Educational Conference

Today I am attending the Annual Triple I Joint Conference. I will be attending numerous workshops and seminars focused on school improvement, educational innovations, and district leadership. I will update my day as it continues.


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Education Conferece

Family Night at VIT Elementary: Native American StarLab

On Thursday November 21st VIT Elementary hosted a Family Night event centered around our StarLab. The theme was Native American Constellations. In addition to the StarLab itself, Mrs Shaw provided a narration of many stories surrounding several constellations. Other activities included Mrs. VanTine painting faces, Mrs. Lawson leading students and families in the making of zodiac sign rain discs, Ms. Wenndt leading an art project, Mrs. Heaton hosting a reading of Native American stories, Mr. Schmersahl directing Tee-Pee designs, several high school students assisting with other activities including necklace making and printmaking. In addition to the activities, dinner was offered to families. My wife and I served VIT Elementary's "world famous" hot dogs with chips and a drink. 120 people had dinner at the school. According to Mrs. Becker, 188 people went through the StarLab program and over 200 attended. The evening was a great success. It is always great to get kids and parents into the buildings for programs that are both educational and fun.

Educational Support Personnel

Good Morning! This morning the certified staff of VIT provided an amazing breakfast as a "thank you" to the Educational Support Personnel of VIT schools. The ESPs at VIT include individual and classroom aides, bus drivers, kitchens staff, custodial staff, maintenance and mechanical staff, book-keeping, and secretarial staff. The service of this group of employees is invaluable in the day-to-day operation of our schools, safety of our students, and positive educational atmosphere. Often when people think of schools they think of teachers and principals. In reality, there are many more people who make the system work. Our buses run every day, twice a day just on regular route pick-up and drop-offs. We run a practice bus every evening. Field trips and contests require day time drivers. Of course, someone has to keep those buses runing. We have students who require one-on-one aides to be successful members of our school community. This is sometimes a very challenging job for those who work with the best interests of those students in mind every day. Our kitchen/cafeteria staff create menus and provides lunch and breakfast everyday on a limited budget and with limited staff. The custodial staff keep our buildings clean and sanitary during the day and after hours. The office staff works with the teachers, other ESPs, administration, students, and parents daily. This group has the most direct contact with the most groups of school and community members. These people really are our front-line when it comes to dealing with the public. I truly appreciate the efforts of all of our staff. Today, we celebrate the Educational Support Staff and all they do for VIT CUSD #2

Thank You to McDonough Power for Winter Coat Donations

New .com Roll-outs

Recently at the Elementary level, parents of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders were given login and password information for a website called Learningfarm.com. This website allows students to practice core skills at home. Math and Reading reinforcement at home or at McDonald's, or on a Smartphone that all students have access to. The cost for this access is only a few dollars per students and the district feels that this is a great resource and a great value. At the High School level, parents and students will soon be introduced to CareerCruising.com. This website is an amazing resource for 9th graders through seniors. It includes: Interest surveys, learning styles surveys, skills match, career interests, resume building, educational mapping, goals setting, college and career planning, and so much more. The school can only touch the surface of what parents and students can utilize at home. This service is free to our district. We hope that you will find these tools useful in your child’s educational progression and future planning.

Veterans Day Assembly 2013

Tuesday was a special day at VIT Elementary. The school children recognized our local veterans for all of their efforts on behalf our nation. The school was decorated with patriotic artwork. Mrs. Willison put on a great program with lots of great music. The elementary choir, high school choir and whole K-6 student body performed during the musical program. Students led those gathered in the Pledge of Allegiance, Star Spangled Banner, and a Moment of Silence. Students also presented facts about Veterans and Veterans Day. After the program, all the elementary students went through a reception line to say "Thank You" to all the veterans that attended. Following the assembly, the veterans were invited to stay for coffee and dessert provided by the VIT Elementary teachers.