MS Canned Food Drive

When we return from our Thanksgiving Break the Middle School Will begin it's 27th Annual Canned Food Drive. All the nonperishable food items will be donated to the Christmas Baskets Program. Students may bring 3 cans and get into the MS Christmas Dance for free. Last year students and teachers donated 647 cans, third high. The most cans donated was in 2004 with 763 and second was 1998 with 711. Watch for a sale on veggies and see if you can help us beat the record.

Mid-Term Grades Coming Home Friday

We are halfway through the second quarter of school. Grades will be sent home with your child on Friday, November 19. If your child has a D or an F we will also mail a report home. Your child has three and a half weeks before the end of second quarter.

New Drug of Choice for Teens

The Springfield paper recently had a front-page article on the growing trend of prescription drug abuse. One in five high school students have abused prescription drugs; "more than the percent of students who had tried cocaine, ecstacy, heroin and meth combined." AND they just get the drugs out of their families' and friends' medicine cabinets and pass them around. Some students become addicted and it can lead to death, the article mentioned a prominent Nixa football player who accidentally overdosed and died. It is breaking school policy for students to have prescription drugs, theirs' or anybody else's, at school and illegal to have somebody else's meds anywhere else. Suggestions to prevent this abuse are 1. keep your medicines locked up, 2. dispose of unused medications and 3. "awareness is key" talk about it with your teens and family and friends your teen spends time with. "A full list of state resources" can be found online at http://dmh.mo.gov/ada/adaindex.htm

Beautiful Fall

WOW! Have you noticed the trees. I've heard of people traveling to New England to see colorful trees this time of year. Aren't we lucky that all we have to do is drive down Main Street to see trees with wonderful fall colors. The mild Fall weather is also causing every one's sinuses and allergies to act up, mine too. I missed four days of school and am sorry if you tried to reach me during that time. I am back at work talking with students, answering phone calls, checking grades, and preparing classroom guidance lessons.