Superintendent's Message for September 2022

SEPTEMBER MESSAGE

Greetings Charger Nation!

I would like to thank everyone for making the start of the school year such a success. We had a few bumps in the road but everyone handled them very well to ensure our students’ experiences were not affected. I also want to thank you for taking care of our transportation department. We are trying to move over 1000 students twice per day and your help making this possible is unmeasurable. Thanks so much for working with those “Big Yellow'' buses moving about our community. I appreciate you realizing they are filled with beautiful people who represent our future. Finally, I appreciate everyone’s patience during drop off and pick up times while we teach our students the routines and processes we will be using the remainder of the school year. As adults, some of us are also learning how things are done throughout the district - especially me being new.

The district is going through the process with the engineering firm 10 Fold to develop a long range Facility Master Plan..This plan will help guide the School Board with making decisions to repair, upgrade, and make improvements to our district. Everything we offer for our students is an important part of their overall educational and extracurricular experience. Our lists of improvements, remodeling, and construction will always be there but developing a master plan is key to guiding our decision making process. If you have any questions, ideas, or opinions please feel free to reach out to me.

The Charger Family would acknowledge and thank the Kiwanis Club members for cooking our entire staff breakfast on August 22nd before our back to school assembly. I heard wonderful comments from everyone about the delicious breakfast. What a wonderful tradition they have established over the years for our teachers and support staff. Thank you from ALL of them.

Our fall activities are well underway for our students at CCSD. Things started off with our Booster Club providing a meal in the city courtyard for all students participating in our fall activities on Sunday, August 21st in the town square. A meal was available to the public as well as plenty of Boost Club apparel to purchase. Mr. Milledge was the Master of Ceremonies and introduced all students that will participate in a fall activity. He also acknowledged the Charger Softball team for their conference championship and Coach Smyer for being named Class 3A District Coach of the Year. The evening started with the CCHS band leading the way in a parade around the square with all our participants following them. The groups and members that were recognized are as follows: the band, cheerleading, cross country, dance team, football, and volleyball. What a great event to celebrate our youth getting involved in our school activities and our community.

The Chariton Community School District is in search of people interested in our schools to join our School Improvement Committee (SIAC). This committee meets twice per year and focuses on the academic achievement of our students, the district goals, and the continuing improvement of our school district. If you are interested in being a member of SIAC, please contact the District Office at 641-774-5967.

The Chariton Community Schools will use the following procedure concerning COVID-19 in the school setting. If guidance changes from the CDC we will be updating our protocol accordingly.

We will use the recommendation from the CDC that states if you test positive for COVID 19 you need to isolate 5 days away from people and to not return to school or work. After five days of isolation and you no longer have symptoms for 24 hours you can return to school / work. It is recommended you wear a mask for an additional 5 days when you return but not mandatory. Another option is you can isolate for ten days before returning. The CDC clarifies that Day 0 is the day you test positive and day 1 is the first full day after the specimen was collected for the positive test.

If you are exposed to COVID-19, you do not have to be quarantined, and wearing a mask is optional at school and school / work. This includes if someone in your home tests positive. If you experience symptoms at any time after exposure, you should isolate and test immediately.

We acknowledge that not everyone agrees about the protocols and procedures we are going to function by but I am confident we ALL agree that we want to keep everyone as healthy as possible. Let's join together and meet in the middle to function as a family and community for the well being of our students, staff, and school. #Chargerfamily

Mark your calendars for back to school picture day. The following dates and times are when it will take place. All student and staff will have their pictures taken at the following dates, locations, and times:

Preschool - October 6, 2022, beginning at 8:00 am
Columbus - October 7, 2022, beginning at 8:00 am
Van Allen - October 7, 2022, beginning at 8:00 am
Middle School - October 7, 2022, beginning at 8:00 am
High School October 7, 2022, beginning at 8:00 am

Until next month —--- THINK BIG !!!

Mr. Baker

Office phone - 641-774-5967

Cell phone - 641-202-1316

Follow me on Twitter @Super_Charger