District administrators briefed the board on back‑to‑school preparations, saying 34 new teachers attended the district’s new‑teacher institute and administrators expect several days of further staff in‑service before students arrive. "There are our bright faces that we welcomed at 07:45 this morning," the presenter said, noting a strong mix of experience among new hires and several recent graduates from local programs. The institute included a district tour and local history presentation by Mike Zimmer, curriculum and assessment sessions, mentor time in buildings and a paraeducator training scheduled later in the week. Administrators asked principals to review the newly adopted device policy with staff during building meetings. Facilities updates included completion of three new inclusive playgrounds at Cody, Hopewell and Forest Grove; administrators said crews are finishing surfacing and seeding and that parent‑teacher associations contributed about $20,000 each toward the project. "The project was over a one‑and‑a‑half million dollar project," a staff presenter said. The board received a construction update for the high school, with work continuing on exterior walls and the serving area; staff said the schedule is still weather‑dependent and that the district maintains plan A, B and C for parking and dining access if rain delays finishing the serving area before new‑teacher events and the first day of school. Food‑service staff and coaches will meet during staff week; administrators noted a district‑wide paraeducator training and seizure training for school nurses are scheduled before school starts. The board thanked staff and community partners for completing the playgrounds and preparing staff for the coming year. No formal action was taken on these informational items.