Lucky Updates!
February 2023
D91 Board Welcomes New Member
Jeremy Westwood has been appointed to the vacant Zone 3 seat on the Idaho Falls Board of Trustees. He replaces Lara Hill who resigned in January.
Jeremy has a passion for education, and says his focus on the school board will be to further improve educational experiences and expand opportunities for every student who attends a school in Idaho Falls School District 91. Jeremy has a background in development and construction. He has two children who graduated from Idaho Falls High School, and a daughter who currently attends IFHS. He has been very involved in the community for more than 25 years.
“We were lucky to have so many great candidates apply for the vacant seat,” said Board Chair Hillary Radcliffe. “It was an extremely difficult decision, and either of the finalists would have been an asset to the district, but, after much deliberation, we thought Jeremy would be best able to help.
Westwood will be sworn in at the Board of Trustees’ next business meeting on Thursday, March 16. The Zone 3 seat is up for election in November, and Westwood will have to run for election if he wants to continue serving on the board. Zone 3 includes the Theresa Bunker, Edgemont, Longfellow, Linden Park and Sunnyside elementary school areas.
Remember to vote on March 14!
D91 parents and patrons will go to the polls on Tuesday, March 14, to vote on the district’s supplemental levy.
The levy generates $6.8 million in critical funding each year. The money is used for safety and security, extracurricular activities and salaries and benefits. The bulk of the money -- $5.43 million – goes to salaries and benefits for teachers and staff. The levy also pays for things like school resource officers, guidance and health counselors, psychologists, school nurses, health technologists, debate, choir, drama, band, orchestra and athletics.
The levy has been in place for more than 30 years, but it has to be renewed every two years. Despite today’s rising costs and high inflation, the amount of the levy has not changed since 2003, and board members have worked hard to minimize tax impacts on patrons by reducing the tax rate and paying off the school bonds early.
Polls on March 14 will be open from 8 am to 8 pm. Patrons will vote at their regular polling place. If you’re not sure where to vote, check with the Bonneville Elections Office.
Groups Drafting Boundary Change Recommendations
As the district continues to address overcrowding and growth in our elementary schools after the failure of the bond in November, work has started on drafting new school boundaries that could impact Sunnyside and Edgemont elementary schools and Temple View and A.H. Bush elementary schools.
Two working groups of parent representatives from different neighborhoods are working with district officials to help draft recommendations for the Board of Trustees. As they develop proposals, Sunnyside, Edgemont, Temple View and A.H. Bush parents will have the chance to provide input before the final recommendations go to the Board of Trustees, which is expected to happen after Spring Break. After the recommendations go to the board, there will be additional opportunities for input before the board makes a final decision.
If you’d like to learn more about this project, please check out the Boundary Change Project website. You will find copies of the presentations to the Board of Trustees and the working groups under “Resources.” The website will be updated throughout this process.Mark Your Calendar!
Apply For Compass By March 2!
If you have an 8th grader interested in attending D91’s magnet high school next year, submit applications by March 2. Learn more and apply here.
We are D91Proud!
Important Dates:
- March 2: End of 2nd Trimester
- March 3: No School, Teacher Work Day
- March 16: Business Meeting, Board of Trustees, 5:30 pm, Idaho Falls High School Library
- March 20-24: Spring Break, All D91 Schools & Offices will be closed
- March 28: Work Session, Board of Trustees, 6 p.m., Idaho Falls High School Library
- April 3: D91 Career Fair, Mountain America Center
- April 3-14: Teacher Conference Block
- April 12: Work Session, Board of Trustees, 5:30 pm, Idaho Falls High School Library
- April 12: SAT Day for all juniors, No school for 9th, 10th & 12th graders
Tell Us How We’re Doing!
The State of Idaho’s annual Parent Engagement and Satisfaction Survey is out so please take a few minutes to tell us how we’re doing in meeting the needs of your family and your child. Students and staff will also be asked to complete engagement and satisfaction surveys.
Complete the survey by clicking here and selecting your child’s school from the drop-down menu. If you have multiple children attending different schools, you can complete the survey once for your oldest or youngest child or take it multiple times selecting different schools from the drop-down menu. The survey will be open until March 31, 2023.
We will use the survey responses to identify opportunities to maximize and improve overall satisfaction, engagement and communication in the district. The results are also included in Idaho’s school report cards. Click here to learn more about how the State Department of Education uses the engagement surveys to measure school quality.
D91 Adds Another School Resource Officer
As part of its ongoing efforts to improve our schools’ safety and security, the Board of Trustees recently approved an agreement with the City of Idaho Falls to add an additional school resource officer to the district.
D91 now has five officers who support all our schools, but who spend the bulk of their time at Idaho Falls and Skyline high schools, Eagle Rock and Taylorview middle schools and Compass Academy. Our current SRO’s include: Brian Smith at IFHS, Tyson Hummer at Skyline, Tim Weaver at Compass, Jarom Brizzee at Eagle Rock and Brandon Prince at Taylorview.
“We are very pleased to add a fifth officer to the ranks,” said Supt. Dr. Shank. “It was one of the board’s goals as we started the school year, and we are very happy to have met that goal, which will further increase the safety and security of our schools.”
In addition to the school resource officers, the district is continuously working with the Idaho Falls Police Department to ensure and improve the safety of students and staff in our schools.
D91 Reviewing Options For New K-6 ELA Curriculum
The D91 Curriculum Department is finishing up the review process for a new K-6 ELA curriculum that will better align with Idaho’s new ELA standards. They hope to make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees in April.
The K-6 ELA Review Committee has reviewed a number of options and has narrowed down the potential programs to two – CKLA/ELA by Amplify and a combination of Foundations by Wilson Learning and Wit & Wisdom by Great Minds. The programs scored very high on EdReports and are endorsed by the Knowledge Matters Campaign. Both provide the systematic, explicit, direct instruction of foundational skills required by the new Idaho ELA Standards. Both also are strong in the development of content knowledge as also required by the new standards.
Members of the ELA Review Committee, which includes teachers and members representing diverse classrooms, schools and student groups, are currently piloting the programs in their classrooms. The committee plans to provide its recommendation to the D91 Board of Trustees in April. If the board accepts the recommendation, parents and patrons will then have the opportunity to review the recommended curriculum materials during a 30-day review. There will be multiple opportunities for public input, including:
Materials available for public review from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday at the district office
Materials available for review for teachers in every school
Materials available for review at an evening Open House
Materials will be posted online (copyright restrictions apply)
After the 30-day review, board members will make a final decision at their next regularly scheduled board business meeting.
Buy Tickets For The District Musical
The district is pleased to announce tickets are now available for the 41st annual District Musical. This year’s show is Peter Pan, which will showcase the talents of more than 150 of the district’s incredibly talented student performers.
This high-flying, action-packed performance will be on March 10-11 and March 13-14 at the Colonial Theater in Idaho Falls. Tickets are available online by clicking here and all seating is reserved this year. Tickets are $10. There is a 15% discount for groups of 20 or more. The District Musical often sells out so reserve your tickets TODAY!
Congratulations!
Give Us A W!
Nice job!
Extend ODOB Fun
The district’s annual One District, One Book event wrapped up last week, but the fun isn’t over. If your family enjoyed this year’s book – A Dog’s Porpoise by M.C. Ross – encourage your child to take part in this year’s One District, One Book writing contest.
It’s simple. Challenge your child to write a story about two different animals becoming friends. Make sure the story includes lots of descriptions about animal character and behaviors. Take time to add details like where the animals met for the first time or what they did together or how they solved a problem or had a grand adventure. Entries must be handwritten or typed and illustrations are encouraged.
Entries for the writing contest are due Friday, March 3, at the front office of your child’s school. The district will select a winner for each grade level – K-6. Winners will receive a prize, and they’re often recognized at a D91 School Board meeting and on the D91Proud Facebook page.It’s Scholarship Season!
The D91 Education Foundation is proud to offer a number of scholarships for seniors graduating from any D91 high school, and also has some scholarships for D91 graduates who are now in college. Applications are now available for:
Heart of D91 Scholarship: The Heart of D91 Go On Award can be used to pay for training, career certifications, apprenticeships, community college, technical school or university. This year there will be six $1,000 scholarships with three for D91 graduating seniors and three for D91 graduates. Students must submit an application, a resume and make time for a short interview in April/May. The scholarship is funded by proceeds from the Heart of Idaho Century Ride so a big shoutout to all the riders and sponsors who support that event. The Ed Foundation couldn’t offer this scholarship without them!
William J. and Shirley A. Maeck Family Foundation Scholarship: At least one $2,500 scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior from any of D91’s four high schools. Students must complete an application, which includes a short essay.
Odd Fellows Memorial Scholarship: This scholarship is made possible through a partnership with the Odd Fellows’ Bingham Lodge #14. It provides two $5,000 scholarships each year – one for a D91 graduating senior and another for a D91 graduate now a sophomore or junior at an Idaho college or approved training program.
GoTigers! Scholarship: This scholarship opportunity is available only to seniors graduating from Idaho Falls High School. It provides at least $2,000 for tuition and fees at an accredited university, community college or technical school.
Congrats Tigers!
Have You Paid For Lunch?
Remember, D91 isn’t providing free school meals for all students this year so make sure you check your child’s lunch balance. You can check your balance, pay fees and more in TITAN. Sign Up Today.
We are D91Proud!
Celebrating CTE Month
February is Career-Technical Education Month across the country, and we are especially proud to celebrate the growth and impact of our CTE programs with the opening of our stand-alone Career Technical Education last fall.
Our CTE program now offers D91’s high school students 16 different career pathways, including some of today’s fastest growing professions and hottest jobs. There are classes in everything from certified nursing assistants, pharmacy techs, emergency medical techs and certified medical techs to cybersecurity, business and networking to public safety to agriculture and plant science to auto techs to the trades and more. In addition, our new industrial mechanics program, through a partnership with the Idaho National Laboratory, gives students an inside track to some INL jobs.
While exposing students to rich learning and real world experiences, CTE programs provide other benefits. Did you know?
93% of CTE students graduated from high school last year, compared to 80% of all Idaho high school graduates
50% of CTE students went on to college last year compared to 38% of all Idaho graduates
If you have a high school student currently registering for classes for the 2023-24 school year, make sure to check out our CTEC offerings by reviewing this Quick Reference Guide or our 2023-24 High School Course Catalog. And, your child won’t be alone. Last year, 71% of all Idaho students took a Career Technical Education (CTE) class.
World Language Teachers Reviewing Curriculum
D91’s world language teachers are considering new updated curriculum options for Spanish, French and German courses.
The team of teachers have met with representatives from secondary schools to generate guiding principles for the curriculum review, which will be focused on helping students achieve biliteracy after three to four years of instruction. Then, using the Idaho World Language Standards and the Guiding Principles For Language Learning, teachers reviewed and scored different curriculum materials. Some of the things they considered in the materials included: communication between students, cultural comparisons and connections, authentic materials and support for good instructional practices.
After comparing notes on the strengths and weaknesses of each product, the team narrowed its selections, and is now developing a final recommendation, which they hope to present to the Board of Trustees in April. Parents and patrons will then be able to review the curriculum materials and provide input to the board before it makes a final decision and adopts the materials.