The Newtown-Harris R-3 Board of Education has hired a new Superintendent. Doctor Matthew Copeland was hired on May 11th. No other information was provided to KTTN on the matter.
The board also hired Camille Preston for seventh through 12th grade science. The resignation was approved of Paraprofessional Becky Neighbors at the conclusion of this school year.
Summer personnel was approved and the board approved a football cooperative with Princeton.
Principal Kim Palmer reported graduation for seniors and eighth graders will be May 20th at 7 o’clock at night. A spring concert is May 18th.
Summer school is planned June 6th through 24th. Exploring Our World is the theme for the elementary. Field trips are planned to the Mercer County Library, Kirksville Planetarium, and Kansas City Aquarium and Legoland. The high school will focus on credit recovery using online resources.
Palmer said 23 students attended the dinner and dance for prom. After prom was held at the Stacy Center in Princeton.
Field trips for the elementary included a trip to the zoo for kindergarten through second grade May 11th. A trip to a trampoline park was planned for third through sixth grades May 12th. The Parent Teacher Organization sponsored the trips.
Palmer reported Missouri Assessment Program testing is finished for elementary students. Those who met the criteria of trying hard, being at school every day, and reading every question earned a lock-in at the school.
MAP and End of Course testing for the junior high school and high school was nearing completion. Students can earn a rewards trip to the Main Event in Independence May 17th. The PTO is helping sponsor the trip.
Palmer said end of year requisitions and maintenance issues are to be gathered and prioritized.
She noted math curriculum work for elementary teachers continues. A meeting with a representative from the Bridges in Mathematics series is May 24th.
Superintendent Doctor Lucas McKinnis reported summer planning is taking place and working toward compliance of the facilities for Missouri United School Insurance Council standards. There is also a goal of fixing some recurring issues Newtown-Harris has faced for some time.
McKinnis said Newtown-Harris is working on the summer school application, so the district can provide quality instruction for students this summer.
The district is also working on items it needs to prepare for next year, such as kindergarten testing, switching therapy providers, bringing on a new speech-language pathologist to oversee the speech program, participating in paraprofessional-to-teacher programs, and the implementation of Missouri School Improvement Program 6.
