Training provides strategies to support educational needs
The Waynesville R-VI School District offered a free special education training session on Nov. 13, 2025, for parents and guardians of students with IEPs and 504 plans. This was the second session in the Tiger Pride Series.
During the session, families learned practical and effective strategies to support their child’s educational needs, including key questions to ask, when to request a meeting, and how to navigate real-life advocacy scenarios with confidence.
Presenters included Dr. Elizabeth Washington, executive director of student services, and Shauna Smith, district special education coordinator.
The third in the series will be “Navigating Transition Between Buildings” from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10, 2026, at Parker. This is highly recommended for parents of students who will be moving to a new building in fall 2026.
Route 66 Shootout to be held Dec.19–20 at Waynesville High School
The annual Route 66 Shootout will take place on Friday, Dec.19, and Saturday, Dec. 20, at Waynesville High School.
The third class of the WHS Athletic/Activity Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized prior to the 7:30 p.m. game on Friday, Dec.19.
Robert "Bob" Slaughter (Coach/AD)
Robert Sumter (Athlete/T&F & XC)
1974 Track & Field (Team)
Game Schedule
Friday, Dec.19
4:30 p.m. – Waynesville (Girls) vs. Capital City
6:00 p.m. – Poplar Bluff (Boys) vs. Capital City
7:30 p.m. – Waynesville (Boys) vs. Northwest Cedar Hill
Saturday, Dec.20
12:30 p.m. – Waynesville (Girls) vs. St. Elizabeth
2:00 p.m. – Northwest Cedar Hill (Boys) vs. Poplar Bluff
3:30 p.m. – Waynesville (Boys) vs. Hazelwood East
Admission
$10 per person for the weekend
$6 per person per day
All individuals over age 5 are required to purchase a ticket, including senior citizens, season pass holders, annual pass holders, and staff with athletic passes, as these are not regular season games.
First Baptist Church recently donated food items valued at $386 (based on weight) to help Snack in a Pack, which provides supplemental food items to Waynesville R-VI students who might otherwise go hungry over weekends and holidays. Dr. Charles and Letitia Slider made the delivery on behalf of the church.
About Snack in a Pack
Snack in a Pack (SIAP) is a 100% donation-driven program that relies on the generosity of its partners, donors and community volunteers to continue its mission to feed hungry children and improve educational success.
Making a donation:
· Food donations may be dropped off at Pick Educational and Volunteer Center or at the Waynesville R-VI Administration Building in Waynesville.
o Much needed items include
§ canned chicken
§ canned tuna
§ canned ravioli and other pastas
§ peanut butter.
· Individuals may purchase items directly on Snack in a Pack’s Amazon Wishlist at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/LHIMQ7EWYF88?ref_=wl_share
· Monetary donations may be made online through MySchoolBucks at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/stores/catalog/getproduct?productKey=ZZJNGFJ7X20WNYU&OPTZZJNGFJ7X20WNYU=ZZJNGFJ7XH0WSFK
· Monetary donations also may be mailed to:
Snack in a Pack
Community Resource Office
Pick Educational and Volunteer Center
12751 Pulaski Ave.
Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473
The Fort Leonard Wood Thrift Shop recently donated food items valued at $433.40 (based on weight) to help Snack in a Pack, which provides supplemental food items to Waynesville R-VI students who might otherwise go hungry over weekends and holidays.
About Snack in a Pack
Snack in a Pack (SIAP) is a 100% donation-driven program that relies on the generosity of its partners, donors and community volunteers to continue its mission to feed hungry children and improve educational success.
Making a donation:
· Food donations may be dropped off at Pick Educational and Volunteer Center or at the Administration Building in Waynesville.
o Much needed items include:
§ canned chicken
§ canned tuna
§ canned ravioli and other pastas
§ peanut butter.
· Individuals may purchase items directly on Snack in a Pack’s Amazon Wishlist at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/LHIMQ7EWYF88?ref_=wl_share
· Monetary donations may be made online through MySchoolBucks at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/stores/catalog/getproduct?productKey=ZZJNGFJ7X20WNYU&OPTZZJNGFJ7X20WNYU=ZZJNGFJ7XH0WSFK
· Monetary donations also may be mailed to:
Snack in a Pack
Community Resource Office
Pick Educational and Volunteer Center
12751 Pulaski Ave.
Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473
Special Education Training: Advocating for your Child on Thursday
Waynesville R-VI is offering free special education training sessions for parents and guardians of students with IEPs and 504 plans.
The next Tiger Pride Night session will be “Advocating for Your Child” from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at the Parker Educational Center. Presenters will share practical strategies to help support their child’s educational journey.
The third in the series will be “Navigating Transition Between Buildings” from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10, 2026, at Parker. This is highly recommended for parents of students who will be moving to a new building in fall 2026.
Happy Veterans Day
All Waynesville R-VI schools have been or will be honoring Veterans with activities including concerts, breakfasts, assemblies, round table discussions with Veterans and writing heartfelt letters of thanks.
Today (Nov. 11, 2025) our JROTC and Waynesville High School Tigers Pride Marching Band will participate in the Veterans Day Parade in St. Robert. The parade follows the 11 a.m. Veterans ceremony that is hosted by the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce.
There will be no school and all offices will be closed today (Nov. 11, 2025) in observance of Veterans Day.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the statewide Annual Performance Reports (APRs) for the 2024-25 school year on Nov. 6, 2025, and the Waynesville R-VI School District has received 90 percent of possible points. This is the highest Waynesville R-VI has received since MSIP 6.
“We invite our community to celebrate this accomplishment because every data point represents a student who is learning and growing,” said Waynesville R-VI Superintendent Hilary Bales. “This level of growth and achievement is only possible through the very hard work of our teachers and combined efforts of our students, staff, parents and community.”
APRs demonstrate the progress being made toward meeting the standards and indicators in the sixth iteration of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 6). The report measures multiple areas including academic achievement, continuous improvement, attendance and readiness for success beyond high school.
Bales noted that data plays an essential role in the district’s continuous improvement efforts. “We use data as a tool for reflection and action,” she said. “Our teams analyze assessment results, attendance patterns and growth measures to evaluate our strengths and identify areas for growth. This allows us to make informed decisions that strengthen instruction, enhance student support and ensure continued progress.”
Each year, the district reviews its performance from the previous year and identifies actionable steps to make meaningful improvements. “Our work is never done,” Bales said, “but we do want to celebrate with our community the success from this past year — because it truly takes all of us.”
MSIP is Missouri’s accountability system for evaluating and classifying public schools. It sets expectations for instructional practices and student outcomes, aiming to ensure every graduate is prepared for success in college, career, and life.
Waynesville High School inducted 84 students into the National Honor Society during the induction ceremony on Nov. 6, 2025, in the WHS Auditorium.
Leading the ceremony were NHS President Kimora Godwin, Vice President Brionna Ash, Secretary Aubrey Fields, Public Affairs Chair Hailey Melchiorre and Social Chair Sheila Jones.
NHS advisors are Stephanie Kramme and Dalton Quick.
The following WHS students were inducted:
Emmanuel Aguirre
Abigail Augenstein
Emily Babcock
Emma Beatty
Ayana Bishop
Ziarlene Bituin
Olivia Bone
Landon Boswell
Aliyah Bowers
Ava Byers
Selena Charbonier
Juliet Choi
Nicolas Cruz
Connor David
Damien Dickow
Hunter Emerson
Brooklyn Enslen
Emmalie Erlewine
Olivia Frommelt
Jack Giffen
Bernd Gillette
Elijah Green
Madison Grimes
Reagan Grosvenor
Abigail Hanna
Gregory Harless
Aminah Harmon
Myah Harris
Rian Hartt
Cassandra Hays
Rachel Heberling
Benjamin Hicks
Karlie Horne
Erica Hull
Hector Johnson
Sophie Johnson
Riley Jones
Evelyn Kelley
Anna Kempen
Cameron Knuckles
Emily Leboeuf
Nicolas Lederle
Haneul Lee
Danica Leet
Sirenedi Maldonado
Calley McCall
Aydan McClinton
Lillian McCutcheon-Jones
Myla Miller
Remington Minard
Karina Narcotta
Imanuelle Navayra
McKenna Ogden
Destany Oster
Ivy Moon Radwan-Rodowicz
Alexis Rase
Tre'Von Reed
Sophia Reed
Claire Reed
Everett Rinck
Lily Romero
Conner Ross
Taylor Sandidge
Enyel Guadalupe Sanjurjo
Zoey Self
Gabriel Sinden
Chloe Smith
Angela Speed
Brooklyn Stephens
Jariah Stevens
Luke Thompson
Elizabeth Tipeni
Isabella Torres
Anel Torres
Saya Tully
Nicholas Vaughn
Dailey Vernon
Sophia Wagasky
Clay Walkup
Aidan Walsh
Autumn Werner
Aden Westerman
Madyson Wilk
Brooklyn Zamora
Ayden Nunez, a senior at Waynesville High School, has been named the Rotary WHS Student of the Month for November 2025 for best representing resilience. He was recognized during the Rotary Club of Pulaski County meeting on Nov. 4, 2025.
One of Nunez’s nominators stated, “Ayden continues to show up to school and perform despite adversities present in his life. Ayden is very conscientious about missing assignments and communicates when he is in need of help. Ayden is resilient … and does everything he can to make sure he is on track for graduation and keeping up with course work.”
Another nominator stated, “Ayden's resilience has led him to a place of strength and continued growth, even when setbacks occur.”
After graduation, Nunez plans to attend Ozarks Technical Community College for two years and then transfer to Missouri State University to receive a business or culinary degree. His ultimate goal is to manage his own restaurant.
East Elementary 4th and 5th graders performed music concerts on Nov. 4, 2025, in the Waynesville High School Auditorium.
Session 1: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 13
Session 2: 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 13
Cost: $20 per individual
Purchase tickets: https://www.myschoolbucks.com/
Additional details:
Tickets are available on MySchool Bucks at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/. Please register for a specific time – either session 1 or session 2. The cost is $20 per ticket. All attendees, both adults and students, must purchase a ticket to attend. Girls from Pre-K through 6th grade are invited to the dance and may be escorted by dad, grandpa, uncle or any other adult.
Registration closes on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. This event is a fundraiser for SkillsUSA.
For more information, please see the flyer or contact Shane Strubbe at sstrubbe@waynesville.k12.mo.us.
Preschool screenings will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Williams Early Childhood Center on Nov. 18 for preschool children ages 3, 4 and 5 (not in kindergarten) who live in the Waynesville R-VI School District.
Please call 573-842-2650 to schedule your child’s screening at Williams Early Childhood Center, 12225 Pulaski Avenue, Fort Leonard Wood.
Williams preschool program consists of PACE and ECSE. Both are free for Waynesville R-VI residents who are admitted to the program. A student may be selected to attend either a morning (AM) or afternoon (PM) session.
For more information about the PACE program, please go to https://www.waynesville.k12.mo.us/o/wecc/page/pace-preschool.
For more information about the ECSE program, please go to https://www.waynesville.k12.mo.us/o/wecc/page/early-childhood-special-education.
#Waynesville Career Center, #3rd ROTC Brigade, #The Black Hawk Brigade, #Waynesville High School, #U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood
