Superintendent Weekly Note #25/26 RIS Mission: Our mission is to inspire and empower all students to reach their maximum potential: one student, one lesson, one day at a time.

Keep in mind the main points discussed from District Opening Day: Things I CAN Control… 1. My ATTITUDE 2. My EFFORT 3. My BEHAVIOR 4. My ACTIONS to be a Great Team Member

Continue to focus on the RIS four core beliefs: It’s about Kids! —Accountability—Transparency—Communication.

J Positives across the district………..

Russell Primary School (From the desk of Mr. Cassity) • Although our attendance was down, our spirits were high...We had great participation with all of our Valentine Week Spirit Activities! • Teachers got a lot accomplished during our Grade Level Team Planning Days! • Students had a great time at their parties on Friday!! • Mrs. Downs class stayed healthy this week and had over 99% attendance for the week!! • These kiddos love their school and their teacher:

Russell-McDowell Intermediate (From the desk of Mrs. Wright) • The RMIS Academic continued their winning streak with an overall win at home this week! • On Tuesday we had an assembly to kick off our "Hoops for Heart"! Students are excited about raising money for this important cause. • Students had a blast at their Valentine's Day parties and we had a great family turnout for this event! • The RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) Group provided breakfast for all faculty and staff on Friday morning! In honor of this event we had a special "comfy" day where teachers and students were invited to dress comfortable and enjoy the Friday before our long weekend.

Russell Middle School (From the desk of Mr. Moore) • Izaac Daniels is representing RMS at the regional swim meet. • Several Community Based Learning Events this week-Eighth Grade and selected students viewed an amazing performance of Anne Frank. • Ms. Martin and crew learned about careers in the community • RMS-Shared the love and "Crushed" it this week sending-drinks to their friends

Russell High School (From the desk of Mrs. Chaffin) • FREE ACT Prep for our students was offered FEB. 13th from 9:30-2:30. • Emma Ison has been selected for a position in the Summer Internship Program for the National Institutes of Health for 2016. Emma will be interning in the Epigenetics & Stem Cell Biology Lab at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The National Institutes of Health is the largest research organization in the U.S. • Russell High School had FOUR students recognized as National Merit Finalists. They are: o Danny Abul-Khoudoud o Ryan Bronstein o Matthew Eastham o Taylor Hsieh • The Snowball Dance was a success. Students met our expectations. • Baylee Salyer, Spencer Cole, Kiersten Hensley has all signed National Letters of Intent to further their athletic careers in college. Congratulations!! • RHS has entered an agreement with Morehead State to offer another dual credit class. This class will be open to seniors interested in pursuing a degree in Education. Mrs. Holly Ross will be the instructor.

Russell Area Technology Center (From the desk of Mr. Trimble) We had an awesome week this week at RATC. We continue to see tremendous growth in our students and appreciate the hard work of them and our teachers each day!

This week the students in Mrs. Phipps’ marketing class had the opportunity to satisfy their sweet tooth but only with a cost, as they were studying supply and demand. It’s always great to see our students enjoy themselves while learning these important concepts.

We have 50 students who are preparing for regional competition with FBLA. This is a huge number, and we appreciate the experience!

Russell Preschool (From the desk of Mrs. Staton)

• Preschoolers have had an AWESOME time continuing their learning about the mail and how it is processed. We had Valentine's Day parties on Thursday with Great family support! Next week we look forward to reflecting on President's Day with money activities.

What’s happening at central office / district this week? • February Regular Board of Education Meeting—Monday, February 22 @ 6:00 PM in the Russell High School library. This is an open meeting and a great opportunity to learn what is going on in the district. Great leadership opportunity! • Alumni Update: 2006 Russell graduate Andrew Heaberlin just made an appearance at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival as one of the executive producers of the indie film Yoga Hosers, which was written and directed by . Smith is a writer/director/actor best known for films such as , Dogma, and .

Andrew now has a biography listing on the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) listing his film accomplishments.

It’s a great day to be a Red Devil! Have a great week Russell!

Sean