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January is School Board Appreciation Month. We want to say thank you to our dedicated volunteer Board of Education members for all they do for the students of Auburn-Washburn.

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Did you ever wonder how snow days were decided? The decision to close school or alter schedules because of severe weather or other situations is made by the Superintendent. Transportation is generally the guiding factor. School will be held if we believe that students can be safely transported. This is determined after transportation staff and other district administrators travel and observe all parts of the district and potential problem areas. In addition, we often consult with surrounding districts, law enforcement agencies, weather forecasters, and public works departments before making the decision. Extreme cold is another consideration for school closing. If the temperature or wind chill is low enough to cause injury during the time a student is waiting for the bus, school may be closed. Other factors that could impact the school schedule include utility, mechanical, or other disruptions at one or more buildings. It is always the right and privilege of parents to keep children at home or pick them up from school during severe weather, extreme temperatures, or any other situation where a student’s health or safety may be questioned. If it becomes necessary to close school or alter school hours, information for the public will be shared on the district website (www.usd437.net), district Facebook (www.facebook.com/auburnwashburn), district Twitter (@USD437), and with a district office phone message (339-4000). Local media will also be notified. In the event of a totally unanticipated closing or schedule change, an automated phone message will be sent to parents in addition to the notifications listed above. For weather related closings, a determination will be made by 10:00 PM the night before if possible, but not later than 6:00 AM on the day school is to be closed. During inclement weather closings the district office generally remains open and 12-month employees are on duty.

STARBASE

Some of our students participating in the Kansas STARBASE program this week.

Transportation Update: Auburn-Washburn administration is monitoring the weather and has been in contact with public works departments in our area. On Tuesday afternoon roads were becoming icy in areas. Crews are treating roads as quickly as possible which should help with driving conditions. Classes in Auburn-Washburn will release at the normal time. All after school activities and practices have been canceled. Busses will take extra precautions and may arrive home a little later than usual. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we do everything we can to keep our students safe.

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No school in Auburn-Washburn on Monday, January 18 for the MLK Holiday.

Several Auburn-Washburn students recently earned awards in the 2016 Living the Dream MLK Poetry, Essay, and Art contests. The winners will receive their prizes and certificates on Monday, January 18 during the King Holiday Program at the Brown National Historic Site. POETRY AWARDS 7th-8th Grade Category 1st Place – Zakariya Ahmed – Title: Smiling, I Turn – WRMS 2nd Place – Cole VandeVelde – Title: Sit Down – WRMS 10th-12th Grade Category 1st Place – Darby Holroyd – Title: Equality in the 21st Century – WRHS 2nd Place – Bailey Schneider – Title: The Staircase – WRHS ESSAY AWARDS 5th-6th Grade Category 2nd Place – Sonya Doubledee – Title: Faith is the First Step – Auburn Elementary 7th-8th Grade Category 1st Place – Molli Christensen – Title: Viewing Diversity In a New Light – WRMS ART AWARDS 9th-10th Grade Category 1st Place – Marissa Christensen – Title: Taking the First Step – WRHS 3rd Place – Kathryn Rasmussen – Title: Season of Acceptance – WRHS

Scholastic Art Winners

Washburn Rural High School Artists Selected to Exhibit in Prestigious 2016 Scholastic Art Exhibition Eighteen WRHS art and photography students received 39 Scholastic Art Awards at the 2016 regional art show which opens next month at the Wichita Center for the Arts. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition initiative for creative teens which our students submit work to each fall. The exhibit opens January 29th and will close on March 6th. Gold Key winners will have their work juried for possible inclusion into the National Scholastic Award Exhibition held in New York City later this year. Winners will be honored at the award ceremony held at the Wichita Center for the Arts on Sunday, March 6th. Check out the video to see a presentation listing the winners and showing their art.

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Early Release Reminder - Wednesday, January 13, 2016 is an early release day in Auburn-Washburn. All students will be released 45 minutes earlier than their normal time. Early release time allows teachers to have valuable collaboration time.

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Stay up-to-date with your child's grades, assignments, and other information. The Infinite Campus mobile app provides much of the same information as the desktop version and uses your existing log in. Step 1 – Download the free Infinite Campus app Step 2 – Enter district ID: TJMZWF Step 3 – Enter portal account info to sign in Contact your child's school if you do not yet have an account.

Hayden, Washburn Rural to stage plays at state conference in Wichita

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SCHOOL CHANGES NAME FOR THE DAY TO CELEBRATE GRANT On Friday, January 8, Farley Elementary will become James Patterson Elementary for the day. The school has been awarded a $3,500 grant from the bestselling author to purchase books.The Scholastic Reading Club is matching the grant with an in-kind donation adding a few hundred dollars to the value of the award. Students are encouraged to show their support for James Patterson Elementary by wearing "homemade" spiritwear on Friday. (new school logo attached) Farley Elementary was one of about 470 schools across the United States selected from the 27,924 that applied. The award is part of $1.75 million donated by the author to school libraries within the last year in an ongoing effort to keep books and reading a number one priority. "These grants are my humble acknowledgement of some of the terrific work taking place in libraries, Patterson said. "Here's to communities supporting school libraries." The school will use the funds to expand opportunities for students to access books throughout the year. James Patterson is a successful, award-winning author. In 2011, it was estimated that one-in-four of all hardcover suspense/thriller novels sold was written by him. He is the first author to achieve ten million ebook sales and he holds the Guinness record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers of any author. And his success isn't based solely on thrillers like the perennially popular Alex Cross,Women's Murder Club and Michael Bennett series. Patterson is now also the current bestselling author in the young adult and middle grade categories with Maximum Ride, Daniel X, Witch and Wizard, and others. For the past decade Patterson has been devoting more and more of his time to championing books and reading. Learn more about the author at www.jamespatterson.com.

Topeka Capital-Journal