Putnam County R-I Schools Logo

Reminder: Today, Thursday, October 21, 2021, is early dismissal at 1:04 pm. Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend our Parent-Teacher conferences today from 1:30 pm - 6:30 pm to check in on the progress of their child(ren).

Tonight is also the Middle School Dance! From 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm, our 6th-8th grade students can shake off 1st quarter and spend a couple of hours having fun dancing with friends and classmates.

Friday, we are NOT in session. However, we will be hosting Senior Night at Dave Mitchell Field. The Putnam County Booster Club is hosting a tailgate beginning at 5:00 pm on Friday, October 22. We will celebrate our Seniors as Putnam County R-I Football hosts the Polo Panthers at 7:00.

Be sure to check the District Calendar for upcoming events.

Putnam County R-I Schools have some of the best staff and students around. Each month, we will be celebrating staff who have been nominated by their peers for going above and beyond.

This month's PC MVP Finalists were:

Michelle Cunningham, Brenda Reckrodt, Debbie Moss, Stephanie Gillum, and Valerie Vice.

Each finalist received a goody bag, a surprise visit from our admin team cheering them on, and a personal note of appreciation for all they do.

Our winner received the same as above, a designated parking spot for a month, and a PC MVP tumbler.

Just a small token of appreciation for all they do.

Please help us congratulate our PC MVP winner, Ms. Michelle Cunningham, and our outstanding finalists for the month of October.

Check out our media gallery to see all the surprise videos and photos!

Friday Night Lights is a little more special this Friday, October 22, 2021, as we celebrate our Senior band members, cheerleaders, football players, and Lady Midget golfers. Join us for pregame as we tailgate with the Booster Club beginning at 5:00 pm in the PCHS Commons. At 6:30 pm, we will honor our Seniors with their families. Kickofff for the Midgets vs Polo Panthers begins at 7:00 pm. The Booster Club will have their trailer set up at the game with new Midget merch and will be hosting a meeting after the game to celebrate Fall Sports. Join us for all the fun! Let's go, Midgets!

Be sure to check out our Senior photo gallery. Photos courtesy of Christina Schnelle. 

We hope to see you all there! 

Do you have some time you could donate to pour into the lives of our students, to encourage, mentor, and make a positive impact? Did you ever have someone believe in you or mentor you and it made an impact in your life? 

Putnam County R-I has developed a partnership with Caring Hearts, Changed Lives, a program designed to train caring adults or older teens how to befriend children and help them learn and grow academically. As a mentor, you would meet with a child one hour a week at school for a year. You would work with that student on academic skills, such as reading, math, and more. You would be a positive role model and friend. 

Right now we have more children than ever who need positive role models and mentors in their lives. We have more children than we do mentors. Would you be able to help us change that and make a positive impact on our students? 

If you are interested in becoming a Caring Hearts, Changed Lives mentor, feel free to reach out to Mrs. Cheryl Mayer at 660-947-3361, ext 395 or email her at cmayer@putnamcountyr1.net. You could also contact school board VP and director of Caring Hearts, Mr. Kelly Busker. 

Thank you for doing your part to help the youth of Putnam County learn and grow. 

*FBI fingerprint and background check is required in order to volunteer. 

*Caring Hearts, Changed Lives complies with the separation of church and state. No religious activity of any kind takes place on school grounds or during school hours. 

Good morning, I hope the start to the 2021-2022 school year has gone well for you. We are continuing to work toward completion on projects slowed by weather and Covid related supply chain issues. 

Our school board and administration continually strive to provide the best possible education for our students.  With that in mind, we constantly evaluate where we are on that

mission,  where we would like to be, and what should be done to get there. 

Nationally our country is struggling with the retirement of the “Baby Boomers”! We are facing unprecedented openings in many areas.  Nurses, CDL licensed drivers, and teachers just to name a few. The Midwest and more specifically Northern Missouri are facing a teacher shortage. We are fortunate and blessed to have filled all of our openings for this school year.

For me, Putnam County is the perfect place to live and raise a family, and it is where I have chosen to do so.  As much as I love it here, I am not naive to the fact that many things in the area have changed since my family started. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to attract and retain teachers. We are competing with Scotland County, Schuyler County, Novinger, and Newtown Harris which are all on a four-day school week. Also, recently our community has had a local daycare provider close their doors, creating a critical need for daycare.  We understand these issues are impactful for our community as well. In our goal of being competitive in attracting and retaining teachers we have identified these three areas as our biggest obstacles:

1. Quality affordable housing.

2. Four-day school week.

3. Availability of childcare.

Please take a few moments to share your thoughts and ideas with us by taking our survey over a Four-day school week and the availability of childcare, there are no questions regarding housing we don’t have the resources to provide adequate solutions. .  The survey can be accessed here:  Parent Survey Regarding 4-Day School Week & Daycare (September 2021)

We greatly appreciate your assistance.

Below is a mockup sample calendar to show what a 4-day School Week could possibly look like. 

4-Day School Year Sample Calendar (Mockup Only)

Congratulations to our Putnam County Middle School Character Education Winners for October 2021!

Good attitude winners: Jaci T, Kelsey M, and Mahlon G.

Self-control winners: Vladimir H, Landen C, and Traylen B.

Student of the month winners: Ava P, Corey C, and Riley B.

Mayor Charlie Bill Pitman met with students recently to sign a proclamation declaring Red Ribbon Week at Putnam County R-I Schools. October 23-31, 2021, is the National Red Ribbon Campaign. Students will have a variety of activities and presentations during the week to learn about drug prevention and promote a healthy lifestyle in our school and community. 

Red Ribbon Week at PC Elementary:

On Monday, October 25, wear red. Say NO to drugs & bullying. Dress in RED!

On Tuesday, October 26, wear your favorite team jersey. Team up against drugs. Wear your favorite jersey!

On Wednesday, October 27, wear your favorite college gear. Your future is bright! Wear your favorite college apparel!

On Thursday, October 28, it's Tacky Tourist Day! Imagine where you can go when you live a healthy life. Wear your favorite tacky tourist clothes!

On Friday, October 29, wear your favorite Midget gear. It's school spirit day! We are Proud to be a Midget! Wear your favorite PC apparel!

Putnam County High School Class of 2022 Seniors met with a representative from Jostens today to discuss senior clothing, announcements, and caps and gowns.👩‍🎓👨‍🎓

Each senior received an ordering packet. (Ask to see it.)

Every senior must turn in an order form with their height and weight to order a cap and gown which is paid for by class funds. Orders will be placed on Tuesday, October 26th. 🗒

There are several payment options available. 💵

Parents, please take some time to talk to your Seniors.

Attention PCHS Seniors and parents! We are hosting a financial aid night on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, in the Middle School Auditorium at 6:00 PM. Ms. Carla Miller is hosting the event and will help answer your questions about FAFSA, scholarships, financial aid, and much more. For more details, feel free to email Ms. Miller at cmiller@putnamcountyr1.net. See you there!

On Thursday, October 28, 2021, the Putnam County Health Department will be coming to school to administer flu shots to students and staff who would like to receive one. Vaccines will NOT be given to students unless a signed consent form is on file. Consents were given to all students earlier this month but extra copies are available if your student has misplaced theirs. Consents need to be returned to school by Monday, October 25, 2021. Feel free to call Nurse Stephanie at 660-947-3361, extension 319 with any questions.