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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 will be distributed as well.
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ROAR Run, May 6...PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE THURSDAY!
Join us Saturday, May 6
for the Republic School District's ROAR Run presented by Mid-Missouri Bank
! Activities include a 5K
race (run/walk) along with a FREE 1 mile fun run/walk
. The event will be hosted at the football stadium located at Republic Middle School
.
The ROAR Run is an effort to provide our elementary and RMS running clubs
an opportunity to reach their goal of completing an official race, raise funds
for each of our school buildings, and take action in making Republic the healthiest community
it can be!
CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS!
To register, please complete a printable registration form found
HERE and mail/deliver to your child's school building or to Republic School District Central Office (518 N. Hampton, Republic 65738) by April 27 (postmarked by April 25).
Online registration is also available
HERE, but please note there's an additional processing fee added to the above base prices.
*No refunds will be issued, and t-shirts are available only as supplies last for race day registration.
*Students who qualify for free/reduced meals are eligible to participate at no cost. Details are on the registration form, both printed and online.
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Summer School 2017
Summer school 2017 is just around the corner! Below are the dates and times. Enrollment will be done online, and the
deadline is May 5.
CLICK HERE for registration links and
more information. As a reminder, summer school is FREE! Also, breakfast and lunch are provided for FREE as well!
Elementary:
May 30-June 23
8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
(Kindergarten & sibling pick-up at 2:40 p.m.)
Middle School and High School:
May 30-June 22
7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Also, check out this FUN video all about SUMMER SLAM...The elementary version of summer school!
TAKE NOTE: Students attending summer school
must be up-to-date on all required vaccinations for the grade they will be in for the 2017-2018 school year. This primarily impacts incoming kindergarten, 8th grade, 9th grade and 12th grade students.
CLICK HERE for a summary of these requirements.
May 20 is the deadline to have vaccinations updated in order to attend summer school.
In partnership with Jordan Valley Community Health Center, a
FREE vaccination clinic
will take place on April 28 and May 1 for ALL students needing vaccinations.
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End of Year Information
Republic High School will host its graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 14 at 1:30 p.m. The location will be JQH Arena on the campus of Missouri State University.
The annual 8th grade promotion ceremony will take place at Republic High School on Tuesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m.
May 17 will be the last day of school. It will be a half day for students and a full day for teachers. Secondary students will be dismissed at 12:00 p.m. and elementary students will be dismissed at 1:00 p.m. Tiger STRIPES will be available for students currently enrolled in any capacity. Contact 735.3778 for questions. Please contact your school office if normal after school plans will be different than usual.
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Kindergarten Orientation: Save the Date
Incoming kindergarten families, save the date for KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION! This is an evening event that provides an opportunity for students and parents to see the school building, meet teachers and experience a real bus ride! While students are participating in activities throughout the building, parents will gather to meet faculty and learn what kindergarten is all about!
Tuesday, May 2: Sweeny and Lyon starting at 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 4: McCulloch, Price and Schofield starting at 6:00 p.m.
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MAP & EOC Testing Window, April 24-May 5
It's time for annual state assessments. As a district, the overall testing window for students in grades 3-8 taking the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Grade Level Assessments and secondary students participating in End of Course exams will be
April 24-May 5. Each building will provide specific dates per grade level/course through their communication tools.
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Board of Education Members Inducted & Officers Elected
On Monday, April 17 the district welcomed newly elected Board of Education members Denny Lawson, Tammy Messier and John Parker. The Board of Education met to not only induct its newest members, but to elect Board officers. Below is a list of the officers that were determined. The first official meeting for the new Board of Education will be Thursday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m.
President: Mark Gimlin
Vice-President: Denny Lawson
Secretary: Eli Garner
Treasurer: Rusty Swift
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Board of Education Recap
The April Board of Education meeting took place on Thursday, April 20. After the Pledge of Allegiance was recited and the agenda adopted, the consent agenda (
see details in BoardDocs)
was approved. An update from MSBA was viewed as well (
click HERE to watch).
Each month one of our school buildings will be featured. For April, Sweeny Elementary showcased their building goals and initiatives by creating a
video you can watch
HERE.
In addition, student artwork was on display.
At this month's meeting several students were recognized. Sophomore Hunter Mayo was honored for achieving the Missouri Hall of Fame Writer Award! In addition, four students currently participating in GoCAPs presented on their experience in the program.
CTA, the local group of the Missouri State Teachers Association (MSTA) provided an update as well. It can be viewed on
BoardDocs.
Director of Federal Programs, Dr. Amy Cook presented an update from her department. Mr. Jason Persons, Executive Director of Operations, provided an update to the Board regarding current facility projects. Mr. Chance Wistrom, Superintendent of Schools, provided his monthly report which included information on the legislative session, district celebrations, and a financial review. All administrative reports can be found on
BoardDocs.
The Board discussed the following items:
A member of the public spoke in regards to Board Policy KI. In addition, several BOE policies were discussed.
Drug Testing Committee Update: Members of this committee provided an update on the investigative process taking place regarding random student drug testing. The investigative committee put together a survey that was distributed to employees and all patrons. That survey closed on 2/21 and the results were shared along with the first draft of the Board policy. Additional information can be found in the below section.
The district Professional Development Plan was discussed along with information regarding research taking place on contracting services for custodial and food service substitutes.
The Board acted on the following items:
Updates to board policies DL, ECA, ECA-AP1, ECA-AP2, IGBCA, IND, GBA, GCBA, GCBA-R1, DN-AP1 and GCPB were approved. Details are on
BoardDocs.
Bids for technology, asphalt and buses were approved as presented, as was the bank depository service bid.
Building automation services provided by Control Service Company was approved.
The revised FY2017 budget was presented and approved by the Board as well.
The next regular meeting will be May 18, 2017 with open session beginning at
7:00 p.m.
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Random Student Drug Testing Policy Update
Throughout the last few months the district has been investigating the implementation of a random student drug testing policy. The first step was gathering feedback from the community through a survey that was distributed in February.
The survey, completed by
1470 individuals indicated that
84.9% were supportive of the district implementing random student drug testing. When asked what grades should be included
58% felt students in grades 7-12 should be tested while
42% thought 9-12 students should be tested.
The survey also asked the public to provide feedback on which students should be tested and for which drugs. Below are results:
| 80.6% |
MSHSAA sponsored sports |
| 69% |
Academic program competitive groups: band, choir, speech & debate, etc. |
| 70.6% |
Competitive extracurricular activities: FFA, AFJROTC, etc. |
| 64% |
Extracurricular clubs |
| 65.4% |
Students who obtain an RHS parking permit |
| 84.1% |
Methamphetamine |
| 75.2% |
Marijuana |
| 72.6% |
Cocaine |
| 72.1% |
Steroids & other performance-enhancing drugs |
| 20.8% |
Other |
Therefore, pending Board approval, the district will begin moving forward in implementing a random student drug testing policy for the 2017-18 school year.
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.
 Based on the survey results, the committee investigating this process has been gathering information from other districts on best practices for implementing such a policy. As a reminder, Republic is the only district out of the large COC that does not randomly student drug test. The group has met with many experts and various area district personnel to determine what will work best for Republic as we move forward to implement a random student drug testing policy for the 2017-18 school year.
In preparation of making a final vote on the policy at the May Board of Education meeting, the Board of Education has requested that an information night be hosted to provide patrons an opportunity to learn about the policy before it goes into action. This will help refine the policy to be the best possible for Republic.
The information night will be held on Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Republic High School auditorium. Law enforcement personnel, an attorney and toxicology company representatives will join district personnel to provide information and answer questions about the implementation of the random student drug testing policy.
Below are a few highlights of what the policy and practice will include.
*Students in grades 7-12 who participate in all of the activities and athletics listed above in the survey results and/or who apply for parking permits will be tested randomly.
*Eligible students wishing to participate in the associated activities and/or to receive district parking privileges will be required to complete a drug-testing consent form.
*Students who do not participate in covered activities and who do not receive a parking pass may still participate in the drug-testing program on a voluntary basis by a parent submitted consent form.
*A urine based test will be utilized that will be administered by a third party U.S. Department of Health and Human Services certified laboratory. Eligible students will be assigned a number for identification and the contracted laboratory service will randomly select numbers for testing. Student privacy will be of the utmost importance.
*A positive drug test will result in a temporary revocation of voluntary activities, but will not result in suspension from school or academic sanctions. No negative impact will result on the student's grades or course enrollments. The district will not report results of a random positive drug test to law enforcement. Refusal to be tested will be considered a positive test result.
*The following is a summary of the consequences of a positive test. Offenses are cumulative for grades 7-12. Please note that upon confirmation of a positive test, any prescription medications that the student is currently taking will be used to help verify the test result before action is taken.
First Offense
Second Offense
Third Offense
Information Night: Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the RHS auditorium
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End of Year Meal Checklist Reminder
- Meals cannot be charged during May at any grade level.
- All meal charges should be paid as soon as possible and enough money sent to prepay current meals.
- There are 13 days of school in May.
- A complimentary PBJ + Milk for lunch and Whole-Grain Toast + Milk for breakfast is available for students without lunch money in their meal account and are not on free meal benefits who forget their money or a packed lunch from home.
- Graduating Seniors receive a refund of any money remaining in their meal account. Checks are mailed for refunds $10 or over; and refunds under $10 are given out with diplomas. All other balances rollover to the beginning of next school year.
- Parents of students who will not be returning next school year can complete a "Lunch Refund Request" to have any remaining money donated to another student or mailed as a check to their new address. The form can be filled out at the child's school or downloaded from the Food Service Department's website under "Resources", then "Lunch Refund Request".
- Balances may be checked online thru your Parent Portal account or contact the Food Service Department at 735-3753 or email ruth.melvin@republicschools.org.
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Senior Project Judges Needed!
Senior Project Night is this Wednesday, April 26! There's still time to sign up to judge these incredible projects our students have been working on all school year! There are many time slots available on the evening, and no experience is needed. We'd love your help!
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Summer Safari
CLICK HERE for a larger version of the below flyer!
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District & Community Events
 The district
BOOK FAIR is April 25 and 27 from 3:45-6:30 p.m. in the Board Training Room inside Price Elementary (518 N. Hampton)! All proceeds will be shared among ALL elementary and middle school libraries to provide resources for guest authors and illustrators to visit!
You're Invited...Republic Writer's Reception
The 2017 Writer's Reception will honor Republic School District's K-12 Award-winning writers from all area contests! Student authors and their teachers will be recognized. Awards will be presented. A sundae bar, coffee and lemonade will be served in celebration!
Please CLICK HERE to reserve your spot!
Date: Thursday, May 4, 2017 from 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Location: Central Office Board Room (518 N. Hampton--inside Price Elementary)
Text RHS17 to 51660 to support Project Graduation! Get a buy one, get one toasted ravioli in the process!
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Upcoming Dates
April 28: RHS progress reports distributed
May 1: Staff Appreciation Celebrations Begin
May 2: Lyon and Sweeny Kindergarten Orientation, 6:00 p.m.
May 4: McCulloch, Price and Schofield Kindergarten Orientation, 6:00 p.m.
May 9: Random Student Drug Testing Policy Information Night
May 14: RHS Graduation, JQH Arena 1:30 p.m.
May 16: 8th Grade Promotion, RHS gym 7:00 p.m.
May 17: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, half day for students (12:00 p.m. secondary dismissal & 1:00 p.m. elementary dismissal)
(elementary grade cards distributed, RMS and RHS grade cards to be emailed in the coming days)
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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