Remembering those in need this holiday season

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This is the time of year when we give back and offer our thanks. I hope that you will get involved with us in the effort to make this holiday season brighter and winter warmer. Please take a moment to view the video below to learn more about resources available for children in need and how to get involved in giving back this season.



Contact information for several organizations providing for families in need:

• Contact information for all schools.
• Crosslines - 865-5810
• The Salvation Army - 862-5509
• Victory Mission - 864-2225
• The Kitchen - 837-1540
  

Everyone has a role in pedestrian safety

I want to again thank Bill Armstrong, his daughter Kimberly, and Bill Harper for speaking out about the need for improved pedestrian safety on our city streets. Kimberly, you’ll recall, was walking to school when she was struck Sept 22 as she was crossing Kearney Street. We are pleased that Kimberly is making a successful recovery and that both parties involved in this unfortunate accident are working together to prevent future incidents such as this.

The School Crossing Protection Committee (SCPC) works with parents and the community to address concerns about crossing guards, crosswalks, lights, sidewalks, etc. This committee consists of PTA representatives, the Director of School-Public Safety for Springfield Public Schools, the District Traffic Engineer of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department, Springfield City Traffic Engineer, Springfield Police Department, Greene County Sheriff's Department, and the Greene County Highway Department. They are tasked with reviewing school crossing protection requests, recommending action to address school traffic safety problems, establishing priorities on projects, and developing policies and procedures to ensure a uniform school crossing protection program throughout the city and county.

Springfield is a large community with busy streets and lots of traffic which can compromise the safety of our children on their way to and from school. While the city and county are responsible for the streets themselves, we work closely with them through the SCPC to address these concerns.

I encourage everyone to take responsibility for pedestrian safety. When you see areas of concern, as a parent, driver or pedestrian, please bring it to the attention of the SCPC. Parents can work through their PTA to get these issues before the committee. Others can contact the Springfield City Traffic Engineer or Springfield Public Schools Police Services at 523-2911.

Drivers, please remember to slow down and exercise cautious while you are on the streets when students are going to and from school. We must all work together to prevent accidents like this in the future.

Central broadcast students win Pacemaker Award

Congratulations to Central High School's "Central Intelligence" for winning their second consecutive first place in the Best of Show category at the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) and Journalism Education Association (JEA) fall convention in Washington, D.C.

"Central Intellegence" also received their first Pacemaker Award, recognizing the five best student media programs in the country. Central also collected a total of 19 individual student awards, more than any other school in the country. Individual student awards include:

• Superior- Nora Lewis and Grier Gammon for Short Documentary
• Superior- Lydia Berns and Mitchell Trafford for Broadcast Package
• Superior- Isabel Balla, Sarah Smith and Destiny Pettus for Public Service Announcement
• Excellent- Alexa Snodgrass and Alex Scranton for In-Camera Feature
• Excellent- Alex Schriver and Maddison McBurnie for Podcast
• Excellent- Nate Fairbank and Raleigh Cavero for Broadcast News
• Honorable Mention- Halli Bruton for Broadcast Sports
• Honorable Mention- Yoonji Kim and Valerie Quirk for Broadcast Feature 
• Honorable Mention- Caroline Croessmann for Newswriting 
• Honorable Mention- Andy Wolff for On-Air Reporter 
• Honorable Mention- Brittany Donnellan for Broadcast Commentary

Congratulations to the students at "Central Intelligence" on their great work. Check out the show below.

October attendance tops 92 percent, despite influenza

I’m pleased to report that Springfield Public Schools had an average daily attendance of 92.44% for the month of October. Typically, that number would be a little on the low side; it is down 2.69% from October of last year. However, that number is noteworthy this year since we’ve had to deal with H1N1.

Several of our schools experienced high absentee rates – topping 20% on more than one occasion – at various points last month because of students with flu-like symptoms. The district even had to close Delaware Elementary from Oct. 14-16 because of an elevated number of students absent with flu-like symptoms.

Because of the early arrival of flu season, I was pleasantly surprised by our 92.44% average daily attendance rate for October.

Nevertheless, it is worth reminding everyone that flu season is far from over, and we must continue to take precautions to deal with further outbreaks. SPS is now in the process of offering free H1N1 vaccines to our students, with parental permission. The schedules for vaccine clinics as well as additional information about flu prevention are available on our influenza information page. I encourage everyone to keep washing their hands and don’t hesitate to keep your child home from school if they’re showing signs of illness such as a fever.

Thank you from York Elementary

York Elementary is one of the eight schools that will be air conditioned with the 2009 bond issue approved by voters this week. The students and staff at York expressed their thanks, and I wanted to share with you a photo of a thank you banner they made.

Teacher representation decision offers another opportunity to communicate

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, Springfield Public Schools’ teachers, counselors and librarians will vote to determine whether or not they would like to be represented by one or more teacher organizations for the purpose of collective bargaining. The board and I place a great deal of value on the opinions of our staff, and their decision will provide us with another opportunity to communicate directly with our faculty.

As described in board policy HH, this election will ask teachers to choose among exclusive representation, multiple representation or no representation. Voting will occur at the district’s five high schools between 3:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 10. Each employee eligible to vote in the election is assigned to one of the five high schools as their designated voting location. Voting locations are assigned based on the employee’s primary work location on record. Employees whose names appear on the voter eligibility list have been provided a copy of the notice of election and notified of their designated voting location directly via U.S. Mail to their home address. The voting process at those sites will be overseen by an independent, third-party official, representatives from both teacher organizations (MSTA and SNEA) and a district official to ensure a fair process. Votes will be counted immediately after voting concludes.

I am continually impressed and inspired by the dedication of our teachers, counselors, librarians and everyone in the district who work so hard to educate our children. The community believes in our teachers and schools; almost two-thirds of voters approved a $50 million bond issue this Tuesday to upgrade the schools where our children learn. We are fortunate to be part of a community so supportive of teachers and education. The district will continue to support our teachers, and we look forward to an additional opportunity for direct communication on the future of our schools via whichever route they choose for representation.

Thank you voters

Springfield voters overwhelmingly approved a $50 million bond issue on behalf of the more than 24,000 students in Springfield Public Schools. This represents an essential investment in keeping our facilities up to date and ready to serve the needs of children. We are fortunate to be part of a community so dedicated in their support for education.

Almost 65 percent of voters supported our bond proposal Tuesday and I believe that is a strong indication that this community is pleased with the direction of Springfield Public Schools. The community has entrusted the board of education and the district to do the right thing for children while being good stewards of taxpayer dollars. It is a commitment we take very seriously.

This bond fulfills a promise made to the community a decade ago to air condition all district schools. Air conditioning the remaining eight schools provides equity in the quality of learning environments for students in all parts of the district. Construction and improvement projects and technology upgrades will put more district schools in line with 21st century standards for education. As we break ground and move forward with the projects promised in this bond, we will keep voters apprised of the progress and informed of the impact.

This bond allows the district to access between $5 million to $7 million of federal stimulus money that will save taxpayers millions in interest. Our good stewardship of public resources gave the district additional bonding capacity and available debt service funds to issue this $50 million bond, extending the commitment by just four years from 2026 to 2030 without having to increase the current tax rate. It is also important to mention that the majority of these dollars will be spent locally, creating employment opportunities and generating demand for raw materials and supplies for local businesses.

Every day in our schools hands reach skyward to ask a question or report a result. Those young hands waiving in the air represent the great strides our community is making as we prepare the inquisitive minds of our children to become the leaders of tomorrow. This bond issue represents another leap forward for Springfield Public Schools. On behalf of the students, teachers, employees, board of education and the community, I extend a heart-felt thank you to Springfield’s voters.

Sincerely,
Dr. Norm Ridder, superintendent, and Gerry Lee, board of education president