Good Evening!
We are 22 days from our teachers returning to the buildings and only 28 days until our students return to the classrooms! This summer is moving right along and it is time to start thinking about the 2022-23 school year!
Notes from the Board Meeting
Our board of education meets each month on the 3rd Monday of the Month and the public is welcome to attend these meetings. We have tackled several issues in the past few months and I appreciate the work they do to prepare for each meeting and to attend so many meetings in addition to our monthly meeting. In the summer months the board has looked at a new English Language Arts curriculum K-12 and has worked to update Random Drug Testing procedures for our activities. In addition they are working to keep our building project under budget and putting together a beautiful building project.
District Construction Update
Unfortunately the last time you have been updated on the Bond Project is just shortly after the bond passed. Well a lot has happened and it has been a great process. In the next few days we will be updating our "All In For Cozad" facebook page with some design updates. You may not see dirt work or walls going up but I assure you we are making progress. The design is currently at about 75% completion and we hope to break ground in late October. Currently we are planning to begin on the west side of each building to avoid disrupting classes as much as possible. But this is up to our partners at Paulsen Inc to develop a timeline.
In addition to our Construction Manager, Paulsen Inc, our partners in this project include Wilkins ADP for the architectural services, ETI for mechanical and electrical engineering, Olsson and Associates for Civil Engineering, the City of Cozad and the State Fire Marshall. All of these partners and many more will be a part of bring lots of great new and redesigned program space for our students.
Please know that you will begin getting more construction updates and we hope you get your information from us to assure you get the most accurate data. Below I have added some snapshots of designs for the building and I hope you are as excited as we are to see the finished product.
High School HVAC Update
The high school has been undergoing a $1.3 million HVAC update this summer and the building looks a bit like a war zone. But the end result will be amazing and we will see much better air quality and lighting in that building. The duct work, lights and new ceiling will be completed prior to the school year beginning with rooftop units being added later in the fall as they become available.
Activities Random Drug Testing Changes
At Monday's board meeting the Random Drug Testing Program for our students was updated to help our students make better choices as they are in high school and participating in activities. The major changes included adding some activities that have competition to the list of those required to participate. Students in the following activities will be part of the testing program, new programs are identified with an asterisk:
The panel will include a screen for the following substances, new substances are identified with an asterisk:
Elementary Open House
Cozad Elementary School will be hosting an Open House for all students and their parents on August 11th from 6:00-7:30pm. We encourage all of our elementary students and parents to attend to meet your teacher and get your bearings!
Curriculum Changes
Over the summer our English Language Arts committee has been writing new curriculum. Our elementary school will begin a curriculum cycle with CKLA and our secondary students will have Springboard. These are rigorous reading, literature, and writing programs and I know your child's teacher will be sharing the new information with all of you!
School Lunch Program
Over the past few years the school lunch program was subsidized in full by the USDA, part of the federal government. This allowed all of our students to eat free, however the Congress has not passed legislation to continue the program so beginning the first day of school all school lunches will require payment. The school district is in the process of sending out the Free and Reduced Lunch applications if you believe your child would qualify. I encourage your to fill it out and return it ASAP as it is part of our school funding formula, can help your child with college scholarship eligibility, and allow them to qualify for other programs. Please help us by filling out the form and returning it to the office.
Contact Information Changes
If over the past year you have changed an email address, moved, changed phone numbers or any other contact information has changed please contact your school office to get those updates. We will be sending out several pieces of information and do not want to miss anyone.
Design Renderings
To help you get an idea of how the process works here are a few pictures to ease your curiosity! Please remember we are not done with the process and these are tentative.
As always please contact me with any questions you may have about Cozad Community Schools
Angela Simpson
Superintendent
angela.simpson@cozadschools.net 308-784-2745