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Students lead Chalktober downtown project; district highlights dyslexia supports and family testimonials
Summary
District 11 trustees heard student presentations about a downtown Chalktober art event involving 1,300 eighth graders and a staff‑heavy logistics plan; administrators also outlined district dyslexia supports (Take Flight) and families described measurable benefits.
Students and district staff used the board meeting to preview Chalktober, a downtown cross‑curricular art event, and to spotlight dyslexia supports that district officials say are expanding across schools.
Crystal/Chris Rasmussen, the district curriculum chief, described the Chalktober initiative as a middle‑school 'peak experience' with about 1,300 eighth graders participating downtown and roughly 200 district staff supporting the event across campuses and partnerships with downtown businesses and the Pioneers Museum. "We have purchased basically any and everything that we find" in supplies and have arranged logistics for buses, water and restroom access to move students downtown safely, Rasmussen said.
Principals and students detailed classroom ties to math, science, ELA and art, and described how teachers structured lessons (gridding, material science for chalk types) to create large sidewalk art. Eighth‑grade students who helped lead the project described their roles; student David Zinn Sabah said it was a "wonderful experience" helping middle school students and teaching techniques.
On dyslexia supports, Marcy Eichman outlined a tiered, structured‑literacy approach and said the district had 8 schools with dedicated staff and 21 additional trained staff serving as tier 1 and tier 2 supports. Eichman told trustees that in 2024–25 the district served 385 students using the model and that 114 students were receiving intensive (tier‑3) services this year: "For the 2024–25 school year, we served 385 students and this year we are currently serving 114 at the intensive level," she said.
Parents and students gave brief testimonials about Take Flight and similar interventions, saying literacy instruction has increased confidence and access to grade‑level texts.
Board members thanked staff and students and encouraged the community to attend Chalktober events downtown on Thursday and Friday.
No formal action was required for these presentations, but leaders asked staff to continue communicating logistics and safety information to families ahead of the event.
