Tina Bonnett Receives Highest Honor

Tina Bonnett, teacher at Perrine Elementary, was presented with the Idaho Middle Level Association Bev Bradford Lifetime Achievement Award. This is the highest award given by the IMLA and is given to an individual who has demonstrated a level of service, integrity, and leadership in the middle level education. Congratulations Tina!

Ted Hadley Receives Distinguished Service Award

Ted Hadley received the Distinguished Service Award for the Music Educators Northwest Division. Ted has been teaching music in the Twin Falls School District for thirty-five years. His expertise as a conductor, musician, composer and director has been very beneficial to the district. He is very deserving of this award!

Congressional Awards

The Congressional Award is a voluntary, individual and non-competitive nationally recognized prestigious award program. It is open to any young person ages 13 ½ through 23. With the help of an adult advisor, participants develop an individualized Congressional Award program with specific goals in four areas: public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration. If the participant puts forth the effort, commitment, and excellence the program requires, a member of the United States Congress will recognize their accomplishments with a bronze, silver or gold Congressional Award Medal. Above is a picture of the 2009 Congressional Award participants.

Bill Brulotte Named National Distinguished Principal

CONGRATUALATIONS TO BILL BRULOTTE! Bill Brulotte, Principal at Perrine Elementary School, was named Idaho’s National Distinguished Principal of the Year for 2009. This is the highest award presented by the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Mr. Brulotte will be attending a formal meeting with the nation’s other National Distinguished Principals in Washington, D.C. This is an outstanding honor and Mr. Brulotte joins the ranks of our exceptional administrators and former recipients of national principal recognition, Dr. Wiley Dobbs, Dale Thornsberry and Kirk Brower.(Pictured are Bill Brulotte and Ted Popplewell)

March Employees of the Month

Congratulations to the Twin Falls School District March Employees of the Month! Certified employee of the month is Marita DeBoard and Classified Employee of the month is Lori McBride. Both employees work at Robert Stuart Junior High School. We appreciate all their hard work and efforts! (Pictured First: Trustee Kenny Young, Marita DeBoard, Dr. Wiley Dobbs, Chairman of the Board Bryan Matsuoka, Pictured Second: Vice-Chairman of the Board Lori Ward, Dr. Wiley Dobbs, Lori McBride, Trustee Dan King)

News Parents Can Use

The next "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast from the U.S. Department of Education will focus on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The broadcast is scheduled for 8 a.m. ET on March 17, 2009. For more information, please visit http://www.ed.gov/edtv/.

Lincoln Elementary School Receives Honor

Lincoln Elementary School was honored at the national Title I Conference. Thirty-six states selected two schools from their state to be recognized as a National Title I Distinguished School for either exceptional growth or closing the achievement gap. Lincoln Elementary School was selected for exceptional growth. Lincoln received three awards from the Idaho State Board of Education for 22.18% point increase in Caucasian math, 27.39% point increase in special education reading, and 22.20% point increase in special education math.

The 72 schools selected from the nation were honored during the opening ceremonies of the Title I Conference, were invited to a luncheon and treated to dinner by the Idaho State Department of Education. Lincoln Elementary School received a banner and a certificate.

MVHS Culinary Places 3rd in "Death by Chocolate"

Magic Valley High School competed in the annual Death by Chocolate event sponsored by the Twin Falls Rotary Club. A team of students from MVHS competed in the Unique Dessert category and earned a third place award from the judges. Magic Valley is the only high school to compete and only one of two amateur entrants in the competition; the other being students from the CSI Culinary Arts Program. We are very proud of our students. Pictured from left to right are Superintendent Dobbs, Edith Suazo, Alba Aleman, Rachel Turner, Joey Patterson, Vice Chair Lori Ward from the Board of Trustees, and Bob Withrow, MVHS Culinary Arts Instructor.

February Employees of the Month

Congratulations to the Twin Falls School District February Employees of the Month! Certified employee of the month is Amy Mann and Classified Employee of the month is Ekrem Prutina. Both employees work at Oregon Trail Elementary. We appreciate all their hard work and efforts!

Employees of the Month

Congratulations to the Twin Falls School District Employees of the Month for December and January! December Employees of the Month are both from Lincoln Elementary. Sonja Evans, pictured first, was the Certified Employee of the Month and Charles McGlochlin, pictured second, was the Classified Employee of the Month. January Employees of the Month are from Perrine. Carol Hill, pictured third, was the Certified Employee of the Month and Becky Rigdon, Pictured last, was the Classified Employee of the Month. GREAT JOB! Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Wiley J. Dobbs, and members of the Board of Trustees are pictured with the employees.

2009 Danny Marona Performing Arts Scholarship

Congratulations to the 2009 Danny Marona Performing Arts Scholarship Twin Falls Regional winners. A junior at Twin Falls High School, Andrew Bortz, placed 1st (Center). Second place was awarded to Becca Stonemets (Left) who is a student at CSI and third was awarded to Susan Dodds (Right), a student at BYU Idaho. Pictured with the students are Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Wiley J. Dobbs (Left) and Danny Marona.

JIVE Performance

MVHS Places 3rd in State Drama Competition

On December 5 and 6, the Magic Valley High School Main Street Players traveled to State Drama in Pocatello, Idaho. 38 schools competed, 14 of those in the “B” category, including MVHS (“B” teams are those from schools with less than 800 students). Catherine Howery, Dusti Morse, Alisha Neal, and Stephanie Galliher advanced to semi-finals in all of their events, and Alisha and Stephanie advanced to finals with their serious ensemble. The accumulation of points resulted in MVHS placing 3rd IN THE STATE as a team for “B” schools. Congratulations to the entire team for a fantastic competitive season! (Students who placed and drama teacher, Jennifer Miller, are pictured.)

November Employees of the Month

Congratulations to the Twin Falls School District's November Employees of the Month! Each employee is pictured above with Superintendent Dobbs and and representatives from the Board of Trustees. The Certified Employees of the Month are Joe Shepard,pictured third, from Support Services and Rebecca Robbins, pictured last, from the Bridge Academy Transition Center. The Classified Employees of the Month are Kandy Danos, pictured first, from Support Services and Bev Condon, pictured second, from the Bridge Academy Transition Center. Thank you for all your hard work!

October Employees of the Month

Congratulations to the Twin Falls School District October Employees of the month! The Certified Employee of the month is Shannon Anderson (pictured above).

The Classified Employee of the month is Laurie Wirtz (pictured above). Both are from Bickel Elementary School. We appreciate their hard work! Good Job!

Toni Smurthwaite Receives Office Max's A Day Made Better 2008

Congratulations to Toni Smurthwaite, who is the recipient of Office Max’s A Day Made Better 2008. Toni was nominated by Principal Schroeder and was in competition with all other teacher nominees in the Magic Valley. Each Office Max store chooses one winner who receives over $1,000 worth of supplies from their store. Toni was nominated for her commitment to student achievement, especially her dedication to ensure that each and every child reach his/her set goals. She does not give up on anyone and always gives 110%. We are proud to have Toni at Bickel Elementary School.

Cheri Miller Named Counselor of the Year!

On behalf of the Idaho School Counselor Association, Cheri Miller has been selected as Middle School Counselor of the Year. The Idaho School Counselor Association notes that Cheri is very worthy of this accomplishment! They thanked her and her colleagues who did the work to submit the application materials to ISCA; they really enjoyed reading about Cheri and what she does for kids, families, educators, the community, and most importantly, the profession! Cheri was presented the award during the ISCA Conference on Friday, October 3rd. Congratulations Cheri!

September Employees of the Month

Congratulations to the Twin Falls School District September Employees of the Month! Sheri Ollivier was named Classified Employee of the Month and Mauna Eller was named Certified Employee of the Month! Both are from Morningside Elementary. Sheri is pictured above.

AYP Schools

The Twin Falls school District made 95.7% of the adequate yearly progress (AYP) goals on the spring 2008 Idaho State Achievement Tests (ISAT). Perrine Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Sawtooth Elementary and Harrison Elementary are the four Twin Falls School District schools that met all 41 categories of AYP. Steps are currently being taken to address the areas that caused the remainder schools to be identified for improvement. An improvement plan will be developed in consultation with parents and the school staff, with technical assistance provided by the district office. Parents will have more opportunities to provide input through an expanded policy on parental involvement, which will further assist students to meet high academic standards. For those schools not making AYP, parents have the option to transfer their child to another school within the district that has not been identified for improvement. If parents have questions or concerns, they should contact the principal of their school.

August Employees of the Month

Congratulations to the Twin Falls School District Employees of the Month! Vicki Schab (bottom) was named certified employee of the month and Tammy Mingo (top) was named classified employee of the month. Both employees are from Harrison Elementary School. Thank you for all your hard work!