Parkway Today

Our community is paying it forward in a big way. There have been thousands of dollars donated to ensure that students are fed at school. One individual donated $4,000 last week to pay off every negative lunch balance at one school! Thank you for your continued generosity.

West High student Elle Rotter organized the Pathfinder Product Drive. The goal was 1,051 items, and our students and staff tripled it! To support her efforts, Elle promoted the food drive in the school paper, coordinated the English departments' cooperation, coordinated the classroom pick up and organized everything for the food pantry.

Interested in getting involved yourself? Click here.

With five teams and 34 members, West High's robotics is more prominent than ever. Team Blue Brains and Team 7 Orange Beetles qualified for the March 2023 Missouri VEX Robotics Championship.

Team Blue Brains ranks in the top 12% in the world! Additionally, team Memory Leak earned the Innovative Award at UCC Spinup Spectacular last Saturday. Watch the video to see how they prepared for last weekend's competition.

West High’s Jack Riley and Nick Malchanav demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit with their business plan pitches to earn $3,500 in scholarships from Progress 64 West.

With the help of Parkway's choice program Spark!, Jack co-founded Relaxem. Relaxem is a business that creates a discreet coping method for children with stress and anxiety using a weighted anxiety hoodie. Its hoodie is currently in the prototype phase. Nick started Sneaker Stat, a resale store for designer athletic shoes. Read their full story here.

Anushka Rawat, South High, is one of only two Missouri high school seniors selected as a delegate to the U.S. Senate Youth Program. The United States Senate Youth Program is an intensive week-long educational experience and scholarship sponsored by the United States Senate for outstanding high school students interested in pursuing careers in public service.

Each student receives a week-long, expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate studies. Only 104 student delegates are selected to meet their U.S. senators and other government officials during the comprehensive education, leadership, and public service learning experience. To learn more click here.

Last week, the Central High basketball programs partnered with C.H.A.D.S Coalition for Mental Health through Talk 4 Tyler. Hear head coach Aaron Mueller open up about our community coming together to honor one of our own.

In August of 2021, Parkway Central alum Tyler Wessel lost his battle with depression. Tyler was an outstanding student, athlete, teammate, and friend and a kind and caring soul.

Talk 4 Tyler aims to raise awareness for mental health and the resources available for anyone battling depression. Talk 4 Tyler hopes to play a part in empowering struggling individuals to talk about it and seek help. Seeking help is a sign of strength and is available in many different forms and places.

Thank you to everyone who attended and supported the cause, including the Wessel family. Know that you are loved by many and never alone.

Miss Amy Bell is a first-grade teacher at Green Trails. Amy is known for her love of disco balls, dance parties and making learning fun for students daily. Amy uses a strengths-based approach to education. She makes every single student feel seen.

For example, she recently did a project in her class called "Fabulous Comes in Every Shade." Students found the perfect crayon to match their skin tone during this time. They then used the crayon to color part of a giant heart. During this time, Amy not only taught her students the science behind skin tone but also helped them praise their skin tone and identity positively.

For her, it's not just about every student; it's about each student. She works incredibly hard to ensure each child feels that Green Trails is the school for them without compromising who they are. We are so lucky to have her.

Do you have a staff member that is due for a special shout-out? Click here to nominate them for a Parkway Cares Award!

It’s time to design the next five years of our strategic plan to serve Parkway students. In order to ensure the best path forward, we need to look at where we are now. Join us for the “State of the District” event to learn more about our current reality in multiple key areas. We will share updates and seek feedback on:

• Trends in enrollment, demographics and staffing

• Serving all students

• The current reality of student achievement in Parkway

• Student programs and opportunities beyond the classroom

• School climate and the social and emotional well-being of students

State of the District will be held on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, at Parkway Central High School from 5:30-7:30 pm. We hope you will join us as we create a shared vision to serve current and future generations.

Stay tuned in the new year for other opportunities to learn more and share your thoughts as we design our future.

We will notify you if Parkway closes due to inclement weather. Is your family's emergency contact information correct? For instructions on updating contact information for your student, click here. Parents, if you need to update your contact information, log in to Infinite Campus Parent Portal here.

The Granting Dreams program, sponsored by Parkway Alumni Association, offers three grant opportunities for Parkway students who have a dream to learn outside their regular classroom: Dream Grants for Parkway K-12 students, Thomas Phelps Entrepreneurship Awards for students (grades 9-12) interested in business, and John Baker Music Scholar Awards for band students (grades 10-11).

View Granting Dreams guidelines and register for the program here.

The deadline to apply for Spark! experiential learning opportunities for the 2023-2024 school year is Sunday, January 29 at 11:59 p.m. Students must submit an online application.

The Spark! Program allows Parkway and Rockwood high school junior and senior students to “test drive” their career areas of interest while they are in high school for academic credit towards graduation. Students work on real-world projects with real-world industry leaders in the areas of Entrepreneurship, Teaching & Learning, Technology Solutions, Bioscience, Engineering, Sports Medicine, and Health Sciences. Click here for more information about the Spark! program.

The Early College program is a full-immersion, early entrance to college program located on the campuses of St. Louis Community College (STLCC) at Wildwood and/or Meramec. Students attend the Community College for two years, replacing the junior and senior years of traditional high school.

While in the program, students engage in a curriculum consisting of all college coursework taught by professors at STLCC. Upon successful completion, students earn an Associate of Arts degree, as well as a high school diploma. Early College is open to rising juniors at all four Parkway high schools and will offer 24 seats for the 2023-2024 cohort. Click here for more information.

Kindergarten registration for the 2023-24 school year begins Thursday, January 5. Students must be five years old before Aug. 1, 2023, to enter kindergarten for the school year.

You can learn about Parkway's kindergarten program via zoom. Click here to register.

More information about kindergarten can be found here.

December 22 Half Day AM PK-12

December 23 - January 2 Winter Break

January 3 No School – Professional Development for staff

For more information on district events, click here.

Email: connect@parkwayschools.net
Website: https://www.parkwayschools.net
Location: 455 North Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, MO 63017
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Twitter: @parkwayschools