Back to School Edition
Monthly EduBlog
Dear Families,
The LPOSD staff hopes you're enjoying a splendid summer break, filled with memorable adventures and quality time with family🎉. As parents begin preparing for the upcoming school year, we want to ensure every family has access to school and community resources that will guarantee a successful start to the year. We hope to provide helpful information in this "Back to School" edition of The Loop.
Our LPOSD staff is excited to host our annual Open House events at all schools later this month. We would love for you to join us and actively participate. Meet your child's teachers, find out more about the curriculum, see their learning spaces, and, of course, say hello to new and old friends.
As I begin my 3rd year as your Superintendent and 31st in education, the excitement of a new school year is a moment I eagerly anticipate every year. Students love starting school and getting back into a routine, despite their verbal protests to the contrary! Once the first day jitters calm down, they are reconnecting with old friends, meeting new ones, exploring different classrooms/teachers, and jumping into brand-new learning content. We are excited to welcome your children back in just a few short weeks. Let's inspire our students to dream big, strive for excellence and embrace the joy of learning, bwm
Dr. Becky W Meyer, Superintendent
Long Range Planning Committee Recommendations
The hard work of the district’s Long Range Facility Planning Committee (LRFPC) culminated in a final presentation to the School Board in June. The committee was made up of nearly 40 volunteers who looked closely at building conditions, financial costs, enrollment projections, educational suitability and other issues. After months of work, the committee developed four in-depth options for the board’s consideration. To view the committee’s full presentation, use this link: presentation. The Board will use recommendations to shape future decisions.
“The committee was a group from just about every walk of life. Overall, I thought it was a very positive experience to provide options to fix our schools and convey what’s important to the people in this community,” -- LRFPC Chairman David R. DeMers
Kindergarten students' first full day this year will be Thursday, September 5, 2024. To help our youngest learners transition, we are introducing a "soft start" for our kindergarten students. This means that during the first two days we will gently ease students into their new routines. School offices will reach out to set individual time slots for your child to come into their new classroom for initial screening assessments. Our goal is to a make the first week of kindergarten smooth and comfortable for every child. We are excited to start this journey with you and your little one!🫶🏼
Dedicated Staff Prepares for First Day of School
When students head home for the summer and school doors close, LPOSD’s facility crew jumps into action. Director Matt Diel and his dedicated staff have been hard at work this summer refurbishing floors, painting buildings, installing new equipment and much more.
A couple examples of those impactful upgrades include some of the following projects:
Sandpoint’s track and field complex transformed from “unusable and unsafe” to a place where athletes will want to come and compete — resurfacing the track, and upgrades to the shot put, pole vault and long jump areas.
Kootenai students will soon enjoy outdoor classrooms, bird blinds and exploratory areas with native plant identification signs. Read more about this collaboration between Kaniksu Land Trust and LPOSD at: rewild.
At Clark Fork, new roofs were installed on the gymnasium and shop buildings.
Sandpoint High School's 10,000 square foot gym floor received a much-needed six-week refurbishment project — detailed sanding and four coats of finish.
Farmin Stidwell’s 6,300 square foot gym floor was also refurbished.
And nearly 390 gallons of paint now brighten the exterior of Farmin Stidwell Elementary School.
To see a detailed breakdown of the 2024 summer projects, visit this link: summer 2024.
LPOSD welcomed a new member to its staff this month. Darren Svan was recently hired as the district’s community relations liaison. He joins the team after spending the last two years writing for the Boise nonprofit Idaho Education News. He has newsroom experience in both Colorado and Wyoming, and is a former secondary English teacher. He relocated to Idaho after more than 20 years working overseas for the Air Force at military installations in Japan and Germany. He’s an avid cyclist and outdoor enthusiast who enjoys exploring Idaho’s backcountry. His daughter, Madalin, is studying nursing at the University of Wyoming and plans to serve in the U.S. Army after graduation. His son, Maximilian, is in middle school and enjoys astronomy, reading and tennis.
