Academic Office Newsletter

Teaching Reconstruction: Teacher Workshop for Middle and High School History Teachers: FLYER

Reconstruction is one of the most misunderstood eras in American history. Broadly defined as the period immediately following the end of the Civil War, Reconstruction saw the United States undergo fundamental changes to its legal, economic, and social structure that remain relevant today. For the first time in American history, Congress actively worked to establish the concept of "civil rights" in American law. And yet, most schools struggle to fit this history into their curricula.

In this one-day workshop designed for middle and high school history teachers, Park Ranger Nick Sacco will take participants on a tour of Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, discuss the complex history of the Reconstruction Era, and work with participants to develop appropriate classroom activities for students.

This workshop is open to middle and high school history teachers. Free registration is required. Call 314-842-1867 x229.

The Ferguson-Florissant School District in partnership with Blueprint4SummerSTL is hosting a Summer Camp Fair in the McCluer North gymnasium on March 7, 2020 from 10am to 2pm. Last year's event had more than 1,200 participants and 65 camp vendors from around the metro area, providing information and applications for summer camps, jobs, internships, service projects and scholarships. Please share the 2020 Summer Camp Fair info with your families and ask that they register (for free) on EVENTBRITE to take advantage of this resource. Click HERE for a flyer.

Listed below are the upcoming assessments through the end of the school year.  Please refer to the dates to make sure that you are assessing all students to be included during the appropriate timeline.

WHO: High school students interested in learning about the actuarial field. An actuary is a business professional who analyzes the financial consequences of risk. Actuaries use mathematics, statistics and financial theory to study uncertain future events, especially those of concern to insurance and pension programs. 

WHAT: An informational day with presentations by RGA (Reinsurance Group of America) actuaries and opportunities for Q&A

WHEN: Thursday, April 9th, 2020, 9:30am-1pm

WHERE: RGA Headquarters, 16600 Swingley Ridge Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017

If you have any questions or would like to reserve your spot, please contact kelsie.klingenberg@rgare.com or 636-736-2313 by Thursday, April 2. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP as we have limited spaces available*.

*Due to limited amount of space, we ask that field trips be limited to 12 or fewer students. Number of field trips in attendance will also be limited.

The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum is hosting a free interactive teacher workshop in collaboration with the The Griot Museum called Facing History: Building Equitable Classrooms that is free and open to all educators, grades 4 and up. 

Register at kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu/facinghistory by Saturday, March 7. Click HERE for a flyer with additional details. 

Artwork pictured: Glenn Ligon (American, b. 1960), Untitled (Two White/Two Black), 1992.

The 2020 Bright Futures Scholarship program from Bright Horizons is open and accepting applicants! The scholarship is a great way to encourage high school seniors, two and four year college/university, and graduate students enrolled in accredited colleges or universities in the United States to continue pursuing their dreams of teaching young children

Bright Horizons is offering financial assistance for students in the early childhood field, focusing on the education of children ages 6 and under. High school, 2 and 4 year college/university and graduate students enrolled in accredited colleges or universities in the United States are eligible. Please review the eligibility requirements before starting your application.

To learn more visit www.brighthorizons.com/bright-futures. The application deadline is May 15, 2020.

Per the USDA, all foods sold at school during the school day are required to meet nutrition standards. The Smart Snacks in School regulation applies to foods sold a la carte, in the school store, vending machines, and any other venues where food is sold to students. Schools should not sell food to students during the school day.

Here are some additional reminders to help your school stay in compliance: 

For more information, contact Ms. Albert-Santiago.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

The Finance Department will soon begin the end-of-year process as it pertains to Fiscal Control deadlines. Please click HERE to see all deadline information.

If the Fiscal Control Office can assist you in any way, please contact Beverly Foster at 314-345-2493 for Accounts Payable related issues, and contact Ronnie Martindale at 314-345-2389 for all other issues.   

Wednesdays are now Winning Wednesdays at Roosevelt High School. Staff and students have designated hump day as the day they will come to school dressed professionally.

Along with looking sharp, dressing professionally has positive psychological effects on self-esteem, self-confidence, self-worth and social skills. It likely also leads to some friendly competition! Learn more HERE and HERE about this phenomenon called the enclothed cognition effect, and stop by Roosevelt on Wednesdays to see the students and staff in action!

The Stanford History Educator’s Group has released a new resource that would be extremely beneficial for middle and high school students. When we talk about literacy, we tend to focus on the ability to make sense of information in a written format. What about in a visual format? Literacy is encompassing of many skills, and the SHEG Civic Online Reasoning addresses many of those skills. Students are able to examine the many aspects of bias in the news, deciding on the worthiness of information contained on the internet, and finally the skill of lateral reading. The goal of the program is to make students (and adults) more critical of the information they consume. As Sam Wineburg said, “We are turning students loose on the information superhighway, let’s at least make sure they have a license to drive.” By developing research skills and a keen eye to discern real from fake, we are strengthening our students and our country. Civic Online Reasoning resources come with lessons and videos to reinforce these concepts. The best part is that all of this is free.