Superintendent's Message for August 2019

Where has the summer gone?  August is here in Timberwolves Territory and many positive things are happening on both campuses.  The custodians have worked hard all summer and the buildings and grounds are looking great.  Many aesthetic things have happened on both campuses that patrons will notice and new projects on the horizon will make our campuses even more student-centered.

The old middle school building in Corning has been completely removed.  The ground is being prepped for a state of the art greenhouse for students to use year round.  We will also be putting up a maintenance building to store supplies and equipment.  The rest of the area will be landscaped for outdoor classroom space.

We are finalizing details on the first phase of the Enarson campus HVAC upgrade.  During the first few months of school, the entire north end of the building will be getting new HVAC units installed.  Arrangements have been made for the classrooms affected to be relocated to the south end of the building.  During this process, they will be installing a new office for the administrative assistant and principal in the main entryway on the west side of the building.  This should be more convenient for parents dropping off students.  This will also increase the security of every child in the building.  This office will be paid for with one-cent sales tax revenue funds.  The HVAC project should be completed by the end of November.  We will have access to the north part of the building after Thanksgiving.  We are in the process of planning phase 2, 3, and 4.  These phases will focus on the south part of Enarson’s HVAC, roofs, plumbing, and electrical upgrades.  Phases 3 and 4 will focus on the Southwest Valley Middle School and the replacement of HVAC, roofs, plumbing, and electrical upgrades.  This phase will begin next spring and run through the summer of 2020.

The Hearts and Hugs Daycare in Corning is set to reopen as Southwest Valley Early Childhood Education Center on August 12th.  The district has hired Abbey Schafer as the new director.  We continue to collaborate with the board at Hearts & Hugs to ensure a smooth transition.  The focus of our education center will be to provide a safe, loving, and educational environment for children newborn to elementary school age.  The staff will be trained by Southwest Valley personnel on the Capturing Kids Hearts program.  We will focus on hands on learning and nurturing our littlest ones by reading to them.  Between now and August 12th we will be painting, cleaning carpets, waxing floors, and rebranding the building to SWV colors and emblems.  We are excited to be partnering with Hearts and Hugs.  We encourage you to stop by, visit the facility, and consider us to provide your child with quality learning opportunities.  A future Early Childhood Education Center is being planned in Villisca.

This year you are encouraged to enroll your students online for grades PK-12. The registration can be done through www.southwestvalley.org.  A letter will be coming via mail to all households with instructions.  If you do not have computer or internet access, registration will be Tuesday August 13th at the Corning Elementary School and on Wednesday August 14th at Southwest Valley Middle School in Villisca.  Registration will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Open House at all four campuses will be from   4:30- 6:30 p.m. on August 22nd.  There will be a meeting for 6th grade students at Southwest Valley Middle School at 6 p.m. on the 22nd.

Several small projects have been taking place at both campuses to ensure our facilities are first class for students and patrons.  We are at a very exciting time in both school’s histories and reorganizing our districts will ensure we have four buildings with students in them for the future years.

It is a GREAT TIME TO BE A TIMBERWOLF!!!

Chris Fenster, Superintendent