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October 2021

View current and past e-Communicators by visiting www.seamanschools.org/eCommunicator.

Important October Dates

Oct. 4 EL - PTO 7:00 pm
Oct. 5 LO - Picture Day
Oct. 6 SHS WU Marching Band Festival; NF - Picture Day; MELC PTO 5:30 pm
Oct. 7 SMS Site Council 5:00 pm
Oct. 8 EL - Picture Day; NH - Picture Day
Oct. 11 No School - PD/Work Day; Board Meeting 6:00 pm
Oct. 12 MELC - Picture Day; NH - PTO Mtg 5:30 pm; LO - PTO Meeting 5:30 pm
Oct. 13 SHS Fall Band Concert 7:00 pm
Oct. 15 End of First Quarter
Oct. 18 WI - Picture Day
Oct. 20 SHS/SMS - Fall Choir Concerts 7:00 pm; SHS - Site Council 12:00 pm
Oct. 21 No School - Parent-Teacher Conference
Oct. 22 No School - Parent-Teacher Conference
Oct. 28 SMS - Fall Band Concert 7:00 pm

Superintendent Update

All students and staff deserve a safe and secure learning and working environment in our district and I'm proud of the proactive steps we have taken to ensure a positive learning environment where everyone feels respected and valued. This includes additional measures and procedures put in place by our District Mental Health Team to prevent, report, and address bullying.

The first full week of October recognizes "Anti-Bullying Awareness Week" and our students and staff will be taking part in activities that help reinforce the messages about how our schools approach bullying. This includes knowing what steps to take if someone is being bullied and ensuring everyone knows what to do if they are being bullied. The week will consist of spirit days and challenges for students to complete in order to raise awareness on bullying prevention. Our Theme this year is “One Kind Word.”

If you have a chance, please take a moment to thank our counselors for coordinating this week's events and providing our students with additional activities that focus on working together to prevent bullying. Together, we can all make a difference by saying, “one kind word,” to everyone we see.

Dr. Noble

Dr. Steve Noble Superintendent

Peachjar Digital Flyers

Seaman School District is now live with the new electronic flyer communication tool called “Peachjar.” To view school-approved eflyers, simply click the Peachjar button on your school’s website homepage. Parents/Guardians will also be emailed new flyers on most Fridays.

This “green” initiative will save our schools paper and reduce copy costs. On top of that, posting school flyers in this electronic format reduces clutter and will help parents keep track of school events.

This system is used exclusively for distribution of school-approved flyers. Your email address will not be shared or used for any other purpose. Thank you for supporting our efforts to ensure parents are well informed about school programs, activities, and events.

District Namesake Advisory Committee Update

Corey Dehn from the District Namesake Committee updated the board on the committee's work and the timeline for the final report at the September board meeting. The committee has been actively engaging the community in the process of gathering feedback around the district namesake question for the last several months. The committee is planning to present the final report at the October 11 board meeting. Below you will find items from the September District Namesake Committee update.

Committee Purpose
• The Namesake Advisory Committee was formed to gather information in as fair and factual a way as possible and to present a report to the school board that reflects the experiences and perspectives in the community.
• Our job, as volunteers on the committee, is not to provide a recommendation to the school board. Our role is to provide the board with information to make the best decision possible to help our community move forward from this challenge.

Survey and Red Couch
• The committee received a large sum of survey responses and red couch stories from in-person events as well as online story submissions. Those forms are now closed and being processed into our final report.

Timeline
• The Namesake Advisory Committee will present the report to the board of education in October.
• The committee encourages the school board to begin to imagine how to help themselves and the community make sense of the information when they receive the report. The school board will have their own process to work through before a vote.

District Namesake Advisory Committee
Amy Calhoun, Class of 2004
Eric Curls, Class of 1985
Corey Dehn, Class of 1995
Yvonne Etzel, Class of 2001
Paula Frey, Class of 1988
Stephanie Konrade, Class of 1983
Curt Lewis, Class of 1975
Olivia Oliva, Class of 2022
Michelle Stubblefield, Class of 1984

KSDE Offers New Way for Kansans To Stay Connected With Latest Education News

Parents, educators and community members can stay connected to the latest pre-K-12 education news through “Insight Podcast,” hosted by Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson.

This new podcast enables Kansans to access education news when it’s convenient for them – whether commuting to and from work, relaxing at home or exercising. It’s an easy way for parents to stay on top of the latest education news in Kansas.

These 20- to 30-minute monthly podcasts offer highlights from Kansas State Board of Education meetings and focus on a monthly topic of interest.

September’s podcast, “Welcome Back to School,” features Cheryl Johnson, director of Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) Child Nutrition and Wellness, discussing the free school breakfast and lunch program being offered this school year. Keith Dreiling, KSDE’s director of School Bus Safety, shares about the “Stop on Red, Kids Ahead” school bus safety campaign, and a group of educators answer the question, “What did you learn from educating during the pandemic, and how will that help you this year in the classroom?”

The is the second edition of “Insight Podcast.” The first podcast focused on the Kansans Can Success Tour, the vision for education in Kansas (Kansas leads the world in the success of each student) and State Board of Education highlights.

Everyone is encouraged to tune in to these new podcasts to hear directly from Commissioner Watson.

Access “Insight Podcast” by visiting https://anchor.fm/ksdeinsight.

Fall Into Fitness 5K

After missing last year's Fall Into Fitness 5K, we're looking forward to our Seaman family coming together again at the annual Fall into Fitness 5K! This year's event will be more of a fun run with no medals or placings. Everyone is invited to come out and join us on November 13 for a community run/walk! This year, we will be including our newly expanded fitness trail at the high school. A new course map will be posted and emailed out to registered participants prior to the 5K. Register by October 18 to receive a shirt!

Wellness Nights

The district held its first wellness night for the 2021-22 school year.

Information on Lockdowns

When the district becomes aware of an incident or situation that has the potential to compromise the safety of our schools, we will initiate a lockdown. During these incidents, our first priority is to secure our students and keep them safe. For safety reasons, parents are not allowed to pick their children up during a lockdown and students are not permitted to leave the building.

Our second priority is communicating with our families. We will use our messaging service, SchoolMessenger, during emergency situations. This service will notify affected families using text and email. It is important to be sure your contact information is current and updated so you can receive these updates, as our school personnel will not always be available to answer phone calls during these instances. If a lockdown occurs at the end of the day, students will still be kept inside and bus service may be temporarily interrupted.

In some cases, schools will initiate a brief “soft” lockdown when it is necessary for students to remain in classrooms while an incident is managed (ie medical emergency). During “soft” lockdowns, normal school activities continue, with the exception of hallway traffic and outdoor recess. These incidents will not be mass communicated to protect the privacy of students involved. If the incident affects your child, you will be contacted.

The safety of our students is our number one priority and we will keep parents notified of procedures, pick-up instructions (if necessary) and other information pertaining to all emergencies.

Crime Stoppers

Shawnee County Crime Stoppers encourages members of the community to assist local law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime by overcoming fear and apathy. We assist local law enforcement agencies by gathering information through the use of online and mobile tools. We want to encourage community members to volunteer vital information that could lead to our battle against crime.

Call the Anonymous Tip Line at (785) 234-0007 or submit information through our Mobile Application by clicking the box below. Tips that lead to a felony arrest are eligible for a cash reward.

Crime Stoppers is an excellent way to provide information and you can stay anonymous.

Weekly COVID Report/Impact

We will be updating our COVID impact dashboard every Monday, which can be found on every school building website. This is where you can go for updated information on the impact COVID is having in our district.
Click here to view the report.

Free Breakfast and Lunch

Students are encouraged to take advantage of FREE breakfast and lunch this school year. School meals include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, milk, and other nutrient dense foods to help keep students ready to learn. Students do not need to be qualified for free or reduced price meals to receive meals at this time at no charge. Free meals are available to every student.

Lunch Menu

Click here to view the K-6 on-site lunch menu.

Due to nationwide production issues, our district is experiencing shortages and substitutions with out meal planning. This means we may need to make last-minute changes to the published menu.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Board Digest

Following each board of education meeting, the Director of Communications recaps the board meeting in the Board Digest. Click here to review the latest board meeting.

The Seaman USD #345 Board of Education will meet on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 PM with the exception of March, which will be held on the third Monday, and any regular scheduled meeting may be adjourned to another time and place when necessary.

Regular meetings remaining for the 2020-21 school year:

October 11, 2021
November 8, 2021
December 13, 2021
January 10, 2022
February 14, 2022
March 21, 2022
April 11, 2022
May 9, 2022
June 13, 2022

Parents and other community members frequently request help in knowing the best way to communicate with the school. The communication guideline chart below will serve as a helpful resource. By contacting the following people in the prescribed order, questions will be answered more efficiently and effectively.
Click here to view the Concern Chain of Command.

We’re hiring!

We are always looking for qualified substitutes, bus drivers, food service workers, and various support positions. Take a look at our current job openings, and help spread the word!

October 2021