SR3 Parent Connection

As another school year comes to a close, I want to take a moment to thank our students, staff, families, and community for a great year at Savannah R3. From classroom accomplishments and student competitions to performances, celebrations, and everyday moments of growth, this year gave us plenty of reasons to be proud.

Even though the regular school year is wrapping up, our campuses will stay busy over the next several weeks. Summer school will be underway, activities will continue, facility projects will move forward, and our team will begin preparing for the year ahead.

As we look ahead, there is also an important statewide issue that many Missouri school districts are closely watching ahead of the August 2026 election.

Missouri Amendment 5 is a proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate the state income tax and replace portions of its revenue with expanded sales taxes. Because public schools receive a significant portion of their funding through state revenue sources, school districts across Missouri are working to better understand what the amendment could mean for public education in the future.

In communities like ours, questions have also been raised about what changes to sales taxes could mean for farmers, small businesses, and families right here in Andrew County. Increasing sales taxes on goods and services could also have a significant financial impact on individuals and families living on fixed or lower incomes.

At this time, many unanswered questions remain regarding the long-term impact the amendment could have on school funding across the state. The amendment would not directly change local Savannah R3 tax rates, but it could affect how Missouri funds public education in the years ahead, depending on future legislative decisions and changes in state revenue.

As a public school district, our role is not to tell people how to vote. However, we do believe our community deserves clear, factual information about issues that could potentially impact schools, students, families, and taxpayers.

Over the coming months, the Savannah R3 Board of Education plans to continue discussing Amendment 5 during regular business meetings as additional information becomes available. The district is also exploring opportunities for future informational conversations to help keep our community informed and engaged.

Families and community members who would like to learn more are encouraged to review the official ballot language and research information from a variety of trusted sources. Resources such as the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, Ballotpedia, and statewide news organizations can provide additional background and context about the proposal and the ongoing discussions surrounding it.

Thank you again for your continued support of Savannah R3. We are proud of what our students and staff accomplished this year, and we look forward to the opportunities still ahead this summer and beyond.

~ Dr. Brian Hansen

Savannah R3 uses SchoolStatus Connect as our official district communication platform for school, classroom, activity, and district updates.

Connect is used for things like school announcements, weather or safety notifications, classroom updates, activity reminders, and messages from coaches and sponsors.

Over the summer, the district will reset default notification preferences, so families receive text message notifications through Connect. Families may still customize their preferences at any time, but this update will help make sure important messages are reaching families quickly and consistently.

To make sure you are ready, please take a few minutes to check your Connect access and notification settings. Families should also make sure their contact information in TeacherEase is current, since Connect uses the phone numbers and email addresses connected to student records.

Helpful resources:

• Getting Started with SchoolStatus Connect for Parents/Guardians
• Updating Notification Preferences
• FAQ for Families

As SR3 works toward more consistent districtwide communication, Connect will continue becoming the primary place for school-sponsored communication with families. Taking a few minutes now to verify your settings can help ensure you do not miss important information during the school year.

Savannah High School Graduation will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2027.

The previously published date of May 16 was incorrect, and we want to make sure families have the correct date as early as possible.

Additional ceremony details, including time and location, will be shared with senior families closer to graduation.

Please help us spread the word to family members and guests who may be planning ahead for graduation weekend.

The Community Behavioral Health Alliance is asking for feedback from residents across Northwest Missouri as part of a regional behavioral health needs assessment.

The Alliance has received grant funding to partner with Crowe LLP Consulting Group to better understand behavioral health and substance use disorder needs across a nine-county area. Community input will help identify gaps in services, barriers to care, and opportunities to better support mental health and well-being throughout the region.

Families and community members are encouraged to complete the Behavioral Health Community Survey and share their experiences. The Alliance is hoping to hear from people of all ages, backgrounds, and communities.

Survey responses will help guide future conversations, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and future planning efforts aimed at strengthening mental health services throughout our region.

School may be out, but back-to-school route planning is already underway.

If your student will ride the bus during the 2026–27 school year, bus registration must be completed by July 1.

Students registered by the deadline will be included in back-to-school route planning and can expect transportation to be in place for the start of the school year.

Students registered after July 1 will still be added, but bus service may not begin until after Labor Day.

Register now: Visit our website and look for the Bus Registration button right below the large photo on the homepage.

Families with unique transportation needs, such as split custody, should contact the transportation provider directly to make arrangements.

The “summer slide” is real — and we’re not talking about the one at the city pool.

During long breaks from school, students can lose some of the academic progress and routines they worked hard to build during the school year. The good news? Preventing the summer slide does not require expensive camps, Pinterest-worthy activities, or hours of worksheets at the kitchen table.

In fact, some of the best summer learning happens during ordinary, everyday moments.

Here are a few simple ways families can help keep kids learning, growing, creating, and curious all summer long:

• Read something weird.

Menus, recipes, road signs, sports stats, joke books, graphic novels, instructions for a new game — it all counts.

• Make kids useful.

Have them help measure ingredients, compare prices, count change, plan a grocery list, read a schedule, or estimate how long a trip will take.

• Protect curiosity.

Let them ask “why” and then look it up together. Bugs, storms, machines, maps, animals, old family stories — summer is full of rabbit holes they finally have time for.

• Keep a loose routine.

It doesn’t need to be strict, but regular bedtime, chores, reading time, and screen breaks help make August less painful.

• Build independence.

Let kids order their own food, pack their swim bag, write a thank-you note, call Grandma, or help plan part of a day.

• Let them get messy!

Cooking, painting, sidewalk chalk, gardening, science experiments, cardboard creations, and blanket forts all build creativity, problem-solving, and confidence. Not every learning moment looks neat and tidy.

• Talk more.

Conversation builds vocabulary, background knowledge, problem-solving, and confidence. Car rides count. Dinner counts. Waiting in line counts.

• Let boredom do its job.

A little boredom can lead to creativity, pretend play, building, reading, exploring, or problem-solving.

There's a lot of information in this newsletter, but there's even more on the Back to School section of our website. And if you still can't find what you are looking for, give us a call! All of our campuses are open during regular school hours.