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Grain Valley Schools Community, We are excited for the start of a new school year! Last year brought many challenges to our community, as it did to communities across the country, and many difficult decisions were required of us throughout the school year. I wish to thank our entire school community for your involvement, your patience, and your trust, as we have worked to overcome the challenges of the pandemic, including trying to keep students engaged with their teachers as much as possible, and to keep families informed on the latest updates. Our staff members have worked so hard and so creatively to support the learning and emotional needs of students. They truly rose to the challenge and I am so proud of their excellent work! This summer, our School Board looked to the future, approving a new five-year strategic plan for continuous improvement. We appreciate the involvement of more than 60 community stakeholders, including parents, guardians, students, and staff, who answered our call for volunteers to develop this new plan. We are eager to meet these ambitious expectations. You can check out our new plan on our website at GrainValleySchools.org. Grain Valley Schools continues to have one of the longest-running patterns of year-over-year growth in the state. Our community has consistently stepped up to support the addition of classrooms, schools, and other facility needs over the years. Work on the latest addition to our high school will be completed for the start of this school year and was made possible with the passage of a bond issue in June of 2020. The completion of this phase brings us just over halfway through our planned additions and renovations to the high school campus, which, when completed, will provide all students a modern high school facility. We have delayed major renovations or additions to our district office facility located on our Pink Hill Road campus for several years as we prioritized classroom and student activity space needs. Now we are looking into ways to address the needs of district-level operations as well. We will share updates with our school community as we work on possible solutions. It is a pleasure to serve this community and I look forward to working with you to ensure continued success for our students as we begin a new school year. Again, thank you for your support as we seek to do our very best for “every student, every day.” Sincerely, Dr. Marc A. Snow Superintendent of Schools (816) 847-5006 msnow@gvr5.net Missouri non-farm payroll employment increased from June 2021 to July 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 15,000 jobs over the month, with job gains in both goods-producing and service-providing industries.
The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in July 2021, down from 4.3 percent in June 2021. Recovery from COVID-19-related layoffs continued with an increase of more than 83,900 jobs from July 2020 to July 2021. Short-term shortages of semiconductor chips may hold down employment in manufacturing in the next few months and the emergence of the delta variant of COVID-19 may impact longer-term growth. UNEMPLOYMENT Missouri’s smoothed seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point in July 2021, dropping to 4.2 percent from the June 2021 rate of 4.3 percent. With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic now more than a year in the past, the July 2021 rate was 2.6 percentage points lower than the July 2020 rate. The rate had reached a low of 3.1 percent starting in July 2018, before gradually edging up to 3.5 percent by the end of 2019, and then to 3.7 percent in March 2020. The COVID-19 effect hit in April 2020, spiking the rate to 12.5 percent for that month. The rate decreased monthly for the rest of 2020, reaching 4.4 percent in December, and continued gradually downward through the first four months of 2021. The increase of two-tenths of a percentage point from April 2021 to June 2021over the last two months appeared to be related to a temporary shortage in the supply of semiconductor chips, which caused production slowdowns in some manufacturing industries. Due to benchmark revisions, Missouri’s unemployment rate rose a tenth of a percentage point higher than the national rate in January and February of 2020, but has been below the national rate for every month since February 2020. The national unemployment rate decreased from 5.9 percent in June 2021 to 5.4 percent in July 2021. The estimated number of unemployed Missourians was 128,685 in July 2021, down by 4,639 from June’s 133,324. The state’s not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate also decreased in July 2021, dropping by 1.2 percentage points to 3.9 percent from the June 2021 not-seasonally-adjusted rate of 5.1 percent. The decrease resulted from the recall of manufacturing workers from short-term layoff. The corresponding not-seasonally-adjusted national rate for July 2021 was 5.7 percent. A year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 6.8 percent, and the not-adjusted rate was 7.3 percent. EMPLOYMENT Missouri’s seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment was 2,835,700 in July 2021, up by 15,000 from the revised June 2021 figure. However, the June 2021 total was revised downward by 2,700 from the preliminary estimate, producing a revised increase of 1,500 jobs from May 2021 to June 2021 and a revised increase of 131,100 jobs from June 2020 to June 2021. Goods-producing industries gained 800 jobs over the month, in manufacturing, with gains in both durable and non-durable goods and electronics manufacturing. These gains were enough to offset an employment loss in motor vehicle manufacturing, which was hampered by a shortage of semiconductor chips for on-board computers. Meanwhile, service-providing industries gained 14,200 jobs between June and July 2021, with increases in leisure & hospitality (+3,500 jobs) and professional & business services (+3,100 jobs). Government employment showed an increase of 6,700 jobs over the month. Total payroll employment increased by 83,900 jobs from July 2020 to July 2021, reflecting the recovery from job cuts brought on by the initial wave of COVID-19 infections. All but one of the major private-sector industry groups shared in the increases, with the largest gain in leisure & hospitality (+29,400 jobs), followed by professional and business services (+20,200 jobs), educational & health services (+18,000 jobs), and trade, transportation & utilities (+9,400 jobs). The sole private-sector exception was financial activities, which lost 3,800 jobs. Government employment decreased over the year, with a loss of 100 jobs concentrated in federal and local government. If you're reading this, you probably bank online. It's so darned convenient to be able to sit on a computer or pull out your smartphone to check your balance, transfer funds, and deposit checks.
While online banking has made life easier for you to stay on top of your finances, it also makes it easier for thieves to see what's going on with your money, and even help themselves to your hard-earned cash. Banks do their job to make sure your accounts are safe, but you need to make sure you're doing your part as well. Here are some quick and easy tips to help you keep your online accounts safe and secure from cybercriminals. 1. Choose a financial institution that uses industry-standard security. If you're like most people you want to use credit unions or banks that can offer you minimum fees and great interest rates. You also need to add robust security to your wish list. Industry-standard security with financial institutions includes multifactor authentication which includes, your user name and password as well, another means of proof that you're the account holder such as sending a passcode or text message to your smartphone. Another practice they employ is to automatically log you out of your account after periods of inactivity. Most of the larger banks and financial institutions employ these methods for all of their account holders. If your bank doesn't offer multifactor authentication, you need to move to another bank. 2. Don't trust links to visit your bank or financial institution. Criminals love to send out phishing emails and with all of the information they can gather about you from the dark web, it's easy for them to impersonate a representative from your bank. Most phishing emails claim there is a problem with an account with a link to make it convenient to log into your account to fix the problem. Behind the link, thieves are waiting to steal your banking credentials. To avoid this, always open your favorite web browser and enter the URL to your bank. This will help you avoid one of the favorite tricks crooks use to get access to your data. 3. Connecting to Public Wi-Fi to Access Your Bank Is a No-No. Not all public WiFi is bad, but why should you take a risk? Using your computer and devices on public Wi-Fi puts you at risk to have criminals steal your information. If you're out and about and you need to log into one of your financial accounts, use your smartphone or tablet connected only to your cell phone network. Your cellular connection is a secure connection and will allow you to check on your finances without risking leaking your information. 4. Monitor your accounts on a regular basis. One of the best ways to keep your accounts safe is to check your transactions regularly. I know most of you probably log into your financial accounts to see if there is money in your accounts, but you also need to make sure there aren't any irregular transactions occurring The only way to make absolutely sure is to check your account balances and transaction history regularly and make sure your money isn't going anywhere it isn't supposed to. If you see strange suspicious activity, change your account password, and contact your bank immediately. 5. Change Your Passwords Like your Underwear. Most banks and financial institutions require you to create strong passwords, but you need to change them every few months. Doing so will protect you if your bank gets breached and your login information is leaked to the dark web. Criminals will sit on passwords for months before attempting to use them to log into accounts. If you get into the habit of changing yours every few months, you will stay ahead of cyber thieves. 6. Enable text alerts. If your financial institutions allow you to enable text alerts for your accounts to notify you of low balances and large transactions, do it immediately. These alerts allow you to contact the bank immediately if you see strange activity on your account. 7. Keep your devices updated. Hackers love outdated smartphones, tablets, and computers. It makes it easier for them or their software to get access to your devices. Updating doesn't mean you have to go out and purchase new technology every 18 months, but it does mean downloading the latest operating systems and updates to keep your gadgets secure from cyber threats. Whenever a new update comes out for your device, download it immediately. I know most of the tips I've shared are common sense, but it is always a good idea to stay on top of your financial accounts. If your money disappears, it's gone forever. If for some reason you are a victim of fraudulent activity on your accounts, you can dispute unauthorized charges for 60 days after the date of your bank statement. Looking for More Useful Tech Tips? Our Tuesday Tech Tips Blog is released every Tuesday. If you like video tips, we livestream new episodes of 'Computer and Tech Tips for Non-Tech People' every Wednesday at 6:00 pm CST on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Technology product reviews are posted every Thursday. You can view previous episodes on our YouTube Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone. Need computer or technology help? If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral. Our team of friendly tech experts organization can help you with any IT needs you might have. Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will close the Lake City Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center to the public starting Wednesday, Aug. 18. MDC is closing the range as a precaution against COVID-19. The range will reopen to the public on Wednesday, Aug. 25.
MDC’s Parma Woods Shooting Range near Parkville remains open for use. MDC also offers a variety of unstaffed shooting ranges in the Kansas City and northwest regions. To find a range near you, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Z9W. The following information is derived from the Grain Valley Police Department daily calls for service log for the week of August 4-10, 2021.
Training is a stressor on the body. During weightlifting and resistance training, our muscle fibers are broken down and weakened at a microscopic level. A proper diet, rest and recovery allow our bodies to adapt to this stimulus and rebuild the muscle fibers to be bigger, faster and stronger.
After exercise, our muscle cells are like a dry sponge, ready to absorb nutrients and start the recovery process. To maximize recovery, aim for the four R’s of post-exercise fueling: Refuel with carbohydrates. We need carbohydrates to replenish our muscle glycogen or our stored carbohydrate in our muscles. This is especially important if you are training multiple times in a day. Glycogen is what we tap into during intense exercise, and we need to replenish it with carbohydrates. Repair with high-quality protein. Protein provides the building blocks for new muscle, and high-quality protein after a workout jumpstarts the muscle repair process. Rehydrate with fluids and electrolytes. We lose water and electrolytes in sweat. That’s why it’s important to include both to fully rehydrate our body. Water will quench your thirst, but it will not provide electrolytes like sodium and potassium, which are lost in sweat. Reinforce with color and/or healthy fats. Exercise is a stressor on the body and creates a low level of inflammation in the body. We can fight inflammation in the body by consuming essential fats like omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants found in colorful fruits or vegetables. Post workout is the best time to include these key nutrients. While protein food sources are always preferred, it’s not always the most convenient food group to have on hand. A high-quality protein drink or powder can be a terrific solution. Whey protein is a classic choice for a convenient and versatile protein source. Whey is derived from milk and is known for its high amounts of essential amino acids to support muscle recovery and growth. A well-formulated whey protein, such as Performance Inspired Isolate Whey or Ready 2Go Protein, is a perfect option for a recovery snack on-the-go, or to complement any meal to provide high-quality protein. Connect with your Hy-Vee dietitian for sports nutrition services on our new virtual nutrition services platform. To learn more, visit hy-vee.com/health and schedule a complimentary Discovery Session. Our Food & Fitness Virtual Nutrition Store Tour is all about developing healthy habits in and out of the gym. Join a Hy-Vee registered dietitian on this virtual tour to learn shopping tips and product recommendations to support an active lifestyle. Other services are available to help you meet your health and wellness goals, including one-on-one consultation packages, other virtual nutrition store tours and more! Check out this smoothie recipe from hy-vee.com for your next workout recovery snack. The information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice. by Michael Smith The Grain Valley volleyball program had one of its best seasons in school history in 2020.
The Eagles made it to the Class 4 state quarterfinals before falling to Platte County in three sets. This season, the team hopes to meet or exceed the success that it had last season, even after losing six seniors to graduation. Head coach Tori Squiers is confident her team can do just that. “At camp a few weeks ago, we saw a completely different team come out on the floor,” Squiers said. “They had so much energy and most importantly, we were having fun. We have a chance to go far as long as we put in the work and keep each other positive.” Grain Valley will be led by its three seniors, outside hitter Olivia Williams, middle hitter Kellie Overturf and libero Addison Baumgartner. Junior outside hitter Addi Bybee and setter Dru Iles are returning starters who will contribute this season. Squires said that sophomore Allison Koepkey, a setter, should also get a good amount of playing time. “I think if our district is set up the same as last year, we can make it pretty far,” Baumgartner said. “We will try to push even farther. We have some younger girls who will fill in this year that have been working hard.” That’s a solid core returning for the Eagles this season. That will allow the team to play a fast-paced style led by the setting duo of Iles and Koepkey who will utilize quick sets to fit the Eagles’ style of play. “We worked on that and got better at that last season,” Squiers said. “This year we are even faster and we should be able to run some new plays that involve some quick hits.” Added Baumgartner: “I feel like this summer, at our Missouri Northwest camp, we did really well at speeding it up. We should be able to play faster than we did last year.” Squiers said her team is strong on offense and defense and she has some tall players up front to help out with blocking. Williams, who was an all-Suburban White Conference selection team member last season, will lead the offense. In 2020, she totaled 271 kills, 266 digs, 33 aces and 18 blocks. “She’s been a threat for us since her sophomore year,” Squiers said. “She played all the way around as an outside (hitter). Her athletic ability and her ability to just guide the ball helps us a lot and her work ethic is amazing, too.” Overturf and Baumgartner will be a big part of the defense for the Eagles, as the former is a strong blocker in the middle and latter is strong at getting digs in the back of the court. “She’s got a 22-inch vertical, so she can jump, too,” Squires said of Overturf. “She is not only a defensive threat but an offensive one, too. And that’s something that is hard to find in the middle. Her hands will touch every single ball on a block but she can also put the ball away on offense. “Addison has been an outside threat for us, but she is moving to libero. She’s awesome and her leadership ability is something that we need at the libero position.” Even after losing six seniors from last year’s squad, Grain Valley still appears to be a team that can make another deep playoff run in 2021. Last season, the Eagles shared the Suburban White Conference title with Truman, but hope for a little bit of a different result this time around. “I am hoping to not split it this year and have it all to ourselves,” Squiers said. “It’s just going to take constant communication and hard work from the girls.” by Michael Smith Logan Pratt was a player Grain Valley head coach David Allie was excited about heading into the 2020 season.
The then-junior was going to provide the Eagles with a lot of speed and a consistent deep threat for one of the best quarterbacks in the Kansas City area, Cole Keller. The opportunity for Grain Valley fans to see the Keller-Pratt duo looked like it would not happen, though. Pratt tore his meniscus in an OTA (organized team activity) during the last week of July, so he elected to get arthroscopic surgery. “I was really upset because I never had an injury like that before,” Pratt said. “It was not fun to sit out and watch. Once I found out it was torn, I was heartbroken because I thought I was going to miss out on my junior season and I wouldn’t be able to play with my friends who were seniors.” He was expected to miss the season, but ended up coming back for the district championship game against Raytown, a game in which he caught a 52-yard touchdown pass from Keller. Pratt played in that game and in the Class 5 state quarterfinal contest against Platte County, a contest Grain Valley fell 31-28. In those two games, he totaled five touchdowns. “My only thought was, ‘What can I do to speed this up?’” Pratt said of his recovery process from the meniscus tear. “I wanted to get back on the field before the season ended and I did. It was a trip to get there. I was happy to get out there and make an impact.” Now, Pratt is preparing for his senior season, and will be a big part of an Eagles’ offense that will be led by a new quarterback in Caleb Larson, who is taking over Keller, who graduated last school year. Pratt possesses blazing speed as he runs a 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds. He was also a tremendous track athlete as he tied the school record in the 100-meter dash and helped the 400-meter, 800-meter and 1,600-meter relay teams break school records last spring. Pratt should provide a strong one-two punch with running back Jaxon Wyatt, who rushed for 959 yards last season. Allie said he expects Pratt to draw double teams from opposing defenses, which will open opportunities for other receivers. “Other teams won’t just be able to focus on the run,” Allie said. “Logan helps us have a multi-dimensional offense. There are other receivers besides him who are good. He has something that is hard to coach and that’s speed. He’s going to cause some fits for other teams with his speed. We have seen that this summer.” And his success will depend on his connection with Larson, who he has been working with all summer to get better. “We go out to the field every day we can and meshing together,” Pratt said. “We work on what routes I can run and get a feel for him throwing to me. In scrimmages and practices, we have a good connection.” Pratt also figures to get involved in the run game and could get the ball on handoffs on end around and reverse plays. Allie said he wants to get him the ball as much as possible in open space. Because of his dynamic playmaking ability, Pratt will also return kicks and punts for the Eagles. “When teams start focusing on him, he can be used as a decoy,” Allie said. “He’s a weapon we are looking to exploit this season.” Pratt not only brings speed to Grain Valley, but he brings toughness, as well. “He’s not afraid to mix it up,” Allie said. “He will try to block you when it’s his turn. He’s the first guy to hop in and defend a teammate if some words are said or some shoves come our way. He’s not the biggest kid. He’s 5-foot-8. He plays with the biggest heart.” Right now, Pratt is focused on his senior season, but after it’s over, he said he would like to play in college. With the ability he has, Allie said he could easily see him play at the next level. “His speed opens a lot of eyes,” Allie said. “He’s got a chance to run track and play football in college. He has a choice. He can go to a school that will let him do both or choose one or the other.” Added Pratt: “My main goal is to play football in college. But if my route to getting a scholarship is through track, I will do that.” With less than two weeks remaining until school begins in Grain Valley, back-to-school activities have begun in earnest. Registration for high school students began this week, with Meet the Teacher nights at each of the district’s schools set for next week. While other area districts, such as Shawnee Mission School District, are starting the school year with numerous teaching openings left unfilled, Dr. Brad Welle, Deputy Superintendent, Student and Community Services, reports Grain Valley Schools has only one teaching opening, a special education position, unfilled now.
“This is a recent opening. Filling certain roles had been getting more difficult in recent years, but this is the first year the work of filling our teaching positions got more challenging across the board. There are fewer applicants for all teaching positions overall,” Welle said. “Our greatest struggle is filling our non-certificated roles. We currently have openings in paraprofessionals, custodial, and Valley Kids. We will need more substitute teachers soon after the start of the school year.” Student numbers are looking up for 2021-22, after a net gain of just 18 students in the last school year. As of this week, the district has 4,665 students enrolled in preK-12th grades. “This number is typically artificially high in the days before school starts because it includes new students but those who have moved away but have not enrolled at their new schools are also still included in the count. Even so, we could end up with 150-175 more students than a year ago,” Welle said. “We use October enrollment for year-over-year comparisons. Our enrollment on the first attendance day in October 2020 was 4428 and was 4410 in 2019. Our numbers last year will likely be the outlier. We have averaged a net gain of 78 students each year since 2015, with most of our growth occurring at the middle school and high school levels. We saw the most year-over-year growth in recent years in 2017-2018 with a net gain of 153 students over the previous year.” Kindergarten numbers for the district are increasing this year after dropping off for the first time last year at this time. Welle reported kindergarten enrollment as of August 11th is 303, compared to 282 in October 2020 and 320 in October 2019. Stop by Armstrong Park on Saturday, August 14th for breakfast and get to know the officers who serve your community.
Chris Cakes will be serving up their famous all-you-can-eat pancakes from 8:00am—11:00am, with donations accepted to benefit police department community outreach programs. No RSVP required. For more information, call 816-847-6250. |
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