Spring '24 Heads Up for Emmett School District

Shadow Butte 3rd graders teamed up with Emmett High School's 11th Grade Dual Credit English class for an exciting collaborative writing project!

The 3rd graders wrote information papers, which were skillfully edited by the high school students. Both classes thoroughly enjoyed the experience and gained valuable insights along the way.

As an extra special finale, Shadow Butte 3rd graders will be publishing their final papers in a book! Huge shout-out to the dedicated teachers involved – Ms. Scribner, Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Myers, and Mrs. Griggs – for fostering this amazing collaboration.

We also want to say bravo to the students from both classes for their hard work and enthusiasm! What an amazing example of teamwork and mutual learning.

 

Emmett Middle School is working hard to increase learning and improve math test scores! After identifying Math as a needed area of improvement, Theresa Giery joined our team as a Math Intervention Specialist who focuses on working with specific students identified as needing some extra help. They come to her classroom in a small-group setting where they start on their level and work up, increasing their math knowledge and learning.

Mrs. Giery has enjoyed seeing success as students have grown through multiple levels as they've worked at their own pace as she provides support. We are hopeful that these targeted efforts will translate with spring testing as students get to show what they've learned.

Music:

Our elementary schools are working hard to prepare for spring music performances! Shadow Butte Elementary 4th graders are working hard on their recorders!  Schools will be releasing times and dates for all spring performances!

Emmett High School will be hosting their music program--The Art of Music on May 7 at 6:30.

Drama:

Emmett Middle School and Emmett High School are working together on an amazing spring performance of Finding Nemo, Jr. Performance Dates are May 2-4! Here is the scoop! We're so excited!

Dive into the big blue world of Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo JR.! This new stage musical is a 60-minute adaptation of the beloved 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo, with new music by award-winning songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. With the help of lovable characters such as optimistic Dory, laid-back sea turtle Crush, and the supportive Tank Gang, Marlin and Nemo both overcome challenges on their journey to find each other and themselves. Featuring memorable songs such as “Just Keep Swimming,” “Fish Are Friends Not Food,” and “Go With the Flow,” Finding Nemo JR. brings a vibrant underwater world to life on stage in a story full of family, friendship, and adventure.

 

At Emmett Middle School, Mrs. Riggs recently worked with a group of students on a project through the Idaho Resilience Project. They made posters and hung them around the school to help other students learn what resilience is. They also designed postcards that will be handed out to all of the students in the school. What a great project! Resilient students are successful students!

We are so proud of our Emmett Middle School Academic Team!

They are small but mighty and recently finished out a great season! While they may not have finished their season in the top three, but they weren’t at the bottom either! They accomplished so much and really came together as a team. Their goals for the season were to earn more points than the previous competition and to answer some of the daunting speed-round questions. At the last competition of the season, they answered three speed round questions in what was a highlight of the season!

Our Emmett High School Statistics class has been working on a great project packed with fun and lots of learning! They researched and gathered data to answer the question of whether Waldo was placed randomly in the drawings throughout the Where's Waldo series. Using a statistical model, they were able to develop a hypothesis that they tested and answered mathematically. Once they gathered their data, they wrote a 2-3 page summary of their findings.

What do you think they discovered? Is Waldo random or is there a not-so-random conspiracy to the Where's Waldo series? You'll need to talk to one of Mr. Brune's Stats students to find out what they discovered!

Kindergarten classes at Butte View are experiencing success with Counting Collections!

Teachers have been training on this activity with Professional Development in cooperation with Boise State math coaches and are finding it to be a way to learn with hands-on counting.

Counting Collections is an activity where students are asked to count how many objects are in a collection and then provide a written representation of what they counted and how they counted.

Kindergarten has invited 3rd grade to count with them, which adds a new level and the ability for them to teach and learn through the process.

We love seeing the success on so many levels. From a successful use of teacher professional development to success with a hands-on activity full of learning to the success of cooperation and teamwork rich in educational value. This is one example where an everyday activity is basic but full of impact.

 

The Emmett Public School Foundation has continued its tradition of supporting innovative projects and educational initiatives within the Emmett School District. The following is a summary of the grants that were awarded for the winter cycle to passionate educators and programs, fostering opportunities for enhanced learning experiences.

1. 1st Grade Teachers - Shadow Butte

Grant amount $420

Purpose: - RazKids Reading Program for students

2. Special Education Teachers - Carberry

Grant amount $1,066.56

Purpose - Sensory supplies and adaptive feeding tools

3. Kim Simpson - Developmental Preschool

Grant amount $549.90

A special needs footrest for an individual's student's school seating arrangements.

4. Greg Daniels - Emmett High School

Grant amount - $257

Purpose - multimeters and supplies for an electronic learning lab in math classes.

5. Nicole Korell - Carberry

Grant amount - $514

Purpose - "A Little Spot of Feelings and Emotions" teaching set

6. Kristina Villamor - Shadow Butte

Grant amount - $468.00

Purpose - A calming corner in a classroom

The total was $3,275.46 for this Winter Cycle of the Emmett Public School Foundation Teacher Grants.  These funds come from the Dean and Gay Welch Fund housed within the Foundation and invested through the Idaho Community Foundation.  Please stay tuned to our district Facebook page for updates and details about these amazing EPSF grant-funded projects.

Emmett High School's World History students completed a group project about an Ancient Civilization first semester. Students created a written presentation with a visual component to present as a group to their peers. Check out these photos!

Now in the second semester, Ms. Bedard's World History students recently completed an invention project. They conducted research on their invention, wrote a short essay, and created either a poster, brochure, or model. When completed, they hosted a gallery walk in the library, featuring all of their invention models. 

Bravo to the students for their impressive work! And bravo to Ms. Bedard for facilitating a project so full of learning!

n honor of March's Women's History Month, Black Canyon High School teacher, Kristen Cherry created an interactive bulletin board in which students can scan 15 different QR codes. Each QR code connects to a clue of a famous woman who has changed history. The last name of each of the women fit into a crossword puzzle.

On March 28th, students could bring the crossword puzzle to a Ladies' Luncheon to be entered into a drawing for a prize. The female staff were all present at the luncheon along with a couple of counselors who partner with Black Canyon. One of the staff members spoke, sharing her life journey after high school.

Speaking of the effort, Ms. Cherry said that her "hope is to help our girls see the strong community they are a part of here at Black Canyon."

This was just one of the numerous creative efforts Ms. Cherry has hosted with the simple use of a bulletin board. She changes it out each month to be something interactive for the students. One month was Random Acts of Kindness month, and the bulletin board featured 28 different acts of kindness the students could choose from. Another month featured a huge, adult coloring poster and a tub of colored pencils for students to use.

What an amazing example of the creative ways a teacher can work to engage and educate students! Bravo to Ms. Cherry for her inspiring efforts and her amazing bulletin board that makes such a positive impact on the students at Black Canyon!

 

 

EHS and EMS math teachers have been piloting two different curriculum programs. Parents were invited to provide their input on the curriculum options at an open house during Parent-Teacher Conferences on March 13th and 14th. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and offered their feedback!

 

ESD staff is always learning and finding ways to improve in our goal of pursuing education excellence. Profession development is one of the keys to adapting to education. Here's one example of what our teachers were busy doing on the January 8th professional development day. While our students didn't have class, our staff did!

During this presentation for classroom teachers, Dr. Isa DeArmas led an engaging presentation about learning intentions and success criteria.

 

In February, Emmett High School Students in Mrs. Yates' Civics class participated in a field trip to the Idaho state capitol building where they met with various state government leaders and toured the capital building. What a great opportunity and learning experience to see in action what they are learning in class!

Friday, May 24, 7:00 PM

Emmett High School will hold graduation at HOME!

This is made possible because of our new EHS bleachers!

Take a look at these beauties! Fresh, shiny, and ready to be filled with the cheers of our community as we celebrate the Class of 2024's graduation!

This amazing project became a reality thanks to a generous donation in honor of the Class of 2005. An incredible $100,000 contribution, along with additional funds allocated from the general fund by the school board, made it possible. Special shout-out to Wright Brothers Construction for doing the concrete and dirt work and Boise Steel Erectors for their hard work in assembling these grandstands!

We are also excited that we were able to purchase a stage to host graduation. This part of the project was made possible with contributions from donations made in the names of the Class of 2005 and the Class of 1961!

While the bleachers are ready for action, the ADA-accessible walkway from the parking lot to the stadium is still in progress. We are looking forward to seeing everyone accessing and enjoying our facilities comfortably! We are so excited to welcome our community as we celebrate our seniors’ achievements and send them off to do incredible things. 

Just think about all of the future events that will see these bleachers filled! There are so many good things ahead for Emmett High School, Emmett School District, and our community as a whole! 

We cannot say thank you enough to those who donated and chose to invest in our students, school, and community with this project!

 

EHS Restroom Remodel - Before & After! 

The makeover of two sets of EHS restrooms is complete! Over Christmas break, the atrium and gymnasium visitor restrooms received a much-needed face-lift. Check out the stunning before and after pics below!

Funding and Support:

This project was funded through planned allocations from the general fund, This was made possible because Covid funding allowed for the redistribution of funds normally allocated for other purposes. Thanks to the flexibility these funds provided, the school district could invest in much-needed maintenance projects such as this one.

Local Expertise:

Special thanks to a local company–NHI (Nick’s Home Improvement) for doing quick and thorough work that made such a difference for our school buildings and the students and guests who use them!

At a special meeting on January 29, Emmett School District’s updated 10-Year Facilities Maintenance Plan was presented to the ESD Board of Trustees. Such plans are standard tools for school districts, and ESD’s plan was last updated in 2015. Assistant Superintendent Bob Hyde worked closely with the ESD Maintenance Department to carefully evaluate each school facility in the district. The meeting can be viewed on our YouTube channel. The information shared in the meeting is publicly available within the agenda.

Please note, this meeting was for information purposes only. No solutions to facility needs were presented or discussed., and there were no action items. Our buildings are showing their age and will need to be addressed to ensure the safety of our students now and in the future. ESD will not move forward with any solutions without the full involvement of the community in every step of the process.

Please review the material presented last night. The school board has requested a list of priorities to be presented at the February regular school board meeting. The district will await the school board’s direction on how to proceed with identifying potential solutions to our maintenance needs.

We recognize that a community’s school buildings belong to the community. The individuals in a community should have a voice because they reflect who we are. Though Emmett is a community with many diverse opinions, we share the core values of quality education and safety for our youth. As a community, we are responsible for educating our youth and maintaining safe facilities with which to do so. As a school distinct, we are committed to collaborating with our community to create fiscally responsible solutions that will be true to our values and give us reason to be proud of our schools and the education provided within them.

Please review the information within the 10-year Facilities Maintenance Plan and stay tuned for any future community informational and collaborative meetings regarding our facilities. Let us know if you have any questions.

Youtube meeting recording
Link to agenda and materials
 

10-Year Maintenance Plan Presentation

 

 

Emmett School District has conducted a lengthy process of researching and gathering feedback regarding potential calendar options for the 2024-2025 school year and moving forward. We appreciate the thorough work of the Calendar Committee and all of our parents, staff, students, and community members who participated in the calendar surveys and provided feedback on this subject.

At the March Regular School Board meeting on March 11, the Emmett School District board of trustees voted unanimously to approve a 4-day school week calendar for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.

During the meeting, Superintendent Craig Woods referenced a joint letter signed by him and the GCEA (Gem County Education Association) recommending the move to a 4-day calendar, and the board discussed the issue. The trustees acknowledged the diverse opinions regarding the topic and cited strong community and staff support communicated through survey results. The months-long work of the calendar committee throughout this process was acknowledged and appreciated, and the district communicated a commitment to adapting and supporting all stakeholders in the upcoming transition.

While the calendar was approved, the district acknowledged that adaptations may be necessary, given the unknown details of Idaho House Bill 521. ESD is committed to making any necessary changes to ensure ESD meets any day and hourly requirements of the legislation to qualify for any potential funding available.

ESD would like to thank our community for their feedback and support through this process. Though some aspects are still unknown, what will remain the same is our commitment to work hard to provide our students with the best education possible,

Stay tuned for more updates as we move forward with this change!

03/11/24 ESD Board Meeting YouTube Recording

2024-2025 ESD School Calendar

Upcoming Projects:

Shadow Butte is scheduled to get a new roof, just like Carberry! The roof project will be completed in the Summer of 2024! Funding for both Carberry and Shadow Butte's new roofs comes from the May 2023 school levy approved by Gem County voters. Thank you to our wonderful community for your support in making sure our students have adequate school roofs over their heads! Stay tuned for updates on this and other projects! 

Levy Accounting:

Our website allows public access to a monthly report of levy accounting. ESD is working to provide open transparency with the public regarding the funds allocated from the May 2023 Supplemental Levy. In each monthly budget report, a section is assigned for levy reporting. In the monthly report, you can see exactly what levy funds were received and how they were spent.

Please Note: the numbers are continuously running and not project totals. For instance, some of the funds from projects are completed, but the funds are not released until later. This detailed report can always be viewed and attached to the agenda for a regular school board meeting.

Monthly reports can also be viewed on the District's Financial Page.

We are in the season of testing to show off what our students have learned this year! Many of these tests are required by the state. If you would like a testing schedule, please contact your child's individual school. Schools often send out the testing schedules in their newsletters via email. Testing varies by grade. During this time, it is important for students to get a good night's rest and a good breakfast so they can do their best to show everything they've learned.

We have been working hard in all of our schools this year and are excited for the test results to show what we've done well and guide us to what we still need to work on. 

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten Registration is Tuesday, April 9th for Butte View, Carberry, and Shadow Butte Elementary Schools!

Valor Health, will be at Carberry during registration to provide immunizations that are required for kindergarten. We are thankful they are offering this convenient service to families who wish to use it. See the attached information for more details!

If you miss registration, please contact the individual schools, and they can assist you in getting your child registered for next year!

We can't wait to welcome next year's kindergarteners! Hooray for the Class of 2037!

Enrollment:

ESD has recently updated our open enrollment policy. ESD recognizes that some of its patrons may want to enroll their children in a different school than the school that serves the attendance area in which they reside. ESD also recognizes that some out-of-district parents/guardians may want to send their child to a District school. Patrons who wish to enroll their children in a school that is outside of their residential zone may complete an open enrollment application. If the application is approved, the approval will follow the students, and families do NOT need to re-apply to maintain their enrollment the following year. 

The policy can be viewed at the following link:

Open Enrollment Policy

Registration and open enrollment applications are available on our website under the Parents and Students tab.

Registration and Open Enrollment Applications

Spring Sports are here!!!

Emmet High School:

* Baseball

* Softball

* Track

* Tennis

* Lacrosse

* Girls Rugby

For schedules, please see https://huskieathletics.org/

Emmett Middle School:

* Track

* Tennis

* Lacrosse

For schedules, please see https://emmett-middle.bigteams.com/

Shadow Butte is scheduled to get a new roof, just like Carberry!

The roof project will be completed in the Summer of 2024! Funding for both Carberry and Shadow Butte's new roofs comes from the May 2023 school levy approved by Gem County voters. Thank you to our wonderful community for your support in making sure our students have adequate school roofs over their heads!

The District has accepted bids on the roofing project, and the Board will approve the winning company to complete the project. We can't wait for the work to get started! Please stay tuned to our Facebook page as we provide updates as the project continues! Next year, Shadow Butte students will have a new roof over their heads!

The last day for students in the 2023-2024 school year is May 24! Before then, we still have lots of learning to do! Some of that learning will include field trips for our elementary students! It's an exciting time of year!

Graduation will be held at HOME at 7:00 the night of May 24!

Classes will resume for the 2024-2025 school year on August 19. Here is a draft of next year's school calendar!

2024-2025 ESD School Calendar