August 23, 2022

Hello Josey,

Tiger Talk e-newsletters are distributed the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month as a way to keep our patrons informed with important school information. Archived editions can be found HERE. Have a great week!

Free & Reduced Meal Application

The district Food Service Department offers daily breakfast and lunch options. We have been very thankful to participate in the FDA free meal program over the last few years which has provided free meals to all students! That program has now ended, so paid meals will be reimplemented.

Meals may be prepaid by submitting cash/check to the school office in a sealed envelope with the student(s) name and amount enclosed on the outside of the envelope. In addition, through the SISK12 Parent Portal families have the option to make online meal payments through a secure system, ConnexPoint. Like other online payment systems a processing fee is applicable. ConnexPoint charges a 3.99% processing fee for transactions. To make an online meal payment simply login to the SISK12 Parent Portal, select the Meal Service Balance icon and follow the prompts.

The application for free/reduced meals is now available through the SISK12 Parent Portal. Take note, qualifications for this benefit may have changed. While this application was not required for the last two school years, it must be filled out to utilize this benefit during the 2022-2023 school year.

Even if your family does not anticipate qualifying for discounted meals, the free/reduced meal status of our students provides many other opportunities outside of meals. As noted in the graphic below, the percentage of students who qualify for free/reduced meals in our district allows our schools to receive important federal funding that supports student literacy growth, Leader in Me resources and various programs that provide needs for our most at-risk learners.

Our goal is to get 100% of these forms returned! Go to https://rb.sisk12.net/RB360x3/parent to fill out yours!

Safety & Security Back to School Update

As we start the school year, we would like to remind you that student and staff safety and well-being are always part of District back-to-school training and preparation. Recent events across our country have caused many of us to pause and reflect upon the return to school. We want to assure you, the well-being and physical safety of everyone in our district has been and will continue to be a top priority, along with the academic success of our students.

An email was sent to all parents before school began with updates and an introduction to our School Resource Officers. CLICK HERE for that email.

Safety Notice - 15 Minute Rule

We are once again asking families to not line up for pick-up or drop-off more than 15 minutes early. This year, our School Resource Officers will be enforcing that rule starting on the first day of school.

Our school police and local first responders MUST be able to access our buildings in case of an emergency, and they cannot do so if vehicles are blocking the parking lot during school hours. Thank you for your support as we enforce this rule for the safety of our students and staff.

Early Childhood Center Community Open House

THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY, we are ready to open the brand new Republic Early Childhood Center! The following event has been planned to help celebrate:

August 30: Community Open House

All community members are invited to attend this come and go event between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. for self-guided tours and activities.

Accidental Damage Protection Plan

Every student in kindergarten through 12th grades will be assigned a Chromebook. Students are responsible for the care of their assigned device at all times, both at school and home. The district strongly encourages families to purchase an Accidental Damage Protection Plan explained in the online form found on the Parent Portal. Students will not be allowed to use school technology resources until the appropriate online form has been completed. To purchase the ADPP, follow this link: https://republicschools.revtrak.net/protection-plan-1/. Payment can also be made in building offices.

The deadline to purchase is August 30. Take note that any damage that occurs without ADPP payment will incur the full cost for repairs or replacement of the device. The deadline to purchase ADPP is August 30.

Friday Early Release Starting August 26

As a reminder, full day preschool through 12th grade students will dismiss ONE HOUR EARLY every Friday during the school year for teacher collaboration time. Details can be found at https://www.republicschools.org/fridayearlyrelease.

Board of Education Recap

At the August 18 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, Travis Edwards, provided a Board Update.

Report Items:

Mr. Brent Blevins with Stifel, Nicholaus, & Company discussed lease purchase options.
April RepMO Hero Kristin Maerke was honored.
Assistant Principals Katie Bollinger and Camie Lyons presented Summer School updates.
Superintendent Dr. Pearce presented a district update regarding school safety, growth and next steps, along with an enrollment update.
All administrative reports can be found on BoardDocs.

The Board took action and approved the following items (Details on BoardDocs):

Tuition rate for the 22-23 school year
Tax rate hearing

Additionally, the Board approved the 2022-2023 Return to Learn plan as presented. Details can be found HERE.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for September 15, 2022, at 7:00 pm.

State Assessment Individual Student Reports

Each spring students across the district participate in state assessments (MAP and EOC). We have been notified by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that Individual Student Reports (ISR) will soon be available. The schedule for distribution of ISRs for students who participated in state assessments last spring is as follows:

ISRs for students currently in grades 4 & 5 will be distributed to families during Parent Teacher Conferences the week of October 24 (more information to come).
ISRs for students currently in grades 6-8 will be distributed to students the week of September 12 during LEAD.
ISRs for students currently in grades 9-12 will be distributed to students the week of September 12 during WIN.

Information on how to interpret your child's results will be included with the ISR. If you have any questions or would like to see your child's report prior to the distribution times, please contact your child's school counselor or Dr. Jennifer Renegar, District Test Coordinator at 732-3605, ext 6014 or [email protected].

Reminders & Events

Click HERE for additional events listed in our Peachjar mailing.

Social Media Highlights

AUGUST 22: Check out these awesome first day smiles! We are looking forward to a FANTASTIC 2022-2023 school year. Keep sending us your photos and we'll update this album throughout the day. #RepMOProud

AUGUST 18: Thanks to our community, we were able to open our brand new Early Childhood Center with a ribbon cutting and open house for our students and their families last night! We can't wait to see the growth and learning that will happen in this space.

Join us on August 30 for a Community Open House! All community members are invited to attend this come-and-go event between 5:00 and 6:30 p.m. for self-guided tours and activities. #RepMOProud

AUGUST 16: At our All Employee Meeting, we recognized the years of service our team members have dedicated to our district! We celebrated those who have served our students for 10 years or more. John Howard, Director of Technology, has been with us for 30 years! Join us in thanking all of these individuals for their incredible commitment and impact! #RepMOProud

AUGUST 15: The RepMO team is ready for takeoff! We had a blast at this year's Top Gun-themed All Employee Meeting! It's so energizing to have ALL of our staff in one room! We're grateful for every inspiring individual who chooses to serve in RepMO.

As we fly into 2022-2023, we celebrated our accomplishments and discussed our mission for the year ahead. We recognized our "wingmen," welcoming our new recruits and honoring our veterans. We even got to see Superintendent Dr. Matt Pearce make an exciting entrance!

We can't wait for our students to join us NEXT WEEK! #RepMOProud

Dates to Remember

September 5: Labor Day Holiday, District Closed

September 15: Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Central Office

CLICK HERE for the website calendar.

REMINDER: Every Friday during the school year, full day preschool through 12th grade students are released one hour early for teacher collaboration time.

Republic School District | republicschools.org