Strafford Community,

Welcome to the start of the 2021-2022 school year! The start of a new school year is always an exciting time, not only for students, but for families and our staff as well. In this spirit, as we prepare to start the new school year it is my pleasure to welcome the students, families and staff of Strafford Schools back, ready to continue the important work of our school mission – Strafford R-VI School will develop the potential in every student by providing a learning environment conducive to developing individuals who display positive character traits and contribute to our changing society.

Over 1,300 Preschool – 12th grade students will return to school on August 23, eager for the opportunity to see friends, participate in a variety of activities and engage in learning. Our staff renews their commitment to unlocking the potential of every student to help them be successful in this work.

I feel a renewed sense of excitement for the start of this school year because of the energy our students, staff, parents and community bring to our school community and all the possibilities that working together provide. Our school district excels because of this collective effort, focus and commitment. I look forward to the work we will accomplish this year.

As always, thank you for your continued support,

Dr. Mark D. Hedger, Superintendent of Schools

The first day of school is quickly approaching! Please see the information below regarding important dates and links to helpful details. Parents/guardians, please watch your email inbox for communication from our building offices closer to these dates.

* School Supply Lists HERE

* Monday, August 2 - Daycare and Pow Wow Programs Open

* Tuesday, August 3 - New Student Registration Begins/Details HERE

* Monday, August 9 - High School Fall Sports Practices Begin

* Monday, August 16 - Middle School Fall Sports Practices Begin

* Tuesday, August 17 - 5th Grade Orientation - 6:00-8:00pm - More Details TBA

* Thursday, August 19 - Open Houses/Orientations- More Details TBA on Events

Early Childhood Center Open House - 5:00-7:00pm

Elementary Open House - 5:00-7:00pm

6th-8th Grade Open House - 6:00-8:00pm

High School Open House - 6:00-8:00pm

Freshmen Orientation/A+ Informational Meeting - 6:30-7:45pm

* Monday, August 23 - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

We know everyone is anxious to see our official re-entry plan for the 2021-22 school year. Please know, Strafford School District's number one priority is the safety of our students and staff. Our administration team and Nurse Anne Stever have been in communication with the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and DESE to stay current with the COVID-19 pandemic updates. As of now, the schools within Greene County are planning to release their official re-entry plans during the week of August 9-13. We appreciate your patience as we attempt to use the most current data possible to guide our planning. The current plan can be found below, but please understand this is subject to change based on revised guidance and data.

In case you have not already heard, beginning this school year the Lucille Cogdill Early Childhood Center will be offering a full day preschool program. This will be free to preschool age students in the Strafford community. For many years Dr. Gardner and the administrative team's vision for the ECC has been to lay a strong foundation for Strafford's youngest learners. This expansion of free and full day preschool access in our community will allow for more time to cover instructional objectives and increase kindergarten readiness. Research shows quality Pre-K programs build social skills and give children a foundation in problem-solving, relationship building, and communication— all of which are essential for success in school and in life.

Strafford Schools values the importance of Early Childhood Education. We hope to continue to be a frontrunner in the area preparing our youngest learners for their educational journey.

We currently have two exciting projects taking place in the Strafford School District. More information will be shared throughout the year, however a brief overview of each project can be found below:

The district received the FEMA Grant at the end of this year. We will be utilizing the funds to build a cafeteria between the middle school and high school. This project is near the end of design phase and will be put out to bid upon approval of the plans by SEMA. We are hoping construction can begin during the second semester and be completed in time for the 2022-23 school year. This will provide every student and staff member in the district with access to a hardened tornado shelter space on campus.

The district has accepted bids to construct a health, physical education, and recreation building onsite. You may have noticed the dirt work that has started beside the middle school and transportation building. This facility will be available to be utilized by all students, not just as an athletic practice facility. Physical education classes will be using throughout the day as well as band, elementary indoor recess, and other areas of curricular focus, not just athletics. I will be sending out more details as the project continues, however it will not be completed until the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.

(Please click the picture below for some resources to help engage students in conversations about their school day!)

I believe it is important to continue to connect with our Strafford Alumni. I know Strafford has tremendous pride in their schools and graduates, which is well deserved. It is also important for our current students to be able to see our graduates reach levels of success and use that as motivation and inspiration to strive to achieve at a certain level as well. I will be including this spotlight on our graduates in a newsletter I send out. If you know of a former student who would be a good fit for this honor, please click on the yearbook photo or the button below:

If you are interested in any of the following positions, please click on the picture above to apply through our new online employment system.

ESSER III INFORMATION
Data shows that the pandemic has had a significant impact on student learning, both across the country and in our school district.

Strafford Schools is launching a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process to help determine how it should potentially spend additional federal dollars to address unfinished learning and COVID-19 recovery.

More information regarding ESSER III and a stakeholder survey can be found at this link: https://www.straffordschools.net/Content2/532

The USDA approved free breakfast and lunch again for students for the 2021-22 school year. The meal prices below will be charged when a student gets a second breakfast or lunch.

2021-2022 Food Service Prices:

Breakfast $2.15
Reduced breakfast $.30
Reduced lunch $.40
Elementary student lunch $2.65
Middle school and high school student lunch $2.90
Adult lunch $3.60

* Any student, including students on free and reduced meals, who takes a second meal will be charged full price for that second meal. This also includes second milks or milks purchased without a meal.

More information can be found at the link below:

https://www.straffordschools.net/content/440

We are blessed to have an incredible custodial and maintenance team here in Strafford. If you see them around, please be sure to thank them for all their efforts over the summer to have the school facilities ready for students and staff to return. Things are looking wonderful!

We are excited to announce a new partnership for the 2021-22 school year between Strafford Schools and Care to Learn! Like most school districts, the percentage of our students in the poverty range is increasing, so there was a need for an additional non-profit organization in our community. Our goal is for our new Care to Learn - Strafford chapter to work alongside our established Strafford School Foundation to meet even more needs of our staff and students.

And the good news doesn’t stop there! Care To Learn was awarded a $20,000 grant to begin a chapter within our school district. This was a part of the Musgrave Foundation’s new “Change for Children” grant program totaling $250,000 given to various organizations within our area. Thank you to Care To Learn and the Musgrave Foundation for making this possible. Stay tuned for more information to be announced once school starts!

Superintendent of Schools

Strafford Schools

Email: markh@straffordschools.net
Website: straffordschools.net
Location: 201 West McCabe Street, Strafford, MO, USA
Phone: 417.736.7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/straffordpublicschools/
Twitter: @SuptMarkDHedger