Bowling Green R-1 School District

BGR-1 Families and Community, As we wind down the last few days of 2021, I wanted to send a message to our families thanking you for your support of a very successful first months of school. We have been able to keep our students learning throughout the pandemic and our doors open. As a result, we have gotten some very positive news from our state education department regarding our district report card released late last week. While many districts across our state have noted substantial learning loss measured on state assessments last Spring, we have had many gains locally. Just last year, we have had the highest placement rates for our Career-Technical Education Students, the highest percentage of students entering a 2 year college, and the highest percentage of students entering the military in at least the last five years. I am particularly proud of this last number, which is more than double the state average. This was the second year in a row our ACT composite was equal to or higher than the state average, and our MAP growth levels for ELA and Math districtwide was almost exactly the same as it was pre pandemic in 2019. And this is since a publication by the PRIME Center of St. Louis University who ranked BGE 3rd in NE Missouri for growth in ELA and Frankford 8th in Math for the three years leading to 2019. Also, just last month, US News and World Report ranked Frankford Elementary in the top 89 elementary schools in Missouri (of a bit over 1000 elementary schools.) Frankford was last a focus school in 2018 and the gains have been remarkable! Lastly, unlike several area schools, this is the third year in a row that none of our schools are on the state focus/targeted/comprehensive lists because of any gap in performance between students at risk compared to those not at risk. In fact, this gap has been shrinking. We are thankful for the support of our families and our stable and resourceful staff for helping to ensure this growth, even though challenging times. Just this past year, we have had zero turnover of teachers in both elementary schools, and we can also point to this stability as a great point of success. Even through this time, we have found leading schools to be challenging with changing guidance and opinions about responses to new situations that seem like a moving target. Our focus has always been on what is best for kids first and keeping student safety on the forefront. As you may have already heard, the Missouri Attorney General, Eric Schmitt, has sent a letter to all Missouri public school districts advising that they do not have the authority to issue mask mandates, quarantine orders or other public health orders and that they should stop enforcement immediately as a result of the Cole County court ruling issued Nov. 22. However, Section 167.191, RSMo. sets forth a standard regarding communicable disease and school attendance, saying: “It is unlawful for any child to attend any of the public schools of this state while afflicted with any contagious or infectious disease, or while liable to transmit such disease after having been exposed to it.” This statute was neither challenged nor addressed in the Cole County lawsuit or in Judge Green’s decision. Our attorneys continue to advise us that we have legal authority to establish rules and regulations regarding the safety of our students and staff. Inasmuch, I have already been consulting with health advisors, legal advisors, other area school leaders and the Board of Education over the past several weeks to consider possible adjustments to our mitigation strategies for the second semester. While we have been mask optional since May in the classroom, I intend to recommend to our board that we additionally not exclude students from school except those that are positive or symptomatic. I hope that this will alleviate the pressures of contact tracing in our school while our numbers of positive cases remain very low. Lastly, in light of the shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan, schools across the nation have renewed anxiety and find that the rumor mill is also feeding this anxiety of a disastrous violent event. Specifically in our own community, we have had situations where students have made threats of violence. And, while the way in which the case in Oxford was handled is very different than how we handle these sorts of threats, please know that every situation is investigated thoroughly, and we would let our community know if a threat was credible based on that investigation. Mr. Mullins will share more this morning about the most recent rumor to our families. We have a very strong relationship with our city and county law enforcement and wrap around support and counseling providers and feel we have a very good handle on what is or is not a credible threat. However, as rumors abound, know that spreading false information about threats only causes disruption to the learning of our students. Please help

over 4 years ago, Matthew Frederickson

Bowling Green Families, Opaa! Food Management is in search of a qualified candidate to Manage the Middle School Kitchen in the new year! If you are interested or have questions regarding the position please contact the food service director Whitney Keith 573-639-2338 or Email @ wkeith@opaafood.com. Apply to the Link Below: https://jobs.brassring.com/TGnewUI/Search/home/HomeWithPreLoad?PageType=JobDetails&partnerid=26579&siteid=7047&Areq=9465BR

over 4 years ago, Opaa! Food Service

We are so excited to share that Kailey Flowers Luebrecht, a junior at Bowling Green High School, will perform with Saint Louis Ballet in the Nutcracker at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri - St. Louis Campus, December 17-23. During the Nutcracker, Kailey will be seen as a Lady Mouse during the Battle Scene between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker. Kailey also has a special role as a Flower where she dances on pointe with the Dew Drop Fairy during the Waltz of Flowers. Tickets for the performances are available at https://www.stlouisballet.org/nutcracker. Saint Louis Ballet is the only professional, resident ballet company of metropolitan St. Louis. The Ballet’s Executive and Artistic Director is Gen Horiuchi, who performed as a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. Kailey has been training at the Saint Louis Ballet School for the past nine years and has performed in such Nutcracker roles as grey mouse, lead white mouse, red soldier, blue soldier, and party girl. In each of her roles, she has had the opportunity to rehearse with the Saint Louis Ballet professional Company dancers and has been directed by Mr. Horiuchi. Kailey takes classes six days a week at Saint Louis Ballet and trains during the summer at intensive ballet programs. This past summer, Kailey attended the Ballet Arizona Summer Intensive in Phoenix for six weeks. Kailey is the daughter of Daryl and Krista Flowers Luebrecht and the granddaughter of Judy Flowers. Photograph: Kailey Flowers Luebrecht, Photograph by Pratt + Kreidich #BGBOBCATPRIDE

over 4 years ago, Matthew Frederickson

There will be a public school board meeting Tuesday December 14th @1:30 p.m. in the Frankford Elementary gym.

over 4 years ago, Reese St. Clair

As we head into December and winter approaches, we want to remind parents how they can stay informed when inclement weather affects school. The decision to delay the opening of school, dismiss early, or close school for the day due to weather conditions is never an easy one. Our priority is always the safety of the children. School closings, or early school dismissal, will be announced on the district website and sign as soon as the decision is made. In addition, we will send emails and autodial phone calls and text messages to BGR-1 families. Our community will also find accurate information about school closings on the following television stations: WGEM, KTVI (Ch.2), and KSDK (Ch. 5), both TV and online, on the Townsquare Media Quincy/Hannibal KHMO‐AM/KICK‐FM/KRRY‐FM/WLIQ‐AM and KJFM (Eagle 102) radio stations and websites, The Bowling Green Times and Peoples' Tribune online broadcasts, and on our District Facebook page. When we experience inclement weather conditions, safety is the most important consideration. Parents can help their students and the district prepare. Make plans ahead of time and communicate them with your children so they understand what to expect during an early school dismissal due to inclement weather. Understand that school closings are for the safety of children throughout the district. While the condition of your neighborhood streets may be fine, other areas of the district may be experiencing harsher weather. Please review the information you have listed as emergency contacts and make sure that the numbers are updated in our Student Information System by contacting your building office. Lastly, I am thankful we have not had any snow days within the first semester of this year so far. You may know that schools can attend remotely this year on days where schools are closed due to inclement weather and can count these for attendance and not be made up. This was new last year. We still plan to use the first five of our built-in snow days as regular nonattendance days if we have to close for inclement weather before using this remote option, otherwise known as AMI (alternative methods of instruction days). If we have more than five snow days, our plan is to use our Alternative Methods of Instruction plan approved by our state education department. Look for more information about this after the first of the year.

over 4 years ago, Matthew Frederickson

Today, on the 11th hour on the 11th day, of the 11th month, we honor several Americans who have heeded the call to serve others in our community, our state, and our nation and abroad. We celebrate Veterans Day, and honor the more than 25 million Americans, living Americans, who have served in our Armed Forces. We are so proud of our Bowling Green R-1 School District Veterans!!! Please make time to thank them for their sacrifice: Craig Smith-USAR, Tiffany Koester-USN, Gene Zbleski-USAR, Dan Grimes-USMC, Bill Holford-USAF, Don Farris-USAF, and Matt Frederickson-USAR (ret). Also Bob Kirkpatrick, Board Member-USAR and Vietnam Veteran As a reminder, Bowling Green Middle School is proud to serve free meals for veterans today at 11 a.m. for coffee and tea and lunch at 11:15 a.m. and the Veterans Program at 12:15 p.m. with guest speaker Major General (ret) Michael Zerbonia . Thank you all for helping to remember our veterans and making sure our students learn the importance of service to others before self. #VeteransDay #BGBobcatPride

almost 5 years ago, Matt Frederickson

Now Hiring!

almost 5 years ago, Bowling Green R-1 School District