Launch into the Week

Email: contact@richardsschool.k12.mo.us
Website: www.richardsschool.k12.mo.us
Location: 3461 County Road 1710, West Plains, Missouri, 65775
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaunchthatRocketPride

Phone: 417-256-5239

Sometimes the best laid plans change, so if corrections are made to this document please visit the online version using the "Launch" link found on the Richards website or follow postings on Facebook.

Get ready for a spooky, action-packed final week of October at Richards R-V! We’re filling the calendar with Red Ribbon Spirit Week dress-up days and assemblies, costume parades and classroom parties, and finally—a well-deserved day off with no school on Friday, October 30. Make your plans now, double-check those costumes, and get ready for a spooktacular week of Rocket pride! Spooktacular Week Details Here!

Enjoy an extended Halloween Weekend!

No school on Friday, October 30.

The end of first quarter was Friday, October 16. If you were unable to attend Parent Teacher Conferences to receive your child's grade card, they will be sent home with your child, Monday, October 26.

REMINDER: MAP Reward Trip to Incredible Pizza! Attention parents of students who qualified for the MAP Award Trip coming up on Friday, November 6!

To make sure your student can join in on the fun, please complete these two required steps:

1. Permission Slip: Signed permission slips (sent home with students) must be returned to school.

2. Online Waiver: Complete the required Incredible Pizza waiver online prior to the trip.

--Fill out the online waiver here: Incredible Pizza Waiver

Thank you for your help in getting these completed, and congratulations again to all our hard-working Rockets who earned this trip!

Richards Art Club is sponsored by Mrs. Bunch for grades 6th-8th grade students that are interested in spending extra time creating more art projects than the school day allows. Meetings are held every Wednesday, 3:45 - 5:15 PM. . Parents will need to pick up students in the front parking lot by the main office doors.

Rocket Studio is for grades 5-8 student who loves art and creativity. Meetings are held every Monday, 3:45 - 5:13 PM. Meetings are held in Mrs. Callahan’s Art Room. Artists who participate in Rocket Studio are required to be kind, respectful, helpful, and model good behavior for others. For more information contact Mrs. Callahan.

--Beta Club Meetings:

• Grades 4-8 are the first Wednesday of the month
• Grades 6-8 are every Wednesday.

--All Wednesday meetings are held 7:00 - 7:30 AM.

Our Richards Middle School Beta Club is bringing back a delicious winter favorite! Starting this November, students and staff can treat themselves to hot cocoa and doughnuts every Tuesday morning.

Every purchase helps support our Beta Club members as they raise funds for their annual spring trip to Branson and upcoming leadership activities!

STUDENT & STAFF SALES

• When: Every Tuesday in November & December

• Time: During morning breakfast

• Where: Trophy Case area

• Price: $2.00 for Hot Cocoa | $2.00 for Doughnuts

SPECIAL PARENT DRIVE-THRU TREAT!

• When: Tuesday, December 15th

• Time: During morning student drop-off

• Where: Student Drop-Off Area

• Menu: Coffee, Hot Cocoa, and Doughnuts available for parents!

Thank you for supporting our Beta Club leaders and helping make their spring trip a success!

Tinker Lab is Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:45 - 5:15 PM.

Tinker Lab is open to students in grades 3-4, (Students are assigned to a Tuesday or Thursday Group.) Mrs. Land supervises and instructs in the Tinker Lab, along with the help of a host of teachers and grade 5 mentors.

• Mentors Only Meeting: Wednesday, October 28, 3:45 - 5:15 PM.

We all have different gifts. We hope that this Lab inspires future designers and creators of all types!

It’s tournament time at Richards! We are excited to host schools from all around the area for the annual Jerry Premer Basketball Invitational.

Come out to support our boy and girl Rockets as they take the court for three action-packed evenings of basketball!

• Monday, Oct 26 | Tuesday, Oct 27 | Thursday, Oct 29
• Starts at 4:30 PM each day
• Richards FEMA Gym
• Brackets & Schedule of Games

Let’s fill the stands and show incredible Rocket sportsmanship and pride all week long! See you there!

Boys vs Junction Hill

5:30 PM

Bunch Gym

Girls vs Bakersfield

7:30 PM

FEMA Gym

Heading to the Jerry Premer Basketball Invitational, Oct 26, 27, 29? Come hungry! Our concession stand will be fully stocked with dinner, sweet treats, and game-day favorites. Each night is a different menu!

Best of all: 100% of all concession proceeds go directly to our Richards Rocketry Teams to help fund the equipment and materials needed to qualify for this year’s American Rocketry Challenge!

Come grab dinner, cheer on our basketball teams, and help our Rocketry students reach new heights! See you at the court!

Cheer Team will perform at all Richards Boys games at the Jerry Premer Basketball Invitational.

Monday Game Time 5:30 PM --- Cheerleaders need to be at the gym by 5:00 PM.

Tuesday Game Time 7:30 PM -- Cheerleaders need to be at the gym by 7:00 PM.

There is no after school practices scheduled for the week of October 26-29.

Visit Rocket Athletics to learn more!

Visit Lady Rocket Athletics to learn more!

At Richards, we know that small acts of kindness make a BIG impact! That’s why we’re excited to shine a spotlight on students who go out of their way to lift others up, lend a helping hand, and make our school a better place every single day.

Kindergarten wrapped up a fun week of learning all about spiders and bats with a very special guest!

On Thursday, Sam Stewart from the Missouri Department of Conservation visited our youngest Rockets to share some fascinating facts about bats and their important role in nature. He did a fantastic job keeping our students engaged and curious from start to finish!

A big THANK YOU to Sam Stewart and the Missouri Department of Conservation for spending time with us and making learning so exciting!

Rockets Family, we need your help to make our afternoon parent pick-up line safer, smoother, and faster for everyone!

To help reduce traffic congestion along the route, we respectfully request that families follow a staggered pick-up schedule based on the grade level of your OLDEST child:

• 3:25 PM – 3:35 PM
• For families whose oldest child is in Kindergarten through 4th Grade.

• 3:40 PM – 3:50 PM
• For families whose oldest child is in 5th through 8th Grade (please wait until 3:40 to enter the line).

We feel that this small adjustment will space pickup out in order to create two waves of car lines and help with safety.

We truly appreciate your ongoing cooperation as we work together to make dismissal as smooth and safe as possible for our school family. Thank you!

Feeling sad that you missed out? Good news! We still have some for sale $20.00 Students go see Mrs. Bunch in the Art room, or parents stop by the front office to get your book today.

Each week, we’ll be highlighting a local resource designed to support families in our school district. From food pantries and childcare programs to mental health services and after-school activities, our goal is to connect you with helpful tools and support systems right here in our community. Whether you're looking for assistance or opportunities to get involved, we hope this information will be helpful.

In addition to our weekly spotlight we have an extensive list of local resources available on our website: Local Resources List of Services

Be sure to check out the "Events Calendar" for what is happening each week. This calendar includes scheduled club meetings, athletic events, and more! Click on the icon below.

We love seeing our Rockets in the hallway every single day! To help keep our Rockets in the classroom and focused on learning, we encourage families to use scheduled district days off for routine medical, dental, and personal appointments.

We know life gets busy, but every hour in class helps our students stay engaged, build strong connections, and maximize their academic success.

Please take a moment to review the attached calendar as you plan ahead for the school year. Thank you for partnering with us to prioritize instructional time and keep our students learning!

Check out two business in our community that offer ongoing opportunities to help our school!

West Plains bank contributes to Richards when you use your West Plains Band & Trust debit card! Visit West Plains Bank and Trust Company to learn more!

Dear Parents,

We’re excited to share that our school is participating in Cash for Classrooms, part of Casey’s Rewards. This opens up Richards School to new funding opportunities to help improve learning environments for students.

The best part? Donations don’t come out of your own pocket. When you buy from Casey’s and use their rewards program you can simply turn your points into a donation to our school.

Download the Casey App to get started! Locate the School Donations tab in your Casey’s App Account Settings. Type in Richards R5 School and select. Once you reach 250 Points you can begin donating!

*Scan the QR code with an iOS or Android device

*Visit the following link: https://richardsschool.parentlink.net/smartlink/

*Visit your app store and search for Richards School.

We are excited to bring this app to you to help share district information. In the app you will find connections to our social media, web content, calendars, and much more. Additionally our app will allow us to communicate quickly and efficiently with you for day to day items, and more importantly, in the event of emergencies. Please come back often to get the latest information.