By the time you receive this newsletter, parent-teacher conferences will have come and gone. It is hard to believe the 1st quarter is already over. All of the fall sports have wrapped up, except HS football and cross country. With the approach of winter, basketball season has started for the JH teams and varsity practices will begin on Monday, October 31st. I was able to watch both the boys and girls JH basketball teams compete Monday night against Rock Port.
I have written to you in the past about turnout for parent teacher conferences. At our fall conferences, the turnout was not what I hoped it would be. However, it increased significantly from the last time we had conferences. Turnout more than doubled from the last time, so this is a step in the right direction.
Please take the time to review the upcoming dates at the top of this newsletter. There are always many activities and events taking place. Our school website has a live feed section where you can also keep up on school activities. Likewise, you can follow us on Facebook or Twitter. If you know of anyone who is not on the mailing list for this newsletter, and they would like to receive it, you may contact us at the school with their email address and we can add them to our mailing list.
Lastly, I want to reiterate another item I have written to you about in the past. That is sportsmanship. As winter approaches and activities move inside (basketball). It is important to remember that we should conduct and expect others to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. It seems each year that I have to escort someone to the door at the behest of the officials, or send someone a letter about appropriate behavior at a sporting event. I hope to avoid that for the rest of the year, as it has already happened during football. You will not find anyone who is more competitive than I am. However, it is important to show respect and sportsmanship for coaches and officials as they engage in the difficult tasks of coaching and officiating. Let the officials officiate, the coaches coach, and the kids play!
Our first quarter awards assembly will be held on Friday, November 4th at 9:00 A.M. in the elementary gym. We will start with K-2nd, and when finished, they will return to class. We will then honor 3rd -6th grades.
Mark your calendars! Tuesday, November 8th from 5:30-7:30 P.M. will be Elementary Math Night in the elementary gym. NWMSU students and staff will be holding activities and games based around math for students to have fun and learn. We would love for everyone to attend this event.
November 9th will be first grade's lunch day. First grade parents, be on the lookout for more information coming soon!
Please pay close attention to the calendar. We WILL be in session on MONDAY the 21ST. This is Thanksgiving week. We will have school on Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd, and school will be on break Wednesday 23rd, Thursday 24th, and Friday 25th. School will NOT be in session on Monday the 28th, as per our normal four-day school week. Students will return to classes on Tuesday, November 29th.
Have a great Thanksgiving, Rockets!
Mr. Conn
Reasons to Read 20 Minutes Per Night
- Reading is “brain food.”
- Reading improves listening skills.
- Reading builds early literacy skills.
- Reading prepares children for kindergarten.
- Practice makes perfect.
- Reading improves academic performance.
Benefits of Reading Out Loud to Children
- Reading develops a stronger vocabulary.
- Reading builds connections between the spoken and written word
- Reading provides enjoyment.
- Reading increases attention span.
- Reading strengthens cognition.
- Reading provides a safe way of exploring strong emotions.
- Reading promotes bonding.
We have been hit with a big wave of Strep throat in the elementary these past few weeks. We'll be reminding students to take extra precautions with hand washing and sanitizing this cold and flu season. Please remember to keep students home a full 24 hours to be fever-free or to let antibiotics get started. This will help the spread within classrooms. Also, we appreciate a heads up of a morning if medicine has been given, so no duplicates will be given here. Even a note would be helpful!
I have gone through a lot of chapstick and cough drops already this year. If you can, please send your student with a tube to keep here at school! 😊 We do allow cough drops to be brought in as well, we just ask that they are given to the teacher so we know when one in consumed.
Coat season is here. If your student needs a new coat, please have them come see me. We have lots of new ones to choose from. If I don't have the right size, I will get one! Remember to send hats and gloves, recess gets pretty chilly some days.
Junior High: 8th Grade participated in Manufacturing Day and visited JL Houston, Metal Culverts, Kawasaki, and Mosaic. Students were able to ask questions, watch products being made, and do a few hands-on activities. The trip allowed them to discover various types of jobs at each location and understand the skills needed. Starting second quarter, the 7th Grade class has been meeting with me once a week to work on critical thinking, study strategies, and learn about careers. The goal is to broaden their understanding of career pathways and the connection those options have to personal skills/traits.
High School: Juniors and Seniors attended the My Success event at the Civic Arena. They explored various career options related to health care, education, technology, construction, and many others. They had the opportunity to ask employers questions and discover requirements to work at various businesses. This was a good chance for students to make a connection between the workforce and their school achievements. Hopefully they can utilize this understanding when applying for jobs in the near future and beyond. Freshmen and Sophomores have been given A+ Program information. This is a good way for students to obtain a scholarship for college/tech school after graduation. "Hour Logs" are located in the basket outside my office door and need to be turned in quarterly. If any current upperclassmen forgot to complete their logs last year, please gather that information and necessary signatures by the end of this quarter.
Coming up in November, I will be meeting with each high school class to discuss academic and career goals. Additional scholarships will be distributed to Seniors (they currently have been given 39 different applications along with numerous search engines), ASVAB scores will be discussed with Juniors, and the ACT will be given to those upper classmen who registered. Representatives from State Tech, Southwest Iowa, and Northwest have visited with students and there are more in the next few weeks.
- Lani Clayton, School Counselor
District Information
Email: mbarnes@wnrockets.com
Website: wnrockets.com
Location: 17665 US Hwy 136, Burlington Junction, MO 64428, USA
Phone: 660-725-4613
Twitter: @WNrockets
Facebook: @WestNodaway