Superintendent's Blog Post

Welcome to the 2018-2019 School Year

The 2018-2019 school year is about to kickoff! It is always enjoyable to see the enthusiasm generated by the student body as they fill our classrooms and halls. I would like to take a moment to welcome all of our students and parents back for another year. For those of you who are new to us, we welcome you and hope that you have a great experience in our school district.

This has been a busy summer around the district with work on facilities, curriculum, staffing, technology and all the usual things that go along with closing out one school year and beginning the next. The custodial and maintenance staff have done a fabulous job with building maintenance and general cleaning, waxing the floors and brightening many areas with fresh paint.

This fall, all students in grades 5-12 will be issued a Chromebook to enhance their learning and to prepare them for success interacting in the global society we live in. Students in preschool through fourth grade will have access to classroom iPads with designated applications loaded to support their classroom curriculum as well as technology labs to learn technology applications and skills. An exciting addition this year will be the conversion of part of the Rockwell campus media center to a “makerspace” for students to collaborate and explore their areas of interest.

Once school is back in full swing, it is important to remind drivers to be on the lookout and take precautions for students riding bikes and walking to school. In addition, the Iowa Legislature has passed a school bus stop law. Iowa Code section 321.372(3) states:

Two-lane road and the school bus is displaying flashing yellow lights: Flashing yellow lights are an indication that the bus is going to stop. It is illegal to pass a school bus from behind when yellow lights are flashing. When approaching a school bus traveling in the opposite direction, a driver must slow the vehicle to 20 miles per hour or less when yellow lights are seen, and be prepared to stop when the stop arm is extended and red lights flash.
Two-lane road and the school bus is displaying flashing red lights and an extended stop arm: The bus is letting passengers on or off. It is illegal to pass a school bus from behind or from the opposite travel direction under these conditions. A driver must come to a complete stop at least 15 feet from the bus and remain stopped until the vehicle’s flashing red lights deactivate and the stop arm is retracted. At all times, drivers should remain alert for pedestrians.
Roadway with two or more lanes in each direction: A driver must stop when approaching the school bus from behind when yellow or red lights flash. However, under these roadway conditions, drivers need not stop when meeting a school bus traveling in the opposite direction. School bus drivers are not permitted to let passengers on or off the bus in situations where they must cross multiple lanes of traffic.

Finally, as you go through your checklist for the start of the school year, we ask parents to begin making alternative plans for their children if we face inclement weather and are forced to have a late start, early dismissal, or cancel school. If the need arises, we will plan to communicate through the following channels:

*School Alerts (Gov.Delivery)- There is information to assist you with registering to receive an email or text message by going to the district website, clicking quick links and then scrolling to the sign up page. ( https://www.westforkschool.org )

We will also issue alerts through the following television and radio stations.

*KIMT Channel 3

*KLMJ Hampton- 104.9

*Three Eagles Radio Stations- Mason City

*North Iowa Broadcasting Stations- Mason City

*The West Fork District Facebook site, Twitter account, and the West Fork school app

Guided by sound curriculum and instruction, with parental support, your child will be off to another great year of learning and growing through the opportunities extended to them here at West Fork.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 641-822-3236 or 641-892-4159 or email me at darrin.strike@westforkschool.org.

Yours in education,

Darrin Strike, Superintendent

Darrin Strike, Superintendent Bobby Willms K-1/High School Principal Tracy Peterson, 2-8 Principal

darrin.strike@westforkschool.org bobby.willms@westforkschool.org tracy.peterson@westforkschool.org