Buhler USD 313

What a wonderful day honoring teachers at The Region 1 Kansas Teacher of the Year Celebration. Buhler is blessed with amazing teachers and were represented by Courtney Adkins and Brian Moler. Mrs. Adkins teaches 3rd grade at BGS and Mr. Moler teaches math at BHS. To learn more about the celebration, visit: https://www.ksde.org/Home/Quick-Links/News-Room/two-teachers-named-region-1-finalists-for-2024-kansas-teacher-of-the-year-1

Congratulations to our BHS Cru Winds team for their efforts at the Kanas KidWind State Finals! Andrew Morgan and Issak Neighbor, led by Mr. Gazaway and Mr. Morgan, placed SECOND! In this competition, team members work together to design, build and test a wind turbine using the materials of their choice. At each level of competition (regional, state and national), turbines are put to the test in a 48" × 48" wind tunnel at a wind speed of approximately 3.5-5 m/s (meters per second). Scoring is based on turbine performance and efficiency, a knowledge quiz, an instant challenge, and a presentation to judges where the team explains its design process. Their success at the State Finals qualifies them for the national competition!!! Learn more via this Hutch Post article: https://hutchpost.com/posts/21cd8d43-e83b-4528-9207-22568ad2d421. Again, congrats to these exceptional students and coaches!

Raising the Standard is a multifaceted bond with efforts in four key areas. Ad Astra Academies In this phase of the project, we will create classroom and office spaces for our Ad Astra Virtual Academy and Ad Astra Alternative Academy students and staff. We are proud of Ad Astra’s explosive growth (over 170 students, including 10 adult diploma seekers, and a growing team of staff members) and are excited about creating a safe, flexible learning and work space that will accommodate our Ad Astra students now and well into the future Burkholder Administration Center Expansion Better Together is a Core Expectation in Buhler Public Schools. Bringing all administrative and support staff together under one roof is an exceptional effort toward being “better together.” This phase of the project also includes a multipurpose area that would function as our Board of Education room and Professional Development space. This room will also be a community storm shelter. Indoor Activity Facility The indoor activity facility will be a large, open activity space for students, staff, and the community to utilize. PE classes, band, cheerleading, dance, in-season practice and off-season workouts can all be maximized through the use of this facility. This space will also be heavily used for youth program practices, sports clinics, and various community events. Enhanced Playgrounds Through Raising the Standard, elementary playgrounds will be enhanced by repairing and replacing equipment, expanding green space and increasing accessibility. Building principals, staff, and PTO’s would lead the charge with leveraging these resources to meet the unique playground needs of each school. Early voting is open now at the Reno County Annex at 125 W 1st Ave in Hutchinson and election day is April 4th! See here for more information, including polling locations for April 4th: https://www.renogov.org/138/Election. #GoCrusaders

Did you know that the Raising the Standard Bond project will NOT increase the bond and interest mill levy? How is this possible? We took advantage of historically low interest rates to refinance the two previous bonds from 4% down to 2.89%, and 3.37% down to 1.31%, respectively. State aid has also increased from 25% to 36% on each of those bonds. Finally, valuation has increased at a rate of 3.2% over the last 10 years. Financial analysis for this bond is based on a more conservative 2% growth in valuations. These savings, increased aid, and valuations will all assist in our ability to fund this project without increasing the bond and interest mill levy. Find more detailed financial analysis and more information about the project here. https://www.usd313.org/page/raising-the-standard-bond-issue Early voting has begun at the Reno County Annex at 125 W 1st Ave. Vote in person on April 4th! See here for more information, including polling locations for April 4th: https://www.renogov.org/138/Elections

Coaches and program directors in the district praise the exceptional potential that our proposed indoor activity facility has for USD 313 musicians, student-athletes and our youth feeder programs! “This would be a game changer for the future of our program because it will allow our youth and feeder programs to be able to have a space that more teams can utilize. It would also enhance my ability to be more involved with all our youth teams.” ~John Neill, Head Baseball Coach, Buhler High School “The facility provides additional shared space for our large program when rehearsing. It gives our color guard a field to practice on during their evening rehearsals that is more conducive to our performance process. It gives the band field space to work on visual (movement)/musical performance elements during inclement weather. It gives us more flexibility in our summer rehearsal/camp schedule to add/extend rehearsals into the mid-afternoon.” ~Nathan Biggs, Band Director, Buhler Public Schools “Finding space to practice is always an issue for cheerleading, so we end up having to "make do" with practicing in random, unaccommodating spaces. I think having another space for practicing will open up many possibilities and options for practice space as well as having space to host youth clinics, etc.” ~D’ana Heinlein, Cheerleading Coach, Buhler High School “By other sports using the facility, it gives volleyball the opportunity to grow our youth programs. We have multiple youth teams, 1st grade-6th grade rec teams and club volleyball teams, ages 11-17. Between the two, we have easily 100 volleyball players. Having gym space in the district to grow the skills and love of the game for all of these girls will directly impact the future success of the high school volleyball program.” ~Deanna Emel, Head Volleyball Coach, Buhler High School “The size of the facility is set up to be utilized by multiple programs at one time. Space is a premium because of the many diverse offerings USD 313 provides for our youth programs all the way up to our HS programs. The indoor facility will also help the gymnasium usage across the district. The indoor facility will allow more availability for our VB and BKB youth teams needs because we can allow our outdoor HS/MS and youth programs that indoor practice space in the colder weather months or when inclement weather pops up. Simply, this facility will have a positive impact on USD 313 students for years to come!” ~Justin Seuser, District Activities Director, Buhler Public Schools Our coaches and program directors see the exceptional benefits and potential in the indoor activity facility! Early voting is open now at the Reno County Annex at 125 W 1st Ave and election day is April 4th! See here for more information, including polling locations for April 4th: https://www.renogov.org/138/Elections #GoCrusaders

If you were unable to attend one of our preschool application clinics in March, you may complete the online application here: http://bit.ly/3Kfx84k You will be notified by mail on or before May 26th of your acceptance. Please call the central office with questions.

Did you know? Our school district does not currently have a space conducive for professional development that comfortably accommodates our entire elementary or secondary teaching staff. Below you will see a photo of our elementary team learning in a music room at folding tables and student chairs. This was only half of the elementary team, while the other half was in the library learning from a second trainer we contracted for the day. You will also see a photo below of this year’s ACT testing at BHS. There are a number of testing days at the high school that require the use of either the gym or cafeteria due to the requirements to spread students out. On these days those spaces are often unavailable for other purposes. The Raising the Standard Bond project would provide a comfortable space for teachers to learn and collaborate as teammates and professionals. It would accommodate the entire elementary or secondary staff at tables and our full teaching staff arranged in rows of chairs. Students would also be able to utilize this space for testing, freeing up space at the high school for normal activities. The space would also serve as our new board of education room. In addition to uses for our staff and students it would be available for the community to use for events and it will be built as a storm shelter for all. Early voting has begun at the Reno County Annex at 125 W 1st Ave. Vote in person on April 4th! See here for more information, including polling locations for April 4th: https://www.renogov.org/138/Elections

Today is the day! New preschool and kindergarten students may attend the application clinic at Buhler Grade School. Bring with you: Birth certificate Immunization Record Proof of Residency (Visit our enrollment page to see which documents will qualify as proof of residency here: https://www.usd313.org/page/enrollment-information-forms) Buhler Schools' preschool and new student kindergarten enrollment roundups are coming up in March! We offer FREE half day preschool for 3 and 4 year olds AND low cost 1/2 day child care in the SAME building. Attend any of the times listed on the flier, regardless of the school your student would attend. If your student is a current Buhler PreK student, you do NOT need to attend for kindergarten roundup. Come join us!

See the message below from Taryn Horning and Lindsay Warner, seniors at BHS, regarding their Passion Pursuits project. We are both seniors at Buhler High School and long-time members of the cross-country team. We are hoping to put on a fun event and share our passion for this sport. We welcome all kids K-5 to join in! All information can be found in our flyer attached below. Please sign up using the QR code included or by using this link: https://forms.gle/pMrgg3Jrbb53uHz96. You can contact me at tarynhorning@gmail.com for any questions

Talk about Positive World Changing! Check out our FFA in action with our third graders, presenting on and then installing bird houses at each of our grade school campuses! Thank you, Buhler FFA, for extending your helping and making a difference with our third graders!

Check your mail! All registered voters in Buhler USD #313 school district boundaries should be receiving a FAQ postcard about the bond election which will be held Tuesday, April 4th. Early voting at the Reno County Annex starts Monday, March 27th. If you want to see this postcard and the trifold flyer, check out our website at https://www.usd313.org/page/raising-the-standard-bond-issue

Did you know that updating and enhancing our elementary playgrounds is an essential component of our bond project, Raising the Standard? With the bond, we will repair and replace existing equipment, enhance and improve our green space, and ensure our playgrounds are accessible to all students, staff, and patrons. Our elementary principals, staff, and their local Parent-Teacher Organizations and Site Councils will lead the way in ensuring each playground's unique needs are met. We are excited about the potential that Raising the Standard has on our playgrounds in Buhler Public Schools! Vote in person on April 4th! Early voting begins on March 27th. View voting locations and many more details on our website here: https://www.usd313.org/page/raising-the-standard-bond-issue

At our BOE meeting Monday, our school calendars for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 were accepted. These calendars were developed by our teacher representatives who did a fantastic job. Some items to note are: *The August 18th (half day PD and half day work day) has been moved to February 9th. *Using feedback from our parents and staff, the fall high school conferences not be held but the high school will have class as usual the week of October 23rd. *A new symbol has been added to note attendance center closings that are different on that day (marked with a red stop sign). *All parent teacher conference times now end at 7:30 pm. *January 3rd is now a professional development day which will be a county-wide PD day.   The calendars can also be found on our website: https://www.usd313.org/documents/about-us/one-page-calendars/222963

Did you know? District technology, food service, transportation, maintenance, financial, and administrative support staff are spread across three different buildings with campuses on opposite sides of Buhler. We also share space with staff and students in Ad Astra Virtual and Alternative Academy. The Raising the Standard bond issue would provide ample office space for all district departments on the same campus and allow district staff and Ad Astra staff and students their own dedicated space. See the images below for what a dedicated campus space for all district support staff could look like. Vote in person on April 4th! Early voting begins on March 27th at the Reno County Annex and advance mail in voting has begun. See here for more information, including polling locations: https://www.renogov.org/138/Elections

Thank you, Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce, Hutchinson Community College and the Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy, for hosting our PHMS Sixth Graders for Career Quest! We enjoyed and greatly benefitted from the experience as we help students think toward postsecondary success! #Bexceptional

Did you know? Ad Astra Virtual Academy opened in August of 2021 and Ad Astra Alternative Academy opened in August of 2022 as an option for Buhler High School Students. Alternative and Virtual students utilize two meeting rooms at the district office for in person learning, individual tutoring, group projects, team building activities, state testing, and homework help. The Raising the Standard bond issue will provide these students and teachers a dedicated space more conducive to their learning needs. The images below show elementary Ad Astra Academy students working on an art project together and a line drawing of what a dedicated space for these students could look like. Vote in person on April 4th! Early voting begins on March 27th. View voting locations and many more details on our website here: https://www.usd313.org/page/raising-the-standard-bond-issue

Today is the day! New preschool and kindergarten students may attend the application clinic at Plum Creek. Bring with you: Birth certificate Immunization Record Proof of Residency (Visit our enrollment page to see which documents will qualify as proof of residency here: https://www.usd313.org/page/enrollment-information-forms) Buhler Schools' preschool and new student kindergarten enrollment roundups are coming up in March! We offer FREE half day preschool for 3 and 4 year olds AND low cost 1/2 day child care in the SAME building. Attend any of the times listed on the flier, regardless of the school your student would attend. If your student is a current Buhler PreK student, you do NOT need to attend for kindergarten roundup. Come join us!

Buhler USD 313 has an opening for director of grounds. Come help us continue to make our property exceptional! Visit the link below for more information, including the job description for this position. https://www.applitrack.com/buhlerschools/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Maintenance%2fCustodial

Reminder - the regular March board meeting for USD 313 has been moved to March 20, 2023 due to our Spring Break schedule.

Join us for our annual STEAM Camp this summer! Our teachers always craft a fun, memorable, and educational week. A change to be aware of this year is that students will choose one week long session to attending, rather than two weeks. We hope this allows families to plan around other camps without sacrificing time at any of them. Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehi0QEC9aZ8gdUxgNDCdrIEYiY5niJzuWaHcmkxbMdiOYESw/viewform?usp=sf_link