Howard

Greetings from the Union Community School District! This is our second monthly correspondence. The goal is not to communicate everything that occurs in the district but to give community members an overview of important topics in an accurate, clear and timely manner.

Facility updates

We continue to address facility needs throughout the district. The security camera project has begun, with the Dysart bus barn and DG Elementary being the first buildings. We have also scheduled the dates for the track, outside of UHS, to be resurfaced. Tentatively the work will start the last week of May. In addition, the board may be discussing, and possibly approving, some parking lot/sidewalk improvements over the summer.

Things to celebrate

We had a lot of things to celebrate over the last month. Here are just a few:

-Congrats to Union Jazz I who earned 3rd place at the NEIBA competition.

-Congrats to the individual speech students who competed at state.

-Congrats to one of UMS MathCounts team who finished third in the district/regional competition and are advancing to -state. Congrats also to the individual students who placed in the top 10 in that same competition.

-Congrats to Joe B. for earning All-State Jazz Band (Rhythm section) from Jazz Educators of lowa.

-Congrats to our Academic Decathlon Team for winning the state small school division and advancing to the national competition in Frisco, Texas in late April.

-Congrats to the 2nd grade teachers and students who showed the most growth between Fall and Winter FAST scores out of any grade level K-6.

-Congrats to our boys’ basketball team and coaches for advancing to the district championship.

-Congrats to all the La Porte-Dysart FFA students who participated in district contests.

-Congrats to Olivia H. for earning first place in public speaking at the Northeast District FFA competition and advancing to state.

–Congrats to Emery A. for winning a bookmark contest at DG Elementary for Read Across America Week.

Thank you to all the teachers who agreed to have a student teacher this year/term. We have had quite a few student teachers in the buildings. It is great for them to learn from our tremendous staff.

Thank you to all our bus drivers. These individuals don’t readily get recognition, but they deserve it. Our bus drivers do an excellent job each day. I am so proud of them!

Musical

Thank you to everyone involved in this year’s musical – Monty Python’s Spamalot. The set and costuming were exceptional; the pit band was tremendous; the direction/choreography was fabulous; and all the actors gave great performances. I was very proud of everyone! A special thank you and congratulations to the seniors who were recognized after the Saturday performance. These students will be missed.

Spring sports

High school and middle school spring sports have started or soon will be starting. I want to wish all the coaches, sponsors and participants good luck! I am sure all involved will represent themselves, our district and our communities well.

Budget

The Union Community School District Board of Education will soon be approving the budget. Be looking for the date, time and place of the public hearing, if you are interested.

Conclusion

We had another outstanding month in the Union Community School District. As I have stated many times previously, it is truly a privilege to lead this district.