Superintendent's Message for December 2024

Hello, Chargers!!                                                                                                                                      

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed time with family and friends.  It is always an enjoyable time of year to remember everything and everybody we are blessed with.  It is incredible how fast the school year flies by, and now we are entering the winter months of the school year.  The first snow and ice is always the most dangerous, so please be careful and take your time.  If you have a young driver in your family, please tell them how important it is to slow down and be extra cautious.  If your child rides the school bus, please thank their driver for their dedication to our school and their passengers.  They take pride in their jobs and know the importance of transporting your child safely and efficiently regardless of the conditions.  We are lucky to have such a dedicated group of individuals serving our school district and our students. 

Capturing Kids Hearts Survey

We are seeking your feedback on our Capturing Kids’ Hearts initiative. In the coming days, you will receive a link to a brief survey to help us evaluate the program's impact. You will receive separate links for each building if you have children in multiple schools.

Your input is valuable in helping us assess our efforts and improve where needed. We appreciate your time and support!

School Delays, Early Dismissals, and Cancelation

It is that time of year when I like to communicate my philosophy and protocol when deciding on school delays, early dismissals, and cancellations due to inclement weather conditions. The common practice we use to determine if school should be canceled or delayed is waiting until the morning to make the call. If the decision can be made earlier due to the conditions and forecast, I will do so, so that families can make plans in advance. I communicate with area superintendents and my transportation staff and use weather radar and forecast information to make the best possible decision for the safety of our staff and students. As you know, Iowa weather patterns change quickly, so plan accordingly. My philosophy is that parents have the final decision to send their children to school.  As a parent of a driving-age student, you know your child’s driving ability and the roads they travel regularly.  Nobody is better at making this decision than you regarding your child's safety. 

Iowa Department of Education News

Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education (Department) recently announced that every first-grade student will have two Just Right Reader decodable book packs with ten books each. Students will take home and keep the book packs, reinforcing classroom instruction. Book packs will be sent directly to our school for distribution to students shortly. Grounded in the Science of Reading, the decodable book packs are sequential, progressively introducing more complex skills, and are available at multiple reading levels. Each decodable book includes a QR code with access to video lessons for active family engagement. Information about Just Right Reader can be found on the Just Right Reader | Decodable Books + Take-Home Decodable Boxes website. More information will come directly from Ms. Braida when the book packs arrive at our school. 

District Leadership Team Update

The District Leadership Team met on Monday, December 2nd, with a lead consultant from the Iowa Reading Research Center in Iowa City. This consultant has been working with our team through ongoing discussions of our reading instruction. The focus of the day was on structured literacy and our current practices. Team members discussed the current reality of literacy instruction in each of our buildings to help assess our next learning steps to support our teachers and our students. 

School Board News

In case you missed it in last month's board minutes, we have a new school board president.  Please welcome Ryan Dachenbach to the position when you get a chance.  Other Board members are Sarah Willis, Vice President, Dustin Shivvers, Becky Shelton, and Jarid Howell.  Our school board members work hard to ensure the school is viable and the students get a top-notch education.  They truly live the mission of our school district - Successful Learning for ALL students.  They volunteer countless hours attending regular and special board meetings, construction and project meetings, and board sub-committee meetings. They help negotiate staff contracts, serve on selective community meetings, and review school policies regularly.  If you see them in the community or at school events, please thank them for their service. Your gestures may seem small and insignificant, but they are the only compensation they receive for their dedication and service to our school district, and it matters.  

Monday night’s meeting was shorter than usual, and we had to be flexible due to the schedules of our school board members to ensure we had a quorum to complete our business. In order to accomplish this task in the necessary time, no communication reports were given. We tried to ensure everyone in attendance, either in person or virtually, that this would take place and that if they had any questions from the attached reports or presentation, they could reach out to me or the person responsible for the information. Here is the attached school board agenda - December 9, School Board Agenda

Special Education Service Delivery Plan

The Chariton Community School District gathered input from various board-approved team members with representation from CCSD administration, general and special education teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, Great Prairie AEA and other district certified staff to help develop it. The Iowa Code, Department of Education resources, sample district plans, and team member input was used to fulfill the requirements of the plan. This plan has been collaboratively developed to ensure that the needs of all students are met. District Delivered Service Delivery Plan  Ms. Braida, CCSD Special Education Director coordinated these efforts and we thank her for her hard work.

Please visit our website at https://www.charitonschools.org/ for additional information about our school district. I also invite you to email or call the central office if you have any questions about our district.  I am always happy to help provide clarifying information or direct you to the right person to assist you.

Handbook Revisions

Due to the new compulsory education law passed in July by the Iowa Legislatures, we need to update our attendance policies in the High School, Middle School, and Elementary Student Handbooks. These changes are necessary to meet the new law requirements and our updated school board policies which reflect these changes.  We have been following the law requirements but need to update our school board policies first to align with all the changes.  The timing of the law going into effect and the necessary collaboration within our school delayed this process from taking place at the beginning of the school year. The approval of the changes will require two readings at the school board level. Thanks everyone for your patience and understanding.

High School Renovation Project

The drawings and specifications for the Chariton High School Science Classroom Renovations project were approved last night. This is phase two of the overall project, which is scheduled to start toward the end of this school year and tentatively complete in the fall of 2025. This will be a much-needed improvement for this section of our school. 

Please call or email if you have any questions regarding the information in this report or anything else.

GO CHARGERS and THINK BIG !!!!  

Mr. Baker, #LBE

Phone - 641-774-5967

Email- brad.baker@chariton.k12.ia.us

Twitter -  @Super_Charger