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Our Mission
We will create, deliver and responsibly manage opportunities for all children to learn every day and become contributing citizens. These opportunities will be developed in partnership with the community and will be provided in a safe and supportive environment.
Our Motto
Every Student Learning Every Day
Our Values
Respect, Dignity, Honesty, Responsibility and Teamwork
Awards
Prairie Jr/Sr High a 5 Star School
Prairie Elementary a 4 Star School
Distinguished Elementary School
NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE 2014
Superintendent’s Welcome to School Year 2017-2018
Cottonwood School District’s enrollment for 2017-2018 is up three students from last year’s start of school. We ended week one with 409 students K-12. Our enrollment at the start of 2016-2017 school year was 406 students. We start the year in the elementary with 215 students and 193 at the junior/senior high. Of our total enrollment, 47 students are open enrolled from other districts.
Our elementary open house was well attended with approximately 80% of our parents in attendance. Our cooks Robin and Deanna served approximately 284 meals. We are fortunate to offer PE and Art from certified teachers to all students in the elementary school at least one day per week.
Our high school volleyball and football teams are off to a great start and our junior high football and girl’s basketball teams started their season last week. Cross country track is in its 3rd year as a volunteer program with 3 volunteer coaches and parental support for the program. Volleyball started the year with 27 students, Football 26 and Cross Country 19. Student organizations FFA and BPA along with Knowledge Bowl are gearing up to have meetings and start their year.
Prairie is offering 11 dual credit courses this year. Dual credit courses are those that students take for high school credit as well as having the option to take college credit. The courses include US History, US Government, Economics, Psychology, Calculus, Math 137, Math 147, Speech, Natural Science, Chemistry and a new course this year Art Appreciation. You can get more information from Prairie Jr/Sr High School by calling 208-962-3901 and talking with Suzi Quintal, Counselor. The first couple of weeks students are STAR and MAP testing and working on our own local assessments.
We take this opportunity to welcome a new jr/sr high school principal, Mr. Jon Rehder. For the past 16 years, he and his wife Renee lived in the Boise area with their 2 daughters Ali (8th grade) and Aubree (5th grade). During Jon’s educational career, he taught 10 years at Meridian High School (West Ada School District) and for the past 3 years was vice principal at Jefferson Middle School in the Caldwell School District. His wife Renee has worked for Boise State University for the past 12 years. Jon states that he and his wife are lucky enough to bring our girls “home” and raise them in the community he and Renee grew up in. He is a 1996 graduate and she graduated in 1997, both from Prairie High School.
Julie Lamm Schumacher grew up in Grangeville. Her family moved a lot and she has lived all over Idaho. She grauated from Centennial High School in Meridian. She started out going to college at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon but then married Greg Schumacher and transferred to LCSC to finish her teaching degree. Her first job was in Pahrump, Nevada where she lived for four years. After moving back to Grangeville, she began teaching for the Mountain View School District in 2001 at Kooskia where she spent three years. She then transferred to Grangeville where she had been until her summer move to Prairie Elementary in Cottonwood where she teaches second grade. She has four children, Brad 22, Patrick 18, Kylie 9 and Jordan 2.
Megan Rambo started mid year in the elementary as a K-3 Reading Intervention support paraprofessional. 2017-2018 she will be working 15 hours in the same capacity. Megan moved around a lot as a kid. During her seventh grade year she went to three schools in three different states. Her family settled for a while in Burley, Idaho where she graduated from high school in 1997. She attended college at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, where she changed her major multiple times in a year and a half. She is looking forward to some day growing up and going back to school. Megan met Jason in 1999 and was married the same year. In December of 2005, Jason accepted a job with the Department of Corrections in Cottonwood. Now, almost 12 years later they are still here. She loves our little town and community. She is excited to continue helping in the elementary. She loves the kids and the staff here. She loves cheering on their 4 kids in all their activities whether it’s sorts, band or dance. Megan will be working with students in grades K-3, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Schools are required to provide students with 30 or 60 hours of intervention time if they receive a score of basic or below basic on the Idaho Reading Indicator. Megan will be helping with this intervention.
Michael vanHouten is the new elementary janitor. Michael is a graduate of Lapwai High Class of 89. He has been married to angel for 27 1/2 years. They have 4 children, Jonathan 26 (wife Shayla), Thia 25, Harley 15 and Naomi 13; 3 grandsons Tristan 5, Owen 3 and Jonah 7 weeks. Michael has lived in Cottonwood since 2000. He previously worked for Valley Foods for 7 1/2 years before going to tribal stores for 15 years. He has been working at Cottonwood Foods for the past 3 years. Michael has lead youth groups for the past 15 years at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Cottonwood and continues to lead youth Sunday School. He applied for the janitorial job because he saw a need and wanted to help the community that is now his home and to help the schools where his children and grandchildren have attended, are attending and will attend.
Todd Holcomb joins our staff working as a paraprofessional in the jr/sr high school. Todd is married to Amanda Kaschmitter Holcomb. They met while working at NICI. They have two children. Grace and Jacob. Todd comes to us from ICIO, the prison in Orofino, where he served as the Volunteer and Religious Services Coordinator. His passions include travel, backpacking, writing and especially people. Todd will be working with Mrs. DeCaria.
Joe Chicane is our newest bus driver replacing Dave Remacle. He and his wife Debbie have 3 children, Stacie, Jamie and Ryan and 4 grandchildren. Joe farms with his son in law Tim. Joe also brings the Knights of Columbus hoop shoot to our district in the spring.
We are looking forward to a great year. If any community member is interested in being on an email list from the schools, please contact Lynn Rehder at rehderl@sd242.org or Jon Rehder at rehderj@sd242.org.
Information about all districts in the State of Idaho can be found at the IdahoEd Trends website
Rene’ K. Forsmann
Superintendent