School district forms safety team, reviews reading programs
The Columbia Heights School District Board of Education took action on school safety and curriculum decisions at its March 9 meeting, establishing a new Threat Assessment Team and moving closer to selecting a new elementary reading program for next school year.
Principal Jenny Feeken announced the official formation of a Threat Assessment Team designed to enhance school safety. The team includes Deputy Warning, Mrs. Josoff, Mr. Kotas, Mrs. Bird, and Feeken herself. Members have already completed initial online training and are scheduled for additional training via Zoom on March 19th, with plans to meet monthly going forward.
On the curriculum front, the district is nearing a decision on which reading program to adopt for elementary students. Teachers, along with Mrs. Ridpath and Mrs. Barlow, visited Shickley and EMF schools to observe their reading curriculums in action. "Both curriculums they went and looked at are good programs and would be great for our students," Feeken reported. A final decision is expected soon to allow time for materials to be ordered and delivered before the next school year begins.
The board also heard updates on other school activities. Staff members attended a meeting at Seward Public Schools where they observed ELA classes and intervention groups to learn from their educational approaches. The district is also preparing for the transition from winter to spring sports, with meetings held for fall sports programs including football and volleyball to gauge student interest and discuss summer camps.
The board reviewed an extensive calendar of upcoming events spanning March and early April, including Spring Break, District and State Speech competitions, various track meets, an Excellence Rally, the Reading Classic, an Alumni Basketball Tournament, high school plays, ACT testing, and prom. The busy schedule reflects the range of academic and extracurricular activities the district offers its students.
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Other Topics from This Document
CLSD Meetings and ELA Class Observation
School Sports Season Updates
Formation and Training of Threat Assessment Team
Upcoming School Events Calendar
▸Meeting Analysis
“Both curriculums they went and looked at are good programs and would be great for our students.”
“We have officially started a Threat Assessment Team that consists of Deputy Warning, Mrs. Josoff, Mr. Kotas, Mrs. Bird, and myself.”
▸Source Document
---
## author: Jenny Feeken
date: D:20260305200700Z
---
## Principal’s Report
March 9th, 2026
## ELA Visits
All of our elementary teachers as well as Mrs. Ridpath and Mrs. Barlow had the
opportunity to visit Shickley and EMF to see the Reading curriculums they use in action.
This will help them make the decision on what is the best option for Dorchester. They
should be making a choice soon, so that we can get items ordered and make sure they
are delivered in time for next school year. Both curriculums they went and looked at are
good programs and would be great for our students.
## CLSD Meetings
Mr. Bird and Mrs. Ridpath attended the latest meeting at Seward Public Schools. They
had the opportunity to see how Seward runs their ELA classes as well as some of their
intervention groups. I elected to stay back that day since we had had a large number of
teacher absences the day before.
## Sports
Winter Sports Season has concluded. Spring sports have had the chance to get started.
Football and Volleyball have had their meetings to gauge interest for the fall and talk
about camps over the summer.
## Threat Assessment Team
We have officially started a Threat Assessment Team that consists of Deputy Warning,
Mrs. Josoff, Mr. Kotas, Mrs. Bird, and myself. We have completed some online modules
and will be attending a training via Zoom on March 19th. This team will meet once a
month.
## Upcoming Events
3/12 & 3/13 - No School - Spring Break
## 3/16 - District Speech @ Raymond Central TBD
3/19 - HS Track @ Doane Indoor 10 A.M.
3/20 - IPG Training @ ESU 5
3/20 - Excellence Rally
## 3/20 - Reading Classic Competition
3/20 & 3/21 - Alumni Basketball Tournament
3/23 - CLSD Meeting @ ESU 6
## 3/24 - HS Track @ Thayer Central
## 3/26 - High School Play TBD
3/27 - Practice ACT Test 8:05 A.M.
3/28 - State Speech @ Kearney
3/29 - High School Play 1 P.M.
3/30 - Mike Donahue Presentation - All Grades throughout the Day, Staff - After School,
Parents - 6 P.M.
3/31 - HS Track @ EMF 10 A.M.
4/1 - ESU 6 Principals Meeting via Zoom 9 A.M.
## 4/1 - JH Track @ McCool Junction NOON
4/3 & 4/6 - No School - Easter Break
4/7 - Juniors take ACT
4/7 - JH Track @ McCool Junction 9 A.M.
4/8 - HS Track @ EMF 10 A.M.
4/9 - JH Track @ Milford 10 A.M.
4/11 - Prom
4/13 - JH Track @ McCool Junction 9 A.M.
This story was created by artificial intelligence (a large language model) based on the proceedings captured in the video below.
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