There will be three open seats for the Board of Education election on April 8, 2008. The incumbents are Doug Clarkson, Curtis Gordon, and Traci Hill. Those elected will serve three-year terms. The first day for candidates to file is Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 8:00 a.m. The last day for candidates to file will be Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.

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 beginning on Tuesday, December 18 at 8:00 a.m. The superintendent’s office will be closed December 20 – January 2 and therefore will not be accepting candidates filing on those dates. Regular business hours will resume on Thursday, January 3. On January 22, the office will remain open until 5:00 p.m. for filing purposes. Questions? Call the Superintendent’s office at 323-5272 during regular business hours.

Citizens have until Wednesday, March 12, 2008 to register to vote in the April general election.

Congratulations to Christina Scudder for earning 3rd Chair Clarinet for District Honorable Mention Band and Jay Scudder for his excellent audition for District Band. Congratulations also to Andy Belzer, Rachael Ferguson, Shelby Salter, and Chloe Sykes. These students were selected for the District Junior High Honor Band. Thank you for representing Brashear School and the music program!

Brashear Band will continue to accept donated instruments for the band program. Direct donations and questions to Mr. Jeremy Haupt, jeremy_haupt@brashear.k12.mo.us.

Come celebrate the Holidays with the Brashear Bands and Choirs! The annual Brashear Holiday Concert will be held on Tuesday, December 18, at 7:00 p.m. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

Yearbook sales drive began on November 1st, 2007. The price of the yearbooks will be the same as last year. Yearbooks bought between November 1st and January 31st will cost $45. During the month of February, the yearbooks will cost $55. All yearbooks purchased after February 29 will cost $60. Please buy them as soon as possible. You may purchase them from Renee in the superintendent’s office. Please remember to hold on to your receipt. Additionally, you may choose to purchase an individualized nametag for an extra $5.

Also, the yearbook class is offering the opportunity for family members to purchase space in the yearbook for $35 per 1/8 of a page in order to communicate a special message to their loved one. Attention senior parents: This would be a wonderful opportunity to specialize your child’s last BHS yearbook. You may design the space or you can have the yearbook staff create one for you.

If you would like to purchase an 1/8 page ($35), 1/2 page ($125), or full page ($250) ad for a business, please contact the yearbook staff at Brashear High School or matt_copeland@brashear.k12.mo.us for more information.

Lastly, if any students, faculty, staff, or community members have any quality pictures that might be worthy of being included in the yearbook, please bring them by the school or email them to me as a .jpeg or .gif file.

Thanks for your help and support in order to create a quality yearbook.

Matt Copeland, Yearbook Sponsor

Tyler Horton, Tiffany Blake, Elizabeth Owings, Tony Raine, 2008 BHS Yearbook Staff

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I, ____________________, would like to purchase 1 2 3 yearbook(s). _________

Would you like to purchase a nametag for the yearbook for $5 more? Y N ____

Would you like to purchase yearbook space in order to leave a special message? Y N

Special Message/Design:

Total Cost:_______________

Please return with money to Renee Reeves in the superintendent’s office

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.

This year we will be offering family season passes to help defray the cost in the rise of gate admission prices. The cost for a High School Season Pass is $37.50. (Full Season Pass cost was $75.00.) This pass may be purchased at the school during regular business hours or at the admission gate for the ball game.

The family season pass is good for all regular high school basketball games played at home and admits students and adults in the immediate family. The pass excludes tournament games.

The number of Tiger Pride students is growing all the time and we're so thankful to you for entrusting your children to our after-school care! November was a "zooming" month as we complimented Reading Week with our "Transportation" theme. The Missouri Department of Transportation visited us and provided fun activities focused on traffic safety and enjoying the science behind their work! All the children received free t-shirts, coloring books and other fun items. Thank you MoDOT!

We are continuing our "Transportation" theme along with other holiday activities. Please mark you calendars for Thursday, December 6. From 6:00-8:00 p.m., Kirksville's YMCA will host a "Movie Night" for our Tiger Pride children. There will be a movie, snacks, and games available. This would be a great opportunity to work on Christmas shopping! If your child(ren) will be attending, please let me know ASAP!

F.Y.I. We WILL be having Tiger Pride on December 19, the last school day before Christmas break!

The Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) has the responsibility of reviewing and accrediting the 524 school districts in Missouri within a five-year review cycle.

The Adair County R-II School District qualified for an MSIP Waiver this year based on the following criteria:

1. The district was classified as Accredited by the State Board of Education as of June 30, 2006; and

2. The district met at least 11 performance standards on the June 19, 2006, 2005 4^th Cycle Annual Performance Report and at least 12 Performance standards on the December 1, 2006 APR; and

3. The district met all items on an additional list of "Items Not Waived Checklist"

This waiver sets the stage for a Mini-Review by the State Supervisor. As a result, our school district is participating in an evaluation in February of 2008, as part of the Missouri School Improvement Program administered by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and our staff.

As a part of this evaluation, we have asked you and your children to complete surveys in an effort to learn how you, as parents and students, feel about the educational programs and services provided by our district.

The results of these surveys will be part of a report our school district will receive from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Also included in this report will be information from students, teachers, administrators, and staff. This report will identify the strengths of our district and also list areas where improvements can be made. We want to thank you for taking the time to complete these surveys in an effort to help us improve the quality of education for the students of our district.

Monday: Muffin, fruit/Tenderloin on bun, cheesy potatoes, baked beans, fruit, peanut butter bar, milk

Monday: Sausage, toast/Turkey roast, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, peaches, chocolate cake, milk

Monday: French toast sticks, syrup/Corn dog, tater tots, baked beans, mandarin oranges, cookie, milk

The Computer Class has been creating DVD’s of the Fall 2007 activities. They have completed videos for Softball, Baseball (fall season), Junior High Girls Basketball, and Junior High Boys Basketball. The highlight videos will be available for the Christmas season at a cost of $5 each. If you are interested, please call the school at 323-5272.

Congratulations to Saydie Potter and Natasha Findling for winning the PTS Reading Awards for the month of November.

Each month, PTS will be

sponsoring a winning reader in grades K-3 and 4-6. The winners will receive a free Scholastic book gift certificate and a $10 Wal-mart gift card from PTS. Keep up the reading!!!

Thanks PTS for supporting our school! Congratulations again to Saydie and Natasha!!!!

This winter, protect your child from unseen dangers.

With colder weather approaching, symptoms such as headache, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea might be more than the flu.

Carbon monoxide, an odorless, tasteless and invisible gas from fuel-burning appliances, is responsible for more deaths than any other single poison.

In the United States, nearly 4,000 children are treated in emergency rooms yearly for exposure to carbon monoxide.

"Because of their higher metabolic rates, children are more vulnerable than adults to carbon monoxide poisoning," says Laura Fitzmaurice, MD, division chief of Emergency Medical Services at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. "The best way to protect your child is to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning in your home:

Have a qualified technician check all fuel-burning appliances in your home, such as oil and gas furnaces, gas water heaters, gas ranges and ovens, gas or kerosene space heaters and fireplaces.

Install carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of your home. Check the batteries monthly.

Never let your car idle in the garage. Even if the door is open, fumes can quickly contaminate the air in your home.

Make sure any room with a space heater is properly ventilated.

Never use gasoline-powered engines such as mowers or snow blowers in enclosed spaces."

(Article reprinted from Missouri Association of Rural Education, Fall 2006 Newsletter)

It has come to my attention that we are having more problems with cell phone misuse at school. I know that "kids will be kids," but some of the incidents that we are having simply constitute cyber

bullying. When most people think of bullying the image of a bigger kid threatening to beat another kid comes to mind. In today's instant information age a student doesn't have to confront another face to face in order to bully someone else. Cyber bullies use text messages or take pictures on cell phones, use the Internet to send email, instant messages, or use social networking sites such as Myspace or Facebook to harass, embarrass, and intimidate other kids. The bullying takes many forms, from spreading false rumors and posting embarrassing pictures of others to sending offensive messages, or repeated harassment. These statements and pictures are very hurtful to others that are trying to understand the meaning behind such acts.

Technology has certainly changed since we were in school and sometimes it is hard for adults to keep up with the latest technology. One thing that we need to remember is that as parents we teach our children the difference between right and wrong, and between ethical and unethical behavior. We also need to take the time to remind our children that the same rules apply online and on cell phones. It's our responsibility as parents to make sure that our children are neither victims nor bullies.

As parents you can help out by monitoring your child's use of technology. Regularly check the picture gallery on their cell phones, and check their incoming & outgoing text messages. Contact your cell phone company and request the records of text messages that were sent/received or pictures that were sent/received to your child's phone. If they join social networking Web sites, ask to see any

profile or Web page they create. If they are bullies or victims, it will be clear to you. When you see something inappropriate on another student's web page, talk to that child's parent to let them know what you found. They may be unaware of what is on their child's Myspace/Facebook page. If you do find evidence that your child was cyber bullied, print off a copy before you delete the information.

This might be the only evidence that your child was a victim.

We are looking for volunteers that would be willing to review our cell phone policy to give constructive feedback on how the policy might need to be strengthened.

Mr. McHenry

November 26-December 1 Novinger Tournament—There TBA

3 Busy Bees—Here 8:30-11:00 a.m.

4 Varsity Basketball w/ Linn County—There 6:00 p.m.

10 Busy Bees—Here 8:30-11:00 a.m.

11 Varsity Basketball w/ LaPlata—Here 6:00 p.m.

12 Lunch w/ the Principal K-1

13 Lunch w/ the Principal 2-3

13 Varsity Basketball w/ Milan—There 6:00 p.m.

14 Lunch w/ the Principal 4-6

14 Christmas Dance—Here 8:00-11:00 p.m.

17 Busy Bees—Here 8:30-11:00 a.m.

17 Varsity Basketball w/ Marion County—There 6:00 p.m.

18 Holiday Concert—Here 7:00 p.m.

19 Elementary Awards Assembly—Here 2:45 p.m.

20 Varsity Basketball w/ Atlanta—There 6:00 p.m.

20-January 2 NO SCHOOL—Christmas Vacation

Mary Alice and Bonnie Evans for their donation of Brashear Tiger Memorabilia (Class of 1967 and 1971)

Steve Harvey for his donation of Cowboy

Louise Smith for her donation of Butterflies and Moths of Missouri

Gage Padget for his donation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Cat in the Hat, Curious George, and The Ant Bully

Abby, Caitlee and Noah Hall for their donation of Star in the Storm, Junie B. Toothless Wonder, Arther and the Goalie Ghost, Arthur and the Race to Read, Who's in Love with Arthur, and Arthur and the Recess Rookie

Travis Freeman for his donation of two boxes of books including Visual Dictionary of Buildings, I Remember America, and The Builders

Old Newsletters