I hope that everyone had an enjoyable holiday break and I wish everyone a Happy New Year, 2024.
At the time of this writing, we have used our first “snow day” of the school year. We went from no snow at all to a significant amount all in one storm. It was nice to have no worries about weather, travel, and postponements before Christmas this year but we all knew winter would come sooner or later. For our next 5 no school days due to weather, we will be using our allotted E-Learning days. State statute allows districts to use up to 5 E-Learning days per school year for weather related cancellations. Any cancellations beyond those five will be added to the end of the school year. Please plan accordingly when planning your personal calendar that the school calendar is most likely going to change when we have weather related cancellations or postponements.
Making the decision to cancel or delay school can sometimes be difficult. I do not take my responsibility for the safety of students and staff lightly. When a decision is made either way, I do understand that weather conditions may vary throughout the District so there may be isolated areas where weather conditions have changed. With this in mind, the District has in policy that students will not be penalized for weather related absences as long as the District is notified. Parents have the option to keep their children home if they think conditions are not favorable. If conditions change during the school day, parents have the option to take their children home as well without any attendance penalties.
It is hard to believe that the 2023-2024 school year is at the midpoint on January 19th. The second semester begins on Tuesday, January 23. As the amount of daylight continues to grow each day now, we can look forward to the warmer days of spring! As we begin the second half of the 2023-2024 school year, parents please encourage your children to embrace the opportunity to finish strong and make this a great second half of the year. If we work together collaboratively, we can assure that each student in the District receives the best education possible. We expect that your children will respect the rules of their school, their teachers and the rights of other students. We will reaffirm with our staff the expectations to model respectful behavior toward students and parents as well. This follows our vision and mission statements along with our District-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.
Good luck to our winter sports and activities for the remainder of their seasons or upcoming performances. It is always rewarding to watch our students being involved in the many school sponsored sports/activities that are offered by the District. These are extensions of the classrooms and great lifelong learning opportunities. Go Rebels and Warriors!
As always; call, email, or stop into the District office if you have questions or concerns. Check out our website at www.mcc.mntm.org and download our school app on your Android or Apple devices by searching “ISD 2169” to stay up to date on everything MCC. Happy New Year!