FHSD District Digest | December 9, 2022

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Will December bring snow?

At its November 17 meeting, the FHSD Board of Education approved a revised 2022-23 school year calendar that reflects the snow day plan for this year:

The first four snow days are built into the regular school calendar and do not need to be added to the end of the year. This means the District can experience up to four snow days and keep the last day of school as Friday, May 26, just before Memorial Day.

Snow days 5-10, if we have that many, will be added to the end of the calendar, beginning May 30 and continuing as needed through June 6.

These changes were recommended to the Board after considering feedback from a community survey with more than 5,400 responses and input from a snow day committee composed of parents and staff members. Thanks to all who participated!

print revised calendar

FHHS Football Wins State Championship

Our Francis Howell High School Vikings made history at Faurot Field. For the first time in program history, the Football program won a State Championship.

Work for FHSD

We're hiring for a variety of roles throughout the District.

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Community Resource Fair

An event that has been an FHSD tradition for a decade takes place this weekend. The Alternative Learning Department is hosting the 2022 Community Resource Fair on Saturday, Dec. 10.

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Special Olympics Basketball Tournament

The highly anticipated Francis Howell Special Olympics Basketball Tournament is happening this weekend. This event allows athletes of all abilities the opportunity to play on a team in front of their friends and family.

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Redesigned School Websites Coming Soon

Our improved FHSD websites are nearly complete. We can't wait for you to see the mobile-friendly and easier-to-navigate design.

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Howell of Fame Nominations now open

Howell of Fame is among the District's most prestigious awards. The purpose is to recognize individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to serve the District in meaningful ways. Be thinking about the many different parents, volunteers, community organizations, and staff members who represent the very best of Howell and whose efforts have made a lasting impact on the District and its people. Nominations will be accepted until March 1.

submit a nomination

Francis Howell High School and Francis Howell Central Cheer Teams will be competing at SEMO this weekend at the MCCA State Cheer Championship .

Good luck to all of our student athletes as they compete at the state level!

FHC

FHHS

Candidate filing is now open for the April 4, 2023, election to the Francis Howell School District Board of Education. The filing window began on December 6, 2022 and continues until 5 p.m. on December 27, 2022. The terms of current Board members Patrick Lane, Mary Lange and Doug Ziegemeier will expire in April 2023. Read more.

The District is set to begin preschool registration for the 2023-24 school year. FHSD has a quality preschool program that provides social and pre-academic experiences for children. Enrollment opens Feb. 6 for returning families and FHSD staff. New FHSD families can register beginning Feb. 13 and open enrollment begins March 6.

Juniors and seniors at all FHSD's high schools have the opportunity to join the St. Charles County CAPS program. Unique experiences allow students to cultivate professional skills such as understanding expectations, time management and other essential business values. These skills are critical to providing students with a competitive advantage in their post-secondary education and professional careers. The online application is available. Note: the deadline to apply for next year's program is Friday, Dec. 16. Learn more about the program.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has published District and School Report Cards using data from the 2021-22 school year. DESE typically releases this data in conjunction with the Annual Performance Report (APR). However, this year DESE is not releasing the APR until Spring. The report card data available now includes district-level and school-level MAP/EOC data, along with attendance, graduation rate, ACT composite, demographics, etc. View report card here.

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COUNTDOWN: 7 more days

of school until Winter Break

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Free ACT Prep Classes

Through our partnership with Edmentum, the District is excited to roll out four FREE ACT prep classes for all District juniors. By logging into their District Clever account and clicking the Edmentum tile, juniors in all of our high schools will find classes that will help them prepare for each of the four ACT subtests in Reading, English, Math and Science. Earning a higher score can be the difference between being accepted into a college and not having that option. In addition, when a student earns a higher score, they can qualify for scholarship money that can make a significant impact on a family’s ability to afford college. Please see this link for instructions on how to access the courses.

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High School Transcripts with ACT Scores

Beginning this school year, FHSD decided to remove ACT scores from students’ transcripts. This decision came after many years of requests from families to remove the ACT from the transcript, an extensive study of practices in other districts, recommendations from ACT, and information provided to us by colleges and universities. Since the change was implemented, we have heard from a handful of parents and students who would still like to have the option of getting a transcript that includes an ACT score. We will be able to accommodate these requests. If you would like to access a copy of a high school transcript that includes an ACT score, please contact your student’s school counseling office to request a copy.

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Attendance Matters

As always, we ask that if your child is sick or experiencing symptoms of influenza, COVID-19 or any other illness please keep them home. However, we have seen an increase in the number of students who are choosing to miss school for reasons other than illness. We know that students learn best when they're engaging with teachers and peers in the classroom environment. While assignments at the secondary level are posted on Canvas to allow students to keep up with work while absent, this is no substitution for in-person learning. If students are not sick, they should be in the classroom. Please encourage good attendance for your child. Thank you for your cooperation!

The District's 13th Annual Iron Chef Competition returned after a 2-year hiatus. It was an incredible experience for students, staff and parents. FHSD made the front page of Community News. How exciting for our student chefs! Click here to learn more about the culinary competition and find out which school took home bragging rights.

A brand new Little Free Library is now open at Henderson Elementary thanks to a former Eagle's generosity and passion! A big thank you to Ben for building and installing the library as part of his Eagle Scout project. Ben is a former student of Henderson who reached out wanting to donate his time and this amazing project to our school community! Watch video.

150 families enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal this year thanks to students and staff who volunteered over Thanksgiving Break. The District partnered with Sodexo and the St. Louis Area Foodbank to host a meal giveaway.

Students at Francis Howell Central had the opportunity to participate in Hour of Code! Interactive stations were set up all over the Learning Commons. Students built and controlled robots made out of Legos®.

HISTORY MADE! Francis Howell Vikings Football program definitely put on a show for the Howell fanbase of thousands of students, parents, friends and community members that traveled to Mizzou to cheer them on. See photos of their sendoff parade here.

Shout-out to these students at Francis Howell North. They helped custodial staff clean up the school as part of the first of two service projects for the month of December. We are so proud of our MAC Scholars and their commitment to improving our community!