Grateful For Updates
November 2022
Remember To Vote: Election is Nov. 8
When patrons go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 8, they will vote on the bond proposal to address safety, security and overcrowding in Idaho Falls School District 91. The $250 million bond would pay for four projects:
Build a new high school on 49th South to replace Idaho Falls High School (The current IFHS campus would become the permanent home of D91’s Career Technical Education Center with community spaces for sports and arts.)
Repair, renovate, improve and add an auditorium to Skyline High School
Build a new elementary school on Idaho Falls’ south side
Build a new, larger elementary school on Idaho Falls’ north side to replace Temple View Elementary School
More information about the bond proposal – including an FAQ, a breakdown of project costs, draft floor plans, maps showing the location of the new schools, a calculator to determine tax impact and more – is available on the district website here.
Any eligible voter living within D91’s boundaries can vote in the election. And, if you’re not registered to vote, you can register at the polls with the proper identification. Polls will be open from 8 am to 8 pm on Election Day. If you’re not sure where to vote or have any other questions about the election, go to the Bonneville County Elections Office website.
Just remember to get out and vote!
D91 Enhances School Safety With Anonymous Reporting System
Idaho Falls School District 91 has just launched STOPit, a reporting system that will allow students, parents and patrons to anonymously report concerns related to school safety.
STOPit! is an important addition to D91’s safety systems. It provides an easy way for students, parents and patrons to anonymously share concerns related to school safety. They can report anything from bullying to threats of violence 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Concerns can be reported through STOPit in the D91App, through a link on school and district websites, a direct link on all student Chromebook devices or via a telephone hotline at (855) 999-0932.
“As we continue to focus on creating safe and secure schools in District 91, the implementation of the STOPit reporting tool allows our building leaders to be proactive and provide students with supports in real time,” said Kaite Francis, D91’s school safety coordinator. “The STOPit program allows everyone to speak up and ensure we are all keeping our schools safe.”
All reports will be reviewed by D91’s administrators and STOPit’s incident command center, and then assigned to School Resource Officers, counselors and other staff as needed. As part of the review process, reports will be assessed and cataloged as:
“Concerning,” which should receive a response within three working days,
“Non-Life Threatening,” which should receive a response within 24 working hours,
“Life Threatening,” which will get an immediate response from our team.
STOPit! makes it easy for administrators and SROs to reach out to those who submit concerns to request additional information through a two-way messaging feature. Those filing a report also can upload evidence like photos or videos. If you have questions about the new system, let us know.
Catch A Show!
Catch A Show II!
Idaho Falls High School drama is performing Hello Dolly tonight & Saturday at 7 pm in the Taylorview Auditorium.
#D91Proud of the Grizz!
Personalized Reading Plans Help Students Improve Skills
Idaho Falls School District 91 is committed to ensuring all students read at or above grade level by the end of 3rd Grade. Research shows that meeting these reading benchmarks is critical to a child’s success in school.
Each fall, students in kindergarten through 3rd grade take the Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI) to gauge their reading skills and see what they need to be successful readers. Teachers use the IRI results to develop personalized reading plans for students who do not meet the state’s reading benchmarks and earn either a 2 or a 3 on the IRI. (A score of 1 means a student’s skills are at or above grade level, a 2 means skills are near grade level and a 3 means skills are below grade level.)
These reading plans include supplemental instruction – 30 hours for students who earn a 2 and 60 hours for students who earn a 3 – to help improve students' reading skills. The additional instruction focuses on important reading skills such as vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, phonics and decoding.
Letters with more information about these reading plans were mailed home this week to students who did not meet the benchmarks. If you have questions about your child’s reading achievement or reading plan, please contact your child’s teacher. And, if you want to help your child at home, check D91's new Reading Resources page for tips and resources to improve your child’s skills.
Another Way To Create A Community of Readers
There’s probably no skill more critical to student success in school than reading. So, take time to participate in Idaho’s annual Family Reading Week Nov. 7-13.
The Idaho Commission for Libraries is partnering with Idaho Fish and Game on this year’s event, which focuses on animals. The theme is “Wild Wonder” and the featured hardcover titles include: “We all Play,” by Julie Flett “Waiting for Mama,” by Gianna Marino, “The Thing About Bees,” by Shabass Larkin and “The Animal Toolkit” by Steven Jenkins.
Our elementary school librarians will be sharing some of these stories with students next week, but for ideas and activities the whole family can do together at home, check out the Idaho Family Reading Week page on the library commission’s website.
They did it again!
Congrats to Longfellow!
Congrats to MacKay!
Important Dates:
- Nov. 8: Election Day, Polls Open from 8 am to 8 pm
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day
- Nov. 16: Board Business Meeting, Idaho Falls High School Media Center, 6 pm
- Nov. 18: End of 1st Trimester
- Nov. 21: Teacher Work Day
- Nov. 21-25: Thanksgiving Break, No School
- Dec. 14: Board Business Meeting, Idaho Falls High School Media Center, 6 pm
- Dec. 19-Jan. 2: Holiday Break, No School
Plans Under Way For District Musical
It’s hard to believe, but D91’s music department is already starting to prepare for the annual District Musical, which provides opportunities for hundreds of students to perform on stage, design sets, help with costumes, run lights, design sets and more.
Auditions for this year’s musical – Peter Pan – are being held Monday, Nov. 7, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm in the Idaho Falls Choir Room and on Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 4 to 6:30 pm in the Skyline Choir Room. Auditions are first come, first-served. Students should be ready to sing 16 bars of a song of their choice.
This year’s District Musical performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 10-11 and March 13-14 at the Colonial Theater in downtown Idaho Falls. If you need more information about the musical or would like to sponsor the performance, contact District Musical Manager Sharon Cole at (208) 525-7572
Special Ed K-8 Math Curriculum Under Review
The Board of Trustees is currently considering a new K-8 Special Education Math Curriculum called Number Worlds.
The new program by McGraw Hill is being recommended because it is better aligned with D91’s new K-8 math curriculum. The proposed curriculum is also specifically designed for intervention when students miss key concepts and need some additional help. It also focuses on helping students develop a number sense and learn key math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
The materials are available for review at the District Office, 690 John Adams Parkway, or they can be reviewed online. Parents and patrons can provide input on the proposed curriculum by completing this short survey. The Board is expected to take action on the proposal at its next regular meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 16.Pay For Lunch With Titan!
FREE Mental Health Resources Available
If your family is struggling, remember D91 offers FREE mental health resources like parent coaching, online classes, and Ask A Therapist through parentguidance.com
Still Looking For Subs!
Science ISAT Scores Now Available
If you have a student in 6th, 9th or 12th grade, watch your mailbox for your child’s 2022 ISAT Science score report. The State of Idaho just released the scores from the tests administered in Spring 2022, and D91 mailed them out to parents this week.
The Science ISAT is a state assessment given each spring to students in 5th, 8th and 11th grade. It gauges students’ knowledge of key science concepts in physical science, life science and earth and space science. If you have any questions about your child’s report, you can contact D91 Assessment Coordinator Renee Nelson at nelsrene@sd91.org.Get A Jumpstart on Career/College Planning
D91 is continuing its partnership with Idaho Business for Education and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco with the Within Reach program to inspire students to “Go On” after high school. The goal of the Within Reach program is to connect with parents and grandparents in the workplace and provide them with tools and resources to help their children plan for the future.
The latest focus of the Within Reach program is NextSTeps Idaho, an interactive website with tools and resources that can help parents help their children think about what they want to do after high school. With features like the Interest Profiler Quiz, Future Finder Quiz, Career Cluster Quiz, Career Cards and more, NextSteps Idaho can help students find a career pathway and then research the education and training needed to be successful in that pathway.
NextSteps Idaho will be the focus of the next series of Lunch & Learn Sessions to be held the Week of Nov. 14 at local businesses like EIRMC, the City of Idaho Falls, Teton Steel and Hartwell Insurance. If you don’t work for one of these businesses, you can still access the presentation and the tools and resources. They will be posted to the D91 website next week!