My request is that that be or some of a shorter version of it be put out like if you ca if he could like once a week up until election time just because people don't always see from the Saints news to just what's happening in the district. This is a state effort as we all know it could help us financially but we need our citizens to vote yes because if they don't mark it yes and leave it blank it's considered a no.

But it just got me thinking sometimes we see these headlines and then what we have to remember is what is the value with the high school [clears throat] when these activities take place. Speaking of getting ready for a dynamic world, these kids know if a referee makes a call that they don't like, they have to accept it, move on, and learn how to move on in a respectful way. Just one example of what sometimes I think of soccer specifically since I know them the best. But they have but there's value in these things beyond just oh an award of a conference or something. That's not the main benefit of all of these activities that go on.

Just a reminder is that there's a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November. If there is a yes vote across the state, then public schools will receive more money per pupil and there is no tax impact. Taxes do not increase. Income taxes do not increase. Property taxes do not increase. Zo sales tax. It's extra money for kids in the state without raising taxes.

soccer parking lot. If you have a chance to drive north of the high school, it'll blow your mind as far as what's happening there. You know, when you hear about, you know, changing the parking lot, okay, no big deal. But when you drive there and you notice how many trees are gone and the layout of the parking lot, take your time to drive through. It's going to be really impressive.

For homecoming we had around 400 attendees. Our homecoming queen and king this year were Amelia Yang and AJ Walker. The homecoming dance was overall successful. We appre appreciate all of the time adults gave to helping us make this event possible. Our student council leadership retreat is coming up on November 8th and 9th at Craig's Resort. During this retreat, student council members will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, collaborate with one another, and brainstorm ideas for future student council activities and events.

This test is going to diagnose where we are missing with some older students that are struggling to read. In the past, what we might be doing is just continuing to practice comprehension and fluency, comprehension and fluency, comprehension and fluency when we actually have a lot of students who have holes in decoding words. And so, we need to go back and fill holes in order for them to be successful. So, this test is going to help us get that figured out.

Do people come up to you and say things like that? And what would your answer be? Like what? And then also like I know these tests weren't around 10 years ago, but comparatively to like 10 years ago, you know, like right now it seems like the sky is falling and like like what we're getting and what we're ending up with is like 30% or 40% or 20ome% in science. Like you know, I think in our minds it's like oh we said 90%. I don't know if that's the case. I would imagine that's not the case. Do you have anything to compare to? And then what would you say to people who are like why are we I mean I understand celebrating like movement but why are we still at these low comprehensive numbers or you know I'm sure it's a bigger question than you can answer in

And I don't think there's one answer. I think it's a multi-answer but I do think there's been some new standard setting. So every year we have new curriculum having new standards. So math is going to have new standards next year. Uh reading had it this year. science had it the year before. So those are also requiring a shift in how we teach. It isn't teaching how we always used to teach. It's asking us to do some things differently. That also takes professional development and that takes growth and openness to do something differently.

Yeah, I just wanted to echo what Russ was suggesting earlier. It would be I'd love to be able to compare tests from 40 years ago or 50 when I was a kid in school uh or 10 and currently because I think the rigor of the tests have increased substantially. Uh it's not the high test of basic skills anymore. It's more modern life learning. Now, that being said, we want our test scores to improve. So, in my mind, even though we're we lack resources compared to most schools in the state, I think we have advantages in other areas. So, that we should be above the state average in every test we take.

But my point being is you got to do your job as a parent and give us an give us an honest effort here because I remember all through life, you know, coming home and and going in the car and, you know, count how many cows are in that field or, you know, how do I, you know, meet someone older than me by shaking their hand and looking in their eyes and just 100 different things that we're supposed to be doing as parents.

Um, I think the other thing that as the public loses perspective in is we want to look back 10 years ago, 20 years ago, not only does the state continue to move the goalpost and what we have to do to get there discipline, they also handcuff the teachers in discipline. You look at how easy it is these days to be disruptive in class, which is so much more challenging for us a teacher to implement the new things that they got to put on these kids. Discipline 10 years ago, 20 years ago was much different. So that has a lot to do with how this is being implemented and how we're going forward because it takes more time to do this stuff because we got to bust down into the process that we have to follow for what the standard is, the state standard is for the disciplinary thing.

At one of our upcoming meetings, I would like to see the fast bridge, the the trajectory for how it's following from K and then following that group to first grade to second grade to third grade to see kind of are they growing and how that's looking because I feel like FastBridge as our local and three times a a school year is going to be um provide us some really good information and then we're following the grades there the students as they coin through the school paints a better picture to the district. I think that's going to give us better other picture also. I'd like to see that presented at one of our upcoming meetings.

Bringing those varsity guys in to read to the elementary kids is just another one of those things that we are doing to help those test scores that we just talked about. I was in the elementary school all day today in uh uh EBC. Shout out to Miss Kitty and Miss Davis for letting me hang out and all the EAS. Um I had several kids. They all know I'm part of the football program and they're telling me about the varsity kids that they got to read with and their experience and how awesome it was.

I did put a proposal together that I still have to send to them about separating public and private schools. I got 10 plus schools to sign on to it. So, I'm going to hopefully deliver that Tuesday or Wednesday and then we'll see what happens from there. At least I'm hoping it starts a discussion. I don't know what's going to happen, but something in my eyes needs to be done because private schools have dominated the state tournament for decades since I've been in high school.

I would implore anybody out listening, watching this, um, we we meet once a month. It's from 5:00 to 6:15. I know it's not the best time frame, but this is an important part of our process as a school board. um reviewing curriculum, talking about our goals for our students, how things are going, and we really need the parents and community's input on that. So, um I would highly recommend them. Um anybody out there in the public in our community, you don't have to have a student in the schools.