Hillsboro Junior High

Our Junior High students recently visited the POW/MIA Museum at Jefferson Barracks, where history came to life in a meaningful way.
During the visit, students also paid their respects at the grave of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Blassie, placing a Challenge Coin, POW/MIA bracelet, the American Flag, and the POW/MIA flag in his honor. It was a powerful moment that showed just how much they understood the importance of service and sacrifice.
We are proud of our students not only for what they learned, but for how they represented our district throughout the day.
👏 Thank you to Mrs. Luster and Mrs. Stephenson for creating such a meaningful experience for our students.

📣 Quick Reminder for Hillsboro R-3 Families

Have you completed your student’s Annual Online Registration yet?

We’re off to a great start, but we still need families to finish up before the deadline.

🗓️ Deadline: May 1

Each week, families who still need to complete registration will receive a reminder email through Infinite Campus. If that’s you, take a couple minutes today and get it checked off your list ✔️

💻 Log into Infinite Campus to complete your registration

This step is important to make sure your student is ready for the upcoming school year.

If you’ve already completed it: Thank you! 🙌
If not, now’s the perfect time.

🍽️ Dish it out and let us know your thoughts.
Your feedback is the secret ingredient to making our school meals even better 👇
We want to hear from students AND families
What do you love? What could be better? What should we add?
📲 Take 1 minute to share your thoughts
✔️ Click the link
Link: https://qrflash.me/a/Q7G4r5
Your voice helps shape what’s on the menu every day. Let’s make it even better together!

We are bumping this up on the Live Feed so you can see it.

2026 Summer School Registration is now underway! Please make sure to read the forms carefully before you try and sign-up your student or students. All of the information on when class begins and ends each day for each grade level is also included in the google forms. Please be sure to choose the grade level your student will be in during the 2026-2027 school year.

You can find links below:

Kindergarten-4th Grade: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScObCMaFbYHAekiGFqdN_mEvPnXkOGUezG-QVOePVZQZJUhDg/viewform

5th-12th Grade: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeQpHhRbMN2AQolBLref-pQHwdwuzd_cqk4pzVIclejdgxNxg/viewform

***Driver's Ed will not be offered this summer****

📚 Got books you’re done with?

Turn them into new ones.

Bring gently used books to your school library by April 23 and join us for the Hillsboro Book Swap on April 25.

🕘 9 AM – 1 PM
📍 Intermediate Boardroom

💬 Are you more into mystery, sports, or fantasy books?

Have you signed-up your student(s) for the 2026-2027 school year?

Families in the Hillsboro R-3 School District can now start using the Annual Online Registration page for the 2026–27 school year.

Here is the link to sign-up: https://www.hsdr3.org/page/annualregistration

The registration window opens March 23 and runs through May 1, giving parents and guardians of current students, time to review and update important information for their students before the next school year begins.

✍️For your planning purposes this week:
😀We have school Monday and Tuesday.
👩‍🏫🧑‍🏫Teachers will be on a Professional Development Day on
👉Wednesday, March 18th.
🙌Spoiler Alert: This means no school for students on March 18th!
👉Thursday, March 19th & 20th: Students and Teachers will be on Spring Break.
🏖️Relax. Be Safe. Have Fun.

Families in the Hillsboro R-3 School District are about a week away from the start of Annual Online Registration for the 2026–27 school year. The registration window opens March 23 and runs through May 1, giving parents and guardians of current students, time to review and update important information for their students before the next school year begins.

Here is a link to the website where you can register students: https://www.hsdr3.org/page/annualregistration

Annual Online Registration is required for all returning students and is completed through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. During the process, families will verify and update items such as contact information, emergency contacts, health information, transportation details and required district agreements.

One of the most important steps families should prepare for ahead of time is providing a current proof of residency. The document must be from the current billing cycle or within the last 30 days, and it can be uploaded directly into the system as a photo or PDF.

Families who do not currently have proof of residency in their own name and are living with another household in the district will need to complete a District Affidavit of Residency form, which requires notarized signatures and supporting documentation.

⚠ BOIL ORDER MONDAY
The HIllsboro R-3 Elementary, Hillsboro R-3 Intermediate and Hillsboro R-3 Junior High will be under a boil order on Monday, March 16, 2026. All buildings will have a supply of water for students; however, we encourage sending your student with a water bottle.

In case you missed it!
It's time to share some key dates for the 2026-2027 School year. The picture below illustrates the full calendar.

📚 First Day of School
Students will begin the new school year on Monday, August 24th, 2026.

Missouri law requires public school districts to set their opening date no earlier than 14 calendar days before the first Monday in September. The law was originally implemented to accommodate the Missouri State Fair and support local tourism. While it can create scheduling challenges (especially when districts must meet the required 1,044 hours of instruction) Hillsboro R-3 has structured the calendar to ensure students receive the instructional time they need.

🦃 Thanksgiving Break
There will be no school November 25th–27th, 2026, for Thanksgiving Break.
Students will be dismissed at the end of the day on Tuesday, November 24th, and will return to class on Monday, November 30th, 2026.

🎄 Christmas Break
Christmas Break begins after an early dismissal on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2026, which is also the last day of the first semester.
Students will be off from December 23rd, 2026 through January 4th, 2027, and classes will resume on Tuesday, January 5th, 2027.

🌷 Spring Break
Spring Break is scheduled for March 22nd–29th, 2027.
Students will return to school on Tuesday, March 30th, 2027.

🎓 Tentative Last Day of School
The tentative last day of school is Wednesday, May 26th, 2027.
As always, this date could shift if additional snow days or emergency closures occur during the year.

⏰ Weekly Late Start Reminder
Families will also notice that Wednesdays are designated as a one-hour late start day throughout the school year. This consistent schedule allows for important staff collaboration and professional learning while maintaining instructional hours for students.

The full 2026–2027 calendar is attached for your reference. We encourage families to review it and mark important dates as you begin planning for the upcoming school year.

Save the date!
Friday, April 10th is when our 8th Grade Formal Dinner & Dance will take place at the Hillsboro Community Civic Club.
Parents will need to fill out a permission slip for their students to attend the dinner and dance.
Permission slips can be found in Dr. Murphy's weekly Parent Newsletter.

🐾LIVE Search Dogs. Real Demonstrations. One Night Only.
Join us for Family Science Night with Gateway Search Dogs and see science in action.
📅 Thursday, March 12
⏰ 4–7 PM (🚪 Doors open at 3 PM)
📍 Room 224 – Hillsboro High School
🐶 5–6 professionally trained search dogs
🧭 Trailing demonstrations
🔎 Live find scenarios
🧪 Human remains detection skills
The dogs will rotate through classrooms so you can experience multiple demonstrations up close.
Bring the kids. Bring your curiosity.
Come and go as your schedule allows.

📣 Hillsboro R-3: This Conversation Matters.
Byrnes Mill Police Department is hosting a Parent Seminar on Teenage Drug & Alcohol Use on:
📅 Monday, March 9
⏰ 5:00–7:30 PM
📍 Northwest High School Cafeteria
This free event is designed to help parents and caregivers:
-Recognize signs of teen drug and alcohol use
-Understand current trends
-Learn how to have meaningful conversations at home
-Access helpful community resources
Families from across Jefferson County, including Hillsboro R-3, are welcome to attend. Student are also welcome.
There is no cost to attend and no RSVP required.
If you’ve ever wondered:
“Would I know the signs?”
“How do I even start that conversation?”
“What resources are available locally?”
This seminar is for you.

❤️ You Could Save a Life.
Join us for our Community & Staff CPR Class on
📅 Wednesday, March 18
⏰ 6:00–8:00 PM
📍 Hillsboro R-3 Primary School Cafeteria
🔗Register below!
This class is open to everyone — including students. Our nurses are often asked if younger students can participate, and the answer is yes. The younger, the better.
Learning CPR gives you the confidence and skills to act in an emergency. We hope you’ll save the date and consider joining us.
Sign-Up Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeuFgZRdmUd4Tu3mBfdsPWKldMpTx7RAiyaTK91te-MAhhvmQ/viewform

Did you see this yet? Eight Junior High School students are getting their poetry published after entering a contest.

Here is a YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mS7DNzrJyU