Tuesday Talk with Dr. Dain

Dear Piper Nation!

I am pleased to share an update on the impactful work happening through our Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Learning (BSEL) initiative. As a district, we are committed to fostering the emotional well-being of our students and staff, and a cornerstone of this effort is the monthly professional development sessions led by our district mental health professional and district behavior specialist. These experts are working directly with our teachers, providing them with effective strategies and tools to support students’ behavioral, social, and emotional needs in the classroom.

This professional development initiative grew directly from our teachers' feedback. As part of our efforts to support teacher retention, I conduct quarterly surveys to gather insights into what is going well and what additional support our staff may need. Overwhelmingly, teachers expressed the need for more professional development focused on supporting student behavior and mental wellness. In response, our supportive Board of Education collaborated with me to allocate the necessary budget to hire two full-time professionals dedicated to this work.

Starting this school year, all staff across our five buildings are participating in monthly trainings during our Friday late start time. These sessions are designed to provide practical tools and real-life strategies, ensuring that our educators are equipped to address the diverse behavioral and emotional needs of our students. Our goal is twofold: to ensure every student receives the care and support they need to thrive and to empower staff with the resources to provide that care without feeling overwhelmed or unprepared.

The feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive, with many teachers already noticing a meaningful difference in their daily interactions with students. This ongoing professional development is creating more inclusive and supportive environments for all learners. Additionally, our BSEL committee, now in its second year, continues to meet regularly, focusing on expanding our knowledge of community resources and strengthening partnerships with local agencies to better meet the diverse needs of our students. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to prioritize the well-being of our students and staff.

Proud to be a Pirate,

Dr. Jessica Dain, Superintendent

Piper USD 203

Laura Moore, District Mental Health Coordinator

*Disclaimer: There are many of you out there who may just hear the word suicide and maybe causes you to hold your breath or brace yourself before a flood of memories come…..and I’m here to say that if this is where you find yourself, please know you are not alone in any of this. There are others who understand your stress and feel your pain and there are even more who will one day benefit from your story of resilience and purpose.*

Did you know that many people worry that talking about suicide prevention will in fact lead people to consider suicide and other harmful options when dealing with their feelings? You may have even found yourself trying to avoid this conversation with someone out of fear that you may give them harmful coping ideas.

Fortunately, it’s very rare that just talking about the hard feelings that come with suicidal ideation will lead anyone to make an irreversible choice. In fact, just the opposite! This conversation is something that I often encourage parents and teenagers to engage in because discussing very hard things like this will actually relieve pressure around the issue AND will offer the struggling person so much relief. Plus, it can be so healing to have your fear voiced to a trusted person and experiencing acceptance and validation for your struggle!

So as you move away from this discussion over these past few weeks, I wanted to leave you with a few helpful reminders on accessing support if this ever becomes a topic of discussion for you or your family:

• Know that you’re not alone. Many people have also found themselves isolated in their fear and dark thoughts and making a brave choice to reach out can change everything.

• Know where to get help. As always, it’s a safe option for most teens to start with their parents and then seek other supports such as a counselor or therapist.

• NOTE: If you have desired to seek outside therapeutic support but are not able to at this time due to resources or time constraints, please reach out to get more info about enrolling your teen (or yourself if you are a teen) in one of the groups offered at Piper High School this year!
• Know that bad days don’t always mean you’re back where you started. A healing journey is rarely linear and it’s common to see days where there’s improvement and days that feel like a setback.

As always, stay well friends.

Laura Moore, LCPC

District Mental Health Professional

Amber Buck, Community Outreach and Inclusion Coordinator

Today is my nephew’s birthday, and I’m amazed that he’s now a sophomore at The Ohio State University. As one of the less than 3% of Black male students there, he’s often been a minority in his educational journey, reflecting a broader trend seen here in Piper.

That’s why I’m thrilled to introduce a new initiative at Piper High School: BRO (Brothers Reaching Out).

Created and facilitated by Piper High School counselor Mr. Eugene Miles, Jr., BRO aims to create a supportive space for Black male students to build social and emotional learning skills by connecting, building self-confidence, and developing essential life skills. With a vision of helping these young men excel academically and personally, BRO seeks to inspire resilience, leadership, and community advocacy.

For more information about BRO, contact Mr. Miles, Jr. at Eugene.Miles@PiperSchools.us.

1. In alignment with CDC and KDHE, the Piper School District has adopted the following guidelines in relation to COVID-19 infections.

A person can begin returning to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, BOTH are true:

· Symptoms are improving overall, AND

· No fever is present, without using fever-reducing medications.

As always, if your student is too ill to attend class or needs medications due to illness prior to coming to school please keep them home.

2. The final date to submit immunization records to avoid exclusion from school is September 30. You can submit your student's record to their building nurse.

We will be conducting a Safety Information Workshop on October 10th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Piper Middle School. The evening will commence in the Auditorium with a comprehensive District Presentation. Following this, we will facilitate two breakout sessions where parents will have the opportunity to engage directly with their respective building principal and building safety and security officer. These sessions will focus on reviewing specific building procedures and addressing any questions you may have.

To accommodate parents with children across multiple schools, we will offer two consecutive parent sessions, ensuring that attendees have the chance to participate in presentations from at least two different school buildings. This workshop will address our current safety protocols, provide updates on new security measures, and offer practical guidance on supporting your child’s safety both at school and online. We highly encourage all parents to attend and engage in these essential discussions.

In the coming weeks, we will be introducing a new service designed to enhance communication with parents regarding student attendance. This service will notify parents when their child has an Unexcused Absence from school.

For students in grades K-5, you will receive an automated call at 11 a.m. if an Unexcused Absence is recorded. This call will include your child's name, the school building they attend, and a notification that they were reported absent.

For students in grades 6-12, you will receive two calls: one at 11 a.m. and another at 3 p.m. These calls will provide your child’s name, their building, and the specific class where the absence was noted.

This system is crucial for keeping parents informed about their child’s attendance and ensuring that any issues are addressed promptly. By receiving timely notifications, you will be better equipped to follow up on unexplained absences and work with us to support your child’s educational experience. Please note that these notifications will only be triggered for Unexcused Absences; other types of attendance records will not prompt a call.

We believe this enhancement will significantly improve our communication and help maintain a consistent line of support between home and school.

We are excited to announce some changes to our Homecoming parade procedures this year! In partnership with the Optimist Club, the Piper School District has moved the traditional Friday night Homecoming Parade to Thursday, October 3. As such, all Thursday games scheduled for Thursday, October 3, for our middle school and high school teams, have been rescheduled.

We are thrilled to schedule the parade starting at 5 p.m. and the powderpuff game kicking off at approximately 7 p.m. This decision is deeply rooted in our commitment to ensuring that all students, including those who participate in Friday night activities, have the opportunity to be part of the Thursday night Homecoming parade and festivities. We look forward to celebrating with you all and making this Homecoming the best one yet! #BELIEVETHEHYPE

It is great to see the enthusiasm and excitement the Piper community has for supporting our students’ athletics and activities. Attending these events is a great way to come together to show school and community spirit. We thank you for your support of our students, coaches, and activity supervisors.

As our district has continued to grow over the past several years, so have crowds at district events. The larger crowds make supervision of unsupervised youth even more difficult. We have had a few concerning issues where student safety has been compromised.

In an effort to provide a safe, positive, and fun fan experience, parental supervision of middle school and elementary school students will be required at ALL district functions for the 2024-25 school year (unless otherwise noted by the building principal or other administrator). Middle school and elementary school students MUST attend games with a parent, guardian, or trusted adult. Unsupervised students will not be permitted to enter the events.

For football games, as per last year, the expectation is that young people sit in the stands with their parent or guardian or on the hill with staff supervision. Students will be able to access concessions and restroom facilities without supervision but will be directed back to their seats to enjoy the game.

The October Board of Education Meeting will take place on Monday, October 14, at 6 p.m., in the Board Room. Community stakeholders who wish to address the Board of Education should complete the following form (linked below) and send the completed form to the Board Clerk, Kim Buckner, at kim.buckner@piperschools.us no later than end of day on Monday, October 7.

Access Board Docs (Agendas and Corresponding Reports)

Reminder that patrons can access agendas and corresponding reports via the website prior to or after each Board of Education meeting. For access, click here, where you will find agendas and reports from previous Board meetings.

The Summer EBT program application period has been extended. If you did not receive the automatic, one-time $120 payment (per eligible child) in July, you can apply today.

Children who attended a Kansas school participating in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program and were eligible to get free or reduced-price meals during the 2023-24 school year, whether or not they received free or reduced-price meals, may be eligible for this benefit. Applications must be received by 5 p.m., October 15, 2024.

A colleague said, "Emily goes above and beyond each day for our kids! She responds quickly when a problem arises, makes herself available to help anytime she can, has a positive attitude, and is an asset to our ECC! She pitches in whenever she can no matter how inconvenient to keep our "kids first" motto!"

Another co-worker said, "Emily is an amazing team player! She always has a positive attitude and is ready to jump in and help others. She is kind and inclusive with students and staff. I can rely on Emily to be honest and have integrity. She is flexible and finds ways to be helpful to others."