WASHAKIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT #2 October 2020

Jimmy Phelps

Superintendent

Levi Collins

Principal

Principal’s Corner

We will soon be starting the sec-ond quarter of our school year and before we know it, it will be time to celebrate Thanksgiving. I am quite proud of all the accomplishments of students this school year and I feel we have many things to celebrate and positive experiences happening here at Ten Sleep Schools. Even with the precautions we are taking for the pandemic we are still having a strong start to the school year. We are all happy and excited to have the opportunity to be in school. We would like to re-emphasize a policy in the handbook that may be less-known or something that we would like community members to help improve at our school for the benefit of our students to achieve greater academic success. The policy we would like to highlight this month is a section of the attendance Policy 5.21 which states the following: ...Any student not in his/her as-signed classroom by the time the second bell rings will be considered tardy for that class period. Stu-dents will not be considered tardy if they have a signed written pass from a staff member. Any tardy over ten (10) minutes in length without a written excuse from a teacher or administrator will result in an unexcused absence. Parent/guardian may excuse a stu-dent from a tardy that is over ten minutes in length only from first pe-riod and must do so by the start of the next school day. This will result in an excused absence for that peri-

od. On the third tardy (and mul-tiples thereof) per class, per se-mester, the student shall be charged an unexcused absence… ...A student is allowed 3 tardies per class per semester. On the 3rd tardy, a student will be placed on the next appropriate step of the discipline plan ac-cording to Policy 5.27 “Discipline of Students” and notification of parent/guardian, in addition to an unexcused absence. For every every three additional tardies that a student may accumulate, he/she will be placed on the next appropriate step on the disci-pline plan, up to a maximum of twelve (12) tardies. At 12, the case will be reviewed in a manda-tory meeting between parent and principal and then referred to the district’s Building Interven-tion Team. The reason we would like to highlight this section of the at-tendance policy is because this policy was modified a little over a year ago at a board meeting. We want to make sure all par-ents and students are aware of this change. We would like our students and parents to reflect on the importance of punctual attendance in the learning pro-cess. Some teachers are finding it difficult to start class on time due to tardiness and this direct-ly takes time out of the learning process in student education.

We will be discussing and en-forcing this policy with our stu-dents but we would request re-flection, consideration and dis-cussion among our families who attend our school. Thank you for your help and support in prioritizing punctuality. Our sports season is going well as we have had numerous volleyball and football games. Our students are representing us well even though we have had to cancel a couple of games for various reasons. We are excited for the positive expe-riences our kids are getting playing athletics. It feels good to have a home football game after a couple years without one. Go Pioneers! We have been hearing several positive stories about the Chromebooks and almost having a 1:1 ratio of computers to stu-dents. This opportunity has been huge for us and we hope everyone is having a positive experience with the devices. Let us know how things are go-ing for you! Thanks for your support in making our school and communi-ty a great place to be. With Pioneer Pride, Levi Collins

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Note to Parents Reinforce the concept of time with your child Time management is essential for school success. However, there’s a lot for young students to learn when it comes to the concept of time: How long is a second, minute, hour and day? What about a week, month and year? How do past, present and future relate?

The more your child under-stands time and how it’s meas-ured, the more responsible she can be. She can “be ready in 10 minutes” or estimate how long it will take to do her homework.

While a real mastery of time doesn’t come until later in the elementary years, this four-step process can help your child have a better sense of time:

1. Ask your child to select a task. She could jump up and down 50 times, draw a pic-ture or complete two math problems.

2. Have her estimate how many minutes it will take her to complete the task.

3. Help her use a timer to track the time it takes to complete the task.

4. Have your child check how close her estimate was to the actual time it took.

Reprinted with permission from the October 2020 issue of Par-ents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2020 The Parent Institute®, a divi-sion of PaperClip Media, Inc.

Clear expectations are key for middle school students When your child was a tod-dler, you used clear and con-crete language to convey your expectations. Now that your child is older, clear expecta-tions are still the way to go.

When talking with your mid-dle schooler:

Speak in terms of what you want and the expecta-tions you have. Telling him what he must do may not work because you can-not control his behavior. You can only control yours. “I expect you to complete your homework before you leave the house,” is more effective than, “Do your homework now.”

Encourage your child to be clear about his own expec-tations. If he says he ex-pects an A on his next test, have him tell you the steps he will take to achieve it.

Discuss teachers’ expecta-tions. “When Mrs. Jones tells you on Monday that you have a test on Friday, she expects you to start re-viewing the material right away so that you will be prepared on Friday.”

Reprinted with permission from the October 2020 issue of Parents Still make the dif-ference!® (Middle School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2020 The Parent Institute®, a division of PaperClip Media, Inc.

Are you stressing the val-ue of your teen’s effort? Every student is capable of her own “personal best.” Answer yes or no to the questions below to find out if you are encouraging your teen’s best effort:

1. Do you point out her work ethic? “I’m impressed that you decided to spend the weekend working on your research paper!”

2. Do you encourage your teen to take pride in her own work ethic? “It must make you feel great to know that you did your personal best on your project.”

3. Do you celebrate the pro-gress your teen makes as the result of her effort?“That ex-tra 30 minutes of studying each night has really paid off.”

4. Do you avoid focusing too much on the results, as long as your teen is doing her best?

5. Do you model consistent and diligent effort? “I am work-ing on my report for work each day this week so I can get it completed by Friday.”

How well are you doing? If most of your answers are yes, you are encouraging your teen to strive for her best. For no an-swers, try those ideas. Reprinted with permission from the October 2020 issue of Par-ents Still make the difference!® (High School Edition) newslet-ter. Copyright © 2020 The Par-ent Institute®, a division of Pa-perClip Media, Inc

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Harvest Dinner

Thank you for all the support that this com-munity shows. Unfor-tunately, this year we are going to have to cancel the annual Har-vest Dinner. This deci-sion was not made lightly, and we are in hopes that next year we can start fresh and it be bigger and better than ever! If you have any questions or con-cerns please contact me anytime you need.

Machelle

307-272-5580

should contact the responsi-ble Mission Area, agency, staff office, or USDA’s TAR-GET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or con-tact USDA through the Fed-eral Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimina-tion complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Dis-crimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online, at www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/usda-program-discrimination-complaint-form.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number and a writ-ten description of the alleged discriminatory action in suf-ficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the na-ture and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by mail: U.S. Depart-ment of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Inde-pendence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; email: pro-gram.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lend-er.

Hot Lunch

WASHAKIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT #2 – Due to the Covid-19 pan-demic, Washakie County School District #2 will be offering free breakfast and lunch to all children 0-18 through December, 2020. For Children not enrolled in school or students who are virtually attending school, parents and/or guardians can pick up meals in the front vestibule between 7:30 to 8:30 am each day. One breakfast and one lunch will be provided. Enrolled students will follow the meal schedule set by administration. The U.S. Department of Ag-riculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its pro-grams and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orienta-tion, disability, age, marital status, familial/ parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all pro-hibited bases apply to all programs.)

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of com-munication for program in-formation (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign Language)

CSO will meet Octo-ber 6th at 6:30 pm, in the teachers lounge up-stairs, please use the west single door to en-ter.

CSO

Keller’s Podcast October 6th Keller Dehmel will be host-ing the “Kids Ask WhY” podcast. This is produced by Wyo-ming Public Media and Buffalo Bill Cen-ter of the West and features young jour-nalists from Wyo-ming who explore topics about Wy-oming’s history, wild-life and culture. Tune in!!

Way to go Keller!

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Washakie County School District #2 School Board Minutes Aug. 10, 2020 The regular meeting of the Washakie County SD #2 Board of Trustees was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairperson Jared Lyman. Present were board members Jared Lyman, Terril Mills, Chuck Powell, and Mona Sindelar. Absent was Megan Truman. Also present were Superintendent Jimmy Phelps, Principal Levi Collins, Business Manager Connie Gay and Business Office Assistant Janet Collen.

Pledge of Allegiance was led by Chairperson Jared Lyman. Adopt Agenda: Terril Mills moved to adopt the amended agenda with the addition: Item 3 Let-

ter B – Update on Reopening Plan by Mr. Phelps and Letter C – Update on Athletics by Ms. Novak. Seconded by Chuck Powell. Motion carried 4-0.

Guests and Patron Comments: Public comment was taken. Reports and Recognitions:

Annual Audit Report: Mr. Seckman reviewed the annual audit with the board and answered any questions. Reopening Plan Update: Mr. Phelps updated the board. Athletics Update: Ms. Novak updated the board.

Business (Consent Agenda Items): Superintendent: Mr. Phelps superintendent report was included in the packet.

Minutes of the July 13 and 24, 2020 meeting were approved. Board members received copies of the statements and bills for review. Chuck Powell made a motion to approve the consent agenda. Seconded by Terril Mills. Motion carried 4-0. Jared Lyman abstained from check # 10057. Au-thorization to pay the following vouchers: General Fund warrants #23929-23970 in the amount of $95,627.71; Major Maintenance Fund warrant #13020-13022 in the amount of $7,210.40; Depre-ciation Fund warrant #10055-10060 in the amount of $103,607.72; Food Service warrants #16049-16051 in the amount of $1,271.14; Teacherage Fund warrant #15047-15050 in the amount of $1,369.54; Activity Fund warrant #2909-2911 in the amount of $1,635.90. Approved Prepaid Bills: General warrants # 23913 in the amount of $35.00.

Designate Jimmy Phelps as Federal Program Director for the 2020-2021 school year for the fol-lowing programs; Consolidated Grant, IDEA VIB and VIB Five year Old (special education), Title I-A, Title II-A (Professional Development), and Title IV.

Approved Out of District Students. Business (Discussion/Action Agenda Items):

Approve Annual Audit: Chuck Powell moved to accept the annual financial audit as presented by Mr. James Seckman. Seconded by Terril Mills. Motion carried 4-0. Approve Bus Routes for School Year 2020-2021: Chuck Powell moved to approve the bus routes as the same as last year- Canyon Route, Broken Back Ranch Route, Upper Nowood Route, and Lower Nowood Route. Seconded by Mona Sindelar. Motion carried 3-0. Terril Mills abstained. Approve Out of State Football Travel Request: Chuck Powell moved to approve out of state travel for our varsity football team to travel to Bridger, MT, to play them in football on Friday, September 4, 2020. Seconded by Mona Sindelar. Motion carried 4-0. Approve Substitute Bonuses: Mona moved we approve the change as presented to the substi-tute salary schedule which adds a longevity bonus of $9 per day for substitutes who work at least 80% of the number of days per year students are required to physically attend school. This is ret-roactive for the 2019-2020 school year. Seconded by Chuck Powell. Motion carried 4-0. Approve Sick Leave Policy Exception: Terril Mills moved we make an exception for the 2020-2021 school year to Policy 3.38 Annual Leave and Policy 4.14 Annual Leave by allowing certified and classified employees to take accrued sick leave for COVID-19 related symptoms before they are required to take personal days. Seconded by Mona Sindelar. Motion carried 4-0. Approve Second Reading of Changes By Law Article XII Special Meetings: Chuck Powell moved we approve on second reading the changes to BY LAW Article XII – Special Meetings as presented. Seconded by Terril Mills. Motion carried 4-0. Approve Second Reading of By law Article XIV Emergency /Adjourned Meetings: Terril Mills moved we approve on second reading the changes to BY LAW XIV – Emergency/Adjourned meet-ings as presented. Seconded by Mona Sindelar. Motion carried 4-0. Approve Second Reading of Policy 3.27 Re-Election of Teachers: Chuck Powell we moved ap-

Board Briefs

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prove on second reading the changes to Policy 3.27 Re-Election of Teachers as presented. Se-conded by Terril Mills. Motion carried 4-0. Executive Session: Chuck Powell made a motion to go into executive session at 8: 1 8 p. m. to discuss personnel – Coaching Contracts and hiring School Nurse. Seconded by Terril Mills. Motion carried 4-0. The board reconvened at 8:28 p.m. Terril Mills made a motion to approve the execu-tive session minutes as read during executive session. Seconded by Chuck Powell. Motion carried 4-0. Approve Coaching Contracts: Chuck Powell moved to approve Dane Weaver as HS Head Coach for the 2020 Football. Seconded by Mona Sindelar. Motion carried 4-0. Terril Mills moved to ap-prove Sarah Novak as head MS Volleyball coach for the 2020 season. Seconded by Chuck Powell. Motion carried 4-0. Approve Hiring School Nurse: Mona Sindelar moved to hire Ms. Kenzi Weddle as the school nurse for the 2020-2021 school year. Seconded by Terril Mills. Motion carried 4-0.

September Board Agenda Items: Review Federal Grant Status. Review Transportation Fleet. Meeting Was Adjourned: Chairperson Jared Lyman adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p. m.

Nurse’s Corner Students and faculty have been doing an awesome job following the COVID-19 regulations!

Here are just a few reminders as the school year continues:

If a student or faculty member has any of the following symptoms, they need to stay home:

Temperature 100.4°F or higher Sore throat New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing (for students with chronic aller-

gies/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline) Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain New onset of severe headache, especially with fever

Students and faculty may return to school after they have been symptom free for 24 hours without the use of medication. This list and other information about our school regulations can be found on our school website.

Here are the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help keep students, faculty, and our community safe:

Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and wa-ter are not available, use hand sanitizer.

Keep a 6 foot distance between yourself and other people. When in public, cover your mouth and nose with a mask. Always cover your coughs and sneezes. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surface daily.

The CDC and the Wyoming Department of Health are great resources for those who would like more information about COVID-19.

Keep up the great work!

Board Briefs, continued

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What a great start to an awk-ward school year! Everyone is working so hard to make all the unprecedented guidelines man-ageable. I’m so proud of stu-dents and staff for doing what it takes to make this school year great! I have been meeting with clas-ses in grades 7-12 to discuss what the year holds for them. For example: in the junior class we talk about ACT and planning for their senior year. Seniors- we talk about scholar-ships and applying to college… It’s fun to get into the classes and see all the faces eager to learn and grow. Elementary guidance is off to a great start. Here is a list of the topics and ideas we are exploring. KG/1 grade: We have dis-cussed our “bubbles” and how to not “pop” someone’s bubble. We have also discussed man-ners, what that looks like, rea-sons for good manners, and

what manners are needed for different situations. Grade 2/3: We started the year discussing “feelings” and what feelings are associated with all the new changes going on in school. We discussed how our feelings are sort of like the weather. They are not perma-nent. We read “My Mouth is a Volcano” and discussed what happens when our mouth “explodes”. We talked about “otters” and how we want “otters” to treat us. This group became worried about being kidnapped…. So we will spend some time talking about keeping ourselves safe in the near fu-ture! Grade 4: We have discussed resilience and with all the new changes going on in society, we have to be resilient to perse-vere in the tough situations. We are working on role models and positive characteristics about ourselves. Grade 5: We have discussed resilience and our own personal

Counselor’s Corner

“super powers”. We will be de-signing and making our own su-per hero shirts. Grade 6: We have discussed resilience and problem solving. We also wrote our traditional “letter to ourself” which will be opened on the last day of school. Important News: The seniors who were not able to take the ACT over the sum-mer, took the ACT on Septem-ber 22. I’m sure they are glad to have that behind them! The seniors will be working on their FAFSA. Morgen, from the college outreach program, will work with each family indi-vidually on the FAFSA. Seniors are busy applying to colleges and starting lengthy applica-tions. Our teachers’ aides have been helping roll silverware for the cafeteria. So that is really helpful. We have a large group of students challenging them-selves with dual enrollment courses this fall.

Please welcome Mrs. Adrienne Forshee, Vo Ag

I am proud to have called Ten Sleep my home the past 20 years. I grew up in the ranching business in Fort Washakie where I am from. I am a mother of two amazing children and am honored to raise them with my best friend who I happen to call my hus-band. When I am not in a classroom you will catch me in a tractor, haying or feeding. My favorite place is our cow-camp in the Big Horns where I am so blessed to work side by side with my family, moving cows and fixing fence, or just enjoying Gods beauty.

I am beyond humbled to be an Agricul-tural Educator, and back in Ten Sleep Schools teaching our fantastic youth.

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My husband and I moved to Ten Sleep last year in October. Since we have been here, we have fallen in love with the beauty of Ten Sleep and the community. We honestly cannot imagine living any-where else.

Before we moved here, I worked as an RN in a Medical-Oncology Unit in Rolla, MO. Most recently, I worked as an RN at Cloud Peak Counseling Center in Wor-land. At both of my previous jobs, I had the privilege to serve and care for some great clients. I am beyond thankful for the opportunities I had there to grow as a nurse.

I am enjoying my job here as the school nurse and am beyond grateful to be working in such an amazing school district!

Please welcome our new school nurse, Kenzi Weddle

Hi, my name is Wade Moore. I am a first year teacher who has worked as a paraprofessional in many schools across the west. I attended UW for both my degrees (Psychology and Elementary Educa-tion). I live in Worland with my wife and dog in a beautiful old farm-house. I have been in the Bighorn basin for three years now and I love it. My wife and I love exploring and have found some amazing places around here. I am excited to be working in Ten Sleep with such an exceptional staff at such a unique school (K-12 in a single building is completely new to me). I look for-ward to becoming a part of the community and getting to know the area better.

Please welcome Mr. Wade Moore, 2nd and 3rd Grade Teacher

4-H Week

The Selfie Social is happening all week and there will be two locations in Ten Sleep they can take pictures! Wednesday is Wear It Wednes-day, Thursday is Sign Up for 4-H Day and get a fun prize and Friday is show 4-H Cares Day.

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CSO Halloween and Pumpkin Patch

TRUNK-or-TREAT Everyone is invited to join the 10th Annual Halloween Celebration Saturday October 31, 2020 at the Ten Sleep Park at 5:00 pm.

Under the current COVID situation, we are STILL planning our event, but it will look a little different. We will NOT be having wagon rides and we will be showing vehicles where they need to park for distance, we will also ask that you practice Social Distancing while walking around.

Those of you who would like to have trick-or-treaters, but your house is just a little too hard to get to—this is your chance to see the kids in their costumes and pass out a “treat” by participating in the TRUNK-or-TREAT. We ask that all treats be individually wrapped and handed out with a gloved hand.

We are going to have a Pumpkin Carving contest, that will be virtual, carve your pumpkin, take a photo and upload it to our Facebook page by October 31st at noon. Judging will be via Facebook until 10:00 pm November 1st and winners will be announced November 2nd.

Ten Sleep Hyattville Lion’s Club will again be providing hot chocolate.

Please check the CSO’s Facebook page for updates on this and other exciting events.

PUMPKIN PATCH The Ten Sleep CSO is excited to bring you the “Pioneer Pumpkin Patch” this fall! This fundraiser will allow you to come “pick a pumpkin” right here in Ten Sleep. Please use this order form to reserve your pumpkins as they must be prepaid. We will not have extras on hand. Pumpkins will be $6.00 each. Please send your order form in with your child, or mail to: Ten Sleep School, ATTN: CSO, PO Box 105, Ten Sleep, WY 82442 All orders must be turned in by October 2nd. You may pick up the pumpkins on October 9th between 5:00 and 7:00 pm.

Name: ____________________________________

Phone Number:______________________________

How Many Pumpkins: _________________________

Total $ Enclosed:______________________________ Please make checks payable to Ten Sleep CSO

PO Box 105

Ten Sleep, WY 82442

Ten Sleep School

Phone: 307-366-2223

Fax: 307-366-2304

www.wsh2.k12.wy.us:

Ten Sleep School

Supporting Success

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Drama Club

Ten Sleep Drama club pre-sents Super Freaks by Scott Haan. This is the story of a big-city journalist writing a sto-ry about the current state of modern mental health fa-cilities. Her research takes her to a hospital populated with a unique group of quirky inmates who think they are crime-fighting he-roes. This year’s play promises to be full of laughs, and the Drama Club will host two performances: Friday, November 20th and Saturday, November 21st. Performance times will be forthcoming, and there will be NO dinner theater this year. Tickets will be availa-ble closer to the perfor-mance dates. We hope to see you this year!

Library Corner The Ten Sleep Branch Library will be closed Thursday Oct. 8th so that staff may attend the Wyo-ming Library Association Virtual meeting. The Ten Sleep Library will be rec-ognized by their peers dur-ing this meeting for being the Outstanding Library of the Year.

The Ten Sleep Li-brary will also be closed on Monday Oct. 12th for Co-lumbus Day.

Have you missed After the Bell? Do you need something to do after school? Staff are working on a plan to host some out-door fun while the weather is still nice. After we move

inside we will be limiting numbers of children at-tending the program so that kids and staff can remain safe with social distancing. Watch for registration packets to arrive in your children’s back-packs!

Congratulations Ten Sleep Library!

If you no longer want to receive this news-letter, please call Ja-net at the school at 307-366-2223 and ask her to cancel your mailing.

Thank you