PAGE 1Jennings school District2559 Dorwood Drive • Jennings, MO 63136 • 314-653-8000 • www.jenningsk12.net

May, 2011

Jennings' Parent As Teachers Program

Today in school dis-tricts across the state and nation – and in the Jennings School District – Parents As Teachers is educating parents about the valuable role they play in nurturing and development in the crucial first five years of their children's lives. The Jennings' PAT program, a division of the district's early children pro-gram, is a free education and family support program serving families from pregnancy until kindergarten, usually around age five.

PAT offers parents:• Personal visits--a PAT representative

shares age appropriate child development and fun home activities to help parents observe and address development con-cerns.

• Parent group meetings--opportunities are provided to share information about parenting issues and child development.

• Yearly development screenings--assess-ments of children's overall development in-cluding health, hearing and vision.

• Resource network--links families to needed community services.

“Early intervention is key,” said Kimberly Wooden, director of Parents As Teachers and after-school pro-grams in the Jennings Schools. “We educate

parents on how to be their child's first teacher. We empower parents to let them know that they have a voice.”

Wooden said a study of nearly 8,000 Missouri children showed that PAT helps close the academic achievement gap for children from lower-income families as well as scoring higher on academic achievement, including higher scores on the third grade MAP tests. Wooden also said the Jennings PAT tracks students’ development in six-month increments in areas of motor, cognitive and language skills.

Since May 1, 2010, the Jennings PAT has served 176 fami-lies, provided 317 screenings and performed 535 personal vis-its. In addition to Wooden, the PAT staff includes three certi-fied parent educators (one full-time, two part-time), and one

administrative assistant. PAT is funded by the Jennings School District, Arches and the Missouri Depart-

ment of Elementary and Secondary Education.PAT's outreach is significant. It holds teen

parent group meetings for mothers at Jennings High School and teen sessions for mothers and fathers at JETS. Additionally, PAT also offers a “Stay At Home Parenting” program.

Wooden said she cannot stress enough the importance of PAT in the formative years of a

child's life. Early intervention can greatly reduce behavior, social and academic problems in the devel-

opment stage.For more information about Parents As Teachers, call (314)

653-8084. Also, the pub-lic is invited to the “End of the Year Celebra-tion” on Friday, May 27, 2011 from noon to 3:00 PM at the PAT office, 8450 Old Lucas & Hunt Road.

PAGE 2Jennings school District

2559 Dorwood Drive • Jennings, MO 63136 • 314-653-8000 • www.jenningsk12.net

Spotlight on JenningsJennings student spotlight - Jordan thompson

the Jennings Board of Education re-elected Rosemary John-son as president at its April 18, 2011 meeting. Ms. Johnson has

been a Board member since 1994 and will serve her second term as president.

Incumbents Miranda Jones, John Schlereth and new Board member Terry Wilson were elected for three-year terms in the April 5, 2011, election. They were sworn in at the April 18th meeting.

The Board recognized and thanked outgoing member Joseph Turner for his years of service on the Board.

2010-2011 Board of Education OfficersBoard President ......................................................Rose Mary JohnsonVice President ...................................................................Harold AustinSecretary ............................................................................Miranda JonesTreasurer ...........................................................................John SchlerethDirector .................................................Yolonda Fountain-HendersonDirector ...............................................................................David GreenDirector ...............................................................................Terry Wilson

The Jennings School District annually recognizes in-dividuals completing their 25th year of employment with the district and those planning to retire at the end of the school year. Honorees for the 2010-11 school year include:

RetirementEvalyn Citrin, Woodland Elementary School Bob Crawford, Jennings Senior High School Mary Elliott, Woodland Elementary School Cathy Green, Fairview Intermediate School

Elizabeth Howard, Hanrahan Elementary School Cora Malone, Fairview Primary/Intermediate Library Media

SpecialistDeborah Mann, Jennings Senior High School

25-Year ServiceAlicia Davis, Gary Gore Elementary School Steve Henke, Jennings Senior High School

Laura Jo Smith, Woodland Elementary School Theresa Zavadil, Jennings Junior High School

This year’s Annual Staff Appreciation Ceremony will take place immediately preceding the regularly sched-uled Board of Education meeting on Monday, May 16, 2011, at 6:30 PM, in the Central Administration Office Board Room. The doors will open at 6:00 PM with re-freshments being served prior to distribution of recog-nition awards at 6:30 PM.

Jennings School DistrictBoard of Education Elects Officers

Employee Recognition

Jordan Thompson is only nine years old and she already knows what she wants to be when she grows up. “I want to be a school teacher,” said Thompson, who is a third-grader at Woodland Elementary School. “The reason why I want to be a teacher is because I can help my sister with her homework and I can also help as many people as possible,” Jordan said.

Jordan is Jennings School District’s May Student of the Month. She was chosen because of her hard work and dedication in the classroom.

“Jordan has worked so hard to overcome her struggles in math and to improve her math scores,” said her third grade teacher, Jennifer Ma-con. “Jordan transferred earlier this year from another school district and there were some adjustments she had to make, but now she has made those adjustments and is making all A’s and B’s,” said Ms. Macon.

Jennifer’s grades are ideal for an honor roll student. She has an A in reading, an A in social studies, a B+ in math and a B in science. “Math is my favorite subject. I think division is easiest for me,” said Jordan.

When it came to choosing a favorite teacher, Jordan was reluctant to say but she narrowed it down to third grade teach-ers, Ms. Macon and Ms. Smith. “They both work with me if I have any questions about my homework or if I just need to talk to them.”

PAGE 3Jennings school District2559 Dorwood Drive • Jennings, MO 63136 • 314-653-8000 • www.jenningsk12.net

Spotlight on Jennings

Time off to raise family made Jennings High biology teacher a better and more considerate em-ployee. Karen Thompson, a biol-ogy teacher at Jennings Senior High School, loved teaching so much that she gave it up for five years. In the spring of the 2002-03 school year, Thompson was preg-nant with the middle of three sons.

“The teaching job doesn't end at 4:00 PM,” said Thompson, 38. “Bringing work home with me and being a new mother created a conflict and didn't al-low me to perform my duties as a teacher to the high standards I set for myself. Being a high school teacher and a mother both require a high level of involvement. I was becoming average at both.”

She and her husband, Jason, made a decision that she would take time off from teaching and be a stay-at-home mom to raise their growing family. Thomp-son was pregnant with the second of three sons, Isaiah. Her oldest son, Zion, was age two at the time. Her youngest son, Stephen, would come later.

A 16-year veteran of the Jennings Schools, Thomp-son is back and better than ever. She said the time off allowed her to develop as a woman and stirred her passion for teaching. During her time away from Jennings, Thompson started a tutoring busi-ness which not only honed her business skills, but made her appreciate working for the district.

“The tutoring business was temporary for me,” she said. “Having managed my own business made

me a much better employee and a more considerate employee, too. I love teaching. Education is my passion,” she continued.

Thompson is currently working on her Master's in biology at Wash-ington University. She earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Drake University in Iowa. Bi-ology is the study of living things.

As a fan of science, Thompson believes scientific dis-coveries are all about the need of the time. “Jobs that people will be getting in the future are not in existence now,” Thompson said. “Ten years ago the focus was teaching about DNA and biotechnology. The need now is finding innovative ways to address the energy crisis.”

Thompson said she is continually updating her knowl-edge base in new findings in science. Her desire is to make science interesting for students, to spark their imaginations and to academically challenge students in the classroom. “My philosophy is to read it, touch it and write about it – they have to put their minds all in it and be fully engaged,” Thompson said. “My goal is to challenge my students. I want to make sure all of my students excel inside the classroom and be-come productive citizens as well,” Thompson added.

Her influence is working. Thompson said it encourag-es her to have Jennings graduates come back and share with her what they're doing. “I had a former grad tell me that I inspired her to get a degree in biology,” she said.

Jennings Teacher Spotlight - Karen Thompson

CongratulationsHigh School Seniors

May 26thCOMMENCEMENT

7:00 PM University Missouri

St. LouisMark Twain Building

Jennings school District2559 Dorwood Drive • Jennings, MO 63136 • 314-653-8000 • www.jenningsk12.net

Spotlight on Jennings

PAGE 4

Dear Parents/Guardians:The 2010-2011 school year is quickly drawing to a close. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the dedication and contribution

of each staff and faculty member. Your vote of confidence in the administration is truly appreciated.We are proud of the successful completion of the $11.5 million dollar bond issue. This amazing accomplishment will allow Jen-

nings to take care of the following school improvement initiatives:Classroom improvements that will include enhanced technology access as well as renovations to science labs, libraries, • auditoriums and gyms.Building exterior renovations that include roof replacements, tuck pointing, waterproofing, window/door replacements, • as well as construction of new classrooms at Northview Elementary School.Security improvements that will include the addition of new cameras, burglar/fire alarm systems, card access systems, • classroom locks/doors and new fencing.Building interior and rest room renovations, floor tile replacement, electrical upgrades and HVAC improvements.• Grounds improvements that will include parking lot repair/sealing, sidewalk/concrete replacement, painting, landscap-• ing and improvements to the Jennings High School track and football field.

Lastly, in an effort to keep you abreast of the latest news of the district, we are asking parents to provide their e-mail addresses to school principals.

Thanks to our entire community of students, staff, and parents for making Jennings a great place to learn. Congratulations to the class of 2011!!Sincerely,

Clarence E. Holman, Superintendent of Schools

Jennings School District Recognizes Nurses Weekever worked with,” Mrs. Bland-Whitfield said. “We appreciate the work they do, their professionalism, and the love for the students can’t go without recognition.”

Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6th (National Nurses Day) through May 12th (the birthday of Flor-ence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.) Traditionally, National Nurses Week is devoted to highlighting the di-verse ways in which registered nurses, who comprise the largest health care profession, are working to improve the

health care industry includ-ing school districts across the country.

Jennings School District’s

lead nurse is Linda Dillon. She has been a nurse in the district for more than 18 years. “ I love working with the chil-dren and taking care of them. It’s a pas-sion of mine,” said Dillon. She’s not the only one that loves taking care of children who are not feeling their best.

Marla Leake, who’s also a school nurse feels the same passion as Ms. Dillon. “When I arrive in the schools at 7:00 AM, I am usually greeted by a stu-dent who tells me their ailment,” said Ms. Leake. “ I love what I’m doing I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Congratulations to the nurses who make it their business to ensuring the district stays healthy.

A bruised knee, a tummy ache or even a chipped tooth are just some of the challenges Jennings School District nurses endure on a daily basis. The dis-trict will pay special recognition to the six nurses and two substitutes who take care of the nearly 3,000 students each day as they celebration Nurses Week.

Associate Superintendent of Curricu-lum & Instruction Georgia Bland-Whit-field treated nurses to a special lunch on Friday, May 6th. “ This is the most dedicated group of nurses that I have

Nurse School Dorothy Brown NorthviewLinda Dillon Jennings Junior HighChantez Hopgood WoodlandDana Kirksey Jennings Senior HighBrenda Lee FairviewRondia Southerland Hanrahan/GoreMarla Leake Substitute NurseLinda Taylor Substitute Nurse