There is a referendum on the ballot for November 8 to address significant safety, security and HVAC needs at both schools. The district has maintained healthy and safe facilities for years, but there are significant needs far outside of the budget that must be addressed. Our Facilities Committee and Board of Education have unanimously supported moving forward with these plans and all of the details are provided under our Facility Facts and FAQs. This includes the scope of the work, as well as the cost and tax impact, and details and pictures of our current systems. Our goal is to be completely transparent and provide accurate, verifiable information about our plans and the rationale. Questions are welcome, and anyone can reach out to any Board members or Superintendent Mark Cross for additional information.

It is still early in the school year, but our brand new STEM lab at Concord Elementary is in full swing. Under teacher Jessica Ruiz, our K-4 students are growing through a wide range of engaging, hands-on learning activities. Students have been building different structures while working with a partner and practicing different team building skills. Our 4^th grade students have been studying the movement of water in plants with food dye, making observations and using microscopes to observe where the water traveled. Kindergarten students are working in teams to build and discuss the structure of apple trees with paper towel rolls, popsicle sticks and pom poms. Visit the Concord STEM page for pictures of several of the learning activities taking place so far.

We are happy to introduce the new Healthy Kids, Safe Schools section of our website. This includes a listing of our wonderful school service personnel under the "I need help. Who can I contact?" section, in the event you need to contact one of our staff. This section will also be a central resource for our school health guidance, which has been updated to align with public health guidance. Our goal is also to provide helpful information as it relates to medical forms and requirements for students, as well as providing resources to help maintain the physical, emotional and mental health of our students and families. There is information related to bullying, suicide prevention, school safety, prevention of sexual abuse and help for families who may be struggling or in need of assistance. Never hesitate to reach out for help!