The Gasper Gazette
Mr. Gasper's First Grade Class - Schofield Elementary
January 31-February 4
January 18-21
January 10-14
January 4-7, 2022
December 20-22, 2021
Classroom News...
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We have a short week ahead full of fun!
Below is a LOT of important information. Please read through it carefully and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Please know I will work very hard to support your child this school year. I believe we can work together to make this a great year for your first grader. If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year please don't hesitate to contact me.
Have a great week!
-Mr. Gasper
Important Message...
This following message was sent out to families on Friday. If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact me.
Good morning, Mr. Gasper’s families! I’m writing with some bittersweet news. Mr. Gasper has accepted the position of STRIPES 360 Director within our district effective January 3, 2022. We know Mr. Gasper will do amazing things to grow our before and afterschool programs, but we will also miss him deeply at Schofield.
Transitioning classroom teachers in the middle of the school year is not typical, but we feel very confident in sharing with you that Mr. Matthew Holt will be stepping in as your student’s teacher for second semester. Mr. Holt recently completed his student teaching at Schofield with Mrs. Potts and will graduate with his elementary teaching degree tomorrow! I’d like to assure you that Mr. Holt demonstrates the characteristics of a strong classroom teacher. He has the skill set to help your students continue growing both academically and personally throughout the rest of this school year!
Below you will find a message from both Mr. Gasper and also Mr.Holt. Leading up to this announcement Mr. Holt has been in your child’s classroom observing and getting to know the students informally. Now that the announcement is Board approved and public, we will be sharing this news with your students, in person, this morning. Mr. Holt will continue to be in your child’s classroom alongside Mr. Gasper until Winter Break.
In addition to the message below, we’d like to invite you to attend an “Open House” event just for your child’s class on Thursday, January 6 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. This will be an informal, come-and-go event that will allow your family to get to know Mr. Holt.
Message from Mr. Gasper:
Hello, Team Gasper Families-
Please know my decision to move to this new position was not a decision I took lightly. I know the timing is not ideal. However, I am fully confident in Mr. Holt's abilities as a teacher. I know that each of the students will build a wonderful relationship with him and finish this school year strong. Mr. Holt and I have worked, and will continue to work closely to ensure the smoothest transition possible. I have truly loved being your child's teacher this school year. I am amazed at their growth so far and I am proud of each and every one of them. I will miss working with them greatly! Thank you for the opportunity to work with your child this year.
Message from Mr. Holt:
Hello, families! My name is Matthew Holt. I am from Bolivar, Missouri and I will graduate from Missouri State University with my elementary teaching degree tomorrow! It has been a pleasure getting to know your students over the last few days, and I am truly looking forward to our time together during second semester! Some quick things to know about me are that I love to read and spend time outside my dog, Delia. I am very excited to start my career as an educator at Schofield, and look forward to meeting you at the “Open House” for our classroom on January 6 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Should you need to contact me please feel free to email me at matthew.holt@republicschools.org.
Snack Schedule for This Week...
Monday - Holly
Tuesday - Extras Day
Wednesday - Extras Day
Thursday - No School
Friday - No School
*The link to the monthly Snack Schedule is at the bottom of this newsletter. Please remember we have 21 students in our class.*

Winter Break: December 23rd - January 3rd...
Handle With Care Message...
Water Bottle Reminder...

Student Chromebooks Reminders...
Each student has been assigned a school Chromebook to use both at school and at home if needed. Students are now taking these devices to and from school each day. Although the goal is to keep students in-person, at school and learning, students taking devices home daily allows the district to be able to quickly implement an AMI Day (virtual learning), if needed. The district will do its very best in communicating the need for an AMI Day as far in advance as possible, should this need arise. The practice of sending devices home daily is simply a precautionary practice to help us be prepared in any unplanned circumstance.
Elementary students should not have a need to utilize their school devices outside of school hours. Therefore, it's recommended they stay in backpacks at home when not needed for learning or when not charging. This graphic provides some tips about using student Chromebooks. Please send your student to school every day with their fully-charged Chromebook and charger.

Early Release Fridays...
Each Friday throughout the school year full day preschool through 12th grade students will dismiss one hour early for teacher collaboration time. Please keep this in mind when planning your student's after school plans. For details visit
https://www.republicschools.org/fridayearlyrelease.
Also, Tiger STRIPES will be available at no extra cost to families already enrolled from 2:30-3:30 and/or a cost of $4.00 per weekly release day for students needing care until 4:30 p.m. To attend Tiger STRIPES, families will need to sign up in advance. Registration details can be found at

School Improvement Plan...
Word Work:
This week during Word Work we will be doing Christmas Activities.
Reading:
This week during Reading we will be doing Christmas Activities.
Writing:
This week during Writing we will be doing Christmas Activities.
Math:
This week during Math we will be doing Christmas Activities.
Science/Social Studies:
This week during Social Studies we will be doing Christmas Activities.
At Schofield Elementary, we use Standards Based Grading to monitor each student's understanding of the Missouri Learning Standards. Follow the link above to learn more about Standards Based Grading in RepMo.
Team Gasper Celebrations...
At Schofield Elementary, students can earn camp badges for positive behavior as a class or individually. Our class goal is to earn 50 camp badges. Currently, we have 27 camp badges.
Here are some helpful videos of activities to try at home to help your student be successful.
Please send enough snacks for 21 students. Thank you!

Mr. Brian Gasper
Schofield Elementary
Republic R-III School District