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7/31/2019 Confluence Connections Newsletter Fall 2012
1/81 CC Fall 2012
veryone enjoys wearingnew clothes. Whether forschool or work or fun,
wearing new clothes makes adifference in how you look andin how you feel.
Even a new school uniform canchange your outlook. Just askthe University of Junior
Academy (UJA) students atConfluence Academy-OldNorth. This school year, theiruniforms have a distinctive look white oxford shirts with a logo,royal blue ties, khaki bottomsand black dress shoes.
The idea behind the new lookis to give our scholars a morecareer-directed look, saidSonya Murray, principal, andStanley Johnson, in-schoolsuspension teacher.
We believe students shoulddress for the success theystrive for each day.
Murray and Johnson said thestudents love the new lookbecause they are nowdistinguished from the K-5grades and have a growingpride about being middleschool scholars.
Many parents have said thestudents look distinguishedand important.
The idea was developed lastschool year by a team of staffand students at Old North.
They wanted a way to provideUJA an identity. Theydeveloped a proposal and gavea presentation to the Board ofDirectors of ConfluenceCharter Schools.
The Board wholeheartedlysupported the process andprovided funding toward thepurchase of one shirt for eachstudent in UJA. We areextremely grateful to the Boardfor their continuous support ofschool initiatives, said Murray.
This is a pilot year for theprogram. To help the studentsand families, the Boardcovered the cost of the firstoxford shirt and logo.
The impact of the new uniformis noticeable in academicsand attitudes.
Students have been observedbeing more engaged in lessonsand understand the importance
of their achievement as it relatesto their future careers. Thebehavior has been much morein line with our Positive BehaviorSupport expectations. Studentsseem to be much morerespectful and responsible, saidMurray and Johnson.
Many students learned how totie a tie for the first time.Several students now carrybriefcase-style bags, adaptingto the expectations for respectand pride.
The grace of our young ladiesand the pride in our young menmakes this whole experienceworthwhile. Words cannotexpress the sense of pride thestudents have with the newlook, and the new expectationsat our middle school.
Many parents have thankedthe school for taking a stancein helping to create a newculture and standard whileputting a focus on a positivefuture for their children. We arecertain that the new look andsense of pride in our studentswill cultivate higherexpectations and performance.
UJA uniform program boosts prideConfluence Academy-Old North
UJA students
at Confluence
Academy-Old
North look
sharp in their
new uniforms
CONFLUENCECONNECTIONS
F
all2012
E
7/31/2019 Confluence Connections Newsletter Fall 2012
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New school year to beone of changemission and vision focuson academic excellence
I am very happy to welcome back our
returning families and I extend a hearty
welcome to families who are new to
Confluence Charter Schools.
With the school year well underway, we
hope that you and your children have
settled into your back-to-school
routines. The 2012-2013 school year will
be one of CHANGE. We hope youve
noticed our spruced up campuses, new
school logo, new website and our
simplified mission and vision statements.
Our Board of Directors appreciate that
you have selected Confluence Charter
Schools from the many school options.
We plan for your children to have aproductive year. As a parent, you can
help. In this newsletter, we have
provided tips on reading with your child
at home, and helping your child in other
ways at home. This year, we will have
parent connection meetings which will
provide additional information to support
your children. For families with students
in grades 3-8, I hope you will take
advantage of our free after-school
homework and tutoring programs, as
well as Saturday tutoring sessions.
We are focused on meeting the individual
academic needs of our children,
identifying their skill gaps and providing
both remediation and enrichment. Please
help us by making sure students get to
school on time and have a good nights
rest so they are ready and eager to learn.
Create a quiet area for them to work on
their assignments and encourage them to
read at least 15-20 minutes each evening.
Ask your child about what he or she is
learning, what skills they are working on,
and most importantly, what progress theyare making on their learning plans.
Remember to encourage your child
to succeed!
Lastly, I would like to encourage each of
our Confluence parents and guardians to
become actively involved in our schools.
You can support school events, join the
Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), and
attend parent-teacher conferences. You
are also welcome to attend our Board of
Directors meetings. Most meetings are in
the morning, but we do have some
evening meetings, so I hope you have a
chance to join us. Upcoming meeting
dates are included in the newsletter.
With the support of our parents, the
dedication of our teachers, staff, board,
sponsors and hard work from our
children, we will have the student
academic growth and personal
development we strive for.
Sonya G. HenryChairman
Confluence Academy Board
CHAIRMANSLETTER
Mission Statement
Confluence Charter Schools provides the highest quality
public education for our students. Every day, students are
engaged and encouraged to excel in reading, math, science,
technology, visual arts and performing arts.
Vision Statement
Confluence Charter Schools will provide a world-classpublic education to prepare our students for success in
college, career and life.
Board of Directors Meeting Dates
Thursday, October 18, 5:30 p.m.Walnut Park Campus5421 Thekla Ave.
Friday, November 16, 8:00 a.m.Grand Center Arts Academy711 North Grand Blvd.
Friday, December 14, 8:00 a.m.South City Campus
3112 Meramec St.
Friday, January 18, 8:00 a.m.Old North Campus3017 N. 13th St.
7/31/2019 Confluence Connections Newsletter Fall 2012
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Enrollment updatesome openings remain
Dear Confluence families,
On behalf of the District Resource Office,
I would like to thank our parents and
families for their help during the
enrollment season.Thanks to yoursupport and referrals, we had a
successful enrollmentfor fall 2012.We still have a few spaces available at
some of our campuses. We appreciate
your continued support and referrals.Ifyou are interested in helping your
students campus with recruitment,
please feel free to send me an email at
[email protected]. I will
help you get connected with the
recruitment specialist at the campus
level.Additionally, if you would like moreinformation on which grade levels areopen for enrollment at each campus, I
can help.
John Klein, District Resource Office
Family is the foundationchief academic officertalks about theimportance of parentaland adult support
One of the key cornerstones of
Confluence Charter Schools is making
connections with parents and family
members in support of each childs
education. Other Confluence
cornerstones include: providing a
positive learning culture in our schools,
customized instruction to meet the
needs of each child and building our
teachers capacity in developing effective
instructional measures. It is essential for
all cornerstones to work together to set
the foundation for student success.
We look to parents and families for
helpful background information about
our students to assist in reaching out to
their individual needs. Parents are
childrens first teachers, and role models,
and will always be essential in developing
a child to his or her greatest potential.
With the school and families working
together to build a Confluence Can Do
attitude in children, we can build on
success.
There are many challenges in our lives,
whether at home or at school. It is up to
the adults in the world to make sure our
children have a clear vision of what theirgoals are, strategies to achieve these
goals, staying on the right track, getting
help when needed, and celebrating every
victory along the way, however small it is,
for each and every one. Please support
your childs school in building
connections so we can best serve each
childs academic and social needs. You
can look forward to future connections
with your childs school to learn more
about your childs progress during parent-
teacher conferences and by monitoring
our parent portal.
We encourage parents to get involved in
their childs education and we will sharebest learning practices that you can use
at home. Together, we can make a
positive difference.
Sincerely,
Denise C. Jones
Chief Academic Officer
ACADEMICUPDATE
Parents are childrens first
teachers, and role models,
and will always be
essential in developing a
child to his or her greatest
potential.
Denise C. Jones
Third graders getting
the most out of a
Confluence education
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]7/31/2019 Confluence Connections Newsletter Fall 2012
4/84 CC Fall 2012
The right to votevoter registration atConfluence Prep
Students at Confluence Preparatory
Academy exercised their rights as future
voters. In early October, students who
are eligible to vote in the upcoming
election participated in a voter
registration event. It was organized byteachers Deanna Tamborelli and
Jennifer Luker.
A guest speaker talked to students about
the importance of voting and ballot
initiatives. She also shared her personal
experiences as a volunteer for political
campaigns. The power of voting,
regardless of who you vote for, is
important, she said.
Tamborelli encouraged the students to
think about the reasons why itsimportant to vote, and allowed students
to share aloud, if they felt comfortable.
John Troupe, 18, shared his thoughts
and the issues important to him. He
spoke firmly about education, and said
he watched the conventions for both
political parties. Other students spoke
up, too. Many of the issues were the
same public education, jobs, the war in
Iraq and health care.
Donetta Reece, 18, said she registered
to vote because its the right thing todo. She is researching her choice for the
president by watching TV, talking to her
mother, asking questions and talking to
teachers. I have the chance to vote, so
Im going to vote, she said.
QUICKTAKES
Hispanic heritagefestival events at SouthCity campus
Confluence Academy-South City will
recognize Hispanic Heritage month with a
celebration on October 16.
The Hispanic Heritage Festival will include
a living museum presented by third grade,a play by sixth grade, student displays
and activities and a potluck of Hispanic
food. Activities begin at 6:00 p.m. in the
Meramec building.
South Citys campus has about 360
students who speak Spanish as their
native language. There are many students
throughout Confluence Charter Schools
who speak Spanish as their native
language, too.
Carolyn Lammert, ELL teacher/building
coordinator, explained the importance ofrecognizing cultures.
With the understanding of other cultures,
students are able to be more productive,
sensitive, tolerant, and appreciative and
integrated into their diverse community.
For students of other cultures, knowing
that their culture and values are truly
valued by teachers and students makes
them feel part of the community, said
Lammert.
We will celebrate other cultures that are
represented in our school during second
semester with activities. Some of the
cultures are Somali, Vietnamese and
other Asian cultures.
National Hispanic Heritage Month is
celebrated from mid-September to mid-
October.
Music with a messageMusician visits GrandCenter Arts Academy
The sounds of live jazz filled the cafeteria
Students listened and watched, learning
something new, something different.
Terence Blanchard and his quintet
captivated students and teachers atGrand Center Arts Academy during an
hour-long visit on September 20.
Students were introduced to jazz, and to
Blanchards journeys through music.
Blanchard went to a music and arts high
school. He studied at Rutgers, and has
been touring as a jazz musician since he
was 19 years old.
He talked about improvisation in jazz, he
talked about the blues and he played a
musical game with the students.
After the performance, Blanchard invited
questions from students and teachers.
They asked about the instruments, how
long theyve been playing, and how they
keep up with each other. The drummer
explained that he is constantly adjusting
while performing, but that its not hard
because he knows the language of
music.
Blanchard made sure to share the
message of working hard and staying
focused. He said his success is a result
of hard work as a youth. I didnt know
where it would lead, but I can attribute
my success to my effort.
Whatever you do, do it to the best of
your ability, he said.
The visit to Grand Center Arts Academy
was in partnership with Jazz St. Louis.
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Davis assumes postinterim principal for Walnut Parkchosen
Confluence Academy-Walnut Park has a new interim principal.
Mary Leach Davis joined the Confluence family in September.She is a retired educator from the East St. Louis School District.She has 34 years of experience, serving 12 years as a principal.
She has a Bachelor of Arts from University of Illinois, a mastersdegree from National College of Education, and administrativecertification from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
I am very happy to have been appointed as the interim principal
at Confluence Academy-Walnut Park. I look forward to asuccessful school year, said Davis in a letter to families.
I have great expectations for student, staff and parentparticipation. As the year progresses, I anticipate we will makegreat strides!
Missouri S&T scholarsFive students awarded
Confluence Charter Schoolsawarded scholarships to fivestudents who attend Missouri
University of Science andTechnology.
The 2012-2013 recip ients of theRobert F. Henry Jr. Scholarshipinclude Cameron D. Boles,$5,000; DiamondWilliams,$5,000; Deron D. Johnson,$4,000; Jessica Harvey, $4,000and Britni Snow, $4,000. Thestudents will be honored at adinner in late October at theMissouri S&T campus.
Robert F. Henry Jr. was a founding
member of Confluence Academywho died in 2004. He graduatedfrom the University of Missouri-Rollain 1979 with a Bachelor of Sciencein chemical engineering. He earneda masters degree in constructionengineering from WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis in 1986. Hewas a founding member of Kappa
Alpha Psi Fraterni ty, Inc. at theRolla campus. As a professional, hewas the first African American tohold a leadership position as an
engineer in the City of St. Louis,President of the Board of PublicService. He is a graduate of CharlesE. Sumner High School.
Students who accept thescholarship must commit to an
internship with Confluence to workwith students. The paid internshiprequires working at least two weeksduring winter, spring or summerbreaks. Some students also tutor orassist during Confluences summerschool session.
To be elig ible for the scholarsh ip,applicants must be a senior at a St.Louis city or county high school orenrolled at Missouri S&T; major in ascience, technology, engineering ormath related field; secondaryeducation in a STEM field isacceptable; must be a permanentresident of the St. Louis area and aresident of the state of Missouri;have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 andmeet requirements for admission toMissouri S&T. Applications aremade available in November andare due in February. Amounts arepresented up to $5,000.
Since 2006-2007, the scholarshiphas been presented to 36 students,totaling more than $100,000.
New Walnut Park
Interim Principal
Mary Leach Davis
RECENTNEWS
Mark Your Calendars
October 12 - Professional Development, No Classes
October 17 - Parent College Computer Classes Begin
6 p.m. 8 p.m., CPA, 3rd floor Computer Lab
October 18 - Parent-Teacher Conferences4:00 8:00 p.m. Old North, South City, Walnut Park
3:15 7:00 p.m. Confluence Preparatory Academy
3:30 7:30 p.m. Grand Center Arts Academy
October 19 - Parent-Teacher Conferences, No Classes
8:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.November 12 - Veterans Day
November 21-23 - Thanksgiving Holiday
December 20 - Professional Development, No Classes
December 21-January 1 - Winter Break
January 2, Professional Development, No Class
7/31/2019 Confluence Connections Newsletter Fall 2012
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Tips For
Parents
Helping
your child
succeed in
school
Expose your child, whatever his or her age, to a variety of cultural and educational experiences. Forexample, visit art museums, history museums, the zoo, science exhibits and community festivals. A broadrange of experiences helps children learn new material.
Encourage your child to ask questions What is that word? What does it mean? Challenge your childto add new words to his or her vocabulary every day. Help your child connect the words to his world toincrease understanding and retention.
Stay involved as your child gets older, and be sure to ask questions. Be sure to show up for your childrenThey may act like they dont want it, but your presence shows them that they are important to you. It alsoshows that education is important to their future.
Ask your child to teach you what he is learning. Teaching new material is the highest level of learning.
Organize for success. Designate a quiet spot in your home as a homework station. Keep pencils, paper,crayons and pens at home so your child can complete assignments.
Avoid last minute cramming. Spend a little time each day studying for tests or quizzes.
Be an advocate for your child. Make sure you are aware of important dates at school such as PTOmeetings, conferences and special events. Be aware of how and when the school will communicate withyou and stay involved.
Tips For
Parents
Reading at
Home: 10
Simple
Reading
Strategies
for Parents
Reading with children is a proven way to promote early literacy. As most parents know, however, it is notalways easy to make time each day for reading. By putting a few simple strategies into action, a parent can
make a significant contribution to their childs reading in as little as 20 minutes per day.
Here are a few ideas you can use when reading with your child at home:1. When reading a book with large print, point word by word as you read. This will help your child learn that
reading starts from the left and goes to the right. It will also help your child understand that the word hesays is the word he sees.
2. When you come to a new word, take the opportunity to talk about it in interesting ways that your child willenjoy and learn from. For example, This big house is called a palace. Who do you think lives in a palace?
3. Read a childs favorite book over and over again. This will provide positive reinforcement and your child wilgain confidence to successfully recognize words.
4. Choose stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat. Invite your child to join in on these parts.
5. Stop and ask questions about the pictures and about what is happening in the story.
6. Read a variety of childrens books such as fairy tales, song books, poetry books and information books.
7. Set aside special reading time and a special reading place. Setting a designated reading time helps inmany ways. It allows a parent to plan the day more effectively and to make time for reading. It also helpsthe child, especially a reluctant reader, to think of reading as a normal scheduled daily activity.
8. Read with emotion. Reading with emotion draws a child into the story in a way that is much morememorable and enjoyable. It also helps children understand how words can describe something.
9. Let your child turn the pages. Besides being enjoyable, it helps more active children stay focused on thebook.
10. Take your child to the public library to check out books. Most popular childrens books are available atthe local library. It is an affordable way to give your child access to a wide range of books. Taking your
child to the library also turns reading into a special occasion.
Confluence Charter
Schools
Walnut Park Campus
5421 Thekla Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63120
314-383-8900
Old North St. Louis Campus
3017 North 13th Street
St. Louis, MO 63107
314-241-1110
South City Campus
3112 Meramec Street
St. Louis, MO 63118
314-481-4700
Confluence Preparatory Academy
310 North 15th Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
314-588-1088
Grand Center Arts Academy
711 North Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103
314-533-1791
PA
RENTCONNECTION
7/31/2019 Confluence Connections Newsletter Fall 2012
7/87 CC Fall 2012
The best place to learn whats happening in our classrooms and in our schools are on our websites:
www.confluenceacademy.org and www.grandcenterartsacademy.org
Confluence Charter Schools are also on Facebook. Have you liked us yet? Are you a fan? Look for the official
page for your childs school and like us to keep up with whats new.
Confluence Preparatory Academy
Confluence Academy-Old North Campus
Confluence Academy-South City Campus
Grand Center Arts Academy
In early August, Confluence Charter Schools recognized
teachers and staff who have been with the District for five
years. Honorees received service pins and certificates at the
All Staff meeting, held at Confluence Preparatory Academy.
Emily Hileman, Kindergarten Teacher, Old NorthScott Mitchell, School Operation Manager, Old North
Samantha Snarzyk, 2nd Grade Teacher, Old North
Jennifer Susa, 3rd Grade Teacher, Old North
Jonathan Abbott, Dean of Students, Walnut Park
Shatiega Brown, Title I Tutor, Walnut Park
Angela Carpenter, Interim Principal, Walnut Park
Bernita Mitchell, 3rd Grade Teacher, Walnut Park
Rosemary Petruso, Technology Teacher, Walnut Park
Shannon Robins, Title I Tutor, Walnut Park
Loreal Vanderford, Title I Tutor, Walnut Park
Karen Walker, Kindergarten Teacher, Walnut Park
Ronnie Banks, Physical Education Teacher, South
Patricia Clarkin, Kindergarten Teacher, South CityLyndsey Derber, 7th/8th Grade Teacher, South Cit
Ciara Moore, Title I Tutor, South City
Deanna Noseff, Kindergarten Teacher, South City
Dion Edwards, School Operation Manager, CPA
Rene Hughes, Food Service Coordinator, Resource
Office
Five-year servicehonorees
NOTABLEEVENTS
Facebook,
web sites
get updates
Confluence getssocial
7/31/2019 Confluence Connections Newsletter Fall 2012
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CO
NFLUENCESCENES