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MLK Jr. Day Provides Opportunities for Service and Learning At Ladue School District Elementary Schools

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day provides a wealth of opportunities for students to learn about the life of Dr. King, to celebrate his accomplishments, and to participate in community service projects.  Following are just some of the events and programs planned across the district’s elementary schools:

At Spoede Elementary School, The Black Rep will present Hip Hop Aesop to students beginning at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17, 2012.  From 1-2 p.m. the same day, there will be a presentation of the African folktale Anansi, the Spider, followed by presentations of poems, essays and songs by each grade level.

Conway Elementary School has been incorporating lessons about segregation, equality, perspective taking, the Underground Railroad and much more throughout the entire month.  Each child will experience lessons facilitated through the school’s library using a variety of rich literature and biographies.  In addition, students are learning about the “I Have a Dream” speech during classroom lessons.

Old Bonhomme Elementary School will once again be hosting their two annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.  First, students and parents will gather to use their “day off” for Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day of service.  Thousands of sandwiches will be made and delivered, along with thousands of previously gathered socks to area homeless shelters.

In addition, on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 7 p.m., Old Bonhomme Elementary students will perform a celebration of Dr. King’s life and work at the Ladue Horton Watkins High School Performing Arts Center.  Students, entire classes and others will perform skits, songs and poems related to this year’s theme: “Building Bridges.”  The event is free of charge and open to the public.  (Click here for Patch.com article and pictures of the event.)

Reed Elementary School is honoring and teaching about Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the month of January by reading books, writing poems, and watching videos.  In addition, the entire main hall of this school has been turned into a Hall of Honor with monthly displays on specific themes.  In January, the Hall of Honor is completely dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. and contains poems about his life and work from students in every grade level.

“Martin Luther King Jr. Day provides tremendous learning opportunities for our students,” explains Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Donna Jahnke.  “It’s one of the many ways we work to embed multicultural learning into our curriculum throughout the school year.”

 


Old Bonhomme Wins “Fruit and Vegetable Challenge”

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In March, the Ladue School District celebrated National Nutrition Month with the theme “Get Your Plate in Shape” orchestrated by the district’s food service contractor, Chartwells.   Some of the elementary schools classes participated in a Fruit and Vegetable Challenge.  First, students learned about making their plate half fruits and vegetables with the help of some visual aids and activities.   Then the week of March 12 – 16 students were challenged to take and eat a fruit and vegetable at lunch each day, receiving credit on their classroom’s tracking sheet for their choices.
The winning class at each school received a fruit & dip platter and a veggies & dip platter.   The following classes were winners:
Spoede Elementary School: Kevin Heyman’s Third-Grade Class
Reed Elementary School: Kristen Thompson’s First-Grade Class
Old Bonhomme Elementary School: Shannon Teets Third-Grade Class
Shannon Teet’s Third-Grade class won the district competition with the overall highest percentage of fruits and veggies consumed.  They won a visit from Rusty Lee, who owns Lee Farms located in Warren County, Missouri.

Spoede Elementary Students Excel in Missouri Bar Essay Contest

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The Missouri NEA Public Relations Committee and the Missouri Bar Young Lawyers Section co-sponsored the annual Law Day Essay Contest. Students were asked to respond to the following essay prompt:

“No courts. No justice. No freedom. This year’s Law Day Essay Contest theme highlights the role of the nation’s courts in our constitutional democracy and fosters public understanding about the judiciary. Consider what courts are and what the principles of justice and freedom represent. Without our courts, we would have neither justice nor freedom.”

Kevin Jiang won first place and Nicholas Rausch was a finalist in this annual competition.  Both are fifth-graders at Spoede Elementary School.

First-place winners receive $300 U.S. savings bonds, second-place winners receive $200 U.S. savings bonds, and third-place winners receive $150 U.S. savings bonds from the Missouri Bar.

Kevin Jiang is seen here receiving his first place award at a banquet in Jefferson City in May 2012.

Garrett Again Selected as Suburban East Coach of the Year

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For the third year in a row, Ladue Varsity Baseball Head Coach Rob Garrett was selected as the Suburban East Coach of the Year.  This is Coach Garrett’s third consecutive Coach of the Year award.  Coach Garrett has led the Varsity Baseball team to 75 wins and 4 Conference Championships during his four years as head coach.  Coach Garrett is also the physical education teacher at Spoede Elementary School.

Spoede’s Johnson Honored as Top Teacher by Panera

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Recently, Saint Louis Bread Co./Panera hosted a Top Teacher contest (www.panerabread.com/topteacher) locally in St. Louis, with a call for nominations of the city’s best teachers.  Over 4,500 nominations were received, and from those one winner was chosen and four additional teachers were honored.  Jennifer Johnson, Second Grade Teacher at Spoede Elementary School, received one of those four honors.

Spoede Elementary Students Participate in Shoeman Water Project

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In an effort led by the Spoede Elementary School Student Council, Spoede Elementary students collected 1,652 pairs of shoes for the Shoeman Water Projects.  Shoeman Water Projects collects thousands of donated used and new shoes from school service projects, church mission projects, business drop locations and business in-house shoe drives.

The shoes collected through the Shoeman Water Project are either sold or recycled, with profits used to dig wells, repair existing wells and build water purification systems.  The Spoede Elementary School Student Council is sponsored by Art Teacher Jim Boland and Fifth-Grade Teacher Joe Joachimstaler.  Jennifer Johnson’s second-grade class earned the Golden Shoe Award for collecting 211 pairs of shoes, the most of any class.

Shown here are Spoede Elementary School fifth-graders Jason Pummer and Hans Mueller collecting shoes in their neighborhood.

Spoede’s Johnson Receives February 2013 Excellence in Education Award

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Jennifer Johnson, a second-grade teacher at Spoede Elementary School, received the February 2013 Excellence in Education Award at the February 26, 2013 Board of Education meeting.  Jennifer came to the Ladue School District in 1988 and was a Computer Lab Teacher at Conway Elementary during her first year with the district.

In the 1989-90 school year, Jennifer moved to Spoede Elementary School as a first-grade teacher and then become a second-grade teacher in the 1990-91 school year.  She remains in that position today and the district has been extremely fortunate to have had her all of these years.

Jennifer is from St. Louis and received her Bachelor of Science in Education degree with a minor in Early Childhood Education from the University of Dayton in 1987.  She was awarded her Master of Arts in Elementary Reading from Nova Southeastern University in June of 2010.

She has received Spoede’s Teacher of the Year award, not just once, but twice… In both the 1999-2000 and 2009-10 school years.

When Spoede’s Principal Dr. Kim Stallons came to the district this school year, she found out very quickly why students are so quick to do whatever Mrs. Johnson asks and are so eager to win her approval…  “It’s because she truly loves them and they absolutely know they can trust her to have their best interests at heart.”  Students at Spoede learn this very quickly when they have Jennifer as their teacher, but Jennifer’s contributions to educating and nurturing young people spans well beyond the borders of St. Louis, or even Missouri.

As you saw in the video, Jennifer, and her Ladue Schools colleague Kathie Dolan, founded Teachers for a Better Belize.  Through this non-profit organization, Kathie and Jennifer have dedicated their last 15 summers to improving literacy for the indigenous Mayans in Belize.

Jennifer is also a huge contributor to professional development sessions and provides a great deal of extra after-school help to both her students and her colleagues.  Her extremely valuable contributions go beyond sharing her educational skills and knowledge, however…

Dr. Stallons says it is not the least bit unusual to see Jennifer having a heart-to-heart conversation with one of her students or her colleagues, usually accompanied by a heartfelt bear hug to seal the conversation.

And there is one more amazing piece of information about Jennifer… In her 22 years in the school district, Jennifer has used only two sick days, and one was because she got food poisoning at the Spoede Elementary School picnic!

Spoede Wins Missouri State Chess Tournament

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Over the weekend of March 9-10, 2013, Spoede Elementary School students participated, and won first place, in the Missouri State Chess Tournaments in two categories:  Third Grade and Under, and Fifth Grade and Under.  These wins qualifies the team to participate in the National Championship in Nashville, TN in April.


Ladue Schools Students “Fill the Bus” Once Again

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In what has become an annual tradition, Ladue Schools students once again participated in “Fill the Bus,” collecting literally a school bus-full of canned goods and other items to help families in need across the St. Louis community.  On March 13, 2013, a school bus picked up donations from every school in the district and delivered the items to area food pantries.  Ladue Middle School Counselor Roger Scherck and Ladue Horton Watkins High School Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher Jill Svejkosky coordinated this year’s donation drive.

Spoede’s Rob Garrett is the Suburban East Varsity Baseball Coach of the Year

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Congratulations to Varsity Baseball Head Coach Rob Garrett. Coach Garrett was named the Suburban East Coach of the Year at the 2013 All-Conference meeting. The team finished the regular season with a record of 17-3.

Coach Garrett began his coaching career at Ladue in 1996. In his first five seasons as head coach, the varsity baseball team has won 94 games and 5 conference titles. Coach Garrett teaches Physical Education at Spoede Elementary School.

Spoede Elementary School Wins Chess Tournament

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On October 12, 2013, Spoede Elementary School clinched its first chess tournament of the year.  Only four Spoede Elementary School players were able to participate at the tournament, held at Crossroads Preparatory School.  However, the team was still able to outperform some of the top rated schools in St. Louis.  Overall, there were 152 students participating K-6, with 10 schools represented.

Pictured here:  Anderson Dai, Sahil Chatwal, Roshen Chatwal and Benjamin Liu

LMS Wins Staff Volleyball Tournament

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The Ladue Middle School staff  are the champs of the 2013 Staff Volleyball tournament.  The Ladue Early Childhood Center and Spoede Elementary school also fielded teams.  Other staff members, as well as spouses and children, cheered on all three teams and a good time was had by all.  It also gave Ladue Middle School a chance to show off their new rock climbing wall and let staff members and their families give it a try.

Spoede School “Makes a Difference” in the Community

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Spoede Elementary School recently participated in “Make a Difference Day,” a day intended to get people involved in community service, by creating care packages for residents at a nursing home. All of the Spoede students created cards and decorated wrapping paper for the boxes. Students were asked to do chores to earn money for purchasing items to put in the boxes.

A small group of students, who are participating in “Read, Write, and Run,” helped the cause by hosting a pretzel sale. All together, Spoede Elementary School ra

ised over $1,000 to purchase items to fill the boxes. The “Read, Write, and Run” students also sorted items, filled boxes, and delivered them to the nursing home to the delight of the residents!

 

2013 Teachers of the Year Recognized

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At the December 9, 2013 Board of Education meeting, the district’s 2012-13 Teachers of the Year were recognized.  While these teachers were chosen and recognized earlier in 2013, this was the Board of Education’s opportunity to congratulate them on their award and the outstanding contributions they have made to the Ladue School District.

2013 Individual School Teachers of the Year

Kathryn Ward, Fourth-Grade Teacher, Conway Elementary School

Lori Humphrey, Second-Grade Teacher, Old Bonhomme Elementary School

Sarah Adams Schwartz, Spanish Teacher, Reed Elementary School

Christy Eilerman, Kindergarten Teacher, Spoede Elementary School

Suzanne Costanza, Sixth-Grade Math Teacher, Ladue Middle School

Steve Schmidt, Industrial Engineering Technology Teacher, Ladue Horton Watkins High School

2013 District Teacher of the Year

Lori Humphrey, Second-Grade Teacher, Old Bonhomme Elementary School

They are pictured in the following order in front of Superintendent Dr. Donna Jahnke and Board of Education President Jeff Kopolow: Steve Schmidt, Sarah Adams Schwartz, Christy Eilerman, Kathryn Ward, Suzanne Costanza and Lori Humphrey.

Spelling Bee Regional Finals

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Sid Yu (left) of Spoede Elementary School and Justin Wayne (right) of Ladue Middle School put their spelling skills to the test and made it all the way to the St. Louis Post Dispatch Spelling Bee Regional Finals. The competition was held at McKendree University on March 1st, 2014. Way to go, Sid and Justin!


Spoede Elementary’s Jones Receives February Excellence in Education Award.

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Spoede Elementary School Principal Dr. Kim Stallons said, “Becky Jones is exceptional at building relationships with students and is their very best advocate.”  What impressed Dr. Stallons most was Becky’s commitment to finding the right interventions and resources for her students.

Becky Jones received the February 2014 Excellence in Education Award. Becky began her career as a student teacher while she studied at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1997. Becky attributed her success in education to Jennifer Johnson, her cooperating teacher. “She helped build the foundation of my teaching career and continues to inspire me.”

The following year, Becky was hired by the Ladue School District as a teacher intern, and from that year on, Becky was on a path to find her passion. She taught third-graders and then fourth-graders before becoming a reading specialist in the Learning Lab.

Becky described her job as rewarding, “I love working with students who are capable of learning, but simply need a different way to be taught.”

To share in her achievement are her husband, Brian, of seven years, and their two children Audrey and Clair, ages 3 and 1, respectively.

Becky is a native of Fenton, Missouri, and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Science from Fontbonne University in 1997, with a certification in Elementary and Special Education. In August of 2012, she received her Master’s Degree in Reading – also from Fontbonne.

See Becky Jones’ presentation video.  

Spoede Students Report on Summer Plans

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Ladue News story by Brittany Nay

When school’s out for summer, these local students have big plans for their vacation. Join in the fun as they tell LN the sports, camps, trips and more they’ll be enjoying in their free time.

Barretts Elementary, Ballwin

Kate Jones’ third-grade class

“I am doing summer swim team, and I’m going to play with my friends, and I’m going to the lake and jump of cliffs.” – Alison

“I like to skateboard and play baseball.” – Jack

“I am going to swim. And be on my bike all day!” – Lily

“I am learning to ride a bike.” – Luke

“I’m going to Tennessee to see the Smokys. Then, I’m going to swim everyday for swim team.” – Kyle

“I’m going to gymnastics and swim summer school and my cheerleader class.” – Oreana

“I am going to Texas this summer.” – Katie

“I am going to a summer school. I am also doing dive team for the Missouri Athletic Club. Go Penguins!” – Amy

“I am going to play my Xbox 360, and go to the park and play.” – Jerrion

“I am going to camps and summer school. I am also going on vacation.” – Emily

“I am going on a vacation to Mexico or Tennessee.” – Henry

“I am going to play with my friends and play on my Xbox.” – Will

“I am going to Cancun, and I am going to go to a hip-hop class, and I am going to open my pool!”- Ryan

“Me, my two sisters, and my Mom are going to Texas to see my cousins, my aunts, my uncles, and my grandpa. My sister plays softball, and so we might go to Tennessee for a softball tournament. We are also going to Grant’s Farm, the zoo, and The Lodge.” – Ashley

“I am going to Louisiana on the beach in the summer.” – Tyre

“I am going to many camps and maybe going to St. Simons Island.” – Maddie

“This summer, I am going to Atlantis the resort.” – Ethan

“I am going to Chicago and Arkansas.” – Alex

“I am going to Florida this summer, and I’m going to summer school.” – Ian

Chesterfield Day School

Alissa White’s and Christina Berwin’s third-grade class

“I am playing softball and going to a sleep-away camp.” – Elizabeth

“I am going to watch a lot of TV and also take a trip to Guatemala.” -Kyle

“I am going to play baseball in my driveway and play video games.” – Jackson

“I hope to enjoy the sun and spend time with my family.” – Aiden

“I am going to Barcelona to see the famous Gaudi cathedral. “ – Gianfranco

“I am going on a Disney Cruise and probably also going to the Lake of the Ozarks.” – Aiden

“I am going camping and fishing with my family at the Boundary Waters National Park.” – Katy

“I hope to have a lot of time with my family, I also want to go to lots of sports camps.” – Samuel

“I have no idea what I will be doing this summer. Maybe go to Florida on a business trip.” – Zack

“My grandma is coming to visit and I want to play a lot of baseball and basketball.” – Ammar

“I am going to a sleep-away camp for the first time. I also want to spend a lot of time with my grandparents.” – Kate

“I am going to play baseball and also visit Mexico.” – Dawson

“I hope to practice my school work, spend time with friends and family and read.” – Noor

“I am going to a soccer tournament that is at Disney World.” – Jane

“I will be playing baseball and tennis.” – Simon

“I am going to Lake Michigan and hope to see Coast Guard boats. I also want to eat a lot of ice cream.” – Cooper

“I am going to eat pizza and go to Michigan this summer.” – Harrison

“I am going to a lot of camps this summer and want to visit Universal Studios in Orlando.” – Grayson

“This summer, I will be playing a lot of Xbox and watch cartoons.” – Bryce

“I am going to Torch Lake, Michigan, and will play at the beach and swim.” – Hannah

“I am going to sleep-away camp with one of my CDS classmates. It will be our first time being away from home.” – Kylie

“I would like to do a lot of outdoor activities this summer and I am also thinking about getting a goldfish.” – Jack

“I am going to baseball and basketball camp.” – Michael

“I am going to four camps this summer and will also spend time in Florida.” – Connor

Spoede Elementary, Creve Coeur

Tracy Ward’s fourth-grade class

“During the summer, I will be going to the Greek island Paros with my family. I will also teach my puppy Ollie to swim.” – Argini

“This summer, I am going across the country for a national BMX racing tournament. I will compete in places such as Arkansas, Kansas City and Florida, etc.” – Buddy

“I’m going to camp; then I’m going to New Jersey for a while to see my grandparents, then to Greece to visit my other grandparents.” – Julia

“This summer, I am going to Virginia without my parents, then coming back to St. Louis and going to Florida to see my uncle and aunt.” – A’Maune

“This summer, I am going to play baseball, basketball and soccer, and go to camp with my friends; I’ll also be going to Canada with my family.” – Alex

“What I’m going to do this summer is go to India and go to the park. Also get ice cream.” – Tanuja

“I am going to summer camp, and I’m going to play my PS4 and throw my football a little bit.” – Samson

“I am going to a one week of soccer sleep-away camp. I also plan to go to Iowa to see both of my grandparents.” – Kacy

“I’m going to Michigan and the beach” – Connor

“Over my summer, I am doing many things: First, I’m going to visit many places like the Great Wall of China, and I am going to learn about my Chinese history!” – Michael

“I’m going to Boston to visit my family. I’m also going to a sleep-away camp for a week.” – Colin

“I’m going to Israel and going to see my grandparents who live there. Then I’m going to a Ladue camp and a basketball camp.” – Alon

“I’m going to Oregon for a family reunion, Kansas with my sister, and Michigan with my family.” – Marin

“I’m going to India to see my relatives and going to famous places in India. I’m going to even celebrate my sister’s birthday while we are there.” – Suparna

“This summer, I’m going to Ladue summer camp. it lasts for six weeks. Then I’m going to Florida for three weeks.” – Anthony

“This summer, I’m going to camp and going on vacation to Florida.” – Domenic

“I’m going to Southampton in summer. I will go to the beach. I will also walk in the village and go to the park.” – Elise

“I’m going to go to Camp Nageela this summer. I will also be going to Chicago.” – Samuel

“My summer plans are to have a great time at camp, and also to play GAGA in the GAGA pit.” – Gary

“This summer, I am going to Florida to go to the beach and swim with my family. We are going to Busch Gardens because my granny and poppy are planning to take us there.” – Charli

“I am going to Florida this summer, and spending 10 weeks at camp.” – Dilmeet

“I’m going swimming with my family, playing golf with my dad, and going to tennis camp.” – William

“I am going to camp.” – Erica

“Over the summer, we are going to stay in Missouri. I’m going to Vacation Bible School where my cousins work. We are also going to spend time swimming.” – Alexandra

Spoede Elementary School’s Davis Receives November Excellence in Education Award

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A former Ladue Horton Watkins High School graduate that was “voted most likely to succeed” was handpicked for the November 2014 Excellence in Education award.

Susan Davis started in the Ladue School District as a teacher’s aide in 1987. The following year, Susan taught third grade. In her current position as Spoede’s librarian, Susan believes in the hands-on approach to ensure that each student soars.

Principal Dr. Kim Stallons describes Susan as diligent, not only in getting books into students’ hands, but to keep them reading, reading and reading! Plus, she steps up to the plate outside of the library. “Susan takes on many roles, such as serving on the crisis team and heading up the afternoon bus duty.” Dr. Stallons also adds, “No matter what the situation, she is always a positive supporter of our school and everyone in it.”  Susan’s sense of humor and flexibility also make her a hit with the students she serves.

Susan and her husband, Ron Zetcher, also a former Ladue Schools employee and coach, have four children: Chris, Tim, Kevin and Katy.

Susan is a native St. Louisan and received her bachelor’s degree from Washington University.

Watch the presentation video.  

Ladue Schools Win National Recognition in WordMasters Challenge

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Ladue Schools third-grade team placed fourth in the nation out of 292 teams, and the district’s sixth-grade team placed third in the nation out of 170 teams in the first round of the WordMasters™ Challenge.   The WordMasters Challenge is a national competition for students in grades 3-8 that encourages growth in vocabulary and verbal reasoning.  Each year, over 125,000 students from some of the best public and private schools throughout the United States participate in the WordMasters Challenge.  Students from Ladue Schools’ elementary schools, Fifth Grade Center and middle school participated.

Two third-graders earned perfect scores of 20: Rogan Suri and Mara Welch.

To learn more about WordMasters and to see how other schools across the country fared, click on WordMasters Challenge.

Junior First Lego League Competition at Reed Elementary School

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Students at Reed Elementary School, Old Bonhomme Elementary School, Spoede Elementary School and Conway Elementary School participated in the Ladue Lego Expo on Saturday, February 7, 2015.Since 2004, Junior First Lego League has presented students with new and exciting challenges to spark creativity.

The Ladue School District’s four elementary schools had 18 teams showcase their work, constructed with Lego elements with a motorized part.  Students also had to learn how to present information using a “Show Me Poster.” At the end of the expo, all teams were recognized for their standout achievements.

Throughout their experience, teams operated under Junior First Lego League’s signature set of Core Values including teamwork, respect and idea sharing.

To read more about Junior First Lego League, click here.

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