November 6, 2023

As our first quarter wraps up I want to thank our staff, students, parents, and trustees for a successful start to the school year. While we still have work to do regarding the implementation of a four-day school week, I am confident we are on the right track. Staff continue to make adjustments to their curriculum and instruction. Students, staff, and parents are adapting to new routines. I am encouraged by the positive attitudes and perseverance on display every day. I am especially grateful for student, staff, and parent feedback on how the school year is progressing, especially with regards to the four-day school week. Feedback informs our day to day decision-making, as well as our planning for the future. The District will send out a survey soliciting feedback on the four-day school week. This is one of many opportunities for providing feedback that will be made available to our stakeholders.

Join me the second Tuesday of every month for the Superintendent Advisory Council. All are welcome. The purpose of the council is to solicit input from stakeholders on matters important to the District. Parents and community members meet from 5:30pm-6:30pm in the high school activities room. The regular monthly Board meeting follows the Superintendent Advisory Council meeting, starting promptly at 7pm. This year’s Superintendent Advisory Council meetings will focus on the four-day school week and open enrollment. I will solicit feedback from parents and community members on the current state of the four-day school week. I will also solicit input on open enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year. An invitation and agenda will be posted to the District’s Facebook page a week prior to each meeting. An email inviting parents and guardians will be sent, as well. I look forward to working alongside you for the benefit of our students.

Please consider partnering with the Manhattan Public Schools as a corporate sponsor. Corporate sponsorship helps to enhance student achievement and increases opportunities provided to our school and community through extracurricular and cocurricular programs. Through partnerships with corporate sponsors, we are able to create a first class environment and provide top shelf programs. The District is seeking new sponsors to join our longstanding corporate sponsors and partners. We currently have advertising space on our arena scorer’s tables, video display boards in the commons, and game day banners for all home football and softball games. Please contact Amanda Dyksterhouse at 406-284-6460, or at adyksterhouse@mhstigers.org, with any questions regarding corporate sponsorship.

The District is committed to continued transparency and accountability. We will continue to inform all stakeholders via town hall meetings, Superintendent Advisory Council meetings, regular school board meetings, Facebook, email, website, and radio. We look forward to working alongside community partners with the intended outcome of providing an environment that promotes student success in education and in life.

Sincerely,