Red Devil Ready: Weekly Message

Week #4: Pastimes and Memories

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Decatur County Community High School

605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749

September 10, 2023 (Schedule at the bottom, Skip What You Want)

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Decatur Community,

The lights were back on this past Friday, and the community showed up. It's a tradition that is as America as America can get, a sports' pastime that only exists here in the good old U.S. It is a reminder that always brings out the most "Proud to be an American" memories, and a time to remember the past. There will probably never be a year that this week in history will not jog memories of that day, a day now 22 years in the past.

Where were you 22 years ago tomorrow when this happened? If you're older than 27, I am sure you remember. For me, I was in my first year as a teacher in Louisburg, KS, a new home after teaching in Wichita for several years prior.

I am a Broncos fan, and I remember that on the Monday night before the attack, the Broncos were hosting the New York Giants. I remember that game as much as I remember any other game, primarily because of what happened the next day. I remember that Ed McCaffery broke his leg that night, the Broncos won the game, and the New York Giants were stranded in Denver the next day because their flight was unable to take off because the skies were closed.

I remember that on the 11th, I was teaching a 6th grade English class at the time I was told, struggling to grasp what it all meant.

I remember the fear of the nation, the gouging gas prices, and the intense wondering of what was going to happen next? What did it all mean?

What I remember most is the rallying of our nation. Though it was a tragedy, the nation came together, supported one another, and remembered why we are who we are, why we are so fortunate, and why we are so proud of our country.

SHOUTOUTS

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Shoutout to Mrs. Gina Witt and her Applied Math students. This past week students have been creating and perfecting resumes. There were several students that came in for formal mock interviews with me, each with the task of interviewing for a position as either a teacher's aide, culinary staff, or a maintenance worker. I have enjoyed the process and loved talking with the students and giving them both appropriate praise and supportive tips. This is a great experience for all students, and I look forward to more interviews this year.

Shoutout to each student that is taking a college credit course. Through the school we offer a variety of credits through Colby Community College that are taught by a few of our teachers. Ms. Carter is able to offer both Comp. and Comp. II credit through her senior English classes for those that sign up, and Mr. Bricker is able to offer a few different Chemistry classes and Physics as well through the junior and senior years. There are also several students that have chosen to make the Public Speaking online course through Colby their first college course. I look forward to adding more potential college course offerings in the future.

Shoutout to the student section last Friday night. Several students were decked out in neon for the night's theme. Junior student Jessiah McDougal was particularly impressive, leading a positive charge of support and encouraging our younger students that joined in with the student section.

Shoutout to Ms. Teresa Saul. I was in Mrs. Saul's Computer Application's class last week, and she was having them do a project that really made them think outside the box. There were no computers used, but the task came right back to problem solving and teamwork, all skills that are necessary in any field. It was a great strategy that will pay off big down the road.

Shoutout to Ms. Kathy Almquist and her Spanish students. I am very happy that we are able to offer Spanish this year, and I was impressed by our Spanish I students this past week when I saw them playing Bingo in Spanish. It's early in the year, but the students really seemed to have their numbers down as they were playing. Our Spanish speaking population is growing, and Spanish will continue to be more and more important in our students' futures.

Shoutout to history teacher Jenee Davis. One thing that I love about Ms. Davis is the fact that she does so many things with her class, many of her lessons from last year sticking out in my mind. This year, she is seamlessly integrating the new touchscreen TV in her classroom, and I was intrigued by seeing her down on her knees in the hallway. She was getting ready for another lesson where she was teaching longitude and latitude to her Geography students. She had taped all types of various locations on the floor, and later in the day you saw her whole class out there with an assignment. You never know what to expect, but you always know it's going to be interesting.

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KESA (Kansas Education Systems of Accreditation)

Every school in Kansas must go through a process of evaluation to become accredited. This process has changed many times over the decades, and it will change once again this year. KESA is the current process, a 5 year cycle that frequently adjusts its requirements and expectations. As an example, here is the state's current answer to the question, "What is KESA?"

"The KESA model is designed around system/district-level accreditation occurring at the end of a five-year cycle of improvement using an education framework called “The Five Rs” – Relationships, Relevance, Responsive Culture, Rigor and Results."

Those "Five Rs?" They are gone.

KESA is big and it is very hard to condense into a small section in a Weekly Message. I will address KESA bit by bit throughout the year as the State updates us on what to expect. For now, I am just going to leave with a brief list of steps in the process through the 5 years that got us where we are today. We will start talking about the guts of the whole process as the year goes on.

Step 1: School Buildings at the beginning of the cycle determine current strengths, weaknesses, and challenges, and complete a Needs Assessment.

Step 2: District Leadership Team reviews the Needs Assessment and sets goals for improvement.

Step 3: Site Councils are included in the process as outside stakeholders,. They are informed of the current state of the district and the goals put in place by the leadership team and are included in the process of improvement.

Step 4: An OVT Outside Visitation Team is created to help serve as guides through the process. After the final OVT visit in year 5, the OVT will submit a report to the state.

Step 5: Accreditation Review Council: This 15 member council makes the recommendation of accreditation to the state. This is really the final step. The members review the final reports from the district and the OVT. They then make their recommendation to the State Board of Education.

Step 6: The Kansas State Board of Education reviews the recommendation of the ARC and makes the final decision.

That's it for KESA this week. I will give you updates as we move forward.

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Attendance Policy (Repeat Info.)

1. Research shows that the single greatest factor contributing to student achievement is attendance at school. Although we realize there will be occasions when students legitimately need to be gone from school, it is the combined responsibility of the school officials and parents to see that these absences are kept to a minimum.

2. Approval for an absence by a parent does not necessarily mean that the absence will be excused. School administrators will make the final determination as to whether or not an absence will be considered excused.

3. A student is considered absent when he/she is not in regular school classes or in a school-sponsored activity. Upon an absence, a student must have a written or verbal excuse from a parent or guardian. If the parent fails to call the school, the school will make an attempt to reach the parent via an automated Skyward attendance message.

4. Each semester a student has 6 absences that can be excused by a parent. All other absences must be excused by a doctor. Absences that are accompanied with a doctor's note do not count toward the 6 absences that student can have excused by a parent. Parents should call the school on the morning that they know their student is not going to be in attendance, regardless of why their student is not going to be there. Only a doctor’s note or special administrative approval can excuse a student beyond 6 absences per semester.

5. Once a student has 6 full excused absences per semester, any additional absences that are not accompanied with a doctor's note will be considered unexcused and be treated according to school and state truancy policies. Administration has the discretion/flexibility to excuse an absence if deemed necessary due to extenuating circumstances. Examples could be accidents, extended illnesses, or surgeries that require the student to miss more than the days allowed.

TRUANCY POLICY

Students accumulating three consecutive unexcused absences, five unexcused absences in a semester, or seven unexcused absences in a year will be identified as truant. In accordance with the Kansas Compulsory Attendance Law (K.S.A. 72-1113), students under the age of 18 will be referred to the county attorney. Students 18 years of age or older can be dismissed from DCHS. Re-admission will be determined by a hearing with the student and parents/guardians.

Red Devil Ready

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Well, that's going to do it. Now it's on to another pastime, the first week of the NFL season. I am sorry to my dad and all of his fellow Chiefs' fans. It's okay though, you still have Patrick Mahomes, and all will be fine. As I finish writing here, it is almost time for me and my fellow Broncos' fans (Trevor Williams, Josh Williby, Roger May, Josiah Pattangall, etc.) to kick off our NFL season. At least for the next three and a half hours, we will be ahead of the Chiefs.

Man I miss John Elway and Peyton Manning.

Until next week,

Jeremy Holloway

Go Big Red!