Submitted by Mr. Stephen Waigand, Principal, Rock Port Elementary

Spring weather is in sight and the students are ready to get back outside! We just finished up the third quarter and were able to complete our first full week of school in early March … a small victory in the world of education. The Dyno-mite Book Fair held earlier this month in the elementary and high school libraries was once again a huge success! Thank you to all the staff members and volunteers that help run the week-long event.

A special thank you to all the families and community members that attended our latest S.T.E.M. Student Showcase with special guest Dr. Vince Bertram, President and CEO of Project Lead the Way. Dr. Bertram visited with our district staff to begin the evening, spoke about the importance of S.T.E.M. education to a cafeteria full of community members, and visited each classroom to speak with students to cap off an incredible evening. Two major takeaways Dr. Bertram had from the evening . . . we have some great students and incredible community support. I completely agree.

Incredible community support indeed. The last couple of weeks have been very difficult for this area. The relentless flood waters seem to be reaching areas never before seen in previous generations. In the midst of these difficult times, the love and support our community has for each other has been on full display. There have been several stories shared of neighbors helping neighbors as well as individuals and organizations paying it forward to those directly and indirectly affected by the flood. As our good friend Monica Bailey always says . . . #ACisAwesome. We are so blessed for the community we live in and call home. Tough days still lie ahead but in the end, together, we will be stronger.

Upcoming events – Our Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests for grades 3-6 are right around the corner. It is a great opportunity for our students to show what they know in the areas of Math, English Language Arts, Writing, and Science. A good night sleep, nice breakfast, and a positive attitude are three easy ways families can help gear up for our annual assessments. While these assessments are important . . . they are not everything. Our students have so many additional talents that are not measured on online assessments and we continually strive to develop and recognize these talents as well. If we must take the assessments we might as well have some fun with it. Our MAP Kickoff Assembly will be on April 8; students will have opportunities throughout April to earn prizes and rewards for their effort on the state assessments.

Stay connected with daily classroom and school updates on Twitter @RPBluejays. As always we strive to #LoveServeCare – Every Student, Every Day!