New 'Parenting Hour' offers Practical Tips for Help at Home
Parenting is hard. Teaching as a parent can be harder. Are you worried about your child emotionally or academically? Could you use some advice on how to organize and continue to motivate your child as a student? Would you like to just connect with other parents and staff to talk and give and receive support?
Each Wednesday (starting today) our mental health specialists will be available to teach, support and answer your questions. Andi West and Keith Orchard oversee the social-emotional learning support in our schools. Andi is our Mental Health Coordinator, and Keith is our Mental Health Specialist. Their positions were made possible thanks to increased funding from our two-year operating levy approved by voters in March 2019.
Join us for this weekly Zoom meeting on Wednesdays (May 20, May 27 and June 3) at 4 PM.
Meeting ID: 886 1785 3632
please help locate and return our library books
Our students love to read! We have just over 10,000 library books currently checked out to students. Let's see if we can make a dent and get them back to their schools!
Could you help us by looking under beds, inside backpacks, and in our students' favorite reading spots?
Starting on Tuesday, May 26, we'll have a blue collection bin at the main entrance of the District Office, 1400 N. Northwood Center Court. that can be used as a collection site from 9 AM to 3 PM daily.
Students with school chromebooks can return them June 1 - or keep them for $25 fee
Students who have a Dell Chromebook already checked out may choose to keep it for a $25 charge. In the coming week, parents or guardians of students with a qualified Chromebook will be emailed a link to purchase the device, if they choose. We have a limited supply of Chromebooks that we are retiring this year and are not able to sell devices to anyone who does not currently have one checked out.
If students DO NOT wish to keep their Chromebook, or if they have an HP or Lenovo model, they should return it and the charger to Coeur d’Alene High School on June 1 between 9 AM and 1 PM.
Chromebooks and chargers also may be returned to the District Office Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 3 PM.
After June 8, a $25 charge will be placed on the student’s account, and it will need to be paid or the Chromebook and charger returned.
Coeur d'Alene Public Schools will check out Chromebooks to students again in the fall.
For any Chromebooks purchased for $25, no warranty is expressed or implied by the school district. Devices are purchased "as is." Chromebooks purchased through this program are not able to be serviced by district technicians, and district software, settings, and filters will be removed after purchase. Students will still be able to access tools and other resources with their school accounts.
Grab-and-go meals available during the summer months
Our Grab-and-Go Meal program, providing children a breakfast and lunch each weekday, will continue through the summer. Meals will be provided at Skyway and Ramsey elementary schools and at Lakes Middle School from June 8 until August 14. Times are 11 AM to 12 PM. (Closed July 2 and 3 for the Independence Day holiday.)
June 5 is the last day our spring Grab-and-Go meal service (from school buses and home delivery) will operate. In addition, no meals will be provided on Monday, May 25, Memorial Day.
BOARD TO VOTE June 1 ON HIRING NEW ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
The Board of Trustees for Coeur d’Alene Public Schools will vote June 1 on a recommendation to hire Kelly Niccolls as Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education and Curriculum.
Niccolls is based in Spokane and is the Learning Design Manager for Getting Smart, a leader in the field of education innovation. She has worked as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, and school development coach and administrator.
“She brings a varied, non-traditional background to the role, and we are excited to add her to the team,” Superintendent Steven Cook said.
Niccolls would begin July 1, succeeding Dr. Trina Caudle, who has accepted a position as Assistant Superintendent with the Post Falls School District.
“I’m really honored for the opportunity to join Coeur d’Alene Public Schools,” Niccolls said. “I am keenly aware I am entering during a time of uncertainty and change, and look forward to the creativity and intentionality of our work as we navigate new and different ways to teach and learn together. I am excited to get to know people and school communities so I can best support and amplify the important work we do for our students.”
Previously she was Assistant Principal at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma, Wash.; Dean of Students at Lincoln High School in Tacoma; and a School Development Coach with New Tech Network. Before that she taught high school English in California.
She received her Principal Certification from the University of Washington; her Master’s degree in Sociology from California State University, Fullerton; her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from California State University, San Bernardino.
Remote Learning ends May 29, and June 4 is last day of school calendar
We are in the final days of the school year, with Remote learning scheduled to wrap up May 29. (May 22 and 25 are NO SCHOOL days.)
June 1-4 have been designated days for teachers to connect with students one last time, celebrate the end of school, and provide suggestions for independent learning over the summer. This may vary by grade level and subject.
An updated end-of-year calendar is available here.
Deadline to Request letter grades for high school courses: June 1
If you would like letter grades this semester for your student’s high school courses, the deadline to make the request is June 1. Otherwise, your student will receive a Pass or Not Pass for each class, based on their grades as of March 13. Details on the grading option and how to make the request are available here.
Pass/Not Pass marks given this semester will be recorded on the academic achievement record and will have no bearing on a students’ cumulative grade point average.
If you opt for letter grades, you agree to have your student receive letter grades for all enrolled high school courses. This option also is available to middle school students taking high school-level courses. Letter grades will be used in determining GPA and class rank.
Student work completed during the closure of our buildings cannot negatively impact a student’s grades. Students may, however, improve their grades before the end of the semester by remaining engaged in learning opportunities.
Hope on the homefront: where to find help now
Our Hope on the Homefront program, which serves and supports students and families lacking fixed, regular and adequate housing, has assembled the following community resources available to assist families in need:
- Community Action Partnership Utilities-Food-Support Groups: 208-664-8757
- Family Promise North Idaho Shelter Housing, Family Resources: 208-777-4190
- Idaho Health and Welfare: 877-465-1233
- Navigation Services: 211
- Heritage Health Medical-Dental-Psych-Homeless Support: 208-292-0292
- Safe Passages Assault and Domestic Violence Victim Services: 208-664-9303
- St. Vincent DePaul HELP Center Numerous Service Agencies: 208-664-3095
- St. Pius $100 Utilities, Rent, Friday Soup and Food Pantry: 208-765-5108
When seeking assistance from local and state agencies, it is generally required to provide identification, eviction/shut-off notices, or other documents regarding your situation.
High School Graduation dates
Graduation ceremonies for our Class of 2020:
- Venture High School seniors will graduate Thursday, June 4 at 6 PM on the school campus.
- Coeur d'Alene High School seniors will graduate Friday, June 5 at 6 PM at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
- Lake City High School seniors will graduate Saturday, June 6 at 11 AM at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
For all three ceremonies we are working with public health officials to ensure safety measures are followed, consistent with the governor’s Rebound Idaho guidelines.
Thank you to Panhandle Health District, Kootenai County Fairgrounds, Angel Audio, Ampd Entertainment, Second Wind Productions and Impact Lighting for making this opportunity possible for our graduates.
Seeking new members for our long range planning committee
The focus of the committee includes planning for new schools, school expansions and remodels, safety updates, maintenance issues, and more. If you would like to be a part of this team, we invite you to learn more and apply here now. Applications are due August 1.
Kindergarten registration: Deadline to apply for full-day tuition classes is Friday
Kindergarten registration began April 20 for children who will be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1. If you have a young one entering our school district for the 2020-21 school year, registration is available online, by phone or by printing, completing, and mailing a form.
To learn more, find which school your kindergartener will attend, and register, visit our Kindergarten registration page here. Or jump straight to our Kindergarten registration form here.
DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR TUITION-BASED FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN: At six of our elementary schools (Atlas, Dalton, Hayden Meadows, Skyway, Ramsey and Sorensen) we have both half-day and full-day Kindergarten classes. The full-day Kindergarten classes at these schools are available to students whose families agree to pay a portion of the cost through tuition. Families apply for spots in these full-day classes, and students are selected through a lottery. (At Ramsey and Sorensen, applications for full-day Kindergarten are considered only for those students who have applied to enroll at these magnet schools.)
If you are interested in applying for a spot in one of the full-day, tuition-based Kindergarten classes, you may APPLY HERE NOW. Deadline to apply is this Friday, May 22. Families will be notified of full-day placement on June 1.
QUESTIONS? Call your neighborhood school or the Coeur d'Alene District Office at (208) 664-8241.
Stay Connected
Email: info@cdaschools.org
Website: www.cdaschools.org
Location: 1400 N. Northwood Center Court
Phone: (208) 664-8241
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cdaschools
Twitter: @cdaschools