USD 430 - Charger Community:
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our students, each other, and our communities. Before moving into February, I wanted to share with everyone some important information concerning our Food Service Program and other updates or reminders to help everyone as they navigate through the rest of the school year.
As many of you may already know, Taher Food Service Company notified us before the Christmas Break that they would be ending their contract with the school district starting February 1, 2023. Since then, USD 430 did attempt to send out a Request for Proposal for new bids. Unfortunately, with the increased cost of food and our district size, we were unsuccessful in finding another company to take over in the middle of the school year. USD 430 has been working closely with the Kansas Department of Education and has developed a plan starting February 1st, which will allow us to go back to self-operating our own food service until the end of the current school year. As we move through these changes I ask for your patience and understanding. Our cooks have done a tremendous job in moving through these changes and are eager to continue to serve our students a well-balanced breakfast and lunch. With these changes you will notice that the food app will no longer be working, however; we will publish the menu on our district website. We have pulled recipes and menu items from the Kansas Department of Education and will use them as we plan for the next few months. We are planning on submitting another request for bids in the Spring, with the hopes that we will select another food service company for the start of the 2023-2024 school year. If you have any questions regarding our food service please contact your child’s school and speak to one of the cooks or the principal.
Mrs. Judy Dickman, Elementary Principal informed me in January that she will be retiring at the end of the current school year. I want to express my appreciation to Mrs. Dickman! Her leadership and devotion to our students, district, and community will be greatly missed. Today, we sent out information requesting community input on the next Elementary Principal. Please take some time over the next few days to complete the survey as this information will help guide the process of selecting a new principal. After collecting information from the survey we will be setting up interviews with the goal of announcing a new Elementary Principal in late February or early March.
Last month the board approved the new K-5 Math Curriculum, Reveal Math. We are very excited about the new curriculum and look forward to having the same Math Curriculum for Kindergarten through Twelve Grade! We are replacing Go Math which has been used for more than 10 years with USD 430. The new curriculum will be purchased through ESSER III Funds and will arrive prior to the end of the year, which will allow teachers time to review over the summer break.
As we reach the halfway point of the 3rd quarter please take a few minutes to visit with your child about their progress, check their grades on Infinite Campus, and please contact the teacher if you have any questions about their performance. I want to encourage everyone to be cautious of attendance and try to schedule appointments or trips when school is not in session.
The TeamMates Mentoring Program is almost ready to start! Becky Wahwasuck along with the TeamMates Advisory Board has been organizing and participating in training to help with the successful implementation of TeamMates. The district is still looking for adults who would like to be a mentor. We have several students that have expressed interest in the program but with a shortage of mentors, it will be difficult to meet the needs of students that have expressed interest. If you are interested in learning more please contact Becky Wahwasuck at wahwasuckr@usd430.org or any of the advisory board members: Karla Berry, Jon Boller, John Kress, Marc Pisacka, Colton Oswald, or myself.
The final punch list for the bond project is almost finalized. We are still working on a few kinks and making a few adjustments to the HVAC System. Depending on the weather we are planning on having an open house for all three buildings in late February or shortly after Spring Break. We are excited for the public to see the improvements that have been made at each building.
Thank you for your continued support and for allowing us the opportunity to serve your child. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school or the board of education office.
Go Chargers!!
Jason Cline
Superintendent
USD 430 South Brown County