ENews: Monday, January 8, 2024

With the possibility of winter weather in the forecast this week, here are a few reminders on how we will share important information.

If you are a parent or guardian of a student in the school district, you will receive an automated phone call, text message, and email informing you of any weather-related school closing information. Information will also be posted on the district's social media channels, local TV and radio, and district website. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

We encourage all families to make a plan with your family in case of a school cancellation or delay.

Thank you for supporting the Hallsville School District and your flexibility as we make our way through another Missouri winter.

Read more information about winter weather and how the school makes a decision on our website: https://www.hallsville.org/parent_resources/winter_weather

The Hallsville School District reviews and revises our Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) every five years. Our current CSIP expires this July. Throughout this spring, we will update our plan by reviewing our mission, vision, and values, defining our priority areas, and setting goals for improvement. We value our community's input and will share updates and seek your input throughout this spring.

The first step in this process is to affirm or refine our current mission, vision, and values statements. These statements help guide decisions by expressing the district's purpose, describing our long-term goals, and sharing our core principles and beliefs. These statements should reflect the voice of the district and community.

We invite you to actively participate in this process by offering feedback on our current statements and sharing any ideas to help make these statements even better. Your input is important as we work together to shape the future of our schools.

Progress Report #8: December Monthly Update

Athletic Complex: The top surface coating at the track started on November 14 and concluded on Friday, December 8. The crew had to work around some weather variables that limited when they could apply, such as temperature, wind, and precipitation. In addition to the track surface work, the sidewalk along the west side of the track was completed on November 17, and the backfilling & grading for the area by the concession stand was just completed.

Anticipated Milestone Activities:

• Track Striping - TBD

• Black Barrier Fence - TBD

Middle School: The masonry contractor has finished laying up the interior CMU walls and the last section of the South elevation exterior wall. The precast setting for the storm shelter lid was completed the week of November 27. The concrete crew has installed forms at the top of the perimeter walls in preparation for the roof slab topping pour. Rebar mat installation is underway, with concrete pours scheduled to start on Tuesday, December 19.

Anticipated Milestone Activities:

• Concrete Roof Topping Slab Pours - Completed 12/19 to 12/21

• MEP Overhead Rough-in: Starting After Roof Slab Pours

HMS & HHS Dress-Up Days

• Tuesday 1/16: Mother Knows Best
• Soccer Mom vs. BBQ Dad
• Wednesday 1/17: I've Got a Dream
• Wear college, career, or military t-shirt
• Thursday 1/18: Pascal's Pals
• Wear Camouflage
• Friday 1/19: At Last I See the Light
• Gold Rush

HPS & HIS Dress-Up Days

• Tuesday 1/16: Mother Knows Best
• Mother says to wear your PJs
• Wednesday 1/17: I've Got a Dream
• Wear college, career, or military t-shirt
• Thursday 1/18: Pascal's Pals
• Wear Camouflage
• Friday 1/19: At Last I See the Light
• Gold Rush

Graduation for the Class of 2024 is scheduled for Friday, May 24, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. Graduation will take place at the football field. Additional information will be released at a later date.

The junior class of Hallsville High School is hosting prom on Sunday, April 28, at Columbia Country Club. The Grand March will take place at 7:00 p.m., followed by an evening of dancing and refreshments from 7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Below are highlights of items discussed during the open session on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, Board of Education Meeting. The full agenda with document links is available on the district website. The Board of Education will hold their January meeting on Wednesday, January 17, at 6:00 p.m. in the Hallsville Primary School cafeteria.

PROGRAM EVALUATIONS

With each program evaluation, strengths, concerns, and future recommendations are reviewed. The board approved the District Finances, Library Media Services, and School Counseling evaluations.

PBS/PBIS

The Districtwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBS) team continues to partner with the State Schoolwide-PBS (SW-PBS) team to provide resources, coaching, and guidance as we build our districtwide support systems. The state team has recently updated its training to include foundational training on the Science of Behavior, including Functional Behavior Assessment, Human Motivation Theory, and De-escalation. The Districtwide team is set to complete this training on the January 8th PLC day. The primary goal of this training is to establish a shared understanding of the Science of Behavior. By doing so, we aim to enhance the capacity of district PBS leaders to integrate these insights into all aspects of our work.

ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Assistant Superintendent Julie Esquivel presented information to the Board of Education on the 2023 MAP and EOC state assessment results, along with the district's 2023 Annual Performance Report (APR). You can review Mrs. Esquivel’s District APR presentation here.

FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS & LONG RANGE PLANNING

The Activities Department believes it is critically important for the overall stability and health of the Activities Department to stay on the current path of providing facility improvements as often as we can afford them. We hope the Board of Education, the new members of the administrative team, and the community will recognize the needs we have identified and the priorities that we have set collectively. The three most pressing needs for the improvement and daily operation of the department are in the following order:

1. Improve and expand the parking on main campus.
2. Design and construct a Performing Arts Center.
3. Design and construct a home locker room and storage building at the stadium.

SCHOOL SAFETY

The Missouri School Boards' Association (MSBA) is subsidizing half the cost for school districts to add one Certified Instructor to gain certification in CPI’s Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training. SRO Ryan Hill will participate in this training in the near future.

PRIMARY SIDEWALK

At the regular November meeting, the Board of Education approved the publication of a request for proposals (RFP) for the installation of a sidewalk near the primary school. Sealed proposals were due December 8. No proposals were received. In prior similar circumstances, the district has been advised to republish the RFP with an updated timeline, in a good-faith attempt to solicit sealed proposals in accordance with statute, prior to the direct solicitation of quotes from vendors. The board approved the superintendent’s recommendation of a second publication of the RFP with an updated timeline for the submission of sealed proposals.

SAFETY GRANT

The district applied for school safety grant funds through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and was awarded an allocation of $150,000.

• Keyless Entry:. One of the approved projects to be funded by the grant is the expansion of the district's keyless entry system. This system allows for superior access control to district facilities. The request for proposals (RFP) was presented and approved by the Board. Proposals will be collected through January 12, with an expected presentation for contract award at the regular January meeting of the Board of Education.
• Window Film: One of the approved projects to be funded by the grant is the installation of window security film in select areas of campus. The district solicited quotes from three vendors. One vendor responded. The district recommended, and the board approved, the purchase and installation of window film as detailed in both of the quotes provided.

TRANSPORTATION

The Board approved the transportation department's procurement of Travel Tracker equipment and service from TransAct. The purchase includes routing software and tablets, which will allow the department to build better and more efficient bus routes. This program will also include tablets mounted on each bus with GPS for substitute drivers and allow for student check-in and check-out. This will provide parents with live tracking, including notifications as the bus approaches the stop, when the bus has reached the stop, and when their student(s) has checked in or checked out of the bus.

5th & 6th Grade Youth Volleyball:

HHS Volleyball is hosting their annual 5th & 6th grade girls volleyball league this winter/early spring! The goal is to instill a love for the game, teach teamwork and cooperation, and improve volleyball and individual athleticism. Practices begin in February, and games will be held on Saturdays in March.

Registration and payment must be submitted to the intermediate or middle school front offices by the end of the day on Friday, January 26.