PANORAMA U P D A T E
January 2025
JANUARY 2025
PANORAMA C O M M U N I T Y
S C H O O L S
NOTES FROM SUPERINTENDENT HUEBNER Overall, the school year is off to a fantastic start. It’s hard to believe that we’re already in January, with colder days approaching. With winter driving ahead, please keep in mind that as a parent, you have the ultimate authority on whether to send your child to school. We will make the best decision possible with the data that we have. As we move into the second half of the academic year, we will continue to seek ways to enhance our daily experiences. Our emphasis will be on incorporating life development into our daily schedules and finding creative ways to engage students that align with our Portrait of a Graduate and our Panorama Priorities. Our efforts should be connected to our end goals. Our Portrait of a Graduate is outlined on page 5. Our work doesn’t stop there. We will keep striving to improve our physical campus, ensuring that it remains a safe and inviting environment for all students and families every day. Our campus should cater to the community's needs and to the current Panorama learners. Being community-focused and having 45% of our graduates from last year enter the workforce directly have been key motivators as we consider potential future projects in the district. If you have any suggestions, thoughts or ideas, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at kasey.huebner@panorama.k12.ia.us. TOGETHER, WE ARE PANORAMA!
Mrs. Gafkjen Will Be Missed Mrs. Gafkjen made it clear that her work was not just a profession—it was her calling. Even as she faced significant challenges the last few years, her goal remained the same: to be present with her students and her family, giving them her very best. Parents felt so comfortable having Krista teach and care for their children on a daily basis. We are so incredibly grateful for the years Mrs. Gafkjen has spent time with us and the indelible mark she has left on everyone in our community. She will be deeply missed, but definitely never forgotten.
ACTIVITIES
Activities Pages
Girls Boys
Strength
GIRLS
Follow these activities pages for up-to-date information on all your favorite activities.
TOGETHER, WE ARE
PANORAMA Panorama Dance Team Congratulations to the Panorama Dance Team for once again showcasing their school spirit and achieving remarkable success! The two most significant awards, more valuable than any trophy, are the Distinguished Academic Award, which recognizes teams with a GPA between 3.5 and 4.0, and the Lois Turnage Outstanding Community Service Award. Character and academic excellence truly take precedence over first-place accolades! All four routines earned Division 1 Ratings 1st Place State Champs in Jazz 1st Place State Champs in Contemporary 2nd Place in Lyrical 6th Place in The M.I.X. Individual State recognitions include: Cali Knudsen: 9th Place Nella Rivas: 3rd Place Additionally, they received the Be Bold Award for their creative and impactful choreography in Contemporary, and Coach Vance was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Panorama Cross Country Congratulations to our Cross Country programs for their outstanding performance at the State Meet! The Panorama girls secured 9th place overall, and two Panthers received IATC All-State honors. Kylie Rochholz (14th place) - First Team All-State Noah Poldberg (24th place) - Second Team All-State
Panorama Safety Upgrades
Well done to everyone involved!
Through the Governors Safety Grant, we have successfully utilized the allocated funds, which were designated for reimbursement items. The district made qualified purchases and received reimbursement for the services. Here is a breakdown of the fund allocation: 1. Upgrading Cameras 2. Securing Doors & additional Card Access Points 3. Providing Communication Radios for Each Building 4. Installing Window Blinds in Elementary Main Hallways
Activities Handbook We are in the process of creating an activities handbook to effectively outline expectations for students, families and staff. Our goal is to establish consistent standards that will help us manage situations in a uniform manner moving forward. We aim to have this implemented by the next school year. Mr. Dahlhauser is spearheading this initiative and will begin discussions with coaches by the end of this school year.
Winter Weather A reminder that announcements affecting school cancellations or postponements will be posted on Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, Infinite Campus alert, Panorama webpage, WHO13, and KCCI. You can also receive text alerts if you have signed up through Infinite Campus. We will also push notifications out via our Panorama Panthers mobile app. We aim to make timely decisions, ideally by 6:15 am. However, there are instances when we may need to postpone decisions until the buses depart at 6:45 am. This delay can be attributed to various factors, such as clearing roads, streets, or sidewalks, or addressing parking issues, which can affect our initial assessments of the conditions. Nonetheless, we make a concerted effort to arrive at the most reasonable decision based on all the information available at that time. It’s essential to understand that the forecasts we receive are not always completely accurate, necessitating decisions based on the information we have. As a parent, you have the ultimate authority on whether to send your child to school, considering many factors. However, if you believe your child's safety is compromised, please inform the school administration immediately..
Panorama Portrait of a Graduate Key Priorities As a district, we have been focusing on the essential skills that a Panorama graduate should have upon completing their education. Following our community survey last March, we pinpointed our top four skills: Leadership, Personal Wellness, 21st Century Learning, and Financial Literacy. The graphic below provides a detailed explanation of each area. As a staff, we will begin to explore how we can effectively teach these vital life skills in the future. We are eager to see the learning experiences that will be developed to purposefully impart these important topics.
Panorama Esports Congratulations to our Esports program on achieving their very first victory! This marks the inaugural season for the program, proudly sponsored by Panora Fiber. History has been made!
PANORAMA NEW STAFF
Bret Fear - Elementary Custodian
Morgan Alleman - ES Paraeducator
Sam Hoffman - ES Paraeducator
Ada Schauer - ES Paraeducator
Kaylin Small - ES Paraeducator
Amber Merical - ES Paraeducator
Ms. Morgan Sheeder We have hired Ms. Morgan Sheeder to serve as a long-term substitute for our high school English position. She hails from Iowa State and is currently pursuing her degree in elementary education. With a BA in English, we are thrilled to have Ms. Sheeder join us and bring stability to our English classroom.
Attendance Policy This is a reminder of our new attendance policy that was put in place this year. This is a mandatory policy change as the state makes attendance a priority. This essentially means that even excused absences are now calculated in the chronic absenteeism calculation with some exemptions. Click the image to read more.
District 1- Heidi Clark, Vice President District 2- Clint Deardorff District 3 - Deb Westergaard, President District 4 - Mark Cates District 5 - Damon Crandall
Follow the Panther Athletics on Bound!
Top 5 Social Media Posts of 2024 Posts identified based on number of impressions/clicks.
2024 Senior Trip
Mr. Dahlhauser to AD
Iowa Central Wrestling Team Helping our Small Bus
Jaidyn Sellers Track Accomplishments
I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag.2.1 million views!
Download our App TODAY!