REMINDER: MAP Reward Trip to Incredible Pizza!

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:

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

Caught in the Act: Rocket Kindness!

At Richards, we know that small acts of kindness make a BIG impact! That’s why we’re excited to launch, "Caught in the Act: Rocket Kindness"—a spotlight on our amazing 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.

Introducing our first "kindness culprit" -- Justus Martin, "caught in the act" of showing true Rocket Kindness!

Stay tuned as we continue to patrol for kindness!

Congratulations Elijah Dahl!

Ramona Heiney-State Farm in association with The Pizza Shack (West Plains) and Nadine’s Homemade Ice Cream are happy to announce the Richards Rockets September student of the month, Elijah Dahl. Elijah is a 3rd grade student and the son of Kevi and Krista Dahl. His teachers expressed that he is very kind, hardworking, and compassionate. He respects his teachers and peers. Eli is an all-around great student, and his school is proud he is a Rocket! Congratulations Eli!!

This week, Mrs. Bunch’s drama students put on a special show for our Kindergarten classes! The middle schoolers created stick puppets, props, and background scenes from scratch to retell three beloved children's books.

Beyond all the creativity, design work, and practice that went into the production, these talented students also performed live in front of an eager audience—and it was a huge success for everyone!

Shoutout to our star performers: Gianna McDonald, Preslee Capeder, Addison Long , Trinity Baldridge, and Maisey Elliott

Way to bring inspire and bring big smiles to our youngest Rockets!

WPFD Fire Truck Visit

Lieutenant A Special Visit From Our Friends at the WP Fire Department!

Our Kindergartners had a special surprise when West Plains Fire Department's very own Lieutenant Bud and his engine stopped by for a visit!

The kids loved meeting a hometown hero, learning about fire safety, and—the absolute best part—getting to see a shiny, giant fire truck up close!

Thank you so much to Lieutenant Bud and the entire WP Fire Department for taking the time to teach and inspire our youngest Rockets!

Helping Traffic Flow: Updated Parent Pick-Up Times

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!

Welcome to Our Weekly Community Spotlight!

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

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!

Give back to Richards with Casey’s Rewards

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!

Help Richards R5 School make the most of this program and learn more at Casey's Rewards.

Sign Up For the Richards App!

*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.