Our students and staff have settled into their routines and fall sports are in full swing with many football and volleyball games, as well as cross country track meets already in the books! Fall is always an exciting time of year as we look forward to cooler weather and enjoy supporting our students in all their endeavors.
October is a busy month! October 14-18 is School Lunch Week. The theme for the week is “Find Your Treasure.” Our Child Nutrition program will incorporate some special menu items and activities along with special guests to serve meals during that week. Our child nutrition staff works hard to prepare nutritious meals for our students throughout the year, and we anticipate some surprises from them during this week!
School Bus Safety Week is October 21-25. Your child’s bus driver is the first school system employee to see your child in the morning and the last one to see them in the afternoon. Bus drivers have additional training beyond the standard commercial driver’s license to become qualified to transport up to 72 students daily. Encourage your child(ren) to do their part by following their bus driver’s instructions, staying seated while the bus is moving, and adhering to all safety rules as outlined in our Elmore County Student Handbook and Code of Conduct. Please express your appreciation to your child’s bus driver for safely transporting your child(ren) each day.
October 23-31 is Red Ribbon Week. The Red Ribbon Campaign is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation, reaching millions of young people across the country each year. This year’s theme is “Life is a Movie, Film Drug Free™”. The theme is a reminder that ordinary Americans nationwide contribute significantly to their communities every day by embracing a drug-free lifestyle. Each school plans engaging activities for students centered around drug awareness and prevention. Please encourage your child(ren) to participate, but most importantly, talk with them about staying healthy and drug-free.
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October is also National Bullying Prevention Month. In conjunction with Red Ribbon Week, our schools incorporate activities for students that focus on bullying prevention, reporting bullying, and appropriate interpersonal interactions.
Our top priority is for every student and employee to feel safe at school. We have addressed this through secured perimeters, limited entry points, School Resource Officers on every campus, mental health resources, social media monitoring, drills, policies to combat bullying, and a focus on positive student/teacher relationships. We continually monitor and evaluate our policies and procedures to ensure a safe environment where every student is empowered and every student succeeds!
Richard Dennis is the Superintendent of Education for Elmore County Schools. He is a 1983 graduate of Holtville High School. He served 21 years as a high school principal at Holtville High, Wetumpka High and most recently, Prattville High. He and wife, Leslie (also an educator) have three sons and a daughter.
