Happy Friday PHE,
I hope everyone had an enjoyable Spring Break, and we are glad to have students back for the final stretch of the school year. These next 2 months will be very busy - performances, field trips, CMAS, Field Day, SMADP, graduations, and more!
I’d like to invite everyone to the Park Hill Culture Night on April 17 from 5:30-7pm. We would love all of our families to come and share and learn about one another's culture and traditions. More information is below.
We’re excited to share that we have filled the positions for next year’s additional 1st and 3rd grade classrooms. This will put us at five homerooms for those grade levels. Our projections so far for next year's incoming kindergarten class have us on track for our normal class sizes so we are planning on maintaining our normal four homerooms at this grade level. We’ll have more information to share about our incoming teachers in the coming weeks.
Have a nice weekend and enjoy the last remnants of winter weather!
-Ken Burdette, Principal
Park Hill Culture Night - Share Your Culture with Us! April 17th - 5:30-7:00pm
Join us for Park Hill's 1st Culture Night on Thursday, April 17th from 5:30-7:30pm
Enjoy live performances, food from Tocabe and learn about the many diverse cultures at Park Hill. We need family contributions for our potluck and family heirloom gallery. To contribute please read on here.
School Supplies for next Fall
Order Securely Online Starting Now thru July 1, 2025. Supplies are shipped to the school and students will receive school supplies on the first day of school.
1. Go to https://1stdayschoolsupplies.com/gs/19237
2. Follow the directions to complete your order. Choose the grade level your student will be next fall
3. Keep your online confirmation as your receipt.
Please note: you are welcome to purchase supplies on your own. The lists are available using the same link above. We have found the bulk supplies to be cheaper and simpler for families.
School Choice Round 2 opens April 8 at 10am
Families looking to make a change from their assigned school will be able to update their applications during Round 2 which will open on April 8, 2025 at 10am. There is no lottery in Round 2. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis within school admission priorities, so we encourage families to apply as early as possible.
The Early Education department is encouraging families that have not yet secured an ECE spot to apply to the 2nd round of DPS SchoolChoice. At that time, any openings would be filled from the SchoolChoice list by the District based on priority and when applications are submitted. We have been told Palmer Elementary will offer ECE programs next year.
Reminder: Celebratory 5th Grade Portraits: Available Now!
PHE sponsor and fellow parent, Stephanie Tucker of Marilee.co Portrait Photography stopped in to candidly photograph our 5th grade students in a new tradition that celebrates their final year at Park Hill Elementary. Print packages and downloads are available until 6/1 from Marilee.co. Use code ONEFREE at checkout for a complimentary digital download of your student (applies to single images only). 25% of sales will return to our PTSA at the end of the school year. Your classroom gallery links are below. The password for all galleries: panthers
All questions can be directed to Stephanie directly (please include your student and teacher's name)
Upcoming CMAS dates
Please try and make sure your 3rd-5th grade students are present for the upcoming CMAS testing. These tests occur April 15-17 & 22-24. If you have any absences during the testing windows, please let Ms Bixby know.
RSVP - Healthy Cell Phone Adoption Town Hall - Northfield HS
RSVP to Healthy Cell Phone Adoption Town Hall Tuesday, April 15th, 5:30-6:30. Northfield HS Cafeteria: Our school has been collaborating with several other elementary and middle schools in the area, and we are excited for a joint community town hall on the subject of healthy cell phone adoption. Whether families simply wait to get a smartphone for their child until much later in middle school or explore 'teen-safe smartphones' that only have texting and basic apps, there are real options available to families that don't want to hand our children devices that are intended to be addictive and end up taking kids away from a life grounded in real-world experiences. The event will have parents and community members from schools across Park Hill and Central Park. We expect medical experts, educators and parents to speak. RSVP here.
Healthy Cell Phone Adoption Video: We wanted to pass along a video about a project we are joining regarding healthy cell phone adoption for our students. The video shares the perspective that in order to reground adolescence in the real-world, and create the best environment for our children's development we have to work together and we need to be mindful about how and when we give our children smartphones. We encourage our families to watch this and share it broadly. We look forward for our community to join the conversation in the April 15th town hall.
Indiana Jones - South America!
This year Indiana Jones is traveling to South America and Central America! We want to honor different families' heritages here at Park Hill! Do you have a family connection or have lived in one of the many countries of South America or Central America? Let me know and I can have your kid share that information if they would like. Do you know some upbeat (appropriate) songs from that region? If I can find the song on Spotify, I can play it as the students travel the obstacle course. Or maybe bring in a picture of your child in the country or wearing traditional clothes? Or anything else you can think of? It is a PE class and things can get wild during Indiana Jones, so nothing of value should be brought in.
**For those of you who are new to Park Hill, Indiana Jones is a large obstacle course during PE classes, where students must try daring obstacles, such as swinging from ropes, balancing in unique ways and crossing “dangerous” terrain!
Indiana Jones Help!
Anyone have a large truck and time? I will be using the large light blue items in the picture below for Indiana Jones this year. The district used to deliver these items to the school, but this year, I have to pick it up. They are located at Columbian Elementary School. I can meet there after school to help load or you can go during the school day, but would have to load it yourself. I can also put some of the items in my Subaru, but definitely not all! I need these items by April 10th. Please reach out to Mrs. Horeis at kcupp@dpsk12.net if you think you might be able to help! Thanks!
