We are over a month into the school year and we are definitely in full swing. The fall athletic teams are busy traveling from place to place and representing our community to the fullest extent. The students are halfway through the first nine-week grading period and are finding their strides and meeting the expectations being place on them in the classroom.
On the superintendent side of things, a big topic around the state is the upcoming election and the push for the elimination of property taxes. This debate can be extremely toxic at times. From my perspective, I just hope all stakeholders become informed on Measure 4 and vote as they see fit. From a school perspective, will will focus on providing the best education possible with the resources we have and leave the political discussions for others to debate.
A big initiative that we are implementing this school year is a program called #WinAtSocial. This program is a part of our cyber security plan and will help empower our students to navigate their social world in a positive way. This program is evidence-based, student-respected, and maintains a sustainable approach to make sure we are assisting our students in managing social media and technology in a way that is safe and healthy.
In this program, we will also equip you as families with the in's and out's of social media, insights on student trends, and discussion topics that align with the lessons being introduced here at school. We will offer families access to the Social Toolkit. Here is the link to the Social Toolkit which will take you through the process of creating an account.
On Wednesday, September 25th, I was able to attend a Homeless and Foster Care Training in Bismarck. During this training, I took part in a BCI presentation on Cyber Safety. This presentation was very eye-opening and something we must continue to educate all stakeholders on. I will be scheduling a time for them to come to Scranton to present for students, staff, and parents. In the meantime, please be aware of what your children are doing when online and in chat groups. Talk with your children about cyber safety. As a school we will continue to make these discussions a priority.
It seems as though our schedules are more jam-packed than ever, and as a result there are often changes that occur throughout the weeks leading up to our events. The best way to stay informed on any changes is through our Scranton School App. This App will be updated as changes are made. This App will also be used this winter for weather delays or any other important notifications that need to be made. We want to continue to stress communication and keeping our stakeholders up to date on any schedule changes. The following two links can be used to add our Scranton School App to your smart device so you are ready for all things Scranton School.
Download for Android https://bit.ly/3d1EwBV
Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3PT91bO
As always, I want to thank our community for your support. Our staff and students know what a wonderful community we live in and we will continue to do our best to be the best learning environment possible. We have been super successful in the past, and we cannot wait to see the accomplishments our current students achieve in the future. "GO NIGHT HAWKS!"
Sincerely,
Kelly Pierce