Cardinal Connections Newsletter

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Have you ever wondered what a first day of school looks like in the Clinton School District?

From community volunteers giving our students a first class welcome, to warm smiles and familiar faces that await our Cardinals once they enter our doors, first days are something special.

Enjoy this video we captured from the first few days of school. We are certain that these moments are just a preview of the great things that lie ahead this school year.

Before the school doors opened to students on August 26, Clinton School District teachers and staff received a pretty spectacular welcome back of their own!

On August 19, the band, cheerleaders, and community volunteers came together to give staff a true Clinton Cardinal welcome! With the sounds of the CHS Band filling the air, the energy and enthusiasm of our cheerleaders, and community members lining the way to welcome everyone back, it was the perfect way to kick off a new school year.

After the warm welcome, staff gathered in the Performing Arts Center to meet new team members, share some laughs and, thanks to generous community partners, walk away with some pretty great raffle prizes!

Staff left energized, excited, and ready for the year ahead!

See more pictures here.

Before the engines start turning, Mr. Stone's Automotive Technology students at Clinton Technical School are spending time cleaning, organizing, storing, and becoming familiar with the tools and equipment they’ll be using throughout the year.

Knowing where your tools are, how to properly care for them, and how to keep your workspace organized helps build the habits, responsibility, and attention to detail that matter in the automotive industry.

See more pictures here.

Kindergartners in Ms. Sherer’s class are starting the year by building important fine motor skills and learning how to take care of the school supplies they will use every day.

Students put their skills to work creating torn-paper pencil crafts and adding their names. Their lesson continued with a reading of Pencil Hospital before each student received their very first pencil of the school year!

A fun project, an important skill, and a great start to the year!

See more pictures here.

A 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam is a big accomplishment, and these Cardinals earned just that last spring!

AP and dual credit courses give our students opportunities to challenge themselves, earn college credit, and get a head start on their future. We’re proud to provide these opportunities and even prouder to see our students make the most of them!

Now, these Cardinals have a yard sign to proudly display in their yards and show our community what they accomplished!

Way to go, Cardinals!

Thank you to our amazing community partners below who donated prizes for the Back to School Staff Rally last month. We are grateful to live in a community that is so supportive of our district!

• C-Squared Embroidery & Screenprinting
• State Fair Community College
• Henry County Health Center
• Mike Keith Insurance
• Compass Health
• American Family Insurance
• Clinton Rotary Club
• Walmart
• Henry County Mutual Insurance
• Legacy Bank
• Central Methodist University
• Poague, Wall, Cox, and Adams Law
• Clinton Christian Church
• Schreiber

Clinton Schools will not be in session on Monday, September 7, in observance of Labor Day.

Due to the anticipated temperatures, Friday night’s varsity football game will now kick off at 8:00 p.m. at Cardinal Stadium.

Plan accordingly, Cardinals, and we’ll see you under the Friday night lights!

Homecoming 2026 will be held the week of September 14.

As always, we will have a week of fun that is filled with school spirit at all of our schools. This will include:

• Spirit Week (see Marvel-themed days below)
• Parade (9/18, if your business or organization would like to have a parade entry, please complete the form at the link below)
• Homecoming Football Game (9/18)
• Coronation of Homecoming Royalty (9/18)
• And more!

We’re officially one week into the school year, and what better time to start celebrating the people who are already making a difference for our students and families?

Know a staff member who made your child’s first week a little brighter, easier, or more special? Give them a Cardinal Compliment!

It only takes a minute, but that recognition can mean so much to the person receiving it.

Nominate a Difference Maker

As we gear up for our first Friday Night Lights of the school year, we wanted to share the expectations for students during CMS and CHS games at Cardinal Stadium.

These rules will help all of us have a fun and safe time while cheering on our Clinton Cardinals!

• Students 5th grade and under can not enter the game unless they are with an adult (18 years or older). Students must sit with this adult during the game.
• Unless seated with their parent/guardian, high school and middle school students will be required to sit on the east side of the bleachers.
• Students are not allowed to bring balls of any type into Cardinal Stadium.
• Students should remain seated during the game (unless using the restroom or visiting the concession stand). Students are not permitted to be on the track, under the bleachers, or on the visitor’s side of the stadium.

If you're the parent of a CHS senior, please make plans to attend the annual Senior Parent Info Night with your student on September 9th @ 6:00pm in the CHS PAC.

You will learn about:

• Important senior-year dates
• College, career, and workforce opportunities
• Financial aid and scholarship information
• What students and families can expect throughout senior year
• Vocational Rehabilitation Program

Henry Elementary families....join us Friday, September 11, from 5:00–6:30 p.m. for a football-themed family night filled with fun, food, and learning!

Families can play math and reading games, enjoy free hot dogs and chips , AND receive a free pass to that night’s Clinton Cardinal football game!

Please see the school picture day information below (as well as online ordering information) and contact your child's school office with any questions.

• Clinton Early Childhood Center - 9/16 (online ordering code-0538GB)
• Henry Elementary School - (TOOK PLACE 9/2)
• Clinton Intermediate School - 9/4 (online ordering code-0539GK)
• Clinton Middle School - 9/11 (online ordering code-0532WS)
• Clinton High School - 9/10 (online ordering code-0532XG & SENIORS-0532XG)

ORDER ONLINE HERE

Our school menus have a new look....and some great new features!

With the new menu system, families can:

• Download the app and have menus right at their fingertips
• Go completely paperless and have monthly menus emailed directly to you
• View nutrition facts for every meal
• Filter menus by allergens to easily find options that work for your child

Check out the new menus and explore all the features HERE.

Registration is now open for the Clinton High School College & Career Fair, and we're looking for organizations to connect with our students as they explore their futures.

We're inviting the following to participate on September 25th from 9:00-10:45am.

• College admission representatives
• Area businesses and employers
• Trade and technical schools
• Military recruiters

This is a great opportunity to share information about educational pathways, career opportunities, and future possibilities with students as they begin planning for life after high school.

Interested in participating? Register today!

Please direct all questions to Jessica Shaffer, jshaffer@clintoncardinals.org

We look forward to helping our students explore what's next, and we hope you'll be part of it!

Henry Elementary School and Clinton Intermediate School students....we hope you can join us for WALK TO SCHOOL DAY on Wednesday, October 7.

• Have a parent drop you off or park at Equity Bank (7th and Ohio) between 7:15 and 7:45 a.m. on the morning of October 7th. Parents should enter Equity Bank on 7th Street and exit on 6th Street.
• A volunteer or teacher will walk with small groups of students and students will learn how to use crosswalks and crossing guards.
• For more information contact Melynne Jones, mejones@clintoncardinals.org

We are excited to invite you to celebrate a major milestone in Clinton Technical School’s history, 50 Years of Excellence!

Join us on October 10, 2026 as we honor five decades of career and technical education, student achievement, and community partnerships that have shaped generations of learners and leaders.

This special celebration will bring together past and present students, staff, families, and community members to reflect on our history and look ahead to the future of Clinton Technical School.

We look forward to celebrating with you!

**The SkillsUSA Car Show will also be held on this day from 8:00am-2:00pm.

Want to catch our Cardinals in action this year?

You can view a full athletic calendar on the MSHSAA website.

FirstView is a bus tracking and communications app, offered in partnership with First Student, the district's transportation provider. The FirstView app offers parents live bus tracking with custom alerts and notifications.

To get started using FirstView, please use this link. If you should have questions, please contact Transportation at 660-885-2644.

The 2026-2027 school year calendar can be found below.

You can also find a printable version on our website.

Planning a family trip for this school year? We've got you covered!

We've created the graphic below to help you identify school breaks and days when students are not in session. Scheduling vacations during these times helps students stay engaged in learning and avoid missing valuable classroom instruction.

We hope this helps your family plan ahead for a great year of learning and memorable time together!