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City Academy partners with families to provide children with the knowledge, skills and character needed to succeed in top quality secondary schools, colleges and the competitive world beyond. These parent resources are meant to guide your City Academy experience, and parents are encouraged to continually communicate with teachers and staff.

Attendance

The City Academy school day is Monday through Friday, 7:55 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Students are expected to arrive before 7:55 a.m. and must be signed in and out as they enter and exit school.

  • Students may arrive at school as early as 7:00 a.m.
  • Extended Day begins at 3:30 p.m. After-school activities end at 5:30 p.m. each day; however, students may be picked up as late as 6:00 p.m.
  • Parents/guardians will be charged $1 every minute after 6:00 p.m. These assessed late fees are due in cash upon arrival or no later than 7:55 a.m. the start of the next school day. Student(s) may not be able to attend Extended Day until the fees are paid in full. After three occurrences your child may be placed on probation and unable to participate in extended day. 

Birthdays

The first Friday of every month is designated for birthday celebrations. On this designated day, all students in the class hold a celebration. Parents of the birthday students supply a special treat to celebrate their child’s birthday with classmates. Children having summer birthdays may celebrate their half-year birthday. 

Room parents are responsible for coordinating the birthday celebrations. Parents of the birthday children should consult with the room parent in advance of the child’s birthday to assist with this event. 

To limit interruptions to the school day and to minimize parental financial burdens, individual birthday parties and passing out of treats are not allowed any other times during the school day. Individual birthdays will be appropriately acknowledged during morning meetings of the birth date, but class celebrations and treats are limited to the monthly birthday party. Please adhere to this policy. 

Dress Code

Students must come to school prepared to exercise their minds and bodies. Therefore, clothing must be comfortable, yet neat in appearance. City Academy’s dress code, outlined below, is clear and unambiguous. Any student out of uniform may be sent to the front office and parents may be contacted.

City Academy’s 24/7 Online Apparel Store has t-shirts, sweatshirts, polos, and much more. Items will ship directly to your house. While most of the items are “Spirit Wear” we do have some items that are Uniform-Approved (mostly available in adult sizes for now). Please see the links below to browse the store and place your order.

Spirit Wear Store

Uniform-Approved Store

Uniform apparel is not required to have the City Academy logo. You can find apparel in our approved colors readily available at providers such as Target, Old Navy, and French Toast.

If you would like to have the City Academy logo embroidered on a shirt you own, call Tag-It In Stitches at 314-585-7079.

Shirts: Polo style or collared shirt in white, light blue, navy blue, red, or yellow.

Slacks/Walking Shorts: Navy blue, black or uniform khaki 

Jumper/Skirt: Navy blue, black, uniform khaki, or Blue/Gold (and gray) plaid pattern from French Toast — knee length to two fingers above knee

Socks: Socks must come above the ankle.

Leggings/Tights: Solid color navy, black, gray, or white leggings or tights may be worn underneath jumpers or skirts. Leggings may never be worn as a replacement for pants. 

Belts: solid color navy blue, brown, or black with no ornamental designs, names, logos, etc.

Shoes: Tennis shoes (no sparkles) must be worn on a daily basis – i.e. Uggs, Crocs, sandals, boot-style or heeled tennis shoes are not permitted. If dress shoes are worn, tennis shoes must also be brought to school. If boots are worn to school, students must change into tennis shoes prior to first period. 

Sweater: V-neck, pull-over sweater, or button-down (cardigan) – solid navy blue, red, grey or white

Sweatshirt: City Academy logo print hoodless sweatshirt or solid white, light blue, navy blue, red or yellow sweatshirt. 

Outerwear: Heavy coats, hoodies or other garments designed for outerwear should not be worn in the classroom during school hours. A uniform sweater or sweatshirt may be worn on cooler days.

Jewelry: Boys and girls may wear stud-size earrings only. Body piercings are not acceptable.

Students may not wear necklaces, bracelets, tattoos or body art, or painted, sculptured, or acrylic nails. All clothing items should be labeled with the child’s name and grade.

The administration will have the final decision as to the appropriateness of any dress or appearance. If questions, please inquire within administration.

Expectations

City Academy is committed to creating a nurturing environment and safe haven where all students feel comfortable and can focus on learning. Our school strives to cultivate positive values in its students, including honesty, self-discipline, self-respect, respect of others, trustworthiness, fairness, and personal responsibility. Our motto is City Academy C.A.R.E.S! (C=Cooperation, A=Assertion, R=Responsibility, E=Empathy, S=Self-Control).

Classroom Approaches & Strategies

  • PROACTIVE STRATEGIES – Recognizing positive behaviors and addressing negative behaviors
    •    Reinforcing – Noticing and encouraging
    •    Reminding – Helping to remember expectations
    •    Redirecting – Focusing on rules and expectations
  • LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES – Natural response to inappropriate behaviors
    •    Reparation
    •    Loss of a privilege
    •    Timeout
  • TIMEOUT – Reflecting on behavior and regaining self-control
    •    Minor disturbance or offense
    •    Timeout from activity
  • BUDDY TIMEOUT – Removal from classroom, timeout in “Buddy” Teacher’s classroom
    • Continued disturbance or offense
    • Failure to take timeout in an orderly, respectful manner

Positive Behavior Traits/Discipline

Students who consistently struggle to demonstrate the academic, social, or emotional behaviors necessary to meet the demands of a challenging and rigorous program may be placed on probation. Students on probation may forfeit their enrollment or re-enrollment if significant improvement is not made within a reasonable amount of time as indicated in the probation plan.

Possible infractions for probation include, but are not limited to:

  • Frequent absences or tardies
  • Accumulating three dress code violations in one month’s time
  • Failing to turn in homework (three or more missing assignments in one month’s time)
  • Frequently turning in assignments late
  • Frequently not prepared for class
  • Underperforming on assignments and assessments
  • Not participating productively in class activities and lessons
  • Not demonstrating the C.A.R.E.S. behaviors

Report Cards

Report cards are completed four times a year at the close of each quarter. Report cards provide a detailed assessment of a child’s social and academic development. Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 report cards are distributed at parent-teacher conferences, while Quarter 2 and Quarter 4 report cards also include narrative comments and are distributed electronically. 

Wednesday Weekly

The Wednesday Weekly is sent to parents each week via email. This email will contain forms and information that should be read by parents at the beginning of the week. If a parent/guardian email address changes, it is the responsibility of the family to submit the new information as soon as possible. If weekly emails are not received from City Academy, please contact the main office to verify the email address.

Homework

Teachers assign homework that is meaningful to the child, relevant to the curriculum and of a reasonable amount. Homework varies from grade to grade and from teacher to teacher. Below is the approximate amount of time that should be allotted for homework each week. Failure to complete homework may result in a student being placed on probation at City Academy, and continued failures to complete homework may result in a student being dismissed from the school.

  • Junior Kindergarten – 20 minutes per night
  • Kindergarten – 30 minutes per night
  • Grades 1 – 40 minutes per night
  • Grades 2 – 50 minutes per night
  • Grades 3 and 4 – 90 minutes per night
  • Grades 5 and 6 – 120 minutes per night

Included in the regularly assigned homework, all students are expected to read or be read to for 20-30 minutes per night.

Incredible Years

New families in grades JK through 2nd grade must participate in Incredible Years (20 hours). Returning parents must record 4 participation hours from a suggested list of offerings. Classes are designed to address the interests of our City Academy parent community. Parents share knowledge intended to help them raise children as they become healthy, proud, and capable people, focusing on effective family communication, healthy cultural identity, family values, child growth and development, positive self-esteem, and educational progress. 

Parent/Teacher Conferences

These are held two times a year and are a time for teachers to share their observations and impressions of a student’s progress. Parents are expected to attend all conferences (including the intake conference). Attendance is mandatory. If an emergency arises, it is the parent’s responsibility to notify the teacher to reschedule the conference for a time and date convenient for the teacher. Failure to do so will result in a violation of the Family Contract. 

Parking

Parking is available on the north and west sides of the school building (accessible from Penrose Avenue).  

Accessible (formerly known as “handicapped”) Parking is available in the parking lot on the west side of the school. This parking is for parents who are disabled and possess a visible Accessible Parking Placard.  

On the street, parking is not allowed on the north side of Penrose Avenue, nor on the south side of Penrose from the corner of Kingshighway Boulevard to the exit from the parking lot.   

To protect the safety of all our students, please drive with caution around the school and in the school parking lot.

Positive Behavior Traits/Discipline

City Academy is committed to creating a nurturing environment and safe haven where all students feel comfortable and can focus on learning. Our school strives to cultivate positive values in its students, including honesty, self-discipline, self-respect, respect of others, trustworthiness, fairness, and personal responsibility.  C.A.R.E.S. (C=Cooperation, A=Assertion, R=Responsibility, E=Empathy, S=Self-Control) framework of Responsive Classroom.

Students who consistently struggle to demonstrate the academic, social, or emotional behaviors necessary to meet the demands of a challenging and rigorous program may be placed on probation. Students on probation may forfeit their enrollment or re-enrollment if significant improvement is not made within a reasonable amount of time as indicated in the probation plan.

Possible infractions for probation include, but are not limited to:

  • Frequent absences or tardies
  • Accumulating three dress code violations in one month’s time
  • Failing to turn in homework (three or more missing assignments in one month’s time)
  • Frequently turning in assignments late
  • Frequently not prepared for class
  • Underperforming on assignments and assessments
  • Not participating productively in class activities and lessons
  • Not demonstrating the C.A.R.E.S. behaviors

Report Cards

Report cards are completed four times a year at the close of each quarter. Report cards provide a detailed assessment of a child’s social and academic development. Quarter 1 and Quarter 3 report cards are distributed at parent-teacher conferences, while Quarter 2 and Quarter 4 report cards also include narrative comments and are distributed electronically. 

School Closing

Hazardous weather conditions can cause disruptions in transportation service to and from school. During periods of severe or hazardous weather conditions, City Academy may elect to announce a late start, dismiss early or close the school when the streets are not safe for travel.  

If City Academy elects to cancel school or have a late start, parents will receive a school text and/or phone message from School Reach and an announcement will be posted in the following areas: 

TV: Channels KSDK (Ch. 5), KMOV (Ch. 4), KTVI (Ch. 2) 

Web: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

ALMA: An automated system will reach out to families using the contact information that families provided.  

If City Academy elects to dismiss early, the Administrative Office will notify the emergency contact identified for each student via text and voicemail.

Technology

City Academy’s philosophy of education emphasizes technology as a tool for teaching and learning. A long-term goal is to ensure that students have mastered the technological skills necessary for continued academic success at competitive secondary schools.  

Students will utilize various devices (iPads, Chromebooks, etc.) to enhance academic learning. City Academy retains sole right of possession of the devices and related equipment. The classroom teacher, school administration, or IT representative retains the right to collect and/or inspect the devices at any time and to alter, add, or delete installed software or hardware. Usage is a privilege and not a right. A signed Acceptable Use Policy by parents must be on file in order for the devices to be used by students.