Legislators join school superintendents to discuss education issues
Representative Bart Korman joined Dr. Chris Gaines, Superintendent of the Wright City R-II School District at a dinner to discuss education issues. The dinner was sponsored by the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA) and was held in a meeting room in Jefferson City.
Roger Kurtz, Executive Director of MASA, shared with the legislators a summary copy of the recent Missouri Public Education Vision Project which was a joint effort of MASA and the Missouri School Boards' Association. The 18-month project involved over 120 school board members and school administrators. The goal of the project was to critically examine the components of the current educational system and to suggest changes to meet the needs of 21st century learners. The report was divided into seven areas of concentration and included 44 recommendations to improve public education in Missouri. A complete copy of the report can be viewed on the website established for the project at www.visionformopublicschools.org.
Also during the meeting, C. J. Huff, Superintendent of the Joplin School District reported on the district's recovery efforts following the May 2011 tornado that destroyed many of the district's facilities. The Joplin School District also shared information on its Bright Futures Program which allows communities and schools to identify student needs and match those needs with existing resources in each community.
Eric Churchwell, MASA President and Superintendent of the Palmyra R-1 School District said the purpose of the meeting was purely educational. "We truly appreciate the time the legislators took to join us for this dinner. We believe it is extremely important that our legislators fully understand the issues facing public education and that we work together to solve these issues."
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Financial Aid Night at Wright City High School
By: Emily Adair
Becky Brinkmeyer and Abigail Jackson encourage seniors and parents to attend the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Night on February 8 in the high school computer lab.
The FAFSA is necessary to receive any form of financial aid, such as federal grants and loans. Students planning to use money from the A+ Tutor Program must complete the FAFSA. The deadline to submit the FAFSA and apply for Missouri grants is April 2, but an early application makes it easier for families to prepare for college expenses.
The FAFSA Night, which begins at 6:30, is meant to guide the completion of the form, as well as answer any additional questions. Brinkmeyer asked that students bring their 2011 federal tax returns, W-2s, and any other pertinent financial information and documents in order to fill out the form.
Robotics Team Headed to State
By: Ian Kester
The Wright city Robotics team built two robots for competition. We registered the robots as Team 5027 (Plan B) and Team 5108 (Amish Electricians). Team 5027 qualified for the state championships during the McKendree University Tournament on 1/14/12. The team placed 6th overall in the qualifying rounds (out of 32 teams) and competed in the elimination rounds, losing in the semi-finals.
The state competition will be held at Missouri S&T campus in Rolla, MO, on Saturday, February 25. It will be at the Gale Bullman Bldg.
The State championship will be exactly like the tournament competitions. A set of tasks and rules were published for the challenges at the start of the season involving 2 teams of robots simultaneously moving, stacking, raising, and loading small crates with balls, positioning robots through autonomous programs (without human control), pushing bowling balls, and identifying magnets hidden in some of the balls with sensors, then placing them into special cup holders. All of these tasks give the teams points that are totaled to identify the match winner.
The entire Robotics team will be joining together as one unit to compete in Rolla, the team members are:
Joe Duran – (Captain/driver/programmer)
Thomas Boos (mechanic)
Levi Redman (mechanic)
Dakota Huse (driver)
Matt Kocher (driver)
Skylar Burris (driver)
Shawn Nitchman (competition coach)
Michael Wines (backup comp coach/mascot)
Phil Janowski (backup comp coach/programmer)
Emily Burris (scout/Public Relations)
Victor McKinney (scout)
Hailey Williams (scout)
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Attention Parents and Family Members
Did you know that your student’s teacher often stays hours after school, sometimes working on weekends, to prepare lesson plans and student activities? It has been a few years since Wright City West Elementary has had a strong Volunteer Force of Parents and Community Members.
Could you spare a few hours a month to help our teachers? Simple tasks such as disassembling bulletin boards, making copies and laminating would allow the teachers more time to prep time for our children’s educational experience. If you are not able to volunteer during school hours, some items may be taken home to complete.
We will be hosting a Volunteer Training meeting on February 20th at 6:30 at the Wright City West Elementary Library.
If you are interested in helping, but cannot attend the meeting, please call me at 745-7955 or email AllisonLConn@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Allison Conn
Parent/ Volunteer |
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2011 Middle School Cheerleading Squad
The middle school was very lucky to have such a talented cheerleading squad this year. The interest in cheerleading has grown a lot over the years, and continues to. We had a squad of 18 girls and 1 boy, and their hard work and dedication made them one of the best squads the middle school has ever had!
2011 was the first year we were able to perform at football games! We cheered at 2 football games, and were a crowd favorite. The season continued into the basketball season, when we cheered for 7th and 8th grade girls and boys basketball. It was a busy first semester, but the cheerleaders stayed focused and maintained their positive attitudes throughout.
Because we had such a talented squad this year, the cheerleaders were able to achieve new levels of stunting, jumps, and technique. They also made up their own cheers, chants, and routines.
We are very proud of the squad we had this year, and we are looking forward to seeing what next year brings!
Cheerleading Coaches – Liz Dennis and Stephanie Mantle
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Town Hall Meetings Continue
2/28 – Finance – West elementary – 5:30 p.m.
The Community Advisory Team (CAT) will also continue to meet on the 4th Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the middle school.
As you can see, there are numerous opportunities for you to become involved in your student’s education and to help make the district the best it can be. Our parents and community members can be a great asset to the district – let’s all work together to enhance Wildcat Country!
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