Headlines & Highlights

• Veterans Day is Thursday, Nov. 11 - No School
• Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences on Friday, Nov. 19 - No School K-5. (Conference times also available Thursday, Nov. 18, 4-7:30 PM)
• Thanksgiving Week is Nov. 22-26 - No School
• Regular Board of Trustees meeting - Monday, Dec. 6

The Board of Trustees will evaluate nine applications for the Zone 3 board vacancy at a special meeting Monday, Nov. 15, at 10:30 a.m. at Midtown Meeting Center, 1505 N. 5th St. The board will select up to four finalists to be interviewed that day at 4 p.m. in a second meeting at Midtown. Seating will be limited and both meetings will be streamed live on the District's YouTube channel.

Families looking for an online school alternative can enroll their students in the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance for the second semester of this school year, which begins January 31, 2022. To sign up, complete THIS FORM for each student.

The IDLA state school option is free and available to students in kindergarten through high school. Students remain enrolled in the Coeur d’Alene School District and keep their affiliation with their home school. The IDLA curriculum is developed by Idaho teachers, using Idaho Content Standards.

Our survey on high school schedules will close this Thursday at 12 noon. If you have not yet provided your feedback, you may learn about the class schedule options under consideration at cdaschools.org/schedules. The survey link can be found there. Please watch THIS VIDEO for background on this process and a comparison of three potential schedule options for Coeur d’Alene High School and Lake City High School.

The Big Event, the annual fundraiser for the EXCEL Foundation supporting educators in the Coeur d'Alene School District, will be hosted virtually this Thursday, Nov. 11, starting at 6 PM. The Big Event features a silent auction, a live auction and a paddle raise. Donors have contributed many amazing prizes this year, from fly fishing getaways to wine and spa packages, lakeside getaways and even Seattle Kraken game tickets!

For 35 years, the Big Event has enabled the EXCEL Foundation to award nearly 1,200 classroom grants and has raised over $2 million.

Tickets are free, available at: https://www.betterunite.com/thebigevent2021

Xello (pronounced Zello) is our district's college and career readiness software that helps develop each student's post-high school pathway to college or the workforce. Students engage in a variety of lessons and activities to develop a four-year plan, explore options, and complete collegiate applications.

In the coming weeks, parents and guardians of all middle and high school students will be invited to activate their Xello parent portal so they may support students in these ways:

• Gain a deeper understanding of your student’s interests, goals, and plans so you can support them along the way.
• View your student’s progress on lessons. These are assigned in grade level specific courses and are not expected to be completed independently at home.
• In 8th grade and beyond, view your student’s course planner where they will map out a draft of the courses they want to take all 4 years of high school.

SELECT THIS LINK to learn more about the Xello parent portal timeline.

Panhandle Health District and other vaccine providers in North Idaho are now booking COVID-19 vaccine appointments for children ages 5-11. Details and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at THIS LINK.

Vaccines are not available at any Coeur d'Alene School District facilities. Information on where and how to schedule an appointment with PHD is available on their website: www.panhandlehealthdistrict.org/covid-19/vaccine/. The Health District encourages the community to use Vaccine Finder for additional vaccine locations, the vaccine brands available, and walk-in or scheduling details.

We are pleased to announce that 34 students across the District have been chosen to represent their schools as members of our Student Advisory Group for 2021-22.

S.A.G. members will work directly with Superintendent Shon Hocker and other district administrators, the Board of Trustees, adult advisors and their fellow student representatives to collaborate and learn from each other’s perspectives, and discuss solutions to issues that concern them most.

With students involved at the elementary, middle and high schools, the S.A.G. teams will meet regularly during the school year to discuss student interests, priorities and ideas to improve our schools and learning experiences.

We want to congratulate all 34 of the students and commend them for taking on this critical role. We look forward to another great year of engaging conversations, positive momentum, and learning about the student experience.

CLICK HERE to see all of our 2021-22 S.A.G. members and the schools they represent.

The civis exam, now with 128 questions, covers American government, rights and responsibilities, American history, local and state officials, and symbols and holidays. Students may retake the test in each assessment window.

The second assessment window opens December 1 and will remain open on school days through the end of the first semester on January 28, 2022.