Back-To-School Checklist & Message from New Superintendent

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Meet the new Superintendent

Please take a moment to listen to a message from the District's interim Superintendent, Dr. Kenneth Roumpos.

"The Francis Howell School District celebrates a legacy of excellence. I’m honored to join the community in this role and look forward to working with every one of you as we continue that tradition." - Dr. Kenneth Roumpos

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Back-to-School Checklist

The first day of school will be here before you know it. In this special Back-to-School issue, we’ve included a checklist of tasks that need to be completed before students return on Monday, August 22.

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Complete the Online Registration Annual Verification (ORAV) by August 15. ORAV allows parents/guardians to review and update their household and student information online in the convenience of their own home. To access ORAV, log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal and choose “More” from the left navigation menu. Then select “Online Registration.” Please note that only a parent/guardian living in the primary household will be able to complete the ORAV process. Access detailed instructions here.

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Review your communication preferences. Parents/Guardians listed in Infinite Campus are automatically subscribed to email communications from FHSD and your child’s school. This includes the District Digest and school eNews. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, use the “Unsubscribe” button at the bottom of the email. If you are not receiving the District Digest and/or school eNews, you can sign up here . FHSD utilizes the SchoolMessenger system to communicate time-sensitive information such as weather alerts and emergency information with families via robo-call, text message and email. All parents/guardians listed in Infinite Campus Parent Portal are automatically registered to receive these important alerts. It is imperative that your contact information is up-to-date in Parent Portal before the start of the school year. Parents/Guardians must opt-in annually to receive text messages from SchoolMessenger. Opt-in by texting “Y” or “YES” to 67587.

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Schedule immunization and physical appointments with your healthcare provider, as needed. Missouri law requires children enrolled in Kindergarten through 12th grade to be immunized against certain preventable diseases. Required immunizations include DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis) or DT (Diphtheria and Tetanus); IPV (Polio); Hepatitis B; MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella); and Varicella (Chickenpox). Two additional vaccinations are required for students in grades 8-12: Tdap (Pertussis) and Meningococcal (Meningitis). Updated immunization records are required for students entering Kindergarten, 8th grade, and 12th grade. The St. Charles County Department of Public Health offers a convenient immunization clinic. Learn more about immunizations.

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Complete the FHSD Student Health Form and submit to your child’s school nurse. This health form must be submitted each school year. Please note that although this is a fillable form, there is no way to submit it directly online. You must download the completed form and email/fax/mail it to the school nurse or drop off a hard copy.

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Fill out the 2022-23 Free- and Reduced-Price Meals application. The federal program that provided free meals for all students has ended. In order to continue receiving meal benefits for the upcoming school year, eligible families must complete a new application. Information provided on the application is confidential and will be used only for the purpose of determining eligibility.

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Remind your child(ren) to change their FHSD account passwords after August 2. Each summer, FHSD student account passwords are reset to a default password. (Fhxxxxxx for elementary students; Fhsdxxxxxx for middle and high school students. The ‘F’ is capitalized and the xxxxxx represents the student’s ID number). After the District password reset - planned for August 2 - students may wish to update their password to something unique. Password changes must be done while at school on an FHSD network. New passwords must be at least 8 characters and include at least one capital letter and one special character.

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Check meal and fee balances and add funds to your child(ren)’s lunch account. To make a secure online payment, log in to the FHSD Webstore with your Infinite Campus Parent Portal user name and password. Here you can pay school-related fees, including student fees and activity fees. You can also add funds to student lunch accounts.

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Request changes to bus transportation by August 5. Bus routes for the 2022-23 school year are set based on how a student ended the prior school year. If transportation preferences for the upcoming school year are the exact same as the 2021-22 school year, additional action is not required.

If your child rode the bus this spring, they will automatically be assigned a bus route for the upcoming school year; no action is required on your part.

If your child did not ride the bus last spring, or only rode one-way, and you require something different this year, you must contact the school to request changes by August 5.

Here's an example: Last year, my 5th grader attended the aftercare program at Vacation Station and did not ride the bus home in the afternoon. This year, as a middle schooler, my child will not attend Vacation Station and will need to ride the bus home. In this example, the parent/guardian must contact their child's school by August 5 to request afternoon bus transportation.

Student bus information will be available in the Parent Portal on Monday, August 15.

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Review school supply lists. Make note of Missouri’s Sales Tax Holiday, August 5-7 2022. Certain back-to-school purchases, such as clothing, school supplies and computers, may be exempt from sales tax during the holiday. However, not all Missouri counties and cities are participating. Learn more.

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Mark your calendar for Transition Day on August 18. Incoming 6th- and 9th- grade students will have the opportunity to get familiar with their new school buildings on Thursday, August 18. Schools will communicate times and additional details in the coming weeks.

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Bookmark / Print the 2022-23 Student Academic Calendar. Note that the school year may be extended past May 26 if the District experiences snow days. Avoid making nonrefundable travel plans through June 12, 2023 (the last possible day of school). And remember, there will be no Collaboration Wednesday-Early Release days at the elementary level this school year.

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Look for communication from individual schools regarding additional information. This includes schedule pickup, parking permits, locker requests, yearbooks, senior photos, and more.

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Join our team. We are seeking caring, energetic, and fun-loving people to work with children. The Board approved additional staffing that will allow the District to reinstate 40 recess assistant and recess paraprofessional positions for our elementary schools. We also have a number of openings for bus drivers, substitute teachers, custodians, and food service workers. Please share our job opportunity website or view open positions.

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Get certified to be a school volunteer. We are thrilled to welcome volunteers back into our buildings this school year! The volunteer application and training videos have to be filled out and watched every year. The District also requires that all volunteers be fingerprinted and have a background check. This does have a fee associated with it but only needs to be completed every 6 years. Below you will find the steps that need to be taken and the links to go with them.