WESTPHALIA  — Fatima Superintendent Chuck Woody told board members at their November meeting that several items have been added to the Continuous School Improvement Plan (CSIP) following a review of survey results.

“We will update the bullying video and enhance education for students to emphasize how important it is,” said Woody. “We may also make a video to educate parents a little bit on the reality of bullying.”

Another concern recently came to light following an incident at the school. Woody explained that he was out of town on the day of the Veterans Day Assembly when it was learned that a student undergoing a mental health crisis left school and promised to return.

“We don’t want a knee-jerk reaction to things like this,” said Woody. “Our communication wasn’t very good, and it starts with me. I take full responsibility for our staff not being fully trained to handle this kind of situation. I hate that the incident happened, but I’m glad we learned from it.”

Woody added that administrators considered the possibility of a return as a potentially harmful situation and locked down the school. “Safety is our top priority, and the school was locked down in an abundance of caution. This was a perfect storm. We were expecting a large crowd for the Veterans Day Assembly. We could have eliminated a lot of panic by communicating quicker and better.”

In other business, Bryan Boeckmann was awarded first pick for his sealed bid of $26 per Foundation Stone. Bill Rodeman had the second-best bid of $5 per stone.

• Board members approved hiring full-time substitute Regina (Gina) Stegeman, and part-time custodians Larry Hale and Valin Schwegler.

• Bills were approved in the amount of $419,303.11.

REPORTS

High School Principal Matt Verslues told the board the Veterans Day Assembly went well. “We had a few students joining the Army National Guard involved and Sgt. Scott Rademan spoke about what being a veteran meant to him,” said Verslues. “It was an encouragement to our students, and the video presentation seems to get better every year, thanks in large part to Tracy Murphy’s behind-the-scenes work.”

• Anne Rulo, a Licensed Professional Counselor for the last 15 years, spoke to 7-12 grade students on Nov. 28 about suicide prevention. “The goal is to help students know the warning signs and have a clear plan in helping people they know that may be struggling,” said Verslues.

• The high school band and choir winter concert will be held on Sunday, Dec. 10.

• Enrollment in grades 7-12 was reported at 479 students with 95.55% attendance.

Elementary Principal Melissa Wright noted the annual food drive raised more than 1,700 non-perishable items, which were donated to the Good Shepherd Pantry in Linn. Mrs. Ryan’s sixth-graders brought in the most items to win a pizza party.

• Fatima’s PTO will hold a family Christmas event night on Friday, Dec. 8, from 6:30-8:30 in the multipurpose room. Wright added the times may be tweaked a bit.

• Fifth-grade Junior Deputy Graduation will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 6 p.m., beginning with a tour of the jail and courthouse.

• The K-3 Christmas music winter concert will be held on Thursday, Dec. 14, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Mrs. Hawkes will also display some students’ artwork during this time.

• Wright told the board that most Christmas parties will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 19, due to the early out on Dec. 20.

• Enrollment in grades K-6 was reported at 250 students with 96.76% attendance.