The 2019-2020 school
year is off to a running start! Extra-curricular activities including
stock shows, football, band, softball, cheerleading, and cross country are in
full swing. In today's educational setting, it seems as though many of our
activities never stop--even for a summer break. One positive to this
continual flow of activities is that students who are engaged and busy with
projects and activities tend to excel, and as an added bonus, possibly stay out
of mischief!
As in years past, tremendous improvements in school facilities are evident as we return to school. An excellent and dedicated crew of summer employees has worked to better both the educational opportunities of incoming students as well as improving school surroundings. We welcome comments and visits at any time from patrons who pass by our facilities and observe the summer hours spent to improve the overall school experience of our students. A special thank you should also be extended to the patrons of our district who understood the current and future needs of our students, and with their "yes" votes in our last bond election, displayed trust in the best application of bond monies by the local school board and administration.
The last bond election addressed two primary needs in our district: transportation and technology. As a district, we value the physical safety of our students--especially when transporting students to and from school and their varied activities. The last bond election has enabled the district to order two buses, a driver's education car, and a pickup for the agricultural program. Replacing older and less reliable vehicles is a main ingredient in maintaining a fleet of safe transportation for our students.
A major component of
the bond election directly addressed our school's mission
statement--preparation of our students for an ever-changing world. We all
know that technology is at the forefront of each student's future success, and
we have utilized bond monies this summer to focus on our school's
infrastructure, adapting our facilities to make them more technology
accessible. The immensity of this task centers around placement and
installation of new internet lines to every room in our school--in proximity to
the nearest server. This major undertaking provides a strong signal to
each room, allowing for the use of individual Chrome books by each
student. To date we have 500 Chrome books with more on the
way.
We know that with
changes come challenges, and district administrators and educators will need
both time and training to address these challenges. Knowing that it does
not happen with the snap of fingers, we have already conducted several
professional development classes this summer, but realistically, we are certain
of the need for more training to take full advantage of the new
technology. To facilitate this needed training, WE PLAN TO DISMISS SCHOOL
AT 2:00 P.M. ON THE SECOND AND FOURTH FRIDAYS OF EVERY MONTH. (Please see calendar below.) This will allow for continued and consistent one and
one-half hour sessions, twice a month, addressing new techniques, technology
integration, and group collaboration on teaching methods to enhance student
knowledge and achievement. We believe this presents an optimal and timely
opportunity for our staff to regularly address real-life problems and even
share real-life discoveries as they pertain to technology in the
classroom.
We know that our
schools are not an ivory tower--students and educators, excluding the rest of
the community--but rather an integrated part of the community As an
outreach to our devoted patrons, we would like to take an opportunity (with
guidelines) to open one of our newest facilities for community use. The
Leopard Arena will be open for walk and exercise from 6:00 A.M.-8:00 A.M.
weekdays when school is in session. Please enter through the northeast corner.
This opportunity is open to adults only with no pets allowed. There will
be no admittance to the actual playing floor, but the horseshoe shape in the
arena is a perfect walking path, plus the exercise room is available on the
north end of the arena.
As another new year begins, I would ask everyone to be mindful of the safety of our schoolchildren. As you drive around town or near the campus, remember that our students may be throwing caution to the wind, hurrying to another class or trying to be the first in the lunch line. Slow down and help protect their youthful exuberance.
Thank you for all your
support,
Dan Chapman
EARLY DISMISSAL CALENDAR
AUG 23, SEPT 13 & 27, OCT 11 & 25, NOV 8 & 22, DEC 13
JAN 10 & 24, FEB 28, MAR 13 & 27, APRIL 24