There will be two open seats for the Board of Education election on April 4, 2006. The incumbents are Brad Smith and Roger Thompson. Those elected will serve three-year terms.

A candidate must be a U.S. citizen, a resident taxpayer of the Adair County R-II School District, have resided in the state of Missouri for at least one year preceding the election, and be at least 24 years of age.

Candidates may be required to file a financial interest statement and must agree to obtain 16 hours of credit in school boardmanship within 12 months of the election.

Interested candidates may pick up filing materials in the Superintendent’s office. The first day for candidates to file is Tuesday, December 13, 2005 at 8:00 a.m. The superintendent’s office will be closed December 21 – January 2 and therefore will not be accepting candidates filing on those dates. Regular business hours will resume on Tuesday, January 3. The last day for candidates to file will be Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at 5:00 p.m. Questions? Call the Superintendent’s office at 323-5272 during regular business hours.

Citizens have until Wednesday, March 8, 2006 to register to vote in the April general election.

Congratulations to Christina Scudder for earning 6th Chair Clarinet in the Northeast Missouri District Honorable Mention Band. Christina auditioned with hundreds of high school band students from all over Northeast Missouri. The band will rehearse and perform in concert on January 14, 2006 at Moberly.

The annual Brashear Music Department Christmas Program will take place on Monday, December 19, at 7:00 p.m. General Music Classes from grades K - 6, the Elementary and Junior/Senior High Bands and the Junior/Senior High Chorus and Glee Club will present traditional and some less common holiday music from all over the globe for your enjoyment. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

Missouri Innovations in Education, November 2005, is now available online at http://www.cise.missouri.edu/publications/innovations/november-2005/index.html or from the main CISE page at www.cise.missouri.edu. This issue focuses on addressing learning problems early rather than waiting for students to fail. Response to intervention, early childhood standards and effective pre-K instruction, scientifically-based early literacy instruction, parent training resources, a case study of a deaf student, and early childhood special education outcomes are topics addressed in this months issue.
 
The Innovations newsletter is available in a web-based format only.  Missouri Innovations in Education is published by the Center for Innovations in Education four times each year:  September, November, January and April.  Innovations is acknowledged throughout Missouri as a valuable source of information about educating diverse learners.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the penny drive conducted by the High School Resource Class. $532.49 was raised by students in Grades K-12. The 5th grade and 9th grade classes won the competition. Proceeds were donated to the American Red Cross Relief Effort to benefit victims of the recent hurricanes. The Elementary Student Council also raised $204 for the same cause at their soup supper held Monday, November 14.

As the winter season approaches, we are reminding parents and students to listen to the local media stations to check on "early dismissals" and/or "no school" bulletins. This information will be given to KTVO television, KHQA television, WGEM television, KIRX radio, KTUF radio, KRXL radio, KRES radio of Moberly, KMEM radio of Memphis, and KZBK radio of Brookfield. These stations will present dismissal information as soon as decisions have been made. Please do not call the school.

The guidance office has been very busy this month with the state conference the first of the month, college reps, guest speakers, testing, and all the other things that come through this office. Sophomores learned about goal setting, juniors about sexual harassment, and seniors about money management. Student in grades K-6 learned about a variety of things including anger management, being thankful, how to be a friend and solving conflicts with the people around us. Seventh grade has been in careers class with Mrs. Reeves where they've learned about study skills and social skills. Eighth grade will be in this class during second semester where they'll talk about careers and much, much more. Watch for an in-depth review of this past semester to be mailed out before Christmas as well as what's to come second semester.

Happy Holidays!

Mrs. Grissom

The Tiger Pride Before- and After-School Program provides a safe and caring environment for elementary students in grades K-6. The purpose of the program is to foster academic and social growth in addition to providing a much-needed service to the district.

Volunteers and mentors are an integral part of this program. We would enjoy any special hobbies or interests that you would like to share with these students.

Our program is open from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. and 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. You may contact Diane Bradley, Shelly Shipman, or Wendy Kerby for more information.

We are excited about the opportunities that this 21st Century Community Learning Center Tiger Pride Program provides for our students, families, and community.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in partnership with the Ad Council has launched a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to prevent underage drinking by encouraging parents to speak to their children about alcohol.

According to 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health respondents, roughly 28.7 percent of underage persons ages 12 to 20 reported current alcohol use. About 19.6 percent were binge drinkers who consumed five or more drinks on the same occasion, and 6.3 percent were heavy drinkers who binge five or more times in a month. Of the total number of self-reported underage drinkers, 40.7 percent were youths ages 12-17. Approximately 11.1 percent of 12-year-olds reported using alcohol at least once in their lifetimes. By age 13 the percentage doubles, and by age 15 it is over 50 percent.

Research shows that parents of teens generally underestimate the extent of alcohol used by youth and its negative consequences, with parents viewing underage drinking as "inevitable." Yet, the survey shows that of the almost 7 million alcohol-dependent adults now ages 21 or older, more than one-quarter first used alcohol before age 14. About 5.5 million first used before they were age 18. Approximately 6.6 million first used before age 21. Adults who had first used alcohol before age 15 were five times more likely to become dependent on alcohol than adults who first used at age 21 or older.

In addition to its negative impact on health, alcohol use among youth is strongly correlated with violence, risky sexual behavior, poor academic performance, alcohol-related driving incidents, and other harmful behaviors.

The new PSA campaign aims to reach parents of children ages 11-15, with an emphasis on parents of middle school children, who have children that have not yet started drinking. The PSAs reinforce the fact that children who drink before the age of 15 are more likely to develop alcohol problems and urge parents to start talking to their children about alcohol before it’s too late. The television, radio, magazine, newspaper and Internet ads direct parents to visit www.stopalcoholabuse.gov or call 1-800-729-6686 to get information about the short and long-term consequences of underage drinking; tips for parents on initiating conversations about alcohol; and a brochure created for the campaign. The PSAs end with the tagline: "Start Talking Before They Start Drinking." If you wish to view the ads, please visit www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/underage_drinking_prevention/

State law (Section 160.522) requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to publish an annual "report card" about each school district, each school building and each charter school. The reports provide all of the data required by state law, plus information required by federal law (No Child Left Behind).

The district report card is now available at: http://www.dese.state.mo.us/planning/profile/arsd001092.html. If you would like a copy of this report card, contact the district office at 323-5272.

The High School Boys Basketball Team is conducting an aluminum can drive through December 9. Bring your aluminum cans on Fridays, crushed if possible, and the boys will have a place to store them.

The school district recently received a letter and plaque from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education honoring the district's contribution to the STARR program. 

The letter stated, "Those districts that recognize the importance of professional development and its impact on student achievement not only benefit their own district, but enable other districts to benefit when they selflessly allow one of their highly qualified teachers a one-year leave of absence to serve in the Regional Professional Development Centers.  I want to congratulate you on having participated in the program and want to thank you for allowing us to utilize the skills and expertise of Rebecca Thomas who served as a STARR teacher.  It is through the generosity of participating schools that districts and schools around the state are provided with ‘no cost, high quality professional development’."

Congratulations to Becky Thomas for receiving this recognition for the school because of her time and dedication to the STARR program and for her willingness to share her experience with her colleagues at Adair County R-II School.  The plaque honoring this contribution and commitment will be proudly displayed in our school.

We would like to thank:

Rick & Denise Brown for their donation of Runny Babbit in memory of Lucia Freeman.

Steve Harvey for his donation of Children's Night Sky Atlas and Through Indian Eyes.

Melanie Fisher for her donation of Ansel Adams and the Photographers of the America and Essential Van Gogh.

The library is open to the public Monday through Friday during school hours and at other times through special arrangements. We invite you to come in and browse our stacks.

Books make a lasting tribute to the memory of our loved ones. If there is someone that you would like to memorialize in this way, please contact Denise Brown, Library Media Specialist at 323-5272 ext. 39.

Thursday: Cereal, toast/Chicken nuggets, chips & cheese, cottage cheese, peaches, no bake cookie, milk
Friday: Omelet, toast/Walking taco, refried beans, lettuce, fruit, ice cream, milk

Monday: French toast sticks, syrup/Chicken patty, macaroni & cheese, vegetable, fruit, cookie, milk
Tuesday: Sausage & egg biscuit/Hamburger on bun, cheese slice, potato wedges, fruit, cake, milk
Wednesday: Donut, peaches/Tenderloin on bun, chips, vegetable, strawberries, white cake, milk
Thursday: Cinnamon roll, peaches/Roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, cottage cheese, cherry delight, milk
Friday: Biscuit & gravy/Pizza, corn, fruit, ice cream, milk

Monday: Breakfast pizza/Hot ham & cheese, tater tots, vegetable, fruit, apple crisp, milk
Tuesday: Bagel, fruit/Chili or chicken noodle soup, corn chips, fruit, peanut butter cookie, milk
Wednesday: Long john, peaches/Nachos, lettuce, vegetable, fruit, cookie, milk
Thursday: Blueberry muffin/Country fried steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, fruit, pumpkin bar, milk
Friday: Breakfast bites, syrup/Walking taco, refried beans, lettuce, fruit, cookie, milk

Monday: Cereal, toast/Turkey & noodles, mashed potatoes, vegetable, peaches, cinnamon roll, milk
Tuesday: Biscuit & gravy/Hot dog on bun, corn chips, veggies & dip, fruit, no bake cookie, milk

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