Fall Youth Cheerleading Clinic

The HHS Varsity Cheerleders will be putting on a fall youth cheerleading clinic on Thursday, September 12 after school from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the East Gym for kindergarten - fifth graders. The participants will be able to perform before the HHS Varsity Football game against Blair Oaks on Friday, September 13. Registration forms were sent home Friday, August 23 and will be due by Wednesday, September 4. For information, contact Tricia Williams at 573-696-5512.     

Negative Impact of House Bill 253 on Missouri Schools

By Superintendent, John Robertson

In May, the Missouri General Assembly passed House Bill 253, a tax scheme that will devastate state services such as early childhood and K-12 education. When fully implemented, the bill will cost Missourians at least $800 million. The revenue reductions resulting from this legislation will affect the quality and availability of critical education services.

Missouri schools are already feeling the squeeze from recent budget years. Public schools in the state are underfunded by $620 million and school transportation is underfunded by $200 million. HB 253 will result in additional funding cuts, which will lead to teacher layoffs, overcrowded classrooms, and longer bus rides to and from school. The impact from this bill will halt technology upgrades, eliminate many after school activities such as sports programs, and limit the variety of classes available to Missouri students including arts, music, and industrial arts. At a time when Missouri should be investing in education in order to ensure our children are competitive in the 21st Century global economy, instead our children will face a competitive disadvantage as a result of the state's disinvestment in their education. House Bill 253 threatens early childhood education as well. Popular programs, such as First Steps and Parents as Teachers, will likely end up on the chopping block in the near future, stymieing our children's intellectual growth at their most crucial ages of development. The legislation will also likely shelve recent efforts to fund preschool for all children in Missouri.

Governor Nixon has vetoed HB 253. However, proponents of this legislation have expressed their intention to override the Governor's veto in September. Help us protect education for Missouri by joining our effort to prevent this disastrous bill from becoming law. Contact your legislators and tell them to vote against the override of the Governor's veto! 

We are off to a great start in the primary building! Hallsville Primary appreciates the support of our generous community. This week, Pastor Joe Crews and Connie Reedy from the Hallsville United Methodist Church visited the primary building to deliver a check for $750 as a donation to our Parents as Teachers program. The program is a wonderful resource for families during the critically important developmental years in the lives of their children. Our school is very fortunate to have community members and organizations that are committed to providing the best possible experiences for our students.

Next week will be a four-day school week. School will not be in session on Friday, August 30. This day will be spent in staff safety training and professional development.

The first week of high school was a success. The energy coming from the students has been really positive. We have set a great tone for the rest of the school year.

New Visitors' Policy
In an effort to better our security measures, we have implemented a new visitors' policy. These changes have been added to limit the interruptions to student learning and to decrease the amount of traffic in the high school office. Parents can still schedule time to visit with the teachers on their conference periods as long as they check in with the office staff first. Thank you for your patience and understanding.