PattonvilleWork@Aug. 15, 2013

An e-newsletter from the Pattonville School District

Parents, residents share thoughts on financesApproximately 130 parents, residents, students and staff

gathered for Aug. 6 at the Pattonville Community Fo-rum to hear an update about the Pattonville School District and provide feedback on possible solutions to financial chal-lenges facing the district.

During the event, Dr. Mike Fulton, superintendent, shared information about Pattonville’s academic journey, including recognitions on the state and national level for students’ academic performance, and Ron Orr, Pattonville’s chief financial officer, provided insight into nearly $35 mil-lion in financial challenges the district has weathered in its operating budget over the last decade and why the district is considering an operating tax levy increase this fall. The operating tax levy is separate from the district’s debt service levy, which funds large capital projects via bond issues (i.e., roof repairs, new facilities, etc.). By law, funds from the debt service levy cannot be used to pay for expenses in the district’s operating budget, which funds items such as teacher salaries, textbooks and transportation.

Participants reviewed four possible options to resolve the financial challenges Pattonville faces in its operating budget and then worked in small groups to provide their thoughts on which options they preferred. To see a copy of the presentation given during the forum, go online at www.psdr3.org/sotd or click on “State of the District” under “Seasonal Links” on the district website at www.psdr3.org.

After reviewing the presentation, the vast majority of participants preferred options that did not require further cuts to the district’s operating budget. Since 2007, Pattonville has cut costs in the operating budget by $8.1 million. The cuts were necessary because Pattonville has expe-rienced declining revenues in its operating budget for six years. The operating budget is suf-fering from a significant decrease in the assessed value of property (homes and businesses) in the district; successful tax appeals by large commercial property owners which have resulted in millions of dollars in lost revenue; the state underfunding its responsibilities to Pattonville; and a casino valuation debate now in the hands of the state tax commission, which has $5 million of Pattonville’s revenue at stake.

“We thank our community members for participating in this important event,” Fulton said. “These are unprecedented, historical challenges that threaten Pattonville’s ability to maintain the excellence in academic programming and quality services we’ve come to expect. It was encouraging to hear how much our residents value the programs we offer for children and to know they are interested in ensuring the quality of our district is protected long-term.”

The Board of Education will review participants’ feedback along with other data before making a determination on a pos-sible tax increase. A decision could be made before the end of August.

Find Out More• Viewa copy of the presen-

tation from the Community Forum at www.psdr3.org/sotd.

• Seea photo gallery from the evening at events.psdr3.org or scan the QR code at right.

Welcome to a new school year!

Aug. 6 Pattonville Community Forum

Dr. Mike Fulton, Pattonville super-intendent, answers a question at a small group table during the Aug. 6 Pattonville Community Forum.

Now that classes are officially under way, we wish everyone a great year of learning and grow-ing. Pattonville is a school family that cares about students and their success. We look forward to working with our students, parents, staff and community members as we embark on another year where “Personal Connections = Powerful Learning.”

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Michael A. Fulton, Ed.D., SuperintendentSuperintendent’s Update15 Pattonville seniors take part in sixth annual Pattonville College Academy

Fifteen seniors from Pattonville High School spent a week before school began getting ready for college during Patton-ville High School’s sixth annual Pattonville College Academy. Held July 29 through Aug. 2, the program gave first-generation, college-bound students support and knowledge about the college planning and search process.

The academy covered goal setting, college resume writing, how to compare colleges, how to start the college search, college admissions, scholarships, financial aid, letters of recommenda-tion, essay writing tips and ACT test taking tips. Participants were also able to interact with previous College Academy graduates, college admissions representatives and other experts during the week. The academy culminated with visits to the following colleges on the final day of the week: University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis Community College (Florissant Valley and Meramec), Fontbonne University, Washington University and Maryville University. For more information, call Julie Kamp-schroeder, college/career counselor, at (314) 213-8051.

PHS students complete UMSL Bridge ProgramFive Pattonville High School sophomores recently completed the 2013 Bridge Program Summer Academy at the Univer-

sity of Missouri-St. Louis. The Bridge program provides unique and comprehensive college access services to equip students with academic enrichment, college planning and social and professional development. The program is designed to encour-age students to complete high school and pursue post-secondary attainment; prepare and motivate students to seek careers in math, science, engineering and technological fields; support mathematics and science instruction in participating schools; and promote the development of strong academic, personal, interpersonal and professional skills. The students who completed this year’s program are Taelor Duncan, Tyelor Duncan, De’Airra Gaines, Todd Mitchell Jr. and Gayathri Srinivasan.

Sophomore attends electric car camp at Missouri S&TPattonville High School sophomore Jared Pond recently attended the Formula SAE Electric Car Camp

held at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla. During this week-long residential camp, Pond had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of electric vehicles and the Formula SAE competition, a student design competition organized by SAE International (formerly Society of Automotive Engineers). The camp was designed to give participants insight into what being on a collegiate design team is like. Activi-ties included a tour of the design shop, lectures in vehicle dynamics, going through a Formula SAE design process and mock build of a Formula SAE chassis.

Junior earns Eagle Scout levelDaniel Noles, a junior at Pattonville High School, recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He is a

member of Boy Scout Troop 643. Eagle Scout is the highest advancement rank in the Boy Scout designation and is achieved after progressing through various other ranks, earning 21 merit badges, serving six months in a troop leadership role, taking part in a Scoutmaster conference and successfully completing an Eagle Scout board of review.

PHS associate principal named among 30 Leaders in Their 30sTiffany Besse, associate principal of Pattonville High School, is among those being honored this year in

the 30 Leaders in Their 30s Award program by North County Inc. The award recognizes North County lead-ers in their 30s who are making a significant positive impact on the North County community through their profession and/or community involvement. Besse has served Pattonville since 2008. She previously served as an assistant principal at Eureka High School. Prior to starting her administrative tenure, Besse taught sci-ence at Francis Howell High School. She holds a master’s degree in educational administration and a bachelor’s degree in biology/chemistry from Saint Louis University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at Lindenwood University.

Pattonville College Academy participants are shown during a visit to the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) campus. They are pictured with Drew Griffin (right), UMSL’s director of admissions.

Jared Pond

Daniel Noles

Tiffany Besse

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Michael A. Fulton, Ed.D., SuperintendentSuperintendent’s UpdateAdvisory panels to support grant work in high-demand fields

Pattonville High School launched three advi-sory panels this summer to help support imple-mentation of its Innovation High School Grant. Pattonville was designated an Innovation High School last spring and received a grant to enable Pattonville students to connect to high-demand jobs through college credit, apprenticeships and internships while attending high school

The Innovation High School advisory panels first met at the high school on July 31. The panels consist of Pattonville educators, business representatives, students, parents and adminis-trators who meet in three groups and focus on the areas of information technology, advanced manufacturing and health/medical professions. The purpose of the kickoff meeting was to determine the needs of students, staff and businesses as the high school moves forward with aligning education in these areas with current and future workforce demands.

Pattonville is one of four districts in the nation that will be honored with a Pinnacle Award from the Association

of School Business Officials International (ASBO) this fall. The awards recognize outstanding and creative practices that improve the efficiency of schools and contribute to the growth of the school business management profession, while making a difference in the education of the nation’s students. The award will be presented to Ron Orr, Pattonville’s chief financial officer, during ASBO’s fall conference.

Pattonville was chosen for the award for its iLearn program at Pattonville High School. iLearn.PSD is a digital learning initiative that supports student learning by giving Pattonville High School students access to resources any time, any place via a one-to-one laptop program. Students use MacBook Airs at school and home to access course Moodles (an online learning management tool) and produce work. Staff developed Moodles for each course which contain course syllabuses, activities, assignments, resources and textbooks. About 90 percent of courses have online textbooks. The Moodles can also host discussions, share podcasts/videos and facilitate interactions on course activities. In its first year (2012-2013), staff launched 21,000 modules on their Moodles, which were accessed by 1,800 students 1.7 million times.

To prepare for iLearn, Pattonville upgraded the school’s infrastructure and set aside money for a number of years in a technology replacement savings fund to purchase the laptops as part of its technology replacement cycle. A repair depot manned by students and a staff member helps troubleshoot or repair computers. While it’s increasingly common to see schools institute one-to-one laptop or “bring your own device” initiatives, few roll out these programs with high-quality staff development and a comprehensive learning platform tied to district curriculum and state standards. Rather than focusing on the technology, this initiative wove together key components such as student achievement, professional development, risk management and systems infrastructure, resulting in higher achievement via increased state End of Course exam scores, higher attendance and cost savings for the district due, in part, to a vastly reduced textbook budget.

“Shortly after our rollout, we were already being contacted to host site visits to review our program,” Orr said. “A significant portion of those visits are led by our own students. We have also presented multiple times at state-wide conferences on proper implementation of a one-to-one initiative, and districts who have already implemented one-to-one are contacting us to aid in solutions for the problems we addressed up front.”

Pattonville earns one of four national Pinnacle Awards

Members of one of the Innovation High School advisory panels meet on July 31.

A student accesses her course Moodle during class on her school laptop.

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Registrations are now being accepted for fall courses offered through Pattonville’s community educa-tion program. Pattonville offers a variety of courses for children and adult learners - from fitness and

cooking to computers and music. The Fall 2013 Pattonville community education brochure is available on the district’s website under the “Seasonal Links” menu or by visiting the following link: www.psdr3.org/services/schoolbusiness/pdf/CommunityEdFall13.pdf.

The brochure also includes information and registration contacts for new swim and dive club pro-grams offered for Pattonville youth at the new Pattonville Aquatics Center.

For more information or to register for Pattonville’s community education classes, please contact Mary Reed in the Pattonville community education office at (314) 213-8094 or mreed@psdr3.org.

Discounts are offered on many courses for residents aged 55 and older.

Community education registration underway

Elementary schools to host Parent Math Nights

Pattonville has adopted new math materials, Math in Focus, for students in kindergarten through fifth grade

and will begin using the new materials this fall (August 2013). Because of this change, Pattonville will provide parents an opportunity to experience Math in Focus first-hand so they can be part of the team working to make a difference in their child’s understanding of mathematics. Each elementary school will host a Parent Math Night on Aug. 29. Check with your child’s school for the specific time.

Older adults sought to help tutor elementary students

Pattonville is seeking older adult volunteers who can spend up to one hour a week tutoring a student in kindergarten, first, second or third grade through Pattonville’s

OASIS tutoring program. Tutors help children with language skills. A free, 12-hour training session is required. Pattonville will offer training on Sept. 12 and 13. To volun-teer, contact Kelly Gordon in the Pattonville school-community relations office at (314) 213-8025 or kgordon@psdr3.org.

Board members appointed to various committees

On Aug. 13, the Pattonville Board of Education appointed its members to serve on various district-level commit-

tees. Their assignments are:• Jeanne Schottmueller - Pattonville Educational Sup-

port Professionals (PESP), Student Activities/Athlet-ics Subcommittee and the Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Committee of the Pattonville High School Career Education Committee

• Ron Kuschel - Professional Studies, Audit Committee and the Resources Committee of the Comprehensive School Improvement Program (CSIP) Steering Com-mittee

• Tami Hohenstein - Professional Studies, Progress Review Committee, Audit Committee, A+ Steering Committee and the Information Technology Advisory Committee of the high school Career Education Com-mittee

• Ralph Stahlhut - Board Policy Review Committee, Safety Committee, Facilities Committee and Commu-nity Connections

• Cindy Candler - Board Student Administration Action Committee (BSAAC), Progress Review Committee

and Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) Steering Committee

• Robert Dillon - PESP, Board Policy Review Commit-tee, Facilities Committee and Calendar Committee

• Ruth Petrov - Technology Committee, Wellness Policy Committee, Student Activities and Athletics Subcommittee of the CSIP Steering Committee and the Health Occupations Advisory Committee of the high school Career Education Committee

The board members also “adopted” individual schools to serve as liaisons. Those assignments are:

• Bridgeway - Jeanne Schottmueller• Drummond - Ron Kuschel• Parkwood - Ruth Petrov• Remington - Ron Kuschel• Rose Acres - Ralph Stahlhut• Willow Brook - Robert Dillon• Holman - Tami Hohenstein• Pattonville Heights - Cindy Candler• High School - All board members• Early Childhood - Jeanne Schottmueller

During the Parent Math Nights, certified Math in Focus trainers will be on hand to help parents learn and experience this approach to mathematics. The evening will give parents information and tools that can help them and their children as students deepen their understanding of math through home-work and other activities.

Math in Focus is based on the math curriculum used today in Singapore - a country that ranks No. 1 out of 63 countries worldwide in fourth-grade math achievement.

Board ActionsThe Board of Education on Aug. 13:• Approved paying $3,047,712.47 in regular bills;• Approved a list of books and equipment as surplus to

be sold at auction on Pattonville’s GovDeals website;• Approved paying $37,397 to Cooperating School

Districts for 60 percent of its unified dues and Char-acterPlus dues for the 2013-2014 school year;

• Approved paying $4,675 to the National School Boards Association for national affiliate membership dues;

• Approved a proposal from MySchoolGrid for plan-ning, support, training and other services for $17,920 to assist in implementation of the district’s Compre-hensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) through effective use of social media;

• Approved the renewal of the district-wide wood fibers and mulch agreement with Landdesign (Mulch-Tech) for $30,028.75;

• Readopted Policy BBFA (Board Member Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure);

• Approved paying $33,563.45 to Kohn, Shands, El-bert, Gianoulakis and Giljum for legal services;

• Awarded the bid for asphalt parking spaces at Bridge-way to Topps Asphalt for $15,686;

• Approved the renewal of the Microsoft Licensing Agree-ment with EnPointe Technologies for $45,407.89; and

• Approved the high school’s anticipated group trips and/or out-of-state trips for the 2013-2014 school year.

New Hires• Cynthia Brooks, early childhood paraprofessional, Learning Center• JaVonn Carpenter, custodian, Parkwood• Josie Chapman, lead before-school care instruction, Remington• Gracine Collins, lead after-school care instruction, Remington• Vicky Davis-Price, lead after-school care instruction, Remington• Jordan Dinga, paraprofessional, Willow Brook• Christina Elkins, gifted education teacher/paraprofessional, Holman• Angela Fitzwater, paraprofessional, Pattonville Heights• Reshmeena Gartland, instructional technology specialist, Pattonville

Heights• Candace Harris, lead after-school care instruction, Pattonville Heights• Colton Henley, Title I paraprofessional, Willow Brook• Kimberly Hutchison, early childhood paraprofessional, Learning Center• Karen Lahai-Pumagoi, clerical assistant, Holman• Alyssa Lipson, early childhood paraprofessional, Learning Center• Thuy Nguyen, custodian, Pattonville Heights• Cyndi Palmer, physical education teacher, Remington/Bridgeway• Erica Parsell, reading specialist, Pattonville Heights• Stacey Randolph, secretary, Holman• Brooke Schreiber, early childhood special education teacher,

Learning Center and Remington• Jennifer Schmidt, paraprofessional, Remington• Amy Martin, early childhood special education paraprofessional,

Rose Acres

Business Bits: Actions taken at the recent school board meeting

Your Board of Education

Jeanne Schottmueller, PresidentRon Kuschel, Vice PresidentTami Hohenstein, SecretaryRalph Stahlhut, TreasurerCindy Candler, Director

Bob Dillon, DirectorRuth Petrov, Director

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PattonvilleWebsitewww.psdr3.orgLook here for recent news and links to sea-sonal information on items ranging from the state of the district to community education. Youcanalsofindphotogalleriesofrecentevents throughout the district.

Facebookwww.facebook.com/PattonvilleSchoolDistrictPattonville recently joined Facebook and is using this social media tool to share news, photos and more. Like us on Facebook! Follow us on your desktop or via the Facebook smartphone app.

Twitterwww.twitter.com/PattonvilleSDFollow us at @PattonvilleSD. We post updates, news tidbits and photos, all accessible online or on your cellphone via the Twitter app.

OnlineCalendarwww.psdr3.orgClick on the calendar tab on the district web-site to view an activities calendar of all school and district-level events; an athletic calendar is also available.

BoardDocswww.boarddocs.com/mo/psdr3/Board.nsf/PublicDetails of items discussed at board meetings can be found online here. Go to the link above or visit www.psdr3.org and click on any tab intheWebToolsmenutofindPattonville’sBoardDocs page.

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