KSD eSpotlight
September 30, 2023
KSD Calendar Committee is Seeking Your Feedback
National Merit
Congratulations to our 12 Kirkwood High School students who have been named Semifinalists and Commended Students in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Competition are: Katherine Crawford, Sydney Ludbrook, Elizabeth Myers, and Mia Risch. Commended Students are: Amelia Christopher, Truman Kuseski, Allison Luth, Carolyn Spohr, Lillian Strickland, Trey Tweetie, Thomas Williams and Sharon Wirth.
From 50,000 high scorers nationwide, about 16,000 were named National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists, and 34,000 students were named commended for their performances on the PSAT/MNSQT.
Semifinalists will have the opportunity to continue in the competition which gives them the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,140 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million in the spring.
The pool of semifinalists represents less than 1 percent of all U.S. high school seniors, and 292 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists from Missouri this year.
We look forward to celebrating these students at an upcoming Board of Education meeting.
Custodial Workers Day - October 2
Meet Patricia Rozycke, also known as Miss Trish by her Nipher students. She supports Nipher Middle School as the day time custodian and building supervisor.
Trish is appreciated for all she does for Nipher. "She sees a need and takes care of it," said Rachel Walther. "She goes above and beyond with taking care of our spaces and enhancing the aesthetics with making spaces welcoming and warm. Recently she updated a hallway bulletin board with some fall fun."
Our Nipher students love Miss Trish, too. "She is really nice, hard working, always smiling, and easy to approach," said 7th grader Chloe. Fellow 7th grader Robin agrees, "she's so kind and helpful."
Walking Counselor Ryan Dickson who supervises lunches observes her helping in any way possible. "Before you even have to ask, Miss Trish has it done."
Patricia is in her 10th year of service for Kirkwood schools. "I love watching the students grow both physically and emotionally and seeing all their unique personalities," she said. She's also appreciated amongst the Nipher custodian team, as she makes sure to celebrate all their birthdays, and is known to bring in monthly treats like donuts, chips and sweets.
National Custodial Worker’s Recognition Day encourages appreciation for the employees who keep our schools and workplaces running smoothly. Custodial workers efforts make an impact day-to-day behind the scenes.
Our custodial team ensure our schools are ready for each season and running correctly. The work is physically demanding. Depending on the position, custodial workers may work varying shifts and possibly in several locations. They may be part of a team or work independently.
The best way to recognize our custodial staff? Say, thank you!
Hispanic Heritage Month
Learning about famous Hispanics is underway in Mrs. Siegel’s 7th-grade social studies class at NKMS. Throughout the month, Mrs. Siegel starts every class period with a “Hispanic American Legend of the Day.” During this storytelling, students learn about a different person whose impact has changed all our lives.
Today, students learned about Cesar Chavez and his impact on farmers. Chavez is known as one of the greatest labor leaders and civil rights activists for migrant workers. He left school in 8th grade to support his family. He went on to become a co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association with the goal of unionizing farmers to address issues farming families faced including access to education and safe living conditions.
One of the events he is most famously known for is the “Grape Strike and Boycott” in the 1960s. This nonviolent protest brought awareness of farming conditions from the country into major California cities and their grocery stores.
Chavez was also a Navy veteran and posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Panorama Survey Coming Soon
The Kirkwood School District values your feedback! Starting October 11, we will launch our fall survey window. We will be surveying our families, 3-12 grade students, and staff to gain insight into your perception of our school and district effectiveness.
To administer these surveys, we have partnered with Panorama Education. Panorama safeguards your privacy, keeping your responses confidential. The survey will be a valuable source of information for us as we work to make our schools and district better.
Additionally, we will be asking for your child to reflect on their own mindsets and approaches to learning via an online survey they will be completing at school.
The survey content will ask students in grades 3-12 to self-reflect on school safety, sense of belonging, rigorous expectations, valuing of math, self efficacy about math, positive feelings, and supportive relationships.
Our students' responses will provide invaluable insights into their experiences and how we can improve and adapt our district to their needs. Please notify the school/grade-level office if you would like your child to opt out of taking the surveys by October 10th. Requests to opt out that have been submitted in previous years will continue to be honored.
The feedback we receive through these survey efforts will help us realize our mission to equip students with the skills, knowledge and understanding to be empathetic, successful, and to value all people.
Upcoming Events
Robinson Bike Rodeo Wrap Up and National Walk, Bike, Roll to School on Wednesday, October 4
In partnership with Kirkwood Police Department our student resource officer team visits our elementary schools for a week to learn bike safety as part of our PE curriculum. This past week, our Robinson students participated in the bike rodeo.
Office Olsen’s favorite part of bike rodeo is working with students who’ve never ridden a bike and also teaching kids to transition from training wheels to 2-wheels. “Watching their joy is such a reward to see,” said Officer Olsen.
As we plan for the national “Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day” on Wednesday, October 4, Officer Olsen has some important reminders:
- make sure there is air in your tires
- check your brakes
- wear a helmet, and
- and follow the rules of the road, including stopping at stop signs, riding single file, and signaling your turns when crossing traffic.
For more tips and information, visit: https://www.walkbiketoschool.org/
Open House - October 7
The community is invited to our Prop R construction completion open house celebration at Westchester Elementary School! Please join us next Saturday, October 7, at 9 a.m.
District Cross Country Meet - Oct. 17 and 18
We are in the process of reviewing transportation options. To express interest in transportation, please register by October 5. Race registration will be open through Oct. 15.
Want to help out? We are looking for volunteers. Visit the volunteer signup page to learn more.
Cross Country Meet
Elementary students will compete in a 1-mile race on Oct. 17 and middle school students will compete in a 1.5 mile race on Oct. 18. This free event is open to all running abilities. To register, visit kirkwoodschools.org/ksdxc
Shoe Drive
Unity Day - October 18
In partnership with the Special School District, please consider supporting Unity Day, and events surrounding its awareness.
Kirkwood School District Tax Rates
At its meeting on Monday, September 25, the Kirkwood School District Board of Education voted on the tax rates for the 2023-24 school year.
At the recommendation of the Kirkwood School District’s Chief Financial Officer, the Board set the 2023 tax rates at the “Authorized Tax Rate Ceiling” for each class of property. The residential real estate tax rate for homeowners was approved at $3.3898 per $100 of assessed valuation. This includes a one-time recoupment rate in light of adjustments by St. Louis County after the appeals process during the previous year. This rate is the lowest approved by the Kirkwood School District Board of Education in more than 30 years.
The rates were reviewed and approved by the State Auditor’s Office to ensure compliance with Missouri law.
BOE Updates
To subscribe to email updates from the Board of Education, visit kirkwoodschools.org/boe and fill out the required information on the right hand side of the page.