If you are needing to request meals or instructional materials, or make a change to your previous request, please fill out the online form.

Dear Holden Families,

Based upon the public health emergency order issued by the Johnson County Community Health Services on March 19, 2020 (http://johnsoncountyhealth.org/news/), and the mandatory stay-at-home orders issued by surrounding counties (we have many staff members and students that reside in surrounding counties), the Holden R-III School District, along with other Johnson County schools, will be extending the current school closure until April 24, 2020.  Instructional support, as well as meal service, will continue during the extended closure. Parents/Guardians should begin receiving emails from teachers regarding how to access instructional materials for their children. We encourage parents to utilize these resources to help the students avoid academic regression during the extended closure.

If you did not sign up for meal service or instructional materials prior, or if you need to revise your previous choices, please fill out the form at https://forms.gle/kS2NJqQNYP199dxg6.  If you do not need to make changes, or you have chosen to receive resources throughout the whole closure, the services will continue and no additional action is necessary.

If your child needs items from his/her classroom or locker, you may sign up for an appointment to enter the building and retrieve items at https://forms.gle/RmBnsLa2LPgBj8hHA.  The building will only be open for item retrieval this week.  All buildings will be closed to the public after Friday, March 27th.  

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has cancelled all state assessments (MAP, EOC) for this year, and we will not be required to make up any lost school days due to COVID-19.  All school activities through April 24 have been postponed or cancelled. You may access the district calendar at www.holdenschools.org/calendar.

If you have specific questions, please do not hesitate to communicate with the school district at hello@holdenschools.org.  Thank you for your continued patience and understanding during this unprecedented and challenging time.

Sincerely,

Dr. Mike Hough
Superintendent
Holden R-III School District

You can still sign up for meals! It's not too late to receive FREE meals for your children during the closure. Please fill out the following form and our kitchen staff will add you to the counts! https://forms.gle/kS2NJqQNYP199dxg6
If you do not have internet access, you may call the Holden Opaa! Food Service Hotline at the following number, (816) 850-4444 Ext. 7317.

Teachers have been working diligently to create educational resources that you may utilize with your child to encourage continued learning. These resources, in both online and paper form, will be available this Wednesday, March 25. You may choose which type of materials you prefer by filling out the survey mentioned above along with your meal choices.

Sign-ups are underway for appointments to retrieve student items from the school buildings they may need during the closure. If you are needing to pick up things such as chromebooks, musical instruments, or medication, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/RmBnsLa2LPgBj8hHA

Bright Futures Holden and our District Social Worker are available to help should your family have basic needs during the closure. You can access those services by emailing brightfutures@holdenschools.org or calling (816) 345-0269.

Again, we hope both nutritional and instructional resources are helpful to all our Eagle families as we go through the district’s unprecedented school closure. If you have any questions, please email the district at hello@holdenschools.org.

Dear Holden Families,

We hope our letter finds you and your family doing well during our scheduled Spring Break.  With the recent announcement of the closure of our schools, programs, and activities through April 3 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, we are sharing information regarding resources available to our families during the closure.  Resources will include meal/nutritional services, appointments for picking up student’s personal items, and instructional resources for parents to utilize while children are at home.

The Holden R-III School District administration has been working with the Department of Health and Senior Services to provide FREE meals to ALL children ages 18 and under in our community during this unanticipated emergency school closure.  Children do not have to be enrolled in the Holden R-III School District to receive the free meals. Throughout the closure, our food service provider, Opaa!, will be preparing breakfast, lunch, and supper daily. The free meals are available at no additional cost to the school district or our families.

The following information regarding meal pick-up and delivery has been developed to meet federal regulations for the appropriate delivery of the free meals.  A menu for the next two weeks is attached. Parents/Guardians can request the free meal service by filling out the google form at this link: https://forms.gle/kS2NJqQNYP199dxg6.  If you do not have internet access, you may call the Holden Opaa! Food Service Hotline at the following number, (816) 850-4444 Ext. 7317.  If you call the hotline, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Parent/Guardian Name and Contact Information (phone #)
2. Number of children needing meals (ages 0-18)
3. Dates and meals you are requesting (Ex. March 24, Breakfast/Lunch & Supper)
4. Indicate if you are picking up meals at the school or if you would like them delivered
5. Delivery address

Lunch for the current day and breakfast for the following morning will be delivered by our school buses from Apple Bus Company, beginning at 10:15 a.m., or offered in drive-thru fashion at our grades 3-5 cafeteria doors at Holden Elementary (see map) between the hours of 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.  Supper will be delivered by our buses, starting at 3:45 p.m., or offered for pick-up at the concession stand behind Holden High School (see map) between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Delivery services will follow normal bus routes, therefore, deliveries should be made to your bus stop or the end of your driveway within one hour of the delivery start time.  In order to meet federal regulations, your child(ren) need to be present at pick-up or drop-off sites to receive the meals.

We realize there are students who may need items from the school, such as chromebooks, musical instruments, or medication during the closure. In response, and with everyone’s safety in mind, we will take appointments for Tuesday, March 24, and Wednesday, March 25, for the student to retrieve those items.  One parent/guardian may accompany the student for this appointment. Support staff will be on-hand to offer assistance, including access to lockers or classrooms. The Holden R-III Band Director, will contact band students with instructions on an additional opportunity to pick up musical instruments. If you have items you need to pick up, please sign up for an appointment time at this link: https://forms.gle/RmBnsLa2LPgBj8hHA
Appointment times are school building specific. Parents/Guardians with children in more than one building will need to sign up for a separate appointment time to visit each building.

Instructional support materials are being developed by Holden R-III staff, which can be utilized by parents during the closure.  Materials for the week of March 23 through March 27 will be available on Wednesday, March 25, and materials for the week of March 30 through April 3 will be available on Monday, March 30.  The materials will be made available through virtual sources (online or email) and hard-copy printouts. You may choose which type of materials you prefer by filling out the survey mentioned above along with your meal choices.  Hard-copy resources can be picked up at the meal drive-thru locations and times, or they can be delivered to the bus stop or driveway with meal delivery.

Please fill out the survey and/or the appointment links (above) prior to 1:00 p.m. Sunday, March 22, to assist us in planning and organizing the services.  We hope both nutritional and instructional resources are helpful to all our Eagle families as we go through the district’s unprecedented school closure. If you have any questions, please email the district at hello@holdenschools.org.


Sincerely,

Mike Hough
Superintendent
Holden R-III School District

March 18, 2020
 

Dear Holden Families,

The Holden R-III School District administration along with the other Johnson County School Districts, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and state and county health officials continue to monitor the latest developments regarding COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus.  To help ensure the health, safety, and well-being of our students and staff, and to do our part in trying to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Holden R-III will join schools in Johnson County and others around the state and will be closed beginning March 23, 2020 through April 3, 2020.  

This closure affects all programming at our schools, including athletic and extracurricular practices and competitions, weekend events, and facility use by outside groups.

Classes are set to tentatively resume on Monday, April 6.  However, as we continue to monitor and assess this situation, we will reevaluate the status of school closures as we get closer to our tentative return date.  

We understand that extended closure will create hardship for many of our families.  Please know that we are doing our very best to make decisions that will help care for all of our students, teachers, staff members, and families through this time.  This is a dynamic situation that has led to frequent changes and updates.  

Over the next few days, we will communicate our plan to support families during this unprecedented health crisis, which will include:

1. Providing daily meals for those who count on our school nutrition services.
2. Providing educational support and learning opportunities.

We will be sending updates with information and resources via email, text messages, our website, and social media channels.  We will communicate directly with staff members regarding specific roles and responsibilities.  

We are grateful for your patience and understanding as we continue to work through this difficult situation.  We will get through this challenge together.   

Sincerely,

Dr. Mike Hough
Superintendent
Holden R-III School District

Eagles Nest and Day Plus will be open tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17, but will close Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, March 20.
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All events and practices have been canceled for the remainder of the week, through Sunday, March 22.
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Due to the MSHSAA requirement that all athletes must have 14 days of conditioning under the supervision of the coach before any contest, the following events will be postponed or canceled:
3/23 JV/V Baseball @ Sherwood
3/23 HS Track @ UCM
3/26 HS Track @ California
3/26 C Team Baseball @ Harrisonville
3/26 JV/V Baseball @ Holden vs. Higginsville
3/27 MS Track @ Butler
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With student, staff, and community health and safety in mind, we continue to monitor local health department recommendations daily and will communicate any change to school district schedules as they are made. We appreciate your support as we navigate this together!

#holdeneagles
🦅

March 12, 2020

Dear Holden R-III Families,

Along with schools across the country, we are actively monitoring the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation. We look to local and federal health authorities, such as Johnson County Community Health Services, the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, for facts as more is learned about this newly emerged disease.

Currently, there is one positive case in Missouri. 

Our routine cleaning schedule in our schools and on our buses consists of using hospital-grade cleaning agents to address areas prone to the spread of viruses, such as Influenza and novel coronavirus, on a daily basis. We will continue to be vigilant in our practices and have plans in place should further steps need to be taken to protect our staff and students.

As always, the safety of our students, staff, and families remains a top priority and any action we take is done so to protect everyone’s health and wellbeing. If we receive word of a case in our area or are directed to take more drastic precautions, we will communicate that with our staff, students, and parents through our website, phone and email messaging system, and social media.

We encourage you to continue to follow normal routines of healthy habits at home by:

• Washing hands frequently, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
• Trying to not touch your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Staying home when sick.
• Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• Cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces in your home and vehicles.
• Not sharing drinks, water bottles, eating utensils, or cell phones with others.

For more about exactly what COVID-19 is and what symptoms to look for, we recommend going to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website at:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/index.html

There is also a fact sheet available on the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website here: https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/

For suggestions on how to discuss COVID-19 with your child, the National Association of School Psychologists has a great resource here:

https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource

Should you have further questions, The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has activated a statewide public hotline for citizens or providers needing guidance regarding the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. You may call 877-435-8411 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The hotline is being operated by medical professionals.

Thank you for helping to keep our Eagle families and community healthy!