Welcome Back to School

The Franklin County R-II staff is ready to welcome back our students and families! We will continue to work hard to provide a safe learning environment for our students. The first day of school for the Franklin County R-II School District is Tuesday, August 23, 2022.

School starts at 7:50 a.m. and dismisses at 3:00 p.m. The first bell will ring at 7:47 am and classes begin promptly at 7:50 am. Students that arrive late will have to be signed in at the office. When students arrive, they will go directly to the gym and sit with their class, or they should go to the cafeteria for breakfast. Students that need breakfast should go directly to the cafeteria. We will have staff members on duty in the gym to help direct students.

I will email busing information to families in a separate email. Please remember that pick up times are approximate and you should allow at least a week for the bus times to become routine. Questions or concerns can be directed to Mrs. Gerling. Mrs. Amanda Ritchie will be driving route 182 (GOLD ROUTE). Bob Schaefer will again be driving bus 171 (BLACK ROUTE). We have a new bus on order and hope to receive it in early September.

Bus Procedures

All students will ride their regular route in the afternoon unless the office receives a note or a phone call from a parent/guardian stating a change. Please make sure you sign and date the note. We do not rely on students for this information. Therefore, if you forget to send a note or forget to call the school, your child will be sent home as usual. Please contact school prior to 2:00 p.m. if there is a bus or pick up change. Please do not contact the classroom teacher regarding bus changes. All bus changes need a note from home or a call into the office. 237-2414

Morning drop offs: A staff member will be on duty for morning drop offs at 7:30 a.m. Please do not arrive earlier than 7:30 a.m. (Staff is not required to arrive until 7:30 am.) Buses unload from their morning route at the entrance to the gym so we ask that you do not block that area. Car rider drop offs should pull to the top office entrance. A staff member will be on duty to help students unload. They should walk on the sidewalk down to the gym entrance. If they need breakfast, they should go straight to the cafeteria.

Afternoon pick ups: Please form three rows and pull up to the signs at the main entrance to pick up your child after school. All students must be in their vehicle and buckled in before any vehicle is allowed to leave. Please stay in your lane until dismissed. The parking lot attendant will dismiss car rider lanes once they are loaded. Buses will be loading at the top of the parking lot.

Early Dismissal:

Please be sure to fill out the EARLY DISMISSAL form that will be sent home. If school would need to be released early due to inclement weather, we need to know where we should send your child.

District policy states that a parent/guardian signature is required for over the counter medication to be given at school. If you want health personnel to administer Tylenol, Ibuprofen, cough drops, antibiotic ointment, etc. to your child, we must have a parent/guardian signature to do so. These forms will be sent home the first day and available at Open House. Prescription medication can not be transported on the school bus. If your child must take prescription medication at school, please make arrangements to drop the medication off.

Emergency Contact Forms will be available at Open House and sent home the first day of school. We must always have current contact information in case your child is injured or becomes ill at school. Please provide multiple phone numbers in case we need to reach a parent, grandparent, or family member. Please include your email address on the form. These forms should be completed at Open House.

The handbook and other legally required notifications can be found on the website. The updated handbook will be uploaded to the website by August 15th. Please visit our website at www.fcr2.org to review these materials. Your child will bring home a 2022-2023 Legally Required Notifications Signature Form, this must be signed and returned to school. Thank you for your cooperation. Students will not be able to use District Technology until this form is signed.

Free and Reduced Lunch Application

The criteria for qualifying for either free or reduced price lunches are published in the New Haven Independent News and on our website. Applications will be sent home. Applications from last year are no longer valid, and you will need to fill out a new application every year. All information is strictly confidential. Our school’s federal funding is determined based on our free and reduced count. Any family that submits a Free and Reduced Lunch Application will be entered in a drawing for a $50 Amazon Gift Card.

When COVID began in 2020, the USDA enacted waivers for school districts in all states to provide free meals to all students regardless of their approved status by filling out a Free and Reduced Meal Application. These USDA waivers have now expired and will not be extended into the 2022/2023 school year. It will be important for families to fill out the Free and Reduced Meal Applications when they are sent out. We encourage ALL families to fill out the applications this school year. All forms that are filled out will be eligible for a drawing.

Breakfast and Lunch Information

Breakfast will be offered every morning from 7:30 a.m.to 7:45 a.m. A student breakfast will cost $2.25 and lunch will be $2.75. Grades 5-8 may purchase extra milk for .50. Students may only purchase an extra milk if they have funds in their account. If a student brings their lunch and needs milk, .50 will be charged to their account. Candy and soda are not permitted during lunchtime. There will not be a salad bar option for grades 5-8 this year due to the extra health precautions that are being put into place. The cooks will offer a premade chef salad. If your child has a negative lunch balance, notices will be sent home weekly. Parents will be able to pay lunch balances through our SIS system this year. Mr. Shockley will have this information available at open house.

Students in grades K - 8 will bring home a folder each Friday for you to go through together. This will include graded papers and notes from your child's teacher. Most of the District information will be sent via email this year.

Student Planners

PTO has purchased a student planner for students in 1st – 8th grades. Your child will receive a new planner on the first day of school and will be expected to use it on a daily basis. Planners are also a good form of daily communication between the school and parents. Space is available at the bottom of each page for notes from parents or teachers. Please check your child’s planner daily. Lost or damaged planners can be purchased for $5.00.

School Messenger/Class Tag

Per our Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP), we are integrating a unified communication tool for grades K-8. Communication between the classroom teachers and parents will be via the Class Tag platform. Information will be shared at open house. I would also ask that you be respectful of our teachers' personal time. The Class Tag platform allows staff to set office hours. You may send emails or messages after office hours but an immediate reply should not be expected.

School Messenger will be utilized by the office for phone blasts and mass emails. Please be sure we have a current phone number and working email on file. "Permission Click" will also be used this year. This option allows parents and guardians to fill out forms digitally. We need a primary email address per family. (One that is checked often.) If you are not getting notifications or need to change your primary email address, please contact school.

Bullying Report Form

We will be using a Bullying Incident Report Form provided by the Missouri School Boards Association that will be posted on our website and hard copies will be widely available in all classrooms and in the hallways. The report will determine if/when bullying takes place and is excellent documentation for repeated incidents by a student who engages in bullying behavior.

Background Checks

Background check forms are due back to school by August 29th. After that date, parents/guardians need to complete a background check on their own accord. The school district will pay the $14.00 fee as long as forms are turned in by 8/29. We will be running the background check through the MACHS name search portal. No form of ID will be required. Simply fill out the form provided by the district.

Cross Country-New Haven Middle School (7th and 8th)

Practice will be held on August 15 from 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. Head coach John Tucker (jtucker@newhavenschools.us) would like athletes to meet him at the upper pavilion in the city park. New Haven is holding a parent meeting on August 18th at 6:30 pm in the high school gym.

Mandatory Volleyball Meeting

Volleyball practice will begin on August 1st. All athletes need proof of insurance and a physical. Physicals are good for two year. Volleyball is open to girls in 5-8 grade. Since our numbers are low, please be serious about your commitment to play. Samantha Unger (ungers4life@gmail.com) will be the coach. Nathan Franks (nathanfranks22@gmail.com) will serve as our athletic director this year. We will be holding a mandatory volleyball meeting immediately after Open House. Please meet at 6:30 pm in the cafeteria.

PRACTICE: August 1-August 23

5/6 3:30-4:30

7/8 4:30-6:00

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday

We realize this will interfere with the Washington Town and Country Fair. We understand that some athletes may already have other commitments.

After school begins, practices will be on the same days and both teams will practice from 3:00 pm -5:00 pm.

ARCHERY

Beginning archery is taught during PE class for 4-8 grades. The club team will consist of 6-8 graders. More information will come home pertaining to archery.

FOOTBALL-Hermann Middle School

7th and 8th grade R-II students may play football with Hermann Middle School. Parents are responsible for transportation. Students must have a sports physical and proof of insurance. Schedules can be found under the sports tab on our website. (www.fcr2.org) Sports schedules will be updates as soon as they are received for the 22/23 school year.

Track- New Haven Middle School

Students in 7/8 grade may participate in track through a coop agreement with New Haven. Track will begin in the spring.

Our updated Safe Return Plan can be found on our website www.fcr2.org. This can be found under the "For Parents" tab. (SRCSP) This will detail the latest information regarding safely returning to school in regards to Covid. This plan is reviewed monthly. Parents will be notified of any changes that the board makes to the plan. At this time, there are no county, state, or federal mandates in regards to the coronavirus.

Please send a water bottle with your student. Middle school students need a clear plastic water bottle.

The Student/Parent Handbook will be updated and loaded by August 15th. This information can also be found under the "For Parents" tab on our website.

Our Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) can also be viewed on our website. Our school district is under MSIP cycle 6 review this year. All districts in the state of Missouri will be evaluated over the next two years. We just got lucky and happened to be in the first group! Our CSIP is an important part of our review. We will use this document to guide decisions for our district both financially and for instructional purposes. In addition to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education evaluating our plans and test scores, they will also require a Climate and Culture survey to be filled out this fall. Students, parents, and faculty will be asked to complete this survey. It is very important that families complete the survey once they receive it. It is a great opportunity to tell us what we are doing well and where we could improve. More information will come home later this fall. If you ever have any questions regarding our plan, please reach out!

The Board of Education has been making improvements to our building and grounds. A new playground has been installed that meets ADA requirements. The pipes in the gym ceiling received new insulation. We installed drop ceilings in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. We encapsulated asbestos flooring by covering the 9 inch tiles flooring in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th. The entrance by the gym was updated with new flooring. Electrical upgrades were made where needed. The stage also got an upgrade with new curtains, flooring and will soon have new sound and lights. Finally, to improve security, additional security film will be added to exterior and interior windows and doors.

Mrs. Scheer is also working on creating a Makerspace in our technology lab. This will be an area where students can be creative and learn more about STEM/STEAM activities.

I would like to take the opportunity to officially welcome our new staff. Mrs. Liggett served as a substitute teacher for us last year. She will be teaching 5-8 science this year. Mrs. Liggett lives in our district and has three children that currently attend. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position.

Beth Jasper will be joining the R-II family this year. She will be serving as our assistant cook. Mrs. Jasper currently has one grandchild that attends R-II. All three of her daughters are also R-II alumni. Please help us make them feel welcome!

2022-2023 Faculty and Staff

Kathy Oetterer- Principal

Maggie Brune - 2nd Grade Teacher

Michelle Brune- 5-8 Math/Algebra I/8th grade Homeroom

Rhonda Chwascinski- Custodian

Erica Colter- Guidance Counselor

Amy Covington- Paraprofessional/Food Service Director

Jill Fischer- Health Aide

Erica Freitag- Third Grade Teacher

Carrie Gerling- Secretary

Maureen Gist- Kindergarten Teacher

Hannah Shockley - Band/Music Director

Karen Hoffmann- Board Secretary/Bookkeeper

Beth Jasper- Food Service

Sue Liggett- 5-8 Science Teacher/7th Homeroom

Tina Madden- Custodian

Lisa McLone- 5-8 Social Studies Teacher/5th grade Homeroom

Jenny McIntyre- Paraprofessional

Angela Mense- Title I Reading Teacher

Jean Oetterer- Special Education Director/PAT

Sydnee Pate- 4th grade Teacher

Megan Poe- 5-8 English/Language Arts Teacher/6th Homeroom

Teresa Poe- Special Education Teacher

Amanda Ritchie- Bus Driver

Bob Schaefer - Bus Driver

Sandy Schaefer- Custodian/Food Service

Cindy Scheer- Librarian

Conner Shockley- Technology Coordinator

Julie Strubberg - Paraprofessional

Tiffany Strubberg - First Grade Teacher

Tandy Vandegriffe- Art

Ted Walker- Physical Education/Special Education Teacher

*Nathan Franks- Athletic Director

*We are hoping to add an interventionist for the 22/23 school year. This will be a part time position that will allow for extra instructional support.

Board of Education

Nathan Parmentier-President

Christy Groppe – Vice President

Kurt Koch – Treasurer

Doug Gerdes

Dale Borcherding

Amanda Yates

Kelly Theiss

PTO is hosting a Back to School Pool Party at the New Haven Aquatic Center on Saturday, August 13th from 7:30 pm-9:30 pm. We hope to see you all there!

Open house will be held on Thursday, August 18th. You may visit your child’s classroom between the hours of 4:30 pm-6:30 pm. Families may bring in school supplies at this time. *This date was changed from the original calendar to allow our faculty more time to prepare for open house. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Our school Facebook page is loaded with information. If you do not use Facebook, you can still see our posts by visiting our school website at www.fcr2.org. Our FB feed scrolls at the bottom of the page.

It has been a very busy summer! We have been working on facility updates, unpacking boxes, and getting rooms ready for our students. We aren't ready yet....but we will be! I am looking forward to having our students and staff back!

Our goal this year is to not only make students feel safe, but also focus on building positive relationships with our students and families! We want to provide an environment where students feel loved, respected, and encouraged to develop to their fullest potential. The mission of our district states that we truly are BETTER TOGETHER! Together, we can empower our students to be the best versions of themselves. Communication is the key to success. Please feel free to contact me throughout the school year! koetterer@fcr2.org

Enjoy the rest of your summer! We will see you soon!

Mrs. Kathy Oetterer