St. James R-1 School District

From Classroom to Storefront: Tiger Express Apparel! ❤️🐯🤍

Tiger Express Apparel is getting a new home, and the students behind the business are making it happen.

With guidance from Mrs. Jordan Hance, Student-Based Enterprise students have been busy getting their new storefront inside the high school ready for its grand opening. They’re learning by doing, from preparing the space and organizing merchandise to figuring out what it takes to keep a real business running.

These students are Future Focused, building skills and gaining real-world experience they can take with them long after high school.

GRAND OPENING:

🗓️Tuesday, September 22, 2026
🕔4:30–7:00 PM
📍HS Room 120 — located just outside the cafeteria

We’re excited to see what they’ve built!

Fifth Grade Students Take On the NFL Math Challenge! 🏈🐯🔢

Football, math, and a little friendly competition are coming together in Ms. Higgin’s classroom project! Students drafted an NFL team to follow all season, keeping track of wins and losses. They also picked a wide receiver from their team and will use the player’s receiving yards for math calculations throughout the season.

To kick things off, students wrote to their teams to cheer them on and wish them luck. As the season unfolds, they’ll put Effective Communication and Engaged Citizenship into action while connecting classroom learning to the world beyond our community.

Back in the Library: Building Effective Communication Through Reading! ❤️🐯🤍

Our middle school Tigers are back in the library, and they have plenty of great reads to choose from!

With the freedom to explore books that interest them, students are building more than a love of reading. They are strengthening their ability to read, comprehend, think critically, and connect new knowledge to other ideas and experiences.

We love seeing our students make the library their own. A big thank-you to Mrs. McCurdy for making sure our students have access to so many great books!

Mission Monday: A Squishy Surprise! ❤️🐯🤍 Ms. Guese’s 4th graders were all smiles when One Sixteen Boutique stopped by with a surprise dumpling squishy for every student. We love seeing our community partners find fun ways to make our Tigers feel special. It’s a great example of how our schools and community come together to make a difference! Thank you, One Sixteen, for the smiles!

Happy Labor Day, Tigers! Today, we’re celebrating the hard work and dedication of workers in our community and across the country. Every person who shows up and does their part helps build a stronger community and a brighter future. Together, we build tomorrow! ❤️🐯🤍 Want to learn more about the history of Labor Day? Check it out: https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history

Check out our Tiger Weekly Highlights! ❤️🐯🤍

For more information on Tiger Events: https://www.stjschools.org/page/athletics-and-activities

FUTURE FOCUSED: Great Books! ❤️🐯

What are you reading right now? In Mrs. Wantland’s Great Books class, upperclassmen have the opportunity to choose novels that connect to a class theme and explore how those stories connect to the world around them.

Giving students the freedom to choose, think deeply, and make connections is one more way we’re preparing them for what comes next.

Together, We Build Tomorrow!

HOMECOMING SPIRIT WEEK: NASHVILLE NIGHTS! ♥️🤠🐯

Homecoming Week is September 21–25, and it’s taking us straight to Nashville Nights with five days of country-inspired fun for ALL buildings across the district!

🌙 Monday | Hittin’ the Hay
Wear your PJs!

🤠 Tuesday | Country vs. Country Club
Pick your side!

✨ Wednesday | Rhinestone Cowboy
Dress as your favorite country star!

🖤 Thursday | Nashville After Dark
Wear your best black!

🐯 Friday | Tiger Country Pride
Rock your Tiger gear!

Get ready to dress the part and make Homecoming Week one to remember. Let’s go, Tigers!

REMINDER: The St. James R-1 School District will be closed this coming Monday, September 7, 2026, in observance of Labor Day.

Every day is a great day to be a Tiger! ❤️🐯🤍

Big Thinking in Kindergarten! ❤️🐯🤍

Ms. Owen’s class put their critical thinking skills to work right away! Students used a pony bead, markers, and paper to follow the bead’s movement and create a one-of-a-kind design. This hands-on activity built coordination, encouraged problem-solving, and served as a fun starting point for writing. Great job, Tigers!

Middle School Positive Office Referrals! ❤️🐯🤍

Our middle school Tigers are making positive choices, showing kindness, and going above and beyond each day! We love seeing our students recognized for being great Tigers. Keep it up!

ATTENTION: Fall Picture Day Details! 📷🐯🍁

All buildings will go to www.wagnerportraitgroup.com to complete their orders.

🍁 Lucy Wortham James Elementary
Friday, September 18, 2026
Password: 3G7U5P5Z

🍁 St. James Middle School
Monday, September 14, 2026
Password: 7G7R5U8X

🍁 St. James R-1 High School
Monday, October 19, 2026
Password: 6H5V5R2R

Mission Monday: Jumpstart Tigers is Back! ❤️🐯🤍

Jumpstart Tigers is back at Lucy Wortham James Elementary! Each morning, volunteers and staff help students start their day with a little extra care and encouragement. The program gives any student the chance to have their hair styled by a caring adult before class. When students feel supported, they are more likely to walk into the classroom ready to learn and make the most of their day.

A huge thank you to our incredible volunteers and staff for making this program possible. We’re so glad to have Jumpstart Tigers back for another school year!

Last night was a great night to be a Tiger! ❤️🐯🤍 It was a beautiful night to gather and celebrate the kickoff to the school year at the 25th Annual Tiger Community Tailgate Party! A huge thank you to Phelps Health for sponsoring the event, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company for donating drinks, and the St. James Sports Club for grilling. We also appreciate our Board of Education members for serving food and all of the local businesses and organizations who joined us and helped make the evening special with their support and giveaways. We are grateful for the community partners who continue to show up for our students and our schools.Thank you for making the 25th Annual Tailgate Party one to remember!

Tiger Weekly Highlights! ❤️🐯🤍

We’re kicking off our Tiger Weekly Highlights by celebrating our high school sports participants! Each week, we’ll share a glimpse of the many activities, sports, and clubs that keep our Tigers learning, growing, and getting involved.

We may not capture every group each week, but we’ll keep highlighting our Tigers throughout the school year and celebrating all the ways they get involved!

Thank You, Phelps Health!

A big thank you to Phelps Health for sponsoring tonight’s Community Tailgate Party! We appreciate your support of our students, schools, and community and are excited to kick off the season together.

Join us tonight from 5–6:30 PM at the football field before the first home football game. Regular gate fees apply.

Thank you, Phelps Health, for helping make tonight possible!

Let the Library Adventures Begin! 📖❤️🐯🤍

Mrs. McAfee’s first graders kicked off their year of library visits with their first trip today! They got to know their way around with a library scavenger hunt, finding important spots along the way, and then picked out their very first book to check out.

It was a great visit, and we’re looking forward to plenty more library fun throughout the year!

REMINDER: Friday is a FULL Day of School! Friday, August 28, 2026, is a regular FULL school day. Our PLC Early Release schedule will begin Friday, September 4, 2026. Professional Learning Communities give our teachers a chance to collaborate, look at student learning, and plan next steps to support our Tigers throughout the school year. For the complete 2026–27 Academic Calendar, visit: https://www.stjschools.org/page/academic-calendar

A Creative Start to the Year at St. James High School! 🎨🐯❤️

Mr. Terrill’s ceramics students jumped right into the action on the first day of school! Students spent their first class working with recycled clay and getting a hands-on start to the year.

We can’t wait to see what they create!