Highlights Pattonville A top-tier district in Missouri and the U.S.
School news for parents, residents and staff of the Pattonville School District
October/November 2018
Inside
Speech and debate team earns national recognitions - See page 6 for details
Two elementary schools earn state recognition for positive behavior programs
- See page 7 for details
HOMECOMING 2018 HPirate fans celebrated undreds of Pattonville
Pattonville is an award-winning public district in St. Louis County, Missouri. The district is fully accredited by the state and is recognized for academic success on the regional, state and national level.
Our Mission That ALL will learn.
Pattonville School District 11097 St. Charles Rock Road St. Ann, MO 63074-1509
Dr. Tim Pecoraro Superintendent
Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1 St. Ann, MO
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Jeanne Schottmueller, President Andrea Glenn, Vice President Dr. Brian Gray, Secretary Mary Kay Campbell, Treasurer Ruth Petrov, Director Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell, Director Mindy Ridings, Director
homecoming with two days of activities on Oct. 12 and 13. The weekend included a football game, K-8 fun run, parade, food trucks, face painting and a student dance. Above, members of the Pattonville color guard march during the homecoming parade. At right, Holman Middle School’s Pacman-themed float won the best elementary/middle float trophy. For more photos, see the back page of this newsletter or go online at events.psdr3.org.
From the Superintendent
Dr. Tim Pecoraro Superintendent
Laying the groundwork for personalized learning
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t’s fall and that means the school year is in full swing. We just wrapped up a great homecoming week that included large, enthusiastic crowds for the football game and homecoming parade. It was wonderful to see so many people fill the streets for our new parade route and enjoy food trucks, face painting and visiting with one another. Our schools are moving full steam ahead with the implementation of our strategic plan. In the area of teaching and learning, we continue to develop plans to make our schools more focused on personalized learning. As I mentioned in my previous message, personalized learning simply reflects our belief that there’s more than one way for students to demonstrate understanding on defined learning. We have a committee of more than 60 community members, parents, staff and students who are working on creating what personalized learning will look like in our schools. There are three ways we’re approaching our work around personalized learning. First, through competency-based learning. This work is designed to identify the most important skills students need to know and be able to do as they work their way through Pattonville. We want our system to be seamless and transparent to students and parents. Everyone should know exactly what we expect from our students, how we’re going to measure their progress and how we’ll report that progress to parents. The second approach is the creation of learner profiles for each one of our students. Our goal is to know as much as possible about every student. How best do they learn? What motivates them? Are there factors outside of school that might impact their learning? Students and parents will play a significant role in the creation of these plans. Learning should always start at the student level and be focused on the needs of each individual child. We’re currently researching different models and will pilot learner profiles with a small number of students. The final area that makes up personalized learning is systemic innovation by design. Through this work, individual schools will have an opportunity to innovate and create learning spaces that are geared to what our students need to be successful while in Pattonville and after graduation. We’re preparing students for careers that in many cases don’t yet exist. That’s why it’s important to make adjustments to how our schools function. We do many things very well and we plan to continue doing those, but we also know that there’s more we can and must do to ensure our students are ready once they leave PHS. Whether they’re off to college or vocational school, or working in a trade or the military, we want to make certain they’ve received the best possible support to be successful in life. This is an exciting time in Pattonville. Together, we’re creating what our schools will look like for the future.
Outstanding board award, district successes translate into invitation to share knowledge with leaders statewide S
everal representatives from the Pattonville School District shared their expertise with school board members across the state at the annual Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) conference held in conjunction Pattonville board members with the Missouri Asattended and presented at the sociation of School AdministraMSBA conference. Shown are, tors (MASA). left photo, from left, board members Mindy Ridings, Ruth Petrov, The Pattonville Board of EducaAndrea Glenn, Jeanne Schotttion was invited to present at MSBA mueller and Dr. Amanda Lienau after earning the Missouri OutstandPurnell. Shown above are board ing Board Award in the category of members Dr. Brian Gray, left, and Mary Kay Campbell. At left, suclimate, culture and organizational perintendent Dr. Tim Pecoraro, efficacy. Board president Jeanne left, and Pattonville senior Will Schottmueller, board treasurer Mary Polster present a workshop on Kay Campbell and board director community engagement and strategic planning. Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell led a workshop on how the board supports a district culture of high expectations and a positive learning environment that contributes to student success. A presentation on community engagement and school improvement was given by Schottmueller, Pattonville superintendent Dr. Tim Pecoraro, Pattonville High School senior Will Polster and assistant superintendent for human resources Dr. Barry Nelson. The team shared how more than 250 community members, parents, students and staff came together to update the district’s strategic plan and provided ideas on how boards could engage the entire community to make the school improvement process more meaningful. Ron Orr, Pattonville’s chief financial officer, co-presented a session titled “Turning Over Rocks to Find Money.” Orr joined Paul Harrell, a board member from the North Kansas 74 School District, and Ryan Terry, business development manager at Navitas, for a roundtable discussion on finding savings and solving facilities and maintenance challenges through improved energy efficiency. Dr. Matt Goodman, lead researcher for Pattonville, presented a session on the Missouri Assessment Partnership (MOAP). In November 2017, a group of Missouri school districts formed the partnership to work together to improve assessment practices. Since then, more than 50 districts have agreed to work together to conduct fieldwork and inquiry and become an independent voice to provide an informed response on student learning.
School board candidate filing opens Dec. 11
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iling for positions on the Pattonville School District Board of Education begins at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 11 and ends at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. Persons interested in running for a position on the Pattonville school board may file in the superintendent’s office located at the Pattonville Learning Center, 11097 St. Charles Rock Road in St. Ann. Two positions are available with three-year terms during the April 2, 2019 election. Board members whose terms are expiring are Mary Kay Campbell and Ruth Petrov. After opening filing day, filing will continue Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Except for the first and last day of filing, filing will not occur on days that the school district’s central offices are closed due to inclement weather. Candidates should call (314) 213-8001 to inquire if offices are open. Filing will also not occur on the following holidays and breaks, when the superintendent’s office will be closed: Dec. 24, 2018 through Jan. 1, 2019.
ALUMNI SUCCESS
Luke Arens and Peter Jodlowski, Class of 2008 - Arens and Jodlowski worked on a video for the St. Louis Blues that earned an Emmy Award at the Mid-America Chapter Regional Emmy Awards. The video “Blues Go Marching In” won an Emmy for Program Promo in Sports. Arens is a Nashville-based producer, songwriter, mixer, re-mixer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist who produces content for the St. Louis Blues and works with numerous nationally known recording artists and popular TV shows. For Find out more: alumni.psdr3.org the Emmy-winning video, he produced the music for an updated version of “When the Blues Go Marching In.” Jodlowski was a full-time editor for the St. Louis Blues as part of their in-house production team, Blue Note Productions, when he worked on the video. He worked for the Blues for three seasons beginning in 2014 before taking a role as video editor at JMills Entertainment, a motion picture studio and film agency in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Graduates in the news
Bob Benben, retired Pattonville athletic director - Benben recently published a book titled, “The Story of an Old School Coach: A Legendary High School Coach’s Stories.” Find out more at coachbenner.net.
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Our Learners Spotlight on
News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville
PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
At left, Collyn Garmon makes pesto in his food science class with ingredients harvested from the garden maintained by the applied science and technology class. Below, members of the applied science class collaborate to make the garden’s irrigation system more efficient.
Professional learning journey turns into collaboration with applied science, food classes T
his year, Pattonville High School teachers are on a learning journey that’s personal. They are developing their own personal learning profiles and establishing goals and plans for their own education as a way to better understand how to work with their students in doing the same. It’s all part of the Pattonville School District’s plan to enhance personalized learning in its classrooms, an approach that makes learning more customized to each individual learner. “This year PHS teachers are beginning to take a deeper dive into personalized learning by doing their own personalized learning journey,” said assistant principal Odetta Smith. “Each teacher fills out a staff personalized learning plan, then we give teachers time to work on their plans on Thursdays during professional development time.” Teachers, counselors and librarians have been working individually or collaborating with other departments on their plans. In just the first few months of school, students are seeing the benefits of this approach. One of the most noticeable collaborations developed between science teacher Amy Schwendemann and family and consumer science teacher Janet Kuhn. Schwendemann set a personal learning goal for the year to develop cross-curricular lessons for her applied science and technology class and Kuhn’s food science class. Last year, Schwendemann’s applied science students designed and constructed a greenhouse, built 16 raised planting beds, implemented an irrigation system and planted and harvested summer produce. Fresh produce from the garden was designated for the school’s Packs Helping Students program, which provides weekend food for students in need. This year, the class is working to improve the irrigation system; add a composting area; add more cool and warm weather produce to their plantings; incorporate hydroponics (growing plants in sand, gravel or liquid instead of soil) to extend the growing season from October to April; and work with the food science class to preserve the produce they grow so it can be distributed year-round as needed for the backpack program. Schwendemann said the collaboration between the two educators and their classes enables the teachers to learn to become better communicators across subjects, and for students to understand how different disciplines are connected. The classes have already jumped into action. The food science class used peppers and tomatoes from the garden to make pepper jelly and tomato jam, products that most had never heard of. Students in both classes sampled the end product after a bit of hesitation. “They didn’t want to try it,” Schwendemann said, but once they did, “about 98 percent of them loved it.” Kuhn said the students have been determining the best ways to preserve different foods, such as pickling, jelly, tomato sauce, purees, soups and spices. “It’s really fun to see their wheels spinning,” she said.
She also added a farm-to-table unit to her classes to support students’ learning on the topic. The teachers are pursuing grant funds to purchase a dehydrator to help extend the life of the food. They, along with their students, are dreaming up different ideas for how to present their harvest, from dehydrated soup packets to fruit leather (similar to Fruit Roll Ups). “We’re still learning and experimenting right now,” Schwendemann said. And improvising. Without a dehydrator, students are experimenting on the best location to air dry peppers. They’re trying different locations that have variations in air flow, temperature or humidity levels, and then weighing them before and during the drying process to see which location and conditions are ideal. Students are also teaching each other. Schwendemann took her students to the St. Louis Science Center to learn about composting and different compost materials, and her students in turn shared their learning with Kuhn’s class. “My kids did a presentation to her kids on composting so they can start saving their food scraps,” Schwendemann said. “Then, once we learn about hydroponics, we will take our learning to them.” The food science students are coming up with recipes and may even begin saving seeds to plant in the garden. “We just have so many ideas,” Kuhn said. “Every day we come up with something new.”
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REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL
Staff give students’ fitness challenge a try R
emington Traditional School staff are getting a chance to walk a mile in their students’ shoes - or, more accurately, run. Each year, students in third- through eighth-grades throughout Pattonville participate in biannual fitness testing in challenges ranging from pushups, the sit and reach and the mile run. The program, however, can be used for people of any age, which got physical education teacher Denise Grimshaw thinking. She proposed the idea of Remington staff participating in the challenge, and the idea took off. About 25 staff members chose to participate. Grimshaw and physical education teacher Mike McKeon stayed before and after school for staff to be assessed. Each staff member has a card to record their scores, which they will use in the spring to compare their results. “The staff are enjoying the personal challenge, friendly competition and the connection with their students,” she said. “Everyone is working hard, we are laughing and supporting each other.” Staff participating in the tests have also encouraged students to take the challenges seriously. One of the hardest challenges, the pacer, has students and staff sharing their experiences, often commiserating over how difficult it was. Grimshaw has also appreciated seeing students come by the gym to watch the staff doing their tests - not only is it another way for them to connect with the staff, but it’s an opportunity for students to see adults doing physical activity. “Students know a lot of their teachers are doing the same tests they do and they feel like they want to compete against them,” Grimshaw said. “All of this combined helps to increase student achievement, enhanced connections with their teachers and improve self-esteem. I’m so thankful to work in a district where the staff work well together to help students. They will run a mile for them!” Shown below, instructional specialist Leah Schnatmeier, kneeling left, and occupational therapist Melanie Wagner, kneeling right, take instructions from Grimshaw during their fitness assessment as Eric Johnson waits in the wings for his turn.
Spotlight on Our Learners
DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM
Preschoolers learn about dental health D
elta Dental visited the Pattonville Early Childhood Center for the center’s first school assembly, titled “The Land of Smiles.” The preschoolers enjoyed learning about good dental hygiene from the Tooth Wizard and the Tooth Fairy. They brushed their teeth, flossed, rinsed with mouthwash and got rid of yucky plaque. Above, preschooler Sam Joy uses a very large toothbrush to demonstrate how to brush a tongue as part of the mouth-cleaning process.
Students celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month S
tudents at Drummond Elementary School cheered - and even sang along - as their classmates sang during an assembly honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 through Oct. 15). The month is set aside to recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the group’s heritage and culture. Drummond’s main celebration was a school-wide assembly where students shared information about the Hispanic and Latino cultures, performed songs and dances and celebrated renowned people. Students in fifth grade choreographed and performed a dance to the song “La Bamba,” a Mexican folksong. Another group sang “La Cucaracha,” about a cockroach. Sisters Karen Vargas Garcia, a kindergartner, and Esmeralda Vargas, a third-grader, performed a traditional dance from El Salvador (shown above), and Pattonville High School sophomore Oneyda Nolasco sang “Valiente,” a song from an Argentinian TV show. In addition to the assembly, students celebrated throughout the month in their classrooms. Older English learner students used their research and writing skills to create posters celebrating famous Hispanic or Latino people. Drummond’s art teachers introduced Hispanic-themed art projects, including folk art projects and clay puppets. Students also got their hands on new books thanks to a grant from the school’s PTO. Drummond purchased fiction and nonfiction books - some written in both English and Spanish - for the school.
ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Older students take lead on teaching expectations F ourth and fifth-graders at Rose Acres Elementary School took the lead in teaching their younger classmates about using the “Seven Habits” to be successful in the classroom, on the playground and elsewhere in school. Rose Acres is a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. The Leader in Me program is based on Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and teaches leadership and life skills to students while creating a culture of student empowerment based on the idea that every child can be a leader. During Rose Acres’ recent DEAL (Drop Everything And Lead) time, fourth-graders taught behavior expectations in the different areas of school using lesson plans they developed themselves, including skits, direct instruction and Q & A. In preparing for their lessons, some groups interviewed staff members to find out what was most important to teach about their area. For example, one group interviewed physical education teacher Joe Rehagen about what was most important to teach about recess, while another interviewed office clerk Jennifer Hardin about office expectations. On the day of the presentations, students at all grade levels rotated through different stations to see the lessons. Then, fifth-graders put on an assembly to teach their peers about leadership skills. Fourth-grade teacher Mary Spitzmiller said the day was impactful: “Students teaching students is powerful.” Shown above behind the counter are fourth-graders Reagen Lancaster, left, and Liliana Caldwell going over office expectations.
BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
30 days of books encourages first-grade readers B
ecause reading is fundamental to a student’s academic success, Bridgeway Elementary School first-grade teachers spent the first 30 days of school introducing to their students 30 different books and authors in their classroom libraries. “We want to spark a love for reading by making it fun,” said teacher Nicole Hagedorn. Each day, the teachers read a different book and provided a different activity to match the book. Activities ranged from doing a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Cat in the Hat stacking challenge (shown here with Taylor Krafft, left, and Leairah Jones) to creating pigeon hats to celebrate Mo Willems, a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator who has been awarded three Caldecott Honor, including one for his book “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!” Teachers sent home a calendar with a schedule of the books they were introducing so families could follow along at home if they wished.
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Spotlight on Our Learners
PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Students learn design process through redesign Student council takes lead on positive behavior S S PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
tudents at Parkwood Elementary School are working on their leadership skills this year thanks to the creation of a new student council and school store. The new initiatives also support the school’s Panther Pride positive behavior program. As part of their duties, Student Council members are in charge of running the school store, which is a rolling cart the students can take to different areas of the school as needed (shown here when it was unveiled during a school assembly). Students earn Panther points for following Parkwood’s school-wide expectations and spend those points at the school store. Students can earn Panther points from both staff and classmates who witness them making good choices and following the expectations. Students track their own points and spend them. Older students are given “registers” to save their points, calculate them and determine their spending. Parkwood held a special assembly and ribbon cutting to announce the new store and program for the year. Students were chosen to represent each grade level on the Student Council, and they are assigned one day a week to help run the school store during the 20 minutes before school starts. The council also meets once a month before school for planning purposes and other leadership opportunities.
tudents in the design modeling/automation and robotics class at Pattonville Heights Middle School learned the design process by redesigning a toy with modifications so a child with cerebral palsy could play with it. The project started with students in Erika Sepanski’s class learning concepts needed to create the toy: sketching, drawing multi-views, calculating volume and surface, etc. Students then worked in teams of three, with each member deciding which modifications they felt were most important. Modifications could include factors such as a size change, change in material used to make the toy or additions to help the user better grasp individual pieces. Once each student completed their modifications and sketches, their team came together and chose the best design of the three using a decision matrix with specific criteria and constraints chosen by the entire class. The winning design for the team was the one with the most points on the decision matrix. The teams then drew the new design, providing both a fully dimensioned multi-view and an isometric drawing showing all of the modifications. The project enabled students to work through the design process step by step and was just the first phase towards a final class project, in which students will create a prototype of an actual toy for a child with cerebral palsy. Shown above, from left, are team members Adrian Hughes, Maya Delgado and Hannadey Yezza.
WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Instruction personalized for English learners W
HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
Science collaboration personalizes learning I
n order to demonstrate inclusion and put personalized learning to work, two seventh-grade science classes at Holman Middle School are teaming up. The essential skills students in Melissa Benefield’s class are joining the students in Teresa Hutti’s sixth-hour science class to create a cooperative learning environment. The two teachers co-teach the class, working together with all of the students to help them learn science concepts. Everyone learns the same curriculum, with students helping each other learn. The idea is that students work together in a cooperative learning environment, where small teams of students with different skills and abilities use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. The goal is to not only include both classes in labs and in peer buddy groups, but to also allow students in the two classes to learn from each other. Another goal of the paired learning is for students to see that everyone can learn, even if they learn differently. Each teacher modifies materials and assessments for their own students’ needs. For example, one class might provide a parallel activity like pre-teaching vocabulary or summarizing information before heading into a lab. This gives every student the chance to succeed in whatever way best benefits their learning. As the year progresses, the classroom changes to adapt to the needs of the lesson and, more importantly, the needs of the students to have a successful learning environment.
illow Brook Elementary School English learner (EL) teachers Maggie Fairless and Michele Hill wanted to make sure their students are benefiting from personalized learning experiences. During the first week of EL classes, students in their fifth-grade classes learned about different learning styles and took a learner survey to help identify how they learn best. Through this experience, the students were able to understand and explain their personal learning style and share the circumstances that led to them being productive learners. Using that student input and data from student test scores, the teachers created a learner profile. A learner profile is a complete picture of the student’s learning preferences and strengths and also identifies the challenges that student may face in learning. Using all of these pieces, the EL teachers conferenced with each student to help them decide on their individual goals for learning English. After creating the profiles, the EL teachers continue to conference with their students on ways the student can actively and productively use their learning styles to help them reach their goal. Fairless and Hill are also working together to design lessons and activities that fit individual learning needs. The two are looking at creating a collaborative space between their classrooms to enable students to have more choice in their learning. In the future, they plan to let students choose between the activities that best fit their personal learning style, working in the classroom with the teacher offering that activity and with students who have similar learning styles. Fairless and Hill have seen such an impact with their fifth-graders, they have started working on learning profiles with their fourth-graders. Shown above are Kevin Ignacio Hernandez, left, and Daniel Akanbi working in their EL class.
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Bragging Writes
Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff
PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL Life-saving assistance
Senior James Lyerla successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver on a fellow student who was choking on a peach during lunch.
Eagle Scout project
Senior Eric Stricklin constructed barricade boards for every classroom at Rose Acres Elementary School as his Eagle Scout project. The boards can be used to quickly barricade a classroom door as part of intruder drill safety training or in the event of an intruder emergency.
James Lyerla
Shown are members of the Pattonville speech and debate honor society in the 20172018 school year.
UMSL Bridge Program
Seven students completed the 2018 Bridge Program Summer Academy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). They are Sheriyah Allen, Natieya Coplen, Jaylen Greenlee, Zoey James, Jeffrey Kircus, Amaris Kirksey and Ayiana O’Neal. During the Bridge Program, students attend daily classes and workshops focusing on college planning. The classes are held at the UMSL campus for a month during the summer.
Pattonville speech and debate team earns two national recognitions T
Eric Stricklin
he Pattonville High School speech and debate team recently earned two national recognitions through the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA). The team was chosen to receive the Leading Chapter Award for the 2017-2018 school year and also earned membership into NSDA’s prestigious 100 Club, an honor achieved by only the Top 20 percent of school speech and debate programs nationwide. The Leading Chapter Award is the highest recognition a speech and debate chapter can achieve in the NSDA honor society and is based on participation. Only one school in each speech and debate district earns this prestigious award every year. From more than 3,600 schools across the country, only around 3 percent of schools are recognized as Leading Chapter Award winners. The Pattonville team will receive its award during the Eastern Missouri NSDA awards ceremony in March 2019. NSDA’s 100 Club is based on a number of criteria. Speech and debate students across the nation earn points and degrees in NSDA’s honor society based on competitive and service-related activities, ranging from the Degree of Merit with 25 or more points to the Degree of Premier Distinction with 1,500 or more points. Pattonville’s chapter achieved a total of 100 or more degrees last year, earning it membership in NSDA’s 100 Club. “This milestone (100 Club) is remarkable because it demonstrates outstanding commitment to teaching students essential life skillsincluding communication, research, listening, writing and organization,” said J. Scott Wunn, NSDA executive director, in a letter to Pattonville speech and debate coach Jennifer Raymond. “The hard work you have invested to achieve this distinction will pay dividends for years to come.”
Statewide College Fair Co-Chair
Michelle Luraschi, the college and career preparation coordinator and counselor at Pattonville High School, was appointed to the executive board of the Missouri Association of College Admission Counselors (MOACAC) as the Statewide College Fair co-chair. The state co-chairs are responsible for coordinating all college fairs for Missouri, which included 11 regional fairs and 92 individual high school fairs this year. Pattonville hosted the North County Regional College Fair, attended by 88 colleges and six high schools, on Sept. 20. This summer, Luraschi also joined the Professional Development Institute of St. Louis Graduates. The institute, held in partnership with EducationPlus, provides free professional development workshops to those advising middle school, high school and college students, particularly those who are from low-income communities, are first-generation college-goers and students of color. This year, Pattonville will host professional development workshops on financial aid, career pathways, finding the right college fit and cultural competency.
State new teacher award
Jennifer Raymond, an English teacher and the speech and debate coach at the high school, was selected as the recipient of the 2018 Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri Board of Governors New Teacher Award during the organization’s recent state conference.
Distinguished Program
Jeffrey Kircus
Amaris Kirksey
Michelle Luraschi
Pattonville High School is one of two high schools in the region chosen to receive the Distinguished Program Award by the St. Louis Suburban High School Athletic and Activities Association. Each year the association awards the Commissioners Jennifer Raymond Cup to a high school based on the previous year’s results, including number of conference, district and state championships, team improvement from one year to the next, program growth and number of team sportsmanship awards. For the first time, however, the association also awarded a Distinguished Program Award to two schools that accumulated many points towards earning the Commissioner’s Cup and that are seen as schools on the rise with successful programs. Pattonville and Marquette high schools earned the distinguished awards, while Parkway Central High School earned the Commissioner’s Cup. “I wanted to personally thank all of our students, coaches and volunteers for their hard work and time that they have given to our kids and our programs,” said Bob Hebrank, Pattonville activities coordinator. “The fact that other districts are noticing what we are doing at PHS is very rewarding.” The St. Louis Suburban High School Athletic and Activities Association is comprised of 31 high schools that compete with each other in the St. Louis region.
DATES TO REMEMBER
School Calendar NOVEMBER
• 21 - No school • 22-23 - Thanksgiving holiday (no school)
DECEMBER
• 7 - Middle schools and Remington dismiss at 11:10 a.m., elementary schools at 11:55 a.m. for staff development • 19-21 - High school final exams (dismiss at 10:30 a.m.) • 24-31- Winter Break (no school)
JANUARY • • • • • •
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1 - Winter break (no school) 2 - School resumes for elementary and Remington 2 - No school/report day for middle and high school 3 - School resumes for middle and high school 18 - No school for staff development day 21 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday (no school)
VIEW MORE DATES
bit.ly/PSDcalendar
Bridgeway, Parkwood earn state recognition for school-wide positive behavior programs B Shown are students who participated in the Scott Gallagher soccer clinic for students ages 2 through 14.
COMMUNITY EDUCATION
Scott Gallagher partnership promotes soccer skills T he Pattonville community education department, in partnership with the Scott Gallagher Soccer Club, offered a five-week soccer clinic for Pattonville students ages 2 through 14. Scott Gallagher coaches were on hand at Holman Middle School to help students in several areas of focus: ball-handling skills, developing proper technique, building confidence on the soccer field and physical development. Parents and students alike have commented on how beneficial (and fun) the program has been. Check out Pattonville community education’s website at psdr3.org/services/schoolbusiness/ or the program’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/PSDR3.CommunityEd for more activities for both students and adults.
Students practice what they learned during the after-school soccer program.
Pattonville orchestra director performs with “Game of Thrones” composer P
attonville High School orchestra director Michael Dunsmoor had the rare opportunity to perform with “Game of Thrones” composer Ramin Djawadi during the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience on Oct. 5 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Djawadi served as the conductor for the concert and Dunsmoor was one of 14 violinists performing during the event. “It was an absolutely awesome experience,” said Dunsmoor, who is a union musician and received the call to play for the concert about two weeks before the performance. “It’s an incredibly rare opportunity to play contemporary music (from film/TV) underneath the composer’s own baton, and I am incredibly grateful I was available to play violin.” Pattonville orchestra director Michael Dunsmoor, right, is shown with The sole rehearsal and sound check was held “Game of Thrones” composer Ramin for about two hours during the afternoon of the Djawadi. concert. The orchestra consisted of 14 violinists, five violists, five cellists, three bassists, three French Horns, three bass trombones and members from a Washington University choir. Many of the musicians were members of the St. Louis Symphony or have played for other productions at the Fox Theatre or MUNY, according to Dunsmoor. Dunsmoor was pleased to meet the composer and discuss their shared alma mater. Both graduated from the Berklee College of Music.
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ridgeway and Parkwood elementary schools earned state recognition for their schoolwide programs which promote positive behaviors in the classroom and beyond. Bridgeway earned gold-level recognition and Parkwood earned silver-level recognition for their exemplary impleRuth Petrov, Pattonville’s board representative on the Special mentation of the School District (SSD) Governing Council, left, and SSD superinSchoolwide Positive tendent Dr. Don Bohannon, right, are shown presenting a PBS award to Bridgeway representatives, from left, principal Dr. Bill Behavior Support Casner, teacher Nicole Hagedorn and counselor Taylor Adams. (SW-PBS) program. SW-PBS is an evidence-based, proactive approach to teaching and reinforcing behavioral expectations in order to improve student behavior, maximize instructional time and increase student engagement. SWPBS is a systematic framework that guides creating safer and more effective Parkwood staff are shown accepting an award from Ruth schools by structur- Petrov, left, Pattonville’s board representative on the Special School District (SSD) Governing Council, and SSD superining the learning tendent Dr. Don Bohannon, right. They are, from left, teacher environment to sup- Mallory Hamilton and principal Melissa Yount-Ott. port the academic and social success of all students. It focuses on encouraging positive student behavior, preventing disruptive behavior and tailoring supports to individual student needs. Bridgeway and Parkwood were recognized during the 13th annual Missouri SW-PBS Summer Institute and during a recent recognition hosted by the Special School District (SSD) Governing Council. Schools achieve state recognition after a rigorous review of artifacts that represent the quality of their implementation of SW-PBS interventions, as well as evidence that their use of the program has resulted in improved outcomes for students. Based on their implementation, schools can receive bronze-, silver- or gold-level recognition. Members of Bridgeway’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) committee are counselors Taylor Adams and Kendra Worsham; teachers Amanda Brodbeck, Dan Derby, Keri Gleason, Nicole Hagedorn, Danielle Hamer, Emily Lerman, Vicki Martin, Pam McConnell, Hannah Schneider and Julie Watson; and principal Dr. Bill Casner. Members of Parkwood’s PBIS committee are instructional technology and library clerk Angela Barringhaus; fifth-grade student Journi Guthrie; parent Jerica Walker; teachers Kelley Chestnut, Jaimyn Hacker and Mallory Hamilton; instructional specialist Kim Dannegger; SSD area coordinator LeighAnn Richelman; and principal Melissa Yount-Ott.
PATTONVILLE 2018
Homecoming Hundreds of Pattonville Pirate fans celebrated homecoming during activities on Oct. 12 and 13. The weekend included a football game, K-8 fun run, parade, food trucks, face painting and a student dance.
Above, the Pattonville varsity Pirate football team takes the field. Below, senior Helen Nelson accepts the homecoming queen crown from last year’s queen, Nadia Maddex.
Above, students take off running during the K-8 homecoming fun run. Below, the football team rides in the parade on an antique fire truck provided by the Pattonville Fire Protection District.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS: events.psdr3.org VIEW HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO: bit.ly/PHShomecoming18
Above, the senior Candy Land float won outstanding class float. At left, members of the Pride of Pattonville marching band perform during the homecoming football game. The Pirates lost to Ladue during the game but with a 7-2 record at print time was ranked No. 9 in Class 6 statewide. At left below, members of the varsity drill team keep the crowd cheering during the game. Below, first-grader Flynn Bowers dressed as Mario from the Super Mario games as part of Parkwood Elementary School’s arcade-themed float, which won the outstanding theme award. Other float winners were: Dance Factory for the community float award; Holman Middle School for best elementary/middle school float (see front page); and Pattonville GSA for outstanding high school club/organization/sport float). In addition, the senior class won Spirit Week overall after a weeklong round of class spirit competitions.
“Pattonville Highlights” is published six times annually for residents of the Pattonville School District by the Pattonville Office of School-Community Relations, 11097 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, MO 63074, (314) 213-8025. Website: www.psdr3.org. Email: mschoonover@psdr3.org. To sign up to receive a Pattonville newsletter by email, send your email address to PSDnews@psdr3.org.