From the Desk of…
Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent
Celebrating Reading Success
Beginning in January, all SLPS students were challenged to read a minimum of twenty minutes each day outside of the classroom, as part of the district’s family and community reading initiative “A Million Minutes By March.” As a result, students at the elementary, middle and high school levels surpassed all goals by reading a grand total of 5,852,829 minutes!
Following are the top performing schools with the highest number of minutes read:
Cluster 1
• Nance Elementary (165,309 total minutes)
• Shenandoah Elementary (139,715 total minutes)
Cluster 2
• Gateway Elementary (350,591 total minutes)
• Kennard CJA (229,087 total minutes)
Cluster 3
• Buder Elementary (443,980 total minutes)
• Dunbar Elementary (131,180 total minutes)
Cluster 4
• Langston Middle (75,479 total minutes)
• McKinley CJA (60,965 total minutes)
Cluster 5
• Central VPA (420,704 total minutes)
• Clyde C. Miller Career Academy (170,429 total minutes)
The district has several events planned to celebrate the initiative’s success.
• Scholastic Corporation presented book baskets for the school libraries in the top performing schools at a special event on Friday, April 11, at Gateway Elementary School.
• Prior to the Special Administrative Board meeting on Thursday, April 17, the district will host a reception for each school’s top performing students and their parents. The reception will be held from 5 to 6 p.m.
• Borders sponsored a thank you breakfast for librarians on Monday, April 7.
• Build-A-Bear has donated gifts to award top performing students.
The goal of “A Million Minutes by March” was to encourage children and teenagers to develop strong, lifelong reading habits; view reading as a rewarding leisure activity; and engage parents/guardians in their children’s educations.
Scholarship Opportunity for Senior Girls
The Women’s Legislative Caucus of the Missouri General Assembly will be awarding up to nine $500 scholarships (one per congressional district) to girls graduating from high school in 2008. Students interested in applying should email State Representative Jeanette Mott Oxford at either Jeanette.oxford@house.mo.gov or jmo4rep@juno.com. She may also be reached (314) 772-0301. The scholarships may be applied to two- and four-year colleges, universities, or vocational/technical schools. The deadline to apply is May 1, 2008.
SAB Approves Calendar Changes for Remainder of 2008 School Year
The Special Administrative Board of the St. Louis Public School District has approved calendar changes for the remainder of the 2008 school year. To make up for this winter’s inclement weather, the final day of classes has been extended to Tuesday, June 3.
The following outlines the changes:
• Friday, April 18 – regular school day (originally a professional development day)
• Friday, May 9 – regular school day (originally a professional development day)
• Monday, June 2 – regular school day
• Tuesday, June 3 – half day for students (last day of classes)
• Wednesday, June 4 – professional development day
• Thursday, June 5 – professional development day
A Musical Adventure Awaits!
Take your family on a magical and musical adventure with local musician and storyteller Robert Fishbone, as he presents a wide assortment of musical selections from cultures around the world. Fishbone, a percussionist and vocalist, will dazzle families with his ability to play unusual instruments and sing in strange vocal styles. This fun, interactive show is free for school age children and their families. The event will be held in the Children’s Room at the St. Louis Public Library, 1301 Olive Street, on Saturday, April 12, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. For more information, visit the library’s website at www.slpl.org.
THE MAP RAP
by Jamal Burns and Lynny Swain, 3rd grade students at Shepard Elementary
IF YOU TAKE MAP
YOU MIGHT BE COOL
YOU CAN PASS YOUR GRADE
AND DO WELL IN SCHOOL.
YOU’LL GET SMARTER,
IF YOU STUDY HARDER,
YOU WILL PASS THE MAP
AND CLOSE THE GAP.
“It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations--something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.”
– Katherine Patterson
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”
– Victor Hugo
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