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Below you will find news and information about the Republic School District. As a reminder, regular issues of Tiger Talk will be distributed on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month during the school year. Two summer issues in June and July will be distributed as well.
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Solar Eclipse Recap
WOW! What an incredible day we had on Monday learning about and experiencing the solar eclipse! From classroom activities to outdoor viewing, students and employees were mesmerized by this awesome event. #solareclipse2017 #repmoproud
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Board of Education Meeting Summary
The August Board of Education meeting took place on Thursday, August 17. After the Pledge of Allegiance was recited and the agenda adopted, the annual Tax Rate Hearing took place. The Board approved keeping the property tax rate at $3.34 (operating fund) and $0.94 (debt services fund) for this school year. From there, the consent agenda (
see details in BoardDocs) was approved. The MSBA report was also viewed and can be watched
HERE.
During the student recognition portion of the meeting NJHS students from RMS were recognized for their leadership in planning and implementing an event (Tiger Up) to help incoming 6th grade students transition into the middle school.
Mr. Chance Wistrom, Superintendent of Schools, provided an update to the Board of Education. He presented a summary of back to school events and the current enrollment status. In addition, he shared preliminary plans regarding the ACT at RHS as this year DESE is unable to provide funding for this assessment to be free for all juniors across the state. At this time the district is investigating providing students an opportunity to take various assessments (the ACT included) based on future plans. More information on this will be forthcoming. Mr. Wistrom concluded his presentation providing the Board with information regarding random student drug testing and the implementation of a communication tool for elementary teachers called Smore.
The only action item that took place was the vote on the district's tuition rate.
As noted in Board Policy JECB, the district does not accept nonresident students. However, there are some exceptions noted in this policy. As such, it is necessary on an annual basis to set the tuition rate for the year in the event that a nonresident student is accepted under provisions defined in the policy. The tuition rate is based on the Weighted Average Daily Attendance (WADA) calculation in the ASBR. The computation for the 2017-2018 tuition rate is $8,293.
The next meeting will take place on Thursday, September 21 with open session beginning at 7:00 p.m.
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Eat Breakfast and Lunch at School!
 Breakfast and lunch are available daily at school! The menus for August can be viewed at
https://www.republicschools.org/Page/184
. Be sure to place money in your child's meal account via PayPal using the aforementioned link or by sending payment through a sealed envelope with your child to school. Please include your child's name, grade, school and amount paid on the envelope.
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Handbooks & Annual Notifications
Student handbooks are listed under the "resources" tab on each building website. Please be sure to review the information included. You have been asked to complete a Policy/Procedure Acknowledgement Page indicating you and your student have read and agree to comply with the information in the handbook. Please make sure those are returned to school ASAP as the deadline was August 18. You received this form from school, but another copy can be found
HERE.
Specifically, we would like to call attention to the specific policies listed in the document found
HERE.
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Free/Reduced Meal Applications Available
Applications are now available for free and reduced lunch rates. Please consider completing the application, even if you do not plan to use the benefit.
A new application must be completed each year.
Click HERE for the form.
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Friday Early Release
 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.
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.
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Random Student Drug Testing Consent Forms DUE TOMORROW, AUGUST 23
 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 (due August 23) and/or prior to the first day of practice (see the policy for specifics as a second enrollment period is available for RMS students) and/or receiving a parking permit (RHS only). 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.
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RepMO Ready Update
The RepMO Ready technology expansion plan is in full force! At this time all 6th, 8th and 9th-12th grade students have received Chromebooks that can be used at school and at home. This year 100% of the rollout has occurred at RHS, 86% at RMS and 60% at the EC and elementary level. By the 2018-19 school year the plan will be fully implemented meaning students across the district will be 1:1 or 2:1 with a technology device (1 student to 1 device/2 students to 1 device).
Below is a summary of what to expect for next school year in regards to RepMO Ready! You can also ready more about the entire plan at
republicschools.org/repmoready or by clicking on the infographic at the top left in this section.
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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.
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Individual Student State Assessment Reports
Each spring students across the district participate in state assessments. We have been notified by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that Individual Student Reports (ISR) are available. During Parent Teacher Conferences, which will be held the week of October 30 (more information to come), individual student reports will be distributed to students who are currently in grades 4 and 5 that completed the MAP-GLA test last spring. Students who are currently in grades 6-9 that completed the MAP-GLA assessment last spring will receive individual reports attached to their next progress report from the Republic Middle School or Republic High School. A guide to interpreting your child's results will be included with the individual student report. If you have any questions or would like to see your child's report prior to the aforementioned distribution times, please contact your child's school counselor.
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RMS & RHS Families: Canvas Tips
Below are a few tips for our secondary families in regards to Canvas, the district's learning management system.
How do I add my other secondary children to my parent Canvas account?
When you first create an account in Canvas, one child is linked to you. To add additional secondary children, Click "Account", then "Settings" in the top right corner. Then click "Observing" in the left menu. Enter their email address and 8-digit student password. Click here for directions.
How do I set my notifications as a parent observer in Canvas?
Canvas includes a set of default notification preferences you can receive for the courses you are observing. Notifications are sent to Canvas contact methods as specified in your account User Settings. However, you can change the default settings by setting your own notification preferences. These preferences only apply to you; they are not used to control how course updates are sent to the student you are observing. Click here to learn how to change those settings.
What should I be looking for in Canvas now as an RMS/RHS parent?
You should begin to see student grades in Canvas. These will be the most up-to-date grades. SIS Parent Portal will only be updated weekly, on average.
You can also notify teachers through Canvas and see upcoming assignments and announcements.
Soon, we will be sending directions on how to add Canvas to your phone. In addition, we will continue to provide Canvas tips throughout the year as the need arises.
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DESE Trauma-Informed Schools Initiative
Pursuant to Section 161.1050, RSMo, DESE established the "Trauma-Informed Schools Initiative" which includes providing information and training to school districts regarding the trauma-informed approach, how schools can become trauma-informed schools, and developed a website about the trauma-informed schools initiative that includes information for schools and parents. DESE would like to thank everyone who contributed to this important work.
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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!
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Required Text Opt-In...If you haven't already!
PARENTS/GUARDIANS: 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 incoming kindergarten families and families new to Republic!
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 the building your child attends to double-check that your number is in our system correctly. If it's not, they will manually put it in the system and then you should receive the opt-in message the next day.
If your number is already in our system, 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. Thank you!
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RHS Counseling Text Notifications
RHS STUDENTS & FAMILIES:
To sign up to receive text notifications from the counseling office text either
@repmo2018
@repmo2019
@repmo2020
@repmo2021
(depending on which grade level you are in)
to 81010 to subscribe!
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District & Community Events
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Click on the photo to go to the ordering website!
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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
September 1: RHS End of Progress 1
September 4: Labor Day, District Closed
September 8: RHS Progress Reports Distributed
September 8: K-8 End of Progress 1
September 15: K-8 Progress Reports Distributed
For additional events and dates, visit the district calendar
HERE.
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For questions or comments please contact me via
email or by calling 417-732-3605.
Sincerely,
Josey McPhail Director of Communications
Republic School District |
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