Crane R-III School District

This is a reminder that school IS IN SESSION on Monday, May 22nd. Monday, May 22nd is Field Day for elementary students (weather permitting). Finals for students in grades 7 through 11 are Wednesday, May 24th and Thursday, May 25th. The last day of school for students in grades PreK through 11 is Thursday, May 25th. Thank you for sharing your kids with us! We love them! Let's finish the year out strong!

The Pirate Gram for the Week of May 16, 2023. https://www.smore.com/c90pf

Please join us in welcoming back Mrs. Aubrey Simmons! As we all know, once a Pirate always a Pirate! My name is Aubrey Simmons, and I will be entering my 8th year of teaching! I grew up in Crane, and I am excited to come home and share my passion with Kindergarten in the upcoming year. My heart and joy is found in teaching little ones, and I love the relationships built and established among my classroom families. I am married to a wonderful husband, Blake, and we have two beautiful daughters. Harper is 4, and Hadassah will be 2 in September. I am thankful for the opportunity to once again be a Pirate! Looking forward to an exciting year ahead!

Please help us welcome, Mrs. Jane Mataczynski to the Pirate Family! Mrs. Mataczynski will be teaching 4th grade next year! Greetings! My name is Jane Mataczynski, and I am privileged to be part of the Crane team for the upcoming school year, teaching 4th grade. I am so thrilled to be part of Crane Schools. I have been teaching professionally full time for 17 years. However, before that I home schooled my own children, and then substitute taught. I have been teaching 4th grade in Wheaton, Missouri for the last two years. Before that I taught in Las Vegas, mostly in third grade. It is the joy of my life to work with children and help them become the best learners they can be. My husband’s name is David, and we have a small farm in Wheelerville. My children live in far flung places, so I do not have a picture of us all together, so I decided to submit a photo of me with my latest baby, Tucker, who is 7 months old. My daughter Elinor is a family practice physician in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is married to Josh, a pilot, and has 4 children aged Kindergarten through 7th grade. My older son Justin is a singer/songwriter/musician who lives in Fayetteville Arkansas with his wife Meg and 3 large dogs. They are expecting their first child in October. My younger son Jeff lives in Des Moines with his wife Jessica and their three children aged 1, 3 and 5. He works in management for Hy-Vee corporation, and Jessica teaches kindergarten. When I am not teaching, you will find me in one of my flower gardens, my vegetable garden, working with my goats, dogs or horses, or tucked away in my library reading.

Ms. Alyssa Chastain will be joining our K through 12 Special Education department next year! We are excited to have her with us and know she will do great things for our kids!

Thanks to Crane Presbyterian Church, students in preschool through 3rd grade got to shop the Mother's Day Store! Each student got to select a special gift just for his/her mother or mother-like figure! We are appreciative of the support our school receives from our community!

Please join us in welcoming our next addition to the Crane Family, the future Mrs. Zheng! My name is Addison Cantrell, but you can call me Mrs. Zheng, as I’m about to get married! As I graduate from Missouri State I am so excited to be part of the Crane community. I am looking forward to building positive relationships with my kindergartners and their families as I walk with them through my first year of teaching. Spending time with my fiancé, Yan, and our dog, Daisy, is what I spend a lot of my time doing, along with making handmade earrings! I cannot wait to start my first year here at Crane!

Please join us in welcoming Ms. Mondt to the Crane Elementary family! She will join us in the fall as Mrs. Back and will be teaching 1st grade. My name is Erica Mondt and I will be teaching 1st Grade at Crane in the fall! I previously worked in Special Education in Forsyth. I am looking forward to the blessing of teaching 1st grade and watching each of the kids grow in their skills, abilities, knowledge, and confidence. I am currently engaged to my best friend, Dustin, and we will be getting married in July! I am looking forward to an exciting summer ahead and greeting my 1st graders in the fall as Mrs. Back, ready to grow and learn together!

Join our FCA students by the sand volleyball court near the high school on Friday Night for music, worship, devotion, and a flag retirement ceremony.

Our May Students of the Month are Jr High student, 7th grader Shia Fields and High School student, Freshman Waylon Mease. About Shia, his peers and teacher stated: 1) He is always so kind to others and has a great attitude. 2) He is a hard worker and very bright. 3) He is a very respectful student and very caring towards everyone including himself. 4) He is smart and respectful 5) Whenever his peers have trouble understanding something, Shia always tries to help them by explaining it in different ways to get the point across. He works hard and is respectful to everyone. 6) Always works hard and follows the rules. He is patient and helpful with his peers. He always has a positive attitude. About Waylon, his peers and teachers stated: 1) Waylon gets along with everyone and makes sure that everyone feels included. 2) He is kind, funny, and a hard worker. He is always friendly to others, and is always busy improving himself. 3) He is an all around nice kid and fun to have in class. 4) He is a bright spot in the world. He plays pranks, sneaks in laughs, and is rambunctious at times, but he's kind, caring, and thoughtful in the next minute. He's improving his attentiveness to student tasks and is thoughtful and receptive when you suggest things he could do better.

Our April Students of the Month are Jr High student, 8th grader Riley Wilson and High School student, Senior Wyatt Petras. About Riley, his peers and teachers stated: 1) Riley is extremally well behaved in class. He listens to directions well and is not afraid to try new things in class and in his sport. His willingness to learn and trust is most appreciated. 2) He is a very intelligent person, he is kind, he is a good friend, and a good percussionist! 3) He's a nice, hard worker, and a guy you can trust. 4) Riley is the model of responsibility and positive attitude. He always acts maturely and with good sense, he is respectful to his peers and teachers, and he participates enthusiastically in whatever we are doing in class. Wyatt's peers and teachers stated: 1) I think Wyatt is a really smart guy. He works really hard to get all of his work done, and he helps other students with their work. This is all true especially with math. It seems that Wyatt looks forward to helping other people with math. After helping my friends and me with a math problem one day, he told me "No problem. I had fun doing it." I think Wyatt is a great case of "leading by example." He's not someone who would be a leader for everyone all the time, but he's constantly being a good leader with the example he sets for others. He is also just a very respectful individual who really cares about others. Wyatt always listens to others first and has a very good sense of humor. I look up to and appreciate him. 2) Wyatt is a very hardworking person who is dedicated to his classes and his future. He's a responsible student as well as a really good friend. He is a really fun and nice person despite his quiet demeanor. He's been a great friend to me and several others in the senior class especially. I think Wyatt has an extremely bright future ahead of him because of the work he's put in throughout high school. He's a very smart guy, and I don't think his hard work should go as unnoticed as it does.

Tonight's baseball game vs Greenwood at Barnhouse has been canceled due to weather in that area.

Crane Coach Tracy Flood hosted the shooting sport award ceremony tonight. It was a great night for recognizing these amazing students. 7 Crane High School seniors were recognized. 30+ students will be competing at Nationals next week in Kentucky!

The Pirate Gram for the Week of May 9, 2023. https://www.smore.com/pmceg

The softball district game in Purdy has been moved to a 2:00pm start. Sorry for the short notice but we are trying to beat the rain.

Wednesday, May 10th at 8:00 a.m., we will be having our academic awards assembly for 7th through 12th grade students in the high school gym. The awards assembly will be immediately followed by Decision Day for our graduating seniors. Parents are welcome to attend the event if they would like to!

Our Jr High Baseball Pirates won both of their games against Southwest tonight! A team's final score was 8-6, and B team's final score was 10-8.

Tonight, the Crane R-III School Board voted to approve Mrs. Megan Blair as Crane Elementary's Principal. Mrs. Blair stated, "After serving 14 years in the Crane R-III School District in multiple roles, I am excited to transition into the role of Elementary Principal. The Crane community, staff, and students feel like home. I look forward to developing along with the teachers and students in life skills and character.   Proud to be a Pirate!"

It is no secret that we have the best art teachers, but something many might not know is how many talented elementary artists we have in Crane! Check out all these winners of this year's SWCL (Southwest Central League) Art Show! Way to go on creating beautiful works of art! Kindergarten Anthony P. - 4th B&W drawing Waverlee C. - 3rd mixed media Brylen S.- 1st transparent paint Jorgah D.- 1st colored drawing and 4th transparent paint 1st grade Silver L. - honorable mention Wrynlee B. - 1st mixed media Henry F. - 4th colored drawing (not pictured) Oakley C. - 1st colored drawing 3rd grade Brittany G. - 1st mixed media (not pictured) Jaxon R. - 1st colored drawing 4th grade Braylin M. - 4th transparent paint Emery S. - 3rd mixed media relief (not pictured) Aubrey S. - 2nd mixed media relief Addisyn H. - 2nd transparent paint Waylon M. - 2nd colored drawing 5 & 6 grade Payton M. - 1st transparent paint Draya R. - 3rd colored drawing Holly G. - 1st and Best of Show opaque paint and 3rd printmaking Ali M. - 2nd colored drawing Ely G. - 1st transparent paint and 1st mixed media relief Kaycee M. - 2nd mixed media relief Halee T. - 3rd mixed media relief

Tomorrow the food truck, Brockrito, will be at school to kick off staff appreciation week. They will be outside the library door from 10:30-1:00. The community is welcome to come buy lunch from them. We just ask if staff members come out, please let them to the front of the line to order!