Your monthly Board of Education update
Read highlights from the Board of Education meeting held on December 13, 2023. Want more information? Click here to see the full agenda and supporting materials.
HBRHS Chess Team
This month's Royal Shout Out went to our HBRHS Chess Team coaches and players. They are having a great season! Chess is a game of strategy and promotes executive functioning, problem solving, patience, creativity and more. We are proud of this team who is seeking a return to the State competition this year.
Consent Agenda
Several items were approved as part of the consent agenda. The consent agenda includes routine items not requiring discussion and items discussed at the previous month’s meeting. As part of the consent agenda this month, the Board approved items related to meeting minutes, bills, and the December 2023 Personnel Report. Due to the short turn around between the November meeting and the December meeting, there was only the November Treasurer's Report to approve. The December report will be included in the January meeting consent agenda.
Course Proposals
Mr. Kriesch presented a new Science course that will cover Earth and Space. This strand of Science is one that students have expressed interest in and we are excited to expand our science offerings.
Mrs. Sanderson presented some ideas for expanding the Agricultural Sciences program, including the addition of some exploratory classes and an FFA chapter at the middle school. This idea will be discussed further in January as this expansion would potentially require additional staffing or a reorganization of our existing staff numbers.
- Sandwich Fair Petting Zoo
- WGN and WSPY Interviews
- Big Rock Plowing Match Zoo
- Homecoming Float
- Apple Harvest (donated to food pantry)
- Farm Progress Field Trip
- Poinsettia Prep
Facilities Improvement Updates
The Buildings & Grounds Committee will be meeting again on January 10, 2024 to discuss the next steps in completing the scope of work that was identified in August, 2023. To stay up to date on our facilities improvement project with Engie, check out the web page for updates and information. You can scan the QR code or access the page from a button on the front page of our district website.
FFA Building
The ROE inspection occurred on December 12, 2023. We are working with our architects to move forward with the building completion, staying within the projected 5 year plan for completion. Interior work will resume soon with the intent to utilize the space during the 24/25 school year. Thank you for your ongoing support!.
The 2024-2025 School Calendar had to be revised to include November 5, 2024 as a mandatory school holiday. The calendar committee (teachers, administrators, board members, and support staff) took this opportunity to solicit input from the community about the start/end dates for the school year, 1/2 day versus full days for school improvement, when conferences are held, and the taking Thanksgiving week off. The survey results showed an overwhelming response from the community that there was a desire to start a week later in August, which means ending a week later in May. The results showed no strong opinion regarding school improvement days or conferences, and a low desire for the week of Thanksgiving off. The committee incorporated this data into the development of the draft calendars for the upcoming school years. There are some changes to the calendar that the committee feels better supports teaching and learning and provides more flow to the academic year. We recognize that some families may have scheduled events already for the 24/25 year and our building Principals will work with those families for things that cannot be rescheduled. There was no change to 2025 Graduation. These calendars will be voted on during the January 31 meeting. You can view the draft of the 2024-2025 calendar here and the 2025-2026 draft here.
- Accepted the closed session minutes as presented and remain confidential unless otherwise noted
- Approved the Extended Algebra 1 course as proposed
- Approved the Earth & Space course as proposed
- Aapproved the attendance at the 2024 National FFA Convention request as submitted
