Good Afternoon Joplin High School Eagles Family!
We had an outstanding week last week at JHS. As we go in to classrooms, I am so excited to see all the teaching and learning occurring every day. I hope each of you were able to get outside today, after all the rain we have had. I hope you got to spend some quality time with those you love.
If there is anything you ever need, please feel free to call me at 417.625.5230 or email me at randyoliver@joplinschools.org. I would like to remind our students to WORK HARD, BE KIND, and GO EAGLES!
Your Proud Principal,
Dr. Oliver
|
Meet Mr. Chase Kilgore, one of the newest additions to the JHS team and our Intro to Fitness and Health teacher, as well as the Head Baseball Coach. This is his first year at JHS.
Originally from Rogers, Arkansas, Mr. Kilgore graduated from Heritage High School, and his roots in athletics started early and continue to influence his work today.
Chase graduated from Pittsburg State University, where he played baseball and earned a degree in Physical Education. After college, he began his teaching career in De Soto, Kansas (near Kansas City), where he taught for three years. He then spent two years in Lamar, teaching and serving as a strength and conditioning coach while coaching baseball and football.
Family is a huge part of Chase’s life. His wife, Sydney, teaches 4th grade at Soaring Heights, making education a true family profession. They have two young children—Cruze (3) and Cohen (1)—with another baby on the way in July. With coaching taking up much of his time, Mr. Kilgore treasures every chance he gets to be with his family. They enjoy hitting the local kid places such as Ocean Adventures or SOAR, spending time at parks, and taking lots of family walks whenever possible.
Looking ahead, Mr. Kilgore dreams of a future filled with hunting, fishing, and more time outdoors. His long-term goal is to own a house with land, where he and his wife can enjoy a slower pace of life—and maybe travel a little more along the way. We’re excited to have Mr. Kilgore at JHS and look forward to the positive impact he’ll continue to make in the classroom and on the field.
|
Meet Ms. Claire Hurst, another new member of the JHS family and our French teacher! This is not only her first year at JHS, but also her first year teaching overall. Originally from Houston, Texas, Ms. Hurst moved to Cassville as a child and later graduated from there. She went on to attend Pittsburg State University, where she studied French Education. Her journey into teaching started with a simple curiosity—she decided to try French, discovered she had a talent for it, and quickly realized it was something she loved.
Education runs in the family. Her sister is also a teacher, teaching English in Monett. Her mom still lives in Cassville, and is a proud “grandma” to Claire’s two cats, Alfie and Minnie. Outside of school, Ms. Hurst enjoys all things fun and creative. She loves trivia, movies, and TV shows (especially anime), and she enjoys studying other languages, music, and art. In addition to French, she also speaks a little Spanish. This summer, she’s heading to South Korea, fueled by her interest in K-pop and global culture.
Looking ahead, Ms. Hurst would love the opportunity to teach abroad, particularly teaching English in a French-speaking country, combining her love of language and travel.
We’re excited to have Ms. Hurst at JHS, where her passion for language and culture is opening doors for students every day.
|
Dedicated School Time for Extra Support
Starting in January 2026, all Joplin High School students will have the opportunity to receive dedicated, in-school support services to help them Level Up their academic success in the classes and subjects they need it most. Level Up options will fill the former Transitions period, and will be offered every day of the week.
Level Up is designed to help students improve grades, build skills, and stay on track for graduation before small problems become large obstacles. The time is focused on individual growth and success, not punishment. We understand that everyone needs support sometimes, even when the grade card shows an A or a B, and Level Up is designed to meet those needs right in the middle of the school day, without asking students to come early or stay late for tutoring. The goal is effectively to help students take ownership of their own learning so they can Level Up their academics.
Three Levels of Opportunity
Intervention: Targeted Support
This is a 30-minute session that provides focused help on a SPECIFIC LEARNING STANDARD. Students will work with a teacher to relearn, practice, and retest to master a specific standard in a specific content area.
Academic Opportunity: The Catch-Up
This is 30 minutes of structured time for students who have a D or an F to work with a teacher to improve their grades, complete missing work, retake assessments, and get help.
Eagle Time: The Reward
This is a 30-minute reward period for students who are meeting expectations and mastering standards as expected. Students can choose from a variety of non-classroom locations to socialize, get ahead on work, read, or relax.
|
Instructional Thoughts and Ideas |
Short Item:
Free Classroom Videos and Lesson Plans – New York Times Retro Reports has more than 300 short videos in multiple subject areas, accompanied by lesson plans and teaching suggestions.
|
In this online article, Carl Hendrick (Academica University) suggests seven instructional insights that every teacher should know:
• Effective learning strategies often feel like they’re not working. For example, summarizing a paragraph or testing oneself on challenging material is difficult and students may be frustrated, but these are among the best ways to commit material to long-term memory. Conversely, re-reading and underlining a passage gives the feeling of mastery, but it’s illusory and the “learning” is quickly forgotten.
• Finding out what students don’t know is sometimes more important than knowing what they do. “Often we don’t pay enough attention to what students don’t know,” says Hendrick, “and more importantly, their misconceptions, misunderstandings, and gaps in knowledge.” Identifying these allows teachers to plan more effectively for the next lesson.
• We understand new stuff based on our knowledge of old stuff. For example, when students are learning to read, their vocabulary, background knowledge, and conceptual understanding are the velcro that helps new learning stick. “Design lessons with that in mind,” says Hendrick.
• Caveat emptor on the science of learning. Cognitive psychology has given us powerful strategies – for example, that retrieval practice builds long-term memory. But there are “lethal mutations” to some of these ideas, says Hendrick, and teachers need to apply them “in a systematic way with consistent feedback, reflection, and evaluation.”
• The necessary subcomponents of learning look different than the final performance. People who want to become skilled soccer players don’t start by playing a match: they work on dribbling, ball handling, fitness, and more. Similarly, to become proficient readers, students need to master phonics, vocabulary, background knowledge, and fluency.
• Not all learning is engaging and fun. One of the worst misconceptions, says Hendrick, is that if parts of a lesson are boring, kids have the right to tune out. “We should impress upon students the value of short-term struggle in order to achieve long-term gain,” he says, “a pattern we see again and again in achievement in many different domains of expertise.” Students moving from This is impossible to Oh wait, I can do this is one of the best experiences they can have.
• A few students doing well proves nothing. About 20 percent of students will learn in spite of ineffective teaching practices and an unruly classroom, says Hendrick, but their well-written essays and high test scores are nothing for a teacher to brag about. Effective, equitable teaching is built on day-to-day practices like high expectations, good classroom management, clarity, modeling, scaffolding, and checking for understanding.
|
In this online article, high-school teacher Dave Stuart Jr. says he feels parents’ and guardians’ pain on homework: “I’ve got four children in school: a tenth grader, an eighth grader, a sixth grader, and a third grader. I live in a state of constant confusion about who has homework when. It is a perpetual fog of war. My best days are the ones where I at least check in with each of my children on whether or not they have homework and provide a few tips and structure changes to enable them to focus on the work they have.” His suggestions for teachers:
• Recognize that parents and guardians are busy. What they need is clear and specific information on their children’s homework responsibilities in as few words as possible.
• Start from a humble place and assume good intent. “Just about all parents and guardians I’ve met do care,” says Stuart. “We have to remind ourselves: they love their child more than I do; they are hugely responsible for the things in their child that I love; they are more frustrated by their child’s misbehaviors than I am.”
• Parents and guardians should never have to teach our material. It’s not fair to students or adults at home to send homework that requires instructional help, says Stuart. “It’s my job to explicitly teach my students to do everything I want them to do at home.”
• Ask parents and guardians to provide a distraction-free place for homework. “Not all of them can,” he says, “but whenever a parent asks me what they can do to help, I always bring this up” – specific times for studying, smartphones off and away, and as few distractions as possible.
• Encourage listening to their children and cheer them on. Parents can ask kids how things are going, encourage their work ethic, coach them on seeking help when they need it, and remind them that their worth isn’t how well they perform in school but who they are. In the words of Mr. Rogers, “It’s you that I like.”
“Better, Saner Homework Tips, Part 3: Team Up with Parents and Guardians” by Dave Stuart Jr., February 3, 2026; Stuart can be reached at dave@davestuartjr.com.
|
Students and Parents Reminders & Updates |
Just wanted to alert everyone that may not already be aware, but we are hosting the 2026 Class 4 District 3 Boys Wrestling Tournament at JOPLIN HIGH SCHOOL on February 20th and 21st.
In order to accommodate the teams and their buses, the FTC Parking Lot will be closed following the basketball games on Thursday, February 19th and will remain closed through the end of the tournament on February 21st. Please make other arrangements to park your vehicles if you park in the FTC Parking Lot.
|
Please nominate a teacher for this year's Golden Apple Awards, hosted by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce! Nominations are open from Monday, Feb. 9 through 5pm Monday, March 9 at https://joplincc.com/goldenapple/. Nominations must be accompanied by a parent and student letter of recommendation.
This local program works to recognize PreK-12th grade teachers from public and private schools in Joplin. They are looking to celebrate teachers who demonstrate the ability to inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities to reach their full potential. We have amazing teachers who do this every day, and it means the world to them to be nominated by their students. Nominate early and often to help us celebrate our amazing teachers!
|
We would like to shout out the following people:
Ms. Terri Copple, Ms. Cassandra Mueller, Ms. Jennifer Hancock, Ms. Holly Yust, and Ms. Shelly Tarter for helping with a student who was having a medical emergency. As this situation unfolded, I was reminded why I love being the principal at JHS...we will do anything to help any of our students. It was quite magical to watch this team work together to assist the student.
Ms. Myriam Bonetti for her strong commitment to supporting our English Learners students through her willingness to assist with home visits and participate in parent meetings to address their unique needs. Thank you Ms. Bonetti for jumping in at any time to help a student!
|
Bell Schedule This Week and Important Upcoming Dates |
Monday, February 16, 2026 - NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 - Regular Bell Schedule
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 - Regular Bell Schedule
Thursday, February 19, 2026 - Regular Bell Schedule
Friday, February 20, 2026 -Regular Bell Schedule
|
February
16 - NO SCHOOL - Presidents Day
March
3 - Tornado Drill - 3rd Hour
4 - Block Day Schedule - ODD
4 - SIT Team Meeting - All Day - 2 Sessions
5 - Block Day Schedule - EVEN - FTC Career Fair
6 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - TEACHERS - PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY
9 - Fire Drill - 5th Hour
10 - Lockdown Drill - 6th Hour
16-20 - NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
25 - Site Council Meeting - Black Box - 7:30 AM
26 - Josten's Graduation Announcements Delivered
April
11 - Prom
|
|
Senior Class of 2026 Info |
Attention Seniors and Senior Parents / Guardians, please see the link below. This will take you to some timely information for all Seniors in the Class of 2026.
IMPORTANT SENIOR INFORMATION
|
Link for Class of 2026 Graduates to Apply for Scholarships:
Every year thousands of dollars of scholarship money is awarded to JHS seniors for their post-high school plans. Now is the time to begin checking the JHS Scholarship website and get those applications in! The dates listed on the site are the due dates, but start early and get those applications in NOW!
|
COUNSELORS BY ALPHABET:
Students are assigned to counselors by the student’s last name:
|
|
|
