Superintendent Newsletter

Posted Date: 10/02/26 (03:54 PM)

Superintendent Newsletter

October 2, 2026

Charger Community,

Welcome to October! As we turn the page on the calendar, I want to take a moment to share news about our first full month of school. September was packed with energy, enthusiasm, and hard work across all of our buildings. Seeing our students dive into their learning and our staff step up to support them fills me with incredible pride.

As I enter my 23rd year in our district, I find myself reflecting deeply on our journey together. Serving the students, staff, and families of this community remains the honor of a lifetime. Looking back over my time here, I can honestly say I see tremendous growth and progress in how we meet the individual needs of every child. Continuous improvement is an ongoing journey, and there is always room to grow, but I couldn't be prouder of where we are today and where we are headed.

Here is a look at what’s happening across our schools as we head into the second half of the first quarter.

Fall Assessments : Fastbridge Benchmark

We recently wrapped up our beginning-of-the-year benchmark testing using an assessment system called FastBridge.

We know educational acronyms and testing language can feel overwhelming, so here is what FastBridge actually means for your child:

A Snapshot of Learning: FastBridge acts like a regular health check-up, but for reading and math. It gives teachers a clear picture of where each student is thriving and where they might need extra support.
Tailored Instruction: Rather than just giving a grade, FastBridge identifies specific skills like reading and math fluency, phonics, or math problem-solving, so teachers can adjust daily lessons to match every student's learning level.
Tracking Growth: Because we use these short check-ins throughout the school year, we can measure your child's actual progress over time and make sure our classroom support is working effectively.

Strengthening Math, Reading, and Student Programs

Black and White photo of students sitting at desks with pen and paper

Academic updates

With leadership from interventionists, DLT members, high-quality mentors, Dr. Mugridge, and our building principals, our teachers have specialized support to strengthen daily classroom teaching and deliver targeted interventions whenever a student needs them. We also benefit from outside partnerships. A free resource from the Kansas State Department of Education, TASN, serves as an expert partner to help us evaluate our practices and ensure our instruction is as effective as possible.

Over the past three years, this collaboration has driven remarkable growth in how our educators teach foundational reading and math skills.

I can't thank our teachers enough for their unwavering dedication to refining their craft, which directly enriches your child’s educational experience every single day.

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Expanding Opportunities

Learning in our district goes far beyond traditional textbooks. This fall, students across our buildings are diving into new experiences, including:

Fresh elective courses designed to spark new interests and career paths.
Student leadership groups and clubs where kids build confidence and voice.
Student-run businesses that teach real-world entrepreneurship, employability skills, responsibility, and teamwork.

In addition, our fall sports and extracurricular activities are off to a phenomenal start! Whether on the field, the court, or the stage, our students are showing true grit and teamwork. In the past 4 years, we have added new athletic and extracurricular opportunities to reach even more of our student body. We look forward to that continued growth.

A well-equipped break room features a coffee station, a large stainless steel refrigerator, and a stainless steel sink.

A line of cheerleaders in blue and red uniforms performs on a running track at a night game.

It takes a VILLAGE!!!

A school district is only as strong as the community behind it. We are so grateful for the way our families and local community wrap their arms around our schools—cheering on our students and staff, supporting our programs, and showing up every single day.

It truly takes a village to run a school system and provide safe, enriching spaces for your children. Thank you for being such a vital part of our village.

BOUND: FOR ALL YOUR ACTIVITY NEEDS

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USD 434 WEBSITE

If you engage with our website, please check out our Athletics page, where you can find both Junior High and High School Athletics event information powered by BOUND. This program provides us with a comprehensive platform on our website to host all athletics information for our community. See the link below

A special thank you to our community Sponsors!!!!

Fawl Ag Sales

Kansas State Bank

Pinecrest Marketing Group

Mast Builders LLC

McCain Plumbing

Overbrook Family Dentistry

SnS Service LLC

Transition Painting

Link to SFT Athletics

Looking Ahead

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Thank you for supporting our Chargers!

The first quarter will be wrapping up before we know it! Please remember that our doors are always open to you. If you ever have questions, concerns, ideas, or simply want to chat about your child's progress, never hesitate to reach out to our teachers, counselors, or administrators. Strong partnerships with our families are the foundation of student success.

Thank you for your continued trust and partnership. Let’s keep this momentum going as we run into October!

Proud Charger,

Faith Flory

Superintendent of Schools