Halstead-Bentley USD 440

Early childhood education remains one of the strongest investments we can make in the long-term success of our students and the long-term economic strength of our communities. Abigail Spanberger

REMINDER you can download our school app: Halstead-Bentley USD440 It is a great way to stay up to date on activities, events, and the school menus are on there daily.

February is National Black History Month, also referred to as National African American History Month. It serves as a significant period for all Americans to honor and commemorate the remarkable accomplishments of African Americans. Furthermore, this month pays tribute to the pivotal contribution of Black Americans in shaping our history. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classroom/posts/2023/01/black-history-month-resources-for-the-classroom

January has come and gone and we wanted to be sure to wish our staff HAPPY BIRTHDAY for all those January babies: Mr. Oswald Mrs. Loganbill Ms. Jordan Soward Mr. Brown Ms. Amy Beck Ms. Crystal Province Mrs. Maurath Ms. Jami Kroulik Ms. Jen Dinicola Mrs. Base Mrs. Clifford Mrs. Davis

Come to the next meeting Jan 24th 6:00pm at Bentley Primary School. We hope to see you there.

We invite our community members to attend any of the three events mentioned below. Your valuable feedback will help the steering committee and the Board of Education. These events will also give you a chance to learn more about the progress made so far on the potential bond initiative at Halstead-Bentley USD 440 School District. We eagerly anticipate your presence at one of these events. #440Proud

Due to the inclement weather, Unified School District 440 will be closed on Tuesday January 16th. Even with the use of additives, the district had challenges operating part of its bus fleet on Friday due to the frigid temperatures. We know that the temperatures tomorrow are going to be colder and the fleet has been sitting all weekend in extremely low temperatures. Out of concern for the ability to operate our busses as well as the safety of both our bus riders and those who have to walk to school, we have made the determination that we will not be in session. We understand that this winter has already presented a number of days off from school, which in return poses challenges for many of our parents to find safe supervision for their students. We hope that providing this information earlier will allow those parents additional time to make the appropriate arrangements. We also wanted to inform you that we have a number of days built in for inclement weather. We often get the question, will our snow and inclement weather days impact the calendar or require us to make up days? At this point we do not have concerns and if that were to change we would make sure that we communicate with families well in advance. Please stay safe and warm. We are looking forward to the warmer days ahead!

Due to road conditions for our bus routes and young drivers, Halstead-Bentley Schools will be closed January 10th. Stay safe and warm.

All school and non school related meetings, activities, games, and practices are cancelled for the evening of January 9th. Games will be made up at a later date and information will be provided when confirmed with the opposing team.

Halstead-Bentley Schools will not have school in session on January 9th, 2024.

Reminder school will be back in session on Thursday, January 4th. We are excited to see everyone back in our buildings. We hope you all had a great break.

On behalf of everyone at USD 440, we would like to extend our warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season and an incredible new year. We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to reunite with all of you in the upcoming year.

A fun activity to do while on Winter Break.

We want your feedback! The district is working in collaboration with a steering committee made up of parents, community members, business owners, and staff from Bentley and Halstead as well as an architect firm to develop a facility plan that can address needs of the district for years to come. We would appreciate getting this first round of feedback from our community members that reside in the USD 440 school district boundaries. To ensure that we get accurate feedback from our community members, we are providing the survey though the following opportunities: 1. Click this link and complete online https://forms.gle/7Cefud59RANowzKB8 2. Call the district office at 316-835-2641 and share an email address where we can send the link. 3. No email, no social media, no problem. Come by the following locations to complete a paper copy of the survey and submit it in the envelope provided at the site. a. Halstead Library i. MWF 10:00 -5:00 ii. Tu/TH 10:00-7:00 iii. Sat 10:00-1:00 b. Halstead Senior Center i. M-F 9:00-12:30 c. Bentley Senior Center i. M-Sat 7:00-11:00 ii. Sun 8:00-11:00 d. Pribbenow Variety Store i. 9am-9pm The survey should take less than 5 minutes. We will be collecting feedback through Friday December 8th. Please share this information with those who do not have social media or do not follow USD 440 but live within our school district boundaries. We appreciate your help providing feedback and look forward to providing additional opportunities for feedback and information in the near future.

As November comes to an end we want to say Happy Birthday to all of our staff. We hope you all had an amazing birthday. Happy Birthday to: Mrs. Ehresman Ms.Amy Boyd Mrs. Kraus Mrs.Faudel Ms.Susan Adams Ms.Vlamis Ms. Linda Strader Ms. Kris Cherry Ms. Jess Euwer Mr. Mitchell Boese Ms.Charlotte Bouma Mr. Randolph Mr. Charlie Robinson Mrs.Sattler Mrs.Linnebur Mr.Bill McCary Mr.Seirer Mrs. Maryann Meyers

Both our middle school and high school students had a great time participating in the rake and run activity. It is a wonderful opportunity for us to contribute to our community and we thoroughly enjoy bringing a little happiness to those around us.

On November 15th, Halstead High School organized the 2023 CKL Sportsmanship Forum, inviting all the schools in the league to participate. The main objective of this event is to provide students with valuable knowledge about the significance of sportsmanship and character, and how they can have a profound impact on the overall environment of a school, be it positive or negative. We were fortunate to have some exceptional speakers at our event. Kristyna Bertolone, Game Changer, delivered an inspiring keynote speech and also spoke in one of our breakout sessions. Mark Goodheart, the league commissioner and CKL Assigner/Official/Former Administrator, led a breakout session as well. Additionally, we were proud to have our very own SALT Leadership Council members, Dominque Schutte, Lauren Wilson, and Rylee Carmichael, share their insights. This gathering provided a valuable opportunity for our league to unite and positively impact our students, coaches, teachers, and community. We extend our gratitude to all the schools and speakers who participated in this event.#dragonproud #CKLproud #comingtogethertomakechange -Good sportsmanship goes beyond the game; it starts with respect. Tommy Hilfiger

National Parents as Teachers Day is celebrated on November 8 every year. This is a day to recognize the organizations that offer educational services to parents across the country and around the world so that they may be able to better support their children's learning and growth.

November 6-10, 2023 During the week of November 6-10, 2023 schools throughout the United States will celebrate National School Psychology Week (NSPW) to highlight the important work school psychologists and other educators do to help all students thrive.

Every November, we come together to honor National Native American Heritage Month. This special time allows us to celebrate the vibrant cultures, languages, and narratives of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities. It serves as a reminder to preserve their invaluable legacies and ensure that future generations can benefit from their remarkable histories and contributions.