A total of 319 Missouri school districts – 11 fewer than last year – have qualified for the state’s “Distinction in Performance” recognition, based on their academic achievement during the last school year (2008-09), state education officials announced today. Thayer R-2 School District is proud to be among these top performing schools in the state.
Of this year’s recipients, 266 are K-12 districts and 53 are K-8 districts. There are 523 public school districts in Missouri, enrolling a total of about 900,000 students.
The Distinction in Performance recognition is based on the 14 academic performance standards that are the basis of the state’s accreditation program for all school districts. The standards are based on scores from the state-mandated MAP tests, high school end-of-course exams, graduation rates, ACT scores, and other measures.
“To qualify for Distinction in Performance, a school district must be achieving at a high level or making consistent progress at all grade levels. School districts work hard to achieve this recognition,” said Stan Johnson, assistant commissioner for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
To qualify for the award this year, K-8 districts had to meet 6 out of 7 performance standards that apply to these districts, including all of those that are based on the results of the MAP tests. K-12 districts had to meet 13 of 14 standards, including all of the MAP-based measures.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Graduation Matters
Graduating from high school is as important now as ever and maybe more so. Across the state graduation rates seem to be declining. Students must understand that in today's society that a high school education is a must if they are to be successful. Promoting this and imbedding it into minds of our youth is not only the schools role, but the community's as well.
“Our ultimate goal is to help Missourians prepare themselves with the goals, education and skills they need to be competitive and prosperous throughout their careers,” said Michele Clark, a communications specialist at DESE and coordinator of the project. “Part of that effort involves convincing some young people of the critical importance of staying in school, graduating and preparing for what comes after high school.”
Thayer schools hope that everyone gets behind this movement and encourages a child to stay in school. Click the link Graduation Matters to watch a video clip on the importance of staying in school or listen to KKountry 95 for the public service announcement, because graduation does matter.
“Our ultimate goal is to help Missourians prepare themselves with the goals, education and skills they need to be competitive and prosperous throughout their careers,” said Michele Clark, a communications specialist at DESE and coordinator of the project. “Part of that effort involves convincing some young people of the critical importance of staying in school, graduating and preparing for what comes after high school.”
Thayer schools hope that everyone gets behind this movement and encourages a child to stay in school. Click the link Graduation Matters to watch a video clip on the importance of staying in school or listen to KKountry 95 for the public service announcement, because graduation does matter.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Improving Communications
The district is looking into the Alert Now notification system. This system is being used by many schools in the state to keep parents and students informed, including the Springfield Public Schools. The system would give immediate updates in the event of emergencies, school closures, or public service announcements. Another feature of the system is to keep parents informed of their child’s attendance. Once morning attendance is taken the system would call and inform the parents if their child is in school or not. The system can call a home number, a cell phone, or email depending on the parent’s choice. We know at times parents get upset when we call to check why their child is not in school. We are not doing this to check or judge their parenting skills. We believe that parents need to know this information in the event that they believe their child is in school and in fact they are not. Early intervention could save lives. We value your feedback on implementation of a notification system.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Has The Flu Gone Away?
Our attendance is back to normal this week, but we don't need to get complacent. The flu is now wide-spread across the state and although we had it run through the school a few weeks ago doesn't mean it will not reappear its ugly head. We are still encouraging parents to remind the students of safe practices to prevent the spread of viruses. Wash your hands or use sanitizer. All classrooms have sanitizer and there is a wall mounted dispenser next to the cafeteria serving line. Cover your cough. It is everyones responsibility to keep others safe and not to expose them to airborn infections. Keep your children at home if they have a fever. I understand that both parents have to work in many families and there is no one to watch the kids, but sending sick children to school jeopardizes the welfare and safety of everyone.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thayer Meets All Standards on Annual Performance Report
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the preliminary APR, Annual Performance Report, today for school districts in Missouri. Thayer is proud to announce that the school has met all 14 standards which qualifies them to be classified as being accedited with Distinction In Performance. This will make the fourth consecutive year that Thayer has recieved such an honor.
The APR is used in the Missouri School Improvement Program to track performance of school districts. The report is broken down into 14 indicators. Six of the indicators deal with MAP, Missouri Assessment Program, test scores broken down into grade spans. The MAP data in Mathematics and Communication Arts is used to determine if a district has met a standard established by the State Board of Education.
In addition to the MAP scores, additional indicators include: ACT scores, Advance Course Offerings, Career Eduation Courses, College Placement, Career Ed Placement, Graduation Rate, Attendance Rate, and Subgroup Achievement.
Thayer School District will under go a MSIP review this March. District undergo reviews every five years. We are proud of the hard work our parents, students, and teachers have given to this school system.
The APR is used in the Missouri School Improvement Program to track performance of school districts. The report is broken down into 14 indicators. Six of the indicators deal with MAP, Missouri Assessment Program, test scores broken down into grade spans. The MAP data in Mathematics and Communication Arts is used to determine if a district has met a standard established by the State Board of Education.
In addition to the MAP scores, additional indicators include: ACT scores, Advance Course Offerings, Career Eduation Courses, College Placement, Career Ed Placement, Graduation Rate, Attendance Rate, and Subgroup Achievement.
Thayer School District will under go a MSIP review this March. District undergo reviews every five years. We are proud of the hard work our parents, students, and teachers have given to this school system.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Welcome Alumni
Thayer School's administration and staff welcome alumni and visitors to our homecoming activties. School will be dismissed at 11:45 on Friday so that the we can prepare for the parade to be held downtown starting at 2:00. I hope that everyone can attend. We anticipate a large crowd for the football game against Miller which kicks off district play. There is plenty of parking at the football field, high school parking lot and the elementary parking lot. Parking fills fast, so if you want to park close to the field you must arrive early.
We have been seeing our attendance from the recent flu concerns continue to improve. This morning, Thursday, October 15th, our attendance at the high school is normal at 94% and the elementary school is at 92%.
We have been seeing our attendance from the recent flu concerns continue to improve. This morning, Thursday, October 15th, our attendance at the high school is normal at 94% and the elementary school is at 92%.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Attendance Picking Up
Attendance at Thayer Schools continues to improve. It appears that we have seen the number of children sick start to decline from the peek last Friday. Today, October the 14th our morning attendance rate is at 91.2% at the high school and 90% at the elementary school. We continue to ask the parents to monitor their children and not to sent them to school with a fever. Keep children home for an additional 24 hours after the fever breaks.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Flu Update
This week has started off better than we ended last week. Today, October 13th, our attendance rate is at 87% at the High School and 89% at the Elementary School. This is up significantly from hitting 79% last Friday. Please read the posts below to help keep our schools and your children safe.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Flu Information
The flu bug seems to be hitting the area sooner than expected. We have been trying to keep students and parents informed about the flu and the precautions you can take. Unfortunately, we still have children coming to school with a temperature. The nurse has been sending those students home. Please do not send sick children to school. Wait at least 24 hours after the fever breaks.
The public health agencies have given us guidance that unless the number of sick students reaches 20% schools should remain open. This week we have been running about 85% attendance. But we are unsure how many have the flu, seasonal allergies, or other reasons for missing school. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Unfortunately the health agencies are not testing for the flu and are not keeping us up to date on the actual numbers of flu cases. I know that we must have some from the symptoms, but we have not been informed of any confirmed cases by the health department.
Fortunately, the symptoms do not appear to be very severe or long lasting. The symptoms we are seeing is a cough and temperature that lasts two or three days. This appears to be much milder than expected and from my visit with a physician the cases in the county are much milder than the seasonal flu and a little worse than a common cold. Once a child has had this they should have enough antibodies developed to prevent reoccurance.
A word of caution. If after the fever breaks and things are getting back to normal, continue to monitor your children. If they continue to cough seek medical attention, secondary conditions may exist.
For now we are taking precautions to keep our school functioning as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help.
· Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself. In order to kill viruses hand sanitizers must contain at least 60% alcohol. Caution should be exercised to prevent young children from consuming hand sanitizers
· Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
· Know the signs and symptoms of the flu . Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees F or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
· Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
· Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.
For more information visit www.flu.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO. We will notify you of any additional changes to our school's strategy to prevent the spread of flu.
Sincerely,
Rod Priest
The public health agencies have given us guidance that unless the number of sick students reaches 20% schools should remain open. This week we have been running about 85% attendance. But we are unsure how many have the flu, seasonal allergies, or other reasons for missing school. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Unfortunately the health agencies are not testing for the flu and are not keeping us up to date on the actual numbers of flu cases. I know that we must have some from the symptoms, but we have not been informed of any confirmed cases by the health department.
Fortunately, the symptoms do not appear to be very severe or long lasting. The symptoms we are seeing is a cough and temperature that lasts two or three days. This appears to be much milder than expected and from my visit with a physician the cases in the county are much milder than the seasonal flu and a little worse than a common cold. Once a child has had this they should have enough antibodies developed to prevent reoccurance.
A word of caution. If after the fever breaks and things are getting back to normal, continue to monitor your children. If they continue to cough seek medical attention, secondary conditions may exist.
For now we are taking precautions to keep our school functioning as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help.
· Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself. In order to kill viruses hand sanitizers must contain at least 60% alcohol. Caution should be exercised to prevent young children from consuming hand sanitizers
· Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
· Know the signs and symptoms of the flu . Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees F or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
· Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
· Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.
For more information visit www.flu.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO. We will notify you of any additional changes to our school's strategy to prevent the spread of flu.
Sincerely,
Rod Priest
Career Ladder
Career Ladder is at risk of being eliminated due to budgetary constraints. The teachers across the state and here in Thayer receive up to an additional $5,000 a year for participation in career ladder which, if eliminated, would have a huge impact on our teaching staff.
Career Ladder provides additional pay to teachers who take on extra duties. The state pays approximately 45 percent of Career Ladder funding on average, In Thayer the state pays approximately 65% with the district paying the remaining 35%.
One problem with the way the state funds for Career Ladder, is that appropriations for the program has always been in the year following the year that the teachers have already put in the extra time. Teachers are therefore unsure of whether they will receive pay for the work they completed in the previous year.
State statute says that funding for the Career Ladder Program is to be placed in a “Career Ladder Forward Funding Fund,” so that teachers can receive compensation for their work. The fund was created in 1995 to try and end the practice of funding the program retroactively, but no action has been taken by any legislature to follow through with proactive funding.
Sen. Nodler said that legislators and budget analysts will have a better idea of available funding after a Consensus Revenue Estimate (CRE) is released in December. Sen. Nodler yesterday recommended that the best way to fix the practice of retroactive Career Ladder funding would be for the governor to ask for funding in his supplemental budget, which is traditionally proposed towards the beginning of each legislative session to address budget issues that were not passed or were not funded to the level of being sufficient for the whole year. “I am asking Governor Nixon to make clear to teachers and school districts in the supplemental budget process whether or not it is his intention to fund the current year’s Career Ladder Program in whole or in part,” said Sen. Nodler.
“Career Ladder funding for the current school year depends on several important questions: Do we have the money to fund the program, and, if we do, then how do we do it?” said Sen. Nodler. “If the governor believes there is enough revenue available to pay for some or all of this year’s Career Ladder expenditures and will request a supplemental appropriation, then I will support it, and I will vote for it.”
Career Ladder provides additional pay to teachers who take on extra duties. The state pays approximately 45 percent of Career Ladder funding on average, In Thayer the state pays approximately 65% with the district paying the remaining 35%.
One problem with the way the state funds for Career Ladder, is that appropriations for the program has always been in the year following the year that the teachers have already put in the extra time. Teachers are therefore unsure of whether they will receive pay for the work they completed in the previous year.
State statute says that funding for the Career Ladder Program is to be placed in a “Career Ladder Forward Funding Fund,” so that teachers can receive compensation for their work. The fund was created in 1995 to try and end the practice of funding the program retroactively, but no action has been taken by any legislature to follow through with proactive funding.
Sen. Nodler said that legislators and budget analysts will have a better idea of available funding after a Consensus Revenue Estimate (CRE) is released in December. Sen. Nodler yesterday recommended that the best way to fix the practice of retroactive Career Ladder funding would be for the governor to ask for funding in his supplemental budget, which is traditionally proposed towards the beginning of each legislative session to address budget issues that were not passed or were not funded to the level of being sufficient for the whole year. “I am asking Governor Nixon to make clear to teachers and school districts in the supplemental budget process whether or not it is his intention to fund the current year’s Career Ladder Program in whole or in part,” said Sen. Nodler.
“Career Ladder funding for the current school year depends on several important questions: Do we have the money to fund the program, and, if we do, then how do we do it?” said Sen. Nodler. “If the governor believes there is enough revenue available to pay for some or all of this year’s Career Ladder expenditures and will request a supplemental appropriation, then I will support it, and I will vote for it.”
Friday, September 25, 2009
ACT Scores On The Rise
Thayer R-2 ACT scores are on the rise. We are proud to announce that the Thayer R-2 School District is above the national average for the ACT test with a 21.6 average composite score. This compares with the national average of 21.1. Thayer also had two students who scored 31 or more on the ACT. This places them at the 96th percentile, meaning they scored better than 96% of the students nationally who took this test. Being in the top 4% in the nation qualifies them for Bright Flight Scholarships along and acceptance to many prestigious universities.
The ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of subject area tests in: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. ACT results are accepted by all 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S. and are used to show college readiness and are used as acceptance criteria by many universities.
The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete.
The ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of subject area tests in: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. ACT results are accepted by all 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S. and are used to show college readiness and are used as acceptance criteria by many universities.
The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Parent Questionnaires
The Thayer school district is scheduled for a Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) review on 03/23/2010. As part of this process, parents, students, and school employees are asked to voluntarily participate in the MSIP Advanced Questionnaire survey. We are interested in learning how the parents in our district feel about the educational programs and services provided to their children. The enclosed parent questionnaire will provide you an opportunity to help evaluate our school. It is very important that we receive your input. The results will be used to guide decisions regarding improvements.
Once the questionnaire has been completed, seal it in the envelope provided and return to the school. The questionnaire should be returned by October 30th.
Results to the survey will be made available after the review date above. To access these results, go to http://dese.mo.gov/schooldata/school_data.html. Select your district and click on “Load Profile”. Scroll to the section titled “Educational Process Data”. Select the links under MSIP Fourth Cycle Information.
Your individual responses to the parent survey are confidential and will be returned to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to be summarized.
Thank you for your help.
Once the questionnaire has been completed, seal it in the envelope provided and return to the school. The questionnaire should be returned by October 30th.
Results to the survey will be made available after the review date above. To access these results, go to http://dese.mo.gov/schooldata/school_data.html. Select your district and click on “Load Profile”. Scroll to the section titled “Educational Process Data”. Select the links under MSIP Fourth Cycle Information.
Your individual responses to the parent survey are confidential and will be returned to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to be summarized.
Thank you for your help.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Flu Precautions
As you may know, flu can be spread from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu in Thayer R-II School District. We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this flu season. But, we need your help to do this.
We will be working closely with the health department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.
For now we are taking precautions to keep our school functioning as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help.
· Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself. In order to kill viruses hand sanitizers must contain at least 60% alcohol. Caution should be exercised to prevent young children from consuming hand sanitizers
· Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
· Know the signs and symptoms of the flu . Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees F or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
· Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
· Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.
For more information visit www.flu.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO. We will notify you of any additional changes to our school's strategy to prevent the spread of flu.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Tax Levy News Article
The Thayer R-II School Board voted to set the District’s tax levy at the same rate as last year. The levy was set at $2.75 for operating and $ 0.92 for debt service per $100 of assessed valuation. Superintendent Rod Priest pointed out to the board that the district’s assessed valuation was down $880,293 from the prior year and keeping the levy at last year’s levels will decrease district revenues. The Board of Education is aware of the impact that the economy has on the taxpayers and took this into consideration when setting the levy.
Using the State Auditor’s Office calculations, the computation of the debt service tax rate came to $1.1854 using the lower assessed valuation. Board Vice President Bill Franz stated, “If at all possible, I would like to keep our debt service levy at the current rate and keep the tax burden in these difficult times as low as possible.” Taking a voluntary reduction of $0.2654 will keep the debt service at the current level and based on 100% collection rate the district will be short about $26,000 in revenues to cover the bond payments.
Superintendent Priest shared with the board that it is important that the Debt Service Fund have sufficient reserves to prevent any default on the bonds, but with the structure of the district’s payment schedule he felt that the school district was in a good position and that setting the levy at $0.92 would not place the district in financial stress.
“In 2006 we were able to take advantage of a state program that added $0.18 per $100 of assessed valuation to our debt service fund through state aid. This helped build a reserve required to prevent a default in the event of decreased assessed valuation or lower than expected collection rates,” added Superintendent Priest.
The Thayer Board of Education understands its responsibility to the taxpayers in the district and called their 2003 general obligation bonds in 2008 and reissued them at lower interest rates that will save the district over $356,000 over the life of the bonds. The board will continue to work to eliminate the district’s debt on the elementary building with the least amount of burden possible. The district appreciates the community and its support for our schools.
Using the State Auditor’s Office calculations, the computation of the debt service tax rate came to $1.1854 using the lower assessed valuation. Board Vice President Bill Franz stated, “If at all possible, I would like to keep our debt service levy at the current rate and keep the tax burden in these difficult times as low as possible.” Taking a voluntary reduction of $0.2654 will keep the debt service at the current level and based on 100% collection rate the district will be short about $26,000 in revenues to cover the bond payments.
Superintendent Priest shared with the board that it is important that the Debt Service Fund have sufficient reserves to prevent any default on the bonds, but with the structure of the district’s payment schedule he felt that the school district was in a good position and that setting the levy at $0.92 would not place the district in financial stress.
“In 2006 we were able to take advantage of a state program that added $0.18 per $100 of assessed valuation to our debt service fund through state aid. This helped build a reserve required to prevent a default in the event of decreased assessed valuation or lower than expected collection rates,” added Superintendent Priest.
The Thayer Board of Education understands its responsibility to the taxpayers in the district and called their 2003 general obligation bonds in 2008 and reissued them at lower interest rates that will save the district over $356,000 over the life of the bonds. The board will continue to work to eliminate the district’s debt on the elementary building with the least amount of burden possible. The district appreciates the community and its support for our schools.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Roofing Project Nearing Completion
The high school roofing project is nearing completion. Soon students will no longer have to dodge buckets in the hallways. In tough financial times, deciding to do such an large project may draw skeptics. But, our commitment to the students and the community extend beyond books. The high school roof was nearly 10 years past its lifespan. Hopefully we can keep dry for the next 20 years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)