Welcome Back to School
School Begins August 23rd
Hello Huskies!
The first day of school for the Franklin County R-II School District is Monday, August 23, 2021.
School starts at 7:50 a.m. and dismisses at 3:00 p.m. The first bell will ring at 7:47 am and classes begin promptly at 7:50 am. Students that arrive late will have to be signed in at the office. When students arrive, they should go upstairs to their classrooms. If a child needs breakfast, they should go directly to the cafeteria prior to going to their classrooms.
Kindergarten Roundup is August 2, 3, and 4!
COVID UPDATE
After consultation with area superintendents and the local health department, the Board of Education has decided that masking will be optional for all staff and students. At this time, there is no state, county, or local mandate that requires masks to be worn. Masks are still recommended but not required in school or outside. (This could change per local, county or state mandate.) More information can be found at www.fcr2.org under the Covid tab.
We will be using water bottles again this year. Students will not be drinking from the fountains. Students should bring a bottle with a resealable lid to keep in their classrooms. If students bring sugary drinks in their bottles, they will be asked to dump it and fill it with water. When water spills, it can easily be cleaned up. When juice and other drinks get spilled, it leaves a sticky mess.
Bus Routes
I will email busing information to families in a separate email. Please remember that pick up times are approximate and you should allow at least a week for the bus times to become routine. Questions or concerns can be directed to Ms. Bretzke or Mrs. Hoffmann. Mrs. Amanda Ritchie will be driving route 182. Bob Schaefer will again be driving bus 171. Currently, there is a federal mandate that requires all people using public transportation to wear a mask. School buses are considered public transportation. This includes vaccinated/unvaccinated, drivers and students. If you are not comfortable sending your child on the bus, we encourage you to provide transportation to and from school. Masks will be available on the bus for each child. If this mandate changes, I will notify you. Unfortunately, this is something our school district nor any school district can control or ignore.
Bus Procedures
All students will ride their regular route in the afternoon unless the office receives a note or a phone call from a parent/guardian stating a change. Please make sure you sign and date the note. We do not rely on students for this information. Therefore, if you forget to send a note or forget to call the school, your child will be sent home as usual. Please contact school prior to 2:00 p.m. if there is a bus or pick up change.
Morning drop offs: A staff member will be on duty for morning drop offs at 7:30 a.m. Please do not arrive earlier than 7:30 a.m. (Staff is not required to arrive until 7:30 am.) Buses unload from their morning route at the entrance to the gym so we ask that you do not block that area. Car rider drop offs should pull to the top office entrance. A staff member will be on duty to help students unload. They should walk on the sidewalk down to the gym entrance. If they need breakfast, they should go straight to the cafeteria.
Afternoon pick ups: Please form three rows and pull up to the signs at the main entrance to pick up your child after school. All students must be in their vehicle and buckled in before any vehicle is allowed to leave. Please stay in your lane until dismissed. The parking lot attendant will dismiss car rider lanes once they are loaded. Buses will be loading at the top of the parking lot.
Early Dismissal:
Please be sure to fill out the EARLY DISMISSAL form that will be sent home. If school would need to be released early due to inclement weather, we need to know where we should send your child.
Professional Development:
School will dismiss at 12:45 pm the first Wednesday of each month so that our faculty can participate in professional development opportunities. Please be sure the office has correct dismissal information for early outs. Early Out Dates: 9/1, 10/6, 11/3, 12/1, 2/2, 3/2, and 4/6. These dates can be found on the school calendar.
Open House/PTO Pool Party
Open house will be held on Thursday, August 19th. You may visit your child’s classroom between the hours of 4:30 pm-6:30 pm. Families may bring in school supplies at this time.
PTO is hosting a Back to School Pool Party at the New Haven Aquatic Center on Friday, August 20th from 6:00 pm -8:00 pm. We hope to see you all there!
Back-to-School Forms
District policy states that a parent/guardian signature is required for over the counter medication to be given at school. If you want health personnel to administer Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough drops, antibiotic ointment, etc. to your child, we must have a parent/guardian signature to do so. These forms will be sent home the first day and available at Open House.
Emergency Contact Forms will be available at Open House and sent home the first day of school. We must always have current contact information in case your child is injured or becomes ill at school. Please provide multiple phone numbers in case we need to reach a parent, grandparent, or family member. Please include your email address on the form. Please complete this at OPEN HOUSE or send in the first week of school.
This year, the handbook and other legally required notifications can be found on the website. We will not be copying and sending home these materials. Please visit our website at www.fcr2.org to review these materials. Your child will bring home a 2021-2022 Legally Required Notifications Signature Form, this must be signed and returned to school. Thank you for your cooperation. Students will not be able to use District Technology until this form is signed.
Free and Reduced Lunch Application
The criteria for qualifying for either free or reduced price lunches are published in the New Haven Independent News and on our website. Applications will be sent home. Applications from last year are no longer valid, and you will need to fill out a new application every year. All information is strictly confidential. Even though students will once again eat free due to the Seamless Summer Waiver, it is vitally important that all families fill out the free and reduced forms. Our school’s federal funding is determined based on our free and reduced count. Any family that submits a Free and Reduced Lunch Application will be entered in a drawing for a $50 Amazon Gift Card.
Breakfast and Lunch Information
Breakfast will be offered every morning from 7:30 a.m.to 7:45 a.m. All students will once again eat breakfast and lunch at no cost for the 21-22 school year. Extra milk may be purchased for $.50 per carton. If a student brings their lunch and needs milk, .50 will be charged to their account. No soda or candy is permitted during lunchtime. There will not be a salad bar option for grades 5-8 this year due to the extra health precautions that are being put into place. The cooks will offer a premade chef salad. If you child has a lunch balance, notices will be sent home monthly. If your student has a negative lunch balance, they will not be allowed to get extra milk.
School and Parent Communication
Students in grades K - 8 will bring home a folder each Friday for you to go through together. This will include graded papers and notes from your child's teacher. All District information will be sent via email this year.
Student Planners
PTO has purchased a student planner for students in 1st – 8th grades. Your child will receive a new planner on the first day of school and will be expected to use it on a daily basis. Planners are also a good form of daily communication between the school and parents. Space is available at the bottom of each page for notes from parents or teachers. Please check your child’s planner daily. Lost or damaged planners can be purchased for $5.00.
School Messenger
School Messenger will be utilized for phone blasts and mass emails. Please be sure we have a current phone number and working email on file. This year, we are also adding a "Permission Click" option where parents and guardians can sign and fill out forms digitally. More information will be sent home regarding this new feature. We are needing a primary email address per family. For now, I will be using the email address linked to School Messenger. If you are not getting notifications or need to change your primary email address, please contact school.
We are also working on a new app for our school website. We will let you know when that is available. To find lunch menus, schedules, supply lists, school calendars and other important information, please visit www.fcr2.org.
Bullying Report Form
We will be using a Bullying Incident Report Form provided by the Missouri School Boards Association that will be posted on our website and hard copies will be widely available in all classrooms and in the hallways. The report will determine if/when bullying takes place and is excellent documentation for repeated incidents by a student who engages in bullying behavior.
Background Checks
If we are able to continue to keep the building open to volunteers, room parents, and field trip chaperones, background checks will be required. More information will be available at Open House regarding this process.
Sports
Cross Country-New Haven Middle School
The first practice for Cross Country at New Haven High School is Monday, August 17th. Athletes should meet at the park at 7:00 p.m. Seventh and eighth grade students interested in Cross Country will need a physical before the start date and should take their own water bottle. If you are interested in participating in Cross Country please contact Jaime Hoener [jhoener@newhavenschools.us].
Mandatory Volleyball Meeting
Volleyball practice will begin on August 2nd. All athletes need proof of insurance and a physical. Physicals are good for two year. Volleyball is open to girls in 5-8 grade. Since our numbers are low, please be serious about your commitment to play. Samantha Unger (ungers4life@gmail.com) and Herb McDaris will be the coaches for our volleyball teams this year. Volleyball practice and game schedules are attached. Nathan Franks (nathanfranks22@gmail.com) will serve as our athletic director this year. We will be holding a mandatory volleyball meeting immediately after Open House. Please meet at 6:30 pm in the cafeteria.
ARCHERY
Mr. Trentmann will be coaching an archery team again this year. Beginning archery is taught during PE class for 4-8 grades. The competition team will consist of 5-8 graders. More information will come home pertaining to archery.
FOOTBALL-Hermann Middle School
7th and 8th grade R-II students may play football with Hermann Middle School. Parents are responsible for transportation. Students must have a sports physical and proof of insurance. Schedules can be found under the sports tab on our website. (www.fcr2.org)
Facility Improvements
PTO used a large portion of their funds this year to build a track for the school and community. The school will maintain it and we hope it will be something that our students, staff, and community enjoy for years to come.
Thank you, PTO! We have a track!
STAFF
2021-2022 Faculty and Staff
Sandy Borcherding – Food Service
Kristen Bretzke- Secretary
Maggie Brune - 2nd Grade
Michelle Brune – 5-8 Math/Algebra I
Rhonda Chwascinski- Custodian
Erica Colter- Guidance Counselor
Amy Covington – Paraprofessional/Food Service Director
Jill Fischer - Health Aide
Erica Freitag – Third Grade
Maureen Gist- Kindergarten
Hannah Hauser - Band/Music Director
Karen Hoffmann – Board Secretary/Bookkeeper
Lisa McLone – 5-8 Social Studies
Jenny McIntyre- Paraprofessional
Angela Mense – Reading Teacher
Jean Oetterer – Special Education Director/PAT
Kathy Oetterer - Principal/Superintendent
Sydnee Pate – 4th grade
Megan Poe – 5-8 English/Language Arts
Teresa Poe – Special Education
Amanda Ritchie- Bus Driver
Bob Schaefer - Bus Driver
Sandy Schaefer – Custodian/Food Service
Cindy Scheer – Librarian
Conner Shockley- Technology Coordinator/Maintenance
Julie Strubberg – Paraprofessional
Tiffany Strubberg – First Grade
Michael Trentmann – 5-8 Science
Tandy Vandegriffe – Art
Ted Walker- Physical Education/Special Education Teacher
*Nathan Franks-Volleyball and Basketball Athletic Director
Board of Education
Nathan Parmentier-President
Christy Groppe – Vice President
Kurt Koch – Treasurer
Doug Gerdes
Dale Borcherding
Amanda Yates
Kelly Theiss
A Note from Mrs. Oetterer
At this time, we plan to proceed with school as normal as possible. Masking will be optional for students and staff when in school. However, with the federal mandate, masks will be issued for the bus rides. We encourage proper use of the masks while riding the bus. Recommendations and information seem to change daily if not hourly! There may be a time when we are required to change our plan. Quarantines will most likely happen. Like last year, please keep your students home if they are sick. If we have a positive case, we will have to contact trace and notify the health department for quarantine protocol. Much of the guidance regarding quarantines are the same as last year. However, vaccinated students and faculty will no longer need to quarantine unless they are symptomatic. I am hoping that we all stay safe and healthy! I just ask for cooperation and understanding if we have to make changes in the future. I am looking forward to another fantastic year and there is nowhere that I would rather be. I am truly living my dream! Take care and I will see you at Open House!