Minco School District

Direction By Kevin Sims Minco Public Schools Superintendent January is designated as National School Board appreciation month. We at Minco Public Schools have great appreciation for our school board. You will be hard pressed to find a school district that has had as much positive growth in the last decade. In 2013 and 2018,we ambitiously put together two major construction projects that impacted our school, children and community. We are not stopping there. We look forward to more growth when the time is right! Leading can sometimes be difficult. We have had to make tough decisions, and we have done so with grace and dignity. This board is not afraid to tackle issues that are not real popular, but they do their due diligence and make solid decisions. They communicate and discuss and decide. They do not always agree with each other, but a consensus is reached and the level of civility is outstanding. I think Washington or Oklahoma City could learn a thing or two from our school board. The last two years have been very challenging and plain hard at times. Navigating covid and the distractions have been tough, but our board set very good policy. In fact I think we have had more success than most. We have kept our doors open with few exceptions the last few years. The reason we have had success is that we have had such strong policies in place to mitigate the virus and keep children as safe as possible. The Minco Board of Education has student learning at the forefront of their decision making. We are a well-rounded school with many great opportunities to help our students learn and grow in many areas. The commitment of our local board of education to help ensure our students learn in the classroom and through extracurricular activities is second to none. I want to thank Don McMahon, Lance Mckee, Charles Burchfield, Lisa Schneberger and Brad Bute for leading our district and doing a fine job for our children. Sometimes leading is not all it's cracked up to be, but they are all examples of making sure our students are in a great learning environment. If you see these board members out and about, give them a pat on the back and thank them for leading in the most challenging of times!

CALM IN THE STORM By Kevin Sims Minco Public Schools Superintendent On March 12, 2020 our lives changed. Fast forward to January 2022. A storm is really starting to rage. I think we all can see it. Political division beyond what I have ever witnessed. No longer are we reasonable people with different political views, but we are mortal enemies because of different ideologies. TImes have changed and not for the better. We are in a storm A virus has caused more division and outrage than any could have imagined. Mask vs No Mask, Vax vs No Vax, quarantine, separation from loved ones, people dying alone, over-filled hospitals, and the list could go on and on. People are tired. We are stressed and strained from the ongoing drama that has taken over our nation and quite honestly the world. We are in a storm. I do not have all of the answers to how to fix it. Quite frankly our national political leaders have failed us, and the media- well I only watch the local news and just a little national news anymore. The major national media drives their own narratives and treats people like sheep. We are pretty well told what and how to think than given information and allowed to create our own opinions. We are in a storm. Things are not where we want them to be, but you have my firm commitment and the commitment of Minco Public Schools to rise above the rhetoric of the day. We will continue to teach students in person daily, and we will continue to offer a virtual platform for those students who need that in their lives right now. Less than 5% of Minco students are virtual. We will continue to provide a high quality education to your children. We provide calm. Your children will be accepted, loved and cared for. We will continue to offer outstanding extracurricular opportunities in the arts, athletics, and vocational education such as FFA, 4H, FACS, BPA, etc.. We provide calm Daily we meet the needs of children from 7:00AM to 5:30PM. We provide three meals a day for many students, and students who need extra food are given food from our pantry every weekend. We work hard to provide for the physical needs for our students. We provide calm. We provide mental health counselors for students who are struggling. Starting next week, our agreement with Canadian Valley Pediatrics begins and students and staff needing treatment for covid, flu, strep and other ailments will have access to high quality medical care for no cost. We provide calm. In closing, we are in very challenging times as a nation. It's as if every day you think, what is happening next. We are in a storm in this country. No doubting that fact, but also another very important fact is that we at Minco are going to continue to provide our children and community with a school to bring calm for our children. We will continue to provide a quality in person education and love for our students.

I would like to congratulate Minco students: Jessica Clark, Caylee McPherson, Olivia Bross, Sierra Woodworth, and Julie Hoehner on earning the All Area Honor Band. The are representing our school today. We are proud of these students!!

We want to give a huge shoutout to Alex Firestone for representing Minco Middle School at the OKCDA All State Honor Choir this weekend!! What a huge accomplishment Alex!! we are proud of you buddy!!

This is a reminder that the Minco Minds In Motion Talent Show will be this Thursday at 5:15 in the high school auditorium. Reminder: No bus service for MIM this Thursday.

MINCO PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS AN IMMEDIATE NEED FOR TWO(2) CAFETERIA WORKERS. INTERESTED APPLICANTS SHOULD CALL KEYSTONE CHILD NUTRITON'S ROBIN CHAPMAN AT 405-714-4110

Minco Patrons, We at Minco Public Schools have received new guidance pertaining to Covid 19 isolation and quarantining. I am writing this letter to explain the process for moving forward unless changed by the CDC and OSDH: ISOLATION FROM A POSITIVE TEST: I- If you test positive for covid and have symptoms, You must wait five days after the last day the symptoms appeared to return to work or school. II- If you Test Positive and have no symptoms you may return to school or work after FIVE(5) days of isolation from the covid test. QUARANTINING FROM EXPOSURE TO SOMEONE IN THE HOME WITH COVID 19: I- If you have been given the booster, are within 6 months of receiving the Pfizer or Moderna Vaccine or 2 Months from completion of the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO QUARANTINE, BUT MUST WEAR A MASK FOR 10 OR WEAR A MASK FOR 5 DAYS AND COMPLETE A NEGATIVE TEST. II- If you have not been vaccinated or if you have been vaccinated more than 6 months ago and not boosted, YOU MUST QUARANTINE FOR FIVE(5) DAYS, AND YOU MAY RETURN TO WORK OR SCHOOL FOR FIVE DAYS AND YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK. IF YOU COMPLETE THE FIVE(5) DAYS OF QUARANTINE, AND HAVE A NEGATIVE TEST ON THE 5TH DAY, YOU MAY RETURN AND NOT WEAR A MASK. These new OSDH policies will take effect January 3, 2022. We greatly appreciate your patience as we navigate through this time of covid. As always, contact our offices if you have any questions about this guidance. Thank you, Kevin Sims Superintendent

School will resume next week. On January 3rd all employees will report to work, and students will return on Tuesday, January 4th. Thank you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year!! By Kevin Sims Minco Public Schools Superintendent I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New year!! This last year has been one of great challenges and success. Sometimes in the challenges it is easy to forget the message of hope that Christmas reminds us all of. I hope that over the next few days we can all reflect on the good things of life. This last year, we were able to pretty well stay in school all year with the exception of a few days. What we have done has worked. The education your children receive at Minco is very good. We have great opportunities, and when students leave here they are ready for college, the career tech, or the workforce. I applaud our teachers for their hard work and efforts to teach our students not only academics, but our staff teaches children how to be respectful and how to properly treat others. In the times we are in, learning how to be respectful of others and their viewpoints is important. We have continued to be successful in our extracurricular activities. For the 12th straight year, our football program made the playoffs advancing into the second round. Both basketball and baseball teams advanced deep in the playoffs, and our softball team made the state tournament. We had several track and cross country athletes advance to the state meets. Our coaches work very hard day in and day out to help our students achieve great success in athletics. Our leaders of FFA and FACS have had tremendous success as well as our academic teams, and we brought back the spelling bee in our middle school. This year we are also having a school play. We are very good at what we do and are proud of our accomplishments. I appreciate the support and the patience of the community last year. We have had many challenges to navigate through and we have done our absolute best to succeed in the face of adversity. A special thank you to the Minco PTO and Minco Educational Foundation for their hard work and dedication to our children. As we approach 2022, let us not forget that in a Manger was born hope. As we transition into the new year, let us not forget that hope and remain strong and steadfast as surely more challenges come our way. And as always you have the commitment of Minco Public Schools to do our best in working with your children. We wish you the happiest of holidays this Christmas season!!!

Tuesday night's game vs Wayne has been canceled. Thank you, Mr. Sims

I am very happy to announce that The Minco High School Football Team has been named the Class A Football State Academic Champions!! We are very proud of this team and this great accomplishment. The team will be presented this trophy at 12:30 on Saturday at the Class A state championship game at UCO. Congratulations boys and coaches!! Mr. Sims

Mr. Sims will be going on the Minco Public Schools Facebook Live page at 12:30PM with a big announcement for our school district.

The Minco Bulldogs will be hosting the First National Bank Bulldog Classic Dec 9th - 11th, 2021.

The Minco Middle School and High School Vocal and Band Christmas Concert will be at 7:00PM tonight in the auditorium.

Picture retake day is this Friday, Dec. 3rd beginning after the first bell. All students that did not have their picture taken on the original date will need to have their photo taken for the yearbook as well as those that would like to have retakes. Please have your student let their teacher know when they arrive at school.

The Minco Elementary Christmas Program will be this Thursday, December 2nd at 6:30PM. This is always a great time for our students, families and community. This will be in our high school auditorium at 701 SW 3rd street in Minco.

Thankful!! During this season of Thanksgiving, we are reminded that we are blessed and that we should be thankful for the blessings sent our way. We at Minco Schools are grateful for the good things. We, like everyone else, have been tested, and many have endured challenges and loss in the last year. We also have worked hard to meet the challenges set before us, and our people who work hard for your children and community have stepped up in the last year to meet the needs presented. I am proud and thankful to work with caring, helpful, and kind people. In this age of selfishness, I can tell you that our staff cares for your children. They are in good hands. This is something Minco can be thankful for! As we look to the Christmas season and the new year ahead, this commitment will not change as we work hard for your children. I would like to wish all of you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving! May God bless you as we reflect and show thanks for His many blessings. Happy Thanksgiving 2021!! Kevin Sims Superintendent

Mr. Sims will be on Facebook Live on the school Facebook page at 4:30 with an important announcement.

Parents and Grandparents: It is with an abundance of caution that we have decided to postpone Grandparent's Day. We have several students who are ill or under quarantine. Due to this fact, we are going to postpone this great day. We will have Grandparents Day in the spring. I promise you that. We have a duty to protect our community from the spread of viruses such as Covid. While we are disappointed with this decision, it is the best decision. Safety first!! We will announce a new date for Grandparent's day very soon. Thank you, Kevin Sims Superuintendent

This is a reminder that at tomorrow's playoff game at 7PM all veterans and one guest of the veteran may get into the game at no cost. If you cannot purchase tickets online, we will have tickets for $10 at the gate.