The end of a nine weeks and the start of another:

     The month of October is full of events, but there are a couple of them that may be the most important and sometimes are overshadowed by all the others.  The first nine weeks of school will end on October 13^th with a 1:00 dismissal.  Students’ grades will be posted for the first nine weeks and then will be averaged with the second nine weeks at the end of the semester for the semester grade.  Another important date to remember is October 19^th.  This is a day with no school, but teachers are here from 8:00 in the morning till 8:15 at night for parent teacher conferences.  It is a good time to check on student progress and simply meet your child’s teacher(s) in case you have not had that chance. 

     One of the big changes at the state level for all schools is the new Kansas Education Systems Accreditation process (KESA).  This is a five-year process for school improvement.  This is year one and we have been busy collecting data from surveys, discussions, test scores, and other areas to figure out where we need to focus our attention to make our schools better.  Each school in the state has to go through this process and all are monitored by an outside team to make sure we are doing what needs to be done.  This year, we are doing a needs assessment which will allow us to set some goals and then formulate an action plan to put in place to help us with any weaknesses.  There has been quite a bit of work done already and there is quite a bit of work to do, but everyone seems to be rolling along with it and we have had some great discussions on how to improve.  We will be sharing more and more information on KESA with various community groups over the coming months.  You can also go to our web site and take a look at some of the KESA information and documentation.  Just go to the web site, click on “District”, then click on “Forms and policies”, and then choose KESA docs on the right hand side.  The folder is full of KESA information and we will be adding to this throughout the year. 

     As we roll into October, it is hard to think about bad weather, but before we know it – we will have the potential for ice and snow.  Whenever the threat of bad weather is in our area, I go out and drive roads, check weather forecasts and I try to make the best decision with the information I have on whether or not to have school on snowy or icy days.  However, safety should always come first and parents always have the final call.  In our area, one road may be drifted shut, but a mile over may be clear.  Therefore, any time you decide to keep your child home due to the road conditions in your area – that is perfectly fine and an absence due to bad weather is always excused.