Superintendent’s Board Report, September 2022
James D. Fossett
General Comments:
Summer has flown by and the school year has begun. Welcome back to all EsCSD students and staff! I hope your summer was relaxing and renewing. I’ve visited each classroom and they look great! Teachers have prepared and polished, in preparation for the new year. During the summer our maintenance team has worked hard to make school facilities even better. Thanks to all those who have worked tirelessly over the summer.
Teachers/Students:
We welcome Tom Lyman to the Dyer teaching staff. He has years of experience in teaching and leadership. Tom will be the Principal/ASO of Dyer and teach middle school. We also welcome Jasmine Simental as our new ASO for Esmeralda Virtual High School. She will also be our Behavioral Specialist and balance other district responsibilities as well. Jasmine, welcome to the high school and to your new job as District Coordinator. Carissa Abbott will be the new ASO for Silver Peak Elementary and both Josh and Carissa Abbott will be in district support roles this year. Thank you Josh and Carissa.
Important Dates:
Labor Day September 6th - No School Monday
Professional Development (EsCSD) September 10th - Friday 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Board Meeting September 13th - 6:15 PM in Dyer
PLC/Safety Committee:
Our monthly PLC/Safety Committee meeting in September will be focused on identifying our top priorities for the school year and reviewing feedback from security specialists who have met with us in August for training.
Personnel and School Structure:
On a temporary basis, we are transporting our Silver Peak students to Goldfield School, but maintaining back to school night, and other activities at Silver Peak. Mr. Abbott will support interventions in Goldfield, while Mrs. Abbott is helping out with middle school instruction in Dyer. The Silver Peak students are participating in larger, more robust classroom environments. This is a temporary fix to meet student needs throughout the district.
District Facilities and Bus Update:
We recently received a resignation from Monahan Graymountain and are actively working on getting a bus driver for the Goldfield to Tonopah route. Doug is covering for now. Our Goldfield numbers on the bus are substantially reduced, because more students are attending the EsCSD Virtual High School. Ms. Simental is doing a great job of welcoming our new high school students, and our new high school support rooms have been very well received by students.
Superintendent/Board:
Summer has been a busy time in education this year. Many districts are struggling to fill teaching, bus driver, leadership, and other positions. As a group, the superintendents of the 17 districts signed a letter to the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) requesting a substantial change in the testing calendar for 2022-2023 and were gratified to receive support for our request from the NDE. RPDP, the professional development branch of the NDE, has offered their services in trainings for staff and we look forward to our continued relationship with that professional group. This year we are continuing our work to smooth out Infinite Campus, offer more support for reading interventions, and collaborate on the development of guided reading practices. We’re off to a great start!
