We passed the Bond Referendum in November – now what?

Here is a brief overview of where things are at:

• Final design is underway on the Science Room Renovation.  Bid documents will be shared on January 30, 2025, and bids are due February 27, 2025.  Construction will begin once school is out in May and be complete prior to the start of the 2025-2026 school year in August.

• We are working on the initial design of the Softball Field which will be constructed on the site of the stadium in Martensdale.  We anticipate work will begin this spring or early summer and be complete in the fall.

• We are nearing the finalization of a furniture package to be purchased, delivered and installed this coming summer.

• We are in the initial design phase for the new bus loop and parking lot, the new safe and secure entrance, and the new gym.  We anticipate having design documents complete next fall with bidding in October 2025.  We will then begin construction on these projects in the spring of 2026 with completion in the fall or early winter of 2027.

• We are in the initial stages of the design phase for improvements in HVAC, electrical services, and fire safety.  We anticipate this work to begin in the summer of 2026 with work complete in the summer of 2027.

Students and staff in the Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District will head out on Winter Break following the completion of the school day on Friday, December 20, 2024.

There is no school between December 23 and January 1; offices will be closed on December 24-26 and January 1.

We will welcome students and staff back to school on January 2, 2025.

We constantly monitor current conditions and the forecast for inclement weather. Through this process, we consult with the National Weather Service, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and other local schools. While every situation is different, we will do our best to communicate changes to the school schedule due to weather in a manner that provides as much advance notice as possible.

In general, we will work to decide before 9:00pm the night before, no later than 5:30am the morning of, or by 11:00am for an early dismissal.

Communication Plan

When a decision is made, we will communicate accordingly:

MSTM Staff

• We will initiate our phone tree among District leaders who will then communicate directly with their teams.
• We will e-mail all staff using their mstm.us e-mail account.

MSTM Students and Parents

• We will initiate communication with all families via JMC in the format of a text message, phone call, and e-mail.

• We will post the information to the district website.

• We will post the information on these X (Twitter) accounts:

  @MSTMSupt and @MSTM_BlueDevils

• We will share the information with these media outlets: WHO Radio 1040am, WOI TV Channel 5, KCCI TV Channel 8, WHO TV Channel 13

District Services

Bus Routes

When we have a 2-hour weather delay, bus routes will coincide with this delay and buses will pick up students 2 hours later than their normal pick-up time. When we have an early dismissal, bus routes will coincide with the early dismissal in that buses will pick up students from school earlier than their regular dismissal time and will drop off students earlier than their normal drop-off time.

Daycare Services

• If school is delayed, Daycare services will open as scheduled unless there is an issue with the building itself.
• If school is dismissed early, Daycare services will be offered for 90-minutes unless otherwise communicated.
• If school is cancelled, Daycare services will be cancelled.

School Start Times

When there is a 2-hour delay, school will begin at 9:55am at both the Elementary and Junior High School / High School.

Preschool will follow the Elementary Schedule; if school is delayed, there will be NO 3-Year-Old Preschool.

In most instances, we will utilize 1:00pm as our early dismissal time for weather-related dismissals.

Activities

• If school is delayed, morning activities are cancelled.
• If school is dismissed early, a decision on activities will be left to the discretion of the Superintendent.
• If school is cancelled, all activities are cancelled with limited exceptions left to the discretion of the Superintendent.

Students and staff will begin Thanksgiving Break on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

There will be no school on November 27 - 29 and District and Building Offices will be closed during this time.

Students will return to school on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.

Today, each of our 2nd Graders received the book Just Like Caitlin by Ally Obermeier. Copies of the book which tells the story of Caitlin Clark were provided to each 2nd Grader at MSTM courtesy of Dickson and Luann Jensen. Thank you to the Jensen family for this generous donation, made to 2nd graders across Iowa.

Members of our Boys and Girls Basketball Teams joined the 2nd Graders today and read the book together in the gym.

Today, the community that supports the Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District voted YES on a bond referendum to support a facilities project at the school

The overall result was 66.40% Yes (1229 votes) and 33.60% No (622 votes). The referendum required a 60% approval rating to pass

On behalf of our students and staff, present and future, we want to thank our community for making an investment in our future as a school district. We are excited to get to work and we are humbled by their support of this project

We could not have done this without the support of a group of volunteers that helped convey our message and share their passion for our students, our school, and this community with their own families, friends, neighbors, and complete strangers

Over the last few months, we have worked to develop a strong community – school partnership that will serve our students well for years to come.

Election Day – November 5, 2024

Polls are open 7:00am – 8:00pm

Where do I vote?  Visit the Secretary of State’s Website at:  https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx

Warren County

Jackson Precinct – St. Marys American Legion – 112 Iowa St. St. Marys

Jefferson Precinct – St. Paul’s Lutheran Church -615 Iowa Ave Martensdale

Lincoln 1 Precinct – St. Thomas Aquinas Church – 210 S. Wesley St. Indianola

Linn Precinct – Carper Vineyard and Winery – 4603 Dakota St. Norwalk

White Oak Precinct – Annett Nature Center – 15565 118th Ave Indianola

Madison County

Trinity Lutheran Church – 1195 Prairieview Ave, Rural Van Meter

Jackson Building (south end) on County Fairgrounds – 1146 W Summit, Winterset

On November 5, 2024, the Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District will ask voters to approve a $15.95 million referendum to fund improvements to the school.

This plan includes:

• A shift to make the “front” of the building north facing.

• The addition / renovation of a parking lot and bus loop on the north side along with a main drive and an entrance off of Highway 28.

• The addition of a single safe and secure entrance on the north side serving both the elementary and secondary components of our school operation. Both the elementary and secondary offices would be located here, including space for both counselors and others.

• The addition of a gymnasium that would be large enough to ensure that we can host post-season events in volleyball, basketball, and wrestling moving forward and provide our students in physical education with a first-class facility to participate in during school.

• Upgrades to the HVAC System, Fire Safety Systems, and Electrical System throughout the existing building.

• Furniture replacement throughout the building to include student spaces.

Learn more about the project by visiting the MSTM Bond Information website here: www.mstmbond.com