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August 10, 2017
In This Issue
Preparing Each Student for a Successful Future


HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!! 

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. 
Employee Back to School Happenings

Throughout the summer district employees are busy at work preparing for the upcoming school year. Specifically, in the last week we have welcomed an awesome group of new teachers and also kicked off the new year with our annual all employee breakfast and meeting. 

Thank you to the many organizations and businesses who participated in the expo portion of our all employee breakfast. We appreciate your continued support!

10 Years of Service
10 Years of Service
15 Years of Service
15 Years of Service
     
20 Years of Service
20 Years of Service
IT Dir. John Howard 25 Years of Service
IT Dir. John Howard 25 Years of Service

The all employee meeting was full of reflection, celebration and focus for the year ahead. Our priorities are to...
1. Take care of our students.
2. Take care of each other.
3. Implement and monitor our CSIP (strategic plan). 

Mr. Wistrom challenged employees to accomplish these priorities by developing GRIT (perseverance) with a growth mindset ("I CAN" or "NOT YET" attitude). By employees developing and implementing these practices, our students also will develop GRIT and a growth mindset which will help us continue our mission of "preparing each student for a successful future." 

We also took time to celebrate three children whose names have become very familiar to our Republic community...Aubrey, Grayson and Audrey. These little ones have already overcome so much and will continue to overcome in the weeks, months and years ahead. They truly exemplify grit!


Welcome New Teachers!
Welcome to this GREAT group of educators who are joining Republic School District this school year! We are thrilled to have each and every one of these individuals join our team! Please join us in providing them with a warm Tiger welcome!
 
Friday Early Release Reminder
As a reminder, every  Friday throughout the school year students will be dismissed one hour early for teacher collaboration time. Below are dismissal times for throughout the week at each building level. For more information  on Friday Early Release visit  https://www.republicschools.org/fridayearlyrelease.

**Teachers: Please share this reminder with your families!**

ELEMENTARY:
Monday- Thursday: Dismiss at  3:30 p.m.
Friday: Dismiss at  2:30 p.m.

RMS:
Monday- Thursday: Dismiss at  2:40 p.m.
Friday: Dismiss at  1:40 p.m.

RHS:
Monday- Thursday: Dismiss at  2:30 p.m.
Friday: Dismiss at  1:30 p.m.

SafeSchools Online Training
In late July an email was sent to you from "Republic R-III" with the subject line "SafeSchools Online Training." This email houses a link to the required training videos that all employees must watch annually along with the username to login (your email). 

T he due date to have these completed is Friday, August 18. 

If you did not receive this email and feel you should have, please contact your supervisor directly.

A form indicating you have completed this training along with the additional information your principal/supervisor will share with you, was given to you during your building/department meetings. 

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT STAFF: You should NOT have received the email mentioned above and will watch the videos as a group.

Submitting Info to be Communicated
To submit information about a unique activity or event happening in your classroom or building, please follow the directions below:


 

1. Email communications@republicschools.org and copy your building principal (high school also copy highschoolmedia@republicschools.org and middle school also copy shannon.holden@republicschools.org).

  • Include:
    • The building you work in.
    • Date of the event/activity.
    • A short description of the event/activity and explain why it helps achieve district/building goals, promotes student success, and what experience it provides for our students.
2. Attach photos or associated files (PDF files of fliers) if available. Feel free to use your phone or tablet to take photos of  your event. Unless it is a large, building-wide event it will be difficult for the Director of Communications to attend as there  are many activities taking place throughout the school year.
 
Once this information is received, the Director of Communications will work with building leaders to determine the best method for distribution if it meets district and building improvement plan goals. If further information is needed, you will be contacted directly. Keep in mind that every effort will be made to communicate about your submission. Thank you for your partnership in helping us spread the word about the great things happening within Republic School District!
 
Submission Examples:
  • Student accolades-recognition for winning a school-related contest, attendance celebrations, state/national achievements, etc.
  • Staff accolades-recognition for regional/state/national achievements, being chosen to present at conferences, etc.
  • Project based learning that deeply engages students and involves guest speakers or community involvement.
  • Highly engaging classroom activity that showcases a direct correlation to your building's BSIP goals.
  • Building level activity-ROAR assemblies/awards, homecoming activities, attendance celebrations, field day, etc.
  • Holiday/milestone celebrations-Veteran's Day, Earth Day, 100th Day of School, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.
Required Text Opt-In...If you haven't already!
To receive texts from us be sure you have opted in to do so! If you haven't opted in yet, the below directions might help! 
*This is especially for new employees of the district!

If you are pretty confident your cell number is in our system first try manually texting "Y" to code 67587. If that goes through, you will receive a confirmation text letting you know you are signed up to receive future texts. If that works, you are good to go. 

However, if that does not work please contact Shawna Laffoon at Central
 Office ( shawna.laffoon@republicschools.org) to ensure we have the correct number on file for you in SISK12. If we have to put a new number in the system for you then you should receive the opt-in message the next day. 

If your number is already in our system correctly, the issue is most likely with your wireless carrier. In that case you will need to contact your wireless provider and let them know you are unable to receive SMS messages. They should be able to turn them on.

Random Student Drug Testing to be Implemented
After months of research and gathering community feedback, in June the Board of Education approved the implementation of a random student drug testing policy for the 2017-18 school year. As previously communicated, this will impact students in grades 7-12 who participate in the covered activities, athletics and privileges listed in the policy (JFCI) FOUND HERE

As a reminder, the purpose of this policy is not to levy discipline, but rather to help prevent substance abuse among students, to encourage treatment for students with substance abuse problems, and to ensure that students have the opportunity to attend school and participate in activities in a fair, safe and healthy environment. To read more about the process in which the district followed to implementing this policy CLICK HERE

Per the policy, each student wishing to participate in covered activities and/or to receive district parking privileges will be required to complete and submit a consent form within the first 10 days of the school year and/or prior to the first day of practice (see the policy for specifics as a second enrollment period is available for RMS students). Information on the policy, including a copy of the consent form, was mailed to 7-12 grade families July 17. A copy of the consent form can also be found HERE and on the district website.  


RHS Land Revitalization Project by FFA
The RHS FFA students are taking on an exciting project! Over the next 18 months the students will be implementing a land revitalization project at RHS. To enhance the usage and visual appeal of the acreage in front of RHS, these students have developed a crop planting and harvesting program. The project will not only increase the aesthetics  of the high school campus, but these students will get a great deal of hands on experience from crop to consumer. 

The first step of the project is to spray and kill the current plants. Pardon our progress  and thanks for your patience as the students work to create an even more beautiful and productive campus!
 
Solar Eclipse, August 21
The solar eclipse  is coming and we're ready! On August 21 every student and employee in the Republic School District will receive eclipse shades. We are in a fantastic viewing location! The curriculum department and teachers are creating learning events for the day culminating in a viewing of the solar eclipse! 

Please keep in mind that Republic is not in the path of totality meaning that we will experience a 93% eclipse. Therefore, there will NOT be a safe time AT ALL to look at the eclipse without proper eye protection. Please ensure that you and your students wear the certified eye protection at all times during this exciting experience. 

The district's insurance company is requiring that a permission slip be signed for each student in order for him/her to participate in the eclipse viewing. We are awaiting final confirmation on this and will send out the details to employees and our families as soon as possible. 
Bandwidth Upgrade
In late July the IT Department led the district in receiving a HUGE bandwidth upgrade! We went from a 500 Mbps connection to a 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps) connection. 

This increase (along with several other upgrades IT made this summer) means that the performance of our electronic devices (specifically Chromebooks) will not be impacted during times of heavy use. This is a big celebration, especially with the influx of the large number of Chromebooks we are distributing through RepMO Ready! 
 
Grandparents' Night
We are excited to continue the tradition of welcoming grandparents and grand-friends into our EC and elementary buildings this fall! Below are the dates and times for these come and go events. All in attendance will have the opportunity to pick-up a free game pass for the RHS home football game against Webb City on  Friday, September 1 beginning at  7:00 p.m.  


Tuesday, August 29: Lyon and McCulloch  5:00-6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, August 29: EC AM classes 5:00-6:00 p.m.
                               EC PM classes 6:15-715 p.m.

Thursday, August 31: Price, Schofield and Sweeny  5:00-6:30 p.m.
Thursday, August 31: All Day Preschool Class 5:00-6:00 p.m. 

**EC & Elementary Teachers: Please remind your families of this information.**

Community Events


Upcoming Dates
August 29: Grandparents' Night
5:00-6:30, Lyon and McCulloch;  5:00-6:00 EC AM classes;  6:15-7:15 EC PM classes

August 31: Grandparents' Night
5:00-6:30, Price, Schofield & Sweeny;  5:00-6:00 EC all day class

**Every Friday students are dismissed one hour early for teacher collaboration time. Visit https://www.republicschools.org/fridayearlyrelease for details.** 

 
For additional dates, please view the website calendar HERE         
For questions or comments please contact josey.mcphail@republicschools.org or call extension 6008.
  
Sincerely,
  
Josey McPhail
Republic School District