Teacher Proud Tuesday!
May's Teacher Proud Tuesday winner was Ashley Trotnic at Joplin High School!
Ashley was nominated by a parent who said: "She goes above and beyond for all her students, spending countless hours after school and on weekends working on her shows. She loses time with her own family and it is done for her students. She finds ways for her students to be involved even if it's outside of the norm. I love that my daughter has gotten to spend her high school years learning from someone as supportive and educational as Ashley Trotnic has been. I know my senior will look back at her high school theater experiences as truly impactful on her life. Ms. Trotnic has played a major role in her college and career planning decisions, and we can't thank her enough."
We agree, and we're so thankful you chose Joplin Schools, Ashley! Teacher Proud Tuesday winners will be randomly chosen and recognized on the second Tuesday each month (we'll take a short break this summer) through a partnerships with GOCSD. Please celebrate the AMAZING teachers in Joplin Schools - nominate a teacher for Teacher Proud Tuesday!
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Kerry's Corner
A Message from the Superintendent
Welcome to summer break, Eagles. Each year around this time, I'm struck again by how quickly time passes. We've had a truly fantastic year of learning together in Joplin: from the Back to School kickoff and fall sports to the winter holidays and some icy cold AMI days, then spring break, testing season, finals, and graduation.
This really is a season of transitions. As many of you are aware, as a public school district a new fiscal year begins for us on July 1. So, while our students and staff are wrapping up their year and preparing for Summer School, the district keeps chugging along in our own transitional time.
Still amid a strong hiring season, we are encouraged by the enthusiastic and skilled professionals who will soon be joining our team. Several positions are still open, so we hope you'll consider passing them along to friends and family who would be great supporters of our students.
Additional transitions we'll be working through this summer include several facility improvement projects approved by our school board, including updating the playground at Royal Heights Elementary, updating access controls at several building entrances, awaiting the arrival of a handful of new school buses, and working on HVAC and roofing projects at several of our district buildings. This all happens alongside the usual summer deep cleanings going on in our schools. The season is heavy work for our facilities, operations, and transportation crews, and we're proud of their commitment to keeping our campuses safe and ready for students.
The central office curriculum team is working with our district-wide professional development committee to plan fantastic professional development opportunities for staff during the 24-25 academic year. They’ll also be working all summer on plans for our annual new teacher orientation program, TOPS, which will take place right before school starts in August.
In the finance and student services departments, budgets and Title allocations are being finalized in preparation for the next school year. Those documents will be presented to the school board soon and placed on our website for public use so our community can stay informed of how state, federal, and local funding is being used to educate our children.
It's a busy season, but this summertime transition is invaluable as we continue the work of growing kids from one year to the next, with an eye always on our overall mission in Joplin Schools: to inspire students to achieve their personal best through educational experiences that prepare them to meet tomorrow’s challenges. I'm grateful for the chance to continue working toward that goal all summer long. Thanks for a great year, Eagles, and have a restful summer.
Sincerely,
Kerry Sachetta
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More PreK in 2024-25!
We know the need for quality, affordable early learning in Joplin is growing and growing, so we are excited to welcome even MORE Little Eagles into the nest this fall!
Little Eagles Flight School is a pilot program that offers one 4-year-old preschool class in each of three elementary buildings: Irving, Royal Heights, and Soaring Heights. Students will have access to many of the same resources as elementary students, including bus services, breakfast and lunch, full day classes, and highly qualified, certified teachers to get them ready for Kindergarten. And all of this will come with NO TUITION COSTS!
After only one week of opening up this opportunity to the community at-large, we are thrilled to share that all three of these classes are now FULL. Stay tuned for more updates about this pilot program's progress and stories about these adorable new Eaglets!
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If you're a parent of Joplin Schools students and you're not registered for ParentSquare yet, here's what you've been missing out on this year:
- Direct Messages with teachers and coaches
- Appointment sign-ups
- Digital permission slips
- Classroom photos and videos
- Group and club reminders
Click here for ParentSquare FAQ's.
All outside classroom communication tools (including Bloomz, Class Dojo, private class-based Facebook groups, etc.) will be discontinued as of July 1, so please register for ParentSquare so you can stay connected with your students' teachers, coaches, and clubs!
Click here to Register. In the "Register" box, enter the phone number or email address you've provided in school records. If you encounter problems, please contact Communications@JoplinSchools.org.
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In order to provide excellent customer service to our families, as well as support our building secretaries with a more streamlined back-to-school process, we are excited to announce the placement of TWO summer enrollment secretaries who will be on duty during June and July.
These two secretaries will handle all district enrollment processes during the months of June and July at the front desk at Joplin High School.
JUNE office hours will be 8:30am-3:30pm, Mondays through Fridays.
JULY office hours will be 11:30am-4:30pm Tuesdays through Thursdays.
Enrollment assistance will be available for families of incoming K-12th graders, including scheduling and performing kindergarten screenings, ensuring documents are accurate, and getting students ready to be rostered when building secretaries return in August.
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Summer Meals
Local children 18 and younger are welcome to eat breakfast and lunch with us for free this summer! All meals must be eaten on site. Breakfast and lunch will be served at all Summer School locations at the dates and times listed below. After Summer School is over, lunch will be served at Jefferson Elementary and at the Joplin Public Library at the dates and times listed below. For more information, please contact the Nutrition Services Department.
SUMMER SCHOOL SITES: Mondays-Fridays May 29 - June 27
JHS: Breakfast (8 - 9:00am) and Lunch (11:30am - 12:30pm)
South Middle: Breakfast (8 - 9:00am) and Lunch (11:00am - 12:30pm)
Cecil Floyd: Breakfast (7 - 8:00am) and Lunch (10:50am - 12:30pm)
Dover Hill: Breakfast (7 - 8:00am) and Lunch (10:50am - 12:30pm)
Irving: Breakfast (7 - 8:00am) and Lunch (10:50am - 12:30pm)
AFTER SUMMER SCHOOL:
Jefferson Elementary: Lunch 11am-noon, Mondays-Fridays, July 7-Aug. 16
Joplin Public Library: Lunch 11am-noon, Mondays-Fridays, July 1-Aug. 16 (closed July 4)
Your child may also be eligible for a one-time benefit of $120 in Missouri SunBucks, a Department of Social Services program that can help families pay for food for school-aged children over the summer. This program is still pending approval, so please click here to subscribe to email updates about when and how to apply.
Please call the Nutrition Services Department for more information about Summer meals, at 417-625-5315.
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Show Me SPED
Several Joplin Schools staff members were featured in a video from ShowMe SPED as part of a campaign to attract and encourage Special Education teachers in Missouri school districts. We are so proud of our SPED department and their heart for kids!
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Take a look around Joplin Schools! | |
South Middle School students had a great showing at the National History Day competition at Mizzou! | |
Several Jefferson teachers completed their voluntary LETRS training to better support their students in the Science of Reading! | |
The Class of 2024 went Back to the Beginning this month, stopping through their old elementary buildings to be celebrated by their young peers! | |
1st and 2nd graders at Stapleton wrapped up the year with a Writing Celebration, showing off their composition skills to their proud parents and family members! | |
Community partners set up at Cecil Floyd to introduce students to an exciting range of future pathways for Career Day. We love our community partners! | |
Soaring Heights' Harper Greenlee became Principal for a Day thanks to being a fundraising winner! She served students and staff with a smile, providing a great example to all. | | |
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Monday, May 27: Memorial Day, all district offices closed
Wednesday, May 29: Summer School begins
Wednesday, June 19: Juneteenth, Summer School in session
Friday, June 21-Saturday, June 22: "Footloose: The Musical," 7pm, JHS Performing Arts Center
Tuesday, June 25: Board of Education Meeting, 6pm
Thursday, June 27: Last Day of Summer School
Thursday, July 4: Independence Day, all district offices closed
Friday, July 5: All district offices closed
Tuesday, July 23: Board of Education Meeting, 6pm
Monday, July 29: Principals and Secretaries return to buildings for fall semester
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