Heritage Landing Alternative Program

While the FHSD transportation Department is new this year, what’s not new is the dedication and skill of many of the bus drivers. For Hannah Scharfenberg, driving a bus is more than just a job. It’s a mission to keep students safe during the commute to school. Each year, she participates in safety bus competitions to continue her growth as a driver. In June she won the 2019 State School Bus Safety Competition hosted by the Missouri Association for Pupil Transportation. As state champion, she earned the right to compete in the Annual School Bus Driver International Safety Competition hosted by the National School Transportation Association (NSTA) where she placed fifth in the nation.  Read more about FHSD Bus Driver Hannah Scharfenberg - A Champion of Bus Safety

The FHSD Transportation Department wants to take this opportunity to remind our parents about some of the changes with our new Francis Howell buses. New routing software will assign pick up/drop off locations for students that comply with the state guidelines. This includes ensuring that bus stops are at least 500 ft. apart, the minimum recommended distance to activate warning lights. This year we are creating more neighborhood bus stops instead of specific house stops. This also means FHSD buses may not be traveling up and down every street in every neighborhood, especially for secondary students. In order to make our routes as efficient as possible, we are encouraging parents to inform their school office if they do not need school bus transportation.  Read more about FHSD Bus Transportation Update

This summer FHSD has a record 3,750 students participating in 14 different summer school programs in 16 different buildings, but that’s not all! In addition to the 375 staff members running the summer programs, other District employees are preparing for the 2019-20 school year. “It’s a common misconception that our District is closed during the summer months,” said FHSD Superintendent Dr. Mary Hendricks-Harris. “But in reality, it is a busy time for many of our staff, even those who are not at school year-round. We never stop working to ensure that our students receive a top-notch education during the school year.”  Read more about What Happens in FHSD Over the Summer

Over the summer, the District will be continuing its work of bringing bus transportation in-house for the 2019-20 school year. FHSD employees from several departments are collaborating with the new transportation department and working to get everything in place for the switch on July 8. This transition date will mean the last two weeks of summer school transportation will actually be provided using Francis Howell’s new buses. This will also give the District the opportunity to get the new fleet into service before the start of the regular school year on August 8.  Read more about Bus Transportation Update

Teachers deliver so much to students—inspiration, knowledge, and motivation. They play a pivotal role in our children’s lives, inspiring a lifelong love of learning and discovery and making a difference in their well-being and long-term success. Join us in showing our thanks and appreciation to our dedicated educators during Teacher Appreciation week, May 6-10, 2019.  Read more about FHSD Celebrates Teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week

The Francis Howell School District Board of Education approved a sales contract for the purchase of the former St. Charles River Church building at 810 Westwood Industrial Park Drive. The District is now conducting its due diligence including a survey, environmental study, and an appraisal. The purchase is contingent on the results of inspections and is scheduled to close on June 4.  Read more about FHSD Acquiring St. Charles River Church

The Francis Howell School District is seeking feedback from our stakeholders on the annual Community Relations Survey. This is an opportunity for community members to provide input on the efforts of the District to involve citizens in decision-making, report plans and progress, and respond to the concerns of citizens. The survey only has seven questions, and can be completed in just a few minutes.   Read more about 2019 Community Relations Survey

The Francis Howell School District is excited to announce the recipients of the 2019 Howell of Fame Awards, which celebrate the outstanding achievements of volunteers and staff. This year’s 14 recipients will be honored at the annual Howell of Fame Awards ceremony on Monday, May 6, along with 2019 District Retirees, District Teacher of the Year, Teachers of the Year from each building, District Support Staff Employee of the Year, and Support Staff Employee of the Year from each building.  Read more about 2019 Howell of Fame

April is Occupational Therapy month, and the Francis Howell School District is taking this opportunity to say thank you to all of the occupational therapists (OT) employed by the District. Not only do they support students, but parents, teachers, and administrators in making the impossible, possible.  Read more about FHSD Recognizes Occupational Therapists for Making the Impossible, Possible

The Francis Howell School District is proud to announce that Rachael Wilcox, a first grade teacher at Independence Elementary School, has been selected as the 2019 FHSD Teacher of the Year. Her goal, simply stated, is to inspire students both personally and academically. Wilcox feels her most important contribution is building relationships with her students.  Read more about Independence Teacher Rachael Wilcox Named 2019 FHSD Teacher of the Year

The Francis Howell School District is proud to announce that Lisha Ewing, Educational Support Counselor at Francis Howell Union, has been selected as the 2019 FHSD Support Staff Employee of the Year. Ewing has distinguished herself as a dedicated employee by continually going above and beyond to support her school community.  Read more about Francis Howell Union ESC Lisha Ewing Selected as 2019 FHSD Support Staff Employee of the Year

During the month of February, students across the District will be provided opportunities to participate in various coding activities as part of “We Love to Code” month. This is the fourth year FHSD has hosted a District-wide event focused on coding, but the first time the event has spanned an entire month.  Read more about FHSD Celebrates Coding During “We Love to Code Month”

FHSD has been honored by the College Board with placement on the 9th Annual AP® District Honor Roll. FHSD is one of only five school districts in Missouri, and one of only 363 in North America, to achieve this distinction. To be included on the 9th Annual Honor Roll, the District had to increase the number of students participating in AP while also maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on an AP Exam. Reaching these goals indicates that FHSD is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for Advanced Placement. This is the fifth time that FHSD has been named to the prestigious list.  Read more about FHSD Named to Ninth Annual AP District Honor Roll

FHSD strives to communicate effectively with all members of the community. To ensure that the District and all school and program websites are accessible to everyone, FHSD has implemented a new accessibility monitoring system. Monsido is an online scanner that tracks website accessibility compliance as outlined by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The tool highlights occurrences in the website that are non-compliant with these industry standards and provides guidelines on how to rectify them.  Read more about FHSD Implements New Website Accessibility Monitoring System

If you have a teenager starting to drive soon, you have a chance to learn about how to help overcome the risks teen drivers face. FHSD’s Parent Speaker Series will host First Impact: Preparing Drivers for the Road Ahead on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019, from 6:30 – 8:00 PM at the FHSD Administration Building located at 4545 Central School Road in St. Charles.  Read more about FHSD to Host First Impact Safe Driving Presentation

School bus transportation is typically the second biggest expenditure for school districts after salary and benefits. FHSD has used First Student (and its predecessor Laidlaw) to provide student transportation services for the District since 1999. The 2018-19 school year is the final year of the most recent two-year contract extension.  Read more about FHSD to Bring School Bus Transportation In-House for 2019-20

Providing easy access to your student’s information is a top priority for FHSD. Class schedules, assignments, attendance, course registration, report cards, and transcripts are all accessed through Infinite Campus, the District’s student information system. Infinite Campus is undergoing some upgrades to improve communication and enhance the user experience for parents and students.  Read more about Infinite Campus Changing to Campus Parent and Campus Student

The start of the 2018-19 school year is just around the corner! Parents and guardians planning for the new school year need to make sure children are up-to-date on their immunizations.  Read more about What's New for the 2018-19 School Year?

The start of the 2018-19 school year is just around the corner! Parents and guardians planning for the new school year need to make sure children are up-to-date on their immunizations.  Read more about Add Immunizations to Your Back to School Checklist

Francis Howell School District is always looking for ways to save taxpayer dollars and still improve convenience for parents and students. Both goals are achieved with the Peachjar flyer distribution system. FHSD delivers school information and approved flyers from community organizations electronically through Peachjar. These eflyers are emailed directly to you, and can also be viewed by clicking the Peachjar button on the home page of your school’s website.  Read more about Peachjar Electronic Flyers

FHSD and all schools in the District use a variety of communication channels to share important school information with parents/guardians. FHSD uses the SchoolMessenger Notification System to provide timely communication to parents about emergencies, weather related closures, attendance, and other messages that are closely related to the mission of our schools.  Read more about Sign-up for SchoolMessenger Text Messages