The Rocket Review

October

3rd: After Prom Potato Bar, 4:30PM

3rd: PTO Test Drive a Ford Fundraiser, 4:00-7:00PM

3rd: 1st Grade Day at Breakfast, 8:00AM

3rd: NMSU College Fair (12th Grade), 9:30AM

4th: Powder Puff Game, 7:00-8:00PM

4th: DocuDrama (10th Grade), 8:15AM

5th: Big Smiles Dentist, 7:30AM
5th: Southwest Iowa Community College Representative Visit, 3:15 PM
9th: Staff Development Day
11th: West Nodaway Board of Education Meeting

13th: End of First Quarter

13th: 8th Grade Manufacturing Day in Maryville, 8:00AM- 3:00PM
16th: College and Career Monday - MO West and Fire Training

16th: Senior Night [Volleyball vs. South Harrison at West Nodaway, 5:30 PM]

17th: Kindergarten Day at Breakfast, 8:00AM

18th: Junior High Volleyball Banquet, 6:30PM

19th: Picture Day [Elementary, JH/HS, Senior Composite Make-Ups 2:30PM]

22nd: FFA Fruit Sales begin

23rd: Staff Development Day

23rd: Parent-Teacher Conferences, 12:30-7:00 PM

31st: ACT Testing [Participating 11th and 12th Graders]

You can access the athletic calendar and view upcoming contests by clicking here.

• When your child is unable to attend school, please notify the appropriate school office by 9:00 AM. When your child is seen by a physician, please ask for a doctor's note so we can verify attendance. (Elementary Office: 660-725-4126, JH/HS Office: 660-725-3317)
  
  
• If you would like to be added to West Nodaway's "Rocket Alert" list, please contact the high school office. Parents and guardians are automatically added to the system. It's a great way to keep updated with current happenings!
  
  
• If you know of anyone that would like to sign up to receive this monthly newsletter, please call the high school office at (660) 725-3317 and provide the recipient's email address. We look forward to sharing this information with you all each month!
  

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Date: September 11, 2023

To: West Nodaway Community

From: Dr. Mitch Barnes

Re: Water Testing Results

In 2022 the Missouri Legislature passed RSMo 160.077, also known as the Get the Lead Out of School Drinking Water Act. This Act among other things requires schools to do the following:

Beginning in the 2023-24 school year and for each subsequent school year, each school shall provide drinking water with a lead concentration level below five (5) parts per billion (ppb) in sufficient amounts to meet the drinking water needs of all students and staff

On or before January 1, 2024, each school shall:

· Create an inventory of water outlets used for drinking/cooking.

· Create a plan for testing those outlets for lead and make the plan available to the public.

· Provide access to information about the health effects of lead to the public.

· Priority is to be given to facilities that house early childhood education programs, kindergartens and elementary schools.

Before August 1, 2024, or the first day on which students will be present in the building, whichever is later, each school shall:

· Perform all testing

· Make test results and any remediation plans, available on the school’s website within two (2) weeks of receiving test results

· Remove and replace drinking water coolers or outlets determined not to meet the EPA’s

Lead Contamination Control Act of 1988 (see exceptions in statute)

· If testing indicates that the water source (i.e. public water system) is the source of any contamination above the standard; a filter shall be installed at the water inlet into the building and at each water outlet inventoried too ensure standards are met, or provide purified water at each outlet

· If testing indicates that contamination is caused by internal piping; the school shall install filters at each water outlet inventoried, or provide purified water at each outlet.

· If any plumbing components are replaced to remediate lead contamination, replacement components shall meet standards of 40 CFR 143.12

· If test results exceed 5 PPB, the school shall:

· contact parents and staff within seven (7) business days with details described in the statute

· Provide bottled water if there is not enough water to meet drinking water needs of occupants

· Schools shall submit annual test results to DHSS.

· On or before August 1, 2024 or the first day on which students will be present in the building, whichever is later, and annually thereafter, the school shall conduct testing on at least 25% of remediated drinking water outlets until all remediated outlets have been tested as recommended by EPA’s 2018 version of the 3Ts program.

Testing was conducted at West Nodaway R-I on August 1st, 2023 on 32 drinking sources. Of those 32 sources 8 were over the allowable limit. These 8 sources are now in remediation. You may view the full report by going to the district website: www.wnrockets.com. Click on the Documents tab, then click on District Policies and Documents, then click on West Nodaway School District Drinking Water Assessment Report.

Useful webpages:

Official statute language - https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=160.077&srch=y

Federal statute referenced in subsection 4.(6) - https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapterI/subchapter-D/part-143/subpart-B/section-143.12

EPA’s 3 T’s program for testing school’s water for lead (does not reflect Missouri requirements or standards) - https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-07/epa-3ts-guidancedocument-english.pdf

Information about lead in plumbing products - https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/use-lead-free-pipesfittings-fixtures-solder-and-flux-drinking-water

List of DNR Certified chemistry labs for testing lead in water - https://dnr.mo.gov/water/business-industry-other-entities/certified-laboratories/chemical

Funding currently available for facilities serving children under the age of six –

https://health.mo.gov/living/environment/wiin-grant/

If you have any questions in regard to this letter or report please contact me at the district office.

Respectfully,

Dr. Mitch Barnes

Superintendent

West Nodaway R-I

Happy Fall everyone!

I would like to start this month’s newsletter with a reminder for our pick up and drop off procedures at the elementary school. We ask that the parents do not park their vehicles in the drop off lane and then leave the vehicle unattended. If you need to come into the building, please park in the parking lot and not the drop off or pick up lane. In the morning, please pull up to the sidewalk and drop your student off to walk into the building. If there is a line of cars, please drive further south down the sidewalk so everyone can drop off their student(s). If you intend to walk your student to the front entrance in the morning, please park in the parking lot and not the drop off lane so other cars can move forward.

The afternoon pick up is very similar; please do not exit your vehicle. We will send children to the color cone that you are parked at which are lined along the sidewalk.

Please remember that one parked vehicle in the driving lane can hold up the entire process. We need to work together to make the pick up and drop off process run as smoothly and safely as possible. Thank you.

This year we are making a change to our class lunch days. Instead of having class lunches, we will be having a class breakfast day. The hope is that more parents or special guests are able to attend first thing in the morning, rather than having to make it to the school in the middle of the day. October 3rd will be the 1st Grade Breakfast Day and October 17th will be Kindergarten Breakfast Day. Every class will have a Class Breakfast day throughout the year.

All our benchmark data is being completed and our beginning of the year screening information will be sent home. If you have any questions regarding this data, please make sure to reach out to the classroom teacher and they will be more than willing to explain the data and what it means.

The end of the 1st quarter is October 13th and Parent Teacher Conferences are set for Monday, October 23rd from 12:30p.m.-7:00p.m. We will once again use SignUpGenius for the scheduling of Parent Teacher Conferences. The sign up will be released closer to the date.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the classroom teachers

or myself.

Hello,

The Big Smiles Dental team will be here October 5th starting at 7:30 am. We already have over 20 students signed up that day. If you would like to be added to this list please sign up online:

https://www.myschooldentist.com/WOWNMO_schsrm

We are trying to coordinate schedules to get flu shots here at West Nodaway on October 23rd with our parent teacher conferences. There are several events going on in Nodaway County that night so I’ll confirm a date/time once it is scheduled. If we aren’t able to bring them to West Nodaway, Mosaic is offering several drive thru clinic dates to get a flu shot.

Our illness policy remains the same. Students need to be fever free without fever-reducing medications for a full 24 hours prior to returning to school. We consider a fever to be a temperature greater than 100 degrees. We’ve had a wave of strep throat, antibiotics need to be given for a full 24 hours prior to returning to school. This will help the spread of illness within our classrooms. Any other illness will be based on symptom improvement and doctors notes for return to school. Please reach out with any questions, I always prefer to have a heads up if possible and a notification if medicine is given at home so no duplicates are given once at school. If you can’t call, a note is great too.

A BIG THANK YOU to our Burlington Junction Christian Church VBS students. These students collected money and donated it to the nurse’s office. Over $600 was raised (some used their own money!) to be used to purchase new eye glasses for a student in need. They raised so much that we’ll have extra money to use on any student need that should arise. I loved to hear how competitive the students were once they knew that it was going to be used here at our school. We have such a great community! THANK YOU!!

Hello,

College and Career Days: September 18 brought an opportunity for students to explore agriculture professions in the area. Five students joined me on this day and we visited Ziegler Ag, Golden Triangle Energy, Tri-County Agriculture, and Northwest Missouri State University Ag Department. All of the businesses have hands-on training opportunities with some offering paid internships and apprenticeship programs. The next opportunity to explore professions in the area is October 16 where we will go to Clarinda Regional Hospital, Nodaway Valley Funeral Home, Iowa Western Community College, Baker Chiropractic, and MOSAIC. Right now there are five students signed up and six can attend. Another option in the works is for November 6 with a focus on emergency services with the trip taking students to Missouri Western Law Enforcement Academy, St Joseph Fire Department, and at least one ambulance service. Sign-ups are in the high school office.

Financial Aid Night: As a reminder, there will be a presentation by John Davis, President of Tarkio Tech, on October 3rd here at West Nodaway starting at 5pm before the high school volleyball games. Mr. Davis will be here to talk with parents about college admission processes, scholarships, and completing the FAFSA. His information pertains to four-year, two-year, and tech school opportunities. Please email me if you are coming so I can make sure there are enough handouts (lclayton@wnrockets.com).

Seniors: This Tuesday brings the opportunity to attend a college fair at Northwest Missouri State University. Currently three seniors are interested in going to this event and speak with college representatives from around the area. There will also be college reps coming to West Nodaway to meet with students during 8th Hour (Missouri Western - October 13, Tarkio Tech - October 25, Northwest - November 8) so this is another opportunity to see what is available and required for college admission. Several scholarships have been posted to student lockers but many students are opting not to take the materials. They can always come ask me for another copy as I file them away until the end of the year.

Elementary: Students have been focusing on "Respect" throughout the month of September. Preschool through 2nd Grade has emphasized resolving conflict in a respectful manner through the "Tree of Choices" model as well as understanding how to respect students and teachers at school. They listened to the story "Colors of Us" and realized we are all slightly different shades of color. Students used this to create a self portrait. 3rd through 6th Grade students have worked on respect scenarios inside and outside the school environment. They have brainstormed how to be a leader and show respect, role played a variety of respect scenarios, and most recently focused on the importance of compliments. Students are beginning to realize their attitude plays a factor along with word choice! October brings the character word of RESPONSIBILITY for our lessons.

Junior High/High School: Character Strong program is up and going with students participating in character education during 8th Hour each Tuesday. We had to take a pause during Homecoming week but will be back at it in October. The first few lessons were about getting to know your classmates which is not that difficult in a small school, however, many students learned something new about their peers. Going forward the students will be incorporating leadership skills into their lessons and have the opportunity to complete character challenges.

Email: mbarnes@wnrockets.com
Website: wnrockets.com
Location: 17665 US Hwy 136, Burlington Junction, MO 64428, USA
Phone: 660-725-4613
Twitter: @WNrockets