EMERGENCY CLOSURE, LATE START INFORMATION

When emergency situations occur, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District may close schools for the entire day or delay the start of school by up to two hours. Typically, emergency school closures and late starts would be related to winter weather. But a variety of emergencies could cause closures or late starts. Examples of situations which may cause a late start would be power outages, frozen water lines or icy roads, where the problem is expected to be resolved within an hour or two. This could cause closures or late starts district wide or only at those schools affected by the incident. In cases such as these, the District might decide to start school a couple of hours later than normal.

Dropping temperatures, cold winds and recent snow flurries symbolize the coming of winter. The cold winter weather of the Pocatello/Chubbuck area and the possibility of severe snow, cold, wind, and ice could make it unsafe for children traveling to and from school, could make it unsafe to operate buses or render them inoperable, or could make the roads impassable. These conditions, as well as non-weather related conditions, could make it necessary to close schools or implement a late start for schools. The decision to close or not to close schools, or to delay the start of school, is difficult and is based on a number of factors. First, and foremost, the safety of school children! In addition to safety, factors considered are:
* Educational, as every day missed represents lost learning opportunities
* Road conditions, as the district encompasses approximately 384 square miles and conditions may be good in one area but unsafe in another 
* Parental choice, as parents can choose whether or not to send their children to school based on weather conditions in their geographical area and their own judgment of what is safe for their child/children, and
* Family issues, as District administration also understands that when schools are closed or the start of school is delayed, it creates child care issues and sometimes transportation issues for parents who work outside the home.

The decision to close or implement a late start is made by the Superintendent of Schools or her designee. Representatives from transportation agencies, the weather bureau, the highway district, city and county law enforcement agencies, and the District’s transportation department check roads and monitor information throughout the night and early morning hours. They confer by telephone between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to reach a decision which insures the safety of students.

If the decision is made to cancel or delay the starting time for schools, the District’s Communications Specialist will notify local television and radio stations, which will broadcast regular announcements of school closures or delays. Also emergency school closures or late starts will be posted on the District’s website. A message denoting the closure or late start will also be left on school district telephone messages. Only under the most severe conditions will a decision to close schools be made the night before the closure.

If a late start is implemented the following changes will occur at elementary schools:

* Morning session of Kindergarten will be cancelled.
* Afternoon Kindergarten sessions will be held.

If a late start is implemented the following changes will occur at middle and high schools:

* Classes will follow the regular schedule and students will report to the class they would normally attend at the time they arrive at school.

FESTIVAL OF TREES

For the first time, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District hosted the community’s Festival of Trees.  The event was extremely successful with 79 beautifully decorated trees and wreaths and 17 different displays and events.

The Festival made nearly $85,000 for the District #25 Education Foundation. Proceeds from the event will enhance the education of children. The Education Foundation designated proceeds toward the purchase and installation of interactive white board technology in classrooms throughout the school district. Additionally, a fund will be established for grants to teachers for classroom projects or enhancements.

Many thanks to our “Presenting Sponsor,” Idaho State University Credit Union, to the Portneuf Health Care Foundation for support and help with our journey and to the many sponsors, donors and volunteers who made this event possible.

Plans and preparations are underway for the year’s event. We hope you will join us November 28th through December 1st for the 2010 Festival of Trees.

Watch our Festival of Trees Website (www.d25.k12.id.us/festivaloftrees) for updates and to see the sponsors and donors who are making a positive difference in the lives of children!

H1N1 (swine) FLU

The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District is following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for dealing with H1N1 Flu. District personnel are meeting weekly with the County Emergency Services and Southeastern District Health Department.

To help minimize the spread of H1N1 Flu, the regular seasonal Flu and other communicable diseases, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District asks employees, students and parents to:

• Wash hands, wash hand, wash hands  - Hand washing is the best way to prevent sharing germs. Please wash hand frequently with soap and water.
• Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing – cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away. If not tissue is available cough or sneeze into sleeves. Wash hand each time the cough or sneeze.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth – germs spread this way
• Avoid contact with sick people – If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home! If fever, stay home until fever-free for 24 hours without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.

For more information: http://www.education.com/special-edition/swine-flu/

The H1N1 information regarding shots can be found on the Southeastern District Health website at: http://www.sdhdidaho.org/swine_flu_pods.php

Mass Notification System

 The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District has launched a mass notification system and invites parents, patrons and staff to sign up for mobile phone text alerts, e-mail alerts or both.

The Mobile Alert System sends alerts and notifications, such as school closures, emergencies or drills directly to mobile phones. This service offers parents and staff the option to be alerted, with accurate information, if there is an emergency situation at a school or district-wide. There is no cost for this service, only the text messaging fee charged by the individual’s mobile phone service provider. E-mail alerts are free.

Individuals may subscribe to receive messages from select schools. If a parent has students in elementary, middle and high school, and has subscribed to all three locations, they will only receive one message if the alert is district-wide.

To subscribe to the mass notification system, go to the District’s Website at www.d25.k12.id.us.

Beginning this school year the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District implemented a Middle School Promotion Policy.  Idaho is among many states that have a state-wide middle school task force. They recommend, among other strategies, that districts adopt higher levels of accountability for student achievement in middle schools. This is necessary for students to be prepared for and to be able to go on to high school. Research clearly indicates that if students develop successful learning habits before entering high school then their chances of succeeding are much greater. District 25 middle schools adapted a philosophy that students cannot opt out of their learning.

When 8th grade students in District 25 were asked to cite the most common reason for not passing a class, they almost always answered – because they don’t do their daily assignments.  They add that it is usually because they don’t really try.  This year because of the new Middle School Promotion Policy parents and students signed contracts at the start of the 2009-2010 school year. This was to ensure they were aware of the details of the new policy and the potential consequences. Schools have implemented processes and programs to identify and help students and give them opportunities to get caught up and pass their classes. One such example is a special section of Math that has more instruction time and a different curriculum.

Here is a brief list of what this year’s 8th grade students must achieve before they can move into high school:

• Pass at least 17 out of 21 possible classes during the school year. (They have 7 classes over 3 consecutive trimesters for this total of 21)
• Pass at least 9 out of 12 core classes over 3 trimesters (students take 3 trimesters of Math, English, Science, and Geography)
• Pass at least 2 out of 3 classes in any one of the 4 core classes mentioned above
• Achieve at least a 67% of points in the 3rd trimester of Pre-Algebra or score a 67% on the final comprehensive test for that class

If a student does not meet promotion standards they can attend Summer School to recover credits. Not meeting the standards would result in a student beginning high school in the alternative New Horizon’s High School for 9th grade. Once a student meets the promotion requirements, they can transfer to one of the regular high schools at the beginning of the next trimester.

Parents and students need to be aware of the new promotion requirements to ensure students meet the qualifications to move to high school. The 2nd Trimester ends on February 25th with middle school report cards going home about a week later.

Requirements can be found in the Middle School Promotion policy located on our Website at http://www.d25.k12.id.us/District_Policies.aspx.

SCHOOL PLANT FACILITY LEVY RENEWAL INFORMATION
See information video on our Website under Quick Picks

School Plant Facility Levy Renewal Election
Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Renewal of the ten-year school plant facility levy will continue to provide for maintenance and construction of all schools and other District facilities, safety equipment, technology and busses. The levy is critical as the general fund cannot support facility maintenance, equipment and technology upgrades which benefit the learning and safety of the more than 12,000 students. The levy pays for:

* All building repairs, improvements and renovations such as windows, doors, heating/cooling systems, roofs, lighting, carpet, paint, asphalt, concrete, gym floors and restrooms
* Purchase and replacement of school furniture, equipment and lockers.
* Purchase and replacement of classroom technology.
* Purchase and replacement of busses.
* Replacement and repairs of parking and bus stops, playgrounds, tracks and tennis courts.
* Purchase, installations and maintenance of school security cameras and safety alarms.
* Land acquisition for future school sites.
* Reestablishment of Alameda Center as a middle school to address overcrowding K-8 and complete 6th grade move, delaying the need to build a new elementary school.

FACT: This is not a new tax – simply a renewal of the existing levy. Citizens of the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District have supported this levy to maintain and improve our children’s learning environment for 50 years.

FACT: No salaries, benefits, supplies or travel are paid from these funds.

FACT: Saves money as it minimizes the need for long term debt through bonding process and provides partial recouping of previously dedicated lottery funds which were removed by the 2009 Legislature to replace a portion of general fund reductions.

WHAT IS A SCHOOL PLANT FACILITY LEVY?

The environment in which children learn is vital to their success. Research proves that students learn better in well maintained, lighted and safe school buildings.
* The school plant facility levy is a local tax that maintains schools and other District buildings and property. It is used to improve school sites; add on, remodel or repair existing buildings; furnish and equip buildings including lighting, heating, ventilation, sanitation facilities and appliances needed to operate buildings; purchase, improve and maintain school sites; build schools or other buildings; purchase school buses and maintain technology.
This is not a new tax – voters are being asked to renew the ten-year plant facility levy they have supported for the past 50 years. Requires 55 percent passage rate.

ELECTION INFORMATION

The school plant facility levy election will be held Tuesday, March 16, 2010
* A YES/NO ballot to renew the levy for ten years. Includes yearly incremental increase for inflation, exactly as previous ten-year levy. Growth and appreciation have historically offset this increase and taxes remain the same or decreas.
* Absentee voting begins Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at the district office, 3115 Pole Line Road, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily through Monday March 15, 2010.
* Polls open Tuesday, March 16, 2010 from noon to 8:00 p.m. Vote at any polling location.
* Levy amount is $3,934,530
* Renewed levy impact per $100,000 of taxable property approximately $10.19 per month.
* Polling locations include:
o Chubbuck, Ellis, Gate City, Greenacres, Indian Hills, Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, Syringa, Tendoy, Tyhee, Washington and Wilcox Elementary Schools
o Irving Middle School
o Greater Pocatello Senior Citizens Center, Holt Arena, and the Education Center (absentee only).
* For more information call 235-3257.

Prepared by the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 1/22/2010

WeTIP NATIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY PROGRAM

Illegal activity is not tolerated here!

The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District participates in a nation school safety program, WeTip. This provides students, staff and citizens a way to safely and anonymously report any dangerous situation, by phone, 24 hours a day, and seven days a week.

        1-800-782-7463  1-800-78-CRIME

WeTip is a crime reporting hotline, it can be used to report crimes or threats/dangerous behaviors such as:

• Gang activity
• Vandalism
• Threats of any kind
• Drug/alcohol use or distribution
• Bullying
• Suspicious activity – scary adult, stalking, etc.
• Theft
• Child abuse

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 16, 2010

Pocatello/Chubbuck School District #25 Public Hearing Regarding a Proposal for All Day Every Other Day Kindergarten

Pocatello-- As a result of state funding reductions, which included cuts to transportation funding, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District Board of Trustees will readdress the possibility of changing to all day, every other day Kindergarten. 

This change was first discussed late last fall as a method of dealing with reductions in the 2009-2010 budget. The District has successfully operated all day Kindergarten at two of its elementary schools for five years. Children in all day Kindergarten achieved at the same levels as those in half-day programs. “Many school districts across the nation use the all day model and research shows no difference in the achievement of children,” said Elementary Director Patti Mortensen.

As the Board of Trustees discussed this possible restructuring, District personnel were instructed to find out the impact of the proposed changes to parents and local child care providers. Discussions with parents and local child care providers revealed all day Kindergarten was more convenient to working parents and local child care providers as they did not have to manage or plan for half-day transportation.

Since moving to full day Kindergarten does not adversely affect children or the effectiveness of the program, it is being considered as a way to deal with the loss of nearly $5 million in funding from the state in next year’s budget.

The Board will hold a public hearing on this proposed restructuring on Thursday, March 18, 2010 following a canvass of the School Plant Facility Levy scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in the Board room.

For futher information:

Pocatello/Chubbuck

School District

Community Relations & Communications Office

3115 Pole Line Road

Pocatello, ID  83201

(208)-232-3563

(208)-235-3280 FAX

www.d25.k12.id.us

allensh@d25.k12.id.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 2, 2010
PUBLIC INVITED TO SCHOOL TOURS

The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District invites the public to tour a sampling of school facilities. The tour is scheduled for Monday, March 8, 2010 and will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Education Service Center at 3115 Pole Line Road.

School Superintendent Mary Vagner said people have expressed an interest in touring school facilities and seeing the upgrades, maintenance and safety and security supported by the School Plant Facilities Levy. Included in the tour will be an elementary, middle and high school.

The tour will start at the Education Service Center at 5:30 p.m. People will be loaded on yellow school buses, purchased in part with levy funds, and transported to Irving Middle School. They will see renovations that combined two schools into one, the addition of a gymnasium, upgraded classrooms, new lighting and windows and the Irving field renovation.

From Irving, the group will go to Pocatello High School where they will tour the school’s new gymnasium and see a comparison of the old gym and its limitations.

The last stop on the tour will be at Lewis and Clark Elementary School. This stop will showcase the difference improved lighting makes on a positive learning experience for school children. In addition, the group will see an elementary school computer lab which provides 21st Century instruction and learning for school children.

The tour will be conducted by Superintendent Vagner and Business Operations Director, Bart Reed. During the bus ride between facilities, the pair will discuss the purchase and future use of the former Stocks Building Center and answer any questions posed by the group.

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