On September 11th, eleven Valley Park School District teachers and administrators attended the first-ever STL Collaborative Curriculum Conference at Francis Howell, joining educators from 16 other public schools across the region. This unique event provided a day of regional collaboration and professional learning focused on curriculum and instruction.
During the conference, our curriculum facilitators explored new ideas, celebrated the district’s accomplishments, and pinpointed strategies to further strengthen their work. The agenda included in-depth discussions on grade-level content and curriculum development. One highlight was the “Best Fest,” which showcased effective classroom evaluation methods and proficiency scales for district assessments, providing valuable tools for refining instructional practices. Some of these sessions were presented by VP's own Julie Kulik and Gerrie Robards.
Participants also had the opportunity to engage in self-selected roundtable discussions on topics such as AI integration in education, curriculum processes, and field trip experiences. These discussions created an environment of shared learning and innovation, encouraging the teachers and administrators to explore best practices and emerging trends.
Lauren Fahy, VPSD’s Instructional Coach, K-12, reflected, “Anytime you get educators in a room to discuss education, there can be no wrong. This conference allowed time for structured discussions, collaboration, and a sharing of resources focused on curriculum development with districts all over the St. Louis area.”
Our faculty and staff left the conference motivated and eager to bring these insights back to Valley Park, where they plan to implement new strategies and ideas into daily instruction, enriching the limitless learning experiences of all our students. This event marks an exciting step forward in our commitment to continuous improvement and collaboration within our district and the STL community.
