Hello All,
By the time you red this newsletter we will have been in session for 2 weeks and our 1st football contest will have taken place. We have had a good start to the year and I want to thank the principals, teachers, and non-certified staff for their efforts in getting the year off to a good start. Additionally, I want to again thank our custodial staff for getting the buildings ready to go.
There are still a few items left to complete in regard to the construction projects associated with the passage of the bond issue in April. Boiler work still needs to be completed as well as replacing and placing new A/C units in the ag and weight room areas. The Board is also considering modifications to the elementary playground but this would not take place until the end of the 24-25 school year.
I want to say thank you to the local Kiwanis club for their recent donations to the school. The Kiwanis donated funds to the FFA, Elementary Teachers, and funds to go toward unpaid lunch bills. Your generosity is appreciated and making a difference in the lives of children.
I want to encourage you as the year progresses to come out and involve yourself in school activities. High School sports are in full swing and the JH teams are beginning competition. I am beginning my 6th year here at West Nodaway and if you have any questions or items you wish to discuss please call or stop by the district office. I am happy to visit with you.
Dr. Barnes
Hello Rocket Family and WELCOME BACK! The year has gotten off to a great start. The halls look much brighter with the new lockers and the newly paved circle drive is wonderful.
The teachers spent a big part of the first day going over the handbook and classroom expectations. There were no major changes to the handbook this year. The changes that were made were staff changes, students are required to take finals if they have below a C in any class, and MAP/EOC points must be used by the end of the following year they were earned. Everything else remained the same. We have three new staff members this year: Mr. Hartman - ELA, Mrs. Livengood - 7-12 Principal, and Mr. Rhoades - Ag Education. Everyone is getting settled in and adjusting well.
The JH/HS continues to implement Character Strong during 8th hour every Tuesday. This is a great
interactive character education program. We are also still utilizing Check and Connect. We now have built in time during 8th hour on Fridays for mentors and students to meet. Our hope is that more consistent meeting time for the student and mentor will create even better relationships and more use of intervention strategies.
Homecoming is September 27th vs Mound City at West Nodaway. This year’s theme is
“Road Trip to Victory.” Each class will be representing a different state. Classes will use their assigned state for dress-up days, hall decorating, and class floats. As you know, this will be a fun-filled event!
Junior High and High School sports are in full swing. There are 19 HS volleyball players and 27 JH
volleyball players. For football, there are 36 high school and 19 junior high. We also have four students running cross country. The high school cheerleaders will be performing in competitions this year. This will be a great opportunity for the girls.
There are lots of upcoming events and important dates. Please check the school calendar on the
website. In addition, it's important you stay up to date on your students’ grades thru the parent portal in Infinite Campus. Grade checks will occur every two weeks starting September 6th. Below are the tutoring hours available for the JH/HS students.
Tutoring Hours:
- Math - Daily 7:15am-7:45am, Wed/Thurs 3:45pm-4:30pm
- Science - Daily 3:45pm-4:30pm
- Social Studies - Tues/Wed/Thurs 7:15am-7:35am; 3:45pm-4:25pm
- Music/Band - Wed/Thurs 3:45pm-4:45pm
- College Apps and Scholarships - Daily 7:00am-7:30am, 3:45pm-4:45pm
Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, please give me a call, email, or stop by the office.
Mrs. Livengood
We are off and running in the 2024-2025 school year! We started the first day of school with an assembly to introduce our new staff and students. Please make sure to welcome our new staff members and students and make them feel part of the Rocket family.
On the second day of school we had our PBS bootcamp. All students in the elementary building were taught our expectations for every part of our building as well as the school bus. I mentioned in my welcome back letter that we need to do a better job this school year with our bus expectations. I personally taught the bus expectations to our students and I emphasized the importance of treating the school bus as a mobile classroom and all school expectations will apply. Students who do not meet these school bus expectations will be given minors and majors for bus behavior as part of our PBS school wide system. Please continue to discuss appropriate school bus behavior with your student as it will be a focal point this school year.
A playground committee has been formed and we have been working to update and make changes to our school playground. This year we removed a few pieces of old equipment that had been deemed unsafe. We have also added all new swings to the existing swing sets. We have removed an old dead tree and cleaned up old railroad ties in the back. Our eventual goal is to replace the playground equipment and install rubber flooring so we are able to use the playground more often. Currently we have wood chips and oftentimes a big rain will keep us from using the playground for several days due to mud and puddles.
Below is a list of upcoming events for September in the West Nodaway Elementary Building:
Thursday, September 5th - Individual Picture day
Tuesday, September 17th - Mid-Quarter
Friday, September 27th - Homecoming (Students will walk to the parade.)
If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to the classroom teacher or myself and I will do my best to help you.
Have a great month,
Mr. Conn
Welcome back! Thank you for getting required immunizations completed prior to the start of our school year. Pre-k, kindergarten, 8th grade and 12th grade are typically due for updated immunizations. Some get these early which really helps! We will once again offer a spring immunization clinic here at school for our older kids to make it easy for you. Last spring we were able to complete over 90% of our students here at school.
Wellness screenings have begun. 4th grade-12th grade are completed (height, weight, far vision and hearing for those needed). I have made some referral calls for failed vision exams, so please follow up on those and keep me updated. I do have resources available for financial assistance so please reach out if that is needed. Elementary screenings will start next week. I have scheduled KidSight through the Lion’s Club to come do photoscreening on Pre-k through 2nd grade for a more accurate evaluation. They will be here on September 5th. I only need to know if you do NOT want your child to participate in this screening, otherwise we’ll plan on doing all students in these grade levels.
The Big Smiles Dental team comes to school twice a year to clean and treat our students' teeth. Permission slips will be coming home this month, so if you are interested in getting on this list please get this signed and returned. The permission slip is good for the current school year and your student can be seen in both the fall and spring. This is another great opportunity if you don’t have a regular dentist. They are scheduled to be at WN October 22nd.
Our hygiene/supply closet is fully stocked. If your family is in need of basic supplies or a winter coat, we may have what you need!
We have seen some illness here at school our first couple of weeks. Our policy has remained the same, fever free (without the aid of medication) x 24 hours, improvement of symptoms, prescribed medication/creams for a minimum of 24 hours, or we follow doctor notes for dates of return. If you have any specific questions please reach out!
Kelli Hoyt
660-725-4126
Welcome back to a new year of school!
Based on popularity and need, I will continue to have “College and Career Monday” trips each month for junior high and high school students. The school pays for most expenses for each event; with students bringing their own lunch money. The first trip will be September 30 focusing on welding careers. Several students asked about Missouri Welding Institute so we will head to Nevada, MO that day. The second trip will be October 14 and aim at medical options offered at North Central Missouri College campuses in Savannah and Trenton. This trip is also a good option for students taking dual credit through North Central and those interested in attending college through the A+ program. There is a limit of six students for each date so sign-up in the high school office early!
A new feature this year is a counseling department webpage. You can access this through the West
Nodaway homepage and finding it under the “Student Links” section or going to
https://wnrocketscounselor.weebly.com This webpage contains information related to Missouri
standards for K-12 school counseling, ACT testing and prep materials, post-secondary school options, college scholarships, and much more. There is even a section about College and Career Monday trips.
School wide, we will continue the Character Strong program this year. Elementary will have specific
character words each month with an incorporation of academic and social/person skill lessons. The first two weeks have been spent on the word “kindness” with an emphasis of understanding our classmates and class expectations. The first monthly character word will be “respect” come September. Secondary students will start after Labor Day with their Character Strong weekly lessons. The goal for the junior high and high school level is to learn and demonstrate qualities of a leader in the classroom, school, and community.
I’m looking forward to a great school year! Please contact me if there are any concerns about your child or if there are any questions.
Mrs. Clayton
District Information
Email: mbarnes@wnrockets.com
Website: wnrockets.com
Location: 17665 US Hwy 136, Burlington Junction, MO 64428, USA
Phone: 660-725-4613
Twitter: @WNrockets