Hillbilly Summer
Ozark School District is having an amazing summer and hope you are as well. There are many things going on to improve and maintain things as we anticipate our students’ return shortly. Among other things:
· We have installed sidewalk covers at the Ozark Elementary student drop off zone, they look really nice and will be very functional for our many students that are transported by private vehicle to school. I love it when we get to do this type of thing that directly affects students immediately. We do have a truly awesome student population!
· OSD has installed a new track surface around the football field in Hillbilly Stadium. It is really nice and is now complete. We hope this provides several years of use for our students and community use.
· OSD has had a lot of painting done around campus, but notably at OJHS. The whole top of the building has been deep cleaned and painted. It looks great and really makes me want to get the rest of the building done. Maybe next summer…
· OSD District Wide phone system is being installed as I type and we are hopeful this will be complete before students show up on August 20… We’re excited about this for many reasons. Campus security is very important and this improves security greatly. We will have the ability to communicate with the whole district at one time as well as zone it off to different buildings. Eventually, each teacher will have their own voicemail to communicate better with parents and we will use this for our bell systems. Lots of options and technology when we get it all set up and customized.
· We have a lot of teacher, administrator and staff training going on and it is really going to ramp up as we get closer to the first of school. It is really nice to see our wonderful staff starting to filter in and prepare for their students and the upcoming school year.
· We’re looking forward to implementing the Bring Your Own Device this year. This will begin in the High School for this year and we are going to ease into it, but this has great educational implications for our students.
· Test data has been filtering in all summer and we have a lot to be proud of and some areas that need attention. Standardized test scores are one measurement of student success. The big pieces of the puzzle are in place for growing student success, talented students, talented teachers and a great school/community. The areas we need to improve most are really just utilizing all of the tools we have available to ensure student success. OSD staff are always going to be committed to learning and growing to meet ever-changing diverse needs of our student population. It’s our mission, it’s what we do!
· Pre-K is coming to OSD for the 2012-2013 school year. Ozark SD was awarded an ABC Grant to fund this program. We are really excited about this opportunity for 20 four year olds. It will be housed in the Ozark Kindergarten Center and we are working hard to pull this together in a short amount of time.
· Technology guys have been very busy this summer. We’re replacing labs at OMS, OJHS and Ozark Primary. We have been notified that we are going to receive some funding for improving the OHS Business Lab (with Apple Macs and some awesome software!) as well as trying to get more computers into each classroom. Technology is great and changing the world of education, but it definitely has its challenges. Thank a Tech Guy when you get a chance!
· Transportation, Athletics, Food Service and the rest of the Ozark SD staff have worked hard much of the summer to get things ready for students on August 20.
This list is not comprehensive, just an idea of some of the things going on around here that involve your kids and community. We want to build a culture of learning second to none where all students are healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged. OSD thanks you for all of your support last year; I look forward to another great school year full of student learning, academic success and celebration. Stay cool and enjoy what's left of Summer 2012!
