Pence Staff Shout-out for Katherine Al-Khanfar!!!
Katherine has many years of experience in special education. She brings a lot of valuable ideas and experiences to our team. Katherine handles many difficult situations with grace. Katherine genuinely cares about the well-being of those around her and does what she can to make situations better for all parties involved. We are very lucky to have Katherine at Pence!
Today, there was a gas leak detected at Washington Elementary School this morning. The staff and students were safely and immediately evacuated from the building and then moved by bus to the high school.
Alliant Energy came on site and helped to repair the leak and make sure the school was safe for staff and students to return. After returning to the school, classes resumed as normal.
Dismissals at the end of the school day will operate as regularly planned.
Pence Staff Shout-out for Kirstin Fry!
Kirstin is helpful, thoughtful and great with kiddos. She holds her students to high standards and pushes them everyday, while having fun & learning with them. She is such a great asset to the Pence family, as she is flexible and willing to help out in any way she can.
Pence Staff Shout-out: Jen Messer, Beth Paul & Carol Dorothy!!!
All three of these adults have been incredibly helpful all year in our classroom! They are kind, positive, and the students all love seeing them each day. They are such an important part of our room, and when one is missing, the students always wonder where they went and say how much they miss them. I am incredibly grateful for their support with students and with preparing materials for class. Beth, Jen, and Carol all do a great job loving students and letting them know how much they matter. Thank you for everything you three do. You are an essential piece of our classroom!
Due to weather conditions, Fairfield Schools are on a 2-hour delay.
In 2021, Fairfield Community School District asked voters for a new $30 million Middle School building, and the voters did not support it. The district listened to voters and re-evaluated the process to look at a long-range plan for the district. A facilities assessment was completed in 2020, and the district partnered with the architect firm FEH Design. FEH Design then reviewed the assessment. The assessment identified that hundreds of thousands of dollars need to be invested into each of the four school buildings for maintenance, safety, and ADA requirements. The district recruited a community advisory task force to look at long-term visions for the district’s facilities.
The school board wants to make wise decisions that align with the community's long-term visions and financial capabilities so funding is not expended in a short-sighted way. Please take a few minutes to respond to this important survey.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FCSDcommsurvey
Staff Shout-out for Nurse Miller!!!
Nurse Miller has a very important job. She not only takes care of our students at Pence, but she also takes care of our staff with any health concerns we have. Her day is split between Pence and FMS, which creates a very busy schedule. Also not to mention all the paperwork she has to keep track of on each student and adult, helping teach Health class at FMS, dental & vision screenings, along with all the daily health needs. We are very fortunate to have such a caring nurse to take care of our students at Pence & FMS.
Due to foggy conditions, Fairfield Schools will run classes on a one hour delay.
Staff Shout-out for Lori Bliek
Lori has been with Pence Elementary for just over a year. She came here with a wealth of information from nearly 10 years of experience in an autism program. Her expertise has been so key in her position and supporting our students with special needs. Lori is a natural teacher. We are so lucky to have such a compassionate & humble leader who does everything with the student’s best interest in mind. We are so lucky she chose Pence.
Fairfield Community School District will dismiss school at 10:00 this morning, January 11, 2023. Pence Elementary is without electricity due to an Alliant transformer. Alliant will work on the system today, and school will resume tomorrow. All schools will be dismissed in the district. After-school activities are as scheduled at the high school. Middle School activities and practices are canceled. There will be no after-school program at Washington, Pence, or Homework club at the middle school.
Free/Reduced Meal Applications can still be submitted for the '22-'23 school year.
Visit the ACT to fill out an application or visit our website to download, print, fill out complete with signatures on front and back and turn into the ACT. Or you can scan and email it to fcsdfoodservice@fairfieldsfuture.org.
If your student(s) has already qualified for this school year, you do not need to submit another application for this school year. Also, if your income changes at any time, you may reapply.
If you are unsure if you should fill out an application, contact Stephanie Hawkins at (641) 472-2655 ext 6703 or stephanie.hawkins@fairfieldsfuture.org.
Staff Shout-out for Karen Witzenburg!
Karen is a valued team member! This year she stepped into the library associate position and has done an amazing job at it. With this position, we have also added the responsibilities of typing and she’s done that with no complaints. Most of all, we appreciate her flexibility to step into a classroom and sub when we are short substitute teachers. Her positive attitude and get it done mentality, are truly a gift to us at Pence. We are so lucky to have her back with us at Pence!
Happy New Year!
A friendly reminder that if your student is a car rider, to please use the pick-up/drop-off line on School Place Avenue. It is much too dangerous to have kids dropped off & picked up off of 6th Street. We appreciate your understanding & efforts to keep everyone safe. Have a great weekend! :)Mrs. Jones
Pence Staff Shout-out for Hannah Sturm!
Hannah is a very caring and compassionate teacher. While she models what is expected from her students each and every day, she is always looking to make learning fun for her students. Anyone can walk into the room and you are greeted with a big smile and validated for coming in the door. She is a valued team member of our Pence Family and we are so lucky to have her in our special education department.
Due to predicted weather conditions, FCSD is cancelling classes for Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022.
ACT Holiday Hours
Staff Shout-out for Brian Dunlap
Mr. Dunlap is a team leader and an encouraging influence to our staff and students. Kids love PE and being with Mr. Dunlap. He is frequently heard to ask “What’s going down?” and not just in passing but truly listening to the reply from students or coworkers. He encourages others to be their best selves and stay healthy with physical activity and positive thinking. He is a positive influence as a coach for high school football and cross country at FHS. We are fortunate to have him being a positive role model for hundreds of young children.
Reminder of this week's holiday dress-up days:
Monday- Cozy Monday- Wear your PJs
Tuesday- Toasty Tuesday- Wear your favorite socks
Wednesday- Santa or Grinch- Wear red or green
Thursday- Sweater Day- Wear your favorite holiday sweater
Friday- Comfy Friday- Wear your favorite sweats
*****SPARK UPDATE*****
The spark sessions have completed, but if you were not able to attend, you can see all of the work that was done and designs that were created at the following address:
https://fehdesignsparks.com/fa...
*****SPARK UPDATE*****
FHS Esports is playing in the state championship game tomorrow night!! Come and meet the players, learn about the game, and watch the first esports state appearance in history!! For more info, click this link:
https://www.fairfieldsfuture.org/article/919426
#OneFairfield
