Author: Paul Michael

Happy New Year.  It is nice to have the students back in school.  This school year has proven to be very successful.  Student achievement is on the rise, and federal, “Covid”, funds have been available to build and maintain our schools to meet federal guidelines.  The district office has been moved into the old high school offices and new bleachers have been added to the old high school gym to meet ADA requirements.  The district plans on having an “Open House” on February 24^th for patrons to visit the old high school to see the improvements that have been made in the gym areas as well as the office areas.

Along with the new year comes inclement weather. During the winter months, everyone knows Idaho weather is difficult to predict especially during the months of January and February. Cold weather can be a challenge.  Parents are encouraged to check their phones for the “Reminder” that may be sent by building principals to announce school closures and other information that may need to be addressed. The school district will announce school closures on the KIDK 3, KPVI 6 and KIFI 8 TV stations. KLCE, KTHK, KZBQ, KID KSEI, KBear and KCVI radio stations will be used to announce school closures as well. Students should be dressed warmly during the winter months in case emergency conditions arise. Warm shoes or boots, hats and gloves should be worn each day during the winter months.

 It is always difficult to make the call to cancel school. The primary concern when trying to decide when to cancel school is safety.  Students, faculty and staff are our primary concern during winter months when weather conditions could end up hazardous.  Before canceling school, the bus supervisor is in contact with the county to see if the snowplows can maintain the roads in a safe manner.  If roads can be maintained, school will be in session.  If however the bus drivers, the bus & maintenance supervisors, or a patron identifies areas that may be unsafe to travel, The bus supervisor and the superintendent will again look at options before opening school that day.

It is always the parents’ option to keep their children home during those “extreme weather” days.  Parents are encouraged to watch for the bus and refrain from leaving students alone on those days that may be challenging for the buses to travel on the outlying roads. The district will make every effort to contact parents when there are weather related problems, but if the buses have not arrived within 15 minutes of the normally scheduled time, it would be wise to assume the buses will not be arriving at your bus stop that day. Parents, in that case, would be encouraged to bring the students to the nearest operational bus stop or bring them to school themselves, if possible.

As a district we will strive to provide each child an excellent and safe education throughout the school year.

-Jane Ward

This is a tentative calendar if the school district should decide to
change to a 4-day week. Some items to notice are:
—  Students will begin class a 8:00.  The elementary school will dismiss
at 3:25 and the secondary schools will dismiss at 3:30.
—  Students WILL attend 5 days until Harvest Break begins.  Fridays WILL
NOT be early out  on the 5 day schedule before harvest.
—  Outreach programs may be developed on Fridays to help students that
are not making academic progress .
—  Spring Break will only be  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
—  There will only be 2 weeks Harvest Break.

It took a village! Thanks goes to everyone who supported the school district as we worked to serve the students attending Aberdeen School District. Students have almost completed a full year of school during the Covid-19 Pandemic.  While some students attended classes via the Internet, many students attended physically.  Illness did occur, but through it all, the faculty, staff, and students worked through the issues victoriously with the help from their parents and family members.

From the beginning of the pandemic, all faculty and staff working at Aberdeen School District physically attended work each day.  The buildings were sanitized each day, breakfast and lunch was taken to students that signed up for delivery each day. Weekly assignment packets were prepared for students to take home if students didn’t have the Internet at home. Faculty members learned how to teach remotely in a very short period of time.  Parents and students also needed to learn how to access classroom instruction through their personal computers. All in all, it was a work in progress, but through the help of families and educators our students received academic instruction each day.

Although academics was our main emphasis during the pandemic, we understand that development of the full child is very important.  Extra-curricular activities needed to be provided.  Again, with the help of community members, faculty and staff, Aberdeen School District found a way to serve our students.  A special thanks goes to a dedicated school board that worked tirelessly trying to provide the needs of the individual student while keeping compliant with the mandates of the new federal and state laws. Every meeting with the school board focused on what was best for the students of the district. Personal and political feelings had to be set aside to assure the students were served in the best way possible.  Yes, it took a village and together the students of Aberdeen School District received the best education possible during the most trying of times.