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Republic School District families,

The first day of school is TOMORROW, August 20! This special edition Tiger Talk e-newsletter contains several important reminders to keep in mind as we start the new school year.

We encourage you to utilize the www.republicschools.com/backtoschool web page as a one-stop-shop for all things "Back to School." There, you'll find details regarding many of the items below, including school supply lists, transportation, technology and meal information.

As a reminder, Tiger Talk e-newsletters are typically distributed on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month throughout the school year as a way to keep our patrons informed with important school information. Archived editions can be found here.

Weekly Schedule and Friday Early Release

The 2024-2025 school year will begin TOMORROW, Tuesday, August 20.

Monday through Thursday school hours will be the following:

EC: Class times vary, please refer to communication from EC regarding your student's schedule.
Lyon, McCulloch, Price, Schofield and Sweeny: 8:30 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.
RMS: 7:40 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.
RHS: 7:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.

EVERY Friday (starting Friday, August 23), students will be released ONE HOUR EARLY to provide teachers time to collaborate for student learning. This affects preschool students (full-day and half-day afternoon classes) through 12th grade students. Click here for more information on Friday Early Release.

On Friday Early Release days, start times will not change, but release times will be as follows:

Lyon, McCulloch, Price, Schofield, Sweeny, full-day and half-day afternoon EC classes: 2:40 p.m.
RMS: 1:50 p.m.
RHS: 1:40 p.m.

View the official 2024-2025 school year calendar here.

STRIPES 360 offers after school care for families who only need care on Friday Early Release. Learn more about that program here.

Pick-Ups and Drop-Offs

Here are a few things to keep in mind when picking up or dropping off students for school:

Only let students out of your car in the designated drop-off sections of the traffic route.
Be aware of potential pedestrian students along the traffic route.
Please follow the arrows on the maps.
Deviating from the provided traffic route can be a potential safety hazard for pedestrian students, and can cause other drivers frustration.
Do not park along the traffic route at any time.
Be courteous of other drivers.
When picking up, do not arrive more than 15 minutes prior to dismissal as that creates traffic congestion and safety concerns for our students and staff. Emergency vehicles must be able to access our driveways and parking lots during the entire school day in the event of an emergency.
From the time of dismissal, it will only take 13-15 minutes for every child to be picked up.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the designated traffic map your student's school. Select the below links to see maps for each building:

Transportation Information

Families who selected their students will be riding a bus this school year during online registration can log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal to see bus information. Please note: Families who who did not complete online registration by August 7 will experience a lag in being able to view transportation details in the Parent Portal.

Those needing to utilize the shuttle buses from the high school to the middle school can find that information here.

If you do not see any bus information in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal August 16 (and filled out registration by August 7), please email transportation.info@republicschools.org. Information is updated nightly in the Parent Portal.

Due to the volume of students being routed, bus stop locations and times need to be adjusted, so please check the Parent Portal TONIGHT for the most up to date bus stop information. Keep in mind, bus stop times are approximate. If a bus is running more than 15 minutes ahead or behind schedule, communication will be sent.

All Hardship Waivers for transportation must be renewed every year. Forms can be found here or you may contact the Transportation office for further assistance. Hardship Waivers can take a few days to process for approval and routing.

The safe transportation of our students is a top priority for the Republic School District. To ensure that each route and trip provided to our students is safe and pleasant, it is imperative that a safe, clean and controlled environment is provided on the bus. In that regard, we ask that all bus riders and guardians review the bus riding expectations listed here.

School Supply Lists

Republic School District is pleased to partner with Teacher Lists to simplify your school supply shopping. By following this link, you now have the option to use one-click online ordering or to print supply lists and go to the store directly for purchasing. Local vendors will also have these lists available, as in the past.

Additional supplies for high school students will be presented the first week of classes in course syllabus documents.

Back to School Safety Reminders

Our highly trained School Police team put together some important back to school safety tips for families to keep in mind at the start of the school year. Click here to read that communication, which was sent out last week.

Classroom Communication

The Republic School District deeply values our partnership with families in supporting each student's journey toward excellence. As we aim to ensure a balanced and effective learning environment for everyone in our school community, we are proud to provide clear communication expectations for our families and dedicated staff.

To support this, we have provided a template for Republic educators to share with families related to their communication availability. We aim to help families know the best ways and times to reach out to a teacher or staff member with a question. These guidelines will be - or may have already been - included in initial communications, such as newsletters or syllabi, and may be reiterated each quarter as a reminder. Some staff members may also include this information in their email signatures or on their web pages on our website.

Please note that while our employees will strive to respond to all messages within the same school day, communication received after the educator's listed contact hours will be addressed the following school day. This gives our teammates a chance to be their best at work with students and at home with their loved ones. Thank you for understanding!

Accidental Damage Protection Plan (ADPP)

Every student in kindergarten through 12th grade will be issued a take home technology device as part of the RepMO Ready plan. Our goal is to provide a digital learning device to all students for use both at school and at home. Students are responsible for the care of their assigned device at all times, both at school and home. The district strongly encourages families to purchase an Accidental Damage Protection Plan explained in the online form found on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Students will not be allowed to use school technology resources until the appropriate online form has been completed during online registration.

The deadline to purchase ADPP is August 30. To purchase ADPP, visit the Infinite Campus Parent Portal after creating your account. Instructions are available here.

Secondary students (RMS and RHS) will take their devices home daily. Elementary students will keep their devices at school until winter weather season approaches. During these winter months, elementary students will take devices home when potentially severe weather is in the forecast, which will allow the district to implement AMI (virtual learning) days, if needed.

School Meals

The district Food Services Department offers daily breakfast and lunch options. Meals may be prepaid by submitting cash/check to the school office in a sealed envelope with the student(s) name and amount enclosed on the outside of the envelope. In addition, through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal (after creating an account), families have the option to make online meal payments. To make an online meal payment, log in to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Instructions and meal prices are available here.

The Free and Reduced Meal Application is available for families to fill out on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal after a student's registration has been approved by their school building AND a parent/guardian has created a Parent Portal account. Take note, qualifications for this benefit may have changed and the application must be filled out to utilize this benefit during the 2024-2025 school year.

Keep in mind, the Free and Reduced Meal Application affects more than just meals. It provides funding for our schools, discounts for families, as well as scholarships and financial aid for students. In addition, families who qualify for free and reduced meals may also qualify for the following:

Reduced ADPP fees, as well as discounted home internet services
Discounts on ACT test fees, college application fees and some dual credit courses
Discounted tuition for the Republic Early Childhood Center and STRIPES 360 programming