Southern Boone R-I Primary/Elementary Schools

803 S. Henry Clay/809 S. Henry Clay

Ashland, Missouri 65010

573.657.2148/573.657.2145     

August 30, 2007

Dear Primary/Elementary Families,

I hope this letter finds you and your family feeling positive about the new school year.  From my perspective, I feel like everything is falling into place quite nicely and that we are in for a great year of learning.  I am excited about the new opportunities for our kids and am very proud of our school district.  You may have already noticed that the underlying theme for the school district this year is “Rising to Excellence”, and I firmly believe that great things are getting ready to happen for Southern Boone and its students.

A recent study in England found that the ability to read well is the single best indicator of future economic success regardless of family background.  It has also been proven that reading 20 minutes a day can increase a student’s fluency and comprehension dramatically.  Thus, I want to introduce you to our school’s “Million Minute Read”.  If you are like my family, there are times that we do not fit reading into our busy schedule.  This past weekend while sitting at one of my son’s football practices; I thought about the number of minutes that we spend each week practicing for sports.  With the underlying notion that we become better athletes the more we practice; it made me think about learning.  Shouldn’t the same be true for reading?  Yes, the more we practice; the better we become at it.  Reading at home must be a priority for our students.  Therefore, I am going to be challenging each of our K – 4 students to read for 20 minutes a day throughout the remaining school year.  If everyone commits, we should be able to surpass the million minute target with no problem at all.   The benefits will be huge for all of us.

I also wanted to call your attention to the “Endangered Species Walk/Run” that will be held Saturday, October 13 in Jefferson City.  It is an event that is co-hosted by MO Dept. of Conservation, the MO Dept. of Natural Resources, the MO Dept. of Health and Senior Services, and Jefferson City Parks, Recreation, and Forestry.  Besides promoting wellness, the event will raise funds to help restore habitat, conduct research, and support education projects for endangered animals and plants in Missouri.  This may be something that you and your family could do together as a fun activity.  For more information, and to register for the race, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/programs/es_walkrun/ or call 573.522.4115 x 3150. 

As always, I strongly encourage you to contact me if you have questions or concerns regarding your student or his/her education.  Working together, we can make Southern Boone the best.

Sincerely,

Scott Salmons

Principal