The Rocket Review: September 2026
Superintendent
“Launching Lifelong Leaders”
A Message from Dr. Barnes
Dear Rocket Families, Patrons, and Partners,
Welcome to September! It has been an incredible joy seeing our hallways and classrooms buzz with life, energy, and Rocket pride as we kicked off the 2026–2027 school year. Transitioning back to our 4-day school week schedule requires teamwork from our entire community, and our students have hit the ground running with excellent focus and enthusiasm.
September is a foundational month. Our routines are locking into place, fall activities are in full swing, and our educators are deep into core instruction. As we look ahead, our primary goal remains simple: providing a safe, growth-oriented environment where every student has the tools to achieve their highest potential. Thank you for your continued trust, investment, and partnership in making public education thrive here in Nodaway County.
Proud to be a Rocket,
Dr. Mitch Barnes
Superintendent, West Nodaway R-I School District
📅 Key September Dates & Reminders
Keep these upcoming calendar items on your radar to stay aligned with our district schedule:
· Mondays (All Month): No School – Alternative Calendar Day.
· September 7: Labor Day – District Closed.
· September 9: Board of Education Regular Session Meeting (6:00 PM, Library Media Center).
· September 21: No School – Staff Development Day. (Our teachers will be working hard on collaborative curriculum planning and instructional strategies).
· September 25: Mid-Quarter Progress Reports Issued.
🚀 Around the District
🏫 Academics & Handbooks
Please remember that the updated 2026–2027 Student & Activities Handbooks are fully accessible online. We encourage parents to review these with their children via the West Nodaway Documents Portal. Ensuring a clear understanding of expectations, dress codes, and academic requirements sets everyone up for a successful term.
⚽ Fall Athletics & Live Streaming
Our fall Rocket sports teams are competing hard! Come out and support our student-athletes at home games, or catch the live action from anywhere. Remember that our home athletic events are streamed directly on the West Nodaway NFHS Network Channel. If your student needs alternate post-game travel arrangements, make sure to submit an Alternative Transportation Slip to the high school office ahead of time.
🚌 School Bus Safety Reminder
With school back in session, please exercise extra caution on our rural routes, including US Highway 136. Always remember to stop when a school bus has its red lights flashing and stop sign extended. The safety of our Rocket riders depends on all of us.
📞 Stay Connected
We utilize multiple platforms to keep our community informed. Make sure your contact information is up to date in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to receive real-time notifications, or download the official school app powered by Thrillshare.
· District Central Office: (660) 725-4613
· High School Office: (660) 725-3317
· Elementary Office: (660) 725-4126
· Official Website: www.wnrockets.com
· Address: 17665 US Hwy 136, Burlington Junction, MO 64428
JH/HS Principal
Hello Rocket Family and WELCOME BACK! The year has gotten off to a great start. Classroom floors and gym in the high school were redone over the summer and look amazing. The girls locker room got a fresh coat of pain on the lockers! We also had a full rewire done in both buildings.
The teachers spent a big part of the first day going over the handbook and classroom expectations. The biggest change in the handbook is our personal device policy. Reminder students are not allowed to have any personal communicative device, which include cell phones, wireless ear buds, smart watches, etc. on them during the school day or any instructional time. We have two new staff members this year: Mrs. Haddock in Music/Band and Mrs. Pine is the RootEd Director. Mrs. Pine will be working mainly with juniors and seniors on college and career readiness.
The JH/HS continues to implement Character Strong during 8th hour every Tuesday. This is a great interactive character education program. We are also still utilizing Check and Connect. We now have built in time during 8th hour on Fridays as needed for mentors and students to meet. Our hope is that more consistent meeting time for the student and mentor will create even better relationships and more use of intervention strategies.
Junior High and High School sports are in full swing.
There are a lot of upcoming events and important dates. Please check the school calendar on the website. In addition, it's important you stay current on your students’ grades thru the parent portal in Infinite Campus. Grade checks will occur every two weeks starting with Sept 11th. Below are the tutoring hours that are available for the JH/HS students.
Tutoring Hours:
Math: Daily 7:15 am - 7:35 am and Tues/Wed/Thurs 3:50 pm - 4:30 pm
ELA: Wed/Friday 7:15-7:35, no after school until volleyball season is over.
Science: Every day 7:15 am - 7:35 am and 3:50 pm - 4:30 pm
Social Studies:
Music: Wed/Thur/Fri 7:15 - 7:35 am and Thur 3:50 - 4:30 pm
Scholarships/College Apps: Tues-Friday 7:00-7:30 am and Tues-Thurs 3:50-4:30 pm
Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, please give me a call, email, or stop in the office.
Mrs. Livengood
Elementary Principal
Elementary Parents,
What an amazing first week of school! I have enjoyed meeting all of your children! I look forward to getting to know all of them. It will take me a minute to associate names with faces, but I will get there! Below are a few quick reminders for September and some new information for you!
Thursday, September 3- Pictures beginning at 8 am.
It appears summer is not quite over! Please send a water bottle with your child.
Friday, September 25- Mid-Term Reports will be sent home. This is to keep you and your children updated on grades for each quarter. Please sign and return to school.
This year students will be doing Book Reports for each grade level and reading to receive their Missouri Reading Circle Certificate. More information from the teachers will be coming home. Students are encouraged to read books on their level at school and at home. Below are the requirements for each grade level.
Reading Requirements by Grade Level
- Pre-School/Early Childhood through Grade 2: Read (or have read to them) a total of 20 books.
- Grades 3-6: Read a total of 16 books minimum (through specific grade guidelines often scale higher depending on local school implementation).
- 3rd Grade: 16 books (11 fiction/5 non-fiction)
- 4th Grade: 18 books (12 fiction/6 non-fiction)
- 5th Grade: 20 books (13 fiction/7 non-fiction)
- 6th Grade: 22 books (14 fiction/8 non-fiction)
Have a great September!
Mrs. Stevens
Welcome back! Thank you for getting required immunizations completed prior to the start of our school year. Pre-k, kindergarten, 8th grade and 12th grade are typically due for updated immunizations. Some get these early which really helps! We will once again offer a spring immunization clinic here at school for our older kids to make it easy for you. Last spring we were able to complete over 95% of our older students here at school.
Wellness screenings will begin soon. These include height, weight, vision and hearing. I have scheduled KidSight through the Lion’s Club to come do photo screening on all elementary students for a more accurate evaluation. They will be here on September 22nd. I only need to know if you do NOT want your child to participate in this screening, otherwise we’ll plan on doing all students in elementary.
Our hygiene/supply closet is fully stocked. If your family is in need of basic supplies we may have what you need!
As a reminder, our illness policy has remained the same, fever free (without the aid of medication) x 24 hours, improvement of symptoms, prescribed medication/creams for a minimum of 24 hours, or we follow doctor notes for dates of return. If you have any specific questions please reach out!
Kelli Hoyt
660-725-4126
Welcome back to a new year of school!
“College and Career Monday” trips will begin a fourth year at West Nodaway for grades 7th-12th. It’s been rewarding in so many ways to see students take advantage of these events as a way to explore various job opportunities. There is a trip booked for October 19th with a focus on construction where we will visit The Builders Chapter of AGC in Kansas City and explore their apprenticeship training programs in the areas of bricklaying, glazing, ironworking, painting, tiling, etc. I am also trying to establish a trip for September 28 with the Animation Academy in Kansas City. As a reminder, each trip is limited to six students.
To assist with additional college and career activities this year, Mrs. Pine is at school twice a week. Her office is across from Mr. Calfee’s classroom and she has lots of information on FAFSA and college applications. She will be working with students on job shadow opportunities this year with a goal of all juniors completing an event.
School wide, we will continue the Character Strong program this year. Elementary will have specific character words each month with an incorporation of academic and social/person skill lessons. The first two weeks have been spent on the word “kindness” with an emphasis of understanding our classmates and class expectations. The first monthly character word will be “respect” come September. Secondary students have 25 weekly lessons as well with the goal for the junior high and high school to learn and demonstrate qualities of a leader in the classroom, school, and community.
One program that has blossomed is Morning Mentoring. High School students did a great job last year working with elementary each morning so we will be offering it once again starting September 8 and ending March 11. We opened the program up to junior high mentors this year! Currently we have 27 mentors who will be working with elementary kiddos. Most high schoolers are using this time to gain A+ hours but that isn’t necessary. The program is a great way to learn new skills, add to resumes and scholarship applications, and most importantly build positive relationships. It’s been wonderful to see secondary students just as excited as the elementary for the program to get started!
Remember to check out the counseling department webpage. You can access this through the West Nodaway homepage and finding it under the “Student Links” section or going to https://wnrocketscounselor.weebly.com This webpage contains information related to Missouri standards for K-12 school counseling, ACT testing and prep materials, post-secondary school options, college scholarships, and much more. There is even a section about College and Career Monday trips.
I’m looking forward to a great school year! Please contact me if there are any concerns about your child or if there are any questions.
Mrs. Clayton
