Ballwin Elementary

Only the best for our Ballwin Bears!

As we all settle into our back-to-school routines, here is one more picture submitted by our community!

Marquette High student Christopher and his sister, Ballwin Elementary student Melody, enjoyed adventures in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, including visits to nearby cities, an ATV tour in the mountains and lunch overlooking the bay.

Our Rockwood community continues to send us some great pictures from their summer adventures!

The Winklers -- Ballwin Elementary student Zoey, Marquette High students Emily and Abby and college graduate Becca -- went to Disney World.

Oh, the places members of our Rockwood community are going this summer!

The Blanner family sent us a picture of Paige (Ballwin Elementary student) and Talon (Selvidge Middle student) from their annual trip to visit their grandparents in Wyoming.

Rockwood Community: We want to see what you're up to this summer! As you head out on vacations -- or stick around and explore the St. Louis region -- send us some pictures of you having some summer fun in your Rockwood school gear, so that we can share them with our community.

Email photos to [email protected], and have fun this summer!

Did you know that the average age of Rockwood school buildings is 46 years? The district has 19 schools that are more than 41 years old, 12 schools that are between 21 and 40 years old, two schools that are between 10-20 years old, and Eureka Elementary is the newest building, opening in 2019. As Rockwood buildings age, they require more maintenance and upkeep just as an aging home does. Rockwood has more than 3.8 million square feet of district buildings we are responsible for maintaining in addition to outdoor fields, parking lots and facilities. Relying on voter-approved bond issue funds does not allow for long-range planning when it comes to these cycle maintenance projects, and doing so costs the district money in interest. Over the past two years alone, Rockwood has spent more than $15 million on interest for recent bond issues, parts of which have been used to fund annual cycle needs.

Proposition P, if passed, will provide dedicated annual funding for annual cycle maintenance as well as technology and security upgrades without borrowing funds, which will save on interest costs that can instead go directly toward those projects. Prop P will not increase the district’s overall tax rate and is on the April 5 ballot. For more information about Prop P, visit www.rsdmo.org/PropP.

Red Ribbon Week kicks off tomorrow with Pajama Day!