Dear Pipkin Families,

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! This year is a special one for all of us as we begin our first school year in our new building. With a new space comes new opportunities, and I am excited about the chance to create new traditions, set high expectations, and continue building a culture where every student can achieve great things.

I was so happy to see so many familiar faces here on Thursday and Friday as students and families picked up schedules and had the opportunity to tour the new building. It was exciting to see the energy and excitement throughout the halls. For those who were not able to join us, do not worry. On September 3, we will hold our official ribbon cutting and Open House. Please mark your calendar. We look forward to welcoming everyone into our new home.

As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, let’s embrace the opportunities ahead of us. Our new building provides students and staff with spaces designed to support learning, collaboration, creativity, and engagement. More importantly, it gives us a fresh start and the opportunity to continue building the school we want Pipkin to be.

I look forward to watching our students learn, grow, challenge themselves, and discover what they are capable of in an environment designed to help them succeed. We will continue to hold high expectations for every student while providing the support and experiences they need to reach those expectations.

Thank you for trusting us with your students and for being an important part of the Pipkin community. I am excited about this new chapter and cannot wait to see what we accomplish together.

Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year. It is going to be a great year to be a Pipkin Pirate!

Sincerely,

Duane Cox
Principal
Pipkin Middle School

Student Success Begins Here

Attendance Matters: Every Day Counts!

Every single school day builds your child's future. Whether they are currently on track or working to catch up, showing up on time is the single best way to support them.

Our Goal This Year: 95% Attendance for Every Student! To hit this target, aim for your child to miss fewer than 9 days total over the entire school year (less than 1 day per month).

The Risk: What Happens When Kids Miss School?

• The 10% Rule: Missing just 2 days a month drops attendance below 90% (chronic absenteeism), creating severe learning gaps in reading and math.

• Minutes Add Up Fast: Being late by just 30 minutes a day or missing 2 days a week can shrink your child's total K-12 education by 1.5 to 5+ years.

• The Anxiety Spiral: Missing class leads to confusion, which leads to lost confidence and stress about returning to school.

The Reward: How Students Behind Can Catch Up Fast

If your child has fallen behind, it is never too late to turn things around. Students are incredibly resilient and can make massive progress quickly:

• Prevent Further Learning Loss: Simply showing up every day ensures your child doesn’t miss today’s lesson while trying to catch up on yesterday's.

• Build Momentum: Consistency compounds positively. When a student attends daily, concepts click faster, and their academic confidence bounces back rapidly.

• Unlock School Support: Being in the building guarantees your child gets direct access to teacher assistance, free tutoring, and specialized learning groups.

The Bottom Line: Help us reach our 95% goal! You don't have to fix everything at once—just focus on getting them to school today. Attendance is the launchpad for success.

NEW INFORMATION

Student Drop Off and Pickup

AM Drop Off 

• For car drop off enter the parking lot off of Lynn.  Drop off is in the back of the building at door 11/12. Once you have dropped off your student, exit out of parking lot onto Division
• Bus drop off is on Lynn    (cars do not use this parking or drop off from 8 - 9:00)  Buses ONLY

PM Pick Up

• Car pickup enter parking lot from Lynn.  Students will exit through doors 11/12.  Once loaded, exit out of parking lot onto Division
• Bus pickup is on Lynn  ( do not try to park in front of school between 3:30 - 4:15)

Schedule Change Request

As we begin the school year, we want to provide some clarification about the process for requesting student schedule changes.

 Our school offers students the opportunity to request changes to their schedules. We believe it is important for students to have a voice in their course selections and to experience autonomy and choice when possible. Our counselors work closely with students to consider their requests and do their best to accommodate changes whenever circumstances allow.

 However, while we can ensure that every student has a complete and appropriate schedule, we cannot guarantee that individual schedule change requests will be able to be accommodated. Class sizes, course availability, and conflicts within a student’s schedule can limit the options available.

 We ask for your understanding that counselors carefully consider each request and make every effort to support student preferences while also ensuring that students are enrolled in the courses they need.

 Thank you for your partnership and understanding as we work to create the best possible schedules for all of our students.

 Sincerely,

 School Counselors

Reminders

• Students must have cell phones off and put away at all times while at school.  We will enforce this policy from the very first day.
• No outside drinks in the building.  Only water bottles are allowed.  We will make them throw it out before coming into the building.  We do not want sticky messes. 
• Students will receive their student handbooks on the second day.  You must sign and return the parent acknowledgement page to their first hour teacher.  
• We will be passing out schedules to ALL students first thing.  (Do not worry if you were not able to attend last week's tours and schedule pickup days. 
• Dress Code -  No crop shirts it must cover the belly at all times (students will be asked to change), No sagging pants (Students will be given zip ties),  No hoods, everything must be school appropriate, No house shoes or PJs allowed.  

Message for School Social Worker 

   A school social worker builds connections!  If there is a dynamic that you would like to see build your child’s attendance, grades, and positive behavior, please let me know! 

This is a new academic year in a new building!  There will be opportunities for students and their families.  I look forward to meeting you!

Mrs. Phillips

(417) 523-6191

mrphillips@spsmail.org

Get it Yearbook Now

Buy your yearbook early at a beginning of the school year price!!! Here is the link.  Capture all the memories of the year!!!! 

Summer Family News Letter

Here is the link to the summer letter that went out in July if you need another copy.

Free and Reduced Meals

Each school year, all families must complete a new application to determine eligibility for free or reduced-price school meals. Even if your child qualified last year, a new application is required annually to continue receiving meal benefits without interruption.
LINK to Application

Athletic and Extra-Curricular Participation

This year, all middle school students must maintain a 90% or higher attendance rate in order to participate in any extracurricular activities. To put that in perspective, 90% attendance means a student has missed no more than 17 instructional days throughout the entire school year—that’s nearly a full month of learning.

Extracurricular participation is a privilege, and with it comes responsibility. We have high expectations for attendance, behavior, and academic performance. These standards help ensure that students are fully engaged and set up for success both in and out of the classroom.

Attendance Requirements for Athletic Events

All K-12 students attending any middle school or high school athletic contest, must be accompanied by a parent/guardian for the duration of the event and have their school ID.

Cell Phone Policy

As we continue our commitment to creating a focused and distraction-free learning environment, we will be upholding the District Cell Phone Policy throughout the school year.

For those returning to Pipkin, you’ll notice that this policy closely mirrors the expectations we’ve consistently held over the past three years. Our goal remains the same: to support student engagement, safety, and academic success.

Please review the District Cell Phone Policy outlined below. Your partnership in reinforcing these expectations is essential and appreciated.

Message from district:

SPS Families:

State law now prohibits all students in Missouri from using or displaying any personal electronic communication devices during the school day. Starting on Aug. 19, students at all schools are prohibited from using cell phones and other devices at school.

This policy includes, but is not limited to, cell phones, smartwatches, headphones, wireless earbuds or any similar device capable of initiating, receiving, storing or viewing communication, information, images or data electronically.

Please review the video below, this informational flyer and these frequently asked questions for more information. The full policy can be found on page 26 of the Student Handbook.

Thank you for partnering with us as this policy is implemented. We look forward to a great school year.

Transportation

If you have questions about bus eligibility or pickup/drop off times, contact the Transportation Office at (417) 523-0500 or click on this link.

Transportation Website 

Track your bus everyday through WheresTheBus app. 

Upcoming Events

8/17:  Fall sports practices officially kick off for volleyball, cross country, and cheerleading.

8/25: The official first day of school! Our doors open for morning supervision at 8:30 a.m. and classes start promptly at 9:00 a.m.

9/3: Bring the whole family out for SPS University, our newly reimagined Open House night, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m