Ozark Tiger E-News

It is that time of year again, where your Ozark Tigers take on the Nixa Eagles in the Backyard Brawl at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at Nixa's Eagle Stadium. The annual contest is more than a game; it is an opportunity to support Ozark in our "Can the Eagles" competition. The district with the most contributions to Ozark's Least of These will earn bragging rights and the "Can Trophy" award.

Help your Tigers by giving today!

Usually red is one of the most prevalent colors students are sporting at Ozark Middle School. But Wednesday the hallways were filled with a sea of orange. The shades of orange weren’t to celebrate fall, although we are happy about that. October is National Bullying Prevention Month and OMS celebrated National Unity Day by wearing orange in support of kindness, acceptance and inclusion.

Read the full story here.

As a sophomore at Ozark High School, Jayisha Adams (Class of 2015) realized she didn’t thrive in a traditional high school classroom. She needed smaller class sizes, more flexibility and, most importantly, more one-on-one time with teachers. Thankfully, she was able to find that at Ozark School District’s Finley River School.

“Finley River changed my life,” she said. “I didn’t realize I was struggling with being in a larger setting. I felt like once I left and was in a smaller setting I was able to focus more. That allowed me to get to know people better, get more one-on-one time with teachers and concentrate on my goal, which was to graduate.”

Traditional high school is not for everyone, and sometimes students need a little extra help to get across the finish line to graduation. In Ozark, Finley River School offers an option to high school students who thrive in nontraditional educational environments and need more one-on-one opportunities with educators.

Learn more about Finley River School here.

East Elementary third graders have been learning all about Missouri — the major cities and rivers, and what makes the Cave State so great. On Missouri Day Oct. 18, the unit culminated with a sweet trip to Ozark Junior High where seventh grade baking students helped the elementary students decorate Missouri-shaped cookies with icing, licorice for major rivers and candy sprinkles for major cities.

Learn more about this collaboration here.

The Christian County Optimist Club is hosting its annual Coats for Kids drive and Ozark Elementary Schools are helping! Help us keep students warm this winter. Drop off new or gently-used coats, hats, scarves and gloves at any of our elementary schools before Nov. 1.

This photo is from East Elementary.

The commons area at Tiger Paw Early Childhood Center looked a bit different this week as students took an adventure in space! Taught by Tiger Paw Speech and Language Teacher Kerri Loveland, students are learning to use their eyes to gather information about what other people are thinking about, feeling and happening around them. Students had a great time using their imagination, visiting different planets and even finding aliens.

Did you know Ozark runs 60 buses , transports 3,100+ students daily, totaling 654,000 annual miles? Wow! It's National School Bus Safety Week and we want to thank our bus drivers and transportation department for their heart, passion and commitment to students! Earlier this month, bus drivers practiced bus evacuation drills with students. Help us thank our Transportation Department for make student safety their top priority!

Monday was Boss Appreciation Day. There are many bosses in a school district, and we're thankful for their heart for kids, passion for education and dedication to students and staff — especially our Interim Superintendent Dr. Lori Wilson.

Can you believe the first quarter is already about to wrap up? That means it's time for parent-teacher conferences at Tiger Paw, our elementary schools, OMS, OJH and FRS (OHS are held in the spring). You should receive an email from your child's teacher to set up a time.

Find more details here.