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6 | TheBucknerClarion.com August 2016 Residents of the Fort Osage R1 School District who have reached their 65th birthday are encouraged to apply for a Golden Pass. This card entitles the senior citizen to attend all musical, dramatic, and home athletic events without admission charge. Information and applications for the Golden Pass should be directed to the Fort Osage activity office by calling 650- 7042, by email at jchapin@fortosage.net, or by visiting the high school office. For the past several years, students in grades 7-12 have been released 25 minutes early on Thursdays to give their teachers an opportunity to work together to improve as educators. This opportunity has been very valuable, so we are expanding it to include the five elementary schools and Fire Prairie for 2016-17. Research shows that the best way for teachers to improve is to have time to work together. This collaboration time is used to provide professional development, give teachers of the same grade or subject the opportunity to share best practices, and discuss ideas and problems that are shared across the building. As teachers at all grade levels work to help each student achieve at high levels, the addition of Early Out Thursdays at the K-6 grades will be very beneficial. Information will be provided regarding specific dismissal times and procedures at each school. Early Out Thursday will occur every Thursday of the school year, including the second day of school. The only exceptions will be days that are already designated for Early Release, namely December 22 and March 9. Fort Osage teachers are exceptional educators, and we are confident that the addition of Early Out Thursdays will help them to become even more effective in the classroom and better able to meet the needs of our students in a quickly-changing world. If you have questions about your student's Early Out Thursday schedule, please contact the school. We believe that with a minimal disruption to the students' schedules we will be able to provide an excellent support for staff and ultimate benefit to students. In the event of inclement weather, school district administration may choose to cancel school or to dismiss classes early. The decision on whether to cancel school is made before 6:00 a.m. if at all possible. Hopefully, the district will not have to dismiss classes early because the administration realizes the hardships that might be created by doing such. The exceptions might be dismissing classes early at the High School and Osage Trail Middle School. If this is done, it is usually to dismiss about 20 minutes earlier than usual and is done so that the busses might make their High School and Osage Trail Middle School routes and then get back for the Fire Prairie Upper Elementary School routes. If the weather forces the closing of school, the information will be announced in the following ways: ● Information will be posted to our Facebook and Twitter accounts. ● Information will be posted to our district mobile app. ● Announcements will be made on local television and radio stations. ● Information will be posted on our website at www.fortosage.net. ● A phone call, email, and text will be made to student's homes. What happens if the district has to cancel class one day due to inclement weather? The scheduled last day of classes is May 19, 2017. The district has built in six inclement weather days per state law. For each inclement weather day taken by the district, the last day of school will change. It is possible the last day of school would be May 30, 2017 or beyond. We encourage parents to keep this in mind when making summer travel arrangements. Snow Day Information High School students may pick up their 2016-2017 schedules and have their student ID picture taken in the Commons on the following designated days. Students need to bring the following items to orientation: parking application with parent signature and proof of insurance (juniors and seniors only), emergency card, residency verification, and free and reduced lunch forms. August 2: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 5:00- 7:00 p.m.- Seniors and Juniors only August 3: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 5:00- 7:00 p.m.- Sophomores and Freshman only August 4 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.- all Fort Osage High School students Osage Trail Schedule Pick-Up ● August 4, 2016 from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Meet the Teacher Nights ● Cler-Mont Elementary –August 15 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. ● Buckner Elementary – August 15 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. ● Buckner Elementary Kindergarten Orientation and New Parents- August 15 5:00 p.m. ● Elm Grove Elementary- August 11 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. ● Indian Trails Elementary Kindergarten Only- August 15 5:30 p.m. ● Indian Trails Elementary 1st-4th Grades- August 16 from 4:30 -6:30 p.m. ● Blue Hills Elementary – August 15 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. ● Fire Prairie Upper Elementary School (6th Grade Only) – August 15 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. ● Fire Prairie Upper Elementary School (5th Grade Only) – August 15 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. ● Osage Trail Middle School- August 15 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. ● Early Childhood Center – August 16 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. ● Career & Technology Center-August 11 at 6:15 and 7:15 p.m. 5th GRADE ORIENTATION Fire Prairie Middle School will hold an orientation session for 5th graders on August 13, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Students will ride their regular bus and will be greeted by staff when they arrive at Fire Prairie. 7th GRADE ORIENTATION Osage Trail Middle School will hold an orientation session for 7th graders on August 13, from 7:30-9:30 a.m. Students will ride their regular bus and will be greeted by staff when they arrive at Osage Trail. Please do not send school supplies with students. 9th GRADE ORIENTATION Fort Osage High School will hold an orientation session for 9th graders on August 13, starting at 7:30 a.m. in the Performing Arts Center. Students will ride their regular bus and will be greeted by staff when they arrive. High School Schedule Pick Up and Student ID