Superintendent February Newsletter

A strategic plan is comprised of goals for students and action steps the district and schools can take to support students in reaching the goals. Different measures and data points are used to write and monitor the plan. The plan is utilized as a road map for staff, students, and families. The plan is reviewed and adjusted accordingly every year.

The review and revisions for the 2024-2029 District-wide Strategic Plan is underway.

This is the school year to review and revise the District-wide Strategic Plan. In the process to review and revise, we are looking for your input! There are two community/family input sessions:

• January 31st starting at 5:30 pm at the Heyburn Cafeteria

• February 7th starting at 7:00 pm at the Heyburn Cafeteria

If you can’t attend either session, there is a survey to provide your input on the Strategic Plan. Click on this link.

Next Steps:

The District team will synthesize the input to build an updated and new District-wide Strategic Plan for 2024-2029.

The draft will be shared at a Regular Board Meeting tentatively in February or March

The Board will give their input at the March Board Workshop. The input and information will continue to be synthesized. The final version should be ready for approval at the May or June Board Meeting. The Plan is a road map that the school district will use as a guide. It is reviewed and monitored annually.

A strategic plan is comprised of goals for students and action steps the district and schools can take to support students in reaching the goals. Different measures and data points are used to write and monitor the plan. The plan is utilized as a road map for staff, students, and families. The plan is reviewed and adjusted accordingly every year.

Goal 1. Increase the academic achievement of all students. The goal is to see another 10% or more of the students reach grade level in language arts, an increase from 37% to 47% or greater. In math, the goal is to see another 10% or more of the students reach grade level or beyond, an increase from 21% to 31% or greater.

Measure: The annual state tests, Idaho Standardized Achievement Test (ISAT).

Goal 2. Expand the college and career readiness of our students. In working diligently with the high school CTE teachers and the principal, St. Maries High School was recently awarded two huge CTE grants. The most recent is the 1.28 million to construct a new CTE building, where the school will house the new auto-mechanic repair and forestry programs. The money also includes the cost of the new start-up equipment and tools.

Measure: The state 4-year cohort graduation rate and the state's definition for college and career readiness.

Goal 3. Provide a safe, healthy, and inviting environment for all students. Schools promote respect, responsibility, and safety for staff and students. The students of the month were one way to recognize such respectful traits. Seeing an increase in daily attendance and a decrease in behavioral office referrals is another way.

Measure: The state uses a student engagement survey. The state also tracks suspension rates and attendance rates.

Goal 4. Improve communication between the school district and the community. As the new superintendent of St. Maries, the staff and I worked intentionally to increase the number of ways the school district and schools keep families informed, bolster parental rights, and engage the community.

Measure: The different venues of communication, the frequency of communication, the participation and attendance of families at school workshops/meetings and events.

The math curriculum committee is comprised of 19 members; a blend of parents, staff, and a board member. There are two pilot studies underway at the elementary and middle school, and then at the high school. Grades K -8 are piloting SAVAAS EnVisions. The high school is piloting HMH, Intro to Math.

There was a meeting on February 1st. Teachers were three weeks into the pilot using EnVIsions Math or IntoMath in the classroom. The meeting was used as a check-in. The parents and teachers ranked the book so far using the criterion points in the evaluation tool. Parents and teachers will continue to teach and study the book until February 23. The next scheduled meeting is set for February 27 at 3:30 pm. At this meeting, the committee and pilot teachers will evaluate the math materials for a final recommendation. The committee will then be piloting another math curriculum, Singapore Math, Dimensions.

The committee members are committed to finding a quality math curriculum for St. Maries students and staff. There are several tools that the committee is using to evaluate and find a quality math curriculum.

• An evaluation tool with several criteria
• Teachers and parents

The public can find the notes and the agendas for each meeting in the Teacher and Learner Page on the District Website. The public can attend the math curriculum committee meetings.

The public can still view the different instructional materials that the committee is currently reviewing by visiting the District Office any weekday during business hours from January 2nd through March 31, 2024.

• January 31. Family/Community Input Session on the District-wide Strategic Plan

• February 7. Family/Community Input Session on the District-wide Strategic Plan at 7:00 pm
  

• February 12. Regular Board Meeting, with a look at the updated Strategic Plan - in draft form.

• February 27. The next Math Committee Meeting. It is a business meeting open to the public. The meetings are held at the District Office.

The Regular Board Meetings are now being broadcasted through this link https://www.youtube.com/@SD41YouTube/streams

Next Board Meeting is Monday, February 12, 2024. At this board meeting, the calendar for the 2024-25 regular board meetings will be established.

Dr. Teresa Rensch, as the new superintendent, remains open to phone calls, emails, and face-to-face meetings. You can drop into the office or make an appointment. I appreciated the residents whom I had a chance to meet. I look forward to meeting more and more residents of St. Maries.