The Rocket Review
Monthly Newsletter Update - February 2023
It appears that February has snuck up on us. When springtime arrives in the Superintendent's office, we begin to think about numbers and the budget for the upcoming year. I want to commend the Board of Education for switching insurance companies last year. In doing so, we were able to get a better rate and we have received our rates back for the 23-24 school year. Should the Board elect to keep the same insurance company for staff health insurance, we will actually see a rate reduction for the 23-24 school year. This is great news as we begin to look at the budget for next year.
Speaking of the budget, it was at this time last year we were gearing up to ask voters to approve a levy increase. I again want to thank patrons for say yes and investing in West Nodaway students' education. The district is in a much more financially stable position than we were just a few years ago.
Please take the time to review all the happenings on our event calendar. There is a whole lot of stuff going on at West Nodaway! As always, if you wish to discuss anything, please stop by the office. Hope you have a great February and Happy Valentine's Day!
Dr. Barnes
Welcome to February, Rockets! February may only be 28 days long, but we sure have a lot of things planned and scheduled this month for our elementary building. One of the first events will be on Friday, February 3rd. We will be honoring our students for their MAP and EOC accomplishments at the home basketball game. Congrats to all the students who were proficient or advanced on last year's tests!
We will be having our Valentine's Day parties on Friday the 10th. Classroom teachers will be reaching out with the details for these classroom parties. I would say a quick reminder that West Nodaway does not accept deliveries so please do not send flowers, balloons, or packages to the school.
During the week of February 14th-17th, the elementary building will be celebrating our own version of Courtwarming, as Student Council is planning dress-up days and a pep rally leading up to the West Nodaway Booster Club elementary basketball tournament. This is always a fun and exciting week for our students in the elementary building.
Booster Club's elementary basketball tournaments will be held on Saturday 18th for the 5th and 6th grade tournament, and Sunday the 19th is the 3rd and 4th grade tournament.
On the 15th, we will be having our 4th grade lunch day. That same evening, we will be having PreK Night and a parent meeting at 6:00 PM.
It has taken a little longer, but barring any missed days for inclement weather, the elementary will be celebrating its 100th day of school on February 24th.
I hope everyone has a great February. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the classroom teachers or myself.
Thank you,
Mr. Conn
After reading a book with your child, here is a simple retelling checklist to make sure your child understood the material:
- Told title and author
- Told the setting
- Told about the main character
- Told about the other characters
- Told what the problem was
- Told the important events
- Told the solution
- Told how the story ended
- Told the story in proper order
Happy Heart Month!
February is National Heart Month. Are you taking care of your heart? We'll be celebrating heart health here at WN with our Kids' Heart Challenge kicking off on February 7th. Elementary students will be bringing home packets with collection dates running February 7-21st.
We've seen another wave of Influenza A and Strep this past month, so please follow our policies with sick students. Hopefully spring and good health are right around the corner.
Seniors have completed their requirement for CPR to graduate. We completed the CPR in Schools program from the American Heart Association with hands-only CPR. This group did great, and I'm confident they could begin the process of CPR in an emergency.
We've sent out immunization notices for incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten students for next year. It's a great idea to get these started now as they are required to be completed prior to the start of our school year per Missouri State Law. It makes it much easier for me as well to get these completed now. We'll continue to do a spring immunization clinic here at WN for our incoming 7th, 8th and 12th graders. Mark your calendar for April 12th at 1:00 PM. It would be a dream of mine to get all students completed during this time! Letters will be coming home along with permission slips to participate.
The new semester has taken elementary counseling classes into a new direction. While last semester focused a great deal on careers and academic skills, this semester has ventured into understanding oneself and will lead to how our unique skills, talents, and characteristics can be of benefit to teams we are on and future jobs we hold. Lower elementary has been learning about snowflakes and how each one is unique. Just like no two people have the same fingerprint, no two snowflakes are the same. Students have started to examine their own unique traits such as eye color, ability to sing, favorite color, interest in drawing, etc. to create snowmen that reflect their personal traits. We even conducted a science experiment using pipe cleaners to see crystals form which shimmered like snowflakes. Upper elementary has been focusing on personal goals and means to reach those items. Students are learning about setting realistic goals and understanding how to accomplish them even if something in life changes. We also incorporated a little physics into the lessons and worked in teams to get a balloon across the classroom by determining the right angle, circumference of the balloon, etc. which helped reinforce the concept of perseverance and fortitude in achieving a goal.
Junior High: I am working once a week with 8th grade students during 3rd quarter in a similar fashion as I did with 7th grade last semester. Each day students are learning a new study strategy, using critical thinking, and doing a focus activity on careers. We will be spending much time utilizing the Missouri Connections system and researching career options. This will help students understand what coursework they need to take in order to be prepared for that career, and in turn, create a four-year high school plan of study.
High School: We have three students interested in Missouri Boys and Girls State this coming summer. We also have six students involved in the Upward Bound program. It's great to have students wanting to represent West Nodaway at events, which not only build their resume, but help them make connections outside the area. Connections that could lead to a potential college roommate, co-worker/boss, or lifelong friend! Additional opportunities, such as Sophomore Pilgrimage, will be coming up soon. Please encourage your child to investigate these positive activities! Seniors: Several seniors have narrowed down their post-secondary options, and some have made their choice. Whether two-year, four-year, or tech school, students are selecting avenues which fit their path to success. To help fund this adventure, over 120 scholarships have been distributed with more to come! While not all scholarships are applicable to each student, I want to encourage students to complete as many as possible. You might not get them all, but you will definitely miss the ones to which you don't apply.
Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns about your student.
Mrs. Clayton
District Information
Email: mbarnes@wnrockets.com
Website: wnrockets.com
Location: 17665 US Hwy 136, Burlington Junction, MO 64428, USA
Phone: 660-725-4613
Facebook: facebook.com/WestNodaway
Twitter: @WNrockets