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You've got eMule!
Vol. 11 No. 19
Welcome back to The eMule! Here is the latest news from Poplar Bluff Schools to help start your week on the right hoof.
| Lake Road’s Vaughn named MAESP Exemplary New Principal |  | |
Rondi Vaughn, who is in her third year leading Lake Road Elementary, has been named Southeast Region’s 2023 Exemplary New Principal by the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals. She, along with 10 colleagues across the state, will be recognized this evening during the annual MAESP Leadership Conference at Osage Beach.
“It’s humbling, but it also speaks volumes about a supportive staff that takes someone from outside their building during a time when education is difficult, and works together to put students first,” Vaughn said. “When everyone has that common mission, leaders don’t have to go out front; leadership is side by side.”
Vaughn was nominated for the award by Eugene Field Principal Jennifer Taylor, a MAESP Disguised Principal honoree last year. Taylor, who serves on the region’s legislative committee, explained how the organization’s executive team submitted this year’s nominations for its approximate 100 members to cast votes.
Criteria established for the award include demonstrating a clear commitment to building excellence within the school community; developing programs designed to meet the needs of all students; and establishing firm ties to parents and the community. Taylor said that besides building on the progress of her predecessor Erica Weadon, Vaughn has been active in the statewide organization while managing to balance her daily responsibilities.
“She invests time to build her professional learning network and values collaboration opportunities with other administrators both within and outside of our district,” Taylor stated. “She is very humble and credits her successes to the relationships that have been nurtured through peer collaboration.”
Lake Road has achieved gold-level recognition through the Positive Behavioral Inventions and Supports program from 2017-2022; was named a national showcase school under the Capturing Kids’ Hearts initiative from 2018-2021; was listed as No. 14 of the ‘Best Elementary Schools’ in Missouri by U.S. News & World Report in 2021; and received both the National ESEA Distinguished School and prestigious National Blue Ribbon honors in 2018.
In addition to taking the helm as principal at the peak of the public health crisis, Vaughn helped to complete Lake Road's phase-in plan to include grade six during the 2020/21 school year. One challenge in expanding the configuration, according to Vaughn, has been meeting the broad spectrum of needs for the different age levels. On the plus side, she continued, major office referrals for the upperclassmen have been documented at less than 10 since cultural expectations become so well-established.
Since the campus opened its doors back up to visitors this year, Vaughn said lunch buddies with groups such as Three Rivers College Raiders Basketball and other relationships via the elementary school’s Bright Futures Site Council are at a high. During club day, students have been able to play football at Mules Stadium, perform on stage with the Drama Club, plant with the agriculture class at PBHS, swim at the Black River Coliseum and practice gymnastics through a business partnership. The Rotary Club Good Habits Store recently celebrated its 10th anniversary sponsoring an exclusive program designed to reward students for good behavior, attendance and academics.
With a Sparklight donation of a computer cart last school year, Lake Road was able to start its ‘Kids Who Code’ club, teaching coding to students during latchkey before the school day. Lake Road was also selected to distribute free Scholastic books to students via the United States of Readers program on Vaughn’s watch. New this year, her MAESP biography notes, the district’s elementary schools have replaced the science curriculum with Project Lead The Way Launch, a problem/project-based teaching approach. Also grant-funded, the district implemented its refocus rooms as an alternative to internal suspension with oversight from retooled restorative support instruction positions.
“Rondi is always making sure that we have the tools, training, resources and support that we need to be successful,” said Amanda Johnson, Lake Road reading and math interventionist. “Her open-door policy makes us comfortable to come to her with any ideas, concerns or questions we might have… In this world of teaching that comes with so many ups and downs, those acts of thoughtfulness mean a lot and really help build a sense of community at Lake Road.”
Since 1998, Vaughn has taught elementary students before becoming an interventionist herself, working approximately a decade respectively at Eugene Field and Oak Grove, where she was named Teacher of the Year at each neighborhood school. She holds dual master’s degrees, one in curriculum/instruction from William Woods University in Fulton, and another in elementary administration from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Next week she plans to begin her qualitative research toward her doctorate in educational leadership from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
| Bus tracking app for families piloted at Early Childhood, Kindergarten |  | |
The Poplar Bluff School District is piloting its new bus tracking app Here Comes The Bus at the Early Childhood and Kindergarten centers with plans to roll out the parent access tool district-wide for the 2023/24 school year.
The R-I Transportation Department began receiving its initial training followed by webinars shortly after Jon McKinney took the reins as director in July, a software technician position was created thereafter, and the associated hardware continues to be installed as the bus fleet expands.
“This is just a better way to communicate with our parents so they have a sense of security knowing their son or daughter is on the bus and when they get to school,” McKinney explained. “On our end, it should cut down on phone calls, because parents should literally be able to look on their phone and see when and where their child stepped on the bus.”
Under the pilot, parents and guardians of bus riders will soon receive letters in the mail providing instructions for downloading the app or visiting the website, then entering the unique student ID number supplied, and setting the preferred radius for receiving communication via text or email.
Students will scan their district-issued student ID when entering and exiting the bus, and drivers will have access to a touchscreen with a name-based ridership module for the lower grade levels. The geofence can be set between 750 feet and two miles eliminating wait times at bus stops, and real-time alerts will automatically be sent to caregivers when students have arrived at school.
The locator has the capacity to refresh every 15 seconds using a single primary address drawn from the district’s student information system. Families of multiple children riding different buses can be tracked simultaneously. Individuals may only sign up for push notifications if they are on the student’s emergency contact list.
The Board of Education approved the acquisition of the fleet management system prior to McKinney’s arrival, selecting Synovia Solutions CalAmp as the low bidder, applying startup dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund to “create a more predictable transportation experience for kids and parents,” R-I Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill stated last school year.
According to the proposal, the GPS-based transportation management software supports more of the top 25 largest school transportation systems in the United States than other vendors. The app was launched in 2014 and interfaces with Transfinder, the district’s routing system that has been utilized for several years, along with offering other administrative features.
“Basically we are moving to a time where school buses will have the same navigation system available in cars or Google Maps on your phone, which greatly helps new drivers and substitute drivers not as familiar with the routes,” McKinney continued. “Technology is pushing into this industry, making everything accessible, from arrival time to departure time of buses and the ability to live track them, hopefully making our routes more efficient, safer and consistent.”
The plan is to launch Here Comes The Bus across the entire school system next school year, after the soft rollout is completed this spring in order to troubleshoot. So far McKinney says “the technology has honestly surpassed our expectations,” and he anticipates that the district’s approximately 2,200 riders on over 200 bus routes built into the database will be fairly accurate in advance of the first day of school.
| PBHS group takes Polar Plunge to raise money for Special Olympics |  | |
Poplar Bluff High School Student Council teamed up with the Unified Champions club to take the Polar Plunge in 55 degrees water during the organization’s 17th annual fundraiser held Saturday, Feb. 25, at Cape County Park North, raising $1,852 for Special Olympics Missouri.
Participating students who solicited donations were Elizabeth Blancett, Maelynn Beis, David McKuin, Noah Shirrell, Spencer Wilson, Kaitlyn Booker, Addison Corzine and Nya Cram, helping to bring the grand total for the event to a reported $62,500, exceeding the organization’s goal by over $7,000.
“It’s truly an amazing day to see so many people going to such lengths to show support of the athletes in the Southeast area,” stated Penny Williams, SOMO development director. “Events like this give us an opportunity to promote and witness the support of unity and inclusion through the power of sports.”
Due to a postponement in response to an ice storm last month, not all the students were able to participate among the 143 adventurers representing 27 organizations and groups of individuals who reportedly took the plunge. The temperature outside was around 50 degrees, according to chaperoning PBHS teacher Miranda Huddleston, co-adviser of Unified Champions.
Huddleston’s colleague Jennie Randolph, also the StuCo adviser, noted that this year’s results marked a substantial increase in participation over last year, when PBHS had only two representatives generating $285. The Polar Plunge is SOMO’s largest fundraiser, Randolph said.
Above: Pictured with Special Olympics Missouri mascot Shivers the Polar Bear, are (back row, from left) Kaitlyn Booker, David McKuin, Noah Shirrell, Maelynn Beis, Elizabeth Blancett and Addison Corzine; and (front row) Miranda Huddleston and Maison Dennis.
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BOE Appreciation
March is school board recognition month through the Missouri School Boards’ Association. Special thanks to Dr. Cynthia Brown, Ken Davis, Tim Gaebler, Roger Hanner, Jerrod Murphy, Dr. Mike Price and John Scott for your dedicated, voluntary service to our school system.
Open Enrollment
Open enrollment for the Kindergarten Center at 1200 Camp Road will be held from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, March 7-9, with an additional time slot available from 4:30-7 p.m. on the final day. Parents/guardians are asked to bring the following items: birth certificate, social security card, shot record and proof of residency. Enrollment forms are available here. For questions, call 573-785-4905.
Spring Break
Spring break runs from Monday to Friday, March 13-17. School resumes for students on Monday, March 20. Please enjoy!
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On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Southeast Missourian featured Poplar Bluff Schools in its B Magazine supplement.
On Monday, Feb. 27, the DAR reported about the Rescue Mission’s annual Chili Cook-off that featured PBJHS, the third place best booth winner. Returning guest TCC also participated in the fundraiser.
On Tuesday, Feb. 28, Fox23 reported about PBHS alumnus TeeJay Britton visiting his alma mater to speak about his professional MMA career during Black History Month.
The DAR reported about Zoë Freeman and Lucas Robertson winning fifth place in the MSHSAA State Wrestling Tournament.
On Wednesday, March 1, KWOC recognized approximately one-third of PBHS juniors for excelling on the ASVAB.
On Friday, March 3, KWOC reported about our Pom Squad’s participation in the National Dance Alliance Championship in Orlando.
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