Elementary Christmas Programs

Christmas Program Info…

Thursday, December 18, 2008

All programs are at the middle school gym. Students should arrive 15 minutes prior to performance time.

6:00 Kindergarten students will be giving a Christmas concert. They should come “dressed nicely,” as learning concert etiquette is one of the objectives of the performance.

6:30 First and second grade students will be performing “How the Penguins Saved Christmas.” Costumes and props will be provided. Students should dress comfortably.

7:00 Third grade students will be performing “The Incredible Reindeer.” Costumes and props will be provided so students should dress comfortably.

For your child’s safety, the audience is asked to remain seated until we dismiss the children to the cafeteria. They will be seated and then released to a parent/guardian.

Merry Christmas from Kirbyville Parents as Teachers

Make a Smilebox slideshow

No School Today - Monday, December 15

School and all after school activities are canceled for today due to the winter weather.

Recycling Knows No Season

Kirbyville students and families enjoyed the recycling-themed reading time on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Our guest speakers were Debbie Redford from the City of Branson and Joyce Stroud, regional planner with the Department of Natural Resources, Solid Waste Management Division. The students learned how long trash will remain in a landfill and what kinds of things can be made from recycled items. The students read more about recycling in books and on the web and read and followed directions to recycle objects that would usually be thrown away into useful items. Enjoy this slide show that shows some of our fun!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

PTO Christmas Craft Show Info

The Kirbyville PTO is preparing for our very 2nd annual Christmas Craft Show which is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 6 at KES. We need crafters/dealers, volunteers to help work the craft show and/or donated items for the two PTO booths (Santa and gift wrapping table).We will have a gift wrapping table and a "Photo with Santa" space. We will need volunteers to help with concessions, door greeters, gift wrapping table, photo with Santa, etc. In order for us to keep the prices low, we need help...we need boxes of all sizes (mostly med. to sm.), gift wrap, gift bags, ribbon, bows, name tags, tissue and ink/photo paper for Santa photos (Polaroid instant film is too expensive). If you have any of these items and/or would like to donate/volunteer please contact Rhonda (KES Elementary office) or drop off any donated items at the elementary school office (attn: Dawn). If you know of any crafters or dealers who may like to rent a booth space or know of any business that would be willing to make a charitable donation for the gift wrap table or Santa photos please have them contact Rhonda at the elementary office at (417)334-2757 or email us at KirbyvilleMOPTO@yahoo.com

Thank you in advance for any help you can give. :)

Upcoming Christmas Programs

The KMS Christmas Program will be at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 16. The KES Christmas Program will be on Thursday, December 18, with times for each grade level TBA. Both programs will be in the middle school gym.

Perfect Attendance

35 KES students had perfect attendance for the first quarter of school.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

More Veterans Day 2008

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Veterans Day 08

KES hosted 17 veterans for a special celebration on Thursday, November 13. Our guests visited classrooms, enjoyed lunch and were honored at a special assembly. Our guest speaker this year was State Representative Maynard Wallace. Enjoy this photo slideshow!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

KES Character Assembly (Citizenship/Compassion)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Wear your new KES t-shirt!!!

This Friday, November 7 is our first official KES t-shirt day as we attend our second character assembly which will focus on citizenship and compassion. Also, students should wear their KES shirts on Thursday, November 13 for our Veterans Day Celebration!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Fire Safety Week

KES students practiced fire drill procedures and enjoyed a visit from the Western Taney County Fire Department. The firefighters taught the students about the importance of having a home fire escape plan, changing batteries in the smoke detectors, what a firefighter looks like in full uniform and to "stop, drop and roll." The students toured the fire truck, used the siren and sprayed the fire hose.

Pumpkin Patch

First grade students enjoyed beautiful weather and a wonderful day at McKenna's Pumpkin Patch just north of Branson. The fall fun included a hayride, hay maze, a barn slide and more. The owners at McKenna's were complimentary about the way our kids conducted themselves. After a picnic lunch, the students ventured to the park at the Rec Plex for climbing, swinging and more!

Ronald McDonald Show

Ronald McDonald was on hand at KES on Thursday, October 9 putting on a fantastic show entitled, "You're the Star!" Students were encouraged to feel good about themselves and their talents, looking forward to the future when they can be anything they want to be!

McTeacher Night

KES students and families enjoyed McTeacher Night on Tuesday, October 7. Faculty members were on hand to visit with the community and "work" at McDonald's. The event netted $390.91. McDonald's donated 20% of the sales for that evening between 4:00-8:00.

Students and families enjoy fall-themed STAR time

KES held its quarterly STAR (Stay Today and Read) time on Wednesday, October 1. The students enjoyed fall-themed reading and reading-related activities until 5:00 when parents came to join them for family reading time. The purpose of STAR time is to promote the importance of family reading in terms of student reading progress and reading enjoyment for all. A Target Store Grant provided a free book for each child in attendance!

2008 Media Awards

The Kirbyville Elementary Express received the 2008 Media Award for outstanding reporting of news in education from the Missouri State Teachers Association in the category of school building newsletter. Mrs. Gaines Principal's Page also received the same award in the category of school building web pages.

KES receives $3000 Target Store Grant

Kirbyville Elementary School is currently providing several successful efforts to encourage family reading. Last year's Target Store Grant allowed us to expand these services by giving books to students to build their own personal libraries as they participate in our current programs. The books were both incentives to increase participation and resources for the students to have appropriate reading materials at home with their families.

Thanks to the new Target Store Grant, the expanded number of books provided to students will continue into the 2008-09 school year. Students will earn one new book of their choice each time they attend "STAR" or "Stay Today and Read", and will earn a free book of their choice at four benchmarks along the way during the “BLAST Books/Literacy: A Super Time” at-home reading program. Additional Scholastic books will be provided to students for summer reading packets as well for our "Splash Into Summer Reading" program. This continuation of the program improvements made through our previous Target Store Grant will provide an additional incentive for students to participate, but more importantly, will help to remove the barrier of lack of reading materials at home for low-income students. The lack of reading materials at home has been an ongoing concern for many families and is a cause for non-participation in at-home reading programs for some students. Also, at the lower grades, finding books that students can read themselves available in retail outlets is a challenge. The school, through educational materials outlets, will find books at beginning reading levels for the students who need them.

The more you read, the better you read. The better you read, the more you read. Thank-you, Target for supporting our efforts to build better readers.

Thank-you, Springfield-Greene Co. Library District and MO-PIRC

The Missouri Parent Information Center, working in conjunction with the Springfield-Greene Co. Library, provided each first grade student in Taney County Title 1 schools with the gift of a book. The Kirbyville first graders were very excited to receive their very own copy of a Junie B. Jones book, by Barbara Park. Junie B. is an inquisitive, lovable and often mischievous first grade student who finds herself in all sorts of adventures and misadventures. The book is definitely at a first grade interest level, but in most cases is a read-aloud selection at this point in the year.

Included with the book was information for parents about literacy and some tips to make family reading enjoyable. The purpose of the gift was to encourage families to make reading together a regular habit.

PTO Participates in Belk Charity Days...

Do you know 10 people who like to shop? (Seriously, who doesn't?!?) Do you think those10 people would like to help a charity while shopping? (Another no brainer!) Well, here is your chance to combine shopping and helping all at once - The Kirbyville PTO has signed up to participate in Belk's Annual Charity Day!

Belk Department Store on the Landing will be sponsoring a 4 hour sale that benefits charities. They have provided $5 coupons/tickets which entitle the purchaser to $5 off their first purchase at Belk’s and the opportunity to qualify for a $1,000.00 Belk shopping spree.

Here’s how Kirbyville benefits – the PTO gets to keep ALL the proceeds from any pre-sales of the coupons we make, let me stress KIRBYVILLE KEEPS ALL THE PROCEEDS OF PRE-SALES OF THE COUPONS/TICKETS. For example, if we sell 100 coupons/tickets at $5.00 each the PTO gets to keep the entire $500.00 we raise. This is an event that is geared towards charities and is a win-win proposition for participants.

We are asking for your help. Would you be willing to take on 10 tickets (or more) to sell to your friends, family, church, etc for $5 each? These tickets can be used on November 15th, 2008 from 6am-10am at Belk’s for $5.00 off their first purchase of any one $10 (or more) item! Plus, they can register to win a $1,000 Belk shopping spree. Even if you can’t attend, purchasing a ticket ahead of time is a donation to the Kirbyville Schools and your kids. If you can’t go, just give the ticket to a friend and at least get signed up for the $1,000.00 shopping spree. Click on the link for Belk’s Store Ad on Kirbyville PTO’s site for specifics. (http://www.kirbyville.k12.mo.us/nov.htm)

Kirbyville has many needs. Last year the PTO purchased new playground equipment for the elementary school, which depleted most of the PTO monies! It is time to replenish our cash! This is a great opportunity to make some money for our kids and their needs. Please help as much as you can.

We will be having a bake sale at Belk’s on the day of the event. Please sign up to bake items in groups of 2-4 (ie, cookies, brownies, etc). Items that shoppers can eat on the go! J

Thank you for all the help you can give,

Dawn Motley

Kirbyville PTO Officers:
Kristol France, President
Dawn Motley, Vice President
Lynna Blevins, Secretary
Lana Gilliam, Treasurer
Laurie Lohbeck, Personal Attenion Officer

Please feel free to contact the PTO at…
email KirbyvilleMOPTO@yahoo.com
or call and leave a message at (417)334-2757 - Elementary School Office

TumbleBook Library

The KES Library is pleased to feature a new subscription to TumbleBook Library. TumbleBook bills itself as "E-books for e-kids..." but in reality it is so much more than that! The TumbleBook Library has picture books with options such as having the book read aloud, reading independently and getting help with unknown words at the click of a mouse. Books range from picture books to chapter books and from newly published titles to familiar classics. You can take a quiz about the story that you read or write a book report. Finally there are related games and puzzles for many of the selections. Simply go to Kirbyville Elementary's Virtual Library at http://kirbyville.k12.mo.us/library/virtual_library3.htm and click on the TumbleBook Library icon to access KES's subscription! Happy reading!!!

Incredible Field Trip offered to BLAST at-home readers

"Incredible Science" is the name of the game for K-3 students who complete the BLAST (Books/Literacy: A Super Time) at-home reading program. The special field trip to reward this accomplishment will consist of several components: a hands-on science presentation by Discovery Center of Springfield, an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet at Incredible Pizza in Springfield, a $3.00 play card donated by Incredible Pizza, and a round of mini golf, also donated by Incredible Pizza.

It is anticipated that this trip will be available to the students who earn it at no cost to families. Terry Miller and I are working on a Target Field Trip Grant to cover the majority of the cost and we will use various other fund raiser money to underwrite the cost of the trip as needed. We would also accept donations towards the cost of the trip from parents, community members or other blog readers. Please contact the elementary office at 417-334-2757 if you are interested in contributing in this way.

Ronald McDonald Show

Due to technical difficulties, Ronald McDonald is unable to perform at KES on Thursday, September 18. The show has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 9 at 2:15. The students look forward to the annual Ronald McDonald Show, an entertaining assembly during which Ronald teaches the children about various topics which have included: reading, safety, and character development.

The more you read, the better you read; the better you read, the more you read...

Kirbyville Elementary is pleased to present “BLAST: Books/Literacy = A Super Time”, which is a program to encourage regular at-home reading practice. The program begins September 15 and concludes on April 24, 2009. Students will have plastic envelopes in which to put reading material and a “BLAST folder” to keep track of their progress. All students who meet the “BLAST: Books/Literacy = A Super Time” goal for their grade level will be invited to attend a special field trip in May. The goal for kindergarten and first grade students is to read 100 books. The goal for second and third grade students is reading a total of 2000 minutes. Parent signatures are required for the books/minutes to count.

Jillian Hodge from the Discovery Center in Springfield was on hand Thursday to help us kick off the program at a special assembly combining outer space learning with children's literature.

We are striving for 100% student participation! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...BLAST-off to reading success!

PTO update

The Kirbyville PTO met on Thursday, Sept. 11 after school. New officers were elected:

Kristol France, president
Dawn Motley, vice president
Lynna Blevins, secretary
Lana Gilliam, treasurer
Laurie Lohbeck, personal attention officer

A fall festival-themed carnival was scheduled for Saturday, October 18 from 12:00-2:30. Volunteers are needed to help run booths, create baked goods, work in concessions and more.

The PTO will sponsor the second annual craft show on the first Saturday in December.

Please visit the PTO web page: http://kirbyville.k12.mo.us/pto.htm for more information about how to get involved or call the office at either school.

Celebrating Grandparents in the Library

Mrs. Horr's kindergarten class was walking down the hall to lunch following the school hallway procedures when they were greeted by the principal and a pair of grandparents. The excitement was apparent in the body language and smile of the "grandchild" who belonged to the grandparents. He was working hard to decide whether to let his feelings explode and jump out of line to hug them or continue to show his grandparents what a "big kindergartner" he was along with his classmates. He chose the latter with a big grin in his "bubble." His grandparents joined the class for lunch and then read a story at their library time.

This was just one great experience among many as the KES library welcomed grandparents as guest readers all week this past week to celebrate Grandparents Day which is Sunday, Sept. 14. Each class had the opportunity to have a special guest read a story to them during the libary time. Several of the grandparents also came early and enjoyed lunch with their grandchild.

If you are a grandparent and you didn't have the opportunity to read to a class during this special week, contact librarian, Terry Miller, who would be happy to schedule a time for you to visit. If you are interested in other volunteer opportunities at KES, please call the office and ask to speak to your grandchild's teacher or to the principal.

Thank-you, Telecom Pioneers!

KES third graders were the grateful recipients of new paperback dictionaries, courtesy of the Telecom Pioneers. Jan and Frank Espinosa visited KES yesterday and presented the resource to the students and had them write their names on a name plate that was on the book. The students will keep the books to use at school during the year and then they will take them home to keep when school lets out for summer break.

Bus Safety Starts With You

Each year in the United States, school buses travel over 4 billion miles to safely transport over 23 million children to and from school and school activities. That is a pretty amazing statistic.

At Kirbyville, we are committed to making each and every bus trip safe for our students. As part of this commitment to safety, we provide annual bus safety training and bus evacuation drills. It is important to remember that bus riding is a privilege reserved for students who display safe, appropriate bus behavior.

Behaviors that are critical include following the directions of the bus driver, staying seated while the bus is moving, keeping all objects out of the aisles, keeping heads and hands inside the bus, avoiding distracting actions such as loud talking or yelling, scuffling or horseplay or throwing objects around. At the bus stop, it is important that students stay out of the road, arrive before the bus, avoid horseplay and load the bus single file. A major point of emphasis is staying out of the danger zone, which is the area within 10 feet of the bus on all sides. The driver cannot see a student, even in the mirrors, when he/she is that close to the bus.

For the elementary students, check out http://kirbyville.k12.mo.us/gaines/bus_safety.html for links to bus safety online games, an original song and music and a letter to students.

"Kirbyville's Got Talent"

Kirbyville School District is a partner in the First Place Character Initiative in Stone and Taney County. The character initiative includes the College of the Ozarks, all the schools in Stone and Taney Counties and many local businesses and individuals.

KES kicked off our character program today with an assembly called "Kirbyville's Got Talent." The premise was a talent competition featuring performers, judges and audience members that displayed examples and non-examples of our first two character words, "respect" and "responsibility." The skit was performed by KES faculty members. Subsequent quarterly character assemblies will be written and performed by groups of third grade students.

Character is visible in various places throughout the building including the cafeteria and lobby bulletin board. Classes will use the character words as a basis various projects throughout the year. KES students will soon have new character t-shirts featuring our theme, "Dreams come true when your character shines through." But, most importantly, throughout the year, character is visible in the words and actions of our students, faculty and staff.

Splash Bash celebrates summer reading

You can tell from this student's "thumbs up" that the Splash Into Summer Reading Program was a hit for the fourth year in a row. 98 K-5 students read at least 1000 minutes during summer vacation and celebrated at the Splash Bash on Thursday, August 21. Read more about it in the Branson Daily News. Our sponsors this year were Ozark Mtn. Bank, The Track Family Fun Parks, Wal-Mart Volunteerism Always Pays program, The Presleys and a Target Store Grant. We are also grateful to JJ Marketing (Star-Walk Entertainment) for providing the equipment at a discount and for the Scholastic Literacy Partners program which allows us to purchase the books for the student packets at a large discount with free shipping.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Kirbyville Elementary students were featured in a Branson Daily News Article about the first day of school:
http://bransondailynews.com/story.php?storyID=8385

Welcome back!!!

We had a great turn out at Open House. Thank-you to all the families who attended! Click here to a link to the KES Open House PowerPoint: http://kirbyville.k12.mo.us/gaines then click the link at the top of the page.

The first day of school is Monday, August 18! We are looking forward to a great year!


These two students were very excited to visit the school and return their Splash Into Summer Reading folders! They each read at least 1000 minutes during summer vacation. Students may return their folders on the first day of school if they forgot them on Open House.

Open House

The Kirbyville R-VI School District would like to invite all our students and families to Open House on Thursday, August 14. The hours at the middle school are 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and the hours at the elementary school are 6:30 to 8:00. We hope to see you there!

New student enrollment

August has arrived and although the kids still have a few weeks of summer left, if you are new to the Kirbyville district our enrollment dates are coming up! Enrollment at both schools will be on Thursday, August 7 and Friday, August 8 from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. K-3 students enroll at the elementary school and 4-8 students enroll at the middle school. Students in all grades will need to bring a current immunization record and proof of residency (lease or purchase agreement for your residence or a current electric bill). Students enrolling in kindergarten must have turned five before August 1, 2008 and students enrolling in first grade must have turned six before August 1, 2008. Students enrolling in these two grades must bring a birth certificate as proof of age-eligibility. The offices in both buildings will open on Monday, August 4. Call the elementary school at 334-2757 or the middle school at 348-0444 if you have questions.

Simple Pleasures

Even in these days of fast paced technology, kids still enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Several of our elementary field trips capitalize on this.

Crawdads. It is hard to believe that these clawed creatures bring such pleasure, but the kids were having a grand time on Tuesday searching for the critters in all sizes and observing them in make-shift aquariums, along with minnows, snails and tadpoles. (Our creek time is a "catch and release" program and no actual wildlife was harmed in the making of this memory.)

Deer. Turtles. Fish. Frogs. Spotting these animals along the hiking trail at the Nature Center takes a keen eye, patience and a little self-discipline in the talking department.

A hill. A grassy hill. What is better on a summer day than a quick roll down a grassy hill? It has become a KES tradition of sorts when visiting the Living Memorial Park to enjoy a roll down the hill. And, why not? (It's fun!)

Watch me! Watch me! Watch me!

If I had a nickel for everytime I heard this on Friday, I would be very rich! "Watch me (fill in the blank)!" was echoed frequently at the pool, just before the students performed amazing feats of underwater bravery and other stunts!

Speaking of watching, twice last week, I was asked by parents, "How do you actually watch 100 kids at the pool?" I thought I would share our secrets here.

First, we have an incredible number of rules and procedures for the pool and we tell the students up front exactly what we expect. We have great kids and they do rise to high expectations and, for the most part, do exactly as they are asked.

We prevent loss of items by leaving all our outer clothes on the bus. Students are only permitted to bring a towel, sunscreen, money and shoes onto the pool deck. They put their items in a designated area and are not allowed to leave items anywhere except the designated area. They purchase food and eat it in the concession area and responsibly clean up any mess or trash.

Also, we swim test the kids before they are allowed in or on the deck around the deep end of the pool. Once they have passed the swim test, we mark their shoulder with an X. We keep track of who has passed and we mark them with an X the following week. Several students passed the swim test so far this year that were not able to last year. For these kids, the X is a badge of pride and accomplishment.

We are in the pool actively interacting with the children. The kids enjoy the attention and we are close enough to see and hear what is necessary to keep kids safe. We require students to walk when they are on the deck and we do sit students out if they are behaving in an unsafe or inappropriate way.

Finally, when it is time to go, it is time to go!!! All students are expected to exit the pool immediately, get their shoes on, pick up their towel and get in their class lines when the announcement to do so is made. Each teacher makes sure that all students are in line before we go to the buses and then roll is called by name before the buses leave. The students know that the more efficiently they can get themselves together to be ready to leave, the more time they get to spend swimming the next time.

The bottom line at the swimming pool is that students need to stay safe and the teachers and I work hard to ensure this is the case.

Catch the Reading Bug!

"Catch the Reading Bug" which is our summer library program kicked off yesterday. The students enjoyed learning more about bugs from guest speaker, Randy Dietz. Other activities including making "marshmallow bugs" to eat, creating worm paintings (no real worms were injured during the course of this activity), listening to a read aloud selection, playing games and, of course, a great opportunity to check out books.

Speaking of books, can you believe how excited these boys are about an alien book from the library?

Don't bug me...I'm going to summer school!

We have been having an awesome time at summer school! The KES students received their summer school t-shirts this week and they have been a hit. Kindergarten students can still purchase one for $5.00. The first through fourth graders' shirts were covered through their activity fee. Swimming is coming up tomorrow!

Summer Reading and Library Programs

Don't forget that the elementary school has two great programs to keep kids reading all summer long! The Splash Into Summer Reading program encourages all students who will be in grades K-5 next school year to read and record 1000 minutes of reading during the summer to attend the Splash Bash when we return to school in August.



The "Catch the Reading Bug" summer library program kicks off on Wednesday, June 4th from 12:30-2:30 and continues for 6 weeks. It is the Wednesday field trip for KES summer school students, but you don't have to be enrolled in summer school to attend. Also, students who read and record at least 400 minutes in the "Splash..." program and return the certificate signed by a parent to the library program can receive a free Scholastic book. Door prizes (books) are drawn weekly and students who attend 5 of 6 weeks of the library program will be invited to stay overnight at a special party. The program is designed for students who will be in grades K-5 next school year, but younger siblings may come, if they are accompanied by a parent. Younger children are not eligible for the overnight party.



Click the embedded links or the links in the list to the right for more details about each program.

Thank-you, Tanger Outlet Center!

The Kirbyville School District wishes to thank the Tanger Outlet Center for their generous donation of $1, 200 to each building through the Tanger Bucks program. Each time a coupon booklet was sold during the past year, a portion of the proceeds were donated to each school. Tanger Outlet Center will continue this program next year as well!

Summer School

Kirbyville Elementary and Middle School have started summer school, but it is not too late to enroll. Students who will be in grades K-8 next school year are eligible. Buses will run within the district and breakfast and lunch are provided for all students at no charge.


Students do not have to live in the Kirbyville School District to attend, but there is not bus transportation available outside the district.


The summer school program offers academics at all grade levels in the mornings and field trips to various area destinations in the afternoons. Field trip destinations include the Branson Rec Plex for swimming, Skateworld, Springfield Nature Center, movies, IMAX theatre and much, much more. There is a field trip fee of $25 at the elementary school and $30 at the middle school.


Students who will be in K-4th grades next year are at the elementary school and students in 5th -8th grades will be at the middle school. Call the elementary school at 334-2757 or the middle school at 348-0444 for more information or to enroll.

Welcome to the Kirbyville R-6 Blog!!!

I would like to welcome everyone to the new Kirbyville R-VI blog. Hopefully, this blog will be a tool to share information of interest to the Kirbyville School community and a way to have an ongoing, interactive vehicle of communication in our community. Please feel free to comment to any posts with positive or helpful statements or questions. Of course, any topic that is confidential or related to an individual student or a personnel matter is not appropriate in this venue. Those situations should be directed to the Kirbyville school personnel responsible for your type of concern.

Anyone can add comments to existing posts, but you would like to be a blog author, please contact me via email.