Superintendent's Update: January 12th, 2024
Weekly What’s Going Well:
What a week! Mother Nature won this round! The decision to close school is not one taken lightly. Weather predictions, road conditions, wind chill, snow removal, bus maneuverability, and safety of our students and staff all play a crucial role in the decision to hold or cancel school. With these storms, the decision was easier as they were both pretty powerful systems impacting much of the state. It is understood that canceling school does require some families to make alternate plans and we thank you for your flexibility in those arrangements when school is not able to be in session.
When school is canceled, delayed, or released early, the information can be found in a variety of locations. All those on the district list will be notified by email, phone, and text message. Please log in to Infinite Campus to update any changes to your personal information so you can stay up to date with the latest news from the district. School closure information will also be available on KCCI Channel 8, WHO Channel 13, and WOI Channel 5. It will also be on KGRN and Kix 101.1 as well as posted on district Facebook pages.
As this system blows around, county roads may become difficult for bus transportation. If it becomes necessary for the safety of drivers and riders, we may implement hard surfaces only on bus routes. Route information can be found here.
Special thanks go out to our Transportation and Facilities/Maintenance Departments for their unceasing diligence in keeping our parking lots and sidewalks as clean as possible as quickly as possible. Our bus drivers are highly competent with the utmost regard for student safety and the ability to manage less than ideal road conditions. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed.
As a reminder, there is no school on Monday, January 15th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr day. Additionally, conferences will be held January 25th and 26th. We will have an early out on the 25th and no school on the 26th. Be on the lookout for conference sign up sheets from the building your student attends.
Above and Beyond
The board did hold the regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday evening where Casey McDermott, Nikki Laug, Farren Johnson, Hayleigh Kincart, and Tressa Watts were recognized for their work with the GMS Girls on the Run program. Girls on the Run, a national non-profit organization, designs programming that strengthens third- to eighth grade girls’ social, emotional, physical, and behavioral skills to successfully navigate life experiences. The GMS team consisted of 13 5th and 6th-grade girls. It was exciting to watch the girls become stronger runners, grow as athletes, and bond as a group. On November 12th, they ran a 5k in Des Moines.
And now…. The joy of a snow day from a few of our students!
The Virtual Backpack can be found here:
The Activities Calendar can be found here:
Stay safe and warm this weekend!
Steven H. Barber