WYOMING INDIAN SCHOOLS
JANUARY
Michelle Hoffman-Interim
Superintendent of Schools
2015
Scott Morrow-Athletic Director
Owen St. Clair -Elementary Principal
Phil Garhart-High School Principal
Pam Gambler- Middle School Principal
WYOMING INDIAN SCHOOL’S VISION STATEMENT “… empowering students to become successful individuals and
citizens who can adapt to living within two worlds: a constantly and rapidly changing world, and one of cultural awareness and
tradition.”
Superintendents Message
Happy New Years! I would like to address a couple issues with parents and guardians this month.
The first issue has to do with safety and our school buses. If your child misses their bus in the mornings please do not try to follow
the bus in your vehicle and try to stop it. All school bus drivers have been trained to NOT stop the bus. We have had reports that
parents will try to get the buses to pull over and have their child board the bus. Drivers cannot make a stop while on the highways.
It is unsafe for the student trying to board the bus and for those riding. If your child misses their bus and you cannot drive to the
school, please call the school and we will try to make arrangements to get your child picked up. Also, please remember that our
drivers are on a strict schedule. If they pick up 20 students on their route, and each student is 2 minutes late our busses will be 40
minutes behind schedule. All drivers are expected to stop at each pickup spot, but can only wait a short period of time. Have your
children ready before the bus arrives.
The second issue deals with school closures due to winter conditions. Our district staff understands that our decision to open or close
schools in bad weather has a big effect on families. We also understand that our students are better served – both academically and
socially – by being in school. But as always, our top priority is the safety of our students. (Continued on next page)
Michelle Hoffman, FCSD #14 Superintendent
UPCOMING EVENTS
Early Release for Students/Staff PLC Accreditation
February 4, 2015
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS/District Staff In-service
February 16, 2015
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS & STAFF/Regional Basketball
February 27, 2015
Regular meetings of the Board of Trustees of Fremont County
School District Number 14, State of Wyoming, are held each month,
at 6 o’clock p.m., on the second Tuesday of each month in the
auditorium of the administration buildings at 638 Blue Sky Highway
in Ethete, Wyoming, and such meetings are open to the public
JOM-IEC MEETING
January 19, 2014 @ Middle School cafeteria, 5:30 PM
Parents & guardians of JOM students are welcome!
Notice to Parents, Guardians, Patrons & Students of Fremont County School District #14
“The Fremont County School District #14 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment
or employment in, its educational programs or activities. Inquiries concerning Title II, Title VII, Title IX, may be referred to Dave Rushforth, Assistant Superintendent &
Coordinator for the Office for Civil Rights, 307-332-3904. Inquiries concerning Section 504 may be referred to Pamela Gambler, Section 504 Coordinator, 307-332-2992
or all inquiries may be mailed to the attention of the coordinator at Fremont County School District #14, 638 Blue Sky Highway, Ethete, Wyoming 82520”
Continued Superintendents Message
HOW DO WE MAKE OUR DECISION?
Please understand that we make the
decision to open or close the schools
in bad weather based on a careful
analysis of all relevant factors, such
as:
 Information on road
conditions from
transportation staff and
from the police. We must
give careful consideration to
the most dangerous roads in
the district. Even if your
street looks clear, travel
elsewhere in the district
may be dangerous. Also, we
must consider that some
high school students drive to
school.
 Amount of snow and ice
accumulated.
 Whether precipitation is
continuing.
 Building conditions (such as
whether we have electricity
and heat).
 Parking lot conditions.
Administrators talk to
maintenance and custodial
staff members who are
responsible for clearing and
treating school parking lots
and sidewalks.
 Temperature and wind chill.
Please remember that some
of our students walk to
school and a good majority
must wait outside for the
bus.
 Weather predictions. We
prefer not making our
decision based on weather
predictions, which are not
always accurate. But
sometimes this is
unavoidable.
What other school districts are doing.
We also share information with other
local districts and check whether they
are opening or closing.
WHO MAKES THE DECISION?
As Superintendent of schools, I am
responsible for the final decision,
based on the above factors and
recommendations from the director
of transportation and the director of
building facilities.
HOW IS THE PUBLIC NOTIFIED?
Tune to KOVE 1330, KDLY 97.5,
KVOW 1450, KTAK 93.9, KTRZ 93.1,
and KWRR 89.5 for up-to-date
information on school closings. Do
not call the school unless it is an
emergency.
WHEN IS THE DECISION MADE?
I must make the decision by 5:30 AM
or earlier so we can notify radio
stations. If I wait longer to announce
a closing, some parents will have
already left for work, leaving their
children unsupervised.
WILL WE CLOSE SCHOOLS IF
CONDITIONS WORSEN?
Keep in mind that, even if weather
conditions worsen, we cannot
reverse our decision in the morning
without endangering students. Once
we make the decision to open the
schools, many parents rely on it and
leave for work. If we then send
students right back home, many will
return to unsupervised bus stops and
empty houses. If conditions get
worse during the school day, we may
need to have an early dismissal, but
we will give adequate notice to all
parents first.
Although my staff and I do our
absolute best in this process, we
know that often no perfect decision
exists. If you do not feel as though it
is safe for your child to attend school,
use your best judgment on whether
he or she should attend. Also,
discourage teenagers from driving in
bad conditions and offer them
alternatives if weather conditions
worsen.
We hope that this explanation helps
everyone understand the process
that our district staff uses to make
the best possible decision for all in
our district.
Special Education Department
Blessings and laughter in the New
Year!
What is The Least Restrictive
Environment (LRE)?
The Least Restrictive Environment
(LRE) is the educational environment
providing the greatest exposure to
and interaction with general
education students and persons
without disabilities. The LRE enables
a student with a disability to receive
a free and appropriate public
education (FAPE). This is grounded in
the belief that the general education
environment is appropriate for
educating all students. It is also
anticipated that the entitled
individual will need special
assistance, referred to as
accommodations and/or
modifications, in order to be
successful in the general education
setting and the general education
curriculum.
The general education environment
includes the general education
curriculum, instruction, academic
opportunities and settings that
nondisabled students experience, as
well as the nonacademic and
extracurricular activities in which
nondisabled students participate.
The LRE decision is based on:
•
The specific needs of the
individual student;
•
Whether the entitled
individual may need individualized
assistance in the general education
setting; and
•
A review of the continuum
of services.
The Wyoming Indian School:
Continuum of Special Education
Services document is available on the
school website
http://www.fremont14.k12.wy.us or
from your child’s case manager.
Yours in quality education for all,
Dawn Scarince,
Special Education Director
STREP THROAT HEALTH TIPS by
Jeanna Stewart, RN, Middle
School Nurse Dept.
We are so excited to have our middle
school kids back from the holiday
break! Unfortunately this time of
year we are fighting many bugs that
cause sickness in our kids. Sore
throats are one of the more frequent
problems that I see in the nurse’s
office. There are many sources of
sore throats, strep throat is one
example of what might be causing
your child’s discomfort.
Strep throat is a common occurrence
in middle school children. It is a
bacterial infection that is caused by
Streptococcus pyrogenes. It is spread
through airborne droplets from a
cough or sneeze. It can also be
spread by touching an infected
surface and then touching your eyes,
nose, or mouth.
Strep throat can present in many
different ways. Symptoms of strep
include:
❖ Fever
❖ Red, swollen tonsils,
sometimes with white spots
❖ Rash
❖ Stomachache, vomiting
❖ Fatigue
❖ Headache
❖ Swollen, tender lymph
nodes
❖ Small red spots on the roof
of mouth
Strep throat can be diagnosed at
your physician’s office with a throat
culture and/or a rapid antigen test
which are both swabs of the back of
your throat. It is treatable by oral
antibiotics or a one-time injection of
a specific antibiotic at your doctor’s
office. Please let your doctor know if
you have any allergies to medications
prior to treatment.
Prevention for strep throat include
regular hand washing. Please remind
your children to cover their sneeze or
cough. It is also important that you
and your family do not share
personal items, including forks, cups,
etc. And as always, plenty of rest and
fluids are important for your child’s
health.
If strep throat goes untreated, it can
lead to complications like rheumatic
fever. Rheumatic fever can affect the
heart, joints, and nervous system.
Scarlet fever is another complication
of strep, presenting as a fine rash.
Kidney inflammation is also a
complication of untreated strep
throat.
If you are suspicious that your child
has strep throat, please contact your
primary care provider. It is important
that you keep your child at home for
the first 24 hours of antibiotic
treatment of strep throat so that
your child does not further spread
the bacteria to others at school.
Please feel free to contact me at 3322992 with any questions or concerns!
News from the Shoshone Camp by
Lynette St. Clair, Shoshone Language
Teacher
Seeka Zahn Dahvay! It’s a good day
at Wyoming Indian Middle School!
This school year has been good.
Students have been introduced to
instructional methods that
incorporate the values of the
Shoshone people. In September, our
class learned about the value of
Respect. The basic concept is simple:
In order to have Respect for others,
you must first have respect for
yourself. This lead into the project
titled “I am Me ~ Eeshuh Nuh”.
Students developed self-introduction
presentations that taught me (and
themselves) about their likes/dislikes
and what was important to them.
Presentations were done using
Chrome books that our school district
has so graciously provided us with.
Parents were invited to view their
student’s presentation during our
Parent Teacher Conferences in
October. Hooweehoo to the parents
who came in to view their student’s
presentation!
October was the theme of Courage
where students learned about the
importance of being brave and
having the courage to stand up for
what they believed in. Examples
included discussions on doing the
right thing in times of crisis, resisting
peer pressure, and the value of
education. Our grandparents and
their parents didn’t have advocates
to speak up for them when they were
young. Knowing the history of the
boarding school system is an
important lesson that was shared.
The early boarding school systems
forced tribal people to forget their
culture, language and spirituality.
Many had to have Courage to resist
the urge to give up. Our ancestors
fought hard to retain their tribal
languages and identity. Without
those who had the Courage to retain
this traditional knowledge we would
not be here to pass on these
important lessons of Culture,
Traditions, and Language.
Our class covered the value of Honor
in November. We recognize the
efforts of our Veterans, both past
and present, who served our country.
Our soldiers, dumuh Doo-gwah-soo,
fought for the values that we
continue to pass on in our class;
Respect, Courage, and Honor.
December will cover the value of
Generosity. Lessons included in this
month’s unit will discuss what
generosity looks like and how we
practice being generous in our daily
lives. Putting others before yourself is
a value that has been handed down
for generations. In our community,
we practice this value through many
traditional concepts. This is evident in
the way our community draws on
each other in the time of need. We
show our generosity when we take
food to a family member who is sick,
or by helping them get through hard
times. We show our generosity when
we pitch in at feasts or family
gatherings and when we have
giveaways. These are just some of
the ways we display the nature of
giving – and sharing.
Last, the students continue to
progress in the use of our language
and need your help and
encouragement at home. Beginning
in January, we will start a newsletter
to send home at the beginning of the
month so you know what words they
will be learning and help you learn
alongside your student. As always, if
you have any questions or concerns,
feel free to contact the Shoshone
Language classroom at 332-2292, ext.
130.
Oose! HooWeeHoo / Ha Hou!
Mrs. Lynette St. Clair, Shoshone
Language Teacher