Message from the Superintendent 2-4-2022
Dear Parents, Patrons and Staff;
No School for any of our students or staff Monday February 7th, 2022.
Snow days always seem to be a welcome break this time of year for students and staff. We hope everyone enjoyed the two days off this week, but it is definitely time to get back to work. From the Superintendents perspective it is always a difficult decision to close school because it is always an inconvenience for working families, but the safety of our students and staff always come first. The two days this past week were filled with snow, very cold temperatures, high wind and very low wind chills, so the call was pretty simple. Hopefully old man winter won’t throw too much more our way, we have a limited amount of “extra” time built into the calendar and we are running out it quickly.
The Board of Education and Administration is dedicated to developing Board Goals and Action Plans that will paint a picture of school improvement for our district in six major areas over the next three to five years. Those six major areas include:
- District Communication
- Student Achievement (which includes Learning, Accreditation, Athletics and Activities)
- Recruit and Retain Highly Qualified Staff
- Community Involvement
- Budget and Facilities
- School Safety and Security
The Board will continue to review their draft Goals at their regular meeting next week and in future meeting. They hope to have their plan completed and in place for the start of the 22-23 school year. Santa Fe Trail has much to be proud of but we also have areas of needed growth and improvement in all of those major areas. Growth and Improvement also require change which is often difficult but working together we can be better, and improve the future for our students and our district.
Shout Outs
We're celebrating:
1. Our staff for flexing their lesson plans to accommodate student learning after snow days!
2. Our eighth grade students and staff for representing our school district so positively during their time at the Auschwitz exhibit at Union Station!
3. Our lunch and recess staff for remaining ever so very flexible with the inside/outside recess plans, which are dependent upon weather!
-Jodi Testa
Shout out to the Math Adoption Committee! This group of educators works very hard to critically reflect and discuss mathematics. Their hard work, time, dedication, and professionalism are very much appreciated.
-Faith Flory
Congrats to the Boys and Girls basketball teams for their wins over Iola.
Good luck to the wrestlers as they take on Gardner Edgerton tonight.
COVID and Absence Report
As everyone knows, the Board of Education removed the mask mandate this past Tuesday evening. They took that action early because our COVID and Absence numbers had dropped significantly. We encourage everyone to practice social distancing when possible, use good hand hygiene and please feel free to wear a mask for your own protection. I believe that COVID, like the flu and many other illnesses, are here to stay.
SFTHS
Total Student Absences: 25
Total Staff Absences: 0
Positives: 2
Test to stay: 3
Home due to household positives: 1
Quarantine at home: 0
Pending test results: 1
CAC
Total Student Absences: 40
Total Staff Absences: 4
Positives: 4
Test to stay: 18
Home due to household positives: 0
Quarantine at home: 3
Pending test results: 0
OAC
Total Student Absences: 16
Total Staff Absences: 0
Positives: 2
Test to stay: 5
Home due to household positives: 0
Quarantine at home: 1
Pending test results: 0
SAC
Total Student Absences: No preschool
Total Staff Absences: 0
Positives: 0
Test to stay: 2
Home due to household positives: 0
Quarantine at home: 1
Pending test results: 0
Quote for the Week
“Life is too short to argue and fight. Count your blessings, Love the friends and family that are always there for you. Smile more often and make the most of every day.”
-Unknown
Have a Great Weekend,
Jim Lentz
Superintendent of Schools