

Updates From D91 Supt. LaOrange
Jan. 12
From The Superintendent's Desk
Hard Calls About Winter Weather & School Closures
Winter is here, which always brings plenty of questions about school closures. The decision to close school is always a hard call. So how do I determine if school will remain open or closed? Let’s take a closer look!
Whenever a storm is predicted, the National Weather Service in Pocatello stays in contact with all superintendents in the region via email. The Weather Service provides updates and detailed storm tracking, which includes the path of the storm and the predicted intensity of weather conditions.
On difficult weather days, our work to determine if school will continue as normal begins at 4:30 a.m. as members of our Transportation Department start driving city and county roads. D91’s transportation director and I discuss road conditions and possible transportation issues and safety concerns.
At 5:00 a.m. I check current and predicted temperatures and weather conditions. When the temperature drops, D91 typically remains in school as long as the wind chill remains above -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, that doesn’t mean students will go out to recess, but we will still hold school. We will keep students safe, warm, and learning.
After a careful review of all those factors, I make the decision to keep school open or close school for the day no later than 6:30 a.m.
These decisions are never easy. They are a mix of art and science. We base these decisions on the very best information we have at the time – current weather conditions, forecasted temperatures and weather conditions, road and driving conditions and more.
Sometimes, things in town seem fine, but the more rural parts of the district are impassable. Sometimes conditions are horrible at 6 am, but the weather clears by late morning. You’ve probably noticed there are times when surrounding districts close, and D91 remains open. Since our district has far fewer county roads it’s sometimes easier to transport students to school.
The good news is that means we have more learning opportunities and that is a good thing!
Exciting News About Student Achievement
We’ve got some exciting news to share about reading! Each September, December, and May, D91’s kindergarten through third grade students take the Idaho Reading Indicator assessment. This test measures how well our early readers and learning the skills needed to read and understand text.
Each school year, D91 sets goals to continue to grow the number of students who are reading at or above grade level. Based on the results of the December Idaho Reading Indicator Results, I am thrilled to share that our kindergarten through third grade students have surpassed our reading goals from last year. Even more exciting, some of our grade levels have already met the goals set for this year. Wow! That means more students are better prepared to read and succeed at school.
Results like this don’t happen by accident. Our students are mastering early reading skills sooner and better because of our incredible teachers. Armed with a new reading curriculum and a passion to serve your child, our teachers are using powerful strategies to help each child learn to read. This takes a depth of knowledge about how to teach reading and a determination to make a difference for each student. Our teachers are impressive!
So, today I’m giving a big shout out to our students and teachers for their hard work and effort in reading. I couldn’t be more proud of them!
Important Dates In January
- Jan. 15: Martin Luther King Day
- Jan 15 & Jan. 16: No School For Students/ Staff Development
- Jan. 19: At-Home/Intervention Day For SHS & IFHS (Regular school day with normal shuttle service for Compass, Emerson & CTEC students)
- Jan. 23: Board Work Session, 4 pm
- Jan. 30: D91 Career Exploration Fair for all Juniors & Seniors, Mountain America Center
No School For Students on Jan. 15 & 16
As we continue our focus on increasing student achievement in Idaho Falls School District 91, we are very excited about the two days of staff development planned for teachers on Jan. 15-6. There will be no school on those days so all D91's teachers and certified staff can take part in the New Art and Science of Teaching training.
The goal is that every teacher will receive specialized training during these sessions so they can return to their classrooms and roles with additional skills that will increase student success.
The New Art and Science of Teaching is an important part of the district's efforts to ensure we have effective teaching in every classroom, a bedrock of our Level 2 High Reliability Schools work.
Jan. 19 Is At-Home Learning Day For IFHS & SHS
Just a reminder, Jan. 19 is an Intervention/At-Home Learning day for Idaho Falls and Skyline high school students. Students attending Compass Academy, Emerson and the Career & Technical Education Center will have a regular school day, and D91's shuttles will run on a normal schedule.
The Board of Trustees approved the calendar change to accommodate the Tiger-Grizz Wrestling Tournament. The tournament draws wrestlers from around the state, which raised some safety concerns about the influx of hundreds of wrestlers, parents and spectators at IFHS and Skyline during the school day.
Happening Around D91
School Board ReOrganizes, Welcomes New Member
The D91 Board of Trustees held its annual reorganization during this week's regular business meeting, said goodbye to a school board member, and welcomed a new board member.
Hillary Radcliffe was elected board chair. Larry Wilson was elected as vice chair. D91 staffers Lanell Farmer and Jessica Cushman elected as board treasurer and board clerk respectively.
Shay Ricks was sworn in and welcomed to the board. He beat Elizabeth Cogiati by just one vote in the November election for Zone 4, which includes areas around Erickson, Linden Park and part of Hawthorne Elementary schools. Jeremey Westwood and Hillary Radcliffe were also sworn in after being reelected in November.
D91 and the board thanked Elizabeth Cogliati on Wednesday night for her dedication and years of service to the district's students, families, teachers and staff.
Congratulations! Winning Course Catalog Designs
The Board of Trustees recognized Lina Budge of Eagle Rock and Ariana Johnson of Idaho Falls High School for creating the winning designs for the 2024-25 Course Catalogs.
Lina, an 8th grader, created the design for the Middle School Course Catalog featuring an eagle and a wolverine bursting from orange and blue flames. Ariana's winning design for the High School Course Catalog featured a cog highlighting IFHS, Skyline, Compass Academy, Emerson and CTEC.
"The designs impressed our judges and we are excited to use student artwork on the covers of this year's course catalogs, which will be distributed to students in February, said Shelly Smede, D91's executive director of instruction and learning.
D91 Career Fair
We are excited about D91's Career Exploration Fair on Jan. 30, which will give all juniors and seniors the chance to learn about Idaho's top job, explore career pathways and talk to experts in those fields.
Apply For Empowering Parents Grants
Idaho is once again offering Empowering Parents grants that can be used to purchase education-related services such as tutoring, internet connectivity, computer hardware and software and more. Learn more and apply at the Empowering Parents portal.
It's Souper Bowl Time!
IFHS & Skyline are gearing up for the 18th annual Souper Bowl, the second largest canned food drive in eastern Idaho. Get ready! There will be lots of ways for you to help during the drive from Jan. 18-Feb 2.
Make A Lunch Plan!
Easy Ways To Avoid Running Up Lunch Charges
School districts aren’t providing free school meals to all students anymore, but there are several easy things you can do to make sure your child’s lunch charges don't get out of hand.
- Sign Up For Reminders: Set up an account in our LINQ system, and sign up to receive automated reminders when your child lunch balance starts running low. Use this link to set up an account.
- Enroll In School Lunch Auto Pay: Skip the reminders, and set up auto pay in LINQ so money is automatically deposited in your child’s lunch account on a regular basis. Follow these simple steps to sign up for Auto Pay:
- Select the “ADD MONEY TO ACCOUNT” button in the middle of your screen
- Scroll down and select the “ADD AUTO PAY” button
- Fill out the requested information such as selecting your child, the amount you’d like to deposit, the frequency of the deposits, credit card information, etc.
- Then, click on “SAVE AUTO PAY” and you’re all done.
- You can update or change your selections or turn off this service at any time. Questions? Contact the D91 Help Desk at (208) 525-7556.
- Fill Out A Free & Reduced Lunch Application: While school districts aren't providing free meals any more, many families still qualify for the Free and Reduced Lunch program. If you think you may qualify, be sure to complete a Free & Reduced Lunch application. Questions about the Free & Reduced Lunch program? Contact D91's Child Nutrition Office.