Letter from the Superintendent
State Tests, Climate Surveys & Nutrition Balances
Launch the media gallery 1 playerParents,
As we wrap up our Spring Break I wanted to take a moment and update you on a few things that are happening here at school.
April is that time of year in which we participate in our state testing. Principals will be communicating with you the dates, expectations, and the importance of this testing. Please note that one test does not fully tell the story of the great things that happen in our classrooms everyday, but it is a big part of how we are compared to other schools and districts across the state. I know many of you are like me and want our students to do their very best, so that we can point to those results as another example of how at Treynor CSD ~ Excellence is Expected & Excellence is Achieved! So please make sure you are encouraging your child to give their best effort and support them by having conversations with them about their effort, the implications of their scores, and helping them by making sure they are getting plenty of rest and a good breakfast on testing days.
In addition to the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), students and parents will be asked to complete the State’s Conditions for Learning Survey in April. Much like the ISASP, we use the results from this survey as one of the conversation starters in our discussion and work around climate and culture. We know that academic achievement cannot be achieved without a safe and supportive environment and to that end it is important that we gather input from various stakeholders to make sure we continually monitor and nurture a culture and climate that is conducive to all learners. Parents will receive a separate email regarding these surveys.
One of the great new additions to our staff this year is our Head of Nutrition, Mandy Vincent. Hopefully, your students have shared with you some of the changes that have occurred in our offerings and menus. Some of these changes have led to not only increases in our sales, but also an increase in some of our lunch accounts being overdue and carrying negative balances. Unfortunately, because of the size of some of the balances we are ratcheting up our procedures for a la carte and second lunches if your child’s account has a negative balance. This letter will explain more about our School Board Policy and procedures, but please make sure you are not ignoring the notices you receive about your child’s account. As the letter states, your child will also get a reminder if their account is negative and that they can no longer have a la carte or a second lunch until the account is out of the negative.
As always, thank you for your support, because our families are one of the most important parts to our success!
Roll Cards!
Dr. Joel Beyenhof
Superintendent
jbeyenhof@treynorcardinals.org