Linn R-2 board member Dennis Gravedoni was elected to serve as president of the board last Tuesday, and new members Mark Baker and Hannah Swann began their terms after being sworn in by Gravedoni.
In the reorganization process, Gravedoni and board member Dr. Shawn Strong were nominated for president, with Gravedoni winning by a 4-2 vote.
Lori Greer was elected vice president, Tye DeCramer was chosen to serve as secretary, and the treasurer’s role will be handled by Swann, who defeated Naomi Klouzek by a 4-3 vote.
Superintendent Dena Smith will serve as custodian of records.
Official results were certified and accepted by the board showing Baker received 320 votes and Swann garnered 268 votes in Osage County and each received three votes in Gasconade County, the only candidates to receive votes there. Scotty Dudenhoeffer was next with 146 votes, followed by Sam Niederhelm (137), Michael Bickell (81), and Stephen Enger (35), with one unresolved write-in vote.
In other business, a proposal to allow juniors and seniors to paint their own reserved parking spaces next year was approved following a presentation by sophomores Marissa Gehlert and Natalie Moore, who said there are four objectives to the project: to beautify the campus, to build school spirit, to create a tradition, and to support upcoming costs of prom and senior class trip,
This fundraiser will be passed on to the upcoming junior class each year.
“I like the initiative,” said Baker.
DeCramer added that he too liked the initiative, and praised Gehlert and Moore for their presentation.
His only concern is that the designs be appropriate and approved by the board.
Under the plan submitted by Gehlert and Moore, students will submit a copy of their design to Mr. Fible and sign a student contract. Once reviewed and approved, students will be notified.
Offensive language, pictures, or symbols are prohibited, and the design cannot include negative or rude language, “gang-style tagging,” or double entendres (double meanings). All designs must be school-appropriate and follow all Linn R-2 handbook guidelines.
Students may include their name, but no one else’s and nicknames must be approved. A boyfriend or girlfriend’s name is not allowed.
Smith said any design found to be in violation of the rules will be painted over, “no questions asked.”
Board members agreed that once a design is completed, it must remain the same all year. No changes will be allowed.
Designated painting days will be Aug. 17-20 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and students may only paint during these days and hours under school supervision.
“Very good,” DeCramer added. “I do have a question, though. At the end of the year, who’s going to paint over it?”
Junior class officers will be responsible for painting over the designs in preparation for students coming in the following year.
Student drivers currently submit a $2 deposit for a tag allowing them to park at school. That deposit is returned at the end of the year.
With this plan, students will pay $25 for a permit to reserve a spot and paint it, with the understanding they will provide the paint, which must be a water-based exterior latex. No spray paint, reflective, or fluorescent paint will be permitted.
Gehlert and Moore noted that this plan would reduce fights over parking spaces at school.
Another idea presented is to paint paw prints on various sidewalks. No action was taken on this suggestion.
* Resignations were accepted from Abby Sherman, and Jeannie Brodin.
* Bills were approved for payment in the amount of $642,569.45. The school has a checking and investment balance of $4,215,217.84, including investments of $468,932.45 through Mid America Bank.
REPORTS
In her report, Smith provided an update on the goals she has for the district.
Goal 1: Prepare students for college and career readiness.
* Juniors took the ACT on March 30. Andrew Medley and Joyce Everett were thanked for their help administering the test.
* Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) testing for the elementary began April 13 and will be completed May 6, while testing at the junior high will be held from April 28 to May 6.
* End Of Course (EOC) assessments for high school students were to be held from April 20-28.
* The AP Psychology Exam will be administered on May 11, and the AP Biology Exam will be held on May 14.
* The last day of school is May 21, with dismissal at 11:15 a.m.
Goal 2: Promote, facilitate and enhance parent, student, and community involvement in district educational programs.
* The COPE program was held for seventh-graders on March 24 and TEAM KID was held on April 7 for students in eighth grade.
* The elementary spring concert was held on April 8 and was also live-streamed.
* The high school band concert was held on March 25.
* E-sports, baseball, golf, and track are continuing their seasons and have had a great turnout.
* Elementary cheer camp was held on March 25-26 with 38 participants After cheer camp on Friday, March 26, parents were invited to watch the performance.
* National Honor Society induction was held April 14, with 16 new members inducted. The new inductees for 2020 were also invited since they did not have an induction last year. There were 37 new inductees last year. Laura Voss organized a great program. Students and parents enjoyed punch and cookies after the ceremony.
* The spring play was performed April 16-17.
* Greenhouse plant sales began April 19.
Goal 3: Recruit, attract, develop and retain highly qualified staff.
* A district Professional Development (PD) day was held on April 12, during which, teachers participated in curriculum activities, committee meetings, data meetings, leadership team meetings, reading PD, and a Zoom teacher comedy show.
* Teachers completed MAP/EOC training to prepare for testing.
* The Superintendent’s Advisory Committee met on April 12.
Goal 4: District facilities will adequately meet the needs of students, district programs, and the community.
* Custodian Steve Smith replaced five toilets in the track and the baseball bathrooms.
* Track runs were repaired prior to the start of the track season.
* One of the air-conditioning units in the high school will have to be replaced at an approximate cost of $4,000.
* Architects were scheduled to conduct a facility review on April 19, and Butzer Inc. was to repair leaks in the elementary HVAC system the same day.
* Mowing season has begun and is keeping Smith very busy.
In his report, High School Principal Michael Fible said middle school and high school math and language arts teachers have collected their data for the 20-21 school year with the following results.
* MS Math: September, November, and January test - 22% growth; October, December, and February test - 21% growth;
* MS ELA: September, November, and January test - 4% growth; October, December, and February test - 1% growth;
* Ninth grade ELA: September, November, and January test - 1% growth; October, December, and February test 1% decline;
* Tenth grade ELA: September, November, and January test - 2% growth; October, December, and February test - 3% growth;
* Algebra 1: September, November, and January test - 3% growth; October, December, and February test not yet completed.
* On April 12, the teaching staff participated in a Zoom meeting presented by Devin Siebold that focused on the importance of laughter in the classroom.
* On April 14, Tri-M induction for 2020 and 2021 inductees was held in the gymnasium.
* Seniors on March 11 participated in the Workforce Prep presentation.
* On March 3 and March 17, Mrs. Stegemann and Miss Kelley took yearbook students to Jefferson City for yearbook ad sales day. This was postponed due to COVID during the first semester.
In a Professional Learning Community (PLC) summary for 2020-21, Fible said the Anti Drug and Bullying Team discussed Red Ribbon Week, including door decorations and dress-up days, and set a seatbelt check for 7:15 a.m. April 30.
— The Data Team compiled and assessed attendance data twice per quarter, discipline referral data twice per quarter, and the “D” and “F” grade list twice per quarter. The team also provided the RTI team a list of students in need of intervention and offered data collection assistance to other PLC groups.
— The Safety Team completed fire, earthquake, intruder (inside and outside threat), and tornado drills to ensure student safety in case of emergencies, clarified and reorganized tornado room assignments for designated classes in accordance with the district handbook, provided emergency drill cheat sheets for all classrooms to provide easy access for teachers, and continued to update emergency buckets in each classroom RTI Team.
Emails were sent to teachers about students at risk based on grades and extended absences not related to COVID. Teachers were encouraged to check in on these students and make the important student/teacher relationships, Fible noted.
* Rylee Glenn became part of the team while she earned her master’s in administration, and utilized Linn’s RTI program and the list of students in need. Glenn interviewed students in need and followed up. She used this information to assist her in writing her thesis paper for her master’s degree.
* Books Mr. Fick acquired were used for several students to address mental health.
Upcoming events — May 1: prom; May 2-4: senior trip; May 12: senior awards ceremony; May 13: baccalaureate, and senior breakfast and “Walk the Halls”; May 16 graduation; and May 20: eighth-grade graduation.
* Enrollment in grades 7-12 was reported at 320 students.
Elementary Principal Tracy Kingsley in her report noted that two students are participating in Launch virtual learning.
* MAP testing is underway and Kingsley expressed her appreciation to Joyce Everett for her hard work pre-planning, which has helped make MAP run so smoothly. “I also want to thank PTO for purchasing the students’ daily snacks,” said Kingsley.
* During the PD Day, teachers took part in the following activities.
— Teachers spent time working on the math curriculum. “With our standards aligned, and units established, we are now building in activities and resources,” said Kingsley, noting staff will wait for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to finalize their priority standards before R-2 establishes assessments.
— The Behavior team discussed the final details needed to prepare for putting the behavior matrix into place in the fall. “We also re-purposed this team next year,” said Kingsley. “Our goal this year was to establish common behavioral expectations building-wide. Next year, we will move into more of a problem-solving team as we review and respond to our discipline data.”
— The Sunshine committee continues plans to recognize staff, coordinate snack days, and organize staff events.
— The Principal’s Advisory team met and followed up on old business, discussed bringing the benches back into the hallways, and discussed class lists for next year.
— Faculty participated in professional development for phonemic awareness through Heggerty, the resource Linn has recently purchased that follows the science of reading, and partially through a lesson modeled by Mrs. Mebruer.
— Mrs. Mebruer and Mrs. Wolfe shared information from the Reading Consortium they attended last month.
— Staff members brainstormed items they wanted to accomplish this coming year and over the next five years.
* New PTO officers were elected at a recent meeting. “I shared how important it was to encourage parents to join, especially since COVID has limited volunteering this year,” said Kingsley. “We hope to have at least 20 parents joining as we transition to next year.”
There was discussion regarding the upcoming teacher appreciation week, fundraisers, and ways PTO can best support students’ needs. PTO also added a “marketing specialist” to oversee and create opportunities for information sharing and to drive participation. Kingsley said there was a lot of discussion concerning ways to improve the playground.
“I want to encourage parents to come be a part of the parent-teacher team,” said Kingsley. “It’s such a great way to have an impact on the students at Linn Elementary.”
The next meeting is scheduled for May 6th.
* Master Schedule - A master schedule for next year has been shared with staff. Kingsley is currently gathering input and discussing/problem-solving with teachers. “Our goal is to stagger reading times so that Title teachers can provide more core support next year as we learn about the scientific approach to reading in our Tier 1 instruction,” Kingsley said. “We will also provide intervention support and hope to bring back fifth-grade band.”
This schedule should be solidified by the end of April.
* Evaluate Data - Since third-grade students were MAP-testing last week, they did not participate in Evaluate testing. The other grade levels did and each grade level increased in math and ELA. Highlights include the fact that fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade math increased by 9%, 10%, and 11%, respectively, and ELA in second grade increased by 14%. “Evaluate has been an excellent tool, helping us identify areas of proficiency and areas in need of improvement,” said Kingsley.
* Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) year-end benchmarking will begin this week for all K-6 students.
* Teachers were able to conference with 95% of students and families during March.
* The second-, third-, and sixth-grade music program was well attended by parents. “Students did a wonderful job,” said Kingsley. “Congratulations to Ms. Sherman and Mr. Tucker for another successful performance.”
Upcoming events — April 29: fist grade Living Zoo; April 30: K-2 Saxon PD; May 6: Admin meeting; May 11 and 13: PTO meetings at 6 p.m.; May 12: MAP celebration trips to the Linn City Park Field Day, and mentor/mentee meeting; May 21: last day of school with dismissal at 11:15 a.m.; May 25-June 25summer school.
* Enrollment in grades K-6 was reported at 304 students.
Remaining business from this meeting will be presented next week.