We want to make you aware that we are currently seeing an increased rate of illness in our school. Several students have recently been absent with symptoms such as fever, body aches, vomiting, and other flu-like symptoms. At this time, we have also had multiple students test positive for Flu B and Strep Throat.
Our school works hard to maintain a safe and healthy environment for all students and staff. However, keeping our school community healthy truly requires the cooperation of everyone. We ask that families closely monitor their children for symptoms of illness and follow the return-to-school guidelines outlined in our student handbook.
We also understand that it can be difficult for families to miss work or make alternate arrangements when a child is sick. We truly appreciate the sacrifices families make in these situations. While we know this can be challenging, keeping children home when they are ill is one of the most important ways we can prevent the spread of illness and protect the health of other students and staff.
Return to School Guidelines
Students may return to school only after they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. This includes being free from:
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Fever (100.4°F or higher)
If a student misses three or more consecutive days due to illness, a doctor’s note is required for the student to return to school.
If a student is too ill to attend school during the day, they are also not permitted to attend after-hours school activities, including sporting events, practices, or other school functions either as a participant or as a spectator.
Below are several key health guidelines taken directly from the student handbook to help families determine when students should remain home.
Vomiting
Students must remain home until they have been vomit-free for at least 24 hours.
Diarrhea
Students must remain home until they have been diarrhea-free for at least 24 hours, or until a medical provider determines the illness is not caused by a communicable disease. In some cases, treatment or negative laboratory tests may be required before returning.
Fever
A fever is defined as a body temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher.
Students must remain home until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medications such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Motrin/Advil (ibuprofen).
General Illness
Students may also be excluded from school if they are unable to participate in normal school activities or require care that cannot reasonably be provided by school staff.
We appreciate your partnership in helping us keep our students and staff healthy. If your child is experiencing symptoms of illness, please keep them home and consult your healthcare provider if needed. Working together, we can help reduce the spread of illness in our school community.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Kimberly Burger, Superintendent
The PTO/Booster Club Meeting is tonight at 5:30 PM in Team Room 1, and we need your help planning one of our students’ favorite days of the year — Play Day on May 13! 🎉
We are looking for parents, grandparents, and community members who would like to help plan games, organize stations, and make this day extra special for our students. Even if you can only help a little, your ideas and support make a big difference!
Come join us tonight, share your ideas, and help us make Play Day 2026 a fun and memorable event for our Falcons. 🦅
See you at 5:30 PM in Team Room 1!
🐾👩🍳 Student Spotlight: Falcons in the Kitchen & Out in the Community! 🧁🐶
Our 4-H Student Cooking Club has been busy mixing, measuring, and making a difference! This past week, our aspiring chefs whipped up homemade dog treats and delivered them to our friends at SEMO Pets — sharing both creativity and kindness with some very deserving furry friends. 🐕💛
The fun didn’t stop there! Students enjoyed a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour and some well-earned fun at Dogwood Social, getting a glimpse into the world of food service and teamwork in action. Thank you to the Dogwood team for helping our Falcons learn more about food service.
A HUGE thank you to Pink Peonies Stitching for donating personalized aprons for our chefs-in-training. They looked official and fabulous while cooking up their creations! 🩷✨
We are grateful to Mrs. Gantz and Mrs. Merrell for leading this group with energy, patience, and heart. Because of you, our students are learning life skills, service, and confidence all at once.
And we’re not done yet…
Loom knitting is up next for our afterschool 4-H programs! Stay tuned as our Falcons continue learning, creating, and serving.
We love seeing our students try new things and give back to their community. 💙💛
💙💛Thankful Thursday 💙💛
Yesterday our 8th graders had an incredible day in Jefferson City, and we have so many people to thank for making the experience unforgettable!
A huge shout-out to Senator Jamie Burger and his staff for welcoming our students and helping them experience government in action. Senator Burger even gave our group a special recognition on the Missouri State Senate floor — a moment our students will not forget! What an honor for our Falcons. See the comments for the video of Senator Burger introducing our students on the floor.
We were also grateful to connect with Representative Dolan and appreciate him taking a few minutes to visit with our group.
And of course, thank you to Senator Burger for treating our students to a stop at the local favorite Central Dairy for ice cream and helping wrap up the evening with dinner on the way home. It was the perfect ending to a great day!
Most of all, we are thankful for our staff and students. They represented our school so well — respectful, engaged, and simply fun to be around. We are proud of our Falcons every single day! 🦅💙💛
Kelso C-7 & New Hamburg Partner for After-School SPIN Classes Kelso C-7 is proud to partner with New Hamburg 4-H to offer short enrichment projects — now known as SPIN (Special Interest) classes — for our students and community. This collaboration has provided meaningful, hands-on learning opportunities while strengthening connections within our community. Over the past several weeks, Mrs. Gantz and Mrs. Merrell have hosted an after-school Cooking SPIN class. From sweet treats to homemade dog biscuits, students have been learning basic cooking skills, kitchen safety, and the joy of creating something from scratch. The excitement has been wonderful to see! Next month, volunteers Kimberly Kern and Kari Wilhelm will lead the after-school SPIN class to explore using hat looms. All hats created will be donated to the St. Francis Labor and Delivery (updated). We are grateful for community members who are willing to share their time and talents with our students. In addition to these classes, some of our local 4-H members braved the drizzle this past Saturday to deliver handmade Valentines to members of the New Hamburg community — a small act of kindness that made a big impact. We are excited that our Falcons are part of this growing partnership and look forward to seeing it continue to grow!
As our boys basketball 🏀 and cheerleading 📣 seasons come to a close, we want to send a huge THANK YOU to the volunteers who made it all possible.
Your time, energy, and heart poured into our students did not go unnoticed. You showed up after long days, encouraged our kids through wins and challenges, and helped build teamwork, confidence, and school pride along the way. 💙💛
👏 Boys Basketball Coaches:
• Coach Dustin Benson
• Coach Richard Reeves
• Coach Jason Glastetter
• Coach Daniel Jackson
📣 Cheerleading Coaches:
• Coach Lauren Heuring
• Coach Cara Dirnberger
• Coach Natalie Buell
We are so grateful for your commitment to our students and our school community. Thank you for making this season such a positive and memorable one!
