Middle School

5th Grade "Move UP" Day at VPMS!
Our Hawk PAL's created an afternoon of great activities for the 5th graders to experience today in preparation for middle school!
It was a wonderful afternoon and we couldn't be more excited to welcome these students to the VPMS family!
🧡💙#VPpride

This past weekend, the band traveled to Branson where they performed for a panel of judges and earned 2nd place in their division. Even more impressive, they ranked 3rd overall out of seven high school bands competing. 👏 What makes this accomplishment even more special is that nearly one-third of our band is made up of 8th graders performing alongside schools made up entirely of 9th-12th grade students. Their hard work, dedication and musicianship were on full display all weekend long. Congratulations to our student musicians and directors on an incredible performance! #VPPride #LimitlessLearning

Our 7th graders celebrated with ice cream after winning the Battle of the Grades reading challenge! From January 5 to April 30, VPMS students logged an incredible 155,777 minutes of reading. 7th grade led the way with 60,715 minutes… that’s a LOT of pages turned 👏 Shoutout to our teachers for tracking reading across classes and to our VP Library Media Center for keeping the challenge going strong. Way to go, VPMS students and staff! 💙🧡 #VPPride

🎉 Congratulations to Mrs. Angie Syron! 🎉
Named Middle School Principal of the Year by the St. Louis Association of Secondary School Principals, she was celebrated at last night’s awards banquet. 💙🧡 Take a moment to watch the video and see why she’s so loved and appreciated in our Valley Park community: www.vpschools.org/syron #VPPride

So much to celebrate at last night’s BOE meeting! 🎉 We recognized our Athletes of the Month, Kim Crawford (track) and Kennedy Steinkamp (girls soccer). 🏆 We also honored our VPMS VIP Students of the Month, Quentin Ford '30 and Carley Simon '32. 💙🧡 These students make Valley Park shine. We’re proud of you! #VPPride

🎶 Big wins for our VP singers! 🎶

Our Middle School Chorus and Valley Park Vox brought home THREE trophies at Six Flags this weekend:

🏆 VP Vox – 1st Place (Division)
🏆 MS Chorus – 1st Place (Division)
🏆 MS Chorus – Best Overall Middle School Chorus

Even more impressive, our MS Chorus took Best Overall against larger schools from multiple states!
So proud of these students for their hard work and dedication. 💙🧡 #VPPride #OneCommunity #LimitlessLearning

Each Tuesday, our 8th graders are building study skills to help them head into high school feeling ready and confident. This week in Mr. Kreitler’s ELA class, it was all about a classic… notecards! Learning how to organize ideas, study smarter and take ownership of their learning is setting our students up for success long before they walk through those high school doors 💙🧡#VPPride #LimitlessLearning

🎶 Our Hawks hit all the right notes this weekend! 🎶 This past Saturday, April 11, twelve Valley Park Middle School students took the stage at the St. Louis County District Solo & Ensemble Festival, performing vocal solos and small ensembles for judges.
Their hard work paid off in a big way:
⭐ Four Exemplary (1) Ratings
⭐ Four Outstanding (2) Ratings
We’re so proud of these students for representing Valley Park with confidence, talent and heart. Way to shine! 🦅💙🧡
#VPPride #OneCommunity #LimitlessLearning

Valley Park Middle School is sponsoring a Career Day (Explore u) for our students on Friday, April 17, 2026 from 8am until 10:30 am.

We offer this day to our students to inform them of various career choices available to them. We would like to be able to include your career choice. There will be 5 - 25 minute presentations each containing approximately 15 students. In addition, we will also be able to accommodate those who would rather do virtual presentations (via Google).

This is a great opportunity to showcase your career in front of a very captive and excited audience. Past presenters and volunteers have found Career Day to be very rewarding and have enjoyed spending time with our students.

If you can help us out with Career Day, please complete this quick form with information about your career as well as contact information.

Education in action! 🎓✨

Our 6th-grade classes just finished an eye-opening unit on the chocolate industry. Beyond the wrappers, they looked at the human cost of our favorite treats. To share what they learned, they produced their own PSAs to educate the community on unethical labor practices.

We are blown away by their hard work! Here are a few standout projects that really moved us. 🍫🎬

https://docs.google.com/videos/d/1MSzTDY__xBEnUmQPnPe1skJ-g-Y9w1JPPUoXtPmXUMo/edit?usp=sharing

Join us tomorrow night to support NJHS. 5-8PM at Culver's in Fenton! Skip the meal prep and support a great cause! #VPPride #OneCommunity

Thanks to the generosity of our Valley Park community, this year’s NJHS Food Drive collected donations that will directly support families through Circle of Concern. Boxes and bags filled with canned goods, pantry staples and everyday essentials are now headed to neighbors right here in our community. Service is more than a requirement for NJHS. It’s leadership in action. Thank you to everyone who donated and to our students for organizing such a meaningful effort. This is what One Community looks like. 💫#VPPride #OneCommunity

Don't forget to join us tonight from 6:00pm-8:00pm for the Valley Park School District night at the Magic House. This is a FREE event! Check in at the main entrance to pick up your scavenger hunt materials! We hope to see you all there! #OneCommunity #VPPride

Join us on February 18, 2026 from 6:00pm-8:00pm for the Valley Park School District night at the Magic House. This is a free event! Check in at the main entrance to pick up your scavenger hunt materials! We hope to see you all there! #OneCommunity #VPPride

🐝✨ Congrats to our Middle School Spelling Bee winners!

🥇 Bella Ermer took 1st place by correctly spelling “chartreuse”
🥈 Ava Greenwood earned 2nd place with an amazing finish

We’re so proud of both of you for your hard work and confidence on stage! 💙🧡 #VPPride #OneCommunity

Today, students received 2nd Quarter Triple A certificates for outstanding academics, behavior & attendance! They enjoyed food and fun activities. Congrats to all our Triple A achievers! 🦅✨ #VPPride

📸 Our NJHS students spent the day exploring WashU and getting a glimpse of what their futures could hold. College visits like this help them imagine new possibilities, explore academic pathways, and see how their hard work and leadership today can open doors tomorrow.

And a special shoutout to Stella, our amazing tour guide, who wrapped it all together with insight and energy! 💙🧡 #VPPride #OneCommunity

🏀✨ Teachers take the win! ✨🏀 Our Teachers vs. Students Basketball Game was full of energy and school spirit, and the teachers came out on top! 👏 Huge shoutout to our amazing students you made us proud. Start practicing for the rematch! 😉 #VPpride #GoHawks

🪶 In honor of Native American Heritage Month, we were honored to welcome a special guest from the Kiowa Nation last Friday. She shared stories and insight into Native American history and culture with our secondary students. This was a rare opportunity to hear directly from an authentic voice and deepen our understanding of Native American heritage. We’re grateful to celebrate this month by learning, listening and growing together. 💙🧡 #VPPride #OneCommunity

🪦 A "Grave" Exploration of Math History: Our 8th Grade Mathematician Graveyard
This fall, our 8th graders brought history — and math — to life (or perhaps afterlife) through a creative research project on famous mathematicians. Each student chose a notable figure from the world of mathematics, from Pythagoras to Katherine Johnson, and dug deep into their lives, discoveries, and lasting impact.

But instead of presenting their findings in a typical report or slideshow, students designed tombstones to represent their chosen mathematician. Each tombstone included key details like birth and death dates, major contributions to the field, fun facts, and even clever epitaphs that captured the mathematician’s legacy.

The result? A one-of-a-kind Mathematician Graveyard that transformed Mrs. Schlotzhauer's classroom into an interactive exhibit of mathematical history.

As students walked through the graveyard, they explored centuries of mathematical thought — from geometry and algebra to probability and logic — all while appreciating how each thinker’s ideas continue to shape the math we use today.

The project combined research, creativity, and visual storytelling, giving students a chance to connect with the human side of mathematics. It also sparked some great conversations: Who really discovered zero? What challenges did women in math face in earlier centuries? And how have modern mathematicians built on the ideas of those who came before?

Whether spooky, serious, or just plain smart, each tombstone reflected not just the mathematician’s story, but the student’s own curiosity and voice.

We’re so proud of our young historians and mathematicians for making this project both educational and unforgettable. Ask your 8th graders about the “graveyard” this week — if you dare — and see for yourself how our 8th graders are keeping math alive in the most creative way possible!