Dear SDMA Families and Staff,

Hopefully everyone enjoyed last week's Thanksgiving break. It will be a busy few weeks in the school district as we begin to wrap up 2023.

In addition to sharing the November Highlight on Youth Report, listed below is some additional information for families and staff:

• The SDMA "Meets Expectations"- according to the recently released State Accountability Report Cards, the SDMA once again received a "Meets Expectations" rating. Congratulations to the students and staff who did such a good job on the various measurements and we look forward to building upon this success in 2024.
• SDMA Referendum- after much support indicated in the recent community survey, the school board unanimously approved resolutions last evening that will result in a referendum election being held on February 20, 2024. Voters in the school district will be asked to consider a recurring operational referendum of $4.2 million. The updated projected impact on the mill rate is $82/year ($6.83/month) per $100,000 of property valuation. As demonstrated on this chart, the referendum would allow for a one-time $4.2 million increase to the school district's revenue limit that would continue into the future. More information about the referendum will be shared this winter, but please contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a presentation. Please take a moment to mark February 20 on your calendars. This vote will be very important in determining whether or not significant budget cuts may be needed in the SDMA.
• Winter Livestreaming- winter activities are underway in the school district, and many of our student competitions will be available via live stream. To make the broadcasts easier to find, most home events in Menomonie will now be available on the MustangsTV YouTube Channel or Facebook Live (Hockey). Most road games will be streamed by the host school, so links to those events will need to be searched up and the streaming platform may vary for each school.
• Inclement Weather/Remote Learning- with winter weather upon us, it is important to be prepared for the possible closure of schools. If schools are closed, notices will be provided via email, phone, text, Twitter, Facebook, and through the media. Families can control communication preferences via Skyward Family Access. Please note that it is ultimately a family decision whether or not to send kids to school (as long as schools are open), and after piloting remote learning last year, the SDMA plans to use remote learning again in 2023-2024 if necessary. Please review the district's expectations for remote learning days for more information.
• Winter Break- According to the 2023-2024 district calendar, there are only four weeks of school between the fall and winter breaks. It is important that students attend school and keep up with their school work as best as possible during this busy time of year. Winter break in the SDMA will run from December 23-January 2.

That is it for today...have a great week and stay warm ;)

Joe Zydowsky