Fordland Focus

District Update

October 22, 2024

Fordland Families,

It's officially fall in SWMO. This time of year is always busy as we wrap up our fall sports, Parent-Teacher Conferences and get underway with other activities such as Academic Team, Beta Club, FBLA, FFA events and more!

Our secondary programs and activities have received a few awards this past month. Our marching band took first place (class 2A) in the Southern Boone Marching Classic, first place (class 2A) in the Stockton Black Walnut Festival and second place (class 2A) in the Missouri State Homecoming Parade. Senior Sean Denney received the Director's Choice award at a recent vocal music competition. Our baseball team had a strong fall season with 11 wins and only 5 losses. Our volleyball team is starting district play with a record of 18-7. We are hosting the District 9 volleyball tournament at Fordland High School. Come watch our girls open up against Seymour at 5:00 pm tonight. In Cross Country, two of our runners, Eric Wilson and Brayden Cunningham, are ranked in the top 30 of the state! We are so proud of our students and staff.

As you may have read in my last newsletter or on our social media, Fordland once again received recognition for our award-winning programs. This year our Early Childhood Program received the MSBA FutureBuilders Program of the Year for the state of Missouri. This is a huge accomplishment and we are so proud of our preschool staff and students! The people in our district are the foundation of our success. We take pride in our work and love what we do. Several members of our preschool team traveled to Kansas City this past weekend for the awards ceremony, see the picture below.

As I've mentioned before, your partnership matters to us. Successful schools depend on the support and involvement from families and the local community. Our Fordland team looks forward to continuing the collaboration between home and school. Thank you for supporting your child and our team.

Let's continue to make it a great year! #DoTheWork

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephanie Vickers

Superintendent

Fordland R-3 Schools

Fordland Early Childhood

Fordland Elementary

Fordland Middle School

Fordland High School

Faces of Fordland

Samantha Thompson

Meet Mrs. Thompson! She teaches Kindergarten at Fordland Elementary School. She has been with our district for six years. Mrs. Thompson is described as a passionate and caring educator. Her favorite thing about working at Fordland is the supportive staff and administrators. "Everyone is extremely kind, understanding and won't hesitate to lend a helping hand."

Q: What's something you can't live without?

A: "My family but second, would be routine."

Q: What is the greatest challenge you've had to overcome in your life?

A: "Being a mother and working a full time job."

Q: What advice would you give our students?

A: "Don't give up on yourself. Don't say 'I can't', say 'I can'."

Andrea Cook

Meet Mrs. Lewis! She is a cook at Fordland Middle School and High School. She has been with our district for 5 years. She is described as honest, ambitious and fun! Her favorite thing about working at Fordland are the people she works with.

Q: Tell us something that might surprise us about you.

A: "I can eat a normal-sized cupcake in one bite!"

Q: What's something you can't live without?

A: "Hot coffee in the morning."

Q: What is the greatest challenge you've had to overcome in your life?

A: "Losing both of my parents by the age of 21."

Q: What advice would you give our students?

A: "Never ever give up! You can do anything you set your mind to."