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Hello from Republic School District! Tiger Talk is an e-newsletter distributed the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month during the school year. Thanks for reading! Archives can be found
HERE.
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School in Session January 20
As a reminder, school will be in session on Monday, January 20 due to the snow day on November 12.
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2020-2021 Calendar Approved
The Board of Education approved the 2020-2021 school calendar
found HERE
. As a reminder, due to new legislation from the state of Missouri, the earliest day the district could begin school was August 24. Also, please note that there are three built-in snow day make-ups. If we have snow days prior to those days they will be used to make up school days missed. However, any days missed after those three built-in make-up days have passed will not have to be made up. Therefore, May 26 will be our last day of school (1/2 day).
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Board of Education Meeting Recap
 At the December 19 Board of Education meeting the adoption of the agenda and approval of consent items (
found on BoardDocs
) took place after the Pledge of Allegiance. In addition, President, Todd Wojciechowski, provided a Board Update.
Sweeny Elementary students shared about their journey to Leader In Me Lighthouse Certification. CLICK HERE To watch a video the students produced for more information.
After the students, KPM presented their results on the 2019 district audit report. In addition, CTA presented and the monthly MSBA video was viewed.
Administrative presentations were as follows:
- RHS Principal, Mr. Overstreet and RHS teachers presented ACT data and response actions.
- Dr. Wistrom provided a monthly update to the Board regarding district finances, DESE updates and district happenings.
All administrative reports can be found on BoardDocs.
Board policies were the only discussion item on the agenda. (details on BoardDocs). Also, the 2020-2021 school calendar was approved. In addition, the retirement notification of Dr. Wistrom was accepted along with the hiring of Dr. Matt Pearce as the Superintendent of Schools for the 2020-21 school year due to the reviewing of succession planning that had taken place over the last several years. (See additional sections for details.)
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 16 at 7:00 p.m.
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Recap of Dr. Wistrom's Retirement Announcement
On December 20 Dr. Wistrom announced his retirement from public education at the end of the 2019-20 school year. In that same announcement current Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Matt Pearce was named Superintendent of Schools for the 2020-2021 school year due to a succession plan that has been established for several years.
To see all the details CLICK HERE.
As a follow-up, the Assistant Superintendent position was posted just after this announcement, and the district is actively working to fill this vacancy. When the Board of Education approves a candidate, an additional announcement will be shared.
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Director of Elementary Learning Position to be Hired
Throughout the 2019-2020 school year the Elementary Curriculum Specialist position that existed for the 2018-2019 school year has gone unfilled due to the late spring resignation. Thus, providing an opportunity for the reworking of assigned duties of several positions to best meet the needs of our district. Over the last several years our district's focus has been to build and create a centralized curriculum structure. Thanks to the tremendous leadership and work of the CIA Department and participating teachers, this focus has provided amazing results. As a district, we are now at a point where we need to adjust our focus to sustain those amazing results. Therefore, a new structure of duties explained below allows the flexibility to do just that.
At the December 19 meeting, the Board of Education approved for the district to move forward in hiring a Director of Elementary Learning for the 2020-2021 school year. This position will oversee elementary building principals, the Republic Early Childhood Director along with numeracy and literacy specialists. The interview process for this position is currently underway.
Filling this vacant position will allow for adjustments for other positions in our district. The current Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment; Dr. Yonke, will transition to the Director of Professional Learning and Instructional Support for the 2020-2021 school year overseeing assessments, professional learning, university partnerships and new teacher support.
The Assistant Superintendent role will supervise the new Director of Elementary Learning position along with secondary principals. This individual will also oversee Special Education, Federal Programs, Technology and secondary curriculum specialists. The Assistant Superintendent will also continue to serve as the district compliance officer.
These adjustments will allow us to better meet the needs of our students, employees and families moving forward.
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Social Media Highlights: #repmoproud
As a reminder, you can find Republic School District on
Facebook and
Twitter! In addition, all buildings and the STRIPES 360 program have a Facebook pages. RMS and RHS also have Twitter accounts, and RHS is on Instagram. Check them out! Here are a few highlights:
 JANUARY 13:
Join us in congratulating Mrs. Carrie Davis, Kindergarten Teacher at Lyon Elementary, for being chosen as the DECEMBER REPMO HERO OF THE MONTH! Mrs. Davis is incredibly appreciated for her dedication to student growth, the wonderful way she serves as a teammate and for her amazing, big heart! We're #repmoproud to call her ours!
A compilation of nominations received in regards to Mrs. Davis from district employees is below. She will be honored at the January Board of Education meeting, and will also receive $500 to be spent on the resources of her choice.
Carrie Davis has been teaching for 22 years, all of which have been in Republic and......in Kindergarten! Mrs. Davis exemplifies great passion in the field of education, positively impacting numerous students and families.
Carrie is so patient and kind with her students, finding a way to connect with students to make them feel safe and loved. Mrs. Davis builds confidence and instills a love for learning in each student. She creates a safe and comfortable environment in which her students can excel in learning.
In addition, Carrie brings joy and laughter to all of her colleagues! She is a team player and is willing to help anyone at any time. Carrie has devoted countless hours and years working on curriculum for the whole Kindergarten team. She likes to "keep it real" when trying to make curriculum fit into a world of Kindergarteners. Carrie goes above and beyond by working hard and thinking outside of the box. She is a natural leader and a great advocate for all Kindergarten teachers.
Lyon has a true RepMO Hero in Carrie Davis! We are so lucky to have her on our team!
JANUARY 10:
Congratulations to the following individuals for being selected as RepMO Hero nominees for the month of December! These individuals are amazing teammates, and we're so thankful they choose to serve in RepMO!
#repmoproud
EC: Kristi Barnes, ECSE Teacher
Lyon: Carrie Davis, Kindergarten Teacher
McCulloch: Brittney Stoecklein, Grade 1 Teacher
Price: Megan Harper, Grade 4 Teacher
Schofield: Taylor Gibbs, Special Education Teacher
Sweeny: Sandy Embretson, Kindergarten Teacher
RMS: Tish Carter, Special Education Teacher
RHS: Kevin Williams, Vocal Music Teacher (not pictured)
CO/CIA: Dr. Matt Pearce, Assistant Superintendent
JANUARY 8:
 Sweeny Elementary Principal, Dr. Beth Engelhart was named 2019-20 Missouri Distinguished Principal for the Southwest Region of the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals! She is one of 11 elementary principals from across the state to be recognized for this prestigious accolade, and will now be considered for Missouri's overall candidate for the National Distinguished Principal accolade! Dr. Engelhart will be honored for this award at a MAESP banquet in February. We are so #repmoproud
of you, Dr. Engelhart!
 JANUARY 8:
We are SUPER #repmoproud of Reese Tapar from McCulloch Elementary who made Missouri's All State 4th and 5th grade Children's Choir! She will join a group of 120 students from across Missouri this month for a performance! AWESOME!!!!!
JANUARY 6:
Congratulations to Tyler Overstreet, Republic High School principal, for being selected to the 2020 class of 40 Under 40 for the Springfield Business Journal!
Mr. Overstreet will be celebrated during a 5:30 p.m. ceremony March 31 at Oasis Hotel and Convention Center.
Congratulations, Lady Tigers! #greatwin #repmoproud
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Winter Escape
Winter weather season is upon us! In most cases, if school is closed due to inclement weather, the Winter Escape program through STRIPES 360 is available for K-8 students in need of childcare. Advanced registration is open now by
clicking HERE.
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OTC Inclement Weather Information for RHS Students Enrolled at OTC
When OTC is in session and students' high schools close due to inclement weather
When students' sending high schools are closed due to inclement weather and OTC is in session, the Career Center does not require students from those sending schools to be in attendance and does not encourage students to drive on their own in hazardous weather conditions. The primary concern during inclement weather is the safety of our students. Good judgment is essential in the individual's decision whether to travel during potentially hazardous conditions. Students' whose schools are closed to inclement weather when OTC is in session will be reported as absent from OTC even though they are not required to attend OTC. Students are encouraged to communicate, in a timely manner, with their instructors anytime they are absent. The instructor will provide guidance about missed coursework and assignments.
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District & Community Events
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Upcoming Dates
January 20: School IN SESSION for Snow Day Make-Up
January 24: RHS End of Progress 7
January 31: RHS 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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