Updates From D91 Supt. LaOrange

It was my second year of teaching and the last day of school before the Christmas break. It had been a day filled with fun – singing carols, making presents, and playing games.

I sat down and started opening the gifts my students had so carefully carried to school and placed on my desk. My desk was soon covered with chocolate oranges, ornaments, a bracelet, and a lot of candy canes.

I grabbed a present that was wrapped a little haphazardly and began trying to pull back the tape. After a bit of wrangling, the wrapping paper and tape fell away to reveal a much used bottle of perfume. I smiled and wondered if the student’s mom knew where her perfume had gone when I noticed a card with the gift.

“Dear Mrs. L, I wanted to get you something that was nice like you. My mom said we don’t have money for a present but she said you could have her perfume. I hope you like it.” My eyes filled with tears thinking about the selfless gift from this little girl and her mother.

I’ve never forgotten that humble bottle of perfume. It has been a constant reminder of the privilege it is and has been to be a teacher and educator. And the card? I’ve kept the card in my box of treasured things. That card reminds me that simple gifts of the heart are often the ones we remember most.

During this holiday season, I hope you have time to play and make memories with your family. I also hope you are reminded of the difference we can all make through small and simple acts of kindness. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the tremendous work of our faculty and staff in serving our children. Thank you for being part of the District 91 family. Best wishes for a joyous Christmas/Holiday Season and a happy New Year!

• Dec. 18-Jan. 1: Holiday Break, D91's Schools & Offices will be closed
• Dec. 21: First Day of Winter
• Jan. 2: First Day Back At School
• Jan. 6: D91 Job Fair
• Jan. 10: Board Business Meeting (Annual Board Reorganization), 5:30 pm
• Jan. 15: MLK Day -- No School
• Jan. 15 & 16: Staff Development -- No School
• Jan. 19: Intervention/At-Home Learning Day for IFHS & Skyline

D91 is kicking off its annual recruiting efforts with the first teacher job fair of the year scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 6. The district is looking for elementary, secondary and special education teachers for the 2024-25 school year.

To participate in the job fair, interested candidates must register and complete a D91 application . The HR Department will follow up with eligible applicants to schedule a time for an interview on Jan. 6. Questions? Email HumanResources@sd91.org.

Please help spread the word about the Job Fair to help ensure D91 gets the very best candidates to replace teachers who are retiring or leaving the district. Watch for more information on future job fairs in the coming weeks.

Just a reminder, Jan. 19, 2024, is an Intervention/At-Home Learning day for Idaho Falls and Skyline high school students. Students attending Compass Academy and the Career & Technical Education Center will have a regular school day, and D91's shuttles will run on a normal schedule. The Board of Trustees approved the calendar change to accommodate the Tiger-Grizz Wrestling Tournament. The tournament draws hundreds of wrestlers from around the state, which raised some concerns about safety at IFHS and Skyline.

Congrats to the more than 100 students and coaches that took part in D91's Winter Invitational eSports competition last weekend! Almost all of D91's secondary schools now have an eSports team, and it's been exciting to see this fun new sports league grow this year.

At the invitational, six teams took part in the Rocket League; 18 contestants took part in the Super Smash Brothers contest; 8 teams took part in the Mario Kart competition and 3 teams took part in the League of Legends competition.

At the end of the day, the overall tournament champion was Eagle Rock Middle School. Compass Academy took second place, and Idaho Falls High School took third. Way to go!

Taylorview Middle School is updating its library thanks to grants and community support. Over the last year, librarian Liza Hartman has received more than $25,000 in grants for new books, wellness and art kits and technology.

The money will be used to purchase primarily nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, and high-interest/lower reading level materials in all genres. So far, 200 new books have been ordered, and students got a sneak peek at the new titles at a recent “Bagels & Book Tasting” activity. Another 1,000 other books are in the process of being purchased.

“Because of our limited annual budget ... our collection is worn and dated,” said Hartman. “With the grant money we have received, we have been able to purchase materials that students and teachers suggest, as well as update the collection.”

In addition to books, the library has received $2,000 from the INL for new iPads, which are being used by Taylorview’s technology classes to program mini robots. They've also received student wellness and art kits courtesy of a VOYA Unsung Hero Award.

Thanks to the Idaho Commission for Libraries, the Idaho Community Foundation, the INL and VOYA for supporting this effort. We are so lucky to have such great community partners!

Compass' student-run Crafted With Love club donated dozens of beautifully crocheted items this week to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for children who are undergoing cancer treatments. The club made 19 animals, more than 30 hats and 13 gift bags.

The Crafted With Love club was founded by Lydia Bentley three years ago. The Compass senior wants to be a doctor, and the passion for this club, and her future, were influenced by a family member who had childhood cancer. We are #D91Proud!

School districts aren’t providing free school meals to all students anymore, but there are several easy things you can do to make sure your child’s lunch charges aren’t getting out of hand.

• Sign Up For Reminders: Set up an account in our LINQ system, and sign up to receive automated reminders when your child lunch balance starts running low. Use this link to set up an account.
• Enroll In School Lunch Auto Pay: Skip the reminders, and set up auto pay in LINQ so money is automatically deposited in your child’s lunch account on a regular basis. Follow these simple steps to sign up for Auto Pay:

• Set up an account or sign in to Linq Connect
• Select the “ADD MONEY TO ACCOUNT” button in the middle of your screen
• Scroll down and select the “ADD AUTO PAY” button
• Fill out the requested information such as selecting your child, the amount you’d like to deposit, the frequency of the deposits, credit card information, etc.
• Then, click on “SAVE AUTO PAY” and you’re all done.
• You can update or change your selections or turn off this service at any time. Questions? Contact the D91 Help Desk at (208) 525-7556.
• Fill Out A Free & Reduced Lunch Application: While school districts aren't providing free meals any more, many families still qualify for the Free and Reduced Lunch program. If you think you may qualify, be sure to complete a Free & Reduced Lunch application. Questions about the Free & Reduced Lunch program? Contact D91's Child Nutrition Office.

Each spring and fall, students in grades K-3 take the the Idaho Reading Indicator, the state's current early literacy assessment. The assessment helps teachers understand the needs of students in the areas of phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension, and also identify students who may need additional help or interventions.

The Idaho Department of Education is currently seeking input on the IRI and all stakeholders are invited to provide feedback through a short survey. The survey closes on Dec. 22.

Since 2016, the Idaho Department of Education has contracted with Istation for the IRI. In the next several months, the Department will again engage in the RFP process to select a product for future IRI implementation.

Survey results will help inform the department on what changes or additions may be needed on future IRI assessments. Following the survey, the department will convene stakeholder groups to review the survey results. The input will help guide the RFP process and inform the creation of a new scoring rubric.

Congratulations to Skyline's Athlete of the Week this week: Xander Zollinger. He just notched his 100th career win. Years of practice and learning have made this Skyline wrestler a force on the mat!

He'll be working hard this weekend as the Grizz take part in the Bonneville HCC Duals meet at 3 pm Friday and 9 am Saturday. The boys basketball team will be playing IFHS at Idaho Falls on Friday with the freshmen game at 4:30 pm, JV at 6 pm and varsity at 7:30 pm. The girls basketball team is taking part in the Flaming Gorge Tournament in Green River, Wyoming, Friday and Saturday. Good Luck to all our Skyline athletes!

Congratulations to IFHS Cross Country runner Luke Athay, who this week signed to run at Utah State University. Luke led the Tigers to a 4A State Cross Country Championship this season.

The Tiger's boys basketball team will host the the Skyline Grizz on Friday night! The freshmen play at 4:30 pm, JV at 6 pm and varsity at 7:30 pm. This is always a competitive game so come out and cheer on your favorite team! IFHS' wrestlers will take part in the HCC Duals Meet at Bonneville High School on Friday and Saturday. Go, Tigers!

During the upcoming Christmas break, D91's StopIT and Linewize reporting systems will be temporarily paused for schools. However, urgent notifications will continue to be directed to district office employees to ensure prompt attention and action when necessary.

StopIT is a platform that students, parents and staff can share safety concerns, and Linewize monitors the use of school issued technology to access unauthorized or unfiltered content. The temporary pause for notifications to schools will begin this afternoon starting around 4 p.m. and will resume on Jan. 2.

This month's Mental Health Newsletter from ParentGuidance is focused on breaking down the barriers surrounding mental health. In today's world, it is important to recognize the significanct role mental health plays in our children's lives, and parents play a crucial part in shaping their children's views and behaviors around well-being. In this December's Mental Health Newsletter (English/Spanish), explore the importance of parents taking the lead in erasing the stigma surrounding mental health and fostering awareness in their children

As part of an ongoing partnership with D91, a number of resources are available to D91 families for FREE through ParentGuidance.org, including free courses led by licensed therapists on more than 50 topics, parent coaching and more.