Academic Office Newsletter

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.   

The Emerging Leaders Conference, scheduled for June 27-30, 2020, encourages Missouri youth to become engaged in the legislative process. Divided into two parts — civic engagement and college access — this conference in Columbia, MO, gives students an opportunity to build leadership skills. The program is open to all rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grade Missouri high school students. Transportation will be provided. Click HERE for a flyer in English. Click HERE for a flyer in Spanish. Please share with students!

The Payroll Department will engage in a full day of professional development on Thursday, Feb. 20. The office will be closed. Any questions, please contact your payroll specialist.

Mad City Money Financial Reality Simulation is an experiential learning program for high school-age students based on Mad City Money, a hands-on financial simulation developed by the Credit Union National Association.

Participants develop financial skills by getting a taste of the real world as they take on the role of an adult. Please share this flyer with students! 

This event is sponsored by the Delta Sigma Theta St. Louis Alumnae Chapter.

A few issues back, we shared information about an essay contest for 3rd graders sponsored by the Harris-Stowe State University Athletic Department. The topic was the importance of teamwork, and the competition was part of the department's "Take a Kid to the Game Day" festivities. We are excited to announce Farragut student Zakayiah Newton wrote the winning essay! She enjoyed participating in "Take a Kid to the Game Day" last Saturday. Congratulations, Zakayiah and Farragut Elementary!

“Nobody knows ahead of time how long it takes anyone to learn anything.” - Dr. Yung Tae Kim

“All children can learn.” We repeat this phrase without a second thought, but do we really behave as though we believe this? Our shift to Standards-Based Learning and Grading is centered on a shift from talking about teaching to talking about learning. As teachers we are charged with making sure students learn. An important component of being Standards-Based is that we differentiate instruction, so all children are able to find their own path to mastery. We need to change our thinking from “grades are finite and tell children how they did” to “grades are ongoing feedback that helps students know what they need to do.” If learning is allowed to occur at a faster or a slower rate than predicted, we are being responsive and demonstrating that we believe all children can learn ... in their own time.   

Standards-Based Learning and Grading is the belief that all children can learn and the science of making sure the systems and structures allow them to do so. To listen to Rick Wormeli, author of Fair Isn’t Always Equal talk about Standards-Based Practices, click HERE.

The Curriculum Team will be reaching out to those who have expressed interest, through the survey, in leading in this work. If you hope to be a part of the movement, complete this survey expressing your interest.

Come back to the Academic Office Newsletter each week for updated information about the SLPS journey from TEACHING to LEARNING in a Standards-Based Learning System.

McKinley National History Day Projects: Dr. Debbie Schmidt at McKinley High has been working with her students on developing presentations for the National History Day competition taking place in St. Louis on Feb. 29. Students in her classroom are designing presentations, which involve research, design and the sharing of information on a selected topic. This year's theme is “Breaking Barriers in History.” A few of the presentations can be seen here:

Elementary Social Studies Supporting Other Subjects: One of the common refrains that I hear from schools and teachers is that there is not enough time for social studies. Social studies is wrapped into reading time or ELA. Please know that the skills of social studies are discreet and a form of literacy as well. In addition, every school needs to be teaching social studies. Units are on the Intranet. In Amanda Boxx’s class at Ames VPA, she is following the curriculum units and having her students engage in academic writing. Her students are learning about the events of the American Revolution, while also developing timelines and writing newspapers about the events. Doing timelines can help with math skills, especially as students plot data. In addition, the newspaper example can further discussion on an author’s purpose and perspective in ELA. Lessons on the geography of the area are also a natural conversation starter for science class when discussing weather, erosion and climate.