Certificates of Appreciation presented to California school board members

The members of the California R-I School Board are presented Certificates of Appreciation at the regular monthly meeting Wednesday, Jan. 21. Board members are, from left, Craig Ash, Kyle Wirts, Joe Kirby, Jay VanDieren, Philip Burger and Paul Bloch. Not present for the photo was Rhonda Meyer.
The members of the California R-I School Board are presented Certificates of Appreciation at the regular monthly meeting Wednesday, Jan. 21. Board members are, from left, Craig Ash, Kyle Wirts, Joe Kirby, Jay VanDieren, Philip Burger and Paul Bloch. Not present for the photo was Rhonda Meyer.

California R-I School Board members were presented with Certificates of Appreciation for Missouri School Board Recognition Week. The board members were presented with certificates at the regular meeting Wednesday, Jan. 21, to honor them for the service they provide to the community in serving on the board and directing the work of the school district.

Several members of the baseball and softball booster clubs spoke to the school board. The discussion involved the new ball field currently under construction with the booster clubs seeking approval for a proposed fundraising effort.

The Board approved the construction at the December meeting of the multi-use field after the project was made possible because of an apparent surplus of nearly $300,000 from the April Bond Issue funds. The board discussion determined that the completed project will save on transportation costs and increase safety to have the games played at the high school. With a new baseball/softball field, most of the school-related activities will be brought to one location - the high school campus.

Since the estimated funds are not enough to complete the field and allow it to be used in the spring, the booster clubs are working together to raise the additional necessary money.

The board gave approval to the selling of 4x8 foot advertising banners to be placed on the permanent baseball outfield fence. The banner content will be subject to approval of the school administration. The banners will be made of a material to allow air flow and will not be in the centerfield area. The temporary softball fence will not have banners.

The fundraising has already begun with the sale of tickets at basketball games. The tickets are for a drawing to take place at the end of January, with the winner taking home either a Remington 870 autoloading shotgun or a gift certificate of equal value to be used at Bonecutter's Sporting Goods, California. A barbecue is being planned.

The original plans were for a turf infield and a seeded outfield area. If the field is to be ready for spring baseball, it will need a sod outfield, preferably with an irrigation system. The fundraising has already resulted in enough funds to pay for either the sod outfield or the irrigation system. The clubs are in discussion with a possible corporate sponsor for a batting cage.

In other business, approval was given for the ballot language which will be on the April 7 ballot. There will be five candidates for the two seats available on the board.

Several resignations as of June 30 were announced. Leaving at the end of the school year are High School Principal Mike Hight, High School Counselor Cathy Hight, Middle School Vocal Music Teacher Marcia Burgher, Angie Lehman and Paraprofessional Aid to Students Sherry Sanders.

Elementary School Principal Daniel Williams reported the enrollment at 604. Tuesday, Jan. 20, a professional development day, was packed with activities. Dawn Cook led the entire elementary staff on training relating to the Collaborative Work Grant, with emphasis on making each interaction with students a positive one. Scott Taylor, training representative of Catapult Learning, provided second-fifth grade teachers with more teaching on the eValuate software. The pre-k through first grade "vertical teams" worked on aligning the curriculum in the area of writing. On Feb. 3 and 5, Jana Schmidt will provide two hour training on continued implementation of RTI (Response to Intervention), a school-based, multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and reduce behavior problems. On Feb. 6, she will provide all day training for the fifth grade team to assist in learning to make data-driven decisions.

Middle School Principal Matt Abernathy reported 310 students enrolled. On the professional development day Jan. 20, Scott Taylor worked with the staff on eValuate software. The results of the Major Saver discount cards sales resulted in the raising of $735 through the sale of 98 cards. Middle school students had class level spelling bees. On Feb. 6, the top five from each grade level will compete in a building-wide spell-off to determine the building winner. The winner will represent CMS at the regional competition in Columbia later in the year. The middle school choir students began rehearsals for the musical Oklahoma, to be performed March 13-14.

High School Principal Mike Hight reported 405 students enrolled. A tour of Nichols Career Center is planned for Jan. 28 for students considering enrolling there. Pre-registration will begin in February for next year's classes. Applications are being developed for National Honor Society. Benefits are being realized from intervention strategies which have been put in place. There are options available, in part due to the eight-period schedule.

The next regular board meeting is Wednesday, Feb. 18.