Hutchinson Athletics

Nominate outstanding USD 308 staff today! www.usd308.com/eoy It is time to make your nominations for the 2024-2025 Classified Employee of the Year, Certified Employee of the Year, and Davis Foundation Educator of the Year. Salthawk staff are crucial to the success of Hutchinson Public Schools. They are responsible for executing the district's day-to-day operations, educating our students, and providing a nurturing environment for our students. We believe our staff bring valuable assets to the district as they contribute their skills, expertise, passion, and collective effort to achieve our district mission of educating and empowering every Salthawk for life! Thank you for your time and support of our amazing USD 308 staff. We look forward to honoring these staff members in the coming months.

Reminder! There is no school tomorrow, January 30, for Parent/Teacher Conferences, and no school Friday, January 31.

Dear USD 308 Parents: No school for USD 308 on Tuesday, January 7. As I drove around town and our schools this afternoon, it is still clear that we are contending with a stubborn layer of ice on all sidewalks, driveways, and roadways in and around our schools. Ensuring your child or children’s safe return to school is very important to me; therefore, I am cancelling school for Tuesday. Stay safe and warm, Dr. Johnson

You're invited to learn more about the YMCA at Adaptive Family Night. Enjoy open swim and gym time with your family on October 5th from 6-8pm. This is open to USD 308 and USD 313 Families.

All Sports Passes are good for all regular season athletic events at HHS & HMS. Single admission (adult or student) to Middle School is $5, and $7 for HHS. Get yours All Sports Pass today! https://gofan.co/event/1551474?schoolId=KS25152

REMINDER: No school Monday! RECORDATORIO: ¡No hay clases el lunes!

USD 308 will not be in school on Monday, September 2nd. All buildings and offices will be closed in recognition of Labor Day.

Dear Salthawk Family, You can view the Summer 2024 Newsletter here: https://secure.smore.com/n/uvs6d In it you will find: Enrollment Links Meal Prices & Info Supply Lists Contact Information & More! We look forward to a great year! USD 308 Administration

Dear USD 308 Community Members, Over the past two weeks, the District has been conducting community meetings to gather public input regarding a master facilities plan that meets the current and future needs of the USD 308 community. At this point in the process, we are asking for your input by completing a brief anonymous survey. The survey is being managed by ExcellenceK12, a company that works with school districts on community research. It should take you 3 to 5 minutes to complete. Please note, the survey can only be taken once per device (laptop, tablet, etc.). Also, if you begin the survey and then exit before you have completed it, the system will not let you return later. All your answers will be anonymous. If you completed a survey following a community event, this is a separate survey, and we ask you to please take a moment to complete this one in addition. USD 308 Parents and Staff have been surveyed separately. Link to the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HutchinsonPublicSchoolsCommunitySurvey2024 The survey will close Tuesday, April 23rd at 11:59pm. We look forward to hearing from you!

Happy National School Counseling Week! School counselors support students in and out of the classroom to reach their academic and well-being goals. This week, reach out and thank your school counselors for all they do! #NSCW24

USD 308 is cancelling school for Wednesday, January 10. As winter weather conditions persist, the accumulation of snow in school parking lots has created challenging and potentially hazardous conditions, raising concerns for safe vehicle navigation during drop-off and pick-up times.  There are additional power outages at schools in which we are working to resolve. The additional day will allow USD 308 maintenance crews to clear lots and sidewalks in preparation for parent-teacher conferences on Thursday.  Please stay safe and warm.  We look forward to seeing parents on Thursday and students on Tuesday, January 16 when school resumes. Thursday, January 11 – No school due to Parent-Teacher Conferences Friday, January 12 – No School Monday, January 15 – No School, Martin Luther King Holiday

Dear Salthawk Family, USD 308 will NOT be in session tomorrow, Tuesday, January 9th due to the impending weather forecast. The district will be closed. Stay warm and stay safe!

Dear Salthawks, School is canceled for today, Friday, January 5th.

Congratulations to Hutchinson AD Jon McLean. Jon completed the coursework and passed the exam to earn the title of Certified Athletic Administrator by the NIAAA. Jon is one of the Best of the Best!

Hawk Talk November 17th, 2023 with Dr. Dawn Johnson This week we celebrate our students, families, staff, substitutes and community as a part of American Education Week 2023 in Hutchinson Public Schools. #aew2023 Watch it on Facebook: https://fb.watch/onBONvU352/ Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Bi6nJNvgBrU

Today we are celebrating our ‘subs’ and wrapping up American Education Week. Substitute Educators play a vital role in the maintenance and continuity of daily education. These professional educators provide a critical link in the education of our students by serving as a bridge to provide continued quality education in the temporary absence of regular classroom educators. Give us a like and a share if you think substitute educators are awesome! Want to give kudos for an awesome sub? Visit www.usd308.com/staffkudos

Education Support Professionals Day was first celebrated in 1987! National ESP Day is observed on Wednesday of American Education Week. Want to give a shoutout? Visit www.usd308.com/staffkudos We've seen ESPs go above and beyond for every Salthawk every day. On ESP Day, join us to honor the ESPs who continue keeping students safe, healthy, and ready to learn. #letsgetloud #awe2023 #isupportpubliceducation #onceasalthawkalwaysasalthawk #everysalthawkeveryday

As we celebrate American Education Week, we wanted to thank our staff for their dedication to providing an inviting, safe, innovative, and loving environment for our students to learn. Together, we achieve excellence! Sincerely, USD 308 Board of Education & Administration

We are kicking off American Education Week! Celebrated each year the week before Thanksgiving, American Education Week: “An educational week ... observed in all communities annually for the purpose of informing the public of the accomplishments and needs of the public schools and to secure the cooperation and support of the public in meeting those needs.” This year’s theme is “Together for Safe, Just & Equitable Schools.” We will be celebrating our staff, parents, and community all week. If you’d like to get in on the fun, you can leave a kudos here: www.usd308.com/staffkudos #aew2023 #letsgetloud #onceasalthawkalwaysasalthawk

New Calm Room at Hutchinson High School Named After Former Educator HUTCHINSON, KS- Rusty’s room is a new safe space for students to re-center both physically and emotionally outside of their Hutch High classroom. Named after Rusty Hilst, a Hutchinson High school teacher and golf coach, the room sits in the classroom where he taught Math for 53 of his 54 years of teaching. Located in C-hall, Rusty’s room hosts soft chairs, soft lighting, a therapy dog named Coco, fidget items, a bubble tube light zone, calming sounds, and other self-regulation opportunities. The calm room aims to lower tension. There is a ClearTouch screen to watch guided meditation and breathing videos. One chair in the room is a privacy chair with high sides and a cushioned seat. Part of the self-regulation challenge is educating the educators on how and when to use the room. “Students who are dysregulated have different needs than those that are in need of a nurse or needing behavior modification. Sometimes a student just needs a break because they have become overwhelmed with life and they can’t focus on their school work for a bit. We are able to impact students within minutes by offering a calm environment to reset and return to class.” said Jan Young, one of the school social workers overseeing Rusty’s Room. Students may request to visit Rusty’s room, but teacher or administrator approval is required. Maximum capacity is 3 students at any time in order to give each student ample space and privacy. All time in the room is supervised by a social worker or educational aide with the intent of a student returning to the learning environment as quickly as possible. Rusty’s room also hosts a small group of students for a recurring coping skills meeting and a group focusing on life skills for special education students. “We know it works because we have seen these techniques put to use in the education environment in the past. We have simply created a space to use them. We all know that slow, regulated breathing is scientifically proven to lower your heart rate. You’ve probably used breathing practices in your life.” Tanya Martin-Nisly stated. Martin-Nisly is also a social worker at HHS. “If a student can drop in for a few minutes to reset then they may be less likely to skip class, or be confrontational with other students or staff. We just want the students to be able to focus on learning and you can’t learn if you’re dysregulated.” As usage of the room catches on, HHS staff hope to track how many minutes students spend in the room during the 2023-2024 school year and are looking for a correlation in attendance, absenteeism, or instances of behavior requiring disciplinary action. “I’ll be honest, as a Hutch High grad, I can’t tell you enough how much a room like this would’ve helped! We are so lucky to be able to offer this room to our students,” Kurtis Ferguson, educational aide.