Mr. P proclaims…The 2008-2009 school year is ready to start and it is hard for me to imagine the summer is almost over and I have already been the superintendent for a year. I am excited to be given the opportunity to be the superintendent of the Community R-VI district for another year.
It is always disappointing to see staff members leave the district, however, I am pleased that we have found some excellent people to replace them. Dr. Steven Wolf will be replacing Jake Moss as the middle/high school principal. Brad Brown will be teaching high school language arts and Holly Gemes will be teaching middle school social studies. Jennifer Schaffer is the new middle/high school counselor. Jonathan Bowen will be teaching middle school math and science. This is a new position that was developed to help reduce the number of students in the middle school classes. Tim Polacek is the new elementary night custodian.
Last year the patrons of the Community R-VI School District voted for a bond issue to make necessary repairs and renovations to the school buildings. This project is under way and should be completed by December 2009. Right now the architects are designing the drawing and developing the specifications (specs) for the project. When the Board approves these specs, they will be sent to contractors for bids. The Board must approve the bids before any renovations can be scheduled. Before renovations begin, the school must make sure that the students will be safe and not in danger. Therefore, most renovations will not start until April 2009 and will occur during the summer of 2009. Some renovations have already started, such as heating and air conditioning in the Vo-Ag building. This project is scheduled to be completed before the heat is needed this fall.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, each state is required to assess all school districts to determine if each district has made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward meeting the academic testing standards and additional measures set by the state. AYP decisions are based on the results of state testing in communication arts and math and the district’s attendance rate and graduation rate. If the district has not made AYP for two consecutive years in any one of the four areas, it is considered “in need of improvement.”
Based on the results of this year’s academic testing in math, the Community R-VI School District did not make adequate yearly progress and is considered “in need of improvement”. Included in this communicator is a letter about this topic. Community R-VI has already started making changes to help improve the math achievement of our students: eMINTS/METS in middle school and another in high school, hiring additional middle school math teacher, revision of the math curriculum, purchase of new math books, and the use of A+ curriculum software.
The Community R-VI School District has challenges ahead. However, with the support of the parents/patrons and hard work on the part of the staff and students we can and will overcome any obstacle we face.
I am looking forward to a successful school year.
Arlen D. Provancha
We Welcome the 2008-2009 Community R-VI Faculty and Staff
Elementary Faculty
Denise Becker Kindergarten
Kathy Borgmeyer Reading/Math Specialist
Missy Carter 3rd Grade
Bob Curtis Elementary PE/
Softball and Basketball Coach
Nicole Deimeke 2nd Grade
Shanta’ Wheeler 5th Grade
Teresa Finder Elementary Counselor
Pam Hollowood 2nd Grade/Gifted
Barb Kibble Speech
Gayle Madsen Title I
Glenda Norton Elementary Special Services
Jean Robnett 4th Grade
Toria Sims Preschool Teacher-Head Start
Karen Stone 1st Grade
Jane Summers K-12 Art
Bonnie Wilson Preschool Teacher
Middle/High School Faculty
James Benson High School Social Studies/
Basketball Coach
Bart Bockenstedt Middle School Special Services
Michael Boedeker Business/Baseball Coach
Vicki Briggs High School Science/
Golf Coach
Jim Brink High School PE/
Athletic Director
*Brad Brown High School Language Arts
Mary Ann Burkhalter Family & Consumer Science
Bethany Curtis Middle School Math
Eva Eikel K-12 Vocal Music
Robert Fischer High School Language Arts/Track Coach
*Holly Gemes Middle School Social Studies
Don Hanson Vocational Ag
Emma Jaccarino Technology Director/Computers
Rebecca McCurdy High School Math
*Jennifer SchafferMiddle/High School Counselor
Karen Scott K-12 Librarian
Sonja Sommer High School Special Services
Melanie Utterback Middle School Science
Marci Wilburn Middle School Language Arts
Rose Wilburn 6-12 Band
*Jonathan Bowen Middle School Math/Science
Cross Country Coach
Classroom Aides and P.A.T.
Carrie Blair Elementary Aide
Virginia Brinker Preschool Aide-Head Start
Trisha Cuno Elementary Aide
Kerry Dubbert Computer Lab Aide
Pamela Eady High School Aide
Vicki Graves Elementary Aide
Julie Hunt Elementary Aide
Julene Littler Middle/High School Aide
April Steffen Elementary Aide
Mary Thomas Elementary Aide
Amber Wilcox ITV Aide
Nancy Nichols Parents As Teacher Educator
Sandy Gastler Parents As Teacher Educator
Support Staff
Tina Britton Cook
Wilma Fendrick Cook
Karla Hilderman Cook
Barb Swaim Head Cook
Sherri Deimeke Superintendent Secretary/
Board Secretary
Sandy Gastler Middle/High School Secretary
Lynn Pound Elementary Secretary
Marcia Van Cleave Bookkeeper
Lee Ann Meador School Nurse
Trisha Cuno Bus Driver
Carylle Ann Folta Bus Driver
Terry Hall Bus Driver
Shirley Jensen Bus Driver
Cheryl Snyder Bus Driver/Transp Director
Elementary Day Custodian
Eric Curtis Bus Mechanic/Maintenance
Calvin McGrew High School Night Custodian
Mike McGrew Facilities Director/
High School Day Custodian
*Tim Polacek Elementary Night Custodian
Administration
Arlen Provancha Superintendent
Natalie Gibson Elementary Principal
*Steven Wolf Middle/High School Principal
*Denotes Faculty and Staff
NEW to the District