Dear Parents, Families and Community Members of the Kirkwood School District:

The Kirkwood School District is a school community that is both entrenched in rich tradition and provides innovative instructional programming for more than 5,700 students. The achievements of our students speak to the opportunities we offer for each child to ensure they can thrive in a learning environment that is welcoming, supportive, and uniquely challenging.  Our teachers are highly qualified, with 86% holding a master’s degree or higher. We provide our students with a rigorous curriculum while delivering the scaffolding that each child needs to be successful.

Beyond recognizing each child’s strengths, we realize that we live in a world that can be challenging for our students. For that reason, we also recognize the need to provide the social-emotional supports our children may require from time to time. We provide qualified counseling staff at each school, and we are currently partnering with BJC to provide Educational Support Counselors to meet the needs of students and families. This year we have three Social Emotional Learning professionals who will serve as a resource for staff in meeting the needs of students.

The Kirkwood School District also utilizes Restorative Practices when addressing student behavior. We recognize that behavior is learned, and so teaching, reinforcing and then practicing appropriate behavior is vital. And, when children make mistakes because that’s what it means to “grow up,” the use of Restorative Practices helps to build empathy so that children may learn how their behavior affects others.

We are very excited to begin this school year with new tools that will help us to communicate more effectively with our students, families, and community including our new website, our new Learning Management System – Schoology, and our school district app. Download it today to stay abreast of all the fantastic events we have planned for this school year!

 And most importantly, we thank our supportive community for providing us with the resources required to make all these opportunities possible!