• Armstrong Elementary School

    Parent and Student

    Information Guide

     2024-2025

     

     

    6255 Howdershell Road

    Hazelwood, MO 63042

    314.953.4000

     

    Mission Statement: The Armstrong school community will promote academic excellence through active learning and high expectations in a safe and caring environment.

     

    Vision Statement: At Armstrong Elementary, we will create life-long learners who are respectful, responsible, and cooperative citizens of the community.

     

    Armstrong Directory

     

    Main Office: 314.953.4000 School Information/Closing: 314.953.SNOW

     

    Fax: 314.953.4013 Emergency Phone: 314.830.5741

     

    Attendance: 314.953.4040 Cafeteria: 314.953.4023



    Principal: Dr. Kelly Kozlen 314.953.4001 kkozlen@hazelwoodschools.org

     

    Assistant Principal: Dr. Rachel VanDernoot 314.953.4015        rvandrnt@hazelwoodschools.org

     

    Instructional Specialist: Melissa Roberts 314.953.4027          mgoeken@hazelwoodschools.org

     

    Administrative Secretary: Becky Thompson 314.953.4000      rthompson1@hazelwoodschools.org

     

    Attendance Clerk: Josilynn Jones 314.953.4006 jjones5@hazelwoodschools.org

     

    Counselor: Dedra Morrow 314.953.4033 dmorrow@hazelwoodschools.org 

     

    Nurse: Morgan Harris 314.953.4010 mharris4@hazelwoodschools.org

     

    Teacher Clerk: Joyce Murphy 314.953.4028 jmurphy@hazelwoodschools.org

     

    Social Worker: Aigne’ Thompson 314.703.5107     athompson1@hazelwoodschools.org



    Staff Directory is located on our school website:

    https://www.hazelwoodschools.org/armstrong

     

    Please like, add, and follow us on social media for immediate information: 

    ALTERNATIVE METHOD of INSTRUCTION DAYS (AMI)

     

    In the case that Hazelwood School District designates an AMI day, students are expected to log on to their Google Classroom from 9:00-10:00am and from 1:00-2:00pm to meet with their teachers for assignments and instructional information. Assignments must be completed and turned in to the teacher for the student to be counted as present. Students who do not turn in completed assignments will be marked absent for that day.

    A list of Google Classroom Codes will be available on the Armstrong website.

    ATTENDANCE

    The Hazelwood School District has a goal for all students to be in attendance at least 90% of the school days. We all want our children to have the best school experience possible. This happens when students attend school regularly, come to school on time, and stay the whole day.

    In the event your student is ill and must be absent from school, please follow the procedures.

    1.   If your child is going to be absent, we ask that you call our Attendance Line (953-4040) before 9:00 am. Please send a note explaining your child’s absence to his/her teacher. This will help us keep a record of excused and unexcused absences.

     

    2.   An attempt will be made to reach a parent/guardian by the SIS System each time a student is absent. If the school is not contacted by note or phone, the absence is considered “unexcused.”

     

    3.   Absences due to situations in which the student or his or her parents/guardians have no control shall be excused and are defined as:

    a.  A parent or guardian must call the office to report the absence, or a note must be sent the day the student returns to school, or the absence will be unexcused.

    b.  Illness of the student, death of a family member, and/or extreme emergency.

    c.  A signed doctor’s note should accompany the student upon arrival, after a doctor, orthodontist, dentist, etc., visit.

     

    4.  A parent or legal guardian may always pick up his/her child from school but must do so only from the office, where they will be asked to show picture identification. A log will be kept in the office and a parent or legal guardian must sign the log. While an early dismissal may be warranted occasionally due to doctor appointments, this practice is discouraged as it interrupts the instructional day.

     

    5.   The nurse is the only employee who can recommend that a child be sent home because of illness or serious accident. Students with a fever of 100 degrees or higher must stay home until they are fever-free without medication for 24 hours. Students who become sick to their stomachs and vomit at school are required to go home and not return for at least 24 hours. Students with head lice must remain at home until they have been inspected by the school nurse and are found to be not free.

     

    6.  Students who do not attend school regularly will be required to attend summer school to be promoted to the next grade level.

     

    ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL

    Arrival: The doors will be opened at 8:25am. Supervision is not provided before 8:25am. Free breakfast is available to all students and the cafeteria stops serving breakfast at 8:40am to ensure all students arrive in class on time. Exceptions are made to bus riders who may arrive late. The instructional day begins at 8:50am and a student is considered tardy/late at 8:51am. 

    Dismissal: Dismissal will begin at 3:50pm. Students will NOT be dismissed for early dismissal after 3:00pm for the safety of all of our students. 

    The parking lot becomes quite congested at dismissal. The safety of our students is our top priority. There are four traffic lanes. All drivers are to remain in their vehicles during dismissal. If you need to pick your student up on the sidewalk, please park in a parking space. For the safety of the students, drivers should NOT motion or call for students to cross the parking lot alone.

    Car riders will be given a sign the first few days of school. Make sure your sign is displayed on the windshield. For safety, please remain in your lane and follow the directions of the staff.

    Please note that all students riding bikes and/or scooters are required to walk them off the school grounds. In addition, they are required to wear helmets. All walkers must use the crosswalk.

    We appreciate that older, middle school-age siblings are responsible about walking their younger siblings’ home from school: however, they must remain outside on the sidewalk while they are waiting. Only those waiting for siblings should be waiting on school grounds. Please discourage them from bringing multiple friends with them due to the disruption it often causes.

    Animals are not permitted on the school campus except service animals.

    The use of playground equipment is allowed only with adult supervision.

     We are pleased to announce that we are a tobacco-free campus.

    Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

     

    BOOKMOBILE

    A St. Louis County Library Bookmobile unit visits Armstrong Elementary School each month. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade are encouraged to utilize the bookmobile services. Students must have a St. Louis County Library card to check-out books. Applications for library cards will be sent home at the beginning of the year.

     

    CHROMEBOOKS

    Every student will be assigned a Chromebook, charger, and case. It is the responsibility of the student to take good care of the equipment. Students will be fined as follows: $275 for a lost Chromebook, $50 for physical damage, and a lost charger is $40. These fines are entered into the student database. Fines can be paid in the Armstrong main office via check or cash or through the Tyler SIS Parent Portal. Students should not share personal login information with anyone. Please review the HSD Chromebook Handbook. 

    DISCIPLINE

    Armstrong will continue to implement a school-wide discipline program this year. The program is called Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS). Students will earn incentives for exhibiting good behavior. Students are rewarded as individuals and in classrooms. Our expectations are based on the following pledge:

    Eagles S.O.A.R.

    Safe, Ownership, Acceptance & Respect

    All discipline referrals are handled according to the guidelines outlined in the Elementary Student-Parent Handbook and Behavior Guide. Please read and discuss the information with your student(s). Both guardians and students are required to sign and return the form located at the back of the guide

     

    DRESS CODE

    A student’s appearance should be neat and clean. Dress or appearance, which causes disruption of the educational process, or are a health and safety problem shall not be permitted. Skirts, dresses, and shorts should be of appropriate length and shirts should not allow mid-drift areas to show. Also, there should be no spaghetti straps or tank tops. “Flip- Flops” sandals and house shoes are prohibited as they present safety issues on the playground and stairs. In addition, students may not wear Heelys. The Board prohibits the presence of any apparel, jewelry, accessories, student materials (notebooks), or manner of grooming which, by virtue of its color, arrangement, trademark, or any other attribute, denotes membership gangs or groups which advocate drug use, violence, or disruptive behavior. Students are required to wear tennis shoes for P.E. classes. Jewelry, especially necklaces, dangle earrings and bracelets should not be worn to P. E. class.

     

    LOST & FOUND

    If your child loses an item, please encourage him or her to look in the Lost and Found Box located between rooms one and two. Labeling or otherwise marking identification on your child’s possessions is advisable. This will help us find the owner when items are turned into the “Lost and found” box.

     

    LUNCH

    Elementary school lunch is free for all students.




    MINOR INCIDENT REFERRALS (MIR’s)

    Students receiving 3 MIR’s for the same behavior during a quarter will receive an office referral. Parent contact will be made each time a student receives a MIR. This is the MIR document that will be sent home.

     

    SAFETY

    Students Late Arrival/Early Dismissal: If your child arrives late to school, you should bring him/her to the office to check in and your child will receive a note to take to class. If you are picking your student up before the end of the day, please send a note to school that morning to let us know who will be picking your student up and the time and nature of the early dismissal. Please come to the office to sign your son/daughter out of school. Students will not be called to the office until you appear in the office. Please have your identification handy as we will ask to see it when you sign your student out. Individuals must be listed as emergency contacts to be allowed to sign students out and pick them up. There will be no early dismissal after 3:00pm due to student safety and the end of the day procedures.

    Child Custody Rights:  According to state law regarding child custody, it is important to inform you of the rights of non-custodial parents. Both custodial and non-custodial parents have the right to access records unless the school has a copy of a court order to the contrary on file. These records include report cards, progress reports, all mailings from the schools, and parent/teacher conferences. It is necessary for the school to maintain a copy of the custody agreement specifying the rights of the custodial as well as the non-custodial parent. A student will be released to a non-custodial parent if court documented paperwork is not on file at the school stating the child may not be released to that parent. The information written on the forms is not adequate documentation regarding custodial restrictions. We encourage all parents to be actively involved in the education of their children. Please feel free to contact your child’s school regarding any questions relating to the information.

     

    VISITORS

     

    As you enter Armstrong School, it is important to come to the office with your driver’s license so it can be run through the National Sex Offenders scanner to give them a badge. Please be aware all visitors will be asked to show a picture identification unless they have a district-issued volunteer badge. This procedure is to ensure the safety of our children. If you forget to do so, a staff member will ask you to return to the office for a badge. To maximize instructional time, parents should make an appointment with the office to observe in their student’s classroom. These observations should not disrupt the instructional environment. If needed, parents should make an appointment to meet with their student’s teacher as well to not disrupt instructional time. 

     

    VOLUNTEERS

     

    Hazelwood School District requires a Green Volunteer Badge to chaperone all school field trips. This process is outlined on the HSD website. This process does require a background check and fingerprinting which requires a fee. If you are interested in attending any Armstrong field trips, please complete the Volunteer Badge process promptly.

     

    An HSD Purple Volunteer Badge is required to volunteer at Armstrong with a staff member present. This Volunteer badge process is outlined on the HSD website.

     

    We welcome all Armstrong parents/guardians to volunteer for Armstrong activities.

     

    HSD Volunteer Information