September 8, 2022
Issue #4
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We want to send a special scholar spotlight on McKinley Classical Leadership Academy senior, Zachariah Bailey.
Zach recently received the College Board's National Recognition Program Award for outstanding academic achievement on two or more PSAT and/or AP Exams. Zach was also awarded the National African American Recognition Award (NAARA) through College Board's Recognition Program.
A four year honor roll student, Zach has also been a member of the McKinley band for four years. Zach had the opportunity to visit Argentina with the American Field Service International Cultural Program this past summer. In Argentina Zach took classes at a local high school that specializes in electrical, mechanics and chemistry.
After graduating from McKinley, Zach plans to attend college and to study Aerospace Engineering in hopes of becoming a lawyer someday. His dream is to work for Space X.
Congratulations Zach and here's to an amazing senior year at McKinley CLA!
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Network Spotlight: Network 3
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Walbridge Elementary School Storybook Walk
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Thanks to the generosity of members of The Crossing Church, Walbridge received an incredible gift this summer: A Storybook Walk! A Storybook Walk is a fun and innovative way for scholars and their families to enjoy reading and the outdoors! It is designed to promote literacy development and school and community engagement. This display was installed on July 30, 2022, and is located on the lawn area directly in front of the school. The laminated pages of a children’s picture book are enclosed in each of several display stands along the outdoor path as you are guided to the next page in the story. The Storybook Walk will include literature that will be hand-picked by each grade level every 5-6 weeks. The scholars and their teacher will select a picture book that is culturally representative, in addition to one that the class has read and enjoyed. Additionally, the class will provide a set of comprehension and experiential questions that will accompany their selected book. The first featured selection in the Storybook Walk is, “Like Sunshine on an Otherwise Miserable Day” by Walbridge's very own Dr. Kelly M. Byrd. Stop by Walbridge and take a pleasant stroll, look at scenery, and read a great story at the brand-new Storybook Walk!
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Sense of Community and Belonging @ Carver Elementary
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During the 2022-2023 school year, Carver is rolling out a new house system designed to increase sense of community and belonging! Scholars and staff will join one of four houses and compete for the inaugural 'house cup'. All events and activities will focus on school core values of Growth, Respect, Responsibility, Excellence, Attitude, and Truth. The house system is an idea adopted from Ron Clark Academy, located in Atlanta, GA, to give scholars the opportunity to connect across classes and grades that they may not normally have a chance to interact. This helps scholars gain more friendships and create a family-like culture at school. We are so excited here at Carver to get things started with our new system and can’t wait to share the results! Stay tuned for more later this year!
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Monroe: Focusing on Students
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The 22-23 school year has kicked off with many engaging activities at Monroe Elementary, all focused on the scholars.
This past week, scholars with the highest class dojo points were invited to participate in an outdoor “Wing Ding” celebration.
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Thursdays are “Lit”, devoted to literacy across all classrooms at the school. Scholars take extra time to read for learning AND enjoyment. You might even find guest readers in various classrooms bringing books to life.
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A New Logo for Monroe Elementary School
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The Monroe Dragon logo has been redesigned. Staff and students voted on a new design to bring this year to life. The Monroe Staff wishes everyone a great 22-23 School Year!
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For more guidance please contact Dr. Jeanine Zitta, Elementary Network 3 Superintendent - Jeanine.Zitta@slps.org
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CPN Network: Ashland and Meramec
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Congratulations to the CPN schools who advocated for and received a two-year renewal from the Board of Education in July. There is a new CPN board that is being put into place currently that will include teachers from the CPN networks schools! Stay tuned for more.
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- July
- Teacher leadership teams set vision and schedule for year-long professional development.
- August 1-5
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Teachers attended weeklong optional PD to enhance science and social studies materials and to identify pedagogical goals for 22-23 school year. 100% of returning teachers chose to participate
- August 8-17
- Staff led and participated in two-week PD around school culture, reading, writing and math pedagogy.
- Offerings included:
- Staff culture setting
- Writing to improve reading
- Math critical thinking and practice teaching
- Reading unit internalization
- August 22- present
- Teachers meet with coaches for curriculum and data cycles.
- Teams follow a yearly schedule aligned to TLT goals.
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2022-2023 Focus on Mitigating Student Mobility
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Building Stronger Family-School & Community Relationships
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Data from interviews with parents suggested that Family Engagement with the school was a core driver of student stability (i.e. “stayers”).
- These interviews also revealed the top reasons for leaving were:
- Unstable Housing
- Seeking Other Academic Opportunities (including gifted programming)
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Subject Area Spotlight: Visual Arts
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SLPS Visual Arts Scholars Shine
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St. Louis Public Schools continues to make safety priority #1 and is now celebrating the 13th year of the annual Kevin Coyne SAFETY Art Contest.
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We are looking for the input and creativity of our scholars to contribute to the safety effort, and would like all schools to be represented by contest entries.
This year’s theme is "Maintaining Mental Health”
Size: 2D – any size
Medium: All types of 2D media
Eligibility: PK-12
Entry Submission: 4-6 entries from each school are due to be to be delivered to John Grapperhaus at 801 N. 11th St. (2nd floor, Academic Office) by October 21st.
Awards: $50 gift cards. 4 total prizes will be awarded at each grade level group (PK-5, 6-8, 9-12) for the top four art projects.
Exhibit: 801 North 11th Street (Central Office) and in an online gallery.
The contest is sponsored by donors to the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation.
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SLPS Scholar's Artwork Featured in the St. Louis Art Museum
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Jayshawn Washington, a 7th grade scholar at ETS @ Madison, will have his original artwork displayed in the St. Louis Art Museum as a part of the 10th Annual Young Artists Exhibition.
This year's theme is Unfolding Identities. There is an award ceremony, Oct 7, 2022 to honor Jayshawn and the other participants whose artwork was chosen.
Jayshawn's artwork will be on view August 2022 to January 2023 in the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Student Gallery. Go check it out!
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Department Spotlight: College & Career Readiness / Career & Technical Education (CTE)
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College and Career Readiness Academics Update
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Early career exposure is an important step along the continuum of experiences Saint Louis Public Schools has designed for our scholars. Our goal is to engage every grade level in activities that provide scholars to learn about at least 4 different career paths each year. See below for the activities and resources our department can provide for each grade level.
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K-8
Careers on Wheels, Future Trek for 6th Grade, 7th Grade Career Expedition, Individual Career and Academic Plan Assistance and Community College Tours for 8th grade, Junior Achievement Activities for K-8, and Missouri Connections Activities.
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9-12
Each high school is equipped with a College Admissions Specialist/College Adviser. These counselors provide the tools and resources necessary to help scholars navigate and decide on their postsecondary pathway.
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Robotics For Grades 2nd thru 4th
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SLPS is offering FIRST LEGO LEAGUE EXPLORE beginning in January 2023 with scholars, but we need to know who is participating by October 7th! This is an afterschool activity and coaches receive a stipend. NOTE: This is separate from the PK-8 Robotics Pathway.
Below is basic information on the teams.
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- Ages six to ten, Grades 2nd - 4th.
- A team consists of at least two scholars and no more than six.
- SLPS Central Office will cover the costs of supplies, stipend and transportation to the three hour event on a Saturday in March.
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If you want to see click this link to visit the FIRST Lego League YouTube page.
- Questions, or interest contact Elizabeth.bender@slps.org
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Learn and Earn Internship Program
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Learn and Earn is a paid internship for 2nd semester seniors in all SLPS schools. In its first year, School year 2021-2022, Learn and Earn placed over 400 seniors in paid internships making $12/hour while gaining valuable experience as they prepare for the next chapter in their lives. Interns receive Financial Empowerment and Job Readiness Training before as well as real-time job coaching and virtual tax sessions during the internship. Learn and Earn expects up to 600 seniors this year.
Class of 2023 seniors can complete an initial interest form here: Initial Interest Form
Additional information can be found in the Reference Guide located on the website at: https://www.slps.org/Page/69966
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JAG (Jobs for America’s Graduates)
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Jobs for America’s Graduates is a federal program offered at Roosevelt, Sumner and Vashon high schools in SLPS. JAG helps young people of truly great promise succeed both in school and on-the-job, leading to a productive and rewarding career. The JAG National Network has a footprint in 40 states, across 1,550 communities, impacting more than 76,000 youth annually since 1980. Each SLPS program is directed by a JAG Specialist who provides support during participants’ school career as well as after graduation.
You can learn more about the JAG program at https://jag.org/ .
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School Counselors & College and Career Readiness
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School counselors work to maximize scholar success, promoting access and equity for all. They work to create a school culture of success for all.
This school year, all school counselors are working with the College and Career Readiness (CCR) Team in the Academic Office. We are excited to launch two new socio-emotional programs this school year.
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- ReThink Ed is a social/emotional, mental health, and wellness curriculum. It will be implemented in grades K-8 this year. Counselors are the point of contact for this program.
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Sown to Grow is a social-emotional reflection platform that allows students to check in once a week. Students in grades K-12 will participate. The program strives to improve the social, emotional, and academic health for all scholars.
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Career and Technical Education
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Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a department in the College and Career Readiness Division. CTE has 31 pathways and 60 teachers delivering college and career ready courses for over 2,000 scholars. CTE provides two-year programs that offer scholars a unique experience that prepare them to be college and career ready. CTE programs use a variety of methods to enhance the overall CTE experience.
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All CTE programs offered in SLPS have a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO). CTSO’s are critically important extended work-based learning opportunities. There is a CTSO available for scholars under each CTE program. SLPS has the following CTSO’s on its high school campuses: SkillsUSA, DECA, FBLA, and HOSA. CTSO’s provides scholars with the ability to apply hands-on and real world application to their unique career based experience.
Leading up to 2019, less than 20% of scholars participated in CTSO’s. We recognized the need to provide equitable access to scholars, which has led to funding 100% of CTSO participation fees for CTE scholars. With this, the number of scholars competing in regional, state, and national competitions significantly increased. Two years later, in 2022, CTE has had a record number of scholars who have qualified for state and national competitions.
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SY 22 CTSO Highlights & Achievements
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HOSA
1st Behavioral Health – Clower, Jordan
4th Clinical Nursing - Cambell, Madelien
3rd Dental Science - lwaeli, Fatima
4th Forensic Science - Bloch, Henry & Baker, Adriel
9th Human Growth & Development - Thompson, Deja
10th Medical Assisting - Kpae, Gold, 8th Mbow, Mame, Moorhem, Ava
1st Medical Law and Ethics - Flynn, Cecily
2nd Medical Math - Sagan, Zukai
1st Medical Terminology - Vance, Avery
Pathophysiology – 2nd Lee, Yeayoung, 1st Pham, Nhi
Pharmacy Science – 3rd Albhadli, Noor, 2nd Matiker, 1st Ilham, Ong, Chloe
2nd Sports Medicine - Kelly, Gemilla
10th Veterinary Science - Bellew, Hailey
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Barbra James Service Award:
Albhadli, N., Al-Hamdani, Sumaiya, Al-Husseiny, Ali, Al Waeli, Fatima Bker, Adriel, Barber, Rodnita, Behm, Winter, Bellew, Hailey, Bloch, Henry, Buchanan, Raionah, Cambell, Mafeline, Clower, Jordan, Copanas, Owen, Easter, Jayla, Flynn, Cecily, Irfan, Annulnoor, Kelly, Gemilla, Kpae, Gold, Lee, Yeayoung, Matiker, Ilham, Mbow, Mame, Ong, Chloe, Pham, NHI, Phanthavongsa, Kaytlynn, Pohlman, Elijah, Ramirez-Villalvazo, Mariana, Sabah, Maryam, Sagam, Zukai, Shanks, Daiysha, Sierra, Aaliyah, Thompson, Deja, Vance, Avery, Watson, Lucy.
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| Cybersecurity
Devon Woods and Wilfred Osby – 4th place
Danielle Taylor and Jesse Randle – 5th place
Computer Applications
Malik Andrews - 1st place at District and State
Nationals for Malik - 4th place
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FBLA
Increased to 55 members last year
District level accomplishments:
Dominique Baldwin, Amori Sewell, Amyia Wade - 5th place
Jaden Mosby, Donte King - 2nd place
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Camille White FTC - Recognized State
Emille White - Recognized State
Joseph English - State 14th
Tyler Robertson - State 15th
Kalyah Sutton - State 19th
Bernard Williams - State 20th
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Free Educational Resources
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Free Back-To-School Resources
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Here are some free educational resources that may be of interest to you and our families to help make this fall a little easier for everyone.
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Free Educational Resources:
Math at Home: Pre-K to 5th-grade worksheets with interactive problems, organized by topic, like measurement, geometry, division, etc. No login or sign-up is required for this one!
Khan Academy: Probably the most famous of the free resources. You can sign up on their website to get access to different courses, including math, reading & language arts, ACT/SAT/LSAT/MCAT prep, history, social studies, economics, AP classes, and even life skills like personal finance. You get more resources if you create an account, but you can watch YouTube videos even without an account.
Free Tutoring:
Learn to be is a non-profit bringing free, 1-on-1, online tutoring to underserved youth in the U.S. To sign up, a parent or guardian can fill out an online form to match a child with a tutor.
Enrichment (aka fun computer games your kids won't notice are educational):
Funbrain is a website for enrichment for grades 1-8, and resources are separated by grade. They have everything from online books to games like chess and sudoku, videos, a virtual playground, a math zone, and much more — like a virtual game to explore the different planets.
PBS Math Games offers fun games featuring many beloved characters from PBS kids' shows, like Curious George, "Odd Squad" agents, and the gang from "Dinosaur Train."
National Geographic Kids has games and real-world videos and articles about fascinating topics, ranging from the three branches of government to women heroes, crafts, animal LOL and much more.
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Upcoming Days of Recognition
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Constitution Day ( September 17th)
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September 17 is designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787.
The National Archives has many resources, webinars, and lesson plan ideas for Constitution Day
Additional resources for Constitution Day:
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National Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month (September 15-October 15) -
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National Hispanic Heritage Month honors the culture, heritage, and contributions of Hispanic Americans each year. The event began in 1968 when Congress deemed the week including September 15 and 16 National Hispanic Heritage Week to celebrate the contributions and achievements of the diverse cultures within the Hispanic community. The dates were chosen to commemorate two key historic events: Independence Day, honoring the formal signing of the Act of Independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (September 15, 1821), and Mexico’s Independence Day, which denotes the beginning of the struggle against Spanish control (September 16, 1810). It was not until 1988 that the event was expanded to month-long period, which includes El Dia de la Raza on October 12, which celebrates the influences of the people who came after Christopher Columbus and the multicultural, multiethnic society that evolved as a result; Chile’s Independence Day on September 18 (El Dieciocho); and Belize’s Independence Day on September 21.
Additional resources for National Hispanic Heritage Month:
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Curriculum Specialists:
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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, Secondary Science, 573-544-6835
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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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