“Easier,” “more convenient,” “less time consuming” and “long overdue” were sentiments shared by parents over social media concerning the Poplar Bluff School District’s launch of its online enrollment process this school year.

The streamlined registration system was coupled with the creation of a new district office to assist families, housed in the former Mules Café area of the Administrative Building, approved by the Board of Education in March.

“This new role will address the growing need for accurate record-keeping and streamlined enrollment processes district-wide,” described the memo presented by Aaron Badgley, R-I chief technology officer. “This strategic position will improve data integrity and ensure reporting compliance within our student information systems.”

Later in the spring, Taylor Russom was hired as the district’s very first registrar. Russom, a Poplar Bluff native, transferred internally from the Kindergarten Center, where she had been employed as secretary for the past few years, before which she served in the front office of the Middle School since 2017/18.

“I think one of my favorite parts of my job previously was the enrollment process,” said Russom, who started her new role in June after assisting Kindergarten with early registration on the new system. “I love that you’re meeting brand new people—you are welcoming them into the district. Every registration is completely different, so you don’t know what your day is going to look like or what you’re gonna encounter.”

When Russom began at the Kindergarten Center in 2020, parents and guardians were filling out several pages of paperwork by hand. With some of the information being redundant, Russom said she was able to consolidate the packet to only a few pages. However, caregivers with multiple students at different sites had to visit each building annually in order to verify any changes in demographical data.

“All the buildings did things a little bit differently, but ultimately [the data] is going to the same place, so it’s nice to have a uniformed process,” Russom explained. “Parents are the ones entering the information, so we’re no longer having to scour over the info as closely, when you were second-hand entering it from a sheet of paper, deciphering handwriting.”

Now families can take care of their enrollment or verification from the district website, including uploading copies of documentation such as birth certificates, immunization records and proof of residency, according to Russom. If assistance is needed, appointments may be booked online or over the phone, and generally take less than 15 minutes. For those without access, a public computer station and scanner are available in her office.

School leaders have discussed the increasing need for the position since 2022, but the decision was expedited when the district's SIS vendor informed its clients it had reached the end of its life cycle and would discontinue offering support. The BOE approved Infinite Campus the following year after a committee of 15 stakeholders vetted three proposals. The new platform went live district-wide this school year, including the enrollment component, after the Instructional Technology Department hosted a series of trainings for employee groups.

“Since we were also gonna be utilizing the online registration feature, it has become a lot easier for parents going to one location with one person to talk to,” Russom continued. “My communication with parents doesn’t just stop at new registration either. I’m happy to assist with Parent Portal as much as I can and troubleshoot any account issues they are having.”

To schedule an appointment with Russom at 1110 N. Westwood Blvd., click the enrollment icon at poplarbluffschools.net or call 573-850-0850.

The Puxico High School held their annual Homecoming Coronation. 

The Poplar Bluff School District is piloting its new bus tracking app Here Comes The Bus at the Early Childhood and Kindergarten centers with plans to roll out the parent access tool district-wide for the 2023/24 school year. 

The R-I Transportation Department began receiving its initial training followed by webinars shortly after Jon McKinney took the reins as director in July, a software technician position was created thereafter, and the associated hardware continues to be installed as the bus fleet expands.

“This is just a better way to communicate with our parents so they have a sense of security knowing their son or daughter is on the bus and when they get to school,” McKinney explained. “On our end, it should cut down on phone calls, because parents should literally be able to look on their phone and see when and where their child stepped on the bus.”

Under the pilot, parents and guardians of bus riders will soon receive letters in the mail providing instructions for downloading the app or visiting the website, then entering the unique student identification number supplied, and setting the preferred radius for receiving communication via text or email.

Students will scan their district-issued ID when entering and exiting the bus, and drivers will have access to a touchscreen with a name-based ridership module for the lower grade levels. The geofence can be set between 750 feet and two miles eliminating wait times at bus stops, and real-time alerts will automatically be sent to caregivers when students have arrived at school.

The locator has the capacity to refresh every 15 seconds using a single primary address drawn from the district’s student information system. Families of multiple children riding different buses can be tracked simultaneously. Individuals may only sign up for push notifications if they are on the student’s emergency contact list.

The Board of Education approved the acquisition of the fleet management system prior to McKinney’s arrival, selecting Synovia Solutions CalAmp as the low bidder, applying startup dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund to “create a more predictable transportation experience for kids and parents,” R-I Superintendent Dr. Scott Dill stated last school year. 

According to the proposal, the GPS-based transportation management software supports more of the top 25 largest school transportation systems in the United States than other vendors. The app was launched in 2014 and interfaces with Transfinder, the district’s routing system that has been utilized for several years, along with offering other administrative features.

“Basically we are moving to a time where school buses will have the same navigation system available in cars or Google Maps on your phone, which greatly helps new drivers and substitute drivers not as familiar with the routes,” McKinney continued. “Technology is pushing into this industry, making everything accessible, from arrival time to departure time of buses and the ability to live track them, hopefully making our routes more efficient, safer and consistent.” 

The plan is to launch Here Comes The Bus across the entire school system next academic year, after the soft rollout is completed this spring in order to troubleshoot. So far McKinney says “the technology has honestly surpassed our expectations,” and he anticipates that the district’s approximately 2,200 riders on over 200 bus routes built into the database will be fairly accurate in advance of the first day of school.

Article by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District

Four Poplar Bluff High School students have been selected to perform with the Missouri All-State Choir in January at Osage Beach.

Emma Tinsley will perform in the alto section; Gabriel Burke and Bralin Duckett will perform with the tenors; and Dawson Vaughan will serve as first alternate bass. Alyssa Roy received an honorable mention.

The students auditioned during the All-District Concert held on Saturday, Nov. 12, at Cape Central High School. Of the 14 students who performed, the six juniors and seniors were eligible to audition, according to Joshua Allen, director of vocal music.

Pictured: Poplar Bluff High School is represented (in red) alongside the Missouri All-State Choir on Saturday, Nov. 12, following an audition in Cape Girardeau.

Article and photo by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District

Bright Futures Poplar Bluff hosted a ‘reboot’ event for community partners since the organization’s mission was impacted during the public health crisis. While visitors were limited, student needs increased, according to officials.

School site councils, giving closets and lunch buddies along with the support from the faith-based, business community and nonprofit sector were highlighted during the breakfast symposium catered by Chartwells on Friday, Oct. 21, at the Black River Coliseum.

“The two greatest needs that we are seeing are socialization for students and support for staff,” explained school social worker Carrie Booker who, along with her colleague Donna Moore, serves as Bright Futures director. Some families chose virtual education following the state stay-at-home order in 2020, leading to anxiety in social settings as schools resumed normal, she continued.

“The biggest impact we think with our kids is isolation,” Booker continued. “When they don’t want to be there, they’re difficult to engage, and that’s probably what wears on teachers to some degree.”

Poplar Bluff entered into an affiliate community agreement with Bright Futures USA in 2014 as the nonprofit’s first partnering school system in Southeast Missouri. Founded in the Joplin School District, the umbrella organization provides a framework that allows schools to match outstanding student needs with existing resources in the community through a rapid response system. 

Gabe Thompson, O’Neal counselor, spoke at the gathering about how the elementary school has utilized its building site council to partner with Mossy Oak Properties, Southern Bank and West Side Church to successfully increase parental engagement over the past several years. He noted how sometimes educators may forget to ask for help, when they are rarely—if ever—turned down.

High School librarian Marci Priest was the district’s first to start a Giving Closet in 2016, followed by Junior High and the Middle School. She reported how her volunteer team serves 10-20 students daily, providing food, clothing, personal hygiene items and school supplies. When the needs are greater, she said, she leans on Bright Futures. 

The Bluff Church co-pastor Dave Elledge shared a story about attending a Bright Futures conference in Kansas City with Moore and Booker in 2019, and exiting a breakout session a changed man upon learning about bedlessness which, according to information presented, affects 3-5 percent of school children. He soon launched a local chapter of Sleep In Heavenly Peace with his wife Luann, Junior High counselor, and has helped build and deliver 530 beds.

Melanie Hamann, registrar at Three Rivers College, shared about being involved in the R-I lunch buddies program for seven years, having mentored two siblings since the youngest was in kindergarten. She said it has taught her to empathize with people from different walks of life.

Attorney Rebecca Hester, who serves as guardian ad litem for the court system, advocating for the child's best interest, pointed out how students that need the most help often conceal it well. She was also involved with a Bright Futures school in her previous community of Holden.

“Our job as a community is to inspire hope in kids,” Hester stated. “Sometimes that will be the only way if the [poverty] cycle is broken.”

Bright Futures aims to meet a child’s basic needs within 24 hours primarily via social media so students are better able to focus on education. To become involved, follow along on Facebook at Bright Futures Poplar Bluff, or email Booker at carriebooker@pb.k12.mo.us or Moore at donnamoore@pb.k12.mo.us.

Pictured: Attendee Stacey Clark reads literature about the Bright Futures organization during the reboot event held recently at the Black River Coliseum. 

Photo and article by Tim Krakowiak, Communications/Marketing Director, Poplar Bluff R-I School District