District Digest | Oct. 9, 2026 | |
CIOS Class of 27' traverses the District during School Spirit Bus Tour
The Class of ‘27 Citizens in Our Schools cohort hopped on a school bus and hit the road last week for the program’s School Spirit Bus Tour.
Throughout the day, cohort members learned more about the history of our schools, toured facilities and got to experience the people and traditions that make each school unique.
At Francis Howell High School and Francis Howell Central, they were greeted by cheerleaders, dancers and bands.
Francis Howell North High School's Bella Voce choir treated the group to a special performance, and Castlio Elementary School held a sorting ceremony where each cohort member got to spin the wheel and discover their Castlio house.
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25 days remain until voters decide on Propositions O & H
On Nov. 3, voters in the Francis Howell School District will decide on two zero-tax-rate-increase ballot measures, Propositions O & H.
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The Prop O levy transfer would provide operating dollars to pay for things like staff salaries and raises, curriculum, and student programs.
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The Prop H bond issue would provide funds for safety upgrades, facility repairs, and learning environment improvements.
For the past five weeks, FHSD has been answering your questions about Props O & H on social media through our "Tidbit Tuesday" and "FAQ Friday" posts. These posts, linked below, aim to give detailed, visual information to voters so they can make an informed decision at the ballot box on Nov. 3.
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Additionally, FHSD has hosted two Morning Coffee Chats and one Evening Info Session to discuss Props O & H and answer questions. We invite you to attend one of our remaining info sessions or morning coffee chats listed below.
Evening Info Sessions (Admin Building - Board Room):
Registration is required
Morning Coffee Chats:
| Paid for by the Francis Howell School District — Mr. Mark Delaney, Superintendent, 801 Corporate Centre Drive, O'Fallon, MO 63368. | |
Two FHSD educators earn Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award
Central Elementary School fourth grade teacher Ellie Koenig and Barnwell Middle School eighth grade math teacher Jason Woods were named recipients of the 2026 Emerson Excellence in Teaching Award.
Each year, Emerson recognizes 100 teachers, from elementary teachers to college professors, for their contributions to education in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
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FHN's Jennifer Oncken honored with MCDA Podium Award
Jennifer Oncken, Francis Howell North’s director of vocal music, was recently honored as the recipient of the prestigious Missouri Choral Directors Association (MCDA) Podium Award for her direction of the Bella Voce choir. The choir's well-received performance at the Southwestern American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Regional Conference earned Oncken multiple letters of recommendation, ultimately leading to her receiving the award.
The MCDA Podium Award recognizes music educators who demonstrate exceptional leadership, conducting excellence and a lasting impact on the choral arts statewide. The award doesn’t exclusively go to high school directors, but choir directors in general, making the honor even more impactful for Oncken, who is one of just 20 recipients in the award’s history.
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| 6 FHSD students named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists | This year's semifinalists are Francis Howell Central students: Rory Johnson, Sivani Kandel, Evan Lin and Deepal Sharma; and Francis Howell High students: Maverick Hutchins and Reyansh Wadhwa. | | |
| Lisa Simpkins nominated for HR Admin of the Year | |
FHSD's Chief Human Resources Officer Lisa Simpkins was one of three nominees for the Missouri Association of School Personnel Administrators (MOASPA) HR Administrator of the Year.
Simpkins received high praise from those who nominated her, including colleagues and mentees who highlighted her relational leadership, dedication to mentorship and professional expertise.
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| Raptor Safe mobile app now available to expedite visitor check-in at FHSD schools | A mobile app is now available to help expedite the check-in and verification process for school visitors. The Raptor Safe app provides a quick and secure way to verify an individual’s identity in advance and allows parents and other visitors to check in using a simple QR code. | | |
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Last chance to register for the upcoming FHSD College Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 13
Students and families are invited to explore opportunities for life after high school and connect with representatives who can help them take the next step during the 2026 FHSD College Fair from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Francis Howell High School.
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Registration open for October Healthy Minds, Healthy Schools virtual event
The upcoming Healthy Minds, Healthy Schools virtual session titled "Curiosity, Connection and Culture: A Caregiver's Guide" will run from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, on Zoom. The link to the Zoom meeting will be emailed to registered participants during the week of the event.
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| October Howell Heritage Highlights: Multi-culture month | FHSD launched the Howell Heritage Highlights in September 2026 to celebrate the many cultures represented in our school communities. The month of October celebrates four heritages: Filipino American, Italian American, German American and Hindu American. | | |
| Lexi Costello honored as Leader of Tomorrow | Lexi Costello, a seventh-grade student at Barnwell Middle School, was recently honored as the first Saint Charles City Government Leader of Tomorrow for the 2026-27 school year. Lexi is a member of Barnwell’s Student Ambassador Program, and her nomination letter spoke highly of her kindness, leadership and compassion. | | |
| FHC student completes apprenticeship with True Manufacturing | Francis Howell Central's Nathan Inserra recently became the first FHSD student to complete an apprenticeship with True Manufacturing. | | |
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FHSD teachers to perform in Extra Credit Choral concert
| Rebekah Anthonis (John Weldon Elementary), Whitney Cairns (Saeger Middle School) Pamela Cajka (Francis Howell High School), Olivia Howard (Francis Howell Middle School) and Sarah Dobson (Bryan Middle School) were chosen for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Extra Credit Choral program on Sunday, Nov. 1. | | |
| FHSD students shine in Summer Reading Challenge | FHSD students had the highest participation and completion rates among all five participating school districts in the Annual Summer Reading Challenge hosted by the St. Charles City-County Library. | | |
| FHHS holds annual First Responder and Military Appreciation Game | Francis Howell High School celebrated First Responders and Military Appreciation Night during the Vikings' football game on Friday, Sept. 11. Each year, this special night brings students, families and community members together to recognize and thank the first responders and military personnel who help keep our community safe. | | |
| FHC athlete inducted into GAC HOF, Mizzou coach Drinkwitz makes appearance | On Thursday, Sept. 17, Francis Howell Central celebrated alumnus Jackson Berck’s induction into the Gateway Athletic Conference’s (GAC) Hall of Fame. In addition, Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz made an appearance in his helicopter to watch four-star commit Jack Brown in action. | | |
| Celebrating our unsung heroes: National Custodian, Maintenance, Grounds and HVAC Appreciation Day | On National Custodian, Maintenance, Grounds and HVAC Appreciation Day (Oct. 2) we celebrated our unsung heroes — those who are often overlooked yet are essential to the day-to-day operation of our District. | | |
| IT Pros Day: Thank you for keeping us connected | On National IT Professionals Day, we recognized the 25 IT professionals who keep technology running across FHSD’s 23 schools, Administration Building and other district facilities. | | |
| Observe National Bus Safety Month throughout October | |
Bus safety is a key component for any school district. Each day, the FHSD Transportation team provides safe, efficient transportation to and from school for more than 10,000 students.
Take a moment to re-familiarize yourself with the District's bus safety guidelines and help keep your child safe.
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FHSD seeks community feedback regarding proposed curriculum
As part of our curriculum development and approval process, the community has an opportunity to review and provide feedback on recently developed and revised curriculum documents.
Curriculum writing teams have completed revisions for several courses. These curriculum documents will be presented to the Board of Education January 2027.
This month, we are presenting 7 curriculum documents for community review and feedback:
Complete the survey or email feedback directly to curriculum@fhsdschools.org to provide feedback on the curriculum documents linked below. Your responses will be considered by our curriculum writing team for final revisions. The deadline for submitting your feedback is 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
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District to share info through eduCLIMBER assessment system
The Francis Howell School District uses an assessment system, eduCLIMBER, to collect and transmit secure data and communications. Throughout the rest of the school year, we will use the system to share information about course placements, attendance tiered letters, reading success plans, FHSD tiered intervention plans and STAR Reading parent reports.
Here’s what you need to know:
- The communication will come from the email address: no-reply@educlimber.com.
- The subject line will be: “Student documents available for your review.”
- There will be a cover letter with the district logo that prompts you to open a secure document.
- You will be prompted to enter your child’s date of birth, school and grade level to open the secure document. This ensures that your child’s reports, data and confidential information can only be accessed by authorized parties.
- The documents will be available for viewing for one week and can be saved upon viewing.
- It is recommended to view the attachments on a computer or tablet, rather than on a phone, to ensure full accessibility.
- EduClimber does not seem to work well on the Firefox browser.
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If you are unable to pull up a letter, please try clearing the cache and cookies.
If you have any questions, please email Dr. Angeline O’Neal-Hogrefe, the District's Director of Curriculum & Assessment.
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CCR Platform Vendor Presentations: Parent input needed
As we work this school year to finalize the FHSD Portrait of a Graduate, a College and Career Readiness Platform will be instrumental in identifying and monitoring those measurables. In addition to this new work, a selected platform will serve as a systematic tool to facilitate student, staff and family engagement in educational and post-secondary planning.
Currently, data and artifacts for supporting students with their educational journey and post-secondary planning are contained in a variety of non-integrated platforms (Infinite Campus, YouScience, Scoir, Google, etc.). Also, additional platforms like Missouri Connections are also used for career and educational exploration.
Data between these platforms doesn’t flow continuously, thus creating a disjointed process for helping students connect their learning styles, interests and aptitudes with their future academic and career paths, and a College and Career Readiness Platform can help streamline all of these processes and house everything for each student in one location.
For these reasons, we are hosting vendor presentations for a College and Career Readiness Platform, and we would like to have parents of middle school and high school students help review selected vendors from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13. If you are interested in the opportunity, please complete the parent representative form by Friday, Oct. 16.
We are hoping to get representation from across the district, and selected parents will be notified to confirm. If you have questions, please contact the Director of Secondary Education Dr. Erin Thurston at erin.thurston@fhsdschools.org.
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SPACE program helps families support anxious children
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) is a parent/guardian psychoeducational group offered by licensed clinicians with the Francis Howell School District. This program is being offered to district families to learn more about how to support anxious children. This program is for adults and is meant to give information to parents/guardians with applicable tools to apply at home.
Why is SPACE different?
SPACE is a unique program where parents are the agents of change. SPACE is a parent-centered program that empowers you with strategies to help your child overcome anxiety and foster their independence, rather than directly treating the child.
SPACE will meet once a week for three consecutive weeks for a 1.5-hour long session:
- Groups run from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, Nov. 4 and Nov. 11
- Groups will meet in person at:
FHSD Administration Building Board Room
801 Corporate Centre Drive, O'Fallon, MO 63368
Note: SPACE IS LIMITED. Childcare will not be provided.
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October 12 | 6:30 p.m.
Prop O & Prop H Information Session
FHSD Admin Bldg., 801 Corporate Centre Drive
October 13 | 7 a.m.
Prop O & Prop H Coffee Chat at Bishop's Diner
911 Waterbury Falls Drive (O'Fallon)
October 14
Collaboration Wednesday Early Release
Secondary Schools
October 15 | 6:30 p.m.
Board of Education Meeting
FHSD Admin Bldg., 801 Corporate Centre Drive
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October 16
Early Release Day
Elementary Schools only
October 19-23
No school, Fall Break
All K-12 Schools
October 27
Prop O & Prop H Information Session
FHSD Admin Bldg., 801 Corporate Centre Drive
October 28
Collaboration Wednesday Early Release
Secondary Schools
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