Good News Bulletin

It's great to be back!

At Elizabeth High School and Elizabeth Middle School, the classrooms are filled, friendships are being made, bus routes and class schedules are being memorized, teachers are doing what they do best and the atmosphere is filled with excitement and optimism.

There's nothing quite like the first day of school!

In some classrooms, teachers were explaining what students could expect from the course. In others, students grouped together for ice breaker activities. The first day of school is always filled with a little mix of everything and our staff is greatly looking forward to all that this new school year will bring.

Meanwhile, Running Creek and Singing Hills Elementary schools are looking forward to welcoming all students back on Monday, August 19th.

Ready to roll!

This year Elizabeth School District added ten new school buses to the fleet. The buses are equipped with brand new cameras, additional stop signs for loading and unloading, a new driver alert lighting system to increase student safety and a better fuel efficiency.

The buses were badly needed for ESD. The previous fleet was aging out and had run for about two decades with some of the buses exceeding 200K miles.

The new buses also have a 77 passenger capacity versus the older buses which could fit 65 to 71 passengers. This change will be a big help when it comes to sporting events, since those trips require more room for equipment.

Because ESD school buses operate in rural areas, the buses often take a beating year after year. These new additions, which include eight regular buses and two special ed buses, are currently in operation and came just in time for the new school year.

Our bus drivers are excited to drive their routes in the new models while providing a safe and smooth ride to ESD students at the same time.

Convocation ceremony!

This week all ESD staff gathered at EHS for this year's Convocation, which was filled with school spirit competition, student performances, staff honors and more.

The following ESD employees were recognized for their years of service:

Tracy McVicker - 30 years

Shellie Scobee - 25 years

Carol Phillis - 25 years

Michael Scobee - 25 years

Laurie Burton - 20 years

Congratulations to Tracy, Shellie, Carol, Michael and Laurie. Thank you for all of your years of dedication, hard work and service to Elizabeth Schools.

Convocation is also an opportunity for staff from all of the schools to come together and share in the excitement of a new school year. Staff members watched a video presentation that showcased all of our schools and how we all work as a team to place students at the heart of everything we do. Staff also listed to presentations from Human Resources, IT, Safety and Security and learned more about LifeSpot, an app designed to contribute to the overall safety of the school district. Additionally, a fierce school spirit battle took place, with Elizabeth Middle School winning the top award. We're looking forward to welcoming all of our students back!

At the Convocation ceremony, ESD staff watched a video presentation titled "Elizabeth School District: The Journey Awaits".

The presentation showcases the student experience at ESD, going from early childhood education all the way through graduation. School staff and principals from each school were interviewed about the services offered at their school and what parents and students can expect. Superintendent Dan Snowberger and Chief Academic Officer Kim Moore also gave interviews, talking about how 'students are at the heart of everything we do' and gave examples of EHS graduates who went on to do amazing things in the world.

The video now exists on the ESD YouTube channel and also on the school district website in the 'About Us' section, for future prospective families to watch to get a better understanding of Elizabeth School District and why our area is known as 'the sweet spot'!

If you have a moment, please take a look at the video presentation to learn more about how ESD staff work as a team to give the best education possible each day.

Here is some more information about our upcoming fundraiser for the EHS Auto Building.

This is an RSVP required event, so if you plan on attending, please send an email to Derek Spohn: dspohn@esdk12.org

The fundraiser will take place on Tuesday, August 27th from 4-7 p.m. It will be right outside of the auto building in the EHS bus loop parking lot on the north side of the campus.

This will be a live auction/paddle raise event with barbecue provided by Smokey Trail. Bidders will have a chance at custom tiles and placards with the engraved names of donors. Those tiles and placards will be displayed on the building in honor of those who helped get the project finished.

We are also looking for local contractors who would be willing to do work at a reduced cost to help finish the building. That work includes HVAC, electrical, plumbing and insulation.

Additionally, if you would like to make a donation right now to the project, you can do that through MySchoolBucks. You can scan the QR code on the flyer, or visit the link below.

https://bit.ly/4cCdlqM

Thank you for your participation in this! We look forward to getting this building finished so that EHS students can start working on vehicles and learn all about auto repair.

At the Convocation ceremony, ESD staff received training on LifeSpot, an app that provides instant alerts to multiple agencies in the event of an active shooter event. During an emergency situation, ESD staff will be able to open the app, give specific details about the situation and instantly relay that information to five essential groups including LifeSpot users, police responders, police commanders, 911 dispatch and fire and EMS.

For more information about LifeSpot, visit: https://lifespotapp.com

Elizabeth School District is opening a Childcare Care Center for our community:

• Infant care: ages six weeks through 18 months

• Toddler care: ages 18 months through two and a half

• Each classroom will have a 1:5 caregiver-to-child ratio

• Capacity of 10 children in each classroom

• Center will be licensed for 20 children

Currently the center will run through the school-year calendar. With interest, we will extend through summer.

Send all questions and inquiries to: Karena Dohman, Director of Early Childhood: kdohman@esdk12.org

Aug. 19 – First day of school for elementary schools

Aug. 20 - EHS Softball Varsity vs. Strasburg, 3:30 p.m.

Aug. 20 - EHS Softball JV vs. Strasburg, 5:00 p.m.

Aug. 22 - 5th Grade Community Challenge (all day)

Late start - teacher collaboration (all day)

EHS Volleyball C Team vs. University Schools, 4:00 p.m.

EMS Football A Team vs. Ellicott, 4:00 p.m.

EHS Volleyball JV vs. University Schools, 5:00 p.m.

EHS Volleyball Varsity vs. University Schools, 6:00 p.m.

Aug. 23 - EHS Football vs. Battle Mountain - Staff Appreciation Night, 7:00 p.m.

EMS sports calendar

EHS sports calendar

**Reminder to all parents: Be sure to check the websites of your individual schools for more information about upcoming events.

Elizabeth High School: https://www.elizabethschooldistrict.org/EHS

Elizabeth Middle School: https://www.elizabethschooldistrict.org/EMS

Singing Hills Elementary School: https://www.elizabethschooldistrict.org/SHE

Running Creek Elementary School: https://www.elizabethschooldistrict.org/RCE

The Elizabeth Education Foundation partners with Elizabeth School District in numerous ways throughout the year to support students and teachers. This volunteer-led, independent fundraising foundation provides scholarships for graduating seniors, classroom grants for teachers, and the STARS Awards for outstanding citizenship among students.

Learn more about the EEF at its website.

American Furniture Warehouse maintains a year-round opportunity to help Elizabeth Schools anytime you buy home furnishings.

When you check out at any AFW location, just mention "Elizabeth Schools" or the Partner ID, EC1SD, and AFW will donate 2% of the purchase to the Elizabeth Education Foundation. Additionally, anything purchased of the Beautyrest, Serta or Simmons brands results in an additional 2%. This includes online orders, too.

See the attached flier for more details.