Pacific High School alumna and current Zitzman Elementary principal, Ketina Armstrong, was named Director of Communications for the 2019-2020 school
year.  Armstrong has been an employee of the Meramec Valley R-III School District for 24 years.  She has held various roles in the district, including early-childhood teacher, SACC Director, Nike Elementary Principal, Riverbend Principal, and most recently Zitzman Elementary Principal. During her time at MVR-III, Armstrong guided schools to receive both state and national awards, while also working to secure over $50,000 worth of grant funding through the years.  In addition, Armstrong is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree through Missouri Baptist University.  

In September (2018), the MVR-III Board of Education and central office leaders worked with EdCounsel to conduct a community engagement process to identify district strengths and areas for growth. One of the major themes identified by parents, students, staff, and community members was improving both internal and external communication. In response to this feedback, members of the administrative team established communications as an immediate focus area. Re-instituting the Director of Communications position within the district is the next step in elevating district communication efforts for all stakeholders.  

Superintendent, Dr. John Mulford, shared, “As our district looks to revive this position, we believe the successful candidate needs to understand where we have been as a district and where we are going. Not only does Mrs. Armstrong know what we value, she has an unmatched passion to see our district succeed. She is the right person for the job.” Mulford went on to explain, “Some of the things we will be working on for the 2019-20 school year is a new website design, the roll out of a district mobile app, regular newsletters and publications featuring various school programs, establishing and enhancing community partnerships, and acquisition of additional grant funding.”

In addition to her roles within the school district, Armstrong has held leadership positions with various not-for-profit organizations in the community including the Pacific Agape House, Pacific High School Sports Club, and New Beginnings Lutheran Church.  Armstrong will officially begin her duties as Communications Director July 1, 2019.

For the second year in a row, a book trailer video created by an MVR-III fifth grader was chosen as winner in a state-wide contest.  This year, Chloe Newton from Robertsville Elementary won for the book The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street by Lindsay Currie.  Chloe’s trailer will be used to represent one of eleven books selected as Mark Twain Award nominees.  Click HERE to view all of the winning trailers for the 2019 contest.

Dylan Stout from Nike Elementary was a contest winner last year.  His trailer was selected to represent the book Ghost by Jason Reynolds, and his winning entry can be viewed HERE.

The book trailer contest, held by the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL), chooses student-created work that helps recognizes the best books written for students each year.  The book trailer contest has been held the past few years, although the Mark Twain Award itself has been voted on by students in grades four through six since 1971.

Once again, the Meramec Valley R-III School District will offer all K-8 students, free of charge, an exciting approach to summer learning called Summer Journey. The Summer Journey program will be held at four designated elementary sites for K-4th (Coleman, Robertsville, Truman, and Zitzman).  Meramec Valley Middle School will host 5^th – 6^th and Riverbend will host 7^th – 8^th.  We have tentatively planned to begin the Summer Journey program on May 28, 2019, and end the program on June 28, 2019. Please be aware, however, that inclement weather may change the Summer Journey dates. The Summer Journey program is open to all students entering kindergarten for the fall of 2019 through those currently attending 8th grade. The Summer Journey program will be an all-day program Monday through Friday. Please note if you are the parent of a child who will be entering kindergarten in the fall of 2019, I strongly encourage you to consider enrolling your child in Summer Journey. The four elementary sites will have a full day option for those entering kindergarten. Transportation will be provided at the beginning and end of each day for the all K – 8 sites. 

No matter what courses you may choose for your student this summer, make no mistake about it; our summer program will be FUN for kids. Summer Journey’s extraordinary educational goals are comprised of morning sessions that focus on academic courses with hands-on instruction centered in reading, language arts, math, social studies and/or science. Summer Journey afternoon classes will include different additional learning opportunities that include physical activity as well as artistic and creative opportunities to explore areas of interest. Excellent attendance will be rewarded on an individual basis as well as for drawings and daily prizes for all those that qualify during the Summer Journey K-8 program.

Enrollment packets were sent home with students the week of March 11; please complete and return the enrollment materials for your child to their classroom teacher or the school office. In order to ensure that our elementary and middle school staffing and transportation is in place for our students, we will need to have all summer school enrollment packets returned by Friday, May 3^rd, 2019. If packets are received after Friday, May 3^rd, students will be placed on a waiting list and the building principal will let you know if openings arise that will allow your student to be part of Summer Journey.

For more information, please click the links below:

SUMMER JOURNEY - COURSE OFFERINGS

SUMMER JOURNEY - STUDENT INCENTIVES

SUMMER JOURNEY - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If your student will be a future MVR-III student, please call or stop by your neighborhood school to get them enrolled for the 2019-2020 school year.  We are registering students and making appointments for future dates to have your student screened.  We are focusing on Kindergarten Readiness and want to answer as many questions as possible so you are ready for this big transition. We are so excited to get your student enrolled and prepared for the 2019-2020 school year!

For more information, please click on the link below:

Kindergarten Registration Flyer

To view registration forms online, please visit the building webpage where your child will be attending.