Superintendent's Message for December 2023

We had our first snowfall over Thanksgiving break and December has officially arrived in Twolvesterritory!  Our winter sports season is underway including the beginning of our girls wrestling team here at Southwest Valley.  Our girls team participated with S.W.A.T last year, but we wanted to begin building our own program.  Our seasoned veteran coach, Derek Maeder, took over as the coach and we are hoping to increase participation numbers every year.

The Corning bond project is progressing and bids will be received this month.  The board will conduct a hearing on December 4 on plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated cost and accept the bids at the regular board meeting on December 18.  The beginning of the project could begin as early as March!  We are excited about the improvements that will be made and the opportunities for our students and athletes to have a new and improved learning environment.

Some of our concert dates have changed this year in comparison to past schedules, but we do have two concerts in December.  The high school winter concert is on December 4th at 7:00 p.m. and the middle school winter concert is on December 18th at 6:00 p.m.  Southwest Valley will host a robotics competition at the middle school on December 16th at noon.  We will also host the Pride of Iowa conference wrestling tournament for boys and girls on December 15th and 16th.  Also, check the school website or the Bound App for our activity schedules. 

Looking back over the past twelve months and reviewing the growth our district has seen and some of the areas for improvement, we are reminded that the important thing is the continued support we receive from our Southwest Valley family.  As the superintendent in my sixth year in the district, we have done some tremendous things on both sides of our districts.  We have passed two bond referendums to update our facilities for our students.  We have opened two early childhood centers to begin the education process from infancy to their senior year.  We have updated our curriculum which includes alignment in our K-6 buildings and 7-12 buildings.  We have brought on new administration in every building and now these buildings are high performing and acceptable.  The district will continue to explore opportunities for our high school students to intern in our great businesses in the community and better prepare them for the workforce if they choose that career path. 

We are committed to making Southwest Valley a “destination district,” it will not get any easier, but we have made some progress.  We want to thank you for all you have done to help us on this journey.  Have a Great Holiday Season!