Tuesday Talk with Dr. Dain
Dear Pirate Nation,
Last Thursday, our Board of Education was able to participate in the Groundbreaking of Piper High School Phase 2, which includes completing the building of our new high school and the first phase of our Athletic Complex, due to the support of our community in passing the January 22 Bond Election. As the third-fasting growing school district in the state, it can be difficult to keep up with the facility needs of our school district, and we continue to be so grateful for the support of our community members and stakeholders in providing educational opportunities and experiences in which every Piper Pirate can benefit! I will continue to utilize my Tuesday Talk and District Website to provide up to date information to our community members regarding the progress of our projects.
What an exciting weekend we had in Pirate Nation! The PHS football team was victorious in our home game against Tonganoxie and will advance to the Regional Championship this Friday in Chanute! Congratulations to Grace Hanson for finishing 2nd Place at the State Cross Country Meet on Saturday; Grace ran an outstanding time and not only finished in 2nd Place for 5A runners, but also boasted the 3rd fastest time for all 1A-6A classes! Lastly, on the home front, my daughter’s soccer team won their game this weekend and so they have advanced to the MIAA semi-finals and will play this upcoming Friday.
Over the weekend I stumbled onto two quotes that I found useful and quite motivating. The first one is from Vince Lombardi - "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence." I then stumbled into a quote from Steve Jobs - "Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected." My takeaway? Chase perfection and be a yardstick of quality! It’s a great week to catch and expect excellence!
Proud to be a Pirate!
Dr. Jessica Dain
Superintendent of Schools
Piper Early Childhood Additional Classes
Piper Early Childhood Center is excited to announce we have two additional classes opening Jan.4. We will have a half-day 3s class in the morning and a 4’s half-day class in the afternoon. We are currently filling spots from our wait-list, but encourage others to enroll. Please go to www.piperschools.com to enroll. Questions can be directed to Brooke Fenton at the Piper Early Childhood office 913-721-9014.
Piper Parents as Teachers Now Enrolling - Serving Piper families Birth to Kinder
Personal Visits: Parent Educators share age-appropriate child development information, address parenting concerns and engage the family in parent-child activities.
Group Connections: Group Connections provide opportunities to share information about parenting issues and child development.
Screenings: Annual developmental, health, vision and hearing screenings provide for early identification of delays that could interfere with learning.
Resource Network: Parent Educators help families identify and connect with needed resources and overcome barriers to accessing services.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: All children are enrolled free of charge in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and receive an age-appropriate book mailed to their home each month.
To enroll or get more information, click here.
Nicole McDaniel
Parent Educator
816.805.2461
November Board of Education Meeting
The next Board of Education Meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 14th at 6 PM in the Board Room located in the Library at the CTE Building (Formally known as Piper East Elementary School.) Community Members who would like to present to the Board of Education need to sign up one week in advance of the meeting by contacting Mr. Mitch Nutterfield, Board Clerk, at mnutterfield@piperschools.us.
Piper PTA (Parent Teacher Association)
The Piper School District has a strong PTA that is extremely dedicated to caring for the students, teachers, and parents in the community. They currently are not requiring formal membership for PTA--anyone and everyone is welcome to participate regardless of paid membership.
Parents frequently ask if there is a district platform for parents to collect money from other parents for to utilize for teacher gifts or fundraising in planning for future Project Graduation celebrations. Please remember that PTA is a pivotal partner in keeping parents’ funds fiscally safe and they are happy to help parents create “Class” accounts in order to provide checks and balances with parents’ gracious donations.
Lastly, all parents are welcomed and encouraged to attend District PTA Monthly Open-House Meetings. The meetings begin at 6:30 PM and take place in the Piper Prairie Library. The dates are as following:
- November 8
- January 10
- February TBD
- March TBD
- April 11
- May 9
Questions? Please contact PTA President, Morgan Rentie, at piperpta203@gmail.com
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.