GAINESVILLE R-V SCHOOL DISTRICT
SEPTEMBER 2020 | DISTRICT NEWSLETTER
"QUALITY LEARNING TODAY FOR TOMORROW"
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
"We will commit our financial, educational, and personnel resources to equip all students with the skills and knowledge necessary to develop to their fullest potential as self-motivated, life-long learners."Website: www.gainesvillebulldogs.com
Location: 422 Bulldog Drive, Gainesville, MO, United States
Phone: 417-679-4200
DISTRICT-WIDE CALENDAR
September 30: Picture Day
October 22: Early Release @ 1:00 (Parent Teacher Conferences)
October 23: No School
November 16: No School
November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break- No School
December 21- January 1: Winter Break - No School
Gainesville R-V was notified that the district has been awarded a 90/10 FEMA grant. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awards grants that build safe-rooms in communities on school campuses to serve the school and community. Only 5 districts in the state received this type of grant.
The FEMA grant funds $2,046,816, (90%) while the district will have to pay $227,424 (10%). Additional costs to finalize the hardened space are estimated to cost the district an additional $200,000. The district estimates the final project cost will be $2,474,240. This grant will allow Gainesville R-5 to provide the community with a safe room while also addressing a need within the district.
The project location has been set and the 7,792 square feet FEMA shelter will become the new front of Gainesville High School/Junior High. The utilization of that space will be designed in the coming months, with appropriate functionality in mind. This process could take up to 30 months for completion, but these are the estimated timelines for each phase of the project.
Phase 1: Planning & Design- Approximately 6 months
Phase 2: Construction Bidding- Approximately 3 months
Phase 3: Construction : Approximately 1 year
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From the desk of Mr. Gilmore...
Dear Parents/Guardians,
The 2020 school year has begun with a few obstacles due to COVID-19, and the Gainesville District has had to adapt to these conditions. I am so proud of our administrative team, teachers, students, parents, and community for accepting these changes with a positive attitude. Helen Keller was quoted saying, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Bulldog Pride is alive and well, and I am so glad we are not going to let COVID steal our happiness and confidence to do what is right.
The Gainesville Board of Education has been very unified and understanding throughout this process. The Board of Education met Tuesday, September 9, 2020 to discuss school returning at Level 3 of the Back-to-School plan. The board is in support of following all of the guidelines outlined in Level 3 of the plan due to significant community and district spread of COVID. Level 3 stated, “An alternative school calendar may be adopted to provide more time for sanitation of school buildings.” The Gainesville R-V District adopted a blended learning school calendar with an Alternative Method of Instruction being utilized on Fridays, and DESE has approved the plan. The calendar will follow the regularly scheduled days off; however, when school is not scheduled to be out on Friday, students will be learning virtually on those days. The first virtual Friday will be September 25. This plan will be followed through December 18, 2020. At that point, the district will reassess our current situation and determine the best path in moving forward.
The district is taking all these precautions to hopefully limit exposures for all students and staff during a time that COVID positive cases have increased significantly. We still believe that in-person instruction is what is best for Gainesville students. Virtual Fridays is an alternative that will hopefully allow us to continue in-person instruction Monday-Thursday. As always, thank you for your support and understanding. We are all blessed to have such wonderful educators that are willing to adapt in order to continue to provide educational services to students in our district. Thank you parents for continuing to have a positive attitude about these changes when discussing them with your kids.
Respectfully,
Mr. Gilmore
Superintendent
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From the desk of Mrs. Armstrong...
It has been such an interesting start to our 2020-2021 school year! The lesson I just keep learning is how amazing, resilient, and respectful our students and teachers are! They impress me more and more every day! It doesn’t matter what new challenge seems to be thrown our way, we continue to rise to it, and I believe we will do that on and on each day with the same resolve and enthusiasm that we are doing it with right now. This is the fourth school district I have been fortunate enough to work for, and I can say with certainty that I am glad to be here at this exact moment in time. I can’t imagine a better community to traverse these uncharted water with than what we have here in Gainesville.
In the coming weeks we will continue to move forward educationally. In addition to our transition to virtual learning on Fridays, we are changing the 7th-12th grade schedule to a block schedule. Students will only go to four classes each day on an alternating schedule. This will have a positive impact on our ability to limit possible exposure while maintaining the most “normal” school environment possible. We will continue to participate in sporting and extracurricular activities to the greatest extent possible. I am a firm believer that students who are involved in teams, clubs, or groups that allow them to explore their passions are healthier both mentally and physically and I have a strong desire to safeguard those experiences for our students. I am and will always be a parent first and a principal second, so please know that every decision made in this building is looked at through both lenses. “How will this impact my students’ lives both inside and outside of school?” is a question I ask myself on a regular basis.
To conclude, I want to say a heartfelt thank you for allowing me to share in these most important years of your students’ lives. I believe that together we can come out of this stronger than we have ever been. I had the pleasure to hear one of our students speak at FCA last week and he stated, “We all want to be changed, but we don’t want to be challenged”. He is so right, yet we find ourselves walking through a challenging change right now. I strive daily to make sure that we are meeting that challenge in a positive and uplifting way as we continue to show the world what it means to be full of Bulldog Pride.
Sincerely,
Ericka Armstrong
JH/HS Principal
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FALL SPORTS
MAKE UP GAMES
Sept 17 JHBB vs Fordland, HOME
Sept 17 Softball vs Ava, HOME
OCT 3 @ Bakersfield Softball Tournament, Away
OCT 8 JHBB at Dora, AWAY
OCT 9 Softball vs Bakersfield, HOME
Please check the school facebook page for rainouts, time change, Etc.
SOFTBALL
Coach's Corner
Lady Bulldogs softball looks to have a promising future, with 4 seniors who bring depth surrounded by underclassmen that round out a great group of girls. These ladies have a lot of potential to all bring something to the game. Lady bulldogs are working to improve in all areas from pitching to fundamentals. We are looking forward to being a stronger, more balanced team by district play. This team had the capabilities of competing with the best.
-Coach Walrath
-Coach Renee
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
KAITYLN MORSE
Daughter of Bill & Tanya Morse
POSITION: Outfield
YEARS PLAYED: 3 years
FUTURE PLANS: Kaitlyn plans to attend Missouri State University - West Plains to pursue a degree in Elementary Education.
TEAGAN BRODERICK
Daughter of Amy & Aaron Broderick
POSITION: CatcherYEARS PLAYED: 2 years
FUTURE PLANS: Teagan plans to finish carpentry school and possibly continue on to college.
ERIN MCKINZIE
Daughter of John & Catherine McKinzie
POSITION: Pitcher/2nd base
YEARS PLAYED: 4 years
FUTURE PLANS: Erin plans to attend college but is undecided on her major.
SHAYLA WAGES
POSITION: Shortstop
YEARS PLAYED: 4 years
FUTURE PLANS: Shayla is undecided about her future plans but hopes to play college basketball.
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BASEBALL
COACH'S CORNER...
-Coach Hobbs
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CROSS COUNTRY (JUNIOR HIGH & HIGH SCHOOL)
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BASKETBALL (JUNIOR HIGH BOYS & GIRLS )
COACH'S CORNER
Junior High basketball kicked off this week against Norwood 9-15-20. The girls lost to a very big and physical Norwood team 42-11. We hope to bounce back Thursday night against Fordland at home.
-Coach West, JH Girls Basketball Coach
We are excited to finally get back on the court. We had our first game Tuesday the 15th we appreciated the support we got from our community. I'm encouraged by the group of boys I have and what they can do going forward.
-Coach Lash, JH Boys Basketball Coach
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JR HIGH PRE-ALGEBRA
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BULLDOG PRIDE BAND
The Gainesville Marching Bulldogs got a start on their competitive season early during summer band camp. The students participated in marching, playing, and team building exercises. The band will compete in their first competition at the Stockton Walnut Festival Parade on September 26th.
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BACKPACK PROGRAM
Based on the generosity of our community, we are able to provide our weekend backpack program this year again through the Youth Empowerment Program. The Youth Empowerment Program is an organization available to any junior high or high school students interested in participating in community service activities.
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FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN ATHLETES
FCA is excited to be meeting outdoors this year! This group is usually around 40 strong and is looking forward to serving our community in the coming months. Any and all students are welcome to meet with us on Wednesday mornings!
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FFA
Gainesville FFA Officer elections were held September 2. In person and virtual interviews took place to accommodate all students who wanted to interview.
Westin Wilson was elected Area 13 First Vice President during Area Officer elections in Cabool on August 27th.
FFA Fruit and Meat Sales are scheduled to begin this week. Contact a Gainesville FFA member to purchase your favorite meat products and fruit.
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FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA
Future Business Leaders of America held an informational meeting for GHS students. In the meeting, the goals and activities of the organization were discussed and the officer team was introduced. Any high school student is welcome to join FBLA. The deadline to turn in membership dues is Thursday, 24th.
From the desk of Mrs. Swofford...
We are off to a great start to the 2020-2021 school year. Currently we have 337 enrolled in
preschool through sixth grade. Teachers and staff have been working very hard to make the school year run smoothly. Kindergarten, First and Second grade students have been enjoying the new playground equipment that was installed. We are very appreciative of this new addition to the playground!
This year, all of our school supplies and water bottles were donated to every student preschool
through 6th grade, allowing our students to start the year with everything they need to learn!
Teachers have been working diligently to get Google Classrooms up and running. We
appreciate all the time and effort they have put into making sure that students are able to
continue learning at all times.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Swofford
Elementary Principal
UPCOMING:
Picture day will be on September 30
End of First Quarter October 16
Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on October 22
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PRESCHOOL
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KINDERGARTEN
Mrs. Kris' Class
Our first day of school we read the book The Kissing Hand and discussed how we were a little
apprehensive like Chester the raccoon to go to school. For fun Mrs. Kris made us a cookie with a kiss in the middle just like Chester’s mom gave him!!!
Mrs. Collins' Class
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FIRST GRADE
First grade learned about colors and how to read/recognize color words when reading a book. We ended our color word study by reading the book, ‘Mouse Paint’ and mixing colored frosting together to make new colors
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SECOND GRADE
Puffs partnered with AdoptAClassroom.org to support Mrs. Chandler’s second grade classroom. They donated $300 toward read aloud books for her Rooted in Reading supplemental reading program.
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THIRD GRADE
Third graders in Mrs. Cooper's class are learning about forces. We discussed that forces cause objects to move. They also slow, stop, or change the direction of an object’s motion. We did an experiment to see what gravity would do to an egg when forces were unbalanced.
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FOURTH GRADE
Students in 4th grade have been busy studying the major documents of American History. They have learned about the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and will soon learn
about the Bill of Rights. Students pictured here are reading about the Second Continental
Congress and reading about the idea of a Limited Government.
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FIFTH GRADE
Fifth grade students started the year by learning about the different science process skills. Students were engaged in activities dealing with observing, predicting, estimating and measuring. This specific activity included students estimating the length of their hand, thumb, foot, arm and around their head. After making careful estimates they found an actual measurement and then calculated the difference in their estimate versus the actual measurement.
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SIXTH GRADE
The students in 6th grade have been learning about the 6 types of simple machines. For this particular STEM challenge students were given several food items and had to creatively construct each type of simple machine. They were only allowed to use the items provided and could not reuse a piece for multiple machines. They all agreed that this activity was KID APPROVED!!
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"Education is the way to move mountains, build bridges, to change the world."
- Oprah Winfrey