Superintendent Mikolic says Knox schools had a "fantastic" start; outlines testing, meals, attendance, bus plans and Sept. 11 virtual day

Superintendent Mikolic addressed the Knox community with a two-week back-to-school update, saying the year has gotten off to a "fantastic" start and highlighting student leadership, assessment plans and operational items families should note. "As I talked to the teachers and the admin and the kids, there's some, like, keywords that stick out," Mikolic said, naming "students helping students" and teamwork as early successes.

Mikolic said the district is administering Exact Path assessments three times this school year — now, before Christmas and again at the end of the year — so staff can track growth over time. "Now we do this 3 times a year, and the whole point of this is growth," Mikolic said. He also described changes to state testing known as iLearn: the spring assessment has been broken into three smaller checkpoints plus a smaller end-of-year test, and the district will monitor how those "chunks" go for students.

On school meals, Mikolic reminded families that "all students have free breakfast and lunch" and clarified that the free meals refer to standard menu items, not à la carte extras. He said participation at elementary and middle schools is strong and encouraged more high school students to take advantage of the program.

Attendance and family communications were a focus: Mikolic emphasized that the district expects "no unexcused absences" and explained two ways to report an absence — by calling the school or submitting a Google form available on each school's website that feeds into the district data system.

Acknowledging transportation challenges, Mikolic apologized for "double routing" and delays as bus schedules settle into routine, and said the district will try to send day-before notifications when it knows a bus will be late. He invited community members to consider bus-driving positions, noting it may be easier to obtain a commercial driver license and that part‑time or event driving opportunities exist; interested people should contact central office.

Mikolic asked parents to follow elementary drop-off procedures for student safety, requesting that students exit on the passenger (school) side when possible to speed sidewalk access. He also reminded families about upcoming photo dates (elementary pictures on Aug. 22) and retake scheduling to come.

Looking ahead, Mikolic said the district will observe Labor Day (Sept. 2) and has scheduled a districtwide virtual learning day for Sept. 11 so students can practice logging in and staff can test devices and systems in case of extended closures. "The why is that in case we get in trouble, let's say we got a snowstorm ... we want to have this option and we want to practice it now," Mikolic said.

He closed by inviting questions or concerns from families and thanked staff and students for the positive start to the year. The superintendent said staff will remain available through central office for follow-up inquiries.