Parkway Superintendent Rides School Buses With Students

In preparation for National School Bus Safety Week, Parkway Superintendent Keith Marty rode school buses with students as they headed to class this week.

The following information was provided in a news release by the Parkway School District. Superintendent Dr. Keith Marty rode Parkway buses this morning (Oct, 18) to celebrate National School Bus Safety Week, which takes place Oct. 22-Oct. 26, 2012.  “It’s a great time to ride with drivers to show support and to encourage continued safe driving,” he says. Will Rosa, transportation director, and Dr. Marty also demonstrated how to evacuate buses safely from the rear. Parkway's transportation department has an outstanding record in student safety and service. For 22 consecutive years, Parkway's transportation department has been awarded the "Fleet Excellence Award" from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the "Exemplary School Bus …

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Parkway School Board Candidates Talk Transfer Students, Budget Cuts

Three Parkway School Board candidates vying for two open seats in next month's election talked education, Clayton v Turner, how to handle district budget cuts and more at Monday night's public forum.

The League of Women Voters of St. Louis sponsored the Parkway School Board candidate forum Monday night. Three candidates are running for the Parkway Board of Education's two open seats on the April 3 ballot. (Read Previous Story: A 3-Way Race For Two Seats on Parkway Board of Education) The candidates, in order of filing and as their names will appear on the ballot, are: Feldman and Appelbaum each have two children attending Parkway schools, while Casteel, a retired teacher, had two children who attended Parkway as well. For more information and bios on the candidates, visit the board of education page on the Parkway website. Monday's forum at Parkway South Middle School allowed candidates to present their views and address questions from…

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Parkway Rolls Out Bounday Shuffle To Parents

About 180 students will be moved to alleviate overcrowding in North area elementary schools.

Parents had their first glimpse Monday night of the Parkway School District’s proposed plan to reduce overcrowding at Craig, McKelvey and Ross Elementary Schools. The plan was presented by Assistant Superintendent Desi Kirchhofer to a crowd of about 50 parents at Craig Elementary. After months of work, the proposal would shift about 180 elementary students primarily to River Bend Elementary, which has a current enrollment of approximately 230 students. Northeast Middle and North High schools may be impacted by the changes in the future. The boundary changes will be presented to the Board of Education, and the board members will decide to approve or disapprove of the plan. “The proposal, which will be presented to the Board in November, …

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Parkway Votes to Change School Start And End Times

The Parkway Board of Education is scheduled to vote Wednesday night on changing the start and end times for all schools. The changes could take effect in October.

The Parkway Board of Education is scheduled to vote Wednesday night on changing the start and end times for all schools. If approved, the time changes could take effect Oct. 17. Last year, the school board voted to add 20 additional minutes to elementary school days and move back the start times for middle school students. Parkway district spokesperson Cathy Kelly told Patch those changes have created some transportation issues, which is why Superintendent Keith Marty is now proposing adjusting school times by 5 to 10 minutes. Marty issued a statement Friday on the proposed changes. Kelly said the bottom line is the bus schedules are too close together, and 30 percent of the students are arriving at school late on a regular basis. "When we…

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Parkway Epicurean

Meat Nachos Include Chips and Cheese at McKelvey Elementary

Here's a look at the upcoming lunch menu for a few schools in the Parkway School District.

Welcome to the "Parkway Epicurean"—a weekly look at upcoming school lunch menus for a few Parkway School District schools in the Maryland Heights area. Check out what the Parkway school lunch cafeterias will be serving up the week of Sept. 19. McKelvey Elementary School Parkway North High School Information found via Parkway School District.

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Parkway's Teen Actors To Deliver Hilarious Musical in First District Venture

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” opens Friday at Parkway South High; next Friday at Parkway North, 7:30pm curtain both.

For the first time in recent memory, all four Parkway high school theater departments collaborated in a districtwide musical theater production debuted Aug. 12, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Teens from Parkway district high schools Central, North, South and West open the show at Parkway South High School this weekend, and move to Parkway North High School next weekend. All performances begin at 7:30pm.  "Spelling Bee"—with music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss—pits six oddball students in competition at the fictional Putnam Valley Middle School, while three oddball adults supervise it all. The idea for Parkway's combined production came from all four theater department …

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Alternative Discipline Center Changes the Meaning of Suspension

Parkway's offers the Alternative Discipline Center to students facing suspensions.

Here’s how it used to work: Misbehave in class, and you’re suspended. You miss school. You fall behind. In the Parkway School District, things are different. Misbehave in class and you can be suspended. But instead of missing school, you’re destined for the Alternative Discipline Center. The program serves students who get suspended for more than 10 days in grades six through 12. Last year, 225 students in the district attended the program, which allows troubled students to keep up with their classes, but keeps them out of their original classrooms. Since 2002, 70 percent of students who were offered the program have chosen it. Parkway officials say the program has been successful, citing a drop in the number of participants from 400 …

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Teach on Speech

Challenging Books: Maryland Heights Parents Can Register Concerns

Throughout July, Maryland Heights Patch will publish articles that relate to the freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment.

You can find Yankee Girl, by Mary Ann Rodman, in a Pattonville School District library. The novel deals with race issues and, in July 2009, the district received a complaint about the book’s inclusion. Banning books Book challenges are not uncommon in the United States. The American Library Association (ALA) reported 53 texts were challenged, restricted, removed or banned between May 2009 and May 2010. The books range from classics such as Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird to comic books such as Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier. You can read the entire list here. Tim Pecoraro, Pattonville's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said library book and instructional material challenges are …

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Survey Says: Parkway Parents Answer School Boundary Questions

Results of a parent survey are in line with what the Parkway School District expected, a district spokesman said.

Results from a Parkway School District parent survey are in. Parents in the north and central areas of the district answered questions about the guidelines the district uses to set attendance areas. Parkway is likely to change attendance area boundaries in the fall. Overcrowding at schools in the north part of the district, specifically McKelvey and Craig elementary schools, has prompted the potential changes. Elementary school students from the north part of the district could be moved to elementary schools in the central part of the district, such as River Bend Elementary in Chesterfield. Any changes made in elementary school attendance boundaries could impact where a student goes to middle or high school, too.  For the most part, …

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Parkway Superintendent Recognized with Contributions to Fund

Parkway School District's Interim Superintendent Don Senti's last school board meeting was Wednesday.

His time with Parkway School District may be almost over, but school board members and Parkway staff are hoping his legacy lives on. Don Senti, who has served for the last year as interim superintendent for the district, will officially step down this summer. The district's new superintendent, Keith Marty, begins the job July 1.  To honor Senti's contributions to the district, the school board and staff are encouraging donations to the Parkway Alumni Association. Specifically, they're asking contributions be made to the association's Al Burr Educators Make A Difference Fund. The fund rewards outstanding teachers in the district with cash stipends. At Wednesday's Parkway Board of Education meeting, board member Dee Mogerman announced the …

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