Education Matters Winter 2023

BOARD OF EDUCATION

Lisa Finder, President

Kim Bellchamber, Vice President Phyllis Geary, Secretary

Nicole Martinez, Treasurer

Faye Peats, Director Jeremy Picker, Director

Dr. Tim Dilg Superintendent of Schools

Jaime Gast, Editor Director of Communications

In case of emergency. . . Occasionally, severe weather conditions or other emergencies make it necessary to close school. The Superintendent tries to make the decision to close school by 5:30 a m , or earlier if possible. When classes are postponed or canceled, a phone call, email, and text message will be sent out to all students, parents and legal guardians and staff through Infinite Campus.

School closings are also broadcast on KMOX (AM 1120) and TV stations KSDK Channel 5, KMOV Channel 4 and FOX Channel 2 & Channel 11; and are posted on the District’s website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

NOTE: If school is closed, all other school-related activities are canceled for that day

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION AT VALLEY PARK ADDS TO LIMITLESS LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES!

Career and Technical Education or CTE isn't just a buzzword. At Valley Park High School, our College, Career and Success Ready Director, Meghan Aydelott, works hard to bridge the education of high school to the world beyond Currently VPHS has four approved CTE programs: Business, Health Science, Engineering, and Family and Consumer Sciences or FACS. Students can also take CTE course work at South County Tech. Students enrolled in CTE courses can also join a CTSO (Career and Technical Student Organization) that corresponds to their approved

CTE program. CTSOs help guide students in developing a career path, a program of study and provides opportunities in gaining the skills and abilities needed to be successful in those careers through CTSO activities, programs and competitive events In addition, students have opportunities to hold leadership positions at the local, state, and national levels and attend leadership development conferences to network with other students as well as business and industry partners. 8.3 million high school students participated in these pathways in 2020-2021 across the nation, up from 7 5 million the previous year, according to the U S Department of Education. The goal of CTE is to prepare students for the world of work by introducing them to workplace competencies in a real-world, applied context. Classes such as Human Body Systems, Engineering

Essentials, Nutrition and Wellness, and Business Tech are just a few of the courses that are offered. Students in CTE courses have the opportunity to learn in a hands-on environment and through real world application of content and skills CTE courses help to bridge high school learning experiences and the world of work after high school Students also learn transferable skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork, that will help students be ready for any career pathway post high school.

This school year VPHS students had the opportunity to attend Build My Future, a hands-on, interactive learning environment that highlights careers in the Skilled Trades areas Students also attended Manufacturing Day in the Fall Additional VPHS students will attend in the spring. The VPSD Teaching and Learning team is always adding new and exciting experiences outside of the Valley Park School District walls so our students get every chance to experience what they can do in the future. Limitless learning opportunities are available inside and outside our campus. If you are interested in partnering with VPSD for our school industry team, please visit www.vp.k12.mo.us/industrypartner

Bring it On at Valley Park School District, was D-Y-N-A-M-I-T-E!

This year, the Valley Park School District Theatre Department brought excitement back to the stage with the Fall Musical, Bring it On. The extremely talented cast and crew of Valley Park Middle and High School were quadruple threats! Not only could they all act, sing and dance, but their cheerleading was spirited and all heart! From the winning costumes, fresh set designs and all the special effects done by the very talented crew, VPSD students brought this cheertastic musical to life! Thank you to all the parents and faculty involved and especially Sara Magalli and Allison Hungate Wood, who lead the production Thank you to all who attended the Valley Park School District Fall Musical and supported our students and for being there for One Perfect Moment for an evening

MAKING CHARITABLE DONATIONS FROM YOUR IRA TO THE VALLEY PARK EDUCATION FOUNDATION MAY BE A VERY SMART DECISION.

Can you give money to the Valley Park Education Foundation (VPEF) using your IRA? For individuals 70 1/2 or older - the answer is usually yes. What many retirees don't know is they can donate all, or a portion of their IRA directly to the Valley Park Education Foundation. It's called a qualified charitable distribution or QCD. A QCD can be a very tax-effective way to support VPEF. Visit www.vp.k12.mo.us/QCD for more information on how to donate from your IRA using a QCD

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR HAWKS!

The Softball Hawks had another first this season! Finishing with a 13-12 record, and winning their first ever District Title, additionally, they were awarded many more honors.

Congratulations to these players for being awarded the following: Short stop, Katie Mann '24, named 2nd Team All State, 1st Team All Region, 1st Team All District, and Conference Player of the Year. Pitcher, Elsie McCabe '24, who earned 1st Team All Region, 1st Team All District, and All Conference honors. 2nd baseman, Abby Scott '23, who earned 2nd Team All Region, 1st Team All District and All Conference honors. Outfielder, Jenna Prosser '23, who earned 2nd Team All Region, 1st Team All District and All Conference honors. Centerfielder, Josie Menley '23, who earned 1st Team All Region, 1st Team All District and All Conference honors 3rd baseman, Charlie Eisenhauer '23, who earned 1st Team All Conference and All Conference honors Catcher, Aubrey Dibble '26, who earned All Conference and 1st Team All District honors Izzy Chittakhone '25, who earned 2nd Team All District Honors Hannah Duffey '23, who earned 2nd Team All District honors Meghan Reinwald '25, who earned 2nd Team All District honors. Valley Park School District is so proud of you all! To find out about all our upcoming sporting events, visit www.vp.k12.mo.us/athletics.

BOYS SOCCER

SEPTEMBER

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

BOARD OF EDUCATION RECOGNIZES STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

1st Team All Conference Joe Buckman '25

1st Team All Conference Will Geary '25

2nd Team All Conference Clark Menley '25

2nd Team All Conference Cooper Bellchamber '25

2nd Team All Conference Mary Fran Kircher '23

Will Rhodes '31

Avery Turner '30

Ben Frierdich '33

Carley Simon '32

Brooklyn Maddock '29

Mario Holmes, Jr '27

Liberty Marx '28

Carissa Kiefer '25

Jack Patterson '29

Maggie Stewart '23

Kennedy Picker '23

Connor Doherty '31

Quentin Ford '30

Tahira Letford '32

Trevor Pelikan '23 and Sophia Rose '23

Homecoming Prince and Princess, second graders, Bryson Mann and Tallulah Brown.

Homecoming weekend began with a Pep Rally on December 16th filled with the Homecoming Court, cheerleader performances, girls and boys basketball team introductions and plenty of games for faculty and students. There was even an appearance by our own, Valley Park School District Hawk! That evening, we had our annual Homecoming Basketball Games for our boys and girls teams. Girls basketball beat the Collegiate School of Med-Bio Science Owls 62-32 and boys basketball finished it up with a 68-10 win over the Owls!

On December 17th, our High School students had their annual homecoming dance in our Field House After voting was complete, the homecoming king and queen were announced Congratulations to our 22-23 Homecoming King, Trevor Pelikan '23, and our 22-23 Homecoming Queen, Sophia Rose '23

GET TO KNOW OUR BOARD CANDIDATES!

Five Valley Park School District residents have filed their candidacy for the Valley Park School District Board of Education: Lisa Finder, Nicole Martinez, Aaron Bean, Richard Schmitt and Rebecca Menley. The election for three seats that carry a three-year term is Tuesday, April 4, 2023. To read more about each candidate, visit www.vp.k12.mo.us/boardcandidates

Freshmen, Tim Coleman and Leah Miller.

Sophomores, Jimmy Bassham and Naila EstradaAvalos.

Juniors, Sultan Sholahudin and Ava Rudolph.

Seniors, Isaiah Rose and Sophia Rose.

Seniors, Lauren Farless and Ian De La Parra.

Seniors, Kennedy Picker and Ernie Reinwald.

Seniors, Izzy Petty and Trevor Pelikan

L I M I T L E S S

As part of our Strategic Plan Pillar 1: Our Students and Pillar 2: Our Team, the Valley Park School District has committed to developing student-centered classrooms and personalized learning experiences for all students.

As outlined in our plan, we are committed to providing high-quality, sustainable professional learning that positively impacts student learning. Included in Pillar 1 is a commitment to provide project-based learning (PBL) opportunities to all students in Valley Park We are thrilled to continue this 3-year journey with PBL beginning, Cohort #2, that was chosen this month!

Valley Park will continue to offer a high-quality professional learning experience for PBL by bringing in the experts, our partners at New Tech High School in Napa, California. This PBL professional development opportunity will continue through 2024 The second of the three cohorts will begin this summer and will continue with additional PD days during the school year and ongoing coaching and support straight from New Tech High, The Center for Excellence New Tech High provides cutting edge professional development, training, and support for educators, schools, and districts looking to transform their practices.

Congratulations to the teachers of our second cohort! We can't wait to see what limitless learning opportunities these special cohorts will continue to bring to the students at Valley Park School District!

CONNECTING ACADEMIC CONTENT TO REAL WORLD BUSINESS APPLICATIONS

Meghan Aydelott, College, Career, and Success-Ready Director, applied and was awarded the Missouri Career Pathways Grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for $11,204. The purpose of the this grant is to design and implement a Missouri Career Pathways Program at Valley Park School District for the 22-23 school year. This program will help our educators connect local education agency LEA academic content to real world business and industry applications. Many of these high-demand occupations fall into the science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) categories

In alignment with the VPSD Strategic Plan and in order for our students to be truly college and career ready, it is imperative that our teachers have current and up to date knowledge of the post secondary world. Our teachers need to know the labor market in our St. Louis region. By visiting and learning directly from local business and industry, our teachers will have better insight to the world beyond high school that awaits our students One example of connecting academic content to the real world was a recent Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Flight and Space student field trip to Valley Technologies. Students in the class were mapping the Mars Rover journey using coding skills and spheros. Valley Technologies, located in Valley Park, MO, had been tasked in creating a supply needed for NASA to complete the Mars Rover. Our students got to visit and tour Valley Technologies and see first hand where a part from the Mars Rover was created for a once in a lifetime experience.

Teachers involved in the college and career readiness strand of Profess Dev for the 22-23 school year will be the first cohort to participate in this grant.

ValleyParkSchoolDistrict

Tournament

Join us for the Inaugural VPSD Cornhole Tournament to support our Valley Park Education Foundation!

When: June 17, 2023

Where: STL Athletic Center - 2300 Hitzert Ct., 63026

Price: $50/team

Check In: 10AM

Bags Fly: 11AM

Closing Ceremonies: 2PM

Cash prizes, 50/50 Raffles and more!

For more information or to register your team, visit www.vp.k12.mo.us/cornhole

VALLEY PARK SCHOOL DISTRICT HAWK RUN 2022

What a fantastic day for our Valley Park Elementary School family! Our runners were so proud to be a part of the 17th annual Hawk Run! There were so many smiling faces and such beautiful weather! Thank you for all the parent volunteers and to the faculty and staff, especially Mike Menley, who made this an amazing event for our Elementary School! To see more photos from this event and many others, like and follow our Valley Park Elementary School on Facebook @valleyparkelem and @valleyparkspecialists.

VPES PTO BINGO NIGHT IS BACK!

Mark your calendars for April 1, 2023 from 7:00-11:00 pm at Royale Orleans (2801 Telegraph Rd., 63125). We will have 12 rounds of BINGO with prizes along with a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, an open bar, and a table decorating contest! Visit www.vp.k12.mo.us/bingo for more information and to register your table!

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