Submitted by Ethan Sickels, Rock Port R-II Superintendent

The school year is off to a fantastic start here at Rock Port R-II!  Success has been evident in our classrooms, our activities, and our athletics. As we enter October, I’m confident we will continue achieving terrific results with our talented students and staff.

There are two topics I wanted to discuss, and the first is great news. We received the results of our spring 2021 testing on both our MAP tests (Grades 3-8) and EOC exams (HS). Out of the 18 assessments our students completed, we outscored the state average on 17 of them, many by a wide margin. Once again that demonstrates the hard work that our students, staff, and families dedicate to academics! Individual scores will be shared at Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 28, so look forward to hearing how your student(s) performed.

The other news isn’t bad, just tough for our food service program.  Our contractor, OPAA, is facing the same challenges that many of us in business and our personal lives are facing. Many of their food deliveries have been delayed or canceled, yet they continue to go above and beyond to ensure our students are being fed daily. I want you to understand and/or be prepared that there may be numerous menu changes over the next few months. They have assured us their goal is to update the menu the night before a change will occur, so make sure you take advantage of checking the menu each morning on our website if concerned. We serve close to 600 meals a day between breakfast and lunch, so I truly appreciate their efforts in ensuring our students have the nutrition necessary to roll through the school day.

With that, I hope everyone continues to take care and stay healthy. As always, I leave you with three important words . . . GO BIG BLUE!