The Adair County R-II School year began on Tuesday, August 16 for teachers and staff with an in-service beginning at 8:30 a.m. Classes resumed for students on Wednesday, August 17.

Breakfast and lunch will be served each day. Breakfast prices remain at $.75 for students and $1.00 for adults. Lunch prices remain at $1.50 for students and $2.00 for adults. Milk can still be purchased for 20 cents a carton. Free and reduced price meals will be offered upon submission of a qualifying application for those meals. Applications were sent home with your child(ren) on the first day of school. Keep in mind that you may complete an application at any time during the school year if your financial situation changes. Kindergarten snacks will be 40 cents a day. This cost is not covered by the free and reduced meal application. Parents are encouraged to pay for snacks at the beginning of each month.

With the new school year, we would like to welcome the following new employees:

Michael O'Haver has been employed as our health and K-12 physical education teacher. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education from Central Missouri State University. Michael will be coaching fall and spring baseball and junior high boys basketball. He has spent the last four years at Adair County R-I in Novinger where he was a physical education teacher and head baseball coach.

Louise Smith has been hired to teach in our fifth grade classroom this year. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Truman State University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Buena Vista University. Louise comes to us from Knox County R-I Elementary School where she taught 4th grade last year.

Wendy Kerby has joined our district and will be working part-time as a library/media aide and Tiger Pride Assistant Project Coordinator. She is a graduate of Truman State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Family Sciences with a concentration in Child & Family Development. Wendy has spent the last several years working as a foster/adoptive parent recruiter, trainer, and assessor.

Melissa Porter has been hired as a paraprofessional. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education and Health & Exercise Science from Truman State University. Melissa is from Macon County and has over ten years of teaching experience. She will be working in the elementary.

With the resignation of Paula Lowe, Cathy March has assumed the role of Food Service Director. Dana Bunch has been hired as a cook. She has worked in the food service industry for over 20 years.

Please join us in welcoming these employees to our district.

In April 2005, a National "ICE" Awareness Campaign was launched in the U.K. by mobile phone service provider Vodafone with the endorsement of Falklands War hero Simon Weston, and the movement reached critical mass in the wake of the July 7, 2005 terrorist bombings in London. The idea is now beginning to catch on in other countries, including the U.S.A. (as reported in the Washington Post).

How it works! Paramedics will turn to a victim's cell phone for clues to that person's identity. You can make their job much easier with a simple idea that they are trying to get everyone to adopt: ICE.

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. If you add an entry in the contacts list in your cell phone under ICE, with the name and phone number of the person that the emergency services should call on your behalf, you can save them a lot of time and have your loved ones contacted quickly. It only takes a few moments of your time to do.

Paramedics know what ICE means and they look for it immediately.

The district must ensure that students and/or their guardians are informed about asbestos inspections, reinspections, surveillance, response actions and post-response action activities at least once a year.

This summer with the demolition of the unoccupied elementary building, much of our asbestos concerns were resolved. In addition to the asbestos removal associated with the demolition project, the asbestos tiles were removed from the stage area and connecting rooms in the high school building.

The most recent Asbestos Reinspection will be available in the district office for public viewing during business hours.

Larry & Nancy Platz, Kyle & Kellie Platz, Trent and Brent for their donation of Jim Fowler's Wildest Places on Earth in appreciation of Matthew Caldwell, Social Studies Teacher; Sluggers! History's Hottest Hitters in honor of Jamie Tipton, Baseball Coach; Big Cats: A Portrait of the Animal World in honor of Matt Copeland, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach; and Big Cats in honor of Carol Chambers, Varsity Academic Bowl Coach.

Diane Gannon, Donna Bailey, Debbra Heck, Sherrill Clatt & Leona Stice for their donation of $50 to the library in honor of Dr. Kyle Platz upon his graduation from medical school.

Brashear CTA for their donation of The Hornet's Nest by Jimmy Carter in memory of Gwen Jeffries.

Jerry & Martha Reese and family for their donation of Hank Aaron and the Home Run that Changed America in memory of Gwen Jeffries.

Jack Pulis for his donation of plumbing materials.

Lonnie Salter for donating his time to blade the new parking lot.

Roger Thompson and Brent Hettinger for salvaging the glass blocks from the front of the old elementary building.

All of the community members who helped spruce up the school grounds for the start of school:

Doug, Paula & Joe Clarkson, Robert, Kathy & Stephanie Elsea, Brent & Shirlene Hettinger, Brenda Kelsey, Matt & Cheryl Reeves, James Scudder, Roger Thompson

Thursday: Breakfast bites/Juicy burger on bun, tortilla chips w/ cheese sauce, fruit, rice krispie treat, milk

Friday: Long john/Pizza, vegetable, pears, ice cream, milk

Monday: No School

Tuesday: Cereal, toast/Corn dog, veggies & dip, fruit, cookie, milk

Wednesday: Long john, fruit/Nachos, lettuce, fruit, rice krispie treat, milk

Thursday: Bagel, cream cheese/Fish, macaroni & cheese, apple, jello, milk

Friday: Omelet, toast/Pizza, vegetable, fruit, ice cream bar, milk

Monday: Breakfast pizza/, Garlic cheese bread, veggies & dip, fruit, pudding, milk

Tuesday: Pancake, syrup/Popcorn chicken, potato tots, green beans, cheesecake, milk

Wednesday: Biscuit & gravy/Tacos, lettuce, cheese, refried beans, cookie, milk

Thursday: Cinnamon roll/Baked potato bar, chili, cottage cheese, apple crisp, milk

Friday: French toast sticks, syrup/Pizza, vegetable, fruit, ice cream, milk

Monday: Breakfast bites/Grilled cheese sandwich, soup, fruit, brownie, milk

Tuesday: Donut/Sloppy joe, chips, vegetable, cherry delight, milk

Wednesday: Biscuit, sausage/Nachos, lettuce, fruit, cookie, milk

Thursday: Bacon, hash brown, toast/Beef & noodles, mashed potatoes, fruit, jello, milk

Friday: Scrambled eggs, toast/Pizza, vegetable, fruit, ice cream, milk

Monday: Waffle, syrup/Tenderloin on bun, chips, baked beans, fruit, milk

Tuesday: Muffin/Roast beef, mashed potatoes & gravy, strawberries, white cake, milk

Wednesday: Omelet, toast/Tacos, lettuce, cheese, refried beans, cookie, milk

Thursday: Cinnamon roll/BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, jello, milk

Friday: Biscuit & gravy/Pizza, vegetable, fruit, ice cream, milk

The Adair County R-II School District has been awarded the 21st Century Community Learning Center continuation grant. This grant will be used to continue the before- and after-school learning program for students in grades K-6 at the Brashear Elementary School.

The 21st Century Community Learning Center program is a part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The purpose of this program is to create community-learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities for children to meet State and local student standards in core academic subjects, to offer students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs, and to offer literacy and other educational services to the families of the participating children.

The Adair County R-II School District is very excited about the programming that can be offered from the strong partnership formations with various organizations in the area. Collaborative efforts between Truman State University (and it's entities such as the Center for Student Involvement) and the district has produced some extremely unique possibilities that has the potential to be mutually beneficial to the students of the district as well as to the students at Truman State University.

Additionally, the Kirksville YMCA is committed to reinforcing the Character Development curriculum outside of the school setting by providing monthly Parents' Nights Out. During Parents' Nights Out, the YMCA would provide childcare, healthy snacks and a movie that reinforces the character fundamentals taught during the 21st CCLC program.

The district is also fortunate to have partnered with the A. T. Still University of Health Sciences and the Still National Osteopathic Museum and the University of Missouri Outreach and Extension, as well as the Missouri Department of Conservation who have made outstanding offers of on-site educational programming, opportunities for field trips, team building activities, and tutoring services. Additional on-site programming offers have come from partners such as the Adair County Health Department, the Missouri Highway Patrol, and the Adair County Public Library. Offers of volunteers and mentors have come from the Brashear Community Bible Church, Brashear United Methodist Church, and Brashear National Honor Society.

If you would like your child to be involved in this program, contact the school at 660-323-5272. The cost of the program is $10 per week for one child and $5 per week for each additional child in the family. The program is free to those students who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program.

Busy Bees will meet for the first time on September 12 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. in the Parents as Teachers (PAT) classroom. Children who are three and four years of age are eligible for this program.

Our annual preschool screening was held on Monday, August 29. We recommend that all children ages 3-4 be developmentally screened. This screening includes hearing, vision, height, and weight. If your child will be entering Kindergarten next fall, the annual Kindergarten Registration and Screening will be held in May 2006. Therefore, you do not need an appointment for your child at this time. If you were not able to screen your child on August 29 or are interested in learning more, you may call Angela Laudwig at 323-5272.

All responsible public agencies are required to locate, evaluate, and identify children with disabilities who are under the jurisdiction of the agency, regardless of the severity of the disability, including children attending private schools, highly mobile children, such as migrant and homeless children, and children who are suspected of having a disability and in need of special education even though they are advancing from grade to grade. The Adair County R-II School District assures that it will provide a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to all eligible children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 under its jurisdiction. Disabilities include autism, deaf/blindness, emotional disorders, hearing impairment and deafness, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment/blindness and young child with a developmental delay.

The Adair County R-II School District assures that it will provide information and referral services necessary to assist the State in the implementation of early intervention services for infants and toddlers eligible for the Missouri First Steps program.

The Adair County R-II School District assures that personally identifiable information collected, used, or maintained by the agency for the purposes of identification, evaluation, placement or provision of FAPE of children with disabilities may be inspected and/or reviewed by their parents/guardians. Parents/guardians may request amendment to the educational record if the parent/guardian believes the record is inaccurate, misleading, or violates the privacy or other rights of their child. Parents have the right to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Education or the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education concerning alleged failures by the district to meet the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The Adair County R-II School District has developed a Local Compliance Plan for the implementation of State Regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This plan contains the agency's policies and procedures regarding storage, disclosure to third parties, retention and destruction of personally identifiable information and the agency's assurances that services are provided in compliance with the General Education Provision Act (GEPA). This plan may be reviewed during regular school hours on days school is in session in the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.

This notice will be provided in native languages as appropriate.

The Brashear School recently made a donation to the Adair County Public Library. A set of DVD's containing BHS Newscasts for the years 2002-2003,

2003-2004, and 2004-2005 are now available to be checked out for home viewing. These newscasts chronical the back-to-back state championships and the construction of our new elementary building along with everyday life at BHS.

If you would like your own copies of these DVD's, a limited quantity may be available at a nominal price. Contact the school for details.

The After School Tiger Pride Program now has a cell phone. If you need to contact them regarding arrangements for your child(ren) after 3:15 p.m., please call (660) 216-8075 instead of the regular school number.

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