Tuesday Talk with Dr. Dain
Dear Pirate Nation,
For being the shortest month of the year, February 2023 has packed quite a punch! We’ve celebrated Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day and of course, the CHIEFS as SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS!
The last week in February also marks the beginning of Public Schools Week, which was launched by the members of the Learning First Alliance (LFA) as a way to celebrate and acknowledge the amazing contributions of public schools, administrators, teachers, specialists, parents and school board members who support our nation’s nearly 50 million public school students. LFA represents the 10 million members of our nation’s leading educational organizations and, by working together, advances the cause of public education to ensure the voices of the practitioners are heard in this very challenging time.
As one of Piper's four pillars in our Strategic Plan, Human Capital, focused on recruiting and retaining a diverse and exemplary work force, remains a priority in our district. Last year, the Piper School District participated in a statewide study focused on Kansas Teacher Retention. We were also able to garner our own district-specific data.
Here are the areas in which our Piper Staff indicated were District Areas of STRENGTH as it relates to Teacher Engagement and Retention:
- Access to necessary resources and instructional materials
- Size of the District
- Location of the District
- Vision and Leadership of the BOE
- Principal’s Instructional Leadership
- Responsiveness of District Office Staff
- District’s Reputation
- Opportunity to Work with a Diverse Student Population
- Availability of Supplemental Contracts
- Quality of Student Technology
- Relationship with Your Principal
Here are the areas in which our Piper Staff indicated were areas in which the District needed to IMPROVE as it relates to Teacher Engagement and Retention:
- The ability to request and secure a substitute for your absence
- Class Size (Teacher to Student Ratio)
- The support for handling challenging student behavior
- The quality and cost of health insurance benefits
- Support for student social/emotional needs
- Society’s view of the teaching profession
To that end, I wanted to briefly share some of our focus areas in relation to our Strategic Plan Human Capital Goal and Piper Teacher Retention Survey Data. Please see the image below.
As we celebrate National Public Schools Week, I would remiss if I didn’t stop and say THANK YOU to the entire Piper Nation Staff who work daily to #beEPIC (Every Pirate Influences Children) to ensure our students have everything they need to be successful. I want you to know that you are seen, you are appreciated, and YOU ARE LOVED!
Proud to be a Pirate!
Dr. Jessica Dain
Superintendent of Schools
Piper Early Childhood Community Needs Assessment
Piper USD 203 shares a focus on early childhood and a commitment to strong community partnerships as essential to achieving our state’s vision for education. We are honored to serve the early learners in Piper and value meeting the needs of our community. We invite you to take a brief survey in order to help us prepare for our future Piper learners. Click here to take the survey.
Enrollment for the 2023-2024 School Year opens February 13!
Just a reminder that 2023-2024 enrollment opens Monday, February 13th. Please log in through your family Skyward account and complete the returning student enrollment for each of your returning students. The 2023-2024 fees will not be available nor applied until after the first week in July in order to give families the opportunity to complete the 2023-2024 Child Nutrition Free/Reduced Application which is available July 1st. More information to come on that closer to July 2023.
Enrollment Process: All enrollment PreK-12 is done online. Please scroll down to find forms and instructions for either "Returning Students" or "New Students".
During online enrollment, you will be able to upload copies of various required documentation (i.e. proof of residency, birth certificate, Kansas physical and immunization records). If you do not have scanned copies, you may instead deliver a physical copy of these documents to your student's school. For instructions on uploading required documents, please click here. This year we will have a couple of different open enrollment days/evenings at each school to provide assistance for those who do not have a computer or internet at their home. More information to come on this.
Fees: 2023-2024 school fees will not be available for parents to pay until after July 1st. This allows families to apply for Free/Reduced Meals which will be available until July 1st. The $25.00 Pre-School enrollment fee can be paid by cash check in person at Piper Early Childhood Center, or with a debit/credit card which may be completed online. A list of fees can be found in a downloadable document below. The enrollment process is not complete until fees are paid in full. In the meantime, please make sure that all of 2022-2023 school year fees and all food service account balances are paid in full prior to July 1st.
Proof of Residency: Proof of residency at the time of enrollment must be provided for all new and returning students. Proof must be current (within the last 60 days). To see the current policy, please click here.
Staffing for 23-24
Are you interested in joining the Pirate Nation Team? Know of any great candidates? Please visit the website at www.piperschools.com/jobs to see our current openings.
March Board of Education Meeting
The next Board of Education Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 6th at 6 PM in the CTE Library/Board Room. Patrons are welcome to attend!
Youth Equity Stewardship (YES) begins next school year!
YES is rooted in arts-based methods that aim to bring the youth perspective, vision, creativity, and passion to the forefront of policy and progress for a 21st century school system.
YES is for current 8th - 11th grade students who are looking for leadership training and development, interested in a collaborative learning opportunity with other Piper High students and staff, and searching for a place to share their voice.
For more information visit: tinyurl.com/jkvk56pc and tinyurl.com/YESvideoInfo
Register your student's interest at tinyurl.com/YESPiper
Student interest registration closes March 10th, 2023.
Contact Amber Buck at ABuck@PiperSchools.us or 913.721.9009 with any questions.
COVID-19
We will continue to have COVID-19 tests available should your child become ill at school, and you wish to provide consent for them to be tested. If your child is exhibiting 2 or more COVID-19 symptoms, our nursing staff would highly recommend having them tested. As always, best practice is to keep your child home if they are feeling unwell.
Should your child test positive for COVID-19, we will be following CDC recommendations for exclusion. The date of the onset of COVID symptoms will count as day zero and your child will need to remain home for five additional days beyond the date of symptom onset. Your child may return to school as long as they are fever free for 24 hours without medication.
Upon return to school, your child will have 2 options regarding masking per CDC guidance. Option 1 is to wear a mask through day 10 following the onset of symptoms. Option 2 calls for testing on day 1 of their return and day 3 of their return. If both tests are negative, mask-wearing can be discontinued following testing on day 3. Please visit with your school nurse if you wish to pursue the testing option.