California Middle School recently placed among the top 30% of middle schools in the state of Missouri, making it a U.S. News Best Middle School. California Middle is ranked #73 in Missouri Middle Schools. Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation, and how well they prepare their students for high school. At California Middle, 55% of students scored at or above the proficient level for math, and 51% scored at or above that level for reading. Compared with the district, the school did better in math and better in reading, according to this metric. In Moniteau Co. R-I, 50% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 52% tested at or above that level for math. California Middle did better in math and better in reading in this metric compared with students across the state. In Missouri, 46% of students tested at or above the proficient level for reading, and 40% tested at or above that level for math. Congratulations to the teachers and students for your hard work and great accomplishments. Click on the above link for more information about this ranking.

Mrs. Jamie Shewmake, California Elementary's Pre-Kindergarten Teacher and Parent's As Teachers Educator, was selected as one of the 2021 McDonald's Outstanding Educators from a pool of 425 teachers! Winners were selected by several mid-Missouri McDonald's operators. These teachers were recognized for their "perseverance and loyalty, showing up and giving their all day after day to make sure students thrive". This is the second year that McDonald's has presented this award. Congratulations Mrs. Shewmake!!!

Click on the above link to see the school district's policy on COVID-19.

The School District is offering COVID testing for students this school year with a parent's signed consent form. If your child is sent home ill, you may request a COVID test from the school insead of going to the doctor's office. When quarantined as a close contact, testing with a negative result can be utilized for returning to school at an earlier date on a modified quarantine. We hope this will be beneficial in keeping students in school as much as possible. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Tammy Kirchoff at the middle school, 573-796-2146 or tammy.kirchoff@californiak12.org.

Click on the above banner for California R.1's Safe Return to School Plan.

We use School Messenger to communicate school events and important notices. If you have blocked us, you may not receive emergency notices such as school cancellations. You can control how you get School Messenger alerts (by text, phone, or email) by setting your preferences. (To receive texts, you must text Y or YES to 67587) For directions to set your personal preferences, click on the headline above.

The Moniteau County R-1 School District (California, MO) is seeking applicants for Substitute Teachers. Qualifications include a high school diploma, successfully completed a minimum of twenty (20) clock hours of department-approved substitute teacher training or 60 college credit hours and a Content Substitute certificate from DESE. Substitute teaching is a great way to supplement your income with a flexible schedule. The California School District pays $75 per day for substituting, and pay can increase to $180 per day for long-term placement. Click on the headline above for more information.

Student Transportation - Apple Bus Company Office Manager: Tanya Potter, tanya.potter@applebuscompany.com or apple.bus@californiak12.org 573-464-4383 and 573-464-4379

Click on the above headline for more information about applying as a bus driver.

Click on the above headline for more information of how you can give without spending more money. Casey's Reward participants will be eligible for excellent, money-saving specials on all kinds of products from Casey's as well.

Students have a right to enroll in virtual instruction classes at the District’s expense unless it is determined that it is not in the best educational interest of the student. Please reference Policy IGCD—Virtual Courses or click on the above headline

Dear Parents and Guardians: In the short time that I have worked in the California R-1 School District, I KNOW that the district prides itself on providing a safe learning environment for each and everyone of its students. That being said I have noticed that locally, and nationwide, there have been many troubling incidents reported regarding students and their use of the Internet. There are many social media sites that are growing in popularity with students. Several of these have an instant messaging component as part of the site and some, the message automatically disappears after it has been seen. Unfortunately, some of these sites are being used by con-artist, cyber-bullies, and child predators. From the research that I have done and communicating with other investigators that specialize in these types of crimes, we believe that this is caused by two basic problems: Children can communicate and meet people outside the control of their parents. Children and adults can communicate anonymously without the fear of getting caught. I want to encourage all of you to talk with your children about the potential dangers of the Internet. Also encourage them to come talk to you if they get messages from people they do not know as well as abnormal messages from people they do know. These messages may be a start of a problem called “grooming.” These are actions done by people with ulterior, dangerous motives to attempt to make your child comfortable with them, so they will do things they would not normally do. I also want to encourage you to establish rules and guidelines to ensure the safety of your child while on the internet. One rule I would like to suggest, something that I do with my children, is to review the content of all of their electronic devices, including their social media sites, on a regular basis. I also want to assure you that the school district is doing all that it can to ensure the online safety of its students. One of the many measures is that they have blocked all social media sites from our school computers as well as being able to access them on our wifi. If you would like more information about this matter I encourage you to go to www.connectsafely.org or www.cybersafetycop.com Thank you for your time, Deputy Scott Harkins SRO Moniteau County Sheriff’s Office California R-1 School District

Did you know that you as a parent can be just as mobile as your student? Click on the headline for information on the Parent Portal App for your phone.

Click on the headline to learn more about Learning Disabilities