Rich Hill Elementary

Dear Parents, School begins on Wednesday morning at 7:56am and we look forward to having your children back with us for the 2024-25 School Year. We are facing a bus driver shortage and so we will need your patience and cooperation regarding school transportation. For now, we will have 3 routes until we can train and hire another driver. All of our current drivers are retirees with limits on the number of hours they are permitted to work. Due to this, drivers cannot wait for children to come out of houses after the driver has stopped and honked the horn multiple times. Children need to be waiting at the bus stop when the driver approaches the stop. If the driver stops and children are not visible, the driver will proceed to the next stop. Children who miss the bus will need to be delivered to the school by the parent because drivers will not be able to return the house. The same applies in the evening. Bus drivers will drop the child at the designated bus stop. The driver is not responsible for verifying a parent is home before departing the bus stop. Parents must ensure there is an adult waiting at the designated stop. The school receives 20 to 40 bus drop off changes per day and each one requires the teacher, the child, and the bus driver to be notified by the office secretary. This takes time and creates confusion, especially when we do not receive calls until the last 15 minutes of school. Please try to call before 2pm if there is an emergency situation where a child needs delivered to another location than their normal stop. Please minimize call-ins to change your child’s drop off location as we are trying to deliver over 200 children home every day and each change increases the chance of the child getting delivered to their normal stop instead of the one you have requested that day. The first few days of school are always a challenge as we figure out how long routes will take and what time the bus will arrive. Because our routes will be longer, we are unsure of when buses will be at your home location. If you are in a rural location, please be looking for your bus as soon as 15 minutes before your normal time and it may arrive later than usual. Town route children should begin watching for their bus by 7am and most children will be picked up by 7:35am. Each day your bus time will become a little more accurate, but children should always be ready for their bus 10 minutes before it normally arrives. Thank you for helping us keep school buses the safest form of transportation in the United States.

We are building our crew for Friday & Monday Night Football Games! If you are interested in running the chains or being the announcer, please contact Damon Green or the HS Office. You will have free admission to the home football games and have the best seat in the house! dgreen@richhill.k12.mo.us 417-395-4191

Don't forget! Meet-the-Teacher Night is this evening from 5:30-6:30 for kindergarten through 5th grade students. Bring your school supplies, check out your new classroom, and meet your teacher!

Please see the attached Tax Rate Hearing Notice. Per Prop KIDS, the levy will be held even with last year's levy, except 45 cents will be shifted into Fund 4 to help pay for facility repairs and improvements. This 45 cents will generate about $150,000 per year and will be added to the district's transfer of operating funds and other allowable transfers into Fund 4. The board has authorized the development of a Master Facility Plan to identify and prioritize capital improvement needs from Fund 4.

Registration can be completed through the parent TeacherEase app OR can be done on a computer/laptop using the following steps: 1. Login to TeacherEase 2. Under the Miscellaneous tab, click the Online Registration link 3. Follow the steps to complete registration

All returning students in grades K-5 will need to complete the online registration in TeacherEase for each student. New students will need to stop by the elementary office to initiate registration. Meet-the-Teacher Night is Thursday, August 15 from 5:30-6:30 and the first day of school is Wednesday, August 21.

The 2024 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is this weekend! Here is the Rich Hill Elementary school supply list.

Summer 2024 STEM CUBS K-5 and Middle Connections (6th-8th) Saturday, July 13th, 2024 at the University of Missouri https://missouri.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0iCgXhbROqbegtw Join MU for a fun hands-on way to engage in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). In the past, students have worked on projects like building a structurally sound bridge, developing coating for pills, understanding features of buoyancy and static electricity, learning about arteries and veins, and more!

Elementary class lists and school supply lists are available and posted on the dome doors. We hope you are enjoying your summer. Have a fun and safe 4th of July! See you on August 15th for Meet the Teacher Night! First day of school is August 21st!

Summer Food Service is available. Please see the notice at the following link: https://5il.co/2oiev.

Rich Hill High School is seeking applicants for the following positions for the upcoming school year of 2024-2025. JH/HS Business Teacher, FBLA Advisor HS Assistant Football Coach JH Head/Assistant Football Coach JH/HS Assistant Volleyball Coach To complete an application please visit: https://www.richhill.k12.mo.us/page/district You may email your completed application to bschenker@richhill.k12.mo.us or submit it to the district office.

Don't forget... State testing begins Monday, April 22nd. Here is the schedule for MAP and EOC sessions for Elementary, Junior High, and High School students. This year, most testing sessions will take place across two or more days rather than being completed in one sitting. If you have any questions about your student's testing time, please contact the Elementary or High School Office. Please visit the link to view the schedule: https://www.richhill.k12.mo.us/o/jhhs/live-feed

We are hiring! Please visit the District Website to download an application. https://www.richhill.k12.mo.us/page/district If you have questions, please call 417-395-4191 or email: bschenker@richhill.k12.mo.us

The district is looking for student help again this summer. If you will be 16 and a junior, senior, or current graduate by May 20 and would like to be considered for a summer custodial position helping paint, clean, wax floors, etc., come by central office and get a support staff application or download it from the website. Qualifications will include passing grades, a good work ethic, no disciplinary action, and a cooperative attitude. Applications must be submitted by May 1. The work schedule will be Monday through Thursday, 10 hours a day. Prompt and regular work attendance is expected.

Rich Hill Elementary Parents, we need you to fill in this survey for Federal Programs. We receive about $200,000 per year in Title money for supplemental instruction in reading and math. This survey is a required part of providing Title services. Thank you for your feedback! https://forms.gle/cRTUS3ZY6PHHoTUM9

This is just a friendly reminder from the Rich Hill R-IV School District to go exercise your American privilege of being able to vote in public elections! Voters will decide which community members will serve on our local school board and whether to pass Prop KIDS. Thank you for supporting the Rich Hill R-IV School District with your participation.

Rich Hill needs parent feedback for its 2024 Culture and Climate Survey. Please click the link to complete the anonymous, 15 question survey by April 5: https://forms.gle/8e5Uzmm2U6nztvqHA

Prop KIDS FAQs 4 How much will Prop KIDS cost me after the bonds are paid off? ● The median home price in Bates County is $102,000. Assessed at 19% of market value, the $1.0086 per $100 of assessed value will cost this homeowner $195 per year. The $1.0086 levy generates $460,000 in revenue per year for the district which is about 10% of the total district budget.

What happens if Prop KIDS doesn’t pass? ● The district will pay off the existing, low-interest bonds around 3 years early. ● The district will lose over $460,000 in annual revenue. ● The district will have to consider asking voters for new debt to make needed improvements at a much higher interest rate.

What has been done to improve facilities w/ existing funds and grants? ●Old Gym renovations ●Upgrade security to digital cameras, 4 entrance video-phones ●2 hot water tanks ●Dome sound system ●Repair gym bleachers ●Add bus ●New greenhouse ●Upgrade 60 yr old class furniture. Repairs, cameras, sprinkler system@ FB field ●Weight room equipment ●Add daycare ●Replace copiers ●Sidewalk to Ag ●Water plasma cutter, drill press, auto garage doors to Ag building ●Add vent hoods to FACS ●Restriped parking ●Plot printer for Career Tech ●10 passenger Ford ●Renovated special ed & Title1 rooms ●Floor scrubber ●Replaced steam table in kitchen ●Student Success Center for academic help & in-school suspension