Tuesday, March 26, 2013
VIDEOS OF OPENING REMARKS: A Rockwood School District Board of Education candidates' forum was held Saturday at Eureka City Hall. Part 1; return to Patch for a summary of candidates' responses to questions from attendees.
A candidates' forum for Rockwood School District Board of Education contenders was hosted Saturday at the Eureka City Hall by Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions (RS for RS), a self-appointed watchdog group of the district. Two of the four board candidates attended: Jeff Morrell and Steve Banton. The other two candidates are Loralee Mondl and Janet Strate. A small crowd of eight attended Saturday's forum, besides moderator Eileen Tyrrell, co-founder and RS for RS spokesperson. Tyrrell said RS for RS was formulated during July 2011 to give "a voice to parents who are not PTO parents, teachers who are not in the union, and the district's taxpayers, in general." "Rockwood prides itself in getting community input, but we saw missing …
Monday, March 18, 2013
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: "A top-rated school district deserves the best school board and the best people to run it," states one alumnus of the Rockwood School District.
As one of the first students to attend Lafayette High, my wife and four children are all alumni. When asked what high school did you attend, we are ready and proud to say “Lafayette High School." Rockwood has always provided a good education, and is rated a top school district in Missouri. Some of the Rockwood schools are even ranked nationally. The alumni of Rockwood remember their high school teachers and many have come back to work in Rockwood. But when alumni and voters are looking at the actions of the school board, it is like a “Ripley’s Believe It or Not." Congratulations to Steve Smith for resigning. If the actions of Steve Smith and Glenn Construction were 100 percent in the interest of the schools, it doesn’t appear that way. I’m…
Monday, March 4, 2013
Following last week’s State Auditor report of what was called mismanagement within the Rockwood School District by some residents, a watchdog coalition group says more changes are needed in the district's leadership.
Public trust in the Rockwood School District superintendent and Board of Education continues to plummet—as do the chances of passage for the upcoming April bond issue “Proposition S”—indicates Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions (RS for RS). The watchdog coalition is a non-partisan group of taxpaying Rockwood citizens. RS for RS issued a Monday morning press release, calling for most of the district's leaders to step down. However, Rockwood's Board Director Steve Smith already resigned Sunday, per the breaking news from Patch: Resignation Comes from Rockwood Board of Education Director Steve Smith Update to article at 8:51 a.m.: RS for RS co-founder Eileen Tyrrell tells Patch they called all Rockwood board members and Superintendent …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Spotlight Productions is a community theater company offered by Rockwood School District’s Community Education Department. Auditions are April 20-21 for the summer production; appointments scheduled starting March 4.
Spotlight Productions managers announced auditions for the 2013 summer production, The Little Mermaid Jr., for 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 20, and from 2 to 4 p.m. April 21, at Selvidge Middle School in Ballwin. The group is seeking more than 50 cast members, aged 6 to 18, to play the Disney characters of Ariel, Chef Louis, Flounder, Prince Eric, Sebastian and Ursula, in addition to the chorus lines needed for the production. (For instant news updates follow Patch on Facebook and Twitter.) “We are really thrilled about the large number of actors we are planning on casting in The Little Mermaid Jr. production this summer,” said David Kozinski, production manager of Rockwood Community Education – Spotlight Productions, in a news announcement …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Here's the new list of Rockwood School District nominees up for the 15 final spots.
Excellence of character, performance, leadership and service to the Rockwood School District are attributes sought in nominees for the district's annual Rockwood Outstanding Service in Education (ROSE) awards. (For instant news updates follow Patch on Facebook and Twitter.) The ROSE Award is one of Rockwood’s highest honors, because it is presented to those who have made a difference in a child's life, in a Rockwood school, or in the Rockwood community. Nominees are teachers, parent volunteers, district employees, administrators and community supporters. The ROSE Award selection committee will choose 15 ROSE recipients, according to a district spokesperson. The committee co-chairs then will visit each ROSE Award recipient with balloons and…
Friday, February 15, 2013
Rockwood School District Board of Education directors approved an updated anti-idling policy. Read the adjustments expected.
After fourth graders at Rockwood School District's Center for Creative Learning (CCL) in October requested the St. Louis County anti-idling ordinance be enforced at all Rockwood locations, the district's Board of Education directors took the recommendation to heart. Read previous article: Anti-Idling Policy Posed by Rockwood Elementary Students The students presented reasons why enforcing the ordinance should decrease harmful ozone outcomes and increase health. Rockwood's board of directors apparently agreed, and approved a freshened Rockwood policy to that end at Thursday's board meeting. Those same CCL students and teachers returned Thursday to witness the approval. CCL is a two-campus Rockwood facility at which qualifying students …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
While the Cooperating School Districts leader says school security plans are not a "one size fits all" proposition, he is advocating for changes that may require new taxes.
(For instant news updates follow Patch on Facebook and Twitter.) One attendee at last week's Safe Schools Partnership meeting was Don Senti, former Parkway superintendent and executive director of the Cooperating School Districts (CSD). He said superintendents who are CSD members are opposed to arming school staffers to provide security for school children. The Parkway School District is a member of the CSD organization. (Read more on the CSD's stance on school safety in the PDF portion of this article.) "Providing security for our most precious resource should be in the capable hands of those professionals who are trained in the use of fire arms, and more importantly, who know when to use them," Senti said. "Therefore, we feel that …
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Rockwood School District fifth graders learned from St. Louis' 11 most endangered buildings' list, nominated buildings for the Historic State Register and proposed a reuse plan for the buildings. Visit their results on display in downtown St. Louis.
Artwork created by fifth-grade students at Rockwood School District's Center for Creative Learning (CCL) is on display at the Landmarks Association of St. Louis gallery this summer. CCL's student body is comprised of qualified, districtwide students from several elmentary schools. Organized in 1958 and incorporated as a non-profit in 1959, Landmarks Association is the primary advocate for the region's built environment. Rockwood students' work can be seen at Landmarks' location at 911 Washington, Suite 170, in St. Louis. Students created the artwork in Melissa Hill’s architecture class. Using Landmarks’ list of endangered buildings as a menu to select from, students explained what would be lost if the buildings were torn down and how …
Friday, July 13, 2012
When Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions members confirmed the Rockwood School District would be audited by state officials, they viewed it as a sign their efforts as concerned citizens had been successful...and they issued a press release.
There was never a "leak" to the press about the Rockwood School District audit, said Rockwood Stakeholder for Real Solutions (RS for RS) co-founder Eileen Tyrrell, after Thursday night's comments made at the Rockwood School District Board of Education meeting. See related article from Eureka-Wildwood Patch: Missouri Auditors Now Call Rockwood Evaluation a 'Performance Audit' She said a RS for RS representative called the Missouri State Auditor's Office at the end of January to inquire if the Rockwood district had made the 2012 audit list. "The answer was yes," she emailed Patch Friday morning. "We, in turn, put out a press release! The Auditors' Office DID NOT leak it to the press. "RS for RS 'informed' the press." Editor's Note: Content …
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Chess Club of St. Louis is coming out to Chesterfield schools, following a nationwide trend of using chess as a teaching tool.
Alex Vergilesov moves a bishop to the center of an empty chess board, and then takes a moment to contemplate the grid. He places six opposing pawns on random squares, which eventually displays a clear path of diagonal destruction for his centered piece. “You have to move the bishop around the board and take a pawn with every move,” he says. “And we’re going to sit and think about the answer for 15 seconds – in silence.” Three seconds pass, and the first hand shoots into the air. Four more go up beside it. After two more ticks of the clock, a first-grader can no longer bear the stillness, and finally yells out: “I know!” Fifteen times in a row - all apparently falling on deaf ears. Though his instructor's only response is another glance at …
Michael Rhodes
9:46 am on Friday, February 15, 2013
Great to see something the students worked on being implemented by the district (full diclosure my daughter attends the CCL campus although she is not a fourth grader). more ›