October 6, 2022

Hello Josey,

As a reminder, the Staff Communicator will be distributed each Thursday that school is in session, once in June and July. It may also be distributed as needed throughout the year. Archives can be found HERE.

Planning for the Future

As our Republic community grows, so does the number of students we could potentially see entering our school district for their education. We mentioned this growth and our plans to handle it at our All Employee Meeting in August. Now, we want to update all of our team members on our future as a district. To accommodate the increase in students we've seen over the last four years and the expected growth to come, our Board of Education and district leaders have taken more steps toward considering a new building that would house 5th and 6th grades. We are already in the process of acquiring land, and we are considering the possibility of a no tax rate increase bond issue for voters to consider. This bond issue could be on ballots as early as the spring of 2023. We will continue to inform you, our team, as these plans develop and when we have more details to share.

HRA Reminder

The Republic School District participates in a health insurance consortium with 85 other school districts which allows us to qualify for the most competitive rates on the market. To continue qualifying for these competitive rates the consortium has implemented a requirement for participating districts. This requirement is that at least 50% of the district's employees who are eligible for insurance coverage MUST complete an annual Health Risk Assessment (HRA) in order for that district to participate in the consortium.

Without participation in this, consortium insurance costs are guaranteed to increase significantly.

As an incentive to receive the 100% Board-paid insurance, we're asking all employees eligible to receive insurance coverage to complete a Health Risk Assessment (either through a district event or through their primary care provider) between July 1, 2022, and May 1, 2023.

Employees who do not participate will be required to pay the cost of the monthly premium increase. For the 2022-2023 school year this increase was approximately $35.00 per month.

If you choose to have your HRA completed with your physician's office, please have THIS FORM completed and returned to Melissa Bennett by May 1, 2023.

As in the past, on-site HRA visits will be held in the district during the spring of 2023.

Pearce's Listening Post

All patrons are invited to an opportunity to listen, learn and share with Superintendent Dr. Pearce at "Pearce's Listening Post." This hour-long event will take place on Monday, October 24 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Central Office Board Room (518 N. Hampton -- Back side of Price Elementary). Dr. Pearce and other district personnel will be there to share about district mental wellness and social-emotional learning practices. Tips and practices regarding these topics that families can implement at home will also be shared. We hope to see you there! #RepMOProud

Staff Accolade

CONGRATULATIONS! Mrs. Stacey Buck, who teaches Special Education at RHS, was named a winner of a teacher appreciation contest sponsored by CableAmerica and received $1,500! A very grateful parent nominated Mrs. Buck for her dedication to students and the impact she makes in their lives. We couldn't be more #RepMOProud!

Staff Flu Shot Clinic

The Staff Flu Shot Clinic will be on October 27, 2022 in buildings across our district! To see the specific times for your location, view this flyer. This will soon be posted in building break rooms!

You can save your spot at the clinics with this sign-u p form. There, you can also find the consent form to print and fill out before your appointment.

A few other notes to keep in mind for the Staff Flu Shot Clinic:

Masks are required in clinic area
Cost is covered for everyone on Republic Schools insurance
Bring your insurance card if you are not on Republic Schools insurance
If uninsured, $30 due at time of clinic (check payable to CoxHealth)
Bring completed consent form
You will not need your MAXORPlus insurance card if you complete this information on the consent form prior to the clinic
Pregnant employees are not required to have written consent from their physician
No nasal mist and all injections are thimerosal-free

If you have questions, please contact Nancy Leonard, Staff Wellness Facilitator.

Emerging Leaders

We would like to extend a personal invitation to our Emerging Leaders program for the 2022-2023 school year. Emerging Leaders is an opportunity for employees who are interested in learning more and engaging in conversations about school leadership through administration, curriculum/learning specialist support or other leadership positions. Emerging Leaders is different from the RepMO Leaders cohort, as Emerging Leaders is not for graduate-level credit. Emerging Leaders is designed to engage future leaders and grow leadership capacity for future opportunities.

Emerging Leaders will meet four times throughout the year in October, December, February and April. The first meeting will be Thursday, October 27 from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. in the Board of Education Training Room at Central Office.

If you are interested in participating in the Emerging Leaders program and would like additional information shared please fill out this interest form. Please contact Dr. Tyler Overstreet if you have further questions.

Nominate a RepMO Hero!

Don't forget to nominate a CERTIFIED employee for the October RepMO Hero of the month! CLICK HERE for the nomination form!

Student Flu Shot Clinic

The Republic School District, in cooperation with Jordan Valley Community Health Center, is offering free seasonal flu vaccines to Republic students, as supply allows.

The following conditions would prevent your child from receiving a flu vaccine: allergy to vaccine components and moderate or severe illnesses.

If you are interested in your child receiving the inactivated influenza vaccine (flu shot) at school on the date below, please complete and sign the consent form and return to your school nurse by October 14th.

EC and elementary students should receive the consent form at school with the image below. RMS & RHS students can pick up a form at school as needed. It is also available HERE to be printed and submitted.

If you have questions please contact your school nurse.

CLINIC DATES:

10/18: RMS, Schofield, McCulloch

10/19: Price, EC

10/25: RHS, Lyon, Sweeny

***Teachers, please include this information in your classroom newsletters!***

Mornings with Matt

Each month, Superintendent Dr. Matt Pearce will visit a building to host conversations with employees. These "Mornings with Matt" meetings are casual opportunities where employees can visit with Dr. Pearce regarding any topic of their choice. Building libraries will be the location of these meetings with the exception of EC (multipurpose room) and the Transportation Department (meeting room).

ALL employees are invited to EVERY meeting, if you'd like to attend! Dr. Pearce looks forward to visiting with many of you!

October 19: RMS HUB, 6:30 a.m.

November 16: Sweeny library, 7:40 a.m.

November 30: EC multipurpose room, 7:30 a.m.

December 14: Price library, 7:30 a.m.

January 18: Transportation meeting room, 8:30 a.m.

February 15: Lyon library, 7:20 a.m.

March 22: RHS library, 6:30 a.m.

April 19: Schofield library, 7:30 a.m

Open Positions

We're on the lookout for quality individuals who enjoy working with students and making a difference to join our team!

These openings are all critical roles in helping us provide a wonderful school experience for our students. A few of these positions include:

-BUS DRIVERS

-PARAPROFESSIONALS & AIDES

-CUSTODIANS

-SWEENY ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

A full list of openings with application details can be found HERE.

PLEASE SHARE this information to help us recruit employees!

American Fidelity Visits

American Fidelity Assurance Company representatives will be in the district to provide the yearly employee benefit package review. This review is provided annually to all employees who work 20 hours or more, which include voluntary benefits offered through payroll deduction, plus the benefits of Section 125 Flexible Benefit Plan. Open enrollment for ancillary products will begin September 19 and run through November 3. This is the window of opportunity for employees to change or add American Fidelity products for an effective date of January 1, 2023.

Each employee who qualifies (20 hours or more, double route bus drivers, and part-time retirees) for the 125 benefit program must sign off that they have been given the opportunity to view available products offered. Please know that no one should feel pressured to sign up for any product. This is the only opportunity for individuals who want added insurance to sign up for these benefits/services. The Individual meetings are mandatory to eligible employees in order to keep the district compliant with the legal IRS guidelines.

Your building/department will share the date(s) in which American Fidelity will be in your building/department and also directions on how to sign up for a time slot.

Reminders & Events

**Teachers, please share Socktober with your families!**

Reminder: Homecoming week continues tomorrow and concludes with the Football Homecoming game at 7:00 p.m.!

CLICK HERE for additional events listed in our Peachjar mailing.

October 3-7: Districtwide Homecoming Spirit Week - See above for details

October 7: Progress 2 Reports Distributed (RMS/RHS)

October 11 & 12: RMS Parent Teacher Conferences

October 20: Board of Education Meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Central Office

October 20: RHS Parent Teacher Conferences

October 21: End of 1st Quarter (Elementary) & End of Progress 3/Term 1 (RMS/RHS)

Week of October 24: Elementary Parent Teacher Conferences

October 28: Progress 3/Term 1 Grade Cards Distributed (RMS/RHS)

October 31: Fall Break - No School for Students

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