From the Desk of…
Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent
Metro Advances to the State Semifinals
Congratulations to Metro High School’s girls’ basketball team! They defeated Greenville in a 43-34 game at the Farmington Civic Center – earning the title of Class 3-A State Tournament Quarterfinal Champions. The team will advance to the state semifinals to play Skyline from Urbana on Thursday, March 13, at 4:30 p.m., in Columbia.
Making Friends, Creating Art
Third, fourth and fifth grade students at Patrick Henry Downtown Academy have made friends with fourth grade students at Reed Elementary in Ladue, as part of a unique, year-long program created by the schools’ principals and staffs. The goal is to foster a greater understanding of cultural diversity through the use of the arts and outdoor experiences. St. Louis STAGES has partnered with them by offering performing arts educational opportunities. Gateway Greening will assist the schools with their outdoor garden projects.
To start, students were assigned pen pals to help them get to know each other. Then earlier in the year, children at Reed travelled to Patrick Henry for a tour, character education assembly and pizza lunch. On March 6, the Patrick Henry students visited Reed for a day filled with hands-on arts projects, a theatrical performance, friendship-building and pizza. During the field trip, the schools received the good news that their program will be one of the first recipients of a Ladue Education Foundation grant to “expand opportunities for extraordinary student success.”
Profiling Our Progress
Since 2006, the district has experienced improvements in enrollment, test scores and graduation rates:
• Dropout Rate: Fell to 12.1% in 2007 from 18.7% in 2006.
• Graduation Rate: Rose to 56.2% in 2007 from 55.7% in 2006.
• ACT Mean Composite Score in Grade 12: Increased to 16.7% in 2007 from 16.3% in 2006.
• Early Childhood Enrollment: There was a steady growth from 1,285 students in 2006 to 1,705 students in 2008.
• AVID Enrollment: The program started with 20 students enrolled in 2006. By 2007, 288 students were enrolled. Enrollment for 2008 rose to 587 students.
• AP Enrollment: This program has experienced tremendous growth. In 2006 and 2007, around 300 students were enrolled. There are currently 1,221 students participating in 2008.
• College Summit Enrollment: The program has almost doubled in participants. In 2006, 835 students were enrolled. 2007 saw an increase to 850. There are currently 1,400 students participating in 2008.
• Terra Nova (percentage of students scoring at or above national average in reading):
o Grade 2: In 2006, 39.6% were in this category. In 2007, we experienced a decline to 37.3%. In 2008, it increased to 43.5%
o Grade 3*: In 2006, 29.7% were in this category. In 2007, we experienced a decline to 27.7%. In 2008, it increased to 33%.
*According to district policy, by 3rd grade all students should be reading at grade level.
Become an Advocate for Public Education
The number of charter schools in St. Louis continues to grow at a rapid rate. These schools are allowed to operate independently of the traditional public school system and tailor their programs to specific community needs. However, the expansion of charter schools negatively impacts the St. Louis Public School District, draining much-needed financial resources and depleting enrollment. For more information on charter schools and school vouchers, visit the Legislative Action Center link on the Cooperating School District’s website at http://capwiz.com/csd/home/. Through the link, you can email state and federal representatives and senators, track important bills, etc. Be an advocate for our district and for public education!
March Parenting Tip: Teach Your Children the Value of a Dollar
Your family can do this exercise together to learn how money is spent.
1. Have your children assist in creating dinner menus and planning family recreational outings for the weekend.
2. Establish a budget based on the estimated costs of the food, activities and fuel for transportation.
3. Keep all of your receipts and then compare the amount of your actual expenditures with your budget.
4. If you do not go over budget, the children can “inherit” the money that was not spent. If you did exceed the budget, identify the cause and try to be more efficient in your choices next weekend.
“Let us more and more insist on raising funds of love, of kindness, of understanding, of peace.”
- Mother Teresa
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