Cardinal Connections Newsletter

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We have some exciting updates regarding the Home Run for the Future capital campaign!

As you will remember, the Home Run for the Future capital campaign began with an incredible $750,000 donation from the late George Lilleston, a CHS Class of 1958 graduate. This donation was earmarked specifically for the construction of a softball/baseball complex at Clinton High School. This generous donation gets us halfway to our goal of $1.5 million...and with other recent donations, we are MORE than halfway there! All donations are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE, and can be made now through January 15, 2025.

Below are some recent updates to check out!

• ONLINE DONATION PORTAL-An online donation portal is available to take online donations. You can learn more about this option, as well as how to provide a donation by check/cash here.
• ALUMNI CLASS CHALLENGE- Rally your classmates to donate an amount equal to your graduation year. For example, the CHS Class of 1974 recently gave $1,974—who’s next? Every participating class will get a celebratory photo with a “big check,” and be featured on social media. If making donations via the online portal, please notate your class year in the additional notes section.
• PATH TO THE PLATE-Track our progress to our goal by following our progress tracker here.
• DOUBLE PLAY-On Monday, November 11th, we will announce an exciting opportunity for your donation to be matched (up to $25,000). Be watching our Facebook page on Monday for this big news!

If you have any questions, please reach out to foundation@clintoncardinals.org

The latest issue of the district's print newsletter, A Bird's Eye View, should have arrived in all Clinton mailboxes last month.

We hope you enjoyed reading about the great things happening in our schools.

You can view an online version here:

https://heyzine.com/flip-book/8a66fd3308.html

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

https://forms.gle/4WMfcX1SiqhWJhTp6

On Tuesday, it was Election Day for first graders in Mrs. Doody's class and Mrs. Klahs' third graders!

In Mrs. Doody's class, students listened to the book, Duck for President by author Doreen Cronin. Students then discussed the voting process, held a mock election, and graphed the results. In a not-so-close race between Duck and Farmer Brown, Duck came out victorious!

Third graders in Mrs. Klahs' class learned about elections, the voting process and the electoral college. Students made their own voter registration cards, campaign posters, watched commercials and then voted for Chocolate Chip Cookies or Oreos, complete with an "I voted" sticker. In case you are wondering......Chocolate Chip Cookies beat out Oreos, 11-8.

See more pictures here.

Our students have big dreams, and we are deeply grateful for the support from our community and alumni who play a vital role in helping those dreams become a reality!

In October, CHS senior Chloe Lawson received exciting news—she is the recipient of the $25,000 Dream Big Scholarship!

This scholarship was established three years ago by a generous CHS alum with a vision to give a senior the chance to attend the college of their dreams. The donor’s goal was for students to Dream Big and pursue their dream college with this support. This year, the district had 16 applicants.

Chloe plans to attend the University of Central Missouri, where she will major in Political Science as part of the school's 3+3 pre-law program. This unique program allows Chloe to attend the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law while working towards her undergraduate degree. Over the past year, Chloe has gained valuable experience interning at the Henry County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Chloe's ultimate goal is to pursue a career in criminal prosecution.

Left to right: Mrs. Jennifer Corson (CHS principal), Chloe Lawson, Mrs. Jessica Shaffer, (CHS rootEd Advisor), and Dr. Rob Anthony (CHS assistant principal)

Students in Clinton Technical School's welding program have always received a top-notch experience, but several years ago it was taken to a whole new level when students and their instructor, Marty Mitchell, built a welding simulator. This simulator allows students to practice their welding skills in different real-world structural and pipe welding situations.

See more pictures here.

Last week, Ms. Madi's CECC class dove into festive Halloween activities that were as fun as they were educational!

Students created fall trees, explored sensory bins, practiced cutting skills with ghost shapes, and got hands-on with the insides of a pumpkin before carving it together.

This fun week wrapped up with trick-or-treating around the school and painting pumpkins, giving students a chance to build creativity, fine motor skills, and social connections.

See more pictures here.

Building a culture of excellence is at the heart of what we do everyday. When our students reach high levels of achievement and meet exceptional standards, we make it a priority to celebrate their hard work and dedication.

At the October Board of Education meeting, the district had the honor of recognizing Clinton Middle School yearbook students and their instructor, Mandi Taylor, for outstanding work, leadership, and incredible accomplishments.

Clinton Middle School administrators, Jill Chapman and Jake Kenney, also provided the Board with an update about the great things happening in their building.

Left to right: Mandi Taylor, Emma Merino, Jocelyn Himes, Jillian Stone, Kasyn Shockley, and Audrey Harrison

Next week, November 11-14, is the district's annual food drive.

This community service project supports The Samaritan Center and Project Christmas Cheer. We have been asked to collect the following items:

• CECC & Henry-Ramen Noodles
• CIS, CMS, CHS, & CTS-Cans of Soup

Please help us meet the needs of our community by participating in this yearly event.

DEADLINE TO RSVP IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH!!

Parents and guardians, you are invited to join us for A Cardinal Thanksgiving!

Your child’s school will be serving a Thanksgiving meal (Thanksgiving snack for CECC) on the dates and times listed here and you are invited to join your child(ren). Adult lunches for the Thanksgiving meal are $4.00 ($1.10 for the snack at CECC).

To help kitchen staff prepare, YOU MUST RSVP BY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8th. Please see details at the link above regarding RSVP procedures. THIS YEAR, THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THE NOVEMBER 8TH DEADLINE.

Please be aware that to ensure the safety of our students and staff, all guests are required to bring a photo ID to present when signing-in at the school.

We are very excited to welcome you into our school for a special time with your child. If you have additional questions, please call your child’s school.

DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH

The Angel Tree program is for families who are experiencing financial hardship and are in need of assistance for Christmas. This year, there is no online registration, forms must be requested and picked up at any Clinton school building office. Forms must be returned to the school office by November 8th.

All questions regarding this program, must be directed to the Angel Tree program. They can be reached at angeltreehcmo@gmail.com or 660-885-8229.

Clinton Schools will not be in session on Friday, November 15th for staff professional development.

Don't miss our CHS Theatre Department in this year's Fall Play, "Alice in Wonderland".

Catch this production in the CHS Performing Arts Center, at one of the two showings listed below:

• November 15 @ 7:30pm
• November 16 @ 7:30pm

Ticket information:

• Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students.
• Tickets can be purchased online at the link below or at the door with cash or card-http://chstheatretroupe7011.ludus.com/

Please contact Madison Haynes, mhaynes@clintoncardinals.org, with any questions.

The Cardinal Holiday Mart is almost here!

This annual event will be held on November 16th from 9:00-2:00 at Clinton Intermediate School. Mark you calendar for this amazing day of shopping!

Parents, students, school staff and community members are invited to join the Clinton School District as we celebrate American Education Week, November 18-22. This annual week is sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Education, and provides schools and communities the opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of public schools, and the essential role that educators play in the success of students.

The Clinton School District will be celebrating with A WEEK OF GRATITUDE!

There are several different ways that YOU can show your gratitude for educators in the Clinton School District during the week of November 18-22.

• Businesses, organizations, and churches around town are encouraged to show support for our Cardinal educators with a positive message on their marquee or storefront (more info below).
• Digital postcards will be available for you to send a short and sweet message to an educator in the Clinton School District. Please watch our social media pages, website, and your email for more info.

We are incredibly proud to be part of such a supportive network who put children first and we can't wait to celebrate! GREAT SCHOOLS HAVE GREAT COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND GREAT COMMUNITIES HAVE GREAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS!

During the week of November 18-22 you can help us PAINT THE TOWN RED AND BLUE and show appreciation for our amazing Cardinal educators who play an essential role in the success of our students and community.

We are asking businesses, churches, organizations, etc., to put encouraging messages to our Cardinal staff on their marquees or storefronts. If you choose to participate, please email a picture to alawson@clintoncardinals.org so that we can share these uplifting messages with our staff!

Clinton Schools will not be in session November 25-29 for Thanksgiving Break.

FirstView is a bus tracking and communications app, offered in partnership with First Student, the district's transportation provider. The FirstView app offers parents live bus tracking with custom alerts and notifications.

To get started using FirstView, please use this link. If you should have questions, please contact Transportation at 660-885-2644.

Want to catch our Cardinals in action this year?

You can view a full athletic calendar on our website at this link.

To accommodate students who purchase school meals, payment options include an online payment system (found here) that will take credit and debit cards, or cash and check payments may be made at all school buildings. We ask that lunch accounts do not incur a negative balance.

If you have not already completed a Free and Reduced Meal application for the 2024-2025 school year, we encourage you to do so. This application can be found here on our website, or you may request one from your child’s school office.

Please be aware that even if your child qualifies for free/reduced meals, there are still circumstances where they will be charged full-price for food/drink items.

• A la carte items (CMS/CHS)
• Choosing extra entrees as they go through the lunch line (CHS)
• Getting a second chance breakfast after having a regular breakfast earlier in the morning (CHS)
• Extra milk with lunch/breakfast (all schools)
• Snack milk (Henry Elementary)

The Cardinal Compliment program is back!

This program is a way for you to salute any Clinton School District employee who goes above and beyond what is expected. Whether you're a parent impressed with that special touch your child's teacher added to a moment, a coworker who thinks their colleague doesn't hear often enough about the great job they are doing, or a community member who witnesses a staff member’s commitment to kids - you can send a Cardinal Compliment!

Supervisors, including the superintendent, will see your submission. The employee will receive a certificate of gratitude and a token of appreciation that lets everyone know he or she was given a Cardinal Compliment.

Every month, Cardinal Compliment recipients will be listed on the district website and posted on the district Facebook page to let others know the names of the district's difference makers!

NOMINATE HERE

The 2024-2025 school year calendar can be found below.

You can find a printable version on our website.