Message From Chief Academic Officer
Dr. Marion Smith Jr.
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| Hello, Colleagues!
I trust this message finds each of you energized and rejuvenated after summer break. As your Chief Academic Officer, it is a privilege to extend a warm welcome to each of you, as we embark upon another exciting year of transformative learning, growth and academic excellence.
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Building upon the 2023 Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) with school and central office leaders (July 2023), and site-based professional learning (August 8-10, 2023), we look forward to the central-office facilitated professional learning on August 15-17, 2023. In St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS), we are mindful that being an effective and impactful educator means wearing many hats, having a deep understanding of content, leading with equity, and arguably most importantly recognizing the brilliance in each scholar that enters our schoolhouse and creating the conditions for each to thrive.
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Looking Ahead: On August 21, 2023, we will welcome over 19,000 scholars to the start of school year 2023-2024. As an Academic Office Division, we stand ready and are excited to collaborate and to partner with each of you to engage in our central mission as a school district: learning and teaching. I invite each of us to embrace the possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead. Our collective priority is the holistic development of our scholars, ensuring that they receive the knowledge, skills, and support to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Let us continue to create safe and inclusive learning environments where every scholar feels seen, heard, valued, respected, and empowered.
Throughout this school year, we will focus on ensuring equitable access to education for each scholar. We will work collaboratively to bridge learning gaps, address accelerated learning, and provide targeted interventions. Implementing innovative instructional strategies and leveraging technology will enable us to enhance scholar engagement and cultivate a lifelong love for learning.
I invite each of you to take advantage of the tiered professional learning opportunities available throughout the school year because continuous professional learning and growth is essential for us to remain at the forefront of education and to meet the evolving needs of our scholars. Let us strive to be lifelong learners ourselves, always seeking new ways to enhance our instructional practices and support the diverse needs of our scholars.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not emphasize the importance of self-care. Our roles as educators are demanding, and it is crucial that we take care of ourselves in order to effectively support others. As we navigate the ‘ups and downs’ of a new school year, let us remember to show compassion, lend a helping hand, and practice kindness towards one another.
On behalf of the entire Academic Office Division team, I am thrilled to welcome you to another exciting year of growth, learning and academic excellence. Together, we will make a positive impact on the lives of our scholars and shape a brighter future.
Here's to a learning-focused, transformative and joy-filled 2023-2024 school year!
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Plus 1: New Staff to Academic Office Division
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We would like to welcome and introduce the following new Academic Office Division staff members (and those on the team accepting new positions) for School Year 2023-2024. In future newsletters, each new staff member will be spotlighted, so you have an opportunity to learn more about them.
College & Career Readiness Department:
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- Casey Donahue | Director of Career and Technical Education
- Josh Henning | Associate Superintendent of College & Career Readiness
- Aja McCoy | Coordinator of Workforce Development
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Early Childhood Education Department:
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- Linda Smith | Interim Director of Early Childhood Education
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Special Education Department:
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- Marlene Glover | Assistant Director of Special Education
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St. Louis Plan Peer Assistance and Review:
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- Rashida Chatman | Consultant Teacher
- Danielle Guenther | Consultant Teacher
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Teryn Snow | Consultant Teacher
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“The Work” of the Academic Office Division
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To cultivate the enabling conditions to best support you and our collective academic excellence journey as a system, find below a brief overview of the WHY, WHAT and HOW of the Academic Office Division. We call it “The Work” and we look forward to continuing the work alongside each of you as we chart a new path of academic excellence.
The WHY of our work for School Year 23-24:
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- To develop and/or deepen leadership thinking and leadership moves critical to disrupt and dismantle inequities in systems, policies, practices and procedures so each scholar thrives.
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The WHAT of our work for School Year 23-24:
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Strengthen the Standards-Based *instructional core, so each scholar has access and targeted supports to achieve Standards and to engage in **deeper learning through the ***‘Key 3’
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Apply skillful use of multiple sources of data (qualitative, quantitative and perceptual) to engage in high-impact teaching and learning
- Implement “best we know right now practices” to educate the Whole Child
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*teachers’ knowledge and skills; scholars’ engagement in their own learning; academically challenging content
**inquiry, voice and choice, collaboration, self-direction, reflection
***Check for Understanding Formative Assessments, 2. Depth of Knowledge Questioning to Promote Cognitive Rigor, and 3. Data Informed / Data Driven Lesson Planning
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The HOW of our work for School Year 23-24:
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- (Re)Calibrate and (Re)Frame our individual and collective thinking and practices around effective and efficient learning and teaching:
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“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” – Dr. Maya Angelou
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| Department Spotlight:
School Culture & Climate
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What: During the first two weeks of the 2023-2024 school year, all Saint Louis Public Schools will engage in “Culture Camp” where principals, teachers and staff members prioritize social and emotional learning (SEL), trauma-informed and team and relationship-building practices to establish a positive school and classroom culture and climate that fosters a sense of safety, inclusivity, and belonging for students.
How: School-based staff will be provided a repository of resources, lesson plans and activities to assist in making connections and building relationships with students, and establishing systems, procedures and routines to explicitly teach these concepts and skills that support the beginning-of-year classroom setup. Culture Camp activities and strategies should be embedded during academic instruction.
Why: Engaging in Culture Camp activities is the foundation that sets the tone for the school year that allows for relationship-building and the fostering of safe and nurturing learning environments. There may be nothing more important in a child’s life than a positive and stable relationship with a caring adult. For students, a positive connection to at least one schoo1 adult – whether a teacher, counselor, sports coach, or other school staff member – can have tremendous benefits that includes reduced bullying incidents and out-of-school suspensions, lower dropout rates, and improved social emotional capacities. One of the best ways to build healthy relationships with students is to build trust with them by taking an interest in and supporting them; when students feel supported, they are more eager to engage in learning.
Resources: www.slps.org/culturecamp
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Goal: For our scholars to be well, and for our schools to be well-resourced, we must build adult-capacity to create enabling conditions within our Culture & Climate Teammates!
Theme: Strategically Getting Back To The Basics!
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Culture & Climate Professional Development
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Full-Day District Professional Development ~ 8 am – 3:30 pm
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- August 15 – 17, 2023
- September 22, 2023
- October 13, 2023
- March 8, 2024
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Full-Day Monthly Professional Development: Every 1st Thursday ~ 8 am – 3:30 pm
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- September 7, 2023
- October 5, 2023
- November 2, 2023
- December 7, 2023
- January 4, 2024
- February 1, 2024
- March 7, 2024
- April 4, 2024
- May 2, 2024
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For more information regarding School Culture & Climate, please contact Casetta Brown, School Culture & Climate Coordinator - Casetta.Brown@slps.org
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| Department Spotlight:
Professional Development
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SLPS Leadership Academies
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The SLPS Leadership Academies’ applications and registration forms are READY! Deadline dates are listed with each academy.
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The New School Leaders (NSL) Academy is designed to be an on-boarding tool with continuous individualized support for newly identified school-based leaders. New school leaders are those principals new to the role as well as those new to their context. Please complete the registration form by September 1, 2023 COB. New Central Office Leader (NCOL) is designed to support those new to their Central Office role in building their practice and skill around personal leadership, change management, and supporting growth in your staff. https://forms.office.com/r/GqUKG1Si5W
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The Assistant Principal and Dean (APD) Academy was created for those currently in a school-based leadership evaluative role that are called to implement results-oriented strategies and grow in instructional leadership through action projects. Please complete the registration form by September 5, 2023 COB. https://forms.office.com/r/LgpFLz6NBe
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Level-Up Aspiring Leaders (LU) Academy was designed for All SLPS certified staff that have an interest in moving up in their careers at the district and school level. Excludes those APs and Deans who are more aligned to the AP&D Academy. Must have 3 years as a certified classroom teacher. This is the only academy that will require a short application in Nimble. Nimble Application will be available by August 14, 2023.
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We are so excited to partner with you in your leadership journey!
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Summer Leadership Institute (SLI)
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Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) 2023 took place July 17-27, 2023 at Stevens Middle School (one of our previously closed schools that we have repurposed as a dedicated teaching and learning space).
SLI 2023 built upon the previous SLI theme of “From Surviving to Thriving” in 2022. In keeping with thriving as the goal and an opportunity to (re)define who we are as a district and cohort of continuous learners, we reviewed PD data from the past school year and identified the theme “Thriving: The Why, The What, & The How” for our work together this school year.
Departments and programs under the Academics umbrella presented sessions that aimed to address a variety of learning and teaching topics, anchored in cultural relevance and 21st century skills. The two-weeks of SLI were organized as follows:
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SLI 2023 Week One: Operations Week (July 17-20, 2023):
Many of our Central Office departments presented information, in half-day learning sessions, that leaders needed to begin the school year with a strong focus on equitable and effective systems. We had a visiting presenter from Abl Schools that focused on “Equity-based Strategic Scheduling.” Human Resources had the only full-day for their presentations that covered legal, employee relations, and SLPS policies.
SLI 2023 Week Two: Academics Week (July 24-27, 2023):
This week of learning and teaching began each day with a welcome from our new superintendent, Dr. Scarlett, who invited participants on a journey to learn more about her, her WHY, and her vision for the work ahead. We had several breakout session speakers from the St. Louis context that have a proven record of supporting our SLPS community. Additionally, we engaged keynote and visiting speakers who addressed topics that leaders requested via interest surveys. We curated a line-up of ‘heavy hitters’ in the national education ecosystem: Roy Hall, Jr., Dr. Steven Jones, Dr. Artika Tyner, Dr. Sheldon Eakins, and Dr. Almitra Berry.
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The Professional Development Department is excited about the upcoming Districtwide Professional Learning that will occur during the 2023-2024 School Year. Sessions hosted by Central Office will be held from 8-11 AM. Lunch and work time is 11AM-12:30 PM, and you will resume sessions hosted by Central Office at your respective sites from 12:30-3:30 PM. All staff should report to their respective sites for Professional Development in person. Please access the Professional Development Brochure here to take note of your specific cohort and meeting location:
Professional Development Brochure (2023-2024).docx
In an effort to plan and prepare for Central Office led Professional Development/Professional Learning for the 2023-2024 school year, all staff should be signed-up for a Professional Development Cohort for this school year. Please access your Frontline Account to sign up for your respective Professional Development Cohort (which you will be in for the entire school year). If you still need to get a Frontline Account for the 2023-2024 School Year, please send an email request with your name, school, role, and cohort selection to Kimberly Swenson, kimberly.swenson@slps.org.
We have nearly 70 different cohorts of specific learning outcomes for all district staff. We look forward to a dynamic teaching and learning process in an effort to prepare us all to impact student achievement!
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For more information regarding Professional Development, please contact Dr. Latisha Smith, Director of Professional Development - Latisha.Smith@slps.org
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Curriculum Matters, a “community of educators who advance student outcomes through dynamic, open, professional collaboration around curriculum and instruction”, hosted a conversation with Dr. Alfred Tatum concerning his latest research on advanced reading and writing for Black boys. We invite you to listen to the conversation wherein specific questions are posed about Dr. Tatum’s approach to developing high impactful literacy experiences for Black boys in the elementary grades.
This conversation centers on, “fresh evidence presented in his new book, Teaching Black Boys in Elementary Grades” on how to create a positive literacy trajectory for underserved black boys in the elementary classroom. Although Dr. Tatum’s research has focused on the study of Black male adolescents, he acknowledges that his approaches are equally relevant for Black girls. From his research, Dr. Tatum has developed an instructional model that begins with the cultural lineage and includes a multi-dimensional reading model that expects advanced reading and writing for all students.
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Our Elementary Reading Intervention Teachers have engaged in professional development with Dr. Tatum for the past several years. In partnership with the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL), Dr. Tatum has been a featured speaker and trainer for SLPS teachers who were enrolled in the certification program for reading specialists. In addition, Dr. Tatum continues to provide professional development for the Elementary Reading Intervention Teachers of St. Louis Public Schools. Over the course of this school year, our Elementary Reading Intervention Teachers will continue to engage in professional Development with Dr. Tatum in order to gain a deeper understanding of how to apply strategies and approaches that support advanced reading and writing for all students.
Dr. Alfred W. Tatum, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs of Metropolitan State University of Denver, is a leading authority and one of the nation’s prominent education scholars of African American boys’ literacy development. He is also a program author of myView Literacy, the core curriculum literacy resource uses in the elementary grades of St. Louis Public Schools.
In the Zoom chat below, Yvette Stewart hosted an open conversation with Dr. Alfred Tatum and the Curriculum Matters community on how we foster advanced levels of reading and writing for Black boys – and for all children.
Learn more about the conversation here: curriculummatters.org/2021/12/01/teaching-black-boys-in-elementary-grades-a-conversation-with-dr-alfred-tatum/
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For more information regarding Literacy in SLPS, please contact Dr. Kay Royster, Literacy/
Reading Specialist - Kay.Royster@slps.org
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Department Spotlight:
Curriculum and Instruction
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Social Studies Standards-Based Curriculum Plans have been enhanced with Experiential Learning Activities. Experiential Learning allows scholars to participate in engaging activities that have a real-world basis. These activities help scholars connect what they are learning to prior knowledge and apply it to new situations or problems. Experiential learning activities may include, but are not limited to, classroom activities, hands-on laboratory experiments, and field trips; filed exercises, service learning, internships, practicums, and even opportunities to study abroad. Please check your Social Studies Standards-Based Curriculum Plans for Experiential Learning lessons. K-5 educators will find activities linked to scheduled field experiences while 6-12 educators will have access to the Beable Future Readiness Program featuring the World of Work. Additionally, Beable programming will support the ongoing development of Individual Career & Academic Plans (ICAP) for each scholar in grades 6-12.
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SLPS Lesson Plan Template
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The C&I team encourages every SLPS teacher to use the SLPS Lesson Plan Template to plan your daily instruction. Lesson plans serve as a guide to support teachers with the delivery of instruction, establish instructional pacing, set clear goals and outcomes, and plan for differentiation based on scholar data. The SLPS lesson plan design embraces the 5E Instructional Model. The 5Es represent five stages of a sequence for teaching and learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend (or Elaborate), and Evaluate. Please find links to the updated Lesson Plan Template and Guide Book below:
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The SLPS Curriculum Committee
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The Curriculum Committee plays a central role in the St. Louis Public Schools delivery of a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum. Entrusted with the reviewing and providing feedback on Curriculum and instruction resources and protocols, the Curriculum Committee meets once each month during the school year. If you are interested in joining the Curriculum Committee, please complete the form linked HERE.
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For more information regarding Curriculum and Instruction, please contact Dr. Kimberly Moody, Director of Curriculum and Instruction - Kimberly.Moody@slps.org
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- Dr. Esther Palsenberger, Elementary ELA, 314-779-5939
- Judine Keplar, Secondary ELA, 314-532-6427
- Zehra Khan, Secondary Math, 314-532-3574
- J. Carrie Launius, Elementary Science, 314-934-5258
- Dr. Valentina Bumbu, , 573-544-6835
- Dr. Glenn Barnes, Social Studies, 314-934-5267
- John Grapperhaus, Visual Arts, 314-934-5320
- Kaye Harrelson, Performing Arts, 314-934-5445
- Dr. Taresa Wright-Fraser, Elementary Math, 314-943-5266
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