Proposition S Chair: "Students, Staff Will Benefit by Voting Yes"

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: "As Rockwood School District parents and residents, we recognize the vast needs of our schools," says a Rockwood parent, who heads a group that is supporting the $38.4M no-tax increase bond issue on the April 2 ballot.

Rockwood School District Voters: For more than 10 years, my family has been part of the Rockwood School District, and I have been involved in many of the district's efforts. Most recently, I was asked to head up the 2013 Prop S Bond Issue Committee, and of course, I said yes, to further show my support of the district and this initiative. I know how important this bond issue is to district families. Our community needs to pass a bond issue to make improvements to the schools. While funding remains a concern for many school districts, this bond issue will assist in providing safety, technology and facility improvements, which will continue to assist Rockwood School District in being a premiere school district. We, as members of the Prop S …

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Carolyn Tisdale is 'Really Cool' at Uthoff Valley Elementary School

Tisdale is an out-of-district parent who is making a difference in her daughter's lives and in the lives of her other "Backer Babies."

The following article was written by Peggy Magee for Parent Link, the newsletter published by the Voluntary Interdistrict Choice Corporation. If were possible to clone parent Carolyn Tisdale, school staff and students everywhere would jump at the chance. At Rockwood’s Uthoff Valley Elementary School, where Tisdale has two daughters, the faculty admires her for what teacher Julie Backer describes as, “going way beyond the average expectation of parent involvement.” This past year, Tisdale volunteered regularly in her daughter Trinity’s first grade class and, according to Backer, the kiddos always looked forward to her visits because of her “full out” participation, including working with them in the classroom, eating lunch in the cafeteria …

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Uthoff Valley Kids Inspire Others to R.E.A.C.H. Out

Uthoff Valley 5th graders observe National Autism Month with real-life experiences, volunteer efforts.

Each year, the Autism Society celebrates National Autism Awareness Month in April to help educate the public about autism and issues within the autism community.  Autism is a complex developmental disability that is said to affect affects one in every 88 children in America.  The Autism Society of America suggests several ways to get involved during Autism Awareness Month. This year, three fifth-grade students from Uthoff Valley Elementary School formed an organization called R.E.A.C.H. to help others understand autism.  R.E.A.C.H. stands for the Road to Embrace Autism with Care and Heart.  The students have shared their message with other students and schools. Read their inspiring messages here

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Rockwood Hires New Administrators

Four adminstrators named to new positions in the district.

Dorothy Barbeau was named director of Gifted and Talented Education in the Rockwood School District at last week's Board of Education meeting, according to a news release from the district. Barbeau currently is serving in her fourth year as the assistant superintendent for Teaching and Learning for the School District of Clayton. Prior to that, she served for three years as the curriculum director for Waterloo Community Unit School District in Waterloo, IL.  She began her career in Rockwood and served eight years as a teacher at the Center for Creative Learning.  Barbeau has also served as an adjunct professor and program coordinator for Webster University.  Barbeau holds a bachelor’s degree with a double major in elementary education and …

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Students Find Buried Treasure in Books During Rockwood Reading Week

Many teachers and students dressed as pirates to celebrate Rockwood Reading Week.

Rockwood students found the treasure in books and had fun doing it last week during Rockwood Reading Week. Activities to build excitement for reading included a new program, Read Across Rockwood, which enables classrooms across the district to engage in literacy activities together using video conferencing technology.  Some of these activities include sharing book reviews, illustrations and poems, performing skits and puppet shows, and participating in book discussions.  “This experience will help make reading more meaningful for students as we use technology to connect students from different classes across the district,” said Elaine McKenna, instructional technology specialist, in a news release from the district.  “It’s also a great way…

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New Principal Named at House Springs Elementary School

Leigh Ann Parker to take the reins next school year after successful stint as assistant principal of Uthoff Valley Elementary School

The Northwest School District Board of Education Thursday approved the appointment of Leigh Ann Parker as principal of House Springs Elementary School. She will replace the current principal M. Gay Moore, who is retiring in June. The district screened more than 80 applicants for the principal position, involving a series of interviews with teachers, parents and administrators. Parker earned her doctorate degree from Maryville University, a specialist in Educational Leadership from Webster University, a Master of Arts in teaching from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Missouri. Most recently she served as assistant principal of Rockwood School District's Uthoff Valley Elementary School, in Fenton, “…

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Choirs, Lights Usher in Fenton Holiday Season

Sappington and Uthoff Valley perform a variety of holiday songs.

Fenton Mayor Dennis Hancock, and choirs from Sappington and Uthoff Valley elementary schools opened the holiday season Friday with a lighting ceremony at City Hall. On a brisk evening, the singers performed for a small audience just after the lights were switched on, illuminating City Hall and the trees surrounding it. After the performances, Santa Claus held court in the aldermanic chambers. Attached is a gallery of photos from the event Friday night.

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Rockwood Schools Drop D.A.R.E. Education Classes

Parents are upset that the Rockwood School District suddenly decided to eliminate the popular drug abuse resistance program.

Rockwood School District fifth graders will no longer be dared to graduate from the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program. Rockwood officials have ended the district's nearly 25 years of participation in the national program. The news shocked and surprised many parents. D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug- and violence-free lives. Locally, the program has been implemented during the fifth grade of elementary school, serving as a rites of passage for that important milestone year in students' education. D.A.R.E. programs are taught in the Fenton area in the Kellison, Uthoff Valley, Stanton, …

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Bill McKenzie

9:17 pm on Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Unfortunately there is plentiful research proving that DARE has failed. Children who took the program show no greater resistance to drug use than children who did not take the program. Here is an article from "TIME magazine about this failure: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,99564,00.html. We need a plan B. I have several children. My two oldest have used drugs and were DARE …   more ›

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Uthoff Valley Students Know How To Fold 'Em

Students of Uthoff Valley Elementary School work together to create 1,000 paper origami cranes to send to Japanese schools.

According to Japanese legend, anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish, and when natural disasters struck Japan earlier this month, Uthoff parent Jaime Bayes decided to organize an event of hope in which the whole school could take part. Classes rotated in and out of the Uthoff Valley Elementary School gym, each taking their turn to help construct 1,000 paper cranes to send to Japan. In total, the students constructed over 1,300 cranes that will be strung together this week in strings of 50 and sent to various schools in Japan. The students are also collecting money to donate to the American Red Cross and have already collected over $500. Check out the gallery for photos of the crane construction.

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Rockwood to Honor Bouquet of ROSE Award Winners

A banquet is planned May 1 to recognize those in the Rockwood School District who have made a difference in the lives of children.

It was like a Publisher's Clearinghouse prize patrol as representatives of the Rockwood School District ROSE Award committee went from school to school to recognize the winners of the district's top honor for those who have shown excellence of character, performance, leadership and service to the schools. The 15 award winners, who were presented with balloons and flowers by the ROSE Award committee co-chairs, will be honored at a banquet May 1 at the Doubletree Hotel, Westport. The award recipients were selected by a 17-member committee from among 209 nominees. The ROSE Award winners are: Also at the ROSE Awards ceremony, Rockwood will recognize the recently named 2011 Teachers of the Year from all of the district's schools. They are: At …

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