the entire newsletter, as we have important message that we want to share.
Unfortunately, some of our students have lost bus services, which means that most of them now have to walk to and from school. We kindly ask for your help in ensuring the safety of our students by being mindful of this fact and driving safely. We are grateful to those families who have contacted city council members to add crosswalks and crossing guards, which will significantly help our students get to and from school safely. As the mornings get darker, we urge you to slow down and be careful when transporting students.
We are working hard to move the car rider line in a timely manner. You can drop off your students a little before 7:00 AM, and they can wait in line until we open the doors at 7:00 AM. To help us move the line faster, we have closed the front doors and Door 18 so those transporting students can pull up to Door 17, thus reducing the backup and improving our time. Before approaching the drop-off area, please ensure students have gathered all their belongings and are ready to get out of the vehicle to prevent holding up the line. Remember, your administrators are standing in the cold as the cold weather begins to move in. Believe it or not, we are most often... cold. In case the car rider line is backed up, we may reroute traffic. If this is the case, please follow the light.
We understand that the safety of your child is your top priority. We take the security of our students seriously, and we take extra measures to ensure that they are safe at all times. If there is any incident in the building that could affect the entire building, our families will be notified. We understand that concerns have been raised about major incidents occurring and parents and guardians not being notified. We want to ensure that our climate and culture remain welcoming and inclusive for all our students, staff, and families. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us before posting or sharing comments on social media that may not be accurate.
We also want to give a shout-out to our amazing PTA! Our first Congress Color Run was a resounding success! We moved the Color Run to the Baseball Field to ensure that our District Stadium was ready for the big game, and it turned out to be a perfect day. We raised over $12,000.00. Here is the last big push for Dr. Smith to take a pie in the face. While $20,000.00 was the anticipated goal, we will take a pie in the face if we can get $19,500.00! Where there is a will, there is sure to be a way!
Finally, we want to remind you to sign up for our parent conferences on October 25th and 26th. Please see the team links below to sign up. We understand that our staff will have dinner from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM on October 26th, and the building will not be accessible from 2:55 - 4:00 PM. Please respect the staff break and end your session before 2:55 PM.
We appreciate your cooperation and support in making our school a safe and welcoming place for all our students, staff, and families. Thank you for being a valued member of our community.
Sincerely,
Dr. Smith
Parent Conferences - October 25th and 26th
Congress Middle School PTA Presents - Culver's Night
Culver's Night Volunteers Needed🙏
We need your help for our upcoming Culver's night event this week! Culver's has requested that we have greeters available from 5pm to 8pm to welcome families and get them excited. All you have to do is greet people with a smile, it's that easy! There will be a tip jar available and 100% of the tips collected will go straight to Congress PTA, in addition to the funds we raise. You can even bring your kids along to help, we just need 4 people for each time slot, which could be 2 adults and 2 kids! If you're interested in lending a hand, please reach out to our Congress PTA for more information.
Thank you so much for your support!
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION and BELONGING
Park Hill School District has implemented district-wide drivers and narratives to support its Access and Inclusion initiatives. The district is dedicated to fostering purposeful learning and dialogue as it strives to build an inclusive community and school district. Are you aware of any staff members and/or students who actively promote the district's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging efforts? The district wishes to recognize one staff member and one student who are leading the way in championing DEIB work in our schools.
Nominate a staff member and/or student who exemplifies at least one of the Park Hill DEIB Drivers and Narratives in or outside of the school day.
https://forms.gle/VHsBCJuLpKcAJ9PG8
Nominations are due by end-of-day on November 14, and the district champions will be recognized at the 2024 Hall of Fame Celebration on January 22.
Library Media Center - BOOK FAIR!!!!
Please read the message from Mrs. Kahler, Assistant Principal.
District Spelling Bee
Spelling Bee for School Newsletters
Are you ready for some c-o-m-p-e-t-i-t-i-o-n? The District Spelling Bee is coming up on Saturday, Dec. 9th, at Park Hill High School. The competition is open to fifth through eighth-grade students. We hope you’ll encourage your student to participate!
Two Mock Bees will help students prepare for the big Bee! The Mock Bees are a chance for students to learn more about the competition rules and get comfortable with the format and spelling out loud.
- Oct. 9th at 6 p.m.
- Oct. 30th at 6 p.m.
Students can choose to compete in one or both of the Mock Bees! All they have to do is show up! The Mock Bees and the District Bee will take place in the Park Hill High School Auditorium.
The winner of the District Bee competition will move on to the Regional online qualifier, hosted by Mid-Continent Public Library in February. The top 35 qualifiers will move on to the Regional Spelling Bee in March. And the winner of the Regional Bee will travel to the Washington D.C. area to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May!
For more information, visit https://www.parkhill.k12.mo.us/families/spelling-bee or contact Amber Kahler, district spelling bee coordinator.
Spelling Bee Competition
MTSS Enrichment
MTSS (multi-tiered system of support) is a framework that uses data to help match academic and instructional resources to every student's needs. Students who need additional support for enrichment or remediation are identified by data and provided that aid with the proper focus and intensity. Here are a few photos showing our students during inventions or enrichments.
AVID
What is AVID?
- AVID teaches skills and behaviors for academic success.
- AVID provides intensive support with tutorials and strong student/teacher relationships.
- AVID creates a positive peer group for students.
- AVID develops a sense of hope for personal achievement gained through hard work and determination
For more information:
Contact
Ryan Campbell
AVID Elective Teacher and Coordinator
Congress Families,
We would like to extend our warmest congratulations to the Cross Country, Congress/Plaza Football and Volleyball teams for their excellent performance this season. As we move forward, we would like to remind you that basketball tryouts will be held on October 23rd. For students to be eligible for tryouts, they must have a current physical and impact test completed, as well as be academically eligible as per MSHSAA requirements.
As we approach the end of the first quarter, we urge all students to focus on their coursework and ensure all necessary forms and physicals are completed before the tryout date.
Please check our school website, Get Involved at Congress, for all updated sports-related information.
Athletics Information
Students seeking to participate in any of our sports this year must have a current physical and ImPACT test on file. All information related to our sports may be found on our school website under the Get Involved Tab. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to Assistant Principal Athletic Director Brian Van Horn (816) 359 – 4230.
Message from Sprigeo
We created Sprigeo so people would feel safer at school. When a person really needs help or there is a safety threat at school we hope you will step up and send in a report. Sending in a false report makes it harder for your school to help the people who really need it. If necessary you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. You can find out more about Sprigeo and the School District Safety Evaluation at Sprigeo.com. Thanks for using Sprigeo!
Joe Bruzzese, Founder of SprigeoIf you feel unsafe or know someone who feels unsafe, please report it here. After you fill out the form below, Sprigeo sends an email to a school administrator with all of the details from your report. You can also download one of our apps from the Apple Store or the Android Marketplace to submit a report.
- Safety threats, bullying, harassment or intimidation at school
- Safety threats, bullying, harassment or intimidation outside of school
- Cyberbullying; Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
- Fights, drugs, alcohol or weapons at school
- Friends who talk about hurting themselves