Principal's News
February 9th, 2018
Message from Dr. DeWeese
This has been quite the quarter filled with a lot of illness. I know it can be tough to rearrange your work schedules or arrange for your child to be picked up from school, but I do appreciate you working hard to keep the illness away. As we finish out winter please be sure your child is fever free for 24 hours before sending them back to school and make sure they are feeling well enough to attend.
We have a couple more events coming up before we finish out third quarter. Please join us for our Culture Night on February 27th from 6:30 to 8:00. This will be a fun event to showcase the variety of cultures in our school. There will be food and entertainment. We are looking forward to the celebration and to having all of our families with us. There is also an informational MAP Night for Parents coming up on March 7th from 6:30-7:30. Parents will have the opportunity to hear from our Director of Assessment and actually see the state assessment that students take.
Parent/Teacher Conferences are also coming up in March. Further down in this newsletter the links to sign up for a conference time have been provided. If you need to make any changes please be sure to contact your child's teacher. We set a goal to meet with 100% of our parents to work collaboratively for our students. Teachers look forward to sharing your child's/children's progress with you.
Thanks for all that you do to support your child's education. As always if there is anything that I can do to help you or your child please do not hesitate to ask.
Prop Learn
Passage of Proposition Learn would allow our building to increase student access to technology. It would allow for the purchase of additional devices to increase the ratio of devices per student. We would also be able to provide updated curricular and classroom materials with an increase in STEM programming as part of the school day. All of these additions would help our students be more college and career ready when they graduate.
More teachers and paraprofessionals can be hired through the passage of Proposition Learn. The additional staff members would allow us to address the academic needs of students in our school. More staff members would also allow us to better help students with social-emotional issues. After two years of frozen salaries the district would be able to provide an increase to staff compensation.
A simple majority is required in April to approve the increase in the operating levy. If it is approved the adjusted operating levy of the district is estimated to be $4.66 per $100 assessed valuation. A home valued at $200,000 would cost approximately $15 more per month in property taxes. The last time voters in the Francis Howell School District approved a tax levy increase was 2004.
Please contact me if you have any questions regarding Proposition Learn. As always we appreciate your support for our great district.
Parent Speaker Series
Date: April 10, 2018
Time: 7:00-8:30
Location: Francis Howell Middle School Library, 825 O'Fallon Road in St. Charles
Speaker: Tina Meier, Megan Meier Foundation
Cost: Free
This presentation will provide an overview of the technology that students are using in today's world, the potential of online and offline dangers, and strategies for parents to use to support their children. Life is much different for students today than it was even four years ago. As parents and community leaders, it is imperative that we continually educate ourselves to become better equipped to help our children. Megan Meier's story will be shared along with the topics of bullying, bystanders, cyberbullying, and sexting.
Tina Meier is a nationally acclaimed cyber safety speaker whose daughter took her own life at age 13 following a severe cyberbullying attack provoked by an adult neighbor. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Megan Meier Foundation, an organization dedicated to educating about bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide.
Curriculum Corner
First Grade
Second Grade
Third Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Class Placements for the 2018-2019 School Year
In the past students were notified on the last day of school which teacher they would have for the following school year. This year we will notify families of class placements during the summer. Students will still have the opportunity to meet all of the teachers for the next grade in May, but will not know who their exact teacher will be for the 2018-2019 school year until July. This is a change to our current practice and I understand that change can be difficult, but this will allow for late staff changes and changes in enrollment that typically occur after school lets out.