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Preparing Each Student for a Successful Future
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As a reminder, the Staff Communicator will be distributed each Thursday that we are in session, and two summer issues are also distributed. Archived copies can be found on the "Communications Department" web page.
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Parent Survey, Open through Oct. 28
Republic School District invites parents of our students to complete the short survey found at the link below. Your feedback allows us to see at what level we are meeting the needs of our students, families and community at large. Preparing each student for a successful future is our mission, and the information gathered through this survey provides us a measure to see how well we are achieving this goal.
The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete and is open October 18-28. Thank you in advance!
*Teachers, please share this information with parents in your classroom communications.
*Take note, an employee survey will be distributed in the coming weeks.
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Star Summit Details
The fourth annual Shaping Teachers Across the Region (STAR) Summit is coming to Southwest Missouri this Fall. On November 8, 2016, teachers and staff from Nixa, Ozark, Republic, and Willard School Districts will collaborate for an educational conference. The day will start with all the districts attending a keynote session at James River Church in Ozark. After a break for lunch, participants will split into two groups, traveling either to Ozark High School or Nixa High School to attend 2 breakout session and 1 unconference session.
Visit mostarsummit.com for additional information!
- NIXA - PreK - 5th Grade, K-12 Fine Arts (Music, Art, Theatre), K-12 Music, K-5 Librarians, K-5 SPED, OT/PT and SLPs, K-5 Counselors, Reading Recovery, Gifted, K-5 Computers, K-12 ELL
- OZARK - 6th - 12th Grade, 6-12 Librarians, 6-12 Counselors, K-12 Health/PE, ROTC, 6-12 Computers, 6-12 SPED, 7-12 Foreign Language, 7-12 CTE - Career Technical Education (FACS, Vocational Business, Vo-Ag, Industrial Tech, Marketing, Building Trades)
Presenting teachers have been notified. Specific times and room locations are still being determined and will be communicated directly to those presenting.
SCHEDULE
8:30 - 11:00 Keynote with
Eric Sheninger
11:00 - 1:00 Lunch
1:00 - 1:45 Breakout 1
1:55 - 2:40 Breakout 2
2:50 - 3:35 Breakout 3 (including optional unconference sessions)
TEACHERS: Please remind families that we will be out of school November 7 for Fall Break and November 8 for this SI Day/Star Summit. Cub Care will be available for elementary and RMS students. Details can be found at
http://www.republicschools.org/stripes360
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New Missouri Learning Standards Update from CIA
We have received a few questions recently about what changes are happening in the Missouri Learning Standards. Specifically what will this look like as we continue our work on developing and refining our own curriculum to meet the needs of our students? Also, when will state assessments change? For this reason, we thought it would be helpful to compile some of the recent information shared from DESE (in italics) and also to add where we are as a district in curriculum development. We hope this information is helpful and we look forward to continuing to work together to create a curriculum framework to support not only our students' needs for a successful future, but a curriculum which honors the expertise of our teachers and builds on positive feedback and continued collaboration.
Please feel free to contact Jennie, Jennifer, or myself at anytime if you have any questions or suggestions as we move forward with the new standards work.
Thank you,
Debbie Yonke
What changes are happening with the Missouri Learning Standards?
On April 19, 2016 the State Board approved new Missouri Learning Standards. These standards define the knowledge and skills students need in each grade level and course for success in college, other post-secondary training and careers.
(The standards were adopted after proposals were submitted by the work groups for Math, ELA, Science and Social Studies. The proposals were reviewed and then final edits and formatting were done in preparation for approval by the State Board of Education.)
Consistent learning expectations also provide parents and teachers with a clear roadmap for learning. Teachers helped design the Missouri Learning Standards to ensure that they reflect the realities of the classroom and provide the clarity and consistency teachers need to make sure their students stay on track and are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for success.
It is important to remember that the standards do not tell teachers how to teach, but rather establish the minimum of what students need to learn. It is up to schools and teachers to decide how to best help students reach the standards. It's also important to note that the standards do not include everything that could or should be taught. Local districts are still designing their own curriculum and choosing which texts to read along with a long list of other local education choices.
The updated Missouri Learning Standards include grade-level and course-level expectations for the following subjects (Please click on any content to view standards.):
In response to the updated MLS, what will this look like as we continue our curriculum work?
We appreciate the hard work all of the teachers involved in curriculum and CDC work are doing to ensure alignment to the new standards. These teams are utilizing the resources provided by DESE including the crosswalks to update our curriculum guides in the four content areas.
Work will also continue to occur in the other following curriculum areas at the district level this year and upcoming summer.
When will state assessments change?
In addition to information regarding the new standards, a memo was released in late May regarding work that is underway to ensure that the MAP/EOC assessments align to the MLS Grade-Level and Course-Level Expectations adopted in April. Below is the anticipated assessment implementation schedule. Input from Missouri educators will be critical as these assessments are developed and we will keep you informed of opportunities to be involved in this process.
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Major Saver Discount Card Fundraiser Rescheduled
The 2016 Major Saver Discount Card campaign has been rescheduled to launch on November 17th. The cost is $15 and provides many discount offers. Proceeds will benefit our Early Childhood Center, all elementary buildings, the Republic Middle School and the Republic Community Foundation. Please consider purchasing a Major Saver card from a Republic student through www.majorsaver.com or via the Major Saver app beginning November 17.
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October is Disability Awareness Month
Each
October
, Missouri celebrates Disability Awareness. Click
HERE
to see the resource guide that DESE has created to assist schools in their efforts to embed instruction related to this topic at multiple grade levels.
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Task Minutes
Click
HERE to see minutes from the October TASK Committee meeting. These can also be found under the "Staff" tab at
republicschools.org.
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Annual People Helping People Soup Luncheon Fundraiser
 People Helping People would like to invite you to participate in their annual Benefit Soup Luncheon.
It will be Thursday, November 3, 2016. Order lunch from PHP and help them raise funds to help those in need in our community!
Your lunch will include a cup of soup, sandwich, dessert and drink for $6. Please place your order using the online form (
CLICK HERE) by
Friday, October 28th. Soup and sandwich choices can be found on the online form. Once you place your order online, please pay your building secretary by
November 2. Cash or checks (make out to PHP) can be accepted.
The lunches will be delivered to your building prior to the first lunch shift. Thank you so much in advance for your continued support of People Helping People!
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Board of Education Meeting Recap
This month's Board of Education
meeting took place on
October20. After the Pledge of Allegiance was recited and the agenda adopted, the consent agenda (
see details on BoardDocs) was approved. An update from MSBA was viewed as well
(click HERE to watch).
Mr. Tyler Overstreet and Mrs. Michelle Wityk, RHS principal and assistant principal, presented regarding the building's progress after implementing WIN Time (What's Important Now). To learn more about WIN Time visit
http://www.republicschools.org/wintime .
Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Matt Pearce shared results of district state assessments. Superintendent of Schools, Chance Wistrom presented
his monthly report which focused on enrollment, attendance and finance. His report and all district administrative reports can be found on
BoardDocs
.
The Board of Education
discussed several policies, and also reappointed Mr. Cantrell and Mr. Wistrom as representatives to serve on the Springfield Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Commission which will consider potential action related to the Springfield Plaza TIF. Springfield Plaza, LLC owns 100 acres surrounding the Walmart located at Sunshine and West Bypass.
In addition, the Board discussed a potential cost share agreement that the district has been approached about by MoDOT to construct a "round about" at the M Hwy entrance of Republic High School. The agreement would be between the City of Republic, MoDOT and the Republic School District. It is projected that the district would be credited $35,300 for the land contribution that the project would require, and the remaining cost would be approximately $78,870. The district and Board of Education feel the addition of a "round about" would increase student, employee and community safety near RHS.
The district presented the Board of Education feedback that had been received in regards to the potential activity facility at Republic High School. 89 texts and written responses were collected of which approximately 90% were positive and in favor of the district moving forward with the project. The district did receive valid questions and concerns regarding two main areas, addressed below:
Lack of gymnasium at Schofield Elementary:
Currently students at Schofield Elementary utilize the gymnasium at McCulloch Elementary (directly across the street) for PE. The district has been working on plans to apply for a FEMA grant that would provide a 75/25 cost share for a new gymnasium at Schofield that would also serve as a tornado shelter for students at Schofield, Price and McCulloch (much like the FEMA safe room at Sweeny Elementary). At this time the district has provided a Notice of Intent and Application for Consideration to FEMA. Although a specific timeline is unknown at this point due to the grant process required, the district's goal is to obtain funds though FEMA to meet this need.
Roofing issues/leaks across the district:
Over the last 30 days all of our buildings (with the exception of RHS, which is being completed this week) have undergone a comprehensive roofing inspection by a professional roofing organization.
During the inspection process many leak issues were able to be addressed immediately, on site. Many of the leaks that were immediately fixed included those from unsealed flashings, seam repair needs and loosened fasteners from typical weather wear. For those roofing issues that still need to be addressed, a full roofing plan is being created by those professionals who completed the comprehensive roofing inspection. We expect to have those results to us in the coming months which will enable us to then determine a specific timeline to address remaining roofing needs utilizing funds that have already been earmarked for such projects.
After reviewing the feedback, the Board of Education asked Mr. Wistrom to move forward with drafting ballot language for a no tax levy increase bond issue that will be on the
April 4, 2017 ballot.
The Board also reviewed the draft 2017-18 school calendar proposed by the TASK committee.
Several Board policies were approved, and can be found on
BoardDocs. As mentioned above, Mr. Cantrell and Mr. Wistrom were appointed as representatives for the Springfield TIF Committee. The final action item was the approval of an architectural agreement with H Design effective for any projects through
September 20, 2017 and is subject to renewal for four consecutive one-year periods.
The next regular meeting will take place on
November 17 with open session beginning at
7:00 p.m.
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Sign Up to Judge the RHS Speech & Debate Tournament
Sign up to judge at the 2016 Republic High School Novice Speech and Debate Tournament! We will host a tournament on November 4th and 5th. Last year we welcomed 20 area schools and hope for more this year! Please consider taking time to judge these young professional in various public speaking and debate events. Judges are the only way to make a tournament successful and we hope to see you there! Sign up at this link:
https://goo.gl/forms/8O0Il4zyndsXuUiM2
or e-mail Sarah Petroff at
Sarah.Petroff@republicschools.org
.
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District & Community Events
City of Republic Public Comment on ADA Self Evaluation and Transition Plan
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Republic recently performed a self-evaluation of public facilities, services and programs to ensure they are accessible to all of our citizens with d
isabilities. Following this process, a Transition Plan was created to remove barriers that were found in the city's publicly owned buildings, parks and spaces.
Comments and questions can be sent by email to: adacompliance@republicmo.com or by mail to:
ADA Coordinator
City of Republic
204 N. Main St.
Republic, MO 65738
If not, go give them a "Like!"
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Upcoming Dates
October 31-November 4: Elementary Parent Teacher Conferences (K-5 Grade Cards Distributed)
November 4: RHS End of Progress 4
November 7: Fall Break, most district offices/buildings closed
November 8: School Improvement Day (STAR Summit), no school for students
November 11: RHS progress reports distributed
November 18: K-8 End of Progress 2
November 22: RHS End of Progress 5
November 23-25: Thanksgiving Break, district closed
November 28: K-8 Progress reports distributed
For additional dates, please view the website calendar
HERE.
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Sincerely,
Josey McPhail
Republic School District |
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