Dexter, Missouri - The Dexter School Board met for their regular scheduled board meeting on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at 6 p.m.  Below are the minutes from that meeting presented by C.A. County, Superintendent of Dexter Public Schools. 

1,2,3.   Call to Order/Roll Call/Pledge  The Board President announced the meeting is to begin, ascertains the attendance status of all board members with Mr. Herman Morse being absent.  He then leads in the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance. 

4.  Consent Agenda:   The consent agenda was approved. 

5.  Public Comments:   There were no public comments

6.  Old Business: The board approved Jarrell Construction to complete     

concrete work at the football stadium. 

7.  New Business: 

    A.  The board approved the 2018-19 MSBA membership.

 

    B.  The board approved Southern Bank as the district bank for the

     next three years.

    C.  The board approved textbook purchases for the 2018-19 school

     year per the textbook rotation schedule.

D.  The board approved the High School Flex Program.

E.   The board approved additional courses to the High School

      weighted course list. 

    

8.  Discussion Items:

      A.  Mr. Counts discussed a plan to work with the Dexter Police Department and the city of Dexter to employ an SRO for the  2018-19 school year.          

     B.  Mr. Counts presented the nurses report prepared by Mrs. Lynn Averett.      

     C.  Mrs. Dewitt, Mrs. Duncan, Mr. Kruse and Mrs. Dowdy were present and gave their building reports to the board.

     D.  Mr. Counts gave the superintendent's report.  

     E.   The next board meeting was set for May 15, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. 

 

    In Closed Session:

1.  The board approved the employment of the following substitute       

              teacher for the remainder of the 2017-18 school year:

        None

        

2.  The board approved the employment of the Summer School

     teachers as presented:

3.  The board approved the employment of the following 

          K-2 Physical Education Teacher for the 18-19 school year:

    Cody Boyer

4.   The board approved the employment of the following 

           6th grade ELA Teacher for the 18-19 school year:

    Rhonda Duckworth

5.   The board approved the employment of the following 

           6th Grade Science/SS Teacher for the 18-19 school year:

    Cindy Whittaker

6.  The board approved the employment of the following 

          High School ELA Teacher for the 18-19 school year:

    Brian White

7.  The board approved the following resignation letter effective at 

      the conclusion of the 2017-2018 school year (unless noted):

    

    Charity Busby 

 

8.  The board approved employment for the 2018-19 Coaches

         and Sponsors as presented:        

            

9. The board approved employment for the 2018-19 Classified

      Staff as presented:

10.  The board approved paying an additional $9 per month over the

      $472 insurance cap and honoring a step for all Certified staff.

11.  The board approved paying an additional $9 per month over the 

       $472 insurance cap and giving a 2% raise to all classified 

       staff. In addition a $0.50 raise was approved for all aide positions, 

      bus drivers and K-12 building secretaries.       

  

Items presented to the board for informational purposes for future meetings or for discussion include:

None

The Dexter School Board held a Special Board Meeting on March 30, 2018 at 7:30 a.m.  They hired a new Athletic Director, Varsity Volleyball Coach, and Asst. Football Coach for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Call to Order/Roll Call/Pledge   The Board President announced the meeting is to begin, ascertains the attendance status of all board members with all present.  He then leads in saying of the Pledge of Allegiance.

In Executive Session:

The board voted to employed the following for the 2018-19 school year.        

            Josh Dowdy - Athletic Director

            Starla Pulley - Head Varsity Volleyball Coach

            Jordan Noyes - Asst. Football Coach

Items to be considered after conclusion of Executive Session

        None

Motion to Adjourn Meeting

 MAP scores and attendance at Eugene Field have increased while discipline referrals have gone down over the past several years, but perhaps more importantly, students are graduating the elementary school with tools to succeed in life.

 

Themed “I Believe in the Power of Yet,” the fifth annual Leadership Day on Thursday, March 22, featured songs, skits and videos of students showcasing the difference between having a growth versus a fixed mindset. Seven visiting schools exploring the program were in attendance, including North Elementary in Jackson, which has just completed the book study.

 

Leadership Day participants experienced the impact of the Leader in Me under which Eugene Field has achieved lighthouse status, the gold standard of the initiative. The teaching philosophy is based on Dr. Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

 

“I can’t explain this. It would hardly (make sense) unless you watch the kids—they are just amazing,” said Dora Cole, a member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church. “I never watched kids grow like they do here. They are so confident with theirselves.”

 

One of the habits students practice is to synergize. Cole, who accepted the award of Leader of the Year for the church’s long-standing school sponsorship, half-jokingly commented how she did not learn that word until she was in her 40s. And here students, grades 1-3, are showcasing their understanding of the value of working together.

 

First time attendee Dr. Ron Webb, pastor of Mt. Calvary Powerhouse Church, has authored a series of books, most recently: “Leadership from Behind the Scenes.” During the classroom tour portion of the program, Webb stated: “This is where it starts.”

 

Mayor Ed DeGaris has witnessed Leadership Day for the past few years. A graduate of the elementary school himself, DeGaris is the grandfather of second grader Ashton, his third grandchild to attend Eugene Field. Asked if the seven habits are spoken about at home, DeGaris replied without hesitation: “All the time.”

 

Also an alumnus, Gabriel Burke—now a Poplar Bluff Middle School student—provided a testimonial during the show, attributing his success as an A honor roll student who is active in the Junior Beta Club to the Leader in Me program.

 

“I was shy, scared and bashful,” Gabriel recalled. “The seven habits helped me be more social and active.”

 

Pictured: The GLEEders open the event with a performance of the Eugene Field original, “Set it Off.”

 

Photo and article submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District

Bloomfield, Missouri - Our District is once again having a service learning day which we call Make A Difference Day.  We will be doing service learning projects on May 18.  I am reaching out to you for community projects where our students could serve.

Remember we have students ages 5-18 so we can do a wide range of projects from making cards to power washing buildings.  In the past, our high school groups have painted the playground equipment at the park, refinished the benches and trash cans on main street, cleaned up the park,etc. 

Our middle school students have picked up limbs, trash, etc.  Our elementary kids are really capable also.  They have done everything from visiting the nursing home to making dog treats and pulls for the humane society.

We, as a district, feel that it is important to teach our students to give without expecting anything in return.  The art of serving is a life lesson we want instilled in each student. If you know of a project where our students could serve, please let me know. 

Toni Hill

Superintendent of Schools

Bloomfield R-14 School District

505 Court Street

Bloomfield, Missouri 63825

573-568-4564

Poplar Bluff, Missouri - A total of 19 Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center students were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society during the second annual induction ceremony on Thursday, March 8, at the High School.

 

In addition to receiving recommendations by program instructors, students must achieve a 9.0 cumulative grade point average at the TCC and an 8.0 non-weighted GPA on all other high school work, maintain 95 percent attendance and have good citizenship with no suspensions during their secondary education career.

 

“This is a great organization for the career center students to be recognized,” said Vo Special Needs Guidance Educator Barbie Hon, NTHS sponsor. “Vocational school has sometimes gotten a negative reputation for only having students that don’t excel in academics. However, we have several very bright students every year and this organization recognizes those students for their hard work and dedication.”

 

The local NTHS chapter was established in 2017 under the direction of Becki Shrum, now a MO Options teacher at the Graduation Center. The new inductees join nine seniors who were sworn in last year.

 

Pictured: Alongside Barbie Hon (far left) and TCC Director Charles Kinsey (far right), pictured (in alphabetical order) are Alana Adams, Eve Brazel, Ariana Burkhart, Michael Fox, Brooke Francisco, Tara Hutchinson, Jaykota Kearbey, Taylor Noel, Cody Osborn, Kaitlyn Ruminer, Autumn Stimmell, Ethan Tinnin, Randall White and Trevor White. Not present were Michaelyn Hatton, Lucas Nicolini, Clayton Riddle, James Hillis and Joseph Morlan.

Article and Photo submitted by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District