Salem R80 School District

Parent Night Cancelled

April 17, 2014 -- The 6th and 7th grade parent nights scheduled for May 1st and 8th have been cancelled due to construction. The rescheduled dates will be in August with details to be released at a later date.

MCTM Elementary Mathematics Regional Contest by Melanie Wisdom

April 15, 2014 -- Salem Upper Elementary had representation from thirteen students on Saturday, April 12th at the MCTM Regional Math Contest. The students spent the morning testing in different areas of mathematics as individuals and teams. Students competing in the contest were: Tayton Barton, Dabrian Gorman, Collin Heavin, Kole Morgan, Denise Stoner, Hunter Shaw, Caden Camden, Catherine Chester, Martin Jones, Alyssa Stotler, Katrina Parks, Andy Bottorff, and Kolson Seay. In the area of number sense for 6th grade Katrina Parks took 5th, Kolson Seay took 4th and Andy Bottorff took 2nd. In the target event area for 6th grade Kolson Seay took 5th place and Katrina Parks took 4th place. In the sprint event for 5th grade Martin Jones took 3rd place. In the sprint event for 6th grade Kolson Seay took 5th place. The team of Martin Jones, Katrina Parks, and Kolson Seay took 4th place out of twenty teams in the team event. Congratulations to all of the competitors and to Martin Jones and Kolson Seay for qualifying to go on to the State MCTM Elementary Mathematics contest! A special thanks to Mrs. Pitchford and Mrs. Craft for the many hours spent coaching this great group of kids after school.

Drywall in the HS Addition

Comprehensive School Improvement Plan
by John McColloch

John McColloch,
Assistant Superintendent

On March 24, approximately 30 individuals met at the library in the Upper Elementary to begin development of a Salem R-80 Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. Teachers, parents, students, and administrators began by developing mission statement ideas. The group broke into smaller teams and shared thoughts regarding the question “Why does our organization exist?” Some of the common themes were community, lifelong learners, global, 21st Century skills, knowledge, all learners, and responsible citizens. We will use these common themes to develop a mission statement for the district. The mission statement is used to guide the district and its decisions for the future. The groups then identified sources of information and data they would like to analyze as we look for areas in need of improvement. I am currently in the process of collecting that information for our next meeting. At the next meeting, we will discuss finalizing a mission statement and begin analyzing our district data to identify areas for improvement. The next step will then be to develop measurable goals to address the areas in need of improvement. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 21st at 5:30. We again plan to meet at the library in the Upper Elementary. I would encourage anyone interested to attend.

The brick on the High School is done!

The Middle School addition gets a new roof and the High School gets drywall!

SCA Math / Science Relays

March 21, 2014 -- Students from Salem High School attended the annual SCA Math/Science Relays in Mtn. Grove on Tuesday, March 18, 2014. Students from most SCA conference schools competed both individually and in teams in Math and Science subject tests. Salem students won many individual and team awards and are as follows: Josh Sirois, 1st Algebra II; Dylan Arthur, 4th Measurements; Hayden Major, 1st Trigonometry; Sean Ferguson, 1st Advanced Math; Nicholas Julien, 1st Biology I; Daniel Schultz, 2nd Advanced Biology; Daniel Schultz, 3rd Anatomy & Physiology; Sophomore Team , 1st Place, consisting of Josh Sirois, Brenna Tatom, Alex Major, and Madison Knight , and 1st place in the Team Challenge Question which consisted of all SCA Math/Science participants; Dakota Fenton, Dillon Arthur, Carson Mowery, Hannah Headrick, Alivia Long, Nick Cowan, Allie Fleenor, Ty Conley, Desirae Hickernell, Brenna Tatom, Josh Sirois, Kimber Schafer, Rachel Walden, Hayden Major, Alex Major, Cameron Pilkington, Sean Ferguson, Januarie Blanchard, Dustin Camden, Sean Dahms, Taya White, Daniel Schultz, Madison Knight, Lauren Anderson, Austin Decker, and Nicholas Julien. Congratulations to ALL students for your success!!

Science Fair 2014
by Angela Barnes

Angela Barnes,
HS Biology Teacher

March 20, 2014 -- The second annual Salem High School Science Fair was held on March 11, 2014 in the High School Gym. There were around 200 projects on display ranging from inventions, demonstrations, and carefully thought out experiments. Throughout the year, the importance of the process of problem solving is stressed to our students. Science utilizes the Scientific Method by observing, hypothesizing and predicting, experimenting, collecting data, counting, graphing, computing and interpreting data. When students employ these major concepts of science, they gain the ability to understand the problem solving process and allow themselves to improve analytical thinking skills, process more complex ideas, and solve the multifaceted real world problems they face as they enter society. The Scientific Method helps to organize thoughts and procedures so that students can be confident in the answers they find. Winners this year are: 1st Place, Zach Erway; 2nd Place Alex Major; Honorable Mention: Jack Conner, Brady Hagler, Madison Knight, Cara Sercl, and Jamie Stephens. These students all received a gift card from Wal-Mart. Congratulations to all students for their hard work!

Windows and Brick

Dent County Junior Quiz Bowl

February 19, 2014 -- It is hard to believe, but the Junior High Quiz Bowl Tournament came quickly this year. We missed days in December, January, and February but still managed to get some practice time in before the tournament with coaches Mrs. Krewson, Mrs. Morton, and Mrs. Ritchey. The Salem R-80 Upper Elementary teachers, Tina McKee and Katie Craft, organized this year’s event. On Monday, February 10, 2014 the Salem R-80 Junior High Team competed against Dent Phelps R-3 and Green Forest R-2. The Salem 7th grade team consisted of members: Anita Conway, Hayden Gotchal, Brandilyn Maggard, and Cliff Potts. The Salem 8th grade team consisted of members: Matthew Ketzler, Richard Parks, and Nolan Swank.

The Salem R-80 Team lost the first match to Green Forest R-2 with a score of 155-90. We won our second match against Dent-Phelps R-3 with a score of 85-70. Salem R-80 went on to play Green Forest R-2 for the Championship. In order to take first place, R-80 would need to beat R-2 twice. Salem beat Green Forest in the first match with a score of 155-65. During the final match up, Green Forest beat Salem with a score of 105-50. It was a great night and all the students did a great job. Thank you to the parents for allowing your child to participate in the academic event.

Congratulations Salem R-80 on a 2nd place finish at the Dent County Junior Quiz Bowl Tournament!

What Great Teachers Do
by Melanie Wisdom

Melanie Wisdom,
Upper Elementary Principal

February 7, 2014 -- In all of my free time this week, I was looking through articles and magazines and came upon a great article, "7 Things Great Teachers Do" by James Vollbracht, that I thought was very intriguing. It discussed interviewing students to find out what “great” teachers do. You would think that they would say give us extra recess, let us have free time, etc., however, that is not the case. I hope you find them interesting, as well:

Know their kids personally. They know us and care about us.
Share about themselves. Students can relate more to a teacher that shares things in his/her personal life.
Smile more. By smiling, you are providing that students with assurance that you care and that you will listen to them and their thoughts.
Encourage them to participate in school. Teachers who recognize students’ talents and strengths can encourage them to be more involved in school activities, which will boost their confidence to do great things as they get older.
Spending time beyond class with students. Teachers who give that extra few minutes of lunch, recess or after school to make sure that the student “gets it” is much appreciated by our kids.
Providing descriptive feedback. It’s not just about the grade. It’s about what they can do to improve upon their work or what they did right.
Tell them why. It is important for students to know why they are doing an assignment or learning about something in class. Great teachers will tell them why and connect it to real life situations.

Middle School Brick front and HS columns

Salem Upper Elementary Tiger Choir
by Melanie Wisdom

April 16, 2014 -- The Salem Upper Elementary Tiger Choir, under the direction of Lori Beasley and accompanied by Christy Leathers, sang at the Mid-Missouri Music Festival in Jefferson City on Saturday. The choir received a 1 rating for their performance. This festival is so beneficial to our young choir members, as they receive suggestions from the judges following the competition. It was a great day for the 66 member choir. The choir performed two selections for a panel of three judges. Each of the judges gave a written critique and rating based on the performance and one judge did a short clinic with the choir offering suggestions for further improvement. Under the section entitled “strengths” on the critique sheet, one of the judges wrote “too many to list-you are a fantastic choir!” The choir’s next performance will be Monday, May 12th when they will perform the musical revue “Broadway Beat” at the Salem High School.

Salem Chemists go to Engineering School by Vashanti Rahaman and her Chem II Class

Vashanti Rahaman,
Chemistry Instructor

April 11, 2014 -- On April 9th, Chemistry II students from Salem High School, along with peers from six other Missouri high schools, visited the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Missouri S&T in Rolla.   Students were guided through active labs in the Department.   They got to see near-peers working in fields which actually use, in an almost matter-of fact way, the sometimes abstract-seeming scientific language and concepts taught in high school.

In the glass workshop, they saw glass shaped and blown and at the foundry they learned about metal casting. Later labs and demonstrations taught them about the properties of glass and metals and ceramics and how the forces between atoms, affected the behavior of different types materials. They watched glass balls bounce like rubber, and metal springs uncoil in hot water, and saw that an oxidation process could protect metal from oxidation.

In a high temperature advanced ceramics lab, students experienced that a piece of space shuttle tile would protect their hands from a blow torch, and that, Science Fiction movies, not withstanding, titanium would not be a good material for a space ship hull (upon heating, a pellet of Titanium oxidized violently, giving off sparks.) In the Electron microscope labs, students saw the operation of scanning electron microscopes, observing objects ranging from a single hair on a fly to single atoms of Silicon.

After lunch, student groups were challenged to protect a small glass container with plastic straws only. The protected glass was then dropped from increasing heights. Survivors of the formal testing went on to an impromptu informal testing that far exceeded original specifications. The protected containers were dropped, and then thrown from a height of more than a story onto flagstones. Only one team’s device lasted longer than Salem’s.   All in all, our students pronounced the day: “Best Field Trip Ever!”

Preschool Screening will be April 15th and 16th from 8:30-2:00. Please call 729-6611 for an appointment.

21st Century Community Learning Center

April 3, 2014 -- Let us hear from you!!! We want to know what you as parents, guardians, and members of the community want in Salem for you and your children to do after school and during the summer!

Salem has a unique opportunity for offering several After School Activities for both the youth as well as adults in our community. A community grant is being offered by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that will help implement a large number of activities for all Salem residents. According to DESE, this grant is a program which “provides academic enrichment opportunities in before‐ or after‐school and/or summer settings for children” and will “offer students a broad array of enrichment activities that complement their regular academic programs, along with offering families literacy and related educational development”.

Salem is a community that supports and encourages all kinds of education as well as involvement in various activities for young and old alike. All the School Districts in Salem are extremely thankful for the very generous and tremendous support received in the past and present. There is a link on the Salem R-80 School Districts page that gives ALL Dent county residents a voice. We want to hear from you if you are in Dent County. Your children can be home schooled, private school, public school, or graduated! This is another way for the people to help support the growth of our citizens, not just our school or youth. The link is a short 2 minute survey where adults can let us know what kinds of activities you feel is needed and would like for us to implement in the Salem area. The link will be active only until April 18th. Thank you again for your continued support!

Click here to add your voice!

Spread the Word to End the Word
Salem Upper Elementary

April 3, 2014 -- On Friday, March 28th the Salem Upper Elementary students, faculty and staff participated in a nationwide event called “Spread the Word to End the Word”. The goal of the event is to end the use of the word “retarded” in order to illuminate the negative connotation that society has attached to it. We are so proud as a school that so many students, as well as, staff, have chosen to take the pledge to never again say the “r” word. For more information or to take the pledge yourself, simply visit
www.r-word.org.

2014 MARE Outstanding
Rural School District Award
by Steve Carvajal

February 25, 2014 -- Congratulations to the Salem R-80 School District for being selected the Missouri Association of Rural Educators (MARE) “Outstanding Rural School District” for the year 2014. We were selected for the following reasons. *The bond passing which included many changes and upgrades to our facilities including the new construction of six additional classrooms, HVAC units, new roofing, windows, library expansions, new cafeteria in the middle school, commons areas, restroom renovations, new restrooms, new tile, lockers, security, fire alarms and more. *The community support that has allowed for the gym floor to be redone, a donated driver’s education car, donated labor and materials for dugouts and press box at the softball field. *Our message center that funds the ACT incentive program, acknowledges students of the month, athlete of the week, meet the staff, and the school calendar. *The “jeans scholarship” that provides (3) $1,000 to graduating high school seniors that is funded entirely by staff members. *The school district and the community working together to improve our city of Salem that led to the Missouri Betterment Award for our community. *The school has also started working with the Health Dent County group to provide wellness in both our schools and community. *The addition of the school’s first pre-school. These are all some of the positive changes that were recognized and made us deserving of the award. There have been so many positive changes that have taken place in the district it is very nice to receive some positive recognition for all the hard work that everyone has put in. Congratulations to all that were involved!

High School Students Receive Top Awards at State Capitol Youth Art Show
by Wanda Nickles

Wanda Nickles,
HS Art Instructor

March 25, 2014 -- The Salem R-80 Art student recently attended the State Capitol Youth Art Month (YAM) Art Show and Awards ceremony in Jefferson City. State awards were presented by First Lady Georganna Nixon and Connie Shoemaker, President of the Missouri Art Education Association. There were hundreds of pieces of art representing every district in Missouri.

Seven top awards are selected from all these exceptional works. Alex Major from Salem High School received the President’s Award and was presented with a plaque and art supplies donated by Sargent Art Supply Inc. Alex's work was also featured on the front cover of awards program. Kimberlin Myer, also from Salem High School, was honored as her work was selected to represent the 16th District of Missouri in the Senate hallway display and will be on display for one year at the State Capitol. Kimberlin received a beautiful photo-book on Missouri state historic sights. Students attending the awards ceremony met with Representative Jeff Pogue and received certificates for their work.

They also met and had their picture taken with Senator Dan Brown. The following students had work selected for the 2014 State Capitol show and senate contest. High School students include Alex Major, Savannah Hanning, Kimberlin Myers, Amber Lowe, Taya White, Anndy Hill, Mallorie Nivens, Melanie Montenegro, Sheona Majormut, Whitney Polk, and Cora Chafton, Jr. High students were Blaine Fleener, Katelynn Walker, Lorien Snyder, Jamie Bourbon, and Upper Elementary students were Elexis Crannell and John Scott.

Last year Savannah Hanning won the High School division and Alex Major won the Jr. High division. Salem art students are continuing the tradition of excellence.