Tomahawk Tribune

Each month the district will highlight a building making a difference with their Building School Improvement Plan. The goal is to share positive outcomes based on building goals. This month Mr. Todd Dempsey, Riverbend Middle School principal, presented achievements being made at Riverbend.

New courses are being planned for Riverbend. At the December Board of Education Meeting, exploratory courses were approved. Teachers will begin to prepare for the new courses for the 2023-24 school year. The courses are in alignment with the Secondary Reimagined goals for college and career pathway expansion.

• Exploring Agriculture
• Exploring Digital Media
• Exploring Languages and Cultures
• Exploring Service in the Community
• Exploring Lifetime Fitness

The MVR-III Health & Wellness Team challenged district employees to log their steps to promote wellness. The building/dept. with the highest average miles logged per person would win possession of the traveling Purple Sneaker Trophy. Coleman Elementary won the challenge for the second year. The traveling Purple Sneaker Trophy and bragging rights belong to the Coleman Warriors.

MVR-III has openings for:

• Paraprofessional
• Maintenance/HVAC Technician
• Administrative Assistant
• Student Information Coordinator and Technology Department Assistant
  
• School Psychologist/Psychological Examiner
  
• Speech Language Pathologists
  
• Substitute Positions

How do I become a Paraprofessional? Para educators are identified as those who possess, at a minimum, 60 college hours or have passed the Paraprofessional or ParaPro Assessment (MEGA) and who work under the direct supervision of an appropriately certified teacher to provide instructional assistance.

Where do I apply for a position with MVR-III School District? Apply today at https://www.applitrack.com/mvr3/onlineapp/

WATCH D.O.G.S (DADS OF GREAT STUDENTS) SAFETY PROGRAM

The district WATCH D.O.G.S (dads of great students) safety program is a program that can be found at all PreK-8 buildings in the district. Watch D.O.G.S. (dads of great students) is a national innovative program focusing on the prevention of violence in our children's schools by using the positive influence of fathers and father-figures for two purposes:

• To provide positive male role models for the students, demonstrating by their presence that education is important.
• To provide extra sets of eyes and ears to enhance school security and reduce bullying. WATCH D.O.G.S. are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and any other father-figures who volunteer as a positive presence for at least one whole school day each year at an official WATCH D.O.G.S. school.

Interested dads, stepfathers, and grandfathers may contact the school to schedule a time to be trained on the program.

All Missouri school districts are required to be audited annually and to submit a copy of the audit report to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by December 31st. The MVR-III School District received the highest-level rating issued by an independent audit for the 2022 district finances. Auditors found MVR-III's financial statements comply with accounting standards. The team responsible for the outstanding performance includes from left to right: Megan Borntrager, Al Kirchhofer, Kathy Richardson, Tracy Payne, Colleen Swanson, and Patti Kimmel (not pictured)

The phase 1 of the Zitzman addition project is making progress. See the photos below on the recent progress. The second phase of the addition, gym and library renovations, will be completed after phase 1 is complete.

Maintenance

Maintenance employees are key members during the winter to help clear snow on all district roadways and sidewalks to clear a safe path for students and staff when it snows.

Winter Weather Preparedness

Families are recommended to follow weather forecasts and have a plan for childcare in place in the event of a school cancellation.

School cancellations will be sent out through a voice call, text message, MVR-III mobile app notification, posted on the District’s website along with the District’s Facebook and Twitter pages. The St. Louis news stations will also list school closing.

Many factors are examined when considering canceling school. When poor weather is forecasted, the transportation director, maintenance director, assistant superintendent of student services and the superintendent begin the process of evaluating road conditions at 3:30 a.m. The process includes the following:

• The team drives over 113 miles of district roads spanning across Franklin, St. Louis, and Jefferson counties. With many of the district’s rural roads being two lanes with no shoulder, roads with steep drop offs, and no guard rails.

• Consult with the National Weather Service, State/City/County Road Departments, area Emergency Management, and area superintendents

The decision to cancel school isn’t taken lightly and the district will always rule on the side of student and staff safety.

Jan. 4th - School Resumes

Jan. 16th - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day/No School

Jan. 19th - Board of Education Meeting

Jan. 23rd - 26th - Secondary Parent-Teacher Conferences

Jan. 27th - Staff Professional Development Day/No School

Email: karmstrong@mvr3.k12.mo.us
Website: www.mvr3.k12.mo.us
Location: 126 North Payne Street, Pacific, MO, USA
Phone: 636-271-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mvr3.socs.net/
Twitter: @DistrictMVR3