Weekly Update 2-19-16
Wright City R-II School District
Good Day Wildcat Nation!
I hope everyone had a great 3 day weekend and a 4 day week!
We are marching along toward spring very quickly. Hard to imagine that it will be 3 months from Saturday when we host graduation at the high school. Much will happen between now and then. Let's leave a great legacy for the 2015-2016 school year!
Trivia
- What does the term 'eschew' mean?
- Which car manufacturer makes the RAV4?
- Who wrote Robinson Crusoe?
Celebrations
FBLA has 16 state qualifiers (record)
Judge sent a kudos letter to R. Taylor for her kids...very nice letter
SchoolWires wants to use us in their publications, and we continue to get great feedback on our website.
MAP Medal night was standing room only.
Parent kudos for MAP Medal night were given by a few folks that are new to the district...stating their previous district didn't do anything like this.
April 6th
We are excited about a parent night / town hall that is coming together for April 6th. It will be focused on Drug Awareness and led by the Troy Police Department Narcotics Division and assisted by our local PD. They will go over various drugs and tell tale signs of said drugs. They have videos of actual individuals on various drugs that are just powerful. We will ask local and regional resources to be present to talk about help for individuals who are involved in various drugs.
We are doing this right before prom for a reason. We have noticed the number of heroin deaths to the east and west of us, as well as students involved in things like bath salts and meth to the north of us. We want to help educate our parents and give them tools for help. We would love to have you there if you are so inclined. It should be a impactful event.
April 6th, Part 2
Salary Committee
Community Internet
Recently, we had a patron ask about the internet connectivity in the community. He is interested in pursing resources to help expand high speed internet. His first question was what is the state of our internet connectivity? I put him into contact with various people. I think you might like what the Boonslick Regional Planning Commission gave as a response, which I copied below. I will engage the BRPC to see if we can be of any assistance in possible applications of said grants.
You can see the results of the Boonslick study at this URL: http://mobroadbandnow.com/regional-planning/boonslick/. While there is certainly a need for high speed broadband in our region, there is no financial incentive for ISPs to provide it in areas where population is not dense enough to make the venture profitable. And, as you can see from the Boonslick maps, most of our area is considered to have high speed access because access to cellular data was allowed to be counted. That makes it more difficult to qualify for any grants that may come available. There is currently a program through USDA Rural Development called, Cool and Connected, which offers consulting help to qualified candidates who wish to establish a downtown revitalization effort based on broadband. I will send information on that today to this group. In addition, sometimes matching grants are offered to qualified government entities that wish to establish and run their own ISP.
Unfortunately, the funding (xxxxx) mentioned was for Boonslick to do the study and make the recommendations posted on the above MOBroadbandNow website. That effort is complete. I can say with some degree of certainty that all three Boonslick counties have a similar issue with limited broadband access which adversely affects schools, economic development, and quality of life. I believe that BRPC would be anxious to partner with a citizens group to seek a solution over time.
Board of Education Meeting
Agenda / Actions
- Call to Order at 6 p.m.
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Approval and Adoption of the Agenda
- MSBA Board Meeting Review
- MSBA Meeting Report by Mary Groeper
- MS Presentation (the pics above show the ukulele trio getting ready to perform...and they were great! I placed a video on my twitter account of the opening of their performance. Also, Doug Smith presenting a volunteer award to Jennifer Mazella for all of her work with the Choir)
- PAWS Reports
- Behavior Task Force Study Group was chartered. The group will have 90 days to make recommendations to admin and/or the board of education. They will report out in April and May to the Board of Education.
- The asphalt bid for the reseal at the high school was awarded to Bishop Asphalt for $15,835.
- The BOE voted to approve a 1 year 3rd team for high school baseball due to the numbers of players. This will cost just over $5,000.
- The BOE approved the Community Relations Program Evaluation. Our outreach and footprint continues to grow.
- Legislative Update was discussed. Myself, Austin Jones, Mary Groeper and Erin Williams shared information regarding bills filed. The latter 3 along with Heidi Box have all been in Jefferson City this week to visit with legislators.
- The BOE decided to apply for the Outstanding Board of Education Award in Teaching, Learning and Assessment. Application is due March 9th.
- The BOE approved the American Oasis bill, with one abstain due to a family relation.
- The BOE approved the bills
- The BOE accepted several resignations, one retirement, and hired 6 teachers, 1 paraprofessional and 2 substitute teachers.
- The BOE approved the transfer of funds to cover teacher payroll.
- The BOE approved the contract for Cannon to do work on the water retention area where the shot put previously had been located.
- The BOE approved an overnight trip application for the Choir.
- The BOE approved the hire for 2016-17 school year of the following: Jennifer Hecktor, Shawn Brown, Doug Smith, Dr. Dawn Day, Michele Reigh, Andrea Schremp, Jack Sanford, Lynn Gmeiner, and Konee Box.
From the Desk of Konee Box
SISFin portal clarification --- Only changes need to be entered in the SISFin portal. (example:, Please do not enter you name in the portal if your address has changed, but your name has not changed. Only your address needs to be entered in this case.)
Calendar
2/19/16:
- Blood Drive at the HS
- JV/V Boys & Girls BB vs. Wellsville
2/20/16:
- 3rd installment of Science Camp at East Elementary (they are doing a great job!)
2/22/16:
- 3rd and 5th grade concert at West Elementary
- FAFSA Night at the HS
2/23/16:
- Scholar Bowl at Bowling Green
- 2nd and 4th grade concert at West Elementary
2/25/16:
- Kindergarten Roundup at 6 p.m. at East Elementary
- HS Choir Concert
2/26/16:
- Father Daughter Dance at West Elementary (176 families signed up!)
Trivia Answers
- What does the term 'eschew' mean? To abstain from
- Which car manufacturer makes the RAV4? Toyota
- Who wrote Robinson Crusoe? Daniel Defoe