Hello TUE Families,
My name is Casey Brownsberger, and I am honored to serve as the new principal of Thomas Ultican Elementary. I am excited to join this amazing community and look forward to partnering with you to make this a successful year for all students.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Back-to-School Night. We had an incredible turnout, and it was wonderful to see so much support for our students, staff, and school.
Throughout the year, please look for weekly communication emails that will include school updates, important reminders, celebrations, and special announcements. Be sure to read these in its entirety.
As I shared earlier, our goal is to provide every student with the best possible education. We believe this can only happen through a strong partnership between school and home. Together, we can help every child thrive.
Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need anything. I look forward to a fantastic year with all of you!
Sincerely your excited new principal,
Casey Brownsberger
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August 24th: Chalk the Walk – Join the school to help decorate the sidewalks with inspirational messages for the students first day of school. Chalk will be available by the east and south end doors all day or feel free to bring your own chalk. Such a fun way for students to see as they enter the front doors on their first day!
August 24th & 25th: A large First Day of School sign will be on display outside of TUE by the front enterance. We want our students to get that perfect first day picture. Stop by any time to take a pic.
August 25th: First Day of School – Continue reading this email for more information about first day procedures and arrival/dismissal. Parents may walk their child to the classroom on the first day of school ONLY. The doors will open at 8:25AM. Dismissal at the end of the day begins at 3:20 PM.
September 7th: No School-Labor Day
September 8th-11th: Community Unity Week –Students bring in non perishable items for Community Services League. More information will be provided next week on spirit days and how to get involved to support the community.
September 11th: PTA’s Tailgate Party – 6:00-7:30 PM Get ready for some back-to-school fun at the TUE Tailgate Party! Hosted by the PTA, this family-friendly event will feature games, crafts, food, music, and plenty of opportunities to connect with friends old and new. Bring your lawn chairs and join us on the TUE playground for an evening of fun and community.
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On the first day only, parents are allowed to walk students to the classroom door. It should be a quick drop off so we can keep the extra numbers in the building to a minimum, teachers can focus on ALL students, and students can start to jump into their normal routine. The teacher’s priority is greeting and welcoming students. This is not an opportunity to tell the teacher special notes about your child or their pick-up routine. Please write a note, send an email before the first day of school. You can even schedule a phone call with the teacher at another time. |
Arrival takes place from 8:25 to 8:40 AM.
IMPORTANT: Students should not arrive prior to 8:25 am as there will be no supervision and cars/buses will not be unloaded prior to 8:25 am. The tardy bell rings at 8:40 am daily. It is important that you review the arrival procedures with your child prior to the first day of school. We have designated multiple entry points for our students to use. We will have multiple staff members outside and in the hallways to assist students as well.
Prime Time: Please be sure to drop off your child(ren) by 8:10am each morning in order to ensure not getting stuck in car rider traffic.
Car Riders: Students are dropped off on the south side parking lot by the gym/prime time entrance. Please reference the traffic MAP.
- Please follow the traffic pattern to help keep the line moving as quickly as possible and to ensure the safety of others.
- We love our neighbors on 19th street. PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK DRIVEWAYS while you are waiting. We are a neighborhood school and are gracious for all their support. Please be courteous so they can get in and out of their homes as needed. If you have any problems pleas notify the school so we can address your concerns.
- Please do not let students out of your car, unless a staff member is there to help. Please do NOT get of our your car. We will have staff members there to help your child.
- To help the process go smoothly, please have your child ready to go. Backpack on, water bottle in backpack, all their belongings in their hands so they are ready to get out when it is their turn.
- Please pull forward as far as you can so we can safely unload multiple cars at once.
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PLEASE DO NOT LINE UP IN THE DROP OFF LANE BEFORE 8:10am due to our Prime Time student drop off. Cars should be lined up on 19th Street until our staff members arrive outside to wave you into our parking lot.
- Just a reminder that outside breakfast is not allowed. We have grab and go breakfast they can get at school if you choose so.
Bus Riders: Bus arrivals will continue to occur in front of the building. We stagger releasing students from buses to minimize student congestion as they enter the building using two entrance points. Before exiting the bus, school staff will remind students to have both backpack straps on, backpack zipped, phones/headphones off & in their backpack, and go to their classroom or cafeteria if they are getting breakfast. Bus riders begin exiting the bus at 8:25 AM. Click the link below for transportation information on our district website. If your student is planning to ride the bus and this is a new change from the previous year or you’re new to our school, please call transportation to make sure it is set up. (816) 874-3799 http://www.infofinderi.com/ifi/?cid=BSRS4L1SGNZ8A.
Additional Arrival Information
· Breakfast is served every morning in the cafeteria. Students may stop by on their way to class to grab n' go our breakfast items that are being served that day. Once students
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IMPORTANT: Please make sure your child and his/her teacher know how your child will go home on the first day of school.
Early Pick Up: If you need to pick your child up early from school, please pull up to the front, ring the bell and enter through the office once you are buzzed in to sign them out. We will check the identification of anyone picking up a student until our staff is familiar with parents. If someone other than a parent/guardian is picking up a student, please contact the school office to let us know. Please let the person picking up the student know that we will check their identification so they will need to bring their driver’s license. Also, please make sure you notify the office by 3:30pm that day if there are any changes in your child’s dismissal routine.
Prime Time: Prime Time staff will pick students up from classrooms at the end of the day. If your child is in afternoon Prime Time, please wait until after 3:45 to pick up.
Car Riders: We will have 8 stations labeled with cones for parents to pull their cars to pick up their child. Parents are required to remain in their cars at all times. Do not get out and walk up to get your child. Our staff will be assisting students to cars. Please do not block any driveways on 19th Street. Thank you for your help with this.
Walkers: Walkers will be walked out by our staff. Dismissed from the car rider line. If students are under third grade, they will need an adult to be dismissed to walk them home.
Bus Riders: Bus riders are dismissed by grade level to prevent congestion in the hallways and on the sidewalks. A teacher will walk your child to his/her bus. Bus riders will leave TUE at approximately 3:25 each day.
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Have a conversation with your child about how they will get to and from school each day. Also, please make sure your child’s teacher is also aware. Email him/her if you’re unsure if they know. Transfinder is a great resource for our bus riders. Input your address and the information will be provided on the bus number and time of pick-up and drop-off. Please call the Transportation Center at 816-874-3799 if you have difficulty figuring out your bus number, bus stop location, and/or pickup/drop off times. More information about arrival and dismissal is later in this email. Please be patient with transportation on the first few days. It takes a few days to get our busses and cars in a routine. |
Prior to the first day of school, please discuss with your child if he/she will eat breakfast and/or lunch at school. Meals are NO LONGER free. Please put money on your account before the first day of school if your child will eat breakfast and/or lunch at school on this www.schoolcafe.com. Breakfast will be offered each morning in the cafeteria. It is grab and go process, so students will pick up their breakfast on the way to the classroom. If your child will purchase school lunch, discuss with them which option they will choose. We will not allow guests during lunch the first few weeks as we learn our new lunchroom routine.
If you think you might qualify for free or reduced meals, please complete the appropriate forms ASAP on www.schoolcafe.com. There is a grace period for this application process, but if you wait too long, the entire grace period will not apply, and you will be charged full price for some meals.
Elementary Breakfast $2.25
Elementary Lunch $3.45
Milk Price $0.70
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Medication Drop Off
If your student takes medication during the school day, please make an appointment with our nurse to check in student medications. Please email our school nurse, Melanie Garreett ( MGarret@bssd.net), or call the office at 816-874-3710 to make an appointment prior to the first day of school.
Immunizations & Health Records
All immunization records must be current and on-file in the clinic. Update all health forms via Parent Portal for the clinic. Email immunization records to our school nurse, Melanie Garreett ( MGarret@bssd.net), or fax to TUE at 816-224-1490.
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Please take time to read the BSSD Elementary Student-Parent Handbook. The link is below and is found on our BSSD webpage. |
· Water bottles: We highly encourage you to send your child with a water bottle filled with WATER only, every day. We have water filling stations to refill their water bottles as needed. Juice and colored liquids will be reserved for lunch time only.
· Headphones: Headphones are not on the school supply list, but if you would like for your child to have his/her own set of headphones exclusively for his/her own use, please feel free to send them on the first day of school.
· Food Delivery: We cannot deliver food orders sent to students at our school (ex. Door Dash, Grub Hub, etc). So please do not order them and send them to school unless they are addressed to Mrs. Brownsberger. This includes bringing up food to be dropped off.
· Birthday Treats: If you would like to provide treats for your child’s birthday, this must be pre-arranged with your child’s teacher at least 24 hours in advance. Also, all treats must be store-bought, individual (not whole cakes), and packaged.
· Volunteer/Background Check Information: Each year we need an updated background check if you plan on volunteering up at school. The Blue Springs School District uses DataSource to enhance and strengthen our current background screening process for Volunteer Guests. It is FREE, SECURE, and SIMPLE to register. Please visit: https://bssd.quickapp.pro to fill out an application. Once there you will see all Blue Springs School District schools will be listed. Click on the building in which you are planning to volunteer. (If you have students attending multiple buildings, you will only need to complete one application. After completing the application, please contact the Building School Resource Officer for the school you applied at and let them know you have students at additional locations). Volunteer applications MUST be submitted at least five (5) days before the event for which you are volunteering. After submission, please wait for an email from DataSource. The email will let you know whether you have been approved or denied. · Lunch Guests: We will be allowing lunch guests again this year beginning September 28th. More details to come on how to sign up.
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· Cell Phone and Smart Watches: We’ve noticed an increase in the number of students wearing smart watches to school. The watches and any personal electronic devices (PEDs), such as cell phones, can quickly become a distraction in the school environment. These devices are prohibited during the school day or any school-sponsored activity. Please take a few moments to review the policies related to PEDs.
o Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs) The possession and use of a student or parent/legal guardian owned personal electronic device is a privilege, not a right. The district may revoke this privilege at any time at its sole discretion. Please note that the district is not responsible for lost or stolen PEDs, whether in student or district possession, or any damage to the PED, its programs, or its contents.
PEDs may be brought to school but must be stored or carried out of sight in an off or silent mode and shall not be used by students during the school day or while being transported by a district vehicle.
Additionally, PEDs may not be used to capture or share sound, video, document, or photo images at any time or anywhere during the school day or while being transported in a district vehicle (school bus) without the prior approval of administrators or staff.
o Smart Watches Smart watches fall under the same category as PEDs and are subject to the same rules and regulations. Students are not permitted to use smart watches during the school day or during any school-sponsored activity. Smart watches can be worn on the wrist in an off or school mode and shall not be used by students during the school day or while being transported by a district vehicle.
If your student brings PEDs to school, please help us reinforce this policy at home. Thank you for your partnership in education. If you need to contact your child during school hours, please call our front office 816-874-3660.
Don't forget to bookmark our webpage, put school events in your calendar, like/follow us on Facebook, Instagram & X, join PTA, and read the school emails. These are all ways to stay connected and actively participate in your child’s education. Our primary goal is to provide your child with the opportunities and experiences essential to educational success. It's going to be an amazing 2026-2027 school year!
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