Thankful for our community this holiday season
The holiday season is upon us, and we are well into our second trimester. The students and staff are doing a great job of working on closing the gap of achievement with some of our students. Even though the extreme measures taken to protect everyone from the COVID-19 virus are more relaxed, the effect the pandemic had on both our students and staff is something we are continuing to work through. Mental and physical wellness has been a priority for all involved to make sure that everyone in the school has at least one person to turn to when they need to talk. It is our priority that staff and students are safe and more importantly feel safe and loved when in school. The School District of Loyal has worked to make sure that staff are building positive relationships with each other and the students. This is especially important during the holiday season.
The district continues to work on filling the vacant positions of art and music. We have Susan DeBauche filling in as a long-term sub for art. We are working on a replacement for her for Trimester 3. We have hired Grace Genteman to work with our general music classes in the elementary. With the assistance of the grade-level teachers, the students and Mrs. Genteman put on a very nice Christmas concert Dec. 16. For our high school choir, the district hired Noteworthy Music Studio to provide an instructor to work with our high school students during their second block class. She also stays during GIT to do individual and group lessons. I would also like to congratulate Mrs. Shaylee Croxall and the middle school and high school band students on their great performance at their holiday concert last week. I would like to welcome Rhonda Clark as our new middle school interventionist. Rhonda returns to Wisconsin after spending a handful of years teaching in New Orleans. Rhonda has 27 years of experience as an English/language arts teacher and has spent the last several as a reading specialist. She started this week on Monday. Welcome, Rhonda. The school districts of Loyal and Greenwood have formed a Joint School Board Committee to meet and discuss how we can grow the opportunities for all our students by working together to share ideas and resources. On Nov. 9, both teaching staffs got together in the Loyal High School gym to take the first step as staffs to collaborate and start building that relationship between the two district’s teaching staffs. This meeting was a successful one and we look forward to the next meeting in February. Our goal is to open more opportunities for our students and ensure that all students have access to the best resources to prepare them for their futures.
At the beginning of the school year the federal government discontinued providing free breakfast and lunch to all students, so families need to fill out the free and reduced lunch forms to qualify for this program. If you have not filled out this form, please do. Even if you know you will not qualify, the school benefits as it impacts our Title I funding. The more families that fill the form out, the better the impact. For those who do not qualify, please check the portal to watch your lunch balance. If it is in the red, please take care of it as soon as possible or contact either the elementary or high school office.
The operational referendum that failed in the fall will be brought back this spring. Ten percent of our annual budget comes from this operational referendum. The funding for Wisconsin schools makes this a commonality for balancing local budgets. We need this referendum to pass to maintain the programs and keep the quality of education high. The board has several meetings over the next month and a half to discuss the amount and possible cuts necessary for the referendum to pass. Please make sure that you are informed before you vote in April.
Lastly, during this holiday season I would like to thank our staff, students, parents and community for everything they do to make sure that our school district is successful. I greatly appreciate living in a community that has so much pride in their schools and the people in the buildings. Thank you!
I would like to wish you and your families a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
