The Bird Call

Hello, Clever Bluejays!

We are off and running, and it has been great to see our students and staff settle into another school year. This edition of The Bird Call includes important updates, upcoming events, and a few highlights from around CHS.

We are also continuing a big goal we started last year: 95% of our students involved in something beyond the classroom. Whether it is a club, sport, activity, or other opportunity, we want every student to find a place where they feel connected and involved. Those experiences help build belonging, responsibility, and pride in our school community.

Our staff continues to look for ways to create more opportunities for students to get involved, including club time built into the school day. Please encourage your student to try something new and find their place at CHS.

As always, stay connected through ParentSquare and StudentSquare, and be sure your information in Lumen is up to date.

Thank you for your continued support.

Go Jays!

Mr. Casey

caseyj@cleverbluejays.org

417-743-4830: Option 5

Character Education: Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Fairness, Integrity, Perseverance, and Self Control, and Citizenship are traits we will continue to foster and expect of students at CHS. Students seen practicing these traits will be rewarded with character slips and enetered in a drawing for a chance at additional rewards.

Attendance: Our attendance goal is for each student to have 95% or higher for the year. This would equate to about 7.25 full days missed (excused or unexcused absences) for the school year. In order to work towards this goal, we will be offering attendance incentives throughout the year for those students meeting that 95% goal. These include afternoon movie days, ice cream, and a afternoon BBQ and yard games day in the spring. In addition students with 100% attendance at the end of each semester will be eligible for additional incentives.

Athletics/Activities:

• Fall Sports are underway and our teams are off to a great start! Hope to see everyone out at some events supporting our athletes and participants.
• Homecoming will be October 2nd vs Hollister. Homecoming spirit week will kick off on Sunday September 27th with the Homecoming Parade.
• Senior night for fall athletics and activities will be October 16th. Seniors and the parents escorting them will line up on the east sideline prior to the game for recognition of each senior. Please arrive by 6:15 at the latest to ensure that everyone is lined up in the correct order.

• Email - It is important that you have an updated email on file with the school office.

• Facebook - Like the Clever High School Facebook page

• Parent/StudentSquare - Our go-to communication application the district utilizes. Classroom and building updates will be shared frequently. Please download the app!

• Canvas - Students will use Canvas on a daily basis for completing assignments; parents have the opportunity to create an observer account that is linked to their child's account.

• Lumen Touch Parent Portal - We encourage you to create an account to access and view student information at any time - including attendance, grades, and more.

Mrs. Waisner is here to help students with their college and career plans. She will help them develop a postsecondary plan. Deciding what to do after high school can be hard, so I'm here to provide support on all but not limited to:

Testing Dates:

ASVAB Testing - October 7th - All Juniors and Seniors by request (this test allows great career exploration for all careers)

ACT - November 4th (all juniors and some seniors)

PRE ACT - November 4th (all sophomores)

ACT Workkeys - November 4th (seniors who aren't taking the ACT)

College and Career Information:

College and Career Fair - October 20th from 9 AM - 10:30 AM

College Tours for 11th & 12th graders:

College of the Ozarks - Sep 16th

OTC Health Sciences - Sep 25th

College Visits @ Clever High School:

Truman State University - Sep 15th

Missouri State University - Sep 24th

Senior Information:

Cap and Gown orders are due Sep 22nd. Go to Jostens.com and select Clever as your school to order.

FAFSA opens October 1st

Scholarship information available here.

DUAL CREDIT Information:

All invoices have been emailed to students and parents. Please send a check or cash to the high school office. If you would like to set up a payment plan or pay online, please email Mrs. Waisner at waisnerr@cleverbluejays.org. This invoice is for Fall classes and year long classes, Spring invoices will be sent in January. Scholarships are available here.

Please watch parent square for the College and Career Newsletter.

Teen Safety Matters

Students have completed the first session of our Teen Safety Matters program. They asked some really good questions about protecting their privacy (like why they shouldn't share passwords) and about setting healthy boundaries in relationships (all relationships: friends, family, romantic, etc.). We will have the second session on September 22nd-23rd.

September is Suicide Prevention Month

September is Suicide Prevention Month. While we won't be doing our Suicide Prevention trainging until November, it is a good time to check in with your students. Please see the flyer below for information on talking to your student about suicide.

Explore OTC - October 15th

Sophomores will have the opportunity to take a field trip to Ozark Technical College on October 15th. During this tour, students will visit a few of the career paths that are available to them through our VoTech program with OTC. Permission slips and additional information will be sent out near the end of September.

Finding a place to belong can make a big difference in a student’s high school experience. CHS offers a wide range of clubs and activities built around academics, creativity, service, leadership, wellness, competition, and shared interests. We encourage every student to try something new, meet new people, and find a group where they feel connected. There really is a place for everyone at CHS.

To help maintain a focused learning environment, personal communication devices—including cell phones, smartwatches, wireless headphones, and similar devices—must remain powered off and out of sight throughout the school day.

Students and families are encouraged to review the expectations and consequence protocol together. Even a device that is heard but not seen may be considered a violation.

The goal is simple: fewer distractions, more focus, and more opportunities for students to connect with the people and learning happening around them.

Mark your calendars!

Picture Day: Friday, October 2, 2026

Re-Take Day: Friday, November 6, 2026