FORT ZUMWALT SCHOOL DISTRICT
DARDENNE ELEMENTARY
Dr. Dan Boatman Dr. Bernard J. DuBray Mr. Justin Musgrove
Principal Superintendent Assistant Principal
www.fz.k12.mo.us September 2621 Highway K
978-4001 2015 O’Fallon, MO 63368
Dear Dardenne Families,
The 2015-2016 school year is well on its way and it is going to be a great school year. We currently have 509
Dardenne Knights growing and learning at our school each day. Our teachers have used the first few weeks of
school to build their classroom communities, assess students to see their learning levels, and have begun imple-
menting the curriculum. I believe our students have an amazing amount of potential and I look forward to seeing
them learn each and every day. Our staff motto is Right Now Means Everything because we believe that we must
do everything possible to make every minute matter. We have a collective responsibility to ensure that each child
learns at a high level.
Our staff will work on these important goals throughout this school year.
- Increase the academic achievement of all students.
- Improve school attendance for all students.
- Improve parent communication and participation.
- Recruit and maintain a highly qualified staff.
We have a number of action steps we will take to reach these goals. I believe all four of these goals go together to
help students develop the skills and patterns of behavior necessary to be positive and productive community mem-
bers. I take responsibility in guiding our school to meet these goals, but I know the value parents play in partner-
ing with us to ensure high levels of learning. All four of these goals require community support. We will have an
extremely challenging time reaching these goals without your involvement and influence.
We will do our very best to stay connected with you throughout the year. On page 4 of this Knightline you will
find different ways that we communicate throughout the year. Take time to read through this Knightline and
please call us if you have any questions. We are here to support you and serve your child. We take this responsi-
bility serious and we are thankful for the opportunity.
Respectfully,
Dr. Dan Boatman, Principal
Welcome new
Knights!!!
In addition to the almost 100 newly enrolled students for
the 2015-16 school year we are also excited to welcome
some new faces on our staff. We would like to give a
warm welcome to the following staff:
Ms. Kathleen Vancil— 2nd Grade
Ms. Robyn Viviano— 4th Grade
Ms. Jordan Klinckhardt—Speech/Lang.
Ms. Gina Francis—Recess Clerk
Ms. Rachel Estes—Special Education
We are very lucky to have such a great staff at
Dardenne Elementary and we welcome our
newcomers to the Dardenne family.
A note from the
Assistant principal
Dear Parents and Students,
I am very excited to begin my 4th
year at Dardenne elementary. It has been
great getting to know all of the students and
parents here at Dardenne over the last three
years. I look forward to meeting all of our
new Kindergarten families this year as well.
The staff at Dardenne has such an
amazing year planned for our learners. I am
excited that we are back with our students
and ready to learn.
As always, I want to remind parents
to feel free to call, email, or stop by with any
questions or concerns that arise throughout
the year. We strive for communication to be
open between the school and the families of
our students.
Once again, I am looking forward to
an exciting new year for everyone at Dar-
denne. I am so happy to see everyone’s
smiling faces back at
school. Let’s have an
amazing year!
Sincerely,
Mr. Justin Musgrove
IMPORTANT DATES!!
3rd—Early Release @ 1:30 PM
7th—Labor Day: No School
10th—1st Quarter Mid Point
10th—Family PTC Night 6-8PM
11th—Fall Picture Day
17th—Progress Reports Emailed Home
22nd & 24th—Grandparent’s Breakfast
Sept. 27th-Oct. 1st—5th Grade Camp
DES OFFICE HOURS
Our office hours are 8:00 - 4:15
Monday through Friday.
Our telephone number is:
(636) 978-4001
Our fax line is:
(636) 978-4012
8 Ways to Connect
We want to connect with all of our families at Dardenne Elementary.
The following are 8 ways that you can keep up to date with anything
& everything that is going on at DES!!
1. Visit the school.
2. Call us at 636-978-4001
3. Visit our website at:
http://des.fz.k12.mo.us/pages/Dardenne_Elementary
4. Follow Dr. Boatman on Twitter @DESprincipal.FZ
5. Follow our PTC on Facebook at Dardenne Elementary
Knights PTC
6. School Messenger Calls – Phone messages containing
important announcements
7. Review your child’s take home folder and/or assignment
book on a regular basis
8. Peachjar – e-flyer and newsletter distribution
DARDENNE PTC
Dardenne’s Parent/Teacher Committee (PTC) encourages all of our
parents to become involved in the many activities that take place throughout
the year. Additional information regarding PTC can be obtained by calling
the school office.
Mary Berdick—President
Gina Francis—Vice-President
Felicia Waltz—Treasurer
Katie Holloway—Secretary
Colette Maher—Reading Program
Gina Francis—Book Fair
Spiritwear—Joanna Garcia
Faculty Rep.— Katie Cooper
Box Top Coordinator—Melissa Hagan &
Jennifer Rutherford
LFE Coordinator—Dana Pierce
PTC MEETING DATES
Our PTC will meet one Thursday a
month to discuss events and topics
related to our school. The following
are the times and dates of our PTC
meetings:
September 10th @ 6:00 PM
October 1st @ 4:30 PM
November 5th @ 4:30 PM
December 3rd @ 4:30 PM
January 7th @ 6:00 PM
February 4th @ 6:00 PM
March 3rd @ 6:00 PM
April 7th @ 6:00 PM
May 5th @ 4:30 PM
Dardenne Family PTC Night
Thursday, September 10th
6:00-8:00 PM
See our flyer at the end of this
newsletter for more information and
to RSVP!!
STUDENT ABSENCES
Regular school attendance is
vital to the academic success
of any child, it is also habit
forming and builds a lifelong
pattern. When your child is
going to be absent, we ask that you
contact the school office at 978-4001. You
may leave a message if there is no
answer. If your child is absent and we
do not receive a call from you, we will
call to verify their absence.
PERFECT & OUTSTANDING
ATTENDANCE
Perfect attendance is awarded to
students in grades K-5 who miss 3
hours or less during the whole school
year. Outstanding attendance is
awarded to students who miss be-
tween three(3) and thirteen(13) hours
of school the whole year. Students who
meet these guidelines will be awarded
with a certificate at the end of the
school year.
Nondiscriminaon Statement
The Fort Zumwalt School District
does not discriminate on the basis
of race, color, religion, national
origin, sex, age, or disability in ad-
mission or access to, or treatment or
employment in, its program and
activities. If you have any inquiries
or complaints concerning the appli-
cation of the Fort Zumwalt School
District’s policy of nondiscrimina-
tion, you may contact the Deputy
Superintendent of Personnel at
(636) 272-6620 or (636) 240-2072.
Parents can purchase additional
insurance protection for accidents
that may occur while students are
away from school, at home, during
the weekends and vacation peri-
ods, including the summer
months. For information regarding
this optional coverage, call the
Lawrence E. Smith & Associates
Insurance Agency at 1-800-325-1350,
or e-mail a request for information
Early Release Day
Thursday, September 3rd @ 1:30 PM
School Volunteers
Fort Zumwalt School District Policy
requires that a person who wants to
volunteer for the school must fill
out an initial request form with the
school office. You may be asked to
fill out an additional form depend-
ing on the frequency you plan to
volunteer. If you plan on volun-
teering at any time (special days,
classroom parties, field trips, etc.),
you must fill out the form and re-
turn it to the office. It is our goal
to protect the safety and well-being
of all our students.
Dardenne Elementary is a
non-smoking campus. State
law prohibits anyone from
smoking in any school
building and our District
policy further bans smoking
on any school campus. Thank
you for your help in this
matter!
PARENT INFORMATION
Right outside the office when you
enter the building there is an
information rack for parents.
Please feel free to take any
flyers, brochures and pamphlets
that you find there.
This month you will find
information including: Youth Pro-
grams, Boys and Girls Club
activities, Scouts, September
Knight Line, Current Menu along
with district information.
Please check the rack throughout
the year for updated PTC
Information as well as new
information from Fort Zumwalt.
Arrival/Walking Students to Class
We strongly encourage all parents to
drop their kids off from their car in
the car loop. However, if you walk
your child into the building be aware
that Dardenne’s building procedure is
that students walk to their
classrooms by themselves. You
may wait at the top of the hallway
where they can see you and you can
watch them. Please help us make
safety a priority by following this
procedure. This helps make all chil-
dren safe by limiting the number of
noncertified people in the hallway
before school and reducing the traffic
in the hallway at arrival time. It will
also will help teach your child inde-
pendence and responsibility.
Box Tops for Education
Our school parcipates in the Box Top program and has
earned extra money this year to fund acvies and purchase
materials for our students. You can help out by watching for
Box Tops on specially marked products. Simply clip and send
the box tops to school.
Arrival– Parent Drop o
If you will be dropping your child o in the morning we ask that you
follow our drop o procedure to help keep trac moving and keep all children
safe. There is no need for parents to park their car when
dropping o their child. Parents can pull into the upper parking lot and drive
to the crosswalk. There will be teachers there to greet your child beginning at
8:45 AM. They will see them safely out of the car. Parents can then drive
straight to the exit to make room for the next parents to drop o. We encour-
age parents to follow this procedure. This is the best way for students to get
to class quickly so they can begin learning!
Tennis Shoes for P.E.
Make sure you
wear tennis shoes
on the days you
have P.E.!! Most
games can’t be
played with out proper tennis shoes!
PICTURE DAY!!
Fall Picture Day is
Friday, September 11TH.
Lunch Schedule
11:30-11:50 Kindergarten
12:20-12:40 1st Grade
12:30-12:50 2nd Grade
12:40-1:00 3rd Grade
11:50-12:10 4th Grade
12:10-12:30 5th Grade
Students will have a 10 minute re-
cess before lunch each day.
Parents bringing lunch/snacks
If you are going to provide food for your
child at lunch, please be sure that you are
bringing in food for just your own children.
Many students have food allergies that you
may not be aware of as well as bringing
lunch for only a select portion of the class
is not fair to the rest of the students and
can unintentionally hurt other students’
feelings.
Where to Sit?
Students will sit with their class at an assigned table for lunch. If a
parent wants to eat with their child they may sit at the table with
their child’s class or they can take their child to the
overflow table to eat. Parents are only allowed to take their child to
the overflow table to eat.
Eating Lunch with Your Child
We love to have our parents visit and
enjoy lunch with us! If you are
ordering a meal prepared at
Dardenne, please call ahead and
place your order so that our kitchen
staff will prepare enough food. They
begin cooking at 9:30; it is helpful if
you can let us know early.
GrandparenT Breakfast
Tuesday, September 22nd &
Thursday, September 24th
8:00—8:45 AM
Please see the attached form for
Information!!
Welcome back students! And a special
welcome to our kindergarten students
and parents, and students and parents
who are new to Dardenne this school
year!! I hope everyone’s school year is
off to a great start! I have had the
pleasure of visiting and meeting our new
kindergarten classes, and will begin vis-
iting all classes next week, for some ex-
citing September lessons. If you have
any questions or concerns, I can be
reached, Monday through Thursday,
from 8:30am to 4:15pm. 636-978-4001
Mrs. Courtney Mills
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
For birthday and
party treats at
school we must
follow these
guidelines:
Any edible
treats must be prepackaged
and individually wrapped.
Birthday treats are served
during student lunch times.
Home-made treats are not
allowed.
Drinks should also be pre-
packaged and served from
sealed cans or containers.
Upcoming Events in October &
November
October
1st-5th Graders return from Camp
1st-Early Release @ 1:30 PM
1st– PTC Meeting @ 4:30 PM
8th– End of 1st Quarter
9th– No School– Records Day
12th-14th– Book Fair
13th & 14th– Parent/Teacher Confrence
14th-16th– No School
20th– McTeacher Night
26th-30th– Red Ribbon Week
30th– Trunk or Treat 6:30-8:30 PM
November
2nd– Taste of Fort Zumwalt
5th– Early Release @ 1:30
5th– PTC Meeting @ 4:30
6th– No School
10th– Tom+Chee Fundraiser
11th– Veteran’s Day Assembly
11th-Dress for Respect Day
13th– 2nd quarter mid-point
20th– Pre Black Friday Vendor Sale
25th-27th– No School
NOW
By: Prince Redcloud
Close the barbecue
Close the sun
Close the home-run
games we won
Close the picnic
Close the pool
Close the Summer
Open School!
My School Promise
Unknown Author
Each day I'll do my best
And I won't do any less.
My work will always please me,
And I won't accept a mess.
I’ll color very carefully.
My writing will be neat.
And I will not be happy,
Till my papers are complete.
I’ll always do my homework,
And try my best
on every test.
I won’t forget my
promise,
To do my very
best!
PUBLIC NOTICE
All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with
disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the
disability, including children attending private schools, highly mobile children, such as
migrant and homeless children, and children who are suspected of having a disability and
in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The Fort
Zumwalt School District assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public education
(FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under its ju-
risdiction. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impair-
ment and deafness, intellectual disabilities/mental retardation, multiple disabilities, ortho-
pedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or lan-
guage impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child
with a developmental delay.
The Fort Zumwalt School District assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to
assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the
Missouri First Steps program.
The Fort Zumwalt School District assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or main-
tained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of chil-
dren with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians may
request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, mislead-
ing, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the
U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concern-
ing alleged failures by the district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
(FERPA).
The Fort Zumwalt School District has developed a Local Compliance Plan for the implementation of State
Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency’s
policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally
identifiable information and the agency’s assurances that services are provided in compliance with the Gen-
eral Education Provision Act (GEPA). This plan may be reviewed during regular school hours, on days
school is in session, in the office of the Superintendent of Schools.
Local school districts in the State of Missouri are required to conduct an annual census of all children with
disabilities or suspected disabilities from birth to age twenty-one (21) that reside in the district. This census
must be compiled by December 1 of each year. This information is treated as confidential and must include:
name of the child; parent/legal guardian’s name/address; birth date and age of the child; the child’s disability;
and the services provided to the child. If you have a child with a disability or know of a child with a disabil-
ity who is not attending the public school, please contact Dr. Henry St. Pierre, Fort Zumwalt’s Assistant Su-
perintendent for Special Services, at 636-272-6620, ext 18349.
This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.
