Most people know that EFCO Corporation makes windows to help brighten houses and businesses, but what you may not have known was that they also house a workshop of elves who have been hard at work to make the holidays brighter for many families in our school district!  40 families who have children in our elementary campuses will see smiles on their children's faces thanks to the generosity of the employees of EFCO.  Many other businesses and churches have also helped with generous donations to support other programs for some of our families in need, such as our elementary backback program.  This is the second year EFCO has stepped up at the holidays to help.  Families chosen were 'gifted' with packages for every child under 18 in the household, and as this photo shows, the gifts pile up!  These packages were just part of the gifts left at Monett Intermediate School.  This used to be Principal Peg Bryan's office, until the elves arrived!

   On December 1st, the district was greeted with some very exciting news by our state department of education.  Monett R-I School District met the requirements to be classified as "Accredited With Distinction in Performance".  After just missing the mark last year, our staff and administration rolled up their sleeves and dug in to identify areas that challenged us, and implement plans of action to improve those areas.  Obviously, the work paid off!  Missouri's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education sets 14 standards for districts to meet, ranging from improvement of student achievement to graduation rate to attendance, as well as standards for college and career placement standards.  In order to be awarded the classification of 'accredited with distinction', the district must meet the state's standards in at least 13 of the 14 standards.  Last year, we met 12, which meant we still were accredited, but just not with additional honor.  This year, we were pleased to learn that the district met all 14 standards!  The community should be proud of the hard work of the students, staff and administration to recapture this prestigious honor.  Congratulations!!

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• All students will perform at or above state and national standards.
• All students will graduate and pursue a career or post-secondary educational path.

• The district will employ and retain diverse, motivated faculty and staff who are student focused and constantly pursuing best-practices.

• The district will provide safe, clean, and effective settings that foster learning in both traditional and non-traditional environments.
• The district will provide current instructional resources.

• The district will partner with families, businesses and community leaders to actively engage in the educational process.

• The school board will set student-focused policy and provide supportive leadership.