May 29, 2015
Good afternoon and Happy
Friday.
First of all, thank you to
everyone for helping make 2014-2015 a pretty successful school year. The accomplishments of our students and staff
are too numerous to list. Two
school-wide recognitions that I am particularly proud of include LMS being
named a 2014 National School Of Character and (as you will see below) our being
designated as a 2015 Missouri Gold Star School.
Such recognitions result from the ongoing efforts and dedication of our
current and past students, staff, and parents.
As I alluded to in previous
emails, our LMS staff will experience some significant turnover for the coming
year. Now that Board approvals have been
completed for the most part, I can communicate the following regarding staff
departures and changes:
·
FACS – Debra
Beckrich. Amy Bullman (grade 8 Math)
will be moving to FACS for 2015-2016.
The second opening in FACS will be filled by Shaina Fall, who comes to
us from Rockwood.
·
Counselor – Beth
Mothersbaugh. This position will be
filled by Yvette Sykes, who comes to us from Hazelwood.
·
Science – Liz
Petersen (grade 7), Mike McBride (grade 6), and Beth Steck (grade 7). Adam Durham, coming from Cleveland Naval
Junior ROTC, and Christine Earnhart, coming from O’Fallon (IL) District 90,
will fill the two grade 7 positions.
Lisa Stein, from Macon R-I, will fill the grade 6 position.
·
Mathematics – We
have restructured a portion of our Math department to better target our
intervention efforts. Erin Heckendorn
(grade 6) and Jennifer Gardner (grade 7) will move to intervention and support
roles in all grades. The opening for
Jennifer Gardner will be filled by Megan Grossbauer, who comes to us from
Northwest R-I. The opening for Erin
Heckendorn will be filled by LMS Math teacher Suzanne Costanza. The opening for Amy Bullman (above) will be
filled by LMS Math teacher Matt Strayhorn.
·
Library/Media
Specialist – Narcisse Laidlaw. This
position will be filled by former Apogee teacher Melody Frese. The Apogee position is currently posted, with
interviews scheduled in the next few weeks.
·
Art – Michelle
Graf. This position will be filled by
Melshonda Lowe-Dobbins, who is transferring over from LHWHS.
·
Social Studies –
Steve Braun. This position will be
filled by Quentin Alimayu, who comes to us from SIU-Carbondale.
·
Communication
Arts – Lynn Moeckel (grade 8) and Marshaun Johnson (grade 8). One opening will be filled by Rachel Renna,
who comes to us from Northwest R-I. The
other opening will be filled by former grade 6 teacher Velma Valadez. The opening created by this transfer will be
filled by Nikki Weiss, who comes to us from University City.
·
Teaching
Assistants – Hanna Bremerkamp and Slava Prokhorets. These openings, as well as two part-time
Supervisory Aide positions, will be posted later this summer.
·
Vincent
Flewellen (MultiCultural Studies, Social Studies, Communication Arts). This opening has been posted and interviews
will be conducted soon.
The
above changes were due to retirement, relocation, and/or professional
advancement. As we wish the departing staff the best in their future
endeavors, we are also excited to welcome the new staff that will continue the
excellence established at Ladue Middle School.
CONGRATULATIONS
and THANKS
Congratulations
to our 2015 Greenwood Memorial Award recipients, Seema Patil and Nevan
Giuliani, who were announced at our Farewell Awards Assembly last Friday. Congratulations, as well, to the following
Greenwood Award finalists: Carolina
Alisio, Rose Coughlin, Rebecca Cunningham, Grace Hardester, Blake Berg, Robert
‘Trey’ Fruend, Max Kornfeld and Charles Yeldham.
Congratulations
to Dr. Tiffany Taylor-Johnson. In
recognition of her hard work, leadership and commitment to the community,
Tiffany has been selected to receive a prestigious 2015 Excellence in Education
Award at the St. Louis American Foundation’s 28th Annual Salute to
Excellence in Education Scholarship and Awards Gala. This event will be held on Friday, September
25, 2015 at America’s Center in St. Louis.
The St. Louis American Foundation, along with its education partners,
has distributed more than $3.5 million in scholarships for high-potential,
local minority students as well as community grants.
Congratulations to Eileen Duncan, who has been
named the Grand Prize Winner for the Haan Craft, Design-a-Pillow Contest for
2015-16. Her design will be made into a sewing project that will be
offered by the company beginning next fall. She will also receive a $100
gift card. Congratulations Eileen!
Congratulations
to our LMS teachers, students, staff and parents. On
Thursday, May 21, 2015, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education announced that eight Missouri public schools, including Ladue Middle
School, have received one of the state’s highest honors by being recognized as
Gold Star Schools. The program recognizes schools that perform at
high academic levels or that perform at high levels while serving a significant
proportion of disadvantaged students.
CALENDAR ITEMS
Beginning on Monday, June 1, the LMS
Office staff and administrators will begin our summer four-day workweek
schedule. Our office will be open from 7
am to 4:15 pm, Mondays through Thursdays, and will be closed on Fridays. This schedule will extend through the week of
July 13 – 16. We will resume our
five-day workweek on Monday, July 20.
CORRECTIONS/ADDITIONS
NEW ITEMS
During the grade 6 field trip to the St. Peters
Rec Plex last Friday, a blue bag from the St. Louis County Library was
misplaced. The last name of CHICOINE is written
in black marker on the outside and has a shark towel, white goggles and blue
and white swim trunks. Might someone
have inadvertently picked the bag up and taken it home? If so, please contact our school office so
that it can be returned. Thank you.
UPDATED ITEMS
REPEAT ITEMS
Current 7th grade students/Immunizations for next
year
Students
entering 8th grade in the state of Missouri are required to receive the TDaP
(tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) immunization. This is usually given by a doctor at age 11
or 12. If your child has not received
this immunization, please consult your physician. If you have records showing that your child
has received it, please provide them to the nurse's office.
LMSPA eBlasts
If you are
not currently receiving LMSPA email news blasts but would like to, please click
on the following link to subscribe:
Board Briefs
Information
regarding Ladue Board of Education meetings and work sessions can be found on boardbriefs.blogspot.com
Enjoy the rest of your
weekend.
In closing, I want to extend
my warmest wishes to our departing grade 8 students and their families. Thank you all for a wonderful three years at
LMS. We hope all the best for you in
your high school years.
I would also like to wish
our returning students, parents, and families a wonderful, relaxing, and safe
summer.
Take care,
Greg
