Highlights Pattonville A top-tier district in Missouri and the U.S.
DECEMBER
School news for parents, residents and staff of the Pattonville School District
2020
Inside
Pattonville ranked as 9th best district in Missouri, top 4% in U.S. - See back page for details
Visit Pattonville’s COVID-19 info hub - See page 2 for details
Academics in a Pandemic
BOARD OF EDUCATION
Pattonville is an awardwinning 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.
In October, middle and high school students who selected in-person learning as their learning choice returned to the classroom for phase 2. Top photo, Holman Middle School English language arts teacher Ryan Shea, right, discusses an assignment on creating and explaining figurative language with sixth grader Kilah Keel. Above, Pattonville High School English teacher Katie Funderburk, left, answers questions from senior Taylor Guiot, center. Also shown is senior Donnie Henderson, right. At right, sixth graders in Kelly Strobel’s science class at Pattonville Heights Middle School mimic yoga poses as they play “Strobel Says” at the end of class. Shown are, from left, Kaylee Dyer, Zoey Clark and Miguel Delgado Chavez.
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
Andrea Glenn, President Dr. Brian Gray, Vice President Mindy Ridings, Secretary Mary Kay Campbell, Treasurer Ruth Petrov, Director Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell, Director Jeanne Schottmueller, Director
From the Superintendent
Pattonville receives CARES Act funding, continues to watch finances impacted by pandemic
Providing a top-notch education amid pandemic T T
he 2020-2021 school year has been one like none of us has experienced in our lifetimes. The pandemic has impacted society, how we live our lives and Dr. Tim Pecoraro how we operate our Superintendent schools. From the Follow on Twitter: onset of COVID-19, @PattonvilleSupt we have worked closely with health professionals when making decisions about our schools. These decisions haven’t been easy. Some people believe we have been too cautious, while others believe we haven’t been cautious enough. We will continue to follow the guidance and direction of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health in the weeks and months ahead. Our teachers and support staff have worked extremely hard to ensure our students continue to receive a topnotch learning experience during these challenging times. Whether that occurs in person or virtually, Pattonville staff are doing everything they can to be creative and make learning enjoyable. We know this year is unique and requires everyone to be flexible. I want to thank our parents and families who have been supportive and true partners during the first semester. As we returned to in-person learning, we implemented a phased-in approach. We started with bringing back our youngest learners and gradually moved to our high school students. I’ve been so impressed with how students have responded to the health and safety guidelines put in place to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our schools. If everyone wears a mask, practices physical distancing and uses good hygiene practices, we can continue with in-person learning. It takes all of us working together and being responsible to accomplish this. This year has reminded me of the importance of being resilient. Our students are experiencing school so much differently than anything they’ve had to do in the past. Yet, they are making the most of the opportunity to interact with others and progress in their learning so they are prepared for next year and beyond. They are taking unfortunate circumstances and making the most of it. No, their 2020-2021 school year is not normal, but they are making memories that will last a lifetime.
he Pattonville School District was awarded $128,000 in CARES Act grant funding from the St. Louis County Department of Public Health in October. The health department awarded $2.3 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to 23 school districts in St. Louis County to help reimburse them for expenses made to fight the spread of COVID-19. Pattonville requested $305,000 and was granted 42% of its requested amount. The district will pursue additional CARES Act reimbursements from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Pattonville previously received $994,000 in federal CARES Act funding Custodian Barbara Boddy cleans a water bottle filling station at Rose Acres Elementary School. Pattonville has used a mixture of operating fund to support its COVID-19 response, and federal grant funding to pay for personal protective equipment (PPE), but the district also lost revenue due to repercussions from the global pandemic. sanitation supplies and equipment and other materials to keep students and staff safe during the global pandemic. Pattonville has seen a decline in revenues that began in March 2020 and will likely continue through the 2020-2021 school year. The district lost $2.1 million in revenue from reduced interest earnings, state sales tax revenue (Proposition C), state Foundation Formula funding, state transportation payments and district fees, tuition and food sales. In addition to the revenue decreases, the district incurred extraordinary personnel and operational expenses to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year. These costs include additional staffing, heating and cooling system expenses, technology to support virtual instruction, personal protective equipment (PPE), sanitation supplies and other materials. Total additional expenses related to COVID-19 are currently estimated at $1.25 million, but may grow higher as the pandemic continues. In addition to CARES Act funding, the district will also receive $10,000 from Waste Connections, the company that operates the Champ landfill. These funds will be used for the purchase of temperature sensing cameras at Pattonville High School. The district will continue to keep careful watch on its revenues and expenditures as it continues to take measures to keep students and staff safe.
Filing for seats on school board open F
iling for positions on the Pattonville Board of Education begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15 and ends at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Persons interested in running for a position on the school board may file at the Pattonville Learning Center, 11097 St. Charles Rock Road in St. Ann. Candidates will be placed on the ballot in order of filing. Two positions are available with threeyear terms during the April 6, 2021, election. Board members whose terms are expiring are Dr. Amanda Lienau Purnell and Jeanne Schottmueller. After opening filing day, filing will continue Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please note these hours are subject to change. Except for the first and last day of filing, filing will not occur on days the district’s central offices are closed due to inclement weather or other emergency reasons. The district may not open on the first and last day of filing if weather conditions make it unsafe for school staff to travel. Candidates should call (314) 213-8001 or email kgordon@psdr3.org 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. 23 through Jan. 4, 2021, and Jan. 18, 2021. Candidates are required to wear a mask while in the building and must observe district infection control policies in force at the time of filing. Please do not come in if you have COVID-19 symptoms or have received a positive COVID-19 test and/ or have been told to quarantine at home. Please plan to file accordingly. Candidates will file in the lobby of the Pattonville Learning Center. Those waiting to file will be assigned a seat which will observe physical distancing guidelines. During filing, a table will be set up with chairs at opposite ends and a plexiglass barrier will be placed in the middle of the table. The filing area, including the table and chairs, will be sanitized between each candidate who files and hand sanitizer will be available. All candidates will receive a new pen for filing. Masks are required to be worn at all times while in the building. A mask will be provided if needed. All candidates will have their temperature taken upon arrival and anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher will not be permitted in the building. For information on qualifications and training requirements, go online at www.psdr3.org/admin/school_board.
•2•
PATTONVILLE COVID-19 INFO HUB Visit Pattonville’s COVID-19 Information Hub website to find updates, the district’s COVID-19 dashboards for students and staff, as well as other resources. The website can be found at bit.ly/PSDReturns2020web
Our Learners Spotlight on
News focusing on students, staff and schools in Pattonville
PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Student band performances get personal S
ince their band students can’t all be in the same room at the same time at Pattonville Heights Middle School, music teachers Abby Hall and Liz Pace created an opportunity for their eighth graders to become recording artists. “Although virtual and hybrid learning doesn’t always lend itself well to group playing, this is the perfect opportunity for students to put their band knowledge to work by creating their own group tracks,” Pace said. Students learned three different parts to a band piece arranged by their teachers and recorded their performances. “We’ve been learning how to use GarageBand and they’ve learned how to lay down three different tracks so they’re basically creating a trio of themselves,” Hall said. GarageBand is an app that allows users to create podcasts or music recordings using different instruments. Using their school-provided iPads, students recorded the first part, then as it played, they recorded the second track and layed that recording on top of the first. They repeated this process again and ended up with a recording of a trio entirely played by one person - themselves. They turned their GarageBand recording in to their teachers using Canvas, their learning management system. Hall explained that students found this trio assignment to be a fun change from their regular playing. “They are able to record themselves at home or here at school in the practice rooms,” Hall said. “We are making sure they understand how to use the technology and are able to put it together.” The teachers said other opportunities might come up after students become proficient. “If this project goes well, we may use GarageBand again or maybe have them record videos to create a virtual concert.” At right, Pattonville Heights Middle School band teacher Abby Hall works with virtual students on recording their music selections. Below, eighth-grader Natalie Smith records a piece of music using the GarageBand app on her iPad as band teacher Liz Pace assists fellow student Tatyana Seay.
Colin Darrah, foreground, and Jayla Essex, seventh graders at Remington Traditional School, vote in a mock election to learn about the election process as teacher Dodie Logue, right, looks on.
REMINGTON TRADITIONAL SCHOOL
Students learn about election processes J
ust one week before the United States general election, students at Remington Traditional School participated in Kids Voting USA. They gained an appreciation of the power of voting by studying the candidates and issues and understanding the registration process in order to participate in an election. “This is a national program and we were introduced to it through UMSL (University of Missouri-St. Louis) and have done it in the past,” SIGMA (middle school gifted education) and social studies teacher Dodie Logue said. “Their votes will be counted with students from across the country.” In order to prepare, students in Logue’s SIGMA classes researched the candidates and issues relevant to the election by reading Scholastic articles and visiting the candidates’ websites. “They actually were part of a candidate’s group and they had to create promotional materials including a video explaining why their candidate should be elected,” Logue said. “We shared that with other teachers in the school who are doing the vote with their classes.” Fourth grader Chernor Barrie voted in Julie Linck’s class and said he developed an appreciation for the power and influence of voting. After submitting his vote, he raised his hands over his head and said, “I just did my civic duty.” He learned it’s important to vote and a person needs to pick who they think is right for president. Students in Denita Robinson’s fifth grade Villemade (virtual) classroom did an entire study on the presidential debate, presidential responsibilities, democracy and the election process, including the electoral college. “We then re-created the experience in a mock election in our classroom, complete with primary caucuses, the election, registering to vote and how to run a campaign,” Robinson said. Just like the real process, it included two presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. Remington library media specialist Allison Stout was the official election commissioner so that Robinson could be an objective third-party election judge facilitating everything up to that day. Students also learned about the importance of the first 100 days following a president’s inauguration and had to select their presidential cabinet. “All of the students were required to dress for success, and they had to have a Zoom background representing the campaign team they were on until Election Day when no (electioneering) materials are allowed close to the polls.”
•3•
ROSE ACRES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Creativity required after in-person book fair canceled A
fter realizing COVID-19 made hosting the fall book fair impossible, Rose Acres Elementary School library media specialist Nicole Mikel brainstormed ways to promote new and exciting books with her students. She came up with the idea of Read Aloud After Dark. Held on the nights of parent-teacher conferences, the event enabled students to join Mikel on Zoom while she read fun, new books and directed the students through a drawing activity. “I know the kids look forward to coming to experience the magic of the book fair with their friends and family during parent-teacher conferences,” Mikel said. “I wanted to keep the excitement and magic around books alive during this time and this event gave me an opportunity to do that.” Rose Acres Elementary School library media specialist One night, Mikel read “Llama Destroys the Nicole Mikel holds up a clue about a book she selected to World” by Jonathan Stutzman and guided students read for a special reading night. on a llama drawing. The next night, Mikel teased the book by showing students a bag with a question mark on it and said that whatever was inside would be the main character for the night’s story. She gave the students clues about the contents and one student quickly yelled “Potato!” When Mikel showed the students it was indeed a potato (for the book “Potato Pants!” by Laurie Keller), two sisters ran to their kitchen at home and brought their own potato for the read aloud. And when it came time for the directed drawing activity, one of the girls traced her potato to replicate the perfect potato shape. Many students participated both nights. “I wanted to attend because I get to do a craft and I love crafts,” fourth grader Claire Yakel said. “I liked the llama book and the potato book. They were funny.” Her sister Evelyn, a second grader, added, “I wanted to attend because I like drawing and listening to stories. I liked it because it was fun and the stories were funny!” Mikel enjoyed many things about the event, but seeing the students’ excitement when she introduced the story and hearing their laughter was extra special. Mikel is planning more read aloud events in the future, including one she has planned for a holiday event in December. “I hope this will inspire a love of reading and get them excited to pick up a new book,” she said.
HEALING THE COVE
Pattonville sponsors online series to support family health and well-being T
he Pattonville Community Action Team (PCAT) is offering “Healing the Cove,” a series of free online sessions designed to provide Pattonville families, staff and community members with information and support on a variety of topics related to mental health and well-being. Each month during the school year, PCAT will offer two online sessions on topics facing local families, such as coping with stress, suicide prevention for caregivers, getting control of your finances and helping your child with anxiety. The sessions are free, but require preregistration. For more information or to register, go online at bit.ly/healingthecove. PCAT is a community problem-solving group comprised of Pattonville staff and community organizations, including state and local governments, religious organizations, local charities and more. The team meets regularly with the goal of providing a system of community support for Pattonville families and students. The team looks at issues facing students and families and collaborates to develop or connect them to needed services.
Author and actor Henry Winkler, bottom left, and writer Lin Oliver, bottom right, speak to Bridgeway Elementary School library media specialist Nora Bakula, top left, and Remington Traditional School library media specialist Allison Stout and reading specialist Jill Ramig before their virtual visit with students.
BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Tess Gaeng, a developmental screener, left, leads Samiah McKindles through a preschool screening at the Pattonville Early Childhood Center.
Author visits continue in virtual environment
PATTONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
Free developmental screenings offered P
E
attonville’s early childhood program offers free developmental screenings for children ages 3 months to 5 years old who have not entered kindergarten. The screenings are conducted through Pattonville’s Parents as Teachers program and a specially trained screener uses an “ages and stages” questionnaire tool to gather information about a child’s development. Developmental screenings will provide information about a child’s speech, language, motor and cognition skills and their overall development. A health, vision and hearing screening will also be completed. Screenings are available to any Pattonville resident and are currently being offered in-person or virtually. Schedule an appointment by signing up online at bit.ly/ECscreenings or calling (314) 213-8100.
ven in the most unusual of school years, getting students excited about reading remains a constant. Bridgeway Elementary School staff have been drumming up excitement about books by hosting virtual author visits, something that’s becoming more common in the era of COVID-19. Author and actor Henry Winkler and coauthor and television writer Lin Oliver had a virtual visit with third through fifthgraders at Bridgeway and Remington Traditional School. In a visit sponsored by The Novel Neighbor, they spoke about their careers, answered questions and introduced their newest book, “Alien Superstar.” Another day, author Michael Northrup virtually visited with Bridgeway fifth graders to discuss his books, career and writing process. All fifth graders received an autographed copy of his book, “On Thin Ice.” Bridgeway library media specialist Nora Bakula arranged his visit through Scholastic. “He did a great job and students were able to ask him questions as well,” she said.
•4•
HOLMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL
New Pirate Academy uses flexibility, creativity I
n a school year marked by the unpredictable, one new program sailed forward. Holman Middle School launched its new Pirate Academy this fall. As is the case with every classroom this year, it’s requiring creativity to meet the needs of its in-person and virtual learners. Pirate Academy enables Holman sixth graders to learn core subjects (English language arts, math, science and social studies) in a way that provides students personal choice in how they learn and demonstrate they have mastered key concepts and skills. On the Pirate Academy team, students learn their core subjects through projects that blend the subject areas together. Focus is placed on essential 21st century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, information and media literacy, technology literacy, flexibility, leadership, initiative, productivity and social skills. Two teachers lead the Pirate Academy’s core classes: Maegan Bowersox teaches ELA and social studies and Emily Difani teaches math and science. The 35 students in the academy rotate between the two teachers for most of the day, with about half attending school in-person and half virtually. Students in the classroom work together on projects in cohorts, with in-person students meeting with their groups in Zoom breakout rooms. The virtual students take part in class discussion via the chat feature on Zoom, and teachers rotate among the in-person students and virtual students, checking in on their progress. On a recent day in October, students in Bowersox’s class were wrapping up writing a fictional narrative centered on the theme “Growing Up.” Bowersox reminded students to review their punctuation and make sure they were “showing not telling” in their writing. At the end of the class, she asked students to share the biggest thing they’d learned as part of the unit. In-person students received sticky notes to share their comments, while virtual students wrote their thoughts on the Zoom chat. Bowersox concluded by sharing their thoughts with the whole group. It was a model of technological prowess, adaptability and flexibility, all skills students need now and in their futures.
Holman Middle School sixth grade teacher Maegan Bowersox, back right, confers with Pirate Academy student Kylie Henson, seated on couch. Also shown are, Jeremiah Beverly, left and Noah Cox.
WILLOW BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Teachers use variety of methods to engage students in learning F
Students in Anise Glenn’s kindergarten class at Willow Brook Elementary School participate in a sight word activity. Students roll a dice showing pictures, then write what’s shown on top of the dice on a practice sheet. Shown are, from left, Cedric Gideon, Benjamin Harlow and Bob-Lea Kiaveka.
or Willow Brook Elementary School teachers Anise Glenn and Erin Kostos, individualized learning is key to ensuring each student is learning and growing, something they have worked on while navigating the waters as first-year teachers. When in-person learning started, both said it was like meeting their class for the first time, and they spent time enabling students to strengthen connections with each other while creating a positive classroom community. Both said the social aspect of in-person learning has been vital. Using plexiglass dividers has allowed students to work together and communicate, while remaining safe. For Kostos, this allows her fifth graders to help each other so conversations are more student-led. Glenn has incorporated more small group work and collaborative learning into her lessons. She partners her kindergarten students working on the same skill or on different skills, enabling them to learn from each other. Changing groups each week helps students interact with different classmates regularly. Student engagement is key. Kostos gets to know her students in order to associate what they’re learning with their interests. Because her inperson groups have very different personalities, Kostos uses the same lesson but focuses on different skills to meet the needs of the different learners. Both teachers are also teaching their students about having patience and being flexible. Glenn imparts the importance of understanding that things don’t always go as planned and to never give up. Kostos doesn’t hide her mistakes or struggles so that when her students struggle, they see a challenge as something to overcome. Each morning, her students take time to discuss growth mindset and focus on questions that help students think of their mistakes as lessons to learn from, positive self-talk and how to ask for help.
PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
Students create Pirate’s Cove website to build connections among classmates H
ow does a group of student leaders at Pattonville activities are Kristian Brewer, Chloe Mahrt, McKenzie Massey High School build togetherness among the student and Matthew Reese. body and share information when the school year On the first day back to phase 2 of in-person learning for begins 100% virtually? They collaborate to create a the high school, the group hosted a successful school-wide website just for their fellow students. virtual Jeopardy game. “When we found out that Pattonville would be “In the future, we plan to host more virtual events similar to beginning the school year 100% virtually, myself and this, perhaps another Jeopardy or an escape room,” Lodes said. the Student Council officers saw a need for a way “We are surveying student interests to see what they would be to boost students’ morale and create a central place most interested in. Also, Student Council is doing a weekly for information,” senior Jordyn Lodes said. “The podcast with information updates and teacher interviews that is website was our solution! We hope to build a closer on the Pirate’s Cove as well.” student community and help keep everyone connected Lopez-Johnston said the students “wanted to get that virtually even though we are distant physically.” Pirate family community existing while still in virtual.” The The students created the Pirate’s Cove website project will continue even as some students return to in-person Pattonville senior Jordyn Lodes works on the Pirate to serve as a central hub for club and activity learning since many are still learning online. Cove website, a student-led website designed to information, FAQs, helpful links, a student podcast, “Their big concern was how do we get kids involved and to connect students at the high school. community-building, virtual student activities, events participate virtually and make sure they don’t feel like they’re and more. The website also serves as an extended-learning opportunity (ELO) for the out there on their own,” she said. students, who are all part of Heather Lopez-Johnston’s Student Council leadership The Pirate’s Cove website can be found on the high school website at phs.psdr3.org class. Other students who helped develop the website, create content and host under Students/Parents tab.
•5•
o
PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
In-person, virtual academy fifth graders collaborate on fundraiser for legacy project F
ifth graders at Parkwood Elementary School tie-dyed face masks and sold them to students and staff for $5 each to help pay for their legacy project this year. All masks were tie-dyed by in-person students who worked with virtual students via Zoom on the designs. “I asked my group what colors they wanted,” fifth grader Destinii Greenlee said. “We could get up to three colors and we just made their mask.” The idea for the tie-dye masks came to art teacher Janel MacLean and paraprofessional Brandy Fowler pretty naturally as they brainstormed projects students would be excited about. “Masks are something that all of us need at the moment and tie-dying seemed to be a fun and easy way to customize them,” MacLean said. “We added a vinyl paw print onto each mask at the end to give it that extra special Parkwood Panther touch.” Fowler and MacLean worked with the fifth graders to help them create the face masks. “Basically we learned from the teachers how to do it,” Greenlee said. “You can do different stuff like roll it up and twist it up and it will be pretty, so they kind of taught us how to do it.” The legacy project is a way for the fifth graders to leave their mark at Parkwood when they go off to middle school. “We used the idea of a project-based learning model so that the students were in complete control with the entire process,” MacLean said. “The students work together as a grade level to come up with an idea for a legacy project. After that, they have to research what they will need, money wise, to accomplish their project.” The past two years, the fifth graders have hired a local St. Louis artist, Cbabi Bayok, to paint murals in the outdoor learning space.
Above, Parkwood fifth grader Zion Norman shows her tie-dyed mask to her partner via Zoom. Below, left, Samuel Hershberger pours on the paint for a mask he and his fellow students in Regina Wright’s class were creating as a fundraiser. Below, right. Khylynn Jones collaborates on the design with a virtual student.
DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Teachers pilot new reporting system to better show students mastering classroom content A
Drummond kindergarten teacher Erika Dietrich uses the Empower reporting tool to help parents understand their children’s academic progress.
t parent-teacher conferences in October, teachers at Drummond Elementary School reported student progress using a newly piloted reporting system called Empower. This online reporting tool allows teachers to showcase student growth as they work on developing mastery in their learning standards. Empower supports students, parents and teachers in the use of competency-based learning, a model used at Drummond for the past 10 years, by providing a visible guide showing a student’s progression in K-5 learning in math and English language arts. This allows teachers and students to identify where a student is on their learning path and set goals for ongoing learning. “The benefit of this new reporting tool is that it allows individual students to be assessed on the standards they are working on and for that information to be reported in real time,” said assistant principal Dr. Amanda DensonButterfield. Specific learning targets are marked as In-Progress (I) or Mastered (MAS) along a student’s individual learning path since not all students are working on the same content at the same time, and therefore are not being assessed on the same things.
•6•
“This also provides teachers with a variety of information for instructional decision-making,” Denson said. “Empower supports Drummond’s reporting practices which do not focus on time as a constraint but rather growth over time,” instructional specialist Angie Huesgen said. “This enables students to have an individual learning plan based on their needs rather than a chronological grade or benchmark. For example, you may have a third grade student working on fifth grade math learning targets and another student in the same class working on first grade learning targets. Previous reporting systems did not allow this to be displayed for parents to see in real time.” The overall goal of competency-based learning and the use of Empower at Drummond is to meet students where they are in their personalized learning journey. Parents were introduced to Empower during parentteacher conferences this fall. They will soon have login access to Empower and be able to see a live visual tool that illustrates how their child is progressing.
BRAGGING WRITES
Honors, Awards and Achievements by Pattonville Students and Staff
BRIDGEWAY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Excellence in Teaching Award
Bridgeway fifth grade teacher Dan Derby was awarded an Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award. The Excellence in Teaching Awards program, sponsored by Emerson, annually recognizes approximately 100 educators in the St. Louis metropolitan area – from kindergarten teachers to college professors – who Dan Derby are examples of excellence in their field. Derby is Pattonville’s Teacher of the Year.
Drummond Elementary School fifth grade teacher Jami Miller hands a book she purchased with a book grant to Emmanuel Hopgood. Students were able to choose a book to take home and keep.
DRUMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Book grant winners
Drummond third grade teacher Alexis Hasty and fifth grade teacher Jami Miller each received a grant of $500 and 500 Scholastic Book Clubs Bonus Points for the purpose of building classroom and at-home libraries for their students. They are among 5,000 teachers throughout the United States who received a grant, part of a $2.5 million personal donation made by best-selling author James Patterson and Scholastic Book Club’s match of 2.5 million Bonus Points. Students in Miller’s class were each able to choose a book to take home with them to keep.
Published author
Drummond ISS supervisor Adrienne Draper has written and published several children’s books. Her latest title, “Rona, Rona, GO AWAY!” was released in June. It’s a story that gives the reader a snapshot of how an 8-year-old boy and his Adrienne Draper family adjusted to the rapid changes in their community during the COVID-19 pandemic. She now has five books available, some of which were co-authored by her sister, Aja Owens.
PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Missouri PTA recognitions
The Parkwood Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) earned several Missouri PTA Awards for the 2019-2020 school year, recognizing the support group’s work as leaders in developing strong family-school partnerships. The PTA
received the Bronze Medal Membership Award for a 20% membership increase over the previous year; Honor Roll status for a matched or increased membership over the previous year; the President’s Membership Award for matched or increased membership over the previous year; and the Business Partnership Award for a 20% increase over previous year of business memberships.
PATTONVILLE HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL
Girls volleyball honors
Freshman Kylie Surratt was named All-District First Team for girls volleyball. She was among the area leaders in blocks, digs and kills this season. Kyle Walsh coached the team with the assistance of Carrie Gausling, Paige Mueller and Alexa Kramer.
Kylie Surratt
Money Smart Creative Arts Contest
Seventh grader Harmoni Nunley won third place in the Money Smart St. Louis Creative Arts Contest. The contest encouraged sixth through eighth grade students to create a one-minute original song and submit a video Harmoni Nunley answering this year’s Credit Awareness Month question. She won a prize of $250 toward a college saving award. Seventh grade counselor Laura Lancaster was her sponsor and won a $50 grant to use for students at Pattonville Heights.
From left, Lucy Ndungu, JP Killian and Keilah Wilkes qualified for the state competition in cross country.
Cross country state qualifiers
Published poets
Several students had a poem they wrote last spring in Tara Rice’s seventh grade English class selected for publication in the book “Through Their Eyes - Echoes of the Future.” The book was part of a contest by the Young Writers organization. The students selected for publication are Isabella Crawford, Nyla Crumer, Faith Cunningham, Jordin Ford, Mia Gallagher, Lily Johnson, Dawn Jolliff, Marissa Marsala, Christopher Martir Hernandez, Alex Mulele, Simon Muthemba, Omolara Ogunmola, Sofia Oms Rivera, Nicholas Peebles, Olivia Penrod, Tatyana Seay and Elijah Weber.
PATTONVILLE HIGH SCHOOL Featured in gala video
Junior Jordan Moore was featured during the Starkloff Disability Institute annual gala. Current and former SDI program participants shared how their experiences with DREAM BIG, Access U and the Starkloff Career Academy have set Jordan Moore them on paths of confidence, ambition and fulfillment. An inspiring video featuring Moore was shown during the gala event in September.
ServSafe certifications
Twenty-one students in Mary Favazza’s Introduction to Culinary Arts class at Pattonville High School completed the ServSafe Food Handler online course and passed the final exam to earn their ServSafe certification. ServSafe is a food and beverage safety training and certificate program administered by the National Restaurant Association. Each student is now certified until 2023. Students earning their certifications were: Qiara Allen, Brian Antoine, Riley Ballard, Price Cole, Jaidyn Cutts, Kaden James, Kristen Jones, Matthew Kliethermes, Steven Mackenberg, Carissa Marshall, Kamille Mingo, Jaden Moore, Kyjuan Morgan, Kadie Murphy, Kaitlyn Musselwhite, Amy Prueitt, Alex Rivera Velasquez, Owen Sandheinrich, Sierra Schuster, Laniya Smith and Allison Talir.
•7 •
JP Killian, Lucy Ndungu and Keilah Wilkes qualified for the MSHSAA State Cross Country Championships. Wilkes placed 20th, making her an All-State medalist. She also placed second at districts. Ndungu placed 61st this year and has qualified for the state championships all four years. She placed sixth at districts. Killian placed 77th at state. Killian and Wilkes made their second appearances at state. Margaret Hall coached the girls team, Matt McClellen coached the boys team and Kathleen Gengler was assistant coach for both teams.
Swimming state qualifier
Junior Wyatt Martin broke the school record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:00.98. His time also qualified him for the boys swimming state championship meet. Anna Braswell coached the swimming and diving team with the assistance of Nathan Jones and Justin Thompson.
Wyatt Martin
Softball conference honors On the softball team, Madison Bailey and Samantha Heine were named All-Conference First Team outfielders. Allison Pearia earned the All-Conference Sportsmanship Award and Allison Schrumpf was named All-Conference utility player of the year. Rob Simpson coached the team with the assistance of Andrea Dwyer.
Samantha Heine
Allison Pearia
Madison Bailey
Allison Schrumpf
Pattonville ranked among top public school districts in Missouri, U.S. O
ut of more than 450 public school districts in Missouri, Pattonville is ranked No. 9 among the Best Public School Districts on Niche.com’s 2021 Best Districts in America list. Nationally, Niche ranks Pattonville in the top 4% of districts (No. 451 out of 10,760). In Missouri, the district is also ranked: • No. 1 for Most Diverse School Districts, • No. 2 for Best Places to Teach and • No. 9 for Districts with Best Teachers. Niche is an online service that ranks private and public schools and districts based on dozens of statistics and opinions from students, parents and staff. Pattonville earned an overall grade of A from Niche, with grades ranging from A+ to A- in the following categories: academics, college prep, clubs and activities, diversity, health and safety and teachers. Find out more at bit.ly/psdniche2021.
ALUMNI SUCCESS
Graduates in the news Find out more: alumni.psdr3.org
Thomas McFarland, Class of 2020 -
McFarland was named the 2020 High School Band Directors National Association (HSBDNA) National Marching Band Student of the Year. He was also a finalist for the National Concert Band Student of the Year. McFarland is currently attending Thomas McFarland Missouri State University and is a member of the drumline for the Pride Marching Band and plays vibraphone in a jazz combo. He is pursuing a degree in physical therapy.
Dr. Jeremy Mapp, Class of 2006 - Mapp was
selected to serve as the commencement speaker for his alma mater, Truman State University, when it held its commencement ceremonies in November. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degree in education from Truman and his doctorate in educational Dr. Jeremy Mapp leadership from Maryville University. He is currently serving as assistant principal at Keysor Elementary School in the Kirkwood School District.
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook: www.facebook.com/PSDR3 Instagram: @PattonvilleSD Twitter: @PattonvilleSD YouTube: www.youtube.com/PattonvilleR3
Pattonville food service coordinator Julie Purviance, left, and food service intern Brooke Massa load bags of school breakfasts and lunches for a family during curbside distribution at the Pattonville High School.
Pattonville continues to distribute free curbside meals for students
P
attonville continues to offer free curbside meal pickup for Pattonville students once a week. Families can pick up meals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 5 to 6 p.m. on Mondays at Pattonville High School (except for days when school is closed due to holidays, breaks or winter weather). The meal bags contain five breakfasts and five lunches for the whole week and are distributed under the bridge at the high school. The program is open to all children 18 years of age and under. No ID or paperwork is required to participate. Students who attend school for in-person learning will receive a free breakfast and lunch each day they are in school until further notice. Menus for meals offered via curbside pick up and in school cafeterias can be found online at psdr3.nutrislice.com. When arriving by car please: • Write the number of children you are picking up meals for on a large sheet of paper and place it on your dashboard. • Stay inside your vehicle and open your trunk to allow staff to place the bags directly inside your car. If you walk to one of the sites, staff will help you while maintaining the 6-foot social distancing requirement. Please wear a mask while visiting the pickup location. For more information, contact the Pattonville food services department at psdcafe@psdr3.org. Families can find other resources for food support online at stlcorona.com/resources/food-assistance.
Join our team and support our students
P
attonville is now hiring bus drivers, custodians and food service staff. To apply or for more information, go online at bit.ly/PattonvilleJobOpenings.
• Bus drivers - Part-time and substitute bus driver
positions are available. Starting pay is $14.95 to $16.78 per hour, with annual step and pay increase up to $24.05 per hour at Step 14. Employees work an average of six hours per day and have holidays and most weekends off.
• Custodians - Pattonville is hiring for custodial
positions, including full-time and substitute Bus driver Joanne Lax opens a rear exit positions. Starting pay is $12.76 to $14.35 per during bus evacuation drills at Drummond hour, with annual step and pay increase up to Elementary School. $22.17 per hour at Step 14. Employees work an average of eight hours per day and have holidays and most weekends off.
• Food services - Part-time and substitute positions are available in food services. Starting pay is $10.50 to $11.81 per hour, with annual step and pay increase up to $18.49 per hour at Step 14. Employees work an average of three and a half hours per day and have holidays and weekends off.
“Pattonville Highlights” is published througout the school year 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.