Bulldog Bytes
A Newsletter for Employees of the Mexico59 10/21/15
Bulldog Bytes
Email: jdiffenderfer@mexico.k12.mo.us
Website: www.MexicoSchools.net
Location: 2101 Lakeview Road, Mexico, MO, United States
Phone: 573.581.3773
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mexico-School-District-59/692521830775778
Twitter: @MexicoMoSchools
Welcome to our New Employees
Tyler Walton
Tina Weber
Ben Schnipper
Position Transfers
Sonja Eldridge has been promoted to be the Principal's Secretary at Hawthorne.
Board of Education Meeting (10/20/15) Recap
Superintendent’s Notes:
Board of Education Meeting - 10/20/2015
Mexico Public School District #59
This month's board meeting was short and sweet. Only fifty-two minutes and no closed session. Almost a record!
Link to agenda: https://goo.gl/QdkPcb
1. Call to Order/Pledge of Allegiance - meeting was called to order by Dr Perll
2. Adopt Agenda - adopted
3. Staff & Patron Input
a. October MSBA Board Report http://goo.gl/6BfRSC
This month's board report includes:
Review of MSBA Annual Conference
School safety state grants
Fall regional meeting reminder
New MSBA website
4. President's Comments
Dr Perll thanked patrons for donations to the district for the Betty Baker Scholarship fund
as well as BRIGHTfutures. These may be viewed at the meeting link above.
Mr Maquire praised the positive press from sports teams and activities from buildings. Wish us continued luck through the fall
Mr Miller talked of the positive impact of school on lives exhibited by all the donations to the Betty Baker Scholarship fund
Mrs Borgeson talked about the wellness committee and the upcoming good news visit from the CDC. Also, BRIGHTfutures still looking for lunch buddies and she reported on the MSBA meeting and workshops this past month, including the session on curriculum and assessment as well as the keynote speaker, Eric Scheninger. http://goo.gl/doxaua
Dr Rice said everything had been said and that he had a new granddaughter which drew applause!
Mr Pascoe wanted to thank teachers for their work at parent-teacher conferences and expressed appreciation for their efforts.
Mr Rowe was absent
5. Consent Agenda - consent was approved. Please see the board meeting link for details on each item
a. Minutes September 15, 2015 Regular Session
b. Reading of Bills (except agenda item 6)
c. Personnel
d. Transportation Route Approval
e. Mickes, Goldman, O'Toole LLC. Rates
6. Bills - See Itemized List - approved. These are bills that one or board members must abstain from
voting due to possible conflict of interest.
7. Reports & Presentations
a. Building Reports - All reports may be viewed at the agenda link above in detail
i. Mexico Senior High School Building Report
ii. Davis H. Hart Career Center Building Report
iii. Mexico Middle School Building Report
iv. Eugene Field Elementary Building Report
v. Hawthorne Elementary Building Report
vi. McMillan Elementary Building Report
vii. Early Childhood Center Building Report
b. Construction Report
c. Summer School Report
d. Attendance Report
e. Drop Out Report
f. Library Media Center Report - The librarians from each building collaborated to compile a written report for the board.
g. Preliminary APR - While the APR information is officially embargoed from press release until Friday the 23rd, I can say that every building improved which means the district had it’s highest score in the past few years. Continued improvement each of the last two years. THANK YOU teachers and staff.
8. Unfinished Business
a. 2015B Policy Updates - Second Reading Three of the these policies were updates asked for by DESE to include student growth measures in evaluations. The fourth was an update to FMLA mandated by changing government regulations
b. Tuition Reimbursement - This was discussed but no action was taken. Administration is to bring a possible policy back to the board next month. A document at the link in the board packet complies policy from several different school districts for review.
c. Investment of School District Scholarship Money - Again, no action was taken. The board discussed the possibility of moving our scholarship fund out of our accounts and into a separate foundation which would be able to invest more fruitfully. The district is limited to CD’s and other very low yield, low risk investments. Currently very few scholarships are making enough interest money to cover the given amount.
d. Policy GCPB - Second Reading - This was a change in policy requested by administration. Over the past five years we have had twenty-five individuals resign and leave the district after returning a signed contract. This puts the district in a bind to find qualified staff late in the spring or summer. This policy now has a provision that imposes a percentage penalty if a staff member resigns after returned their signed contract (probationary) and after June 1st (all staff).
9. New Business
a. Treasurer's Report - While we are still anticipating a deficit budget year, we are currently just ahead of the typical pace in spending after the month of September.
b. Soccer Field Naming - Several members of the boys soccer team were in attendance to support naming the soccer field after Chris Hotop. Brock Fuemmeler, Sam Hobbs and Rory McKeown addressed the board. No action was taken, but the process has now begun. It is governed by the policy in the board packet.
c. MSBA Fall Regional Meeting - Region 17 October 21, 2015, Montgomery Co. R-II
d. Next Month's Agenda
10. Adjournment
Mexico School District 59 Position Openings 2015-2016
CERTIFIED
Part-Time Evening welding
Speech Pathologist/Assistant (4)
SUPPORT STAFF
Attendance Secretary - Hawthorne
Bus Drivers & Substitute Bus Drivers
Substitute Food Service Workers
Substitute Nurses
Substitute Teachers
The following coaching/extra-duty positions are available for the 2015-2016 school year. Please contact Jeff Anderson x3008 at Mexico High School for additional information.
MHS
Assistant Track Coach - MHS
Press Releases sent out/posted this week
MHS Theatre Dept. to hold Rummage Sale on 10/24/15 in MHS Cafeteria
The Theatre Department will be hosting a rummage sale next Saturday. If you are wanting to clean out some closets, the garage, or basement and are willing to donate your gently used items, we would really appreciate it!
Please bring items to school by Friday, October 23.
THANKS!
Sara & The Theatre Kids
Facilities Project Survey will be beginning soon.
Letter to all Staff,
It’s finally facilities project survey time! Very soon our survey company will begin
making calls in Mexico to ask a few questions about the proposed projects we have
on our master list of possible projects. They will also be asking some general
questions about school as well. If you get one of these phone calls please take the
time to listen and respond. They assure me will only take about ten minutes.
In addition, there will be an electronic survey that people can respond to in order to
provide input. Once we get that link it will be shared electronically. Feel free to
share/forward when it arrives. The more feedback we get the better.
The list of possible projects we are asking for feedback on includes the items below.
There are other things on the list as well, like tuck-pointing for instance, but who
wants to ask about tuck-pointing? And safer entrances to buildings as well as more
restrooms at Hart Career Center, for example. Those things aren’t on the survey
because they are all needed and don’t require much feedback to know if we need to
pursue them.
The things on the survey include:
- A new main entrance to the high school since there are zero doors anywhere near the office. This would be on the south side, aesthetically blended to match the building, and require then the renovation of most of the first floor of the oldest part of the building.
- A storm shelter at the Middle School at least, if not some other buildings too.
- Two artificial turf fields at the high school. A main football field and a main soccer field.
- Some renovations to Emmons Auditorium. Especially the roof, balcony and stage/backstage areas.
- Expanded shop and classroom space in the Ag building between the HS and HCC.
- A complete renovation of the Middle School…. Essentially gutting it and starting over keeping the exterior walls and roof.
- A thought about Pre-K. One idea is to turn McMillan into a Pre-K and
- Kindergarten Center in order to expand our PK program and integrate PK and K better. This would in turn require EF and Haw to split the rest of the elementary students 1st through 5th grades. We would do this by added onto and remodeling portions of McMillan and selling our current PK building, which is really not adequate in size. The classrooms are decent enough, but there is no space inside for play or exercise or large group activities.
- A renovation of the older parts of EF’s HVAC system as well as replacing the oldest windows and window AC units.
- Expand the kitchen and café at Haw.
As I mentioned above, there are other things we need to do as well, but they are not
potentially controversial and input is not as necessary for those items.
Please, if you get a phone call asking your opinion, take the time to listen and
provide input. As well as filing out the electronic survey when it becomes available.
Kevin Freeman, Superintendent
MHS Dixie Gray Band members encouraging people to Drive 1 4UR School
BRIGHTfutures Mexico cooking hotdogs
Flag practice
Nominations are now being accepted for Pioneer in Education Awards
During the Annual Christmas Reception we will present the Pioneer in Education Awards. Employees are encouraged to nominate a retired staff member or former Board of Education member. Nominees must have been retired at least three years.
If you wish to nominate someone, please complete the form below and return to the Board Secretary at Central Office not later than November 15.
These two documents are what you need to submit an application. The nomination form. The list of eligible retirees.
Contact Bethany Collins for more information. x2401
MHS Theater Cookbooks ready to be purchased....Get yours NOW!
From Sara Given - MHS Theater Department---It is a great honor to be selected to represent not only our school and community but the state of Missouri at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland August 2016.
We are in need of your support.
“Dramatically Delicious” is our new cookbook. The entries look AMAZINGLY scrumptious! $15 per cookbook with a 75% kickback to our group traveling abroad.
If you are interested in donating to our group, please contact Sara Given at MHS or Bethany Collins at Central Office.
Email: sgiven@mexico.k12.mo.us
Location: 639 North Wade Street, Mexico, MO, United States
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/MHS-Theatre-Department/1648271075419981?fref=ts