Waynesville R-VI School District

There will be no in-person school in the Waynesville R-VI School District on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025; however, Waynesville R-VI students will attend school virtually on Tuesday morning as it will be an AMI day. School will be in session using an Alternative Method of Instruction (AMI online) from 8:30 a.m. to noon for grades K-12 and Parker Preschool. All AMI days begin at 8:30 a.m., including Wednesdays. Williams Early Childhood Center AM classes will be online from 8:30 to 10:15 a.m. and Williams PM classes will be online from 10:15 a.m. to noon. Instructions for PreK-6th graders are at https://5il.co/342dn Instructions for 7th-8th graders are at https://www.waynesville.k12.mo.us/o/wms/page/ami-days Instructions for 9-12th graders are at https://5il.co/342j7 NOTE: All inclement weather "snow day" days are AMI days in the morning.

Preschool screenings scheduled for Feb. 18 at Williams Early Childhood Center have been moved to Feb. 25, 2025. A limited number of screenings remain available on Feb. 25 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.

Twenty Waynesville DECA students have qualified for State competition and the Waynesville Career Center Express store managed by these students achieved Gold Certification in the School-Based Enterprise program through DECA. The students qualified at District 5 competition on Feb. 6, 2025. On Feb. 11, 2025, Waynesville DECA students Connor Long, Cameron Wilson and Lenayah Thomas went to the state capitol for Legislative Day to speak with legislators and advocate for the importance of career tech programs and the difference they make. Of the 26 Waynesville DECA students who competed: · 10 received 1st Place · 5 received 2nd place · 5 received 3rd place DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

Third graders at Thayer Elementary built three-dimensional sculptures using paper hearts in their art class. #wayschools

Waynesville R-VI will be in the seated classroom on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, and will mostly be running regular bus routes. ___________ The following routes, however, will still be snow routes on Friday: • Route 47 • Route 52 • Route 74 ___________ As a friendly reminder, there will be no school on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in observance of Presidents' Day.

Apply online at https://www.waynesville.k12.mo.us/page/employment-opportunities

Snow routes today! The Waynesville R-VI School District will be running snow routes on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. When the district runs snow routes in the morning, it will run snow routes in the afternoon. For bus riders only The Waynesville R-VI School District sent an email from traveltrackerrouting@app-garden.com with information about both regular routes and snow routes on Jan. 7 to parents of bus riders.

There will be no in-person school in the Waynesville R-VI School District on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025; however, Waynesville R-VI students will attend school virtually this morning as this is an AMI day. School will be in session using an Alternative Method of Instruction (AMI online) from 8:30 a.m. to noon for grades K-12 and Parker Preschool. All AMI days begin at 8:30 a.m., including Wednesdays. Williams Early Childhood Center AM classes will be online from 8:30 to 10:15 a.m. and Williams PM classes will be online from 10:15 a.m. to noon. Instructions for PreK-6th graders are at https://5il.co/342dn Instructions for 7th-8th graders are at https://www.waynesville.k12.mo.us/o/wms/page/ami-days Instructions for 9-12th graders are at https://5il.co/342j7 NOTE: All inclement weather "snow day" days are AMI days in the morning.

Mackenzie Henderson, a senior at Waynesville High School, has been named the Rotary WHS Student of the Month for February 2025 for best representing honor/honesty. She was recognized on Feb. 11, 2025, during the Rotary Club of Pulaski County meeting, which her parents Christopher and Madeline Henderson also attended. Henderson’s nominator stated, “Mackenzie is an absolute joy to have in class. She demonstrates honesty in group work, speaking up when she needs help and giving credit to others for their contributions. When working on a class project, she made sure to acknowledge her teammates’ ideas. She embodies the true meaning of integrity, making our classroom a more positive and fair space for everyone.” Henderson is an outstanding student that carries a 3.97 grade point average, ranking in the top 10% of her class, and has a 95% attendance rate for all four years of high school. She is involved in many clubs and activities at WHS, including serving as president of the French Club, secretary of the All School Student Government Association, a member of the cheer team, National Honor Society, and is advancing to state for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. Upon graduation, Henderson plans to attend Mizzou and become a therapist for Veterans. #wayschools

This month’s #TeacherProudTuesday shout-out goes to Ashley Oliver, a special education teacher at Freedom Elementary. One of her nominators stated, “She has dedicated so much time and effort to helping my son learn and grow and thrive through not one but TWO years of grade school.” Another nominator stated, “She is a champion for every child she serves. She brings creativity, dedication and heart to her classroom every day. She finds ways to make learning both accessible and exciting for her students with special needs. Her patience and encouragement help her students build confidence, celebrate progress and reach their full potential.” #WaySchools #TeacherProudTuesday

Waynesville’s Drill Team members finished 3rd overall in their first drill competition of the 2024-25 school year on Feb. 8, 2025. The team tied for 2nd place, but lost the tie breaker, in a field of 12 other high schools from Missouri and Kansas. The results are as follows: · 1st Place Armed Exhibition · 2nd Place Unarmed Regulation · 2nd Place Unarmed Exhibition · 2nd Place Armed Color Guard · 3rd Place Armed New Cadet · 3rd Place Armed Inspection · 4th Place Unarmed Inspection · 5th Place Armed Regulation Joseph Mendiola earned 2nd place in the Armed Exhibition Solo. Peyton Stuart and Addison Smith earned 3rd place in the Unarmed Exhibition Dual. Lord Torres earned 5th place in the Armed Exhibition Solo. Waynesville’s Drill Team will next compete on Feb. 15 at Smith Cotton High School in Sedalia.

Rhythm Nation, Waynesville High School’s dance team, has qualified for State competition for the first time in the team’s history. The team took 1st place in the Pom division and 1st place in the Hip Hop division in class 5a/6a at the Parkway Central 2025 Invitational on Feb. 8, 2025, in Chesterfield, Mo. In addition, the team received an Excellent rating for their Duet, performed by Aniyah Smith and Tatum Scott, and choregraphed by Smith. “I’m so proud of their hard work, encouragement of one another and dedication,” said Coach Cat Poole. “Perhaps even more impressive than their performance was their support of all of the dancers in the competition. Their enthusiasm proved to be contagious and helped create a positive environment – so much so that a parent from another school reached out to me to let me know how much she appreciated their cheering for all teams.”

The Waynesville High School Courtwarming queen and king were named on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, between the JV and varsity boys basketball game. Mariah Palmer was named queen and William Figueroa was named king. The court included Brenna West, Sawyer Baker, Danica Leet, Ethan Scarbrough, Athena Pittman, Aden Maust, Mariah Palmer (queen), William Figueroa (king), Renae Alailima, Montera Owens, Brayden Weigelt, Aayden Mantle (not pictured) and crown bearers Sawyer Ross and Avery Bales.

The musical “Margaret’s Mind” will premiere in the United States on Waynesville High School’s stage in April 2025. “I am over the moon excited that we can personalize this musical,” said Maria Butler, WHS theatre director and Thespian Troupe 1669 director. “The show includes 40-plus named characters and we can add characters as needed. With a record number of students (58) auditioning this year, more students than ever will have an opportunity to be involved.” Debuting the show opens countless opportunities for creativity. With no pre-existing backdrops, costumes or dance choreography, WHS will create and design the dance moves, color scheme, costuming and blocking – the movements and positioning of actors. “In addition, they are writing the music for us,” said Butler. “This is a beautiful opportunity for our students’ talent to shine.” The musical chronicles the fictional experiences of Margaret, a 14-year-old high school student, who battles low self-esteem and social anxiety, but writes about “the perfect Margaret” who is confident and popular. The website https://www.margaretsmind.com/ states, “…Things get worse when her estranged older half-brother, Ashley, discovers her writing. A struggling composer, Ashley finds great beauty in Margaret's words and secretly uses them as inspiration for his next project, Margaret's Mind: A New Musical. While Margaret is initially horrified at discovering her private writing has been developed into a budding Broadway show, it is the start of her journey to accepting who she is in a story of dreams, friendship and self-love.” Sian McBride at Cheltenham College originally produced Margaret's Mind and played a large part in its original development. After reading the feel-good dialogue about teenage growth, Butler connected with the musical’s author – Alex Gatherer of the United Kingdom – in a directors’ group. They discussed the possibilities of performing the show at WHS and not only did Gatherer say yes, but he also invited WHS to premiere the show in the U.S. 'I'm thrilled to have Waynesville High School producing the North American Premiere of Margaret's Mind!,” Gatherer said. “From speaking to Maria, it was clear that the school was exceptionally passionate about the performing arts and recognized the importance of their place in a child's development. I can't wait for Margaret's Mind to join the list of fantastic productions created by the WHS students and staff, and just down the road from where the show is set! I'm hopeful everyone involved will find it an empowering, challenging, and joyful experience and look forward to WHS students blowing audiences away with their talent and passion come April.” Butler also looks forward to the show’s debut. “This fell into my lap,” Butler said. “It’s twice as hard because there is nothing to go on, but it’s a director’s dream come true. This opens up endless opportunities for collaborating across curriculums.” Butler says that students in theater, choir, band, art, construction technology, JROTC and others will be engaged in this project. Waynesville High School’s Theatre students and Troupe 1669 will perform the musical at 7 p.m. April 24, 25 and 26 and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, in the WHS Auditorium.

Love of Reading week continues today with guest readers Candice Sullivan and Lisa Supancic, Waynesville R-VI instructional coaches, Melissa Childs, coordinator of technology, Mike Henson, executive director of elementary, and Courtney Long, executive director of secondary. More photos to come tomorrow. #wayschools

A courtwarming king and queen will be announced between the JV and Varsity Boys Basketball games tomorrow, Feb. 7, 2024. The JV game will begin at 5:30 p.m. and Varsity will begin at 7:00 p.m. Pictured are this years court; Top Row: William Figueroa, Brayden Weigelt, Aayden Mantle, Montera Owens, Mariah Palmer, Renae Alailima Bottom Row: Brenna West, Sawyer Baker, Ethan Scarbrough, Danica Leet, Aden Maust, Athena Pittman

Love of Reading Week continues throughout the Waynesville R-VI School District, featuring Aaron Pondrom and Mike Keeling, Waynesville R-VI Board of Education members; Dr. Jamie Goforth, assistant superintendent of personnel services; and Superintendent Hilary Bales reading today. #wayschools

First practice/tryout dates announced for SPRING sports The first practice date/tryout date for Waynesville High School spring sports will be March 3, 2025. The first practice date/tryout date for Waynesville Middle School spring sports will be March 3, 2025. _____________________________________________ See the flyer below for important information or go to https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4597/WHS/5275766/SPRING_TIGER_Sports_News_TIGER_Sports_News__1_.pdf _____________________________________________ Spring sports Spring sports at WHS are Baseball Track B/G Girls' Soccer Boys' Tennis Boys 'Golf _____________________________________________ Spring sports at WMS are MS Track B/G MS Baseball MS Softball For more information For more information, please contact Athletics at 573-842-2450.

An ambulance was dispatched to Freedom Elementary at approximately 11:40 a.m. today (Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025), to treat an individual student with a medical condition. The students' parent/guardian has been notified and will determine what, if any, further medical treatment is necessary.

The Waynesville Career Center is hiring an auto collision teacher. Apply online at https://www.applitrack.com/waynesville/onlineapp/