KTEC Board to Meet
The regular monthly meeting of the KTEC Governing Board will take place on Friday, January 27, 2012, at 1:30pm at the Midtown Center, 1505 N. 5th Street, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Winter Weather May Cause School Closures
On occasion it is necessary for school to be cancelled because of inclement weather. The district will provide up-to-date information regarding potential closures at this site. Other emergency information can be found under Current Emergencies on the district website. In most cases, the decision to keep school open or to close school will be made by 5:30am.
The district takes very seriously any safety related issues for students, staff, parents and patrons caused by severe weather. The district Transportation Supervisor assesses the current driving conditions prior to 5:30am and is in contact with the Idaho State Police and officials with the City of Post Falls and the Post Falls Highway District to gather information regarding road conditions. The Superintendent and the Transportation Supervisor will review the available road condition information and will drive various roads to see first hand the current driving conditions.
If the decision is to close school, the announcement will be prominently posted this website and the local media will be contacted immediately. The district provides the information to 17 different local radio stations and KREM-2, KXLY-4 AND KHQ-6 television stations.
KTEC Course Information Available to Students and Families
Students and families interested in learning more about the course offerings and application process to attend KTEC (Kootenai Technical Education Campus) next school year may contact KTEC Director Mark Cotner at 661-3921 or the Riverbend Technical Academy at 769-5960, or by logging on to www.ktectraining.org. The program offerings available to students for the 2012-2013 school year will include Engineering Design & Automation, Industrial Welding & Metal Fabrication, The Resort Academy (hospitality), Automotive Technology, Diesel Technology, Computer Repair & Networking, Health Professions/CNA, and Construction Trades.
Though KTEC programs are geared for incoming juniors and seniors, all families interested in learning about a professional/technical high school path are encouraged to attend. “It’s never too early to ignite the interest in our students,” states Mr. Cotner. “Planning is key and begins at the middle school level.”
Tribe Donation Assists Post Falls Children
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe recently donated $35,000 to assist the Post Falls School District and the Post Falls Food Bank with its Nutritional Backpack Program for Post Falls school children. The program is designed to fill the gap between Friday and Monday when children don’t have access to meals through school district food service. Mark Jones, a member of the Food Bank Board and a Juvenile Diversion counselor who works with Post Falls students, was a leading founder of the program recognizing that good, consistent nutrition improves a child’s ability to learn, their attendance at school and their overall health. School counselors recommend students for the program. While about 75 families currently benefit from the program, the generous donation by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe will impact significantly more children who are in need. Numerous community volunteers meet each week to pack the food into the backpacks.
District Conducts Parent Survey
All district schools recently completed a parent survey in conjunction with parent teacher conferences. 1,157 surveys were completed. Parents had the option of completing the survey online or completing a paper copy. The overall results of the survey show that parents are pleased with the quality of the education that their children are receiving. The survey questions ranged from rating the quality of instruction to student safety. Parents were encouraged to provide comments as well. The following graph is a grand total tabulation from all the schools.
Freshman Mentoring Program Receives Grant
Kootenai Electric Cooperative Trust has awarded the Post Falls High School “Link Crew” program $1,500 to expand its work to provide each incoming freshman with an upper classman mentor. The program is designed to link freshmen with junior and senior students who will mentor and support them during their transitional year. About 120 junior and senior students participate in a three-day training session prior to school to prepare them to assist the freshman on an individual and group level. About 450 freshmen participate in an all-day orientation program prior to the school year. Each freshman is assigned a mentor. Samantha Cooney, Link Crew Coordinator and high school instructor, states, “This money will go a long way toward providing even more support for our freshmen. We hope to make their transition to high school very smooth and positive.”
Back Pack Program Off to Good Start
Students who may not have regular meals available to them during the weekends are now receiving food supplies as a result of a local “Back Pack” program. The Post Falls Food Bank and the Post Falls School District have partnered with numerous community volunteers to provide a back pack of nutritional food to identified students to take home each weekend. Over 50 back packs are given out weekly. The intent is to have the program grow over time. The program protects our neediest children from going hungry when they do not have access to the district’s breakfast and lunch programs.