Updates From D91 Supt. LaOrange

Our guiding values of Courage, Compassion, and Conviction are apparent in the work of our teachers and staff.

Today was Late Start for students in Idaho Falls School District 91. Courage is embodied in Late Start as our teachers work collaboratively to take a closer look at student assignments, projects, quizzes, essays, and other classroom activities to determine if students are meeting the standards established by the state of Idaho. This helps teachers determine what students have mastered and identify areas where they need more help.

The District 91 value of Compassion means looking at the needs of each child and matching those needs to an instructional approach that will benefit that student. Our teachers are instructional experts who are intentional in selecting and utilizing instruction to help each child learn. These approaches may include writing, speaking, creating models, problem-solving, explicit instruction, research, and much more. Acting in Compassion is a critical step to providing learning experiences that help each child learn and reach their potential.

Today, I honor the work of our teachers as they design instruction to help your child learn. This work is exemplified in our guiding value of Compassion. I am humbled by the expertise and commitment our teachers have to help the children of our district learn and grow.

Thank you for your support of our teachers during Late Start so they can do this important work. I continue to be honored to be part of this partnership with teachers and parents as we work diligently to meet each child’s needs.

Idaho Falls trustees on Wednesday selected the land on 65th South near the old York Grange as the best site for the new elementary school planned on Idaho Falls' south side.

The district owns two elementary sites on Idaho Falls' south side -- the one behind an LDS Church near the old York Grange and the other on the corner of Holmes and 65th S. After careful review, board members decided the land near the grange would be the best choice to address the district's needs.

Now that a location has been selected, design work will begin for the new school. This summer the board put out a Request For Qualifications for design firms and after reviewing the applicants, they selected Design West Architects of Logan, Utah, to do the design work. At Wednesday's board meeting, trustees finalized the design fee proposal for the design work.

While the district hopes to use the same general design that was used for Edgemont, Erickson, Ethel Boyes and Longfellow, critical updates are needed to address safety and security concerns, mechanical system upgrades and site work. A single-story version of that school may also be considered.

After much discussion, trustees this week voted to use the Construction Manager/General Contractor method to build the new school. In the next few weeks the board will put out a Request For Qualifications seeking a Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) to oversee construction of the new school.

The board reviewed the pros and cons of several different construction methods over the last few months before selecting CM/GC as the preferred method. The Idaho Association of General Contractors says the CM/GC method is best used with large, complex projects; when innovation is encouraged, when a project has a tight time frame or limited budget or when the owner wants to save money. The association says the benefits of the CM/GC method are:

• Includes construction expertise during design phase, which eliminates need for changes later
• Allows owner to consider pricing throughout the design phase
• Allows owner to negotiate a guaranteed maximum price, which cannot be exceeded
• Streamlines authority to make execution of the plan more effective.
• Shifts risk to contractor

Learn more about the different construction methods that can be used for big, public works project at www.ifschools.org. Watch for more details on the new school project in the coming weeks.

Nine candidates are running for the three school board seats up for election on November 7.

Patrick Jackson, Jordan Oseen and Jeremy Westwood are running for the Zone 3 seat, which includes the Theresa Bunker, Edgemont, Longfellow, Linden Park and Sunnyside school areas.

In the Zone 4 race, Elizabeth Cogliati will be facing Shay Ricks. Zone 4 includes the Erickson, Linden Park and part of Hawthorne school areas.

Jamie Lea Braithwaite, Melissa LaPray, Hillary Radcliffe and Kari Vogel are running for the Zone 5 seat, which includes the Hawthorne, Longfellow and Sunnyside school areas.

Questions about the election? Check with the Bonneville County Elections office. (LINK: https://www.bonnevillecountyidaho.gov/county-departments/elections)

• Every Friday! D91 schools start an hour later than normal so teachers can collaborate on student achievement.
• Sept. 22: Emotion Bowl, Ravsten Stadium, 7 pm KickOff
• Sept. 28: Board Work Session, 4:30 pm, D91 District Office
• Oct. 5-6: No School! State & District Professional Development
• Oct. 13: Skyline Homecoming Parade
• Oct. 10 & Oct. 17: Parent Teacher Conferences for middle schools and high schools
• Oct. 18: PSAT for all 10th graders and 11th graders qualifying for the NMSQT

D91 is gearing up for the 59th Emotion Bowl – the annual rivalry game between Idaho Falls Tigers and the Skyline Grizzlies. Kickoff is at 7 pm on Friday, Sept. 22.

Advance tickets go on sale Monday, Sept. 18. They’ll be available from 9 am to 3 pm at Idaho Falls and Skyline high schools. Tickets also will be available at the District Office, 690 John Adams Parkway. (On Monday, tickets at the district office will be available after 10 am, and then the rest of the week they'll typically be available from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm.) ALL presale ticket sales will end at noon on Friday, Sept. 22. Ticket sales will resume at 5:15 pm at Ravsten Stadium.

Both Idaho Falls and Skyline high school students with an activity card can get into the game for free. Tickets are $6 for adults and students without an activity card, $5 for students from other schools with an activity card and $4 for elementary school students and senior citizens. Those with advanced tickets can enter through the pass gate on the south side near the brown building.

To ensure a great experience for our athletes, parents and patrons, please remember:

• No outside food or beverages are allowed in Ravsten Stadium. Food vendors will be on both the IFHS and SHS sides so please support our clubs, school groups and boosters.
• No face painting, artificial noisemakers, coolers, bikes, camp chairs, skateboards or sideline football games will be allowed.
• Students should pick their team and cheer from those stands. They will not be allowed to move back and forth from the IFHS side to the SHS side.
• Re-entry into the stadium will only be allowed in case of an emergency.
• To protect the new turf, no outside paint will be allowed on the field. The winning team will be provided with paint to paint the special goalposts that were erected last year on the north side of the field.
• For safety sake, we ask spectators, elementary school children, and families, especially those with small children, to wait in the stands and allow the players and students from the winning team to take the field. When the crowds around the gates have dissipated, others are free to join the celebration on the field.

D91's Music Department is once again offering after-school music programs for 5th and 6th grades students. The orchestra programs at Taylorview and Eagle Rock middle schools are open to students in both 5th and 6th grade, while the band programs are open to 6th grade students.

At Taylorview, the orchestra program offers beginning violin classes on Tuesday, beginning viola classes on Wednesdays and cello/bass classes on Thursdays. Classes for students with at least one year of experience are offered on Mondays an Fridays. The band program offers brass classes on Mondays and Wednesday, woodwind classes on Tuesdays and Thursday and then brass and woodwind classes alternating on Fridays. Learn more about Taylorview classes.

At Eagle Rock, the band program with instruction in flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone and baritone has classes Monday through Friday. Orchestra classes for beginning students will be held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Classes for second year students will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Learn more about Eagle Rock's band program and orchestra programs.

Classes officially start on Monday, Sept. 18, but registrations will be accepted through the end of the month. If you need a musical instrument, rental instruments are available from the D91 Music Department for $75 for the whole year. Questions? Learn more by calling Sharon Cole in the D91 music department at (208) 525-7572.

The Tigers celebrate Homecoming this week! The parade starts at 1 pm and will travel along the usual parade route -- east on John Adams Parkway, then south on Cambridge, west on 9th Street and back to IFHS on Tiger Ave. Come out and cheer on Tiger Nation! After the parade, the Tigers take on Bonneville High School in the Homecoming game with a 7 pm kickoff.

In volleyball action, the varsity team will take part in the Bonneville Classic TODAY and Saturday, while the JV squad will play in the Madison Invitational TODAY and Saturday. The cross country team will be running in the Dani Bates Invite TODAY in Twin Falls. On Saturday, the girls and boys soccer teams will be playing Blackfoot with the boys playing at Ravsten Stadium starting at 11 am, and the girls playing on the road starting at 11 am. Click here for all the latest Tigers athletic news & updates.

After winning the Berger Bowl last Friday, the Grizzlies will face the Hillcrest Knights TONIGHT at 7 at Thunder Stadium.

The JV volleyball team will be taking part in the Madison Invite TODAY starting at 4 pm and Saturday starting at 8 am, while the varsity team will be playing in the Bonneville Classic Tournament TODAY starting at 4 pm and Saturday starting at 9 am. Cross country athletes are running in Twin Falls TODAY at the Dani Bates Invite.

Congrats to the Athletes of the Week! Amy Bazcuk was selected for her leadership and performance in the volleyball team's recent wins against Shelly and Thunder. Alexander Renner was nominated becasue he was Skyline's top cross country finisher and shaved a minute off his time. Click here for all the latest Grizz athletic news!

Another busy week for Supt. Karla LaOrange! The superintendent met with D91's PTO and Booster Club presidents, brainstormed ways to increase D91's graduation rate with IFHS' student leaders and celebrated $133,000+ in grants to CTEC. She met with the staff at Compass Academy and Theresa Bunker and Edgemont elementary schools, took part in the regular Board Business Meeting and visited two schools with board members. She shared her vision for D91with Idaho Falls Rotarians, and plans to attend the IFHS Homecoming Parade this afternoon. If you're going to the parade, please wave!

A Reverse Evacuation is typically called when students and staff are outside and a threat is detected nearby so students and staff need to return to the safety of the building. Threats could include: a danger on the playground, a wild animal in the area or law enforcement activity nearby. The goal of the reverse evacuation is to keep students and staff safe by having them return to the school building.

Whenever a school conducts a drill or experiences an emergency situation, the district texts parents and provides updates as information becomes available. To receive these texts, parents should make sure their contact information is current in PowerSchool. Questions? Check with school staff or pick up one of D91's School Safety Protocol flyers.

One of the FREE services available to parents through D91's partnership with ParentGuidance.org is "Coaching for Parents."

If you need someone to talk to about the challenges of parenting, consider a parenting coach. This FREE parent coaching service includes: weekly calls with a coach, 24/7 texting with 24-hour response, step-by-step resources, tools & tips to help you parent and confidential help.

To learn more and register for coaching, go to the ParentGuidance.org website .