Important November Dates

Nov 1 EL-Site Council 5:30 pm; EL-PTO 6:15 pm
Nov 3 MELC-PTO 5:30-6:30; SMS-PTO 5:30-6:30 pm
Nov 4 SMS-Site Council 5:00-6:00 pm
Nov 5 MELC-No School- First Friday Developmental Screenings
Nov 8 Board Meeting 6:00 pm
Nov 9 NH-PTO Mtg 6:00 pm; NH-Site Council 5:45 pm; LO-PTO Mtg. 5:30 pm; EL-Book Fair Family Night 4:00-7:00 pm
Nov 10 District Wellness Night 6:30-8:00 pm @ SMS; NF-PTO/Site Council 5:30 pm
Nov 11 WI-Veterans Day Parade 10:00 am; WI-Site Council 5:30 pm; WI-PTO 6:30 pm; NH-Veterans Day Parade 9:30 am; LO-Veterans Day Parade 10:00 am
Nov 12 NH-Picture Retakes
Nov 13 Fall Into Fitness 5K @ SHS 8:00 am
Nov 15 NH-Book Fair; LO-Book Fair 15th-19th; SHS - Winter Sports Practice Begins
Nov 16 EL-Picture Retakes; LO-Title 1 Night; SHS-Kansas Scholars at White Concert Hall 7:00 pm
Nov 17 SHS-Site Council 12:00 pm; MELC-Site Council 5:30 pm
Nov 18 MELC-Pies and Family Pictures 5:30-6:30 pm; NF-Book Fair Family Night 5:30-7:30 pm; NH-Title Reading Night; LO-Picture Retakes
Nov 19 NF- Picture Retakes
Nov 22 MELC-Picture Retakes; WI- Picture Retakes
Nov 24 No School-Thanksgiving Break
Nov 25 No School-Thanksgiving Break
Nov 26 No School-Thanksgiving Break
Nov 29 EL-PTO 7:00 pm

Message from the Superintendent

This week concludes our municipal elections which included local school board elections. I would like to welcome Donna McGinty and Chris Travis to the USD 345 School Board. Our newly elected officials will begin their terms on January 10, 2022. School board terms are four years. Kyle McNorton remains in his seat from a previous board appointment.

I applaud all who are willing to provide an important civic duty by serving their community as an elected official, and specifically as a school board member. I look forward to working directly with our new candidates to help elevate the understanding surrounding school operations and the multitude of challenges and opportunities facing public education today.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Cherie Sage and Keith Griffin for their servitude on the board. Ms. Sage and Mr. Griffin certainly made a positive impact on our school community and helped us set a vision of Learning Without Limits. They have made difficult decisions while keeping students as our focus.

I hope you will all join me in welcoming Mrs. McGinty and Mr. Travis to the board while thanking Ms. Sage and Mr. Griffin for their dedication to our school community.

Dr. Noble

Dr. Steve Noble, Superintendent

Winter Weather

Winter weather is moving in so please remember the district's response to winter weather conditions that may affect school days.

Late Start: A late start schedule could enable the school district to have school after a two-hour delay. This would allow road crews and mother nature to help make it safe for students, staff, and families to travel to school. Late-start schedules will be determined by building principals.

Snow Days: A school day may be canceled due to winter weather conditions. When school days are canceled, all school activities and events are cancelled for that day. The first and second snow day will not be made up. The third and fourth snow days will be made up on April 18 (3rd snow day) and April 15 (4th snow day).

Inclement Weather School Closures

How will you know when school is canceled or a late start will be implemented due to inclement weather?

Media channels are contacted to relay information to the public
Websites are updated with a pop-up notification
SchoolMessenger (mass messaging service) messages are sent to families & staff. These messages will be sent in all formats to ensure all parties receive the message (email, text, and voice).
Social media pages will be updated to reflect our status

Please be sure your contact information is updated. You can make changes by contacting your school office.

Building Teachers of the Year

Congratulations to our USD 345 Teacher of the Year (TOY) winners! Each building selected their nominee for this year's Teacher of the Year program. The district TOY committee selected one prek-elementary teacher and one teacher from SMS/SHS.

MELC—Josie Dease
Elmont—Tim Nussbaum
Logan—Beth Smith
North Fairview—Kendra Cochran
Northern Hills—Kim Sipp
West Indianola—Chelsea Pelfrey
Seaman Middle School—Rob Jackson
Seaman High School—Rick Rineberg

District Teachers of the Year

Congratulations to our nominees for 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year! The Kansas Teacher of the Year program, sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education, identifies, recognizes and utilizes representatives of excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state. Each school district may nominate one elementary classroom teacher and one secondary classroom teacher for Kansas Teacher of the Year.

Meet our selections below!

Kendra Cochran - North Fairview

Mrs. Cochran is an outstanding educator and highly respected by staff, students, families, and community. Kendra is reliable, hardworking, dedicated, and professional. It is clear that she loves and is dedicated to her students, school, and her profession.

Rob Jackson - Seaman Middle School

The energy Rob brings to the classroom is contagious. He easily engages students with his positive energy and the excitement he has for learning and science. Rob’s voice can be heard in numerous circles as an advocate for both students and teachers; he is respected and listened to by he is peers and administration. He is highly engaged in promoting a positive culture at SMS outside of the classroom.

Cochran and Jackson will represent USD 345 in the 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year program.

District Namesake Advisory Committee Final Report

Remarks from the District Namesake Committee...
The Namesake Advisory Committee was appointed to collect community perspective on the Seaman name and how the board should handle the knowledge of Fred A. Seaman’s involvement in the KKK. Together, the Advisory Committee consists of 9 district patrons, alumni, and a current student. Each member is proud of their connection to USD 345 and hopeful for the district’s future.

We have never approached our work as a decision-making process, but rather have worked to provide the Board with the best information to make a well-informed decision. We worked with the Kansas Leadership Center through several workshops and leadership training to create a process to guide this data collection. We sought out to gather community input through a survey, in-person and ultimately online interviews, and researched historical information in relation to Fred A. Seaman, USD 345, and the KKK.

The report that we have compiled summarizes our work in each of these areas. We make no attempt to recommend a final decision or outcome based on our findings, but rather we seek to inform the board and the community as a whole on what steps we believe need to be taken regardless of the board’s decision on this matter. We believe above all else our community needs to be celebrated and unified as we move forward.

This report, historical data, and petitions from the community will all be made available on the district website immediately. We are proud of our work and encourage the community to truly read the report and other documents with an open-mind and open hearts.

We thank the Board and District Administration for this opportunity to serve our community.

Click here to view the final report and supporting documents.

Fall Into Fitness 5K

Meet us out at the Seaman High School Track on Saturday, November 13 at 8:30 am for a community 5K run/walk. T-shirts will be passed out to those who pre-registered online but the run is open to everyone of all ages.

We have a new course this year that incorporates our expanded trail. We're excited to see everyone out at this outdoor event!

5K Trail

Wellness Nights

Don't miss the next District Wellness Night on November 10 from 6:30-8:00 pm. Wellness nights are a great opportunity to get the family out and get active with fun and games.

Winter Break Schedule

Winter Break

Dec 22-Jan 4: No School - Winter Break
Jan 4: No School - PD Day
Jan 5: No School - PD Day
Jan 6: School Resumes

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.

School Board Meetings

Regular board meetings are scheduled on the second Monday of each month at 6:00 pm, with the exception of March, which will be held on the third Monday. Regular meetings may be adjourned to another time and place when necessary. Special meetings may also be scheduled on an as-needed basis.

Regular meetings typically take place at the Seaman Education Center. When meeting locations change, notice is sent out to the public and made available online. Board agendas go live on the Friday afternoon prior to the regular board meeting.

All regular meetings are streamed live and available on the district's YouTube channel. A recap of the meeting is also made available through the Board Digest.

Both in-person and digital public comment are accepted at regular board meetings. The public comment agenda item may be found in the meeting agenda.

Remaining regular meetings for the 2021-22 school year:

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

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!