The Rocket Review
Monthly Newsletter Update: December 2021
❄ Important Upcoming Dates ❄
December
4th: FFA Area I Trap Shoot at Smithville, 9:00 AM
6th: High School Art Field Trip, 11:00 AM
7th: Be Alert Presentation for Adults (High School Gym), 6:00-7:30 PM
8th: Be Alert Presentations for Students in Grades 4th-12th
8th: Community Blood Drive at Burlington Junction American Legion Building, 2:00-7:00 PM
8th: West Nodaway Board of Education Meeting
15th: Winter Music Concert (3rd-5th Grades), 6:30 PM
16th: Elementary Formal Christmas Dinner
16th: Winter Band Concert (6th-12th Grades), 6:30 PM
17th: Soup Supper Hosted by West Nodaway After Prom
17th: Dessert and Pie Auction Hosted by West Nodaway After Prom (Halftime of Basketball Games)
22nd: Early Dismissal (Christmas Break Begins), 12:15 PM
22nd: End of 2nd Quarter, End of 1st Semester
25th: Merry Christmas
You can access the athletic calendar and view upcoming contests by clicking here.
❄ Reminders ❄
- When your child is unable to attend school, please notify the appropriate school office by 9:00 AM. When your child is seen by a physician, please ask for a doctor's note so we can verify attendance. Thank you! (Elementary: 725-4126, High School: 725-3317)
- If you would like to be added to West Nodaway's "Rocket Alert" list, please contact the high school office. Parents and guardians are automatically added to the system. It's a great way to keep updated with current happenings!
- If you know of anyone that would like to sign up to receive this monthly newsletter, please send their email address to Tayne at tfast@wnrockets.com, or call the high school office at (660) 725-3317. We look forward to sharing this information with you all each month!
- Make sure you "like" and "follow" us on Facebook (@WestNodaway) and Twitter (@WNRockets)! We send out lots of information about upcoming events, cancellations, and fun school activities.
❄ West Nodaway Food Pantry ❄
❄ West Nodaway After Prom Fundraisers ❄
❄ Student Fundraisers ❄
- Freshmen are selling Nodaway Valley Thunder rally towels for $10 each. Please see Mr. Wallinga (kwallinga@wnrockets.com or 660-725-3317) to order.
- Juniors are selling delicious Red Wheel! See any member of the junior class to place your order. Sales will continue through Tuesday, December 7th.
❄ Wake Up Wednesday ❄
West Nodaway students, Brandt McHugh and Ryan Hanig, have started a business called "Wake Up Wednesday with Rocket Fuel." This is a coffee business that sells coffee, hot tea, and hot chocolate to West Nodaway staff. It’s not just plain coffee -- they offer caramel vanilla cream, French vanilla, and special "Flavors of the Month." November's flavor was pumpkin spice, and December's flavors are peppermint mocha and hot chocolate with peppermint topping! Brandt and Ryan collect orders, make the items fresh, and deliver to the staff each Wednesday during first hour. The money they earn is either put back into the business or used for class projects. They also hope to put some of the money toward a field trip at the end of the year!
"Wake Up Wednesday" has allowed Brandt and Ryan to create a business plan, write letters to community businesses asking for donations to start the business, write thank you letters, and maintain a financial statement for the business. Brandt and Ryan are excited about this business and plan to continue it the entire year.
❄ Mitch's Memo ❄
Happy December!!
One of the constant conversations we have as administrators and with the Board is how do we communicate all of the things we are doing at the school with the community. With the advent and progression of technology, you would think communication would have become easier. I am not sure it has. There are still many people who do not use technology, or are not aware of all the different platforms and places to get information. As I was reading over this newsletter, we truly do have a lot of things going on at the school, and we want the community to be aware of those things and to be involved. If you know of someone you can share this newsletter with, please do so. Likewise, if you know of someone who would like to receive this newsletter, please get their email to us, and we will put them on our mailing list. If you know of someone who does not have email, we are also willing to send them a hard copy if we can be made aware if who they are and get an address.
At the December Board meeting, the Board will be approving ballot language for the April election. In April, the Board will, for the third time, place a one dollar levy on the ballot. The past two months in the monthly newsletter, I have provided information in regard to West Nodaway's position as compared to other districts in the county and conference as far as our levy, and as for as our teacher pay. I would remind you that those charts indicate that we have the lowest levy in the county in regard to schools and West Nodaway ranked 17th out of 18 schools in regard to teacher pay. I will continue to provide information in this regard as we proceed toward April. If you have any questions about the need to pass a levy, please stop by. If you are a part of a local organization and would like to hear a presentation on the matter, or have questions answered, please contact the school, and we can arrange for a presentation.
I want you to know that the staff at West Nodaway is working very hard to provide for the educational needs of our students. In January, I will provide in this newsletter the most recent data we have in regard to student test scores. With all we have been through in the past two years in regard to staff reductions, as well as the pandemic, the results were pretty amazing. That speaks to the dedicated staff we have in place, and I am very proud of their efforts and ability to rise to the occasion.
Lastly, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Christmas is truly a joyous season, and I hope that you are able to experience all the wonders of the season!
Dr. Barnes
❄ Elementary News ❄
I hope the entire Rocket family had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I can't believe that the holiday season is already here and we only have a few short weeks until the end of the first semester. I would like to remind everyone that the weather is getting much colder, so please send your student(s) with coats, hats, and gloves. We WILL be going outside anytime the temperature/wind chill is above 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
The 3rd-5th grade classes will be participating in the Winter Music Concert set for Wednesday, December 15th at 6:30 PM.
December 16th, we will be having our elementary school formal Christmas dinner.
Our newly-elected Student Council will begin working on some new projects for the month of the December. Some of the these project include decorating the school Christmas tree in our entrance, working with local churches to sponsor a food drive, and planning student dress-up days for the week leading up to winter break. Congratulations to all students elected, and I look forward to working together with the Student Council.
Teachers and students will be completing our Winter Benchmark testing early in December, as well as preparing for the end of the first semester. The elementary had great attendance at parent-teacher conferences, and we hope to continue active communication regarding students academics. If you have any questions regarding your child's benchmark testing, grades, or classroom activities, please reach out to the classroom teacher, and we will be glad to answer your questions.
Lastly, I want to thank students, parents, staff, teachers, and the community for all of their efforts. As we all know, Covid-19 and quarantines are still impacting the educational process across the state and the nation. We continue to try to strike a balance between providing normalcy and safety for our students. These efforts often require additional time for all involved, and I truly appreciate all of the extra work.
Have a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Rockets!
Mr. Conn
❄ Notes from the Music Room ❄
❄ Junior High and High School News ❄
Greetings all,
This a very busy time in the high school. Junior high basketball is winding down and high school basketball is now in full swing. If you get the opportunity, I encourage you to come out and cheer on the teams as they compete. On December 16th at 6:30 PM, the high school music concert will take place. Again, I want to encourage you to come out and support the students as they share what they have been working on.
In the next week or so, we will publish the list for the first semester finals schedule. It is hard to believe we are almost at the end of the first semester. I have been in and out of all classrooms several times this semester, and I am encouraged by the hard work our teachers and students are doing.
We continue to deal with Covid-19 issues on a weekly basis at West Nodaway. Presently, we are seeing another uptick in positive cases. I want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we deal with the virus. I appreciate the faculty and staff’s efforts as we try to strike a balance between safety and providing a sound education for our students.
Our last day for classes this semester is December 22nd. We will have an early dismissal that day for Christmas break. As always, if you have any concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
Merry Christmas!
Dr. Barnes
❄ Junior High and High School: 12 Days of Christmas ❄
❄ Lunch Menu ❄
❄ Nurse's News ❄
As Dr. Barnes announced a few weeks ago, we are now participating in the 'test to stay' option of quarantine. Students who have had a COVID exposure may now elect to be tested (BinaxNOW) at school to stay in school. This is only for close contacts, not household contacts. Students will be tested at least three times, could be more if participating in extracurricular activities. The timing of these tests will be unique to each student/case, as it will depend when we get notification of the exposure. Students that test negative can remain in school with a mask on and will be monitored for symptoms. If a student would test positive, they will be sent home and will await for further direction from the Nodaway County Health Department. Again, this is optional. All testing will take place prior to the start of school, and a negative result must take place before entering the classroom. All results will be reported to the state of Missouri and local county health associations. Parents must sign a consent prior to the testing. If you have further questions, please reach out to Dr. Barnes, Mr. Conn, or myself. As a reminder, fully-vaccinated students (received both doses of the vaccine and is two weeks post second dose) may still stay in school and participate in extracurricular activities, as long as they are symptom free and wear a mask. The vaccine is now available for ages 5-11 and 12+.
Thank you for your understanding as we work together for our students!
Kelli Hoyt, RN
660-725-4126
❄ Counselor's Corner ❄
Elementary Information
Preschool
2nd Grade
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
6th grade
High School Information
Award Recognition
Wendy's High School Heisman Scholar Athlete Award Winners
DAR Good Citizen Award Winner for West Nodaway
❄ Just for Fun ❄
❄ Happy Holidays from West Nodaway ❄
District Information
Website: wnrockets.com
Location: 17665 US Hwy 136, Burlington Junction, MO 64428, USA
Phone: 660-725-4613
Twitter: @WNrockets