Administrators and staff in the Warren County R-III School District have taken a proactive approach to addressing the needs of the students that extend beyond the classroom.After many teachers were finding that students were not able to comfortably learn due to a variety of circumstances out of their control, the district began expanding its resources to accommodate those unmet needs.“Each year it seems we have many students who have had traumatic experiences or are dealing with difficult circumstances,” said Assistant Superintendent Jill Schowe. “Those experiences can impact learning and behaviors inside the classroom as well as the relationships students build with the people inside our schools,” she said. “We have to look at different ways we can help these students have a better learning experience.”One of the most prominent resources used by the district is the Care to Learn organization, which R-III became affiliated with two years ago. The mission of the nonprofit is to provide immediate funding to meet emergent health, hunger or hygiene needs so every child can be successful in school.Wright City R-II also joined that initiative this year, and each district has its own account, with every dollar raised spent directly on student needs.R-III recently received a $2,500 contribution toward Care to Learn from First State Community Bank. During the month of August the district had $3,789.55 deposited, all of which was eligible to be matched by a private donor out of Springfield.“This has been a tremendous asset for us and has really been big help for our students, whether it be supplying glasses, shoes or school supplies,” said Schowe. “We are grateful to be able to partner with a lot of helpful organizations.”In addition to Care to Learn, several of the district’s buildings have resource rooms or stores with clothes and supplies for students in need. Most notable is The Trading Post at Rebecca Boone Elementary, where students can use money earned for their attendance and behavior to purchase items related to health or hygiene.Each year near the holidays students also are allowed to shop for Christmas gifts at the store.Black Hawk Middle School also has a similar resource called the Warrior Stop. Students can earn two dollars of fictitious money for being at school and remaining referral free for the day to shop for their individual needs.At Warrenton High School there is The Little Closet, which has the ability to clothe a student head to toe through donations by community members. Students can use their Warrior Way tickets to purchase items or come on in their own for clothing, hygiene or food items.At Daniel Boone, staff members make sandwiches for students who do not quite meet the qualifications for the free lunch program, but still need assistance.The school nurse works with students who have problems with having water at home to help them maintain healthy hygiene. The counselors also have school supplies and material available for students.The district also continues to use the services of Operation Backpack to provide extra for students who do not have resources for necessary nutrition outside of the school setting.In addition to concrete materials, the school teams with Crider Health Center to provide school-based counseling for students who qualify. Schowe also mentioned the importance of Parents at Teachers, along with 20 other outside agency services and resources available to students in the district.The district is even considering adding laundry services like those provided by several schools in the St. Louis metro area.In the meantime, R-III currently has laundry facilities in each building that can be used in emergency situations for students.“While the reason students come to school hungry, in dirty clothing or with poor eyesight is important to determine, we really want 100 percent of our students to come to school each day ready to learn,” said Schowe. “If we have to meet their needs by offering health, hunger or hygiene items to make this happen, we will continue to do whatever it takes.”School