Kratz Elementary School

08/26/2024

We had a wonderful way to start to our year at Kratz! Last week was full of smiles, connecting and learning at Kratz. Welcome back, Mini-Huskies!

08/07/2024

We had a great turnout at our Chromebook pick up day yesterday. We hope to see even more families tomorrow morning from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Class placement letters will be coming out this week! Don't forget these exciting events happening in the next few weeks:

-Thurs., August 15 - Kindergarten Transition Day: 9:15 to 11:00

-Thurs., August 15 - Open House/Back to School Meeting:
5:15-5:30 Welcome Video (Spanish in gym, English in classrooms)
5:30-6:30 2 sessions to meet teachers in classrooms
6:30-7:00 Popsicles with Principals

-Mon., August 19 - First Day of School: 8:40 to 3:35
Doors open at 8:15 for breakfast

-Sat., August 24 - Back to School Bash at Ritenour HS: 10-1

-Wed., August 28 - Kindergarten Meet the Teacher Night: 5 p.m.

07/03/2024

There is a lot of excitement at Kratz this summer! As we wind down summer school, our office construction has picked up. Our new spaces will keep our students and staff safe, requiring visitors to enter through our new foyer. More info to come!

Kindergarten Readiness Camp is just around the corner! If you know of any child that is Kindergarten age, please encourage their parents to enroll them at Ritenour School District Central Office and sign them up for camp, which will take place the week of July 29th.

Kindergarten Readiness Camp - Ritenour School District

04/29/2024

Today at Kratz Elementary, we unveiled a breathtaking mural created by our talented art teacher Yen-yi Chen, who is retiring at the end of this school year. This colorful masterpiece spells out the alphabet, leading to a powerful message at the bottom of the mural: "from letters to words/from communications to meanings/from learning to growing/from Kratz to the world." It's a beautiful tribute to our community and a reminder of the incredible journey we take through education. Thank you, Ms. Chen, for this inspiring gift!

02/04/2024

February started off with our 100th day of school. Students and staff dressed up and participated in 100th day activities. What fun!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Attendance continues to be so important for your child’s learning and for our school accreditation, which includes our school’s financing. If your child can be at school, please make sure that they are here on time for the whole day. At school they are learning academic skills, as well as practicing social skills that will help them be successful beyond school. Thank you so much for your help in our challenge to meet the Missouri standard of 90% of students being at school 90% of the time.

As a reminder, we will not do early dismissal of students after 3:00 p.m. without special permission from the principal. Repeated early dismissals impact your child’s learning and attendance percentage. This time of day is particularly busy, with classes getting ready to dismiss and the office handling several different matters and needing to be able to communicate with classrooms. We appreciate your efforts to make sure your child is in school learning as much as possible.

We will continue the Ritenour Level Up Math Challenge during the month of February. We had a much higher number of children participate in January, but still have a lot of students who can increase their participation and math learning. Students can log into IXL and complete the codes for this month by getting 90% or higher to fill in their game board. Students who complete the gameboard can receive a certificate and a prize.

Our word of the month for February is . Being cooperative means giving mutual assistance in working toward a common goal. At school, your children work together to learn different academic subjects, but they also evaluate themselves as individuals and class-wide on how they work together. This includes learning how to handle when someone has a different opinion or when their idea doesn’t get used in group work. A way to reinforce cooperation at home is to ask your child to help you complete household chores, including helping develop a plan for completing those chores in the most efficient way. Then asking them questions to help them clarify their thinking or presenting them other ideas for efficiency can help model cooperation.

Please see the exciting upcoming events at Kratz below:

Tuesday, 2/6/24: Rescheduled 3rd grade concert @ Kratz 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, 2/8/24: Early Release Day
Tuesday, 2/13/24: Ritenour Strategic Planning Meeting @ RHS 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday, 2/14/24: Classroom Friendship Parties 2:00 p.m.
Friday, 2/16/24: NO SCHOOL
Monday, 2/19/24: NO SCHOOL Presidents Day
Tuesday, 2/20/24: Kindergarten field trip to the Magic House
Thursday, 2/22/24: Kindergarten Kickoff @ RHS 5-6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, 2/20-Monday, 2/26: February Evaluate Assessment Window
Monday, 2/26/24: 5th Grade field trip to JA BizTown

01/04/2024

December went quickly at Kratz!

Despite the colder weather, we are still going outside regularly. Please remember to have your children wear their coats to school, as well as gloves, hats, and scarves, if needed. We will go out to recess as much as the weather allows and we don’t want anyone to miss out on recess because of lack of appropriate clothing.

We will continue the Ritenour Level Up Math Challenge this month. Students can log into IXL and complete the codes for this month to fill in their game board. Students who complete the gameboard can receive a certificate and a prize. Students who completed their December Newsletters can turn them in when they return to school. A list of students who completed the challenge will be provided from our district and we will announce and award winners soon!

Our word of the month for January is Respect. Respect means showing care, purpose, and consideration to the items and people that are in their lives. Respect is often built over time through shared experiences, listening, and developing understanding. Mutual respect is something that we put effort into building at Kratz. We want to help our students understand that everyone’s voice is important, and everyone brings something unique and special to the table. A perfect way to transfer this idea to home is to ask your child what they did and to paraphrase what they said, validating their voice. Then they can practice listening and paraphrasing to be sure they understood what you are saying.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Attendance is so important to your child’s success at school. If they can be at school, please make sure that they are here on time for the whole day. At school they are learning academic skills, as well as practicing social skills that will help them be successful beyond school.

Attendance also impacts the financing our school receives from the state, as well as our accreditation status. Thank you so much for your help in our challenge to meet the Missouri standard of 90% of students being at school 90% of the time.

As a reminder, we will not do early dismissal of students after 3:00 p.m. without special permission from the principal. We appreciate your efforts to make sure your child is in school learning as much as possible.

Here are some reminders for how students can stay healthy heading into the new year:
-Students in elementary school require 9-12 hours of sleep in order to be fully rested.
-Consider no screen time 30 minutes prior to bed to help them go to sleep.
-Sleeping well helps students regulate their emotions, focus, and learn.
-Consistent use of social media can impact students' social skills and mental well being.
-Have students wash their hands consistently and cover mouths and noses when sneezing or coughing with elbow or tissue.
-Please do not send sugary drinks and snacks to school. Students have a hard time learning after they have had sugar, which can make them tired and irritable.
-If at all possible, please have single serving or ziplock bags of chips for lunch. When students bring family-size bags of chips, they have to carry these outside, where the chips get smashed, shared (which can spread germs), and they can end up spilling, creating a mess to clean up.

Please see the exciting upcoming events at Kratz below:

Thursday, 1/4/24: Welcome Back Students!
Tuesday, 1/9/24: PTO Meeting in the Kratz Library 6-7
Thursday, 1/11/24: 5th Grade Music Open House @ Kratz 5:30-6:30
Monday, 1/15/24: NO SCHOOL Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Tuesday, 1/16/24: Nachos and Numbers Kratz Math Night 6-7
Monday, 1/22-Friday, 1/26: January Evaluate Assessment Window
Tuesday, 1/23/23: 3rd Grade Concert
Friday, 1/26: Report Cards Mailed

Thank you for all you do to support your children at Kratz!

12/04/2023

November was a month of performances and celebrations!

Our first graders honored our Veterans at a school-wide Veteran’s Day celebration led by our music teacher, Ms. McFarland. Our fourth graders demonstrated their musical talents at their own concert in mid-November, and we celebrated our Very Important People with special breakfasts.

December brings colder weather and new experiences.

First, please remember to have your children dress appropriately for school and wear their coats, as well as gloves, hats, and scarves, if needed. We will go out to recess as much as the weather allows and we don’t want anyone to miss out on recess because of lack of appropriate clothing.

Second, Ritenour has started something called the Level Up Math Challenge. Students can log into IXL and complete the codes for this month to fill in their gameboard. Students who complete the gameboard can receive a certificate and a prize.

Third, School Houses will work on Gratitude this month. A perfect way to transfer this idea to home is to help your child think about the different people and things they can be appreciative of at home. This is a great way to connect and build communication and memories with your child.

Please don’t forget to report your children’s absences to the office by calling 314-493-6361. Consistent tardies and early dismissals add up to time missed in class and harm their sense of belonging and learning. If you have to set an appointment near the end of the day, we thank you for picking your child up before 3:00 p.m. Between 3:00 and 3:45 p.m., the office is a very busy place. To ensure all children are safely dismissed, we will not do early dismissal of students after 3:00 p.m. without special permission from the principal. We appreciate your efforts to make sure your child is in school learning as much as possible.

Please see the upcoming events where information will be shared about your child’s progress at school.

Meet A New Staff Member:
Hi Kratz family! My name is Cortney Koehler. It is so good to be back in Ritenour. This is my 23rd year in education. I spent most of my career teaching PE. I’ve spent the last 4 years training/facilitating elementary staff and administrators working with Social Emotional Learning, Restorative Justice, and Trauma Care. I spend most of my time taking my kids to practices and games but when I can, I love fishing. I’m really excited to join the Kratz family and help to continue to move Kratz forward! Feel free to stop by and say hey!

Upcoming Events:
12/5 Spirit Week: Twin Day
12/6 Spirit Week: Wear Your Favority Sports Team T-shirt or Jersey
12/7 Spirit Week: Decade Day
12/8 Spirit Week: Pajama Day
12/8 Intruder Drill
12/11-12/15 Evaluate Testing Window
12/13 Fire Drill (pending weather)
12/20 Winter Parties
12/21-1/3 Winter Break
1/4 Students Return from Break

Please see the attached pictures and message from the Library Media Specialist.

11/10/2023

We had a fantastic Veterans Day Celebration this morning at Kratz Elementary School!

First grade sang and danced, and we all expressed our gratitude to the veterans connected to Kratz.

Veterans, we thank you!

11/06/2023

This October brought so many special events to the Kratz Community!

On October 12, we celebrated our Hispanic Heritage Family Night and had many families in attendance to experience different aspects of Hispanic culture. The week of October 16, students participated in a Student Council-sponsored Spirit Week with “crazy“ events, such as crazy hair day and crazy socks day. We’ve had candy collection competitions and Student Council sock collection competitions to support our PTO-sponsored Trunk-or-Treat and Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry, respectively. As always, our Trunk-or-Treat was a joyful event, with SO MANY families in attendance and lots of smiles, laughs, and memories made. Finally, we rounded our October with our Fall Goal-Setting Conferences and Fall Break. Students proudly shared their progress so far this year, as well as goals for the rest of the school year.

November will bring even more events and excitement to Kratz.

Upcoming Events:
11/7: NO SCHOOL (Professional Development Day)
11/10: Veteran’s Day Breakfast and Assembly @ 8:30 am (RSVP required)
11/14 and 11/15: VIP Day Breakfast @ 7:30 am (RSVP required)
11/16: Early Release Day @ 1:25 pm
11/22-11/24: Thanksgiving Break
11/29: Picture Retake Day

We wanted to share that we will be reviewing the practice of what to do in the event of an intruder at Kratz. This can cause some anxiety, but it is a crucial step in ensuring everyone is safe. Thank you for supporting your students by answering any questions they have and reinforcing the importance of this practice.

Also, as a reminder, please be sure that water is the only drink your children are bringing to school in their water bottles. Sodas, juices, or other drinks with high sugar content are not allowed at school. Thank you for your support and cooperation with this matter.

We encourage families to share their gratitude for each other and the small things during this hectic time of year. It is easy to get bogged down and stressed with less sunshine and more commitments that come with this time of year. Please take time to stop and appreciate each other, which has been shown to make people feel better all around. In saying that, we appreciate you. Your partnership so far this year has helped your child be more successful. Your insight is invaluable and we are consistently reminded at Kratz that it takes a village. You are one of the reasons we have been able to continue our One Team, One Dream vision this year. Thank you!

By working together we can help every child at Kratz feel success in the goals they set and the choices they make!

Sincerely,

Dr. McNulty
Principal

10/06/2023

We have had so many exciting events in the past few weeks!

We had our Family English Language Arts (ELA) Night on Tuesday, September 19, where families got information about what their children are learning in reading and writing, participated in activities connected to these skills, read by flashlight in the library, and took home books and other materials to reinforce learning at home.

On the evening of Monday, September 25, several families came to Kratz to enjoy dinner and get information about where our data indicates we were at the end of last school year. We also shared information about Ritenour’s move to Competency-Based Learning and the use of Proficiency Scales. Finally, families were able to contribute to our change efforts by asking questions and giving suggestions for improvements.

In October, there are more exciting events to come! These include:

-Thursday, October 12: Early Release Day at 1:25
-Thursday, October 12 from 5:30 to 6:30: Hispanic Heritage Family Night
-Friday, October 13: Fall Picture Day Retakes in Nov.
-Tuesday, October 17 from 6:00 to 7:00: Kratz PTO Meets in the Library
-Friday, October 20 from 6:00 to 8:00: Kratz PTO Trunk or Treat.
-Monday, October 23 and Wednesday, October 25 from 4:00-7:00 PM AND Thursday, October 26 8:00-11:00 AM: Kratz Goal-Setting Conferences
-Thursday, October 26 to Monday, October 30: Fall Break (NO SCHOOL)

We wanted to let you know that attendance at school is incredibly important to your child’s success. Though we know that, at times, students have to be absent due to illness, missing full days of school or hours due to late arrival or early dismissal quickly add up to missed learning. To be successful, your child must be here when they are able.

09/15/2023

Kratz Families,

We have many exciting events coming up in the following weeks:

Tuesday, September 19: Family English Language Arts Night
Read by flashlight in the library and find out more about what your child is learning in reading and writing, as well as what to do to support them at home.

Wednesday, September 20: PTO Bobo's Fundraiser
The PTO Bobo's Fundraiser runs from 9/20 to 10/4, with item pick up on 11/1.

Thursday, September 21: Early Release Day
This will be the first early release day of the year. Students will dismiss at 1:25. Additional early release days will take place on 10/12, 11/16, 2/8, and 4/18.

Monday, September 25: Kratz Community Data Meeting
Please RSVP to join us for dinner and discussion about our school data, including opportunities to share ideas about school improvement.

Wednesday, September 27: Fall Picture Day
Dress your best and smile for the camera to get your picture taken.

Even more exciting events are to come throughout the year.

09/13/2023

Kratz Families,
You are invited to the first Kratz PTO meeting of the year via Zoom on Thursday at 6 PM. Please click the link below to join at that time:

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