Cardinal Connections
A Bi-Weekly Clinton Schools Community Newsletter
11/26/18
A Cardinal Thanksgiving
The Clinton School Distirct welcomed 600+ parents and special guests into their schools last week for the 1st annual Cardinal Thanksgiving.
This event was a huge success, but called for all hands on deck.
A special thank you to all of our families that were able to join us, and to our amazing food service department who prepared and served all of the meals. Thank you to our staff who pitched in and helped wherever its was needed, and to our volunteers, including 22 NJHS Clinton Middle School students. And thank you to Jim Raysik for lending the district vans to shuttle parents to the school.
The district is already looking forward to next year's event!
Red Ribbon Week Contest Winner
Congratulations to Clinton Middle School 6th grader, Sloan Roberts.
Sloan recently won the Red Ribbon Week t-shirt contest sponsored by the CMS Bright Futures Site Council.
All students in Sloan's Cardinal Time class were provided a t-shirt with her winning design.
Thank you to the CMS Bright Futures building partner, Transcontinental, for sponsoring the t-shirts.
Cardinals Give Back
WOW!
Shout-out to our Cardinals who really came through for our community!
Students recently participated in the annual district-wide food drive to benefit The Samaritan Center's, "Project Christmas Cheer".
District-wide, our students and staff donated 5,693 items!
See more pictures here.
National Honor Society Induction Ceremony
The Clinton High School National Honor Society (NHS) inducted 31 new members earlier this month. This is in addition to the organization's 21 returning members.
Congratulations as well to this year's officers:
Katlyn Groom (President), Madison Anderson (Vice-President), Tahlia Sisney (Secretary), and Ryan Pitts and Ashton Cook (Historians).
Below is a list of all CHS juniors and seniors who met the requirements for NHS.
*ANGEL TREES-You can help make a Clinton child's Christmas extra-special by participating in this year's Angel Tree project. Adopt an angel by going to one of the following locations: Crave Boutique, Premiere Tanning, Ben Franklin Bistro and Cato.
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*CHRISTMAS BREAK-This year's Christmas Break will begin with an EARLY DISMISSAL on Friday, December 21st (early dismissal times can be found on the district website). School will resume on Thursday, January 3rd.
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*INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY-If weather forces the district to alter the school day in the form of an early dismissal, late start, or cancellation the following are the modes of communication the district will use to inform you of this decision.
*The Clinton School District will notify parents via a phone call and text message. To receive these notifications, it is imperative that the district have your current phone numbers . Please make sure that the building level secretaries have your most up-to-date contact information. The second step is to go here to opt-in to our SchoolMessenger texting service.
*All inclement weather announcements will also be posted through the district’s social media outlets which include the district’s Twitter (@ClintonMoCards) and Facebook (Clinton Schools) pages.
*Our local radio station, 95.3 FM KDKD, will also publicize any school delays, early releases, and cancellations.
*Finally, all inclement weather decisions regarding the Clinton School District will be submitted to the following television stations: KSHB 41, KMBC 9, KCTV 5, and Fox 4.
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*SNOW DAY MAKE-UPS-Due to the two weather-related closings the district has had, the last day of school is currently May 17th.
TO GO OR NOT TO GO
During this time of the school year, superintendents across the country try to make sense of weather forecasts. They are constantly watching the long range forecast to determine if SNOW or ICE are on the way. As the storms approach, superintendents are faced with the proverbial question from every child and parent, “Are we going to have a snow day?”
Making this decision can be very controversial at times. Parents like to know as soon as possible so they can align child care. Staff also like to know prior to their regular routines of preparing for work. However, the weather seldom cooperates with the timing involved to meet everyone’s expectations. If at all possible, I try to make the decision the night before. If not, I try to make the call in the morning by 5:00.
So, what goes into making the decision about a snow day?
Typically, I drive the country roads and city streets that our buses, students, parents and staff will be traveling. I look to see if the roads have been cleared and/or treated by the City, State or the County. I check with the National Weather Service to find out about the track of the storm and to hear about the estimates for the amounts of snow or ice. I also contact neighboring school districts to get additional data about the weather conditions in the surrounding area. I also contact the sheriff’s office and the police department to ask about what they are seeing and hearing.
After gathering all of the information available, I then determine if it is safe for kids and staff to be on the roads. The bottom line is, “Can everyone reasonably get to school safely today?” If the answer is, “No.”, or if I am not sure, I will always err on the side of safety and cancel school. If the answer is, “Yes.”, then we go to school. My concern is not just for the safety of the buses on the roads, but for the many vehicles driven by students, parents, and staff to school on a daily basis.
Typically, I have patrons who disagree with the decision that is made either way. When making a safety call of this kind, those opinions cannot influence me. My decision is based on the safety of every child in the district. Sometimes, the students living in one part of the district are fine to go. But other parts of the district are not safe for travel. My decision is not about whether most can make it safely. It is about whether all can reasonably make it to school safely.
As I am typing this article on Sunday night after making the decision about whether to go or not to go, I am hoping that everyone is safe and warm today as the kids enjoy another SNOW DAY.
-Destry Brown
Superintendent
Clinton School District
Make sure you follow us on Facebook and Twitter to be notified of event cancellations.
Lori Markham
Lori Markham, 4th grade teacher at Clinton Intermediate School, is in her 21st year of teaching, 19 of those years in the CSD.
Lori was born and raised in Clinton and a proud 1992 graduate of Clinton High School. After high school, Lori received her Bachelor's of Science in Education from UCM and went on to earn a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from William Woods University.
Lori has been married to her husband Steve for 20 years, and they have two amazing children, Ben and Addison. Ben is currently a junior at Clinton High School and loves to play sports. He is starting to think about his future plans and preparing for a few college visits. Addison is a 6th grader at Clinton Middle School and enjoys playing softball and basketball. Their kiddos keep them very busy with their sports, but they LOVE it!! In her spare time, Lori enjoys watching Ben and Addison play sports, shopping, spending time with her family, and reading.
"I absolutely love working for the Clinton School District and continuing to be Cardinal! I could not ask for better coworkers at CIS. It's an awesome feeling to walk into a building each day that feels like home! It also feels great to give back to a school district that had a huge impact on me."
About Us
Email: alawson@clintoncardinals.org
Website: http://clintoncardinals.org
Location: 701 South 8th Street, Clinton, MO, United States
Phone: 660-885-5585
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clinton-Schools-257810614245734/?fref=ts
Twitter: @ClintonMoCards