Today, the PTO had the opportunity to recognize two very special people in our school—Laura and Katie.
While their title may say “secretary,” anyone who spends time in our schools knows they are so much more. From helping students who forgot their homework, to offering a listening ear, a bandage, or even a much-needed hug—they are a steady, caring presence our kids rely on every day.
They are often the first face students see in the morning and the calm, reassuring presence throughout the day. The heart they put into their work creates an environment where students feel safe, supported, and cared for—like having a second mom at school.
As a small token of our appreciation, we gifted them coffee from the school coffee shop—just a small way to say thank you for everything they do for our students and our school community.
Please join us in showing Laura and Katie some well-deserved appreciation!
#CouncilPTO #ThankYou #SchoolCommunity #HeartOfTheSchool
While their title may say “secretary,” anyone who spends time in our schools knows they are so much more. From helping students who forgot their homework, to offering a listening ear, a bandage, or even a much-needed hug—they are a steady, caring presence our kids rely on every day.
They are often the first face students see in the morning and the calm, reassuring presence throughout the day. The heart they put into their work creates an environment where students feel safe, supported, and cared for—like having a second mom at school.
As a small token of our appreciation, we gifted them coffee from the school coffee shop—just a small way to say thank you for everything they do for our students and our school community.
Please join us in showing Laura and Katie some well-deserved appreciation!
#CouncilPTO #ThankYou #SchoolCommunity #HeartOfTheSchool
Thank You to Our Amazing Lunch Ladies! 💛
Today, the PTO had the opportunity to recognize the incredible women who keep our students fed—not just with meals, but with care, kindness, and heart every single day.
Our kitchen staff does so much more than prepare food. They create a space where students feel welcomed, seen, and cared for. If you’ve ever walked into the cafeteria and heard laughter coming from the kitchen, you know exactly what we mean. Their energy, smiles, and positivity ripple through the entire school.
They truly are a special part of our school community—nourishing both hearts and bellies. 💛
As a small token of our appreciation, we gifted them Shy Simon’s gift cards to say thank you for everything they do for our kids.
Please join us in showing them some love and appreciation!
#CouncilPTO #ThankYou #SchoolCommunity #HeartsAndBellies
Today, the PTO had the opportunity to recognize the incredible women who keep our students fed—not just with meals, but with care, kindness, and heart every single day.
Our kitchen staff does so much more than prepare food. They create a space where students feel welcomed, seen, and cared for. If you’ve ever walked into the cafeteria and heard laughter coming from the kitchen, you know exactly what we mean. Their energy, smiles, and positivity ripple through the entire school.
They truly are a special part of our school community—nourishing both hearts and bellies. 💛
As a small token of our appreciation, we gifted them Shy Simon’s gift cards to say thank you for everything they do for our kids.
Please join us in showing them some love and appreciation!
#CouncilPTO #ThankYou #SchoolCommunity #HeartsAndBellies
WARNING: We have received reports of a cougar sighting in the area of the football field on campus. Please use caution if your student uses the Weiser River Trail or plays in that area! The Sheriff's office has been notified.
Council Elementary School has an opening for a Full-time and/or part-time elementary teacher aide for the current school year and /or the 2026-2027 school year. Come join a dynamic team in a fast-paced, positive work environment, where you'll have the opportunity to make an everlasting impact on the lives of children in the Council community.
Please submit application form, resume, and cover letter to District Clerk, Mindy Ivey at mivey@csd13.org or mail to Council School District Attention: Mindy Ivey, P.O. Box 468, Council, ID 83612. Application can be found here: COUNCIL SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 13
Please reach out to Mr. Fontana at lfontana@csd13.org if you have any questions or would like additional information.
ALL PHONE LINES & INTERNET ARE BACK UP AND RUNNING!!
Spring Volleyball Final Week
Monday 4/27 - practice as usual 4:00-5:30
Tuesday 4/28
Beginners - (Coach Layne’s group) 4:00-4:45
Gamers - (Coach Tucker’s group) 4:30 - game at 5:00 vs Donnelly
Thursday 4/30
Beginners - (Coach Layne’s group) 4:00-4:45
Gamers - (Coach Tucker’s group) 4:30 - game at 5:00 vs McCall #1
game at 6:00 vs McCall #2
To clarify Tuesday and Thursday:
The Beginners group will only be 4:00 - 4:45 then they will be released to parents. Parents are welcome to come in and watch them demo what they have learned.
The Gamer group will start at 4:30 on both days and stay until games are finished (approx an hour per game). For your convenience they are welcome to go over to the gym as usual after school - please send them a light, healthy snack to fuel them for their game(s).
If you have any questions text or call Coach Tucker 208-630-4997
Dear Parents of Council School District Bus Riders:
As you may have seen in prior communication, we’ve partnered with BusRight - a transportation technology startup - to allow you to keep track of your child’s school bus route to and from school directly from your smartphone.
The BusRight app will allow you to, in real-time, follow your child’s bus route to and from school, receive notifications when the bus begins and ends its route, view the expected arrival time at your child’s designated bus stop, and receive ad-hoc communications from the Transportation Department.
As always questions about your child's bus stop or route should be directed to the Council School District or email transportation@csd13.org
We are very excited about this cool program and what it allows us to do! If you haven't signed up yet, make sure to do so before the end of the year so you can try it out!
As you may have seen in prior communication, we’ve partnered with BusRight - a transportation technology startup - to allow you to keep track of your child’s school bus route to and from school directly from your smartphone.
The BusRight app will allow you to, in real-time, follow your child’s bus route to and from school, receive notifications when the bus begins and ends its route, view the expected arrival time at your child’s designated bus stop, and receive ad-hoc communications from the Transportation Department.
As always questions about your child's bus stop or route should be directed to the Council School District or email transportation@csd13.org
We are very excited about this cool program and what it allows us to do! If you haven't signed up yet, make sure to do so before the end of the year so you can try it out!
Join us for the Council FFA Chapter's Annual End of Year Banquet on April 28th at 6pm in the Elementary MPR! We hope to see you there!
Join the Council Theatrical Society for a night of improv and comedy this Friday April 17th at the Adams County Exhibit Hall!
JH track practice is cancelled for today 4/15/26
Reminder: The 1st Annual CES Art Walk is coming up this Tuesday, April 14th at 6pm in the MPR! We hope to see you there!
One of the biggest contributors to our positive energy this year is our Hope Squad! Have you heard of Hope Squad? Our Purpose: To foster human connection, community, and hope. Our Approach: Elevating mental wellbeing through peer-to-peer suicide prevention programming.
This is the first year of the Hope Squad program at CSD. We currently have 8 students, 2 from each grade, 9-12. We have four adult leaders, Mrs. Warner, Mr. Power, Mrs. Cook and Mr. James. We are looking at expanding to the junior high by choosing representatives in the next week or two.
This year Hope Squad has held several events including Hope Week in March, Boo Grams in October, Idaho Youth Summit in McCall. Additionally, CSD will be participating in the Strong Minds Idaho Pledge in April. Students are asked to take care of their mental health and support others in doing the same!
We have teamed up with the Youth Advocacy Coalition bringing in guest speaker Donovan Tolbert in March, developing the Council Community Coalition, assisting with Hope Squad opportunities and expenditures, and building capacity for school and community events like our hugely successful Movie Nights! In addition to teaming up with YAC, we have also been working with Communities for Youth in the same capacity. They have both provided grant funding for the Hope Squad curriculum and coalition funding. Our relationship with Ignite Family Resource Center has also helped us provide much needed counseling, training and assistance for families in need. Referrals to their program The Anchor have brought students much needed mental health counseling and assistance.
This is the first year of the Hope Squad program at CSD. We currently have 8 students, 2 from each grade, 9-12. We have four adult leaders, Mrs. Warner, Mr. Power, Mrs. Cook and Mr. James. We are looking at expanding to the junior high by choosing representatives in the next week or two.
This year Hope Squad has held several events including Hope Week in March, Boo Grams in October, Idaho Youth Summit in McCall. Additionally, CSD will be participating in the Strong Minds Idaho Pledge in April. Students are asked to take care of their mental health and support others in doing the same!
We have teamed up with the Youth Advocacy Coalition bringing in guest speaker Donovan Tolbert in March, developing the Council Community Coalition, assisting with Hope Squad opportunities and expenditures, and building capacity for school and community events like our hugely successful Movie Nights! In addition to teaming up with YAC, we have also been working with Communities for Youth in the same capacity. They have both provided grant funding for the Hope Squad curriculum and coalition funding. Our relationship with Ignite Family Resource Center has also helped us provide much needed counseling, training and assistance for families in need. Referrals to their program The Anchor have brought students much needed mental health counseling and assistance.
You might have noticed some positivity around CSD lately! This culture shift is thanks in large part to our PBIS System.
What is PBIS?
PBIS is a multi-tiered framework – three tiers, to be exact. Each tier aligns to the type of support students need. These three tiers are:
Tier 1: Universal Prevention (all)
They establish the foundation for delivering regular, proactive support and preventing challenging behavior. Tier 1 emphasizes prosocial skills and expectations by teaching and acknowledging expected student behavior
Tier 2: Targeted Prevention (some)
The focus in Tier 2, is on supporting students who are at risk for developing more serious problem behavior. Tier 2 support often involves group interventions with 10 or more students participating.
Tier 3: Intensive, Individualized Prevention (few)
At most schools, 1-5% of students need more than the support provided in Tier 1 and Tier2. At Tier 3, these students receive more intensive, frequent, and individualized support to improve behavioral and academic outcomes.
Mr. Fontana says: "At the elementary school, we're in tier 1, so we're teaching school-wide expected behaviors and positively reinforcing expected behaviors. Students receive GRIT cards for displaying positive behaviors, such as showing Gratitude, Respect, Integrity, and Tenacity (GRIT). Cards are collected by teachers and brought up to the office at the end of each day for a daily prize drawing to pick a winning from the primary and a winning from the intermediate. We also have a weekly drawing for a candy bar. In addition, we have a monthly drawing for a candy bar or toy, plus a certificate for a free lumberjack t-shirt. Furthermore, we set a quarterly GRIT card goal of 3,000 cards and if students meet this, the whole school receives a large reward, such as a rootbeer float party, getting to dress me up like a mummy, and getting to go to the skating rink. We also choose 2 students quarterly to receive a free pizza gift card at Shy's.
Overall, my opinion is the PBIS is working great! Teachers are able to address their own classroom discipline for the most part and I intervene in major discipline issues, such as fights, stealing, etc. Students have really bought into the GRIT cards and love when names are called for prizes! When our secretary Katie goes on the intercom to announce who's names have been drawn for prizes, the school goes silent in anticipation, which is pretty awesome to see."
Mr. Joyce says: " I think it has been great for us too. I think it has changed our culture quite a bit. From the data (office referrals), the overall trend is downward. I am seeing fewer office referrals than I have in years past, so from that perspective, it has been a positive experience. I sometimes go days without an office referral, which would have been unheard of last year. "
Stay tuned for information about our Hope Squad and the work they're doing to improve school culture! For more information about PBIS, click the link below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/103i2jFvuW9tiujJ0ZB2FogHMEvvF-Zrf/
What is PBIS?
PBIS is a multi-tiered framework – three tiers, to be exact. Each tier aligns to the type of support students need. These three tiers are:
Tier 1: Universal Prevention (all)
They establish the foundation for delivering regular, proactive support and preventing challenging behavior. Tier 1 emphasizes prosocial skills and expectations by teaching and acknowledging expected student behavior
Tier 2: Targeted Prevention (some)
The focus in Tier 2, is on supporting students who are at risk for developing more serious problem behavior. Tier 2 support often involves group interventions with 10 or more students participating.
Tier 3: Intensive, Individualized Prevention (few)
At most schools, 1-5% of students need more than the support provided in Tier 1 and Tier2. At Tier 3, these students receive more intensive, frequent, and individualized support to improve behavioral and academic outcomes.
Mr. Fontana says: "At the elementary school, we're in tier 1, so we're teaching school-wide expected behaviors and positively reinforcing expected behaviors. Students receive GRIT cards for displaying positive behaviors, such as showing Gratitude, Respect, Integrity, and Tenacity (GRIT). Cards are collected by teachers and brought up to the office at the end of each day for a daily prize drawing to pick a winning from the primary and a winning from the intermediate. We also have a weekly drawing for a candy bar. In addition, we have a monthly drawing for a candy bar or toy, plus a certificate for a free lumberjack t-shirt. Furthermore, we set a quarterly GRIT card goal of 3,000 cards and if students meet this, the whole school receives a large reward, such as a rootbeer float party, getting to dress me up like a mummy, and getting to go to the skating rink. We also choose 2 students quarterly to receive a free pizza gift card at Shy's.
Overall, my opinion is the PBIS is working great! Teachers are able to address their own classroom discipline for the most part and I intervene in major discipline issues, such as fights, stealing, etc. Students have really bought into the GRIT cards and love when names are called for prizes! When our secretary Katie goes on the intercom to announce who's names have been drawn for prizes, the school goes silent in anticipation, which is pretty awesome to see."
Mr. Joyce says: " I think it has been great for us too. I think it has changed our culture quite a bit. From the data (office referrals), the overall trend is downward. I am seeing fewer office referrals than I have in years past, so from that perspective, it has been a positive experience. I sometimes go days without an office referral, which would have been unheard of last year. "
Stay tuned for information about our Hope Squad and the work they're doing to improve school culture! For more information about PBIS, click the link below:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/103i2jFvuW9tiujJ0ZB2FogHMEvvF-Zrf/
For youth baseball info & sign-up go to:
Adams County Parks and Rec
Join us April 14th for the 1st annual CES Art Walk brought to us by the Council PTO!
On our website, you might have noticed the addition of a button labeled "See Tell Now." What is this? See Tell Now is a 24/7 anonymous reporting system and mobile app used in Idaho schools to report safety concerns, bullying, threats, or illegal activity. It enables students, staff, and community members to report incidents securely, which are then evaluated by trained technicians and routed to local law enforcement or school officials for immediate action. Check it out on our website or by clicking the link here: https://www.seetellnow.com/
Hello Everyone,
This week, Mark Mahon led a forestry and forest products unit for my Freshman Intro to Agricultural Mechanics class. Over the first two days, Mark provided classroom instruction, introducing students to various pieces of logging equipment and explaining their roles in silviculture and forest management.
On the third day, the experience culminated in a visit to his shop, where students participated in a hands-on demonstration of the heavy machinery his company uses daily.
My class and I are incredibly grateful for the opportunity and the continued support from Mahon Logging. The freshmen had a great time, after all, it’s not every day you get the chance to operate a few million dollars’ worth of equipment!
-Mr. Power
This week, Mark Mahon led a forestry and forest products unit for my Freshman Intro to Agricultural Mechanics class. Over the first two days, Mark provided classroom instruction, introducing students to various pieces of logging equipment and explaining their roles in silviculture and forest management.
On the third day, the experience culminated in a visit to his shop, where students participated in a hands-on demonstration of the heavy machinery his company uses daily.
My class and I are incredibly grateful for the opportunity and the continued support from Mahon Logging. The freshmen had a great time, after all, it’s not every day you get the chance to operate a few million dollars’ worth of equipment!
-Mr. Power
Check out our strong Lumberjacks!
Mrs. Zollman wants to highlight the strength that our students are building. She says, "I'm so proud of all the students' growth from the beginning of the year until now. We have young students who couldn't do push-ups at the first of the year doing great ones now with good form. We also have some older ones learning military style and trying to perfect it. We have a bunch of students even practicing at home. I 'm so proud of them!"
Mrs. Zollman wants to highlight the strength that our students are building. She says, "I'm so proud of all the students' growth from the beginning of the year until now. We have young students who couldn't do push-ups at the first of the year doing great ones now with good form. We also have some older ones learning military style and trying to perfect it. We have a bunch of students even practicing at home. I 'm so proud of them!"
Mr. James has created a visual to highlight some of the culture-building initiatives that CHS has put in motion this year. Please check it out and reach out if you are interested in learning more about any of them!
Spring Volleyball starts right after the break.
Info here - Lumberjack Spring Volleyball