April 14, 2023
The spring extra-curricular events are well underway and it is hard to believe the spring seasons are almost halfway done. Graduation will be here on Sunday, May 14th and Commencement is at 2:00pm at East Marshall High School. This is an exciting time of year and we look forward to celebrating the milestones at levels.
The annual ISASP assessments for district has occurred. I commend all of our students and staff for focusing on doing a great job during testing. The annual assessments allow us to review academic growth and the data we receive from the assessments is valuable. Good work to all students and staff who brought this together and made it a successful assessment experience.
Our curriculum director, Melissa Blohm, is leading a team of social studies teachers through an update curriculum review/cycle. One of the goals of this review is to update our curriculum and curriculum resources. We look forward to hearing what the team will recommend for updates and purchase.
The annual FY24 Budget was approved and the tax rate for the school district will experience a small decline this year. Over the last five years the district has worked hard at buying down the past G.O. bonds without increasing taxes. The district has adjusted revenues, similar to refinancing, over the past five years to buy down our G.O. liabilities, thus saving money for the local tax payers. This planning and approach has allowed the district to pay off the existing facilities debt based on G.O. bonds. This May will be the district’s final payment on the current G.O. bond debt, thus allowing the tax rates to briefly decrease for a time.
The school district is in the planning stages for facility updates. The school board is meeting with the architect and is in the early stages of planning for the next facility improvement and upgrade. The public is invited to engage in the planning in the near future.
As always, if you have questions or comments in regards to the district, feel free to reach out to me at any time. I can be contacted at the district office in Gilman.
Yours in education,
Anthony Ryan
Superintendent
March 20, 2023
Spring is officially here and the forecast indicates temperatures to be more mild this week. We are heading in the right direction! We appreciate the flexibility and support when we have to change bus routes to hard surface only. We realize this is not convenient for our families and we work hard to limit the transitions.
Movie Family Night at Laurel Elementary was a huge success. Fun was had by all and the turn out was impressive! Thank you to all our volunteers and staff ensuring this event was a success for the kids!
Spring activities are in full swing for the junior high and high school sports. Track started several days ago and the golf team is in the first few days of practice. We look forward to this season and the warmer temperature. Being able to have activities outside is something we are looking forward to.
We are officially on the downhill slide of the second semester. Seniors are beginning to hand out graduation reception invitations and Commencement will be here before we know it. The next few weeks will go by quickly and we encourage all of our families to enjoy the time.
As always, I may be contacted by email or phone at the district office. Today is a great day to be a Mustang!!!
Regards,
Anthony Ryan
Superintendent
Jan. 18, 2023
Dear East Marshall CSD Parents,
This message is in regards to the storm system moving through our area this evening and overnight. The weather models have firmed up forecasts and the timing of the start of the system is for later this afternoon and evening.
All school related meetings, extra-curricular practices, and staff meetings scheduled for 3:15pm or after for today are postponed. There will be no evening activities or meetings.
Decisions that will impact school for tomorrow will be determined later this evening or early tomorrow morning.
Thank you for your support, flexibility, and patience as the district works through another winter storm system.
Regards,
Anthony Ryan
Superintendent
Sept. 26, 2022
The 2022-2023 school year is well underway and we are at the midterm phase of the first nine weeks of school. The first few weeks have zipped by and Parent-Teacher Conferences will be here before we know it. The fall athletic teams are in full swing and our boys’ cross-country team is experiencing some state ranking recognition. The middle school events are showing growth and development, which is right on track with our district’s philosophies for extra-curricular activities. Both the middle school and elementary are celebrating the Day of Awesomeness today and it was earned for all of the good things going on during the firs half of the nine week midterm.
Homecoming week was last week and we appreciate all of the support from our community and patrons. Students will be cleaning up the decorations today and we will put another year of Homecoming celebrations in the books.
MAP assessments will occur this week. The MAP assessments assist our educators in identifying needs of student academics, as well as, curriculum material that needs more attention and time. These assessments are very valuable for making calculated decisions as educators and we ask that parents reiterate with their student(s) about the importance of taking the assessments seriously.
The East Marshall Community School District has recently applied for the School Safety Grants that Governor Reynolds has allocated for school safety upgrades. As part of the initiative, East Marshall CSD has signed up for a third party facilities assessment that will focus on school safety and possible recommendations for improvement. The assessment will occur this fall. For the purpose of updating proposed improvements, our school district will receive $50,000 for each of our school buildings to help with suggested school safety facility upgrades. In addition, each of the school buildings will receive an allocated two-way radio for communication purposes during an emergency that involves the school.
The planning for general facility construction upgrades will occur this fall and winter. The FEH Architects will assist the district in working through the process of identifying needed upgrades and improvements for our facilities at East Marshall CSD. The intent and planned progression is to have firm decisions made by early summer 2023. More updates and briefs will be shared in the future.
As a reminder, we invite all parents, students, staff, and patrons to sign up for Iowa School Alerts found under the Parent tab on our website. By signing up your mobile phone and your email address you will be notified when weather related decisions are made for early outs and school cancellations.
As always, today is a great day to be a Mustang!
Regards,
Tony Ryan
Superintendent