Welcoming New Teachers to the Hudson Family

(L-R) Michelle Walker, Katelyn Pint, Allyson Hearn, Jacob Smith,
Makenzie Fletcher, Karlie Michael, Elly Heinemann 
(Not pictured is Amy Kuker and Crystal Betts)

As we embark on the 2023-24 school year and all that is in store for us, I would like to take a moment to recognize and welcome some new faces within the Hudson Schools community. Each of these individuals brings a unique set of skills, experiences, and goals—and we cannot wait to see the ways they enrich both our team and the experiences of our students. 

Katelyn Pint - 1st Grade 

It’s not every day that we get to welcome back one of our very own Pirates! After pursuing her degree in literacy and special education at University of Northern Iowa, Katelyn chose to come back to Hudson and join our team. With her deep connection to the community and her passion for education, she’s sure to have a remarkable impact on her students.

Karlie Michael-Special Education

Karlie earned her degree in elementary education with an instructional strategist minor from the University of Northern Iowa. Fun fact about Karlie: her second school placement was working with our special education students at the junior high, and she is excited to continue working with our junior high staff and students in this new role.  

Allyson Hearn - 5th Grade

Another University of Northern Iowa graduate, Allyson brings a wealth of experience to Hudson after working at the Quarters Cedar Falls and a daycare center in Independence. Her passion for fostering growth and development is sure to be an asset to our team. We are excited to welcome her—and her adorable goldendoodle Darby—to the Hudson family. 

Elly Heinemann - Special Education

Elly recently graduated from UNI as well, and we’re excited that she’s going to begin her career as a Pirate! She is filled with enthusiasm and her commitment to education and students is boundless. We are excited to see her passion in action in the classroom. Notably, her husband, Matthew, is beginning his first year teaching as well.

Michelle Walker - Junior High/High School Science and Computer Science

Michelle comes to us from Starmont CSD, and we hope she is as excited to get to know everyone in the Hudson community as we are to have her here. Michelle brings with her endorsements in 5-12 all science, basic science and biological science from the University of Northern Iowa. We are grateful she chose Hudson as the next step in her journey. 

Makenzie Fletcher - 5th Grade

With an education degree and minors in literacy and mathematics from the University of Northern Iowa, Makenzie is equipped to make an immediate impact within the Hudson community. She is excited to be a part of our Hudson family and to build relationships with our students, staff and families, and we are thrilled she is here!

Amy Kuker - 1st Grade

Before joining the Pirate family, Amy taught in Cedar Falls for nine years. We are pleased she made the decision to come to Hudson, and can not wait to see what she brings to our team. Her dedication to excellence is second-to-none. Amy holds degrees from both the University of Northern Iowa and Upper Iowa University, and endorsements in both reading and English/language arts. 

Jacob Smith - Physical Education

Jacob’s background in physical education and health education from UNI, combined with his passion for sports and mentorship, is sure to bring vibrant energy and have an immediate, positive impact on our students. As he works to inspire students through physical activity, we are excited to see what his influence will bring to our students and our school community. 

Crystal Betts - Elementary Principal

Crystal is excited to be back working with elementary students. Her focus will be on building positive relationships, learning about current practices and successes, and supporting an effective learning environment. She has three active children and is looking forward to being involved in the community.

Please join me in welcoming these outstanding educators into the Pirate family. These individuals are prepared to make an immediate impact as our school community works to help our students LIVE ABOVE the LINE. 

Transportation and Bus Routes

Continuing our exploration of the 'Topics' newsletter this week, I want to spend a few moments with you discussing transportation to and from school. Before we get into the planning and development of our bus routes, I don't want to miss the opportunity to once again remind you of our parking plan for the coming school year. You can access information about that plan on the 'Parking 2023-2024' tab of our website. 

Now then, on to the bus routes! Because of significant enrollment growth over the last couple of years (and in this case I am speaking specifically of resident pupil enrollment), the structure and configuration of our bus routes is continually being evaluated. In the Twin Oaks addition for example, we had two students a year ago. This year we anticipate 10. White Tail went from 15 to 31, and my neighborhood alone has 63! This afternoon I took a 'road trip' through the district and the pace of construction and sheer volume of residential lots suggests that overall growth in our district will continue at a very rapid pace. We'll talk more about enrollment growth in a couple of weeks, but for the purposes of our discussion today I want to keep it 'in the lines' of transportation. 

Yesterday we spent some time with a handful of our drivers who are assigned the heavier student loads and, after some shifting of stops we think we're all set. Those bus routes with departure times will be posted during our K-12 open house on August 21. Even though we have routes largely set at this point, it is important to know that both route assignments and times will remain fluid over the curse of the first few weeks of the school year. It may be necessary to shift some stops to other buses depending on the load size of each route.

Here's part of the reason why. When constructing routes, we have to account for those who have registered and those who have not yet registered. There is a blend of  'they rode last year, so we assume they will ride this year', along with a side of  'I think this student will be driving to school this year'. Let's also not forget about who is participating in after school activities and may not be riding after school, but will need a ride to school. At the same time, we have to account for 'drop ins'. We just had some today that are new to our community. Is it art, or is it science?

Although school starts two weeks from today, registration continues. And each day that passes adds to those routes. Long story short: all our routes are full, save one. The route that runs south of town. Although a smaller load, it does encompass our largest geographic footprint. We are continually evaluating that route to see if/when we should add stops to that route while at the same time being mindful of how long our students are actually on the bus. 

If that weren't enough, we have the added complication of road construction this fall, and it is expected to last until the end of October. Over half of our routes run north out of our district. If you have had the pleasure of driving on Hudson Road lately, you are aware of the road construction and pilot car. We expect that will impact pickup and drop off times both to and from school. If that weren't enough, there is also construction on Butterfield Road, north of Ranchero. This will impact our timing to the Twin Oaks addition. 

So a couple of takeaways today. If you haven't registered yet, please do so! And the second, is that we ask for continued grace and flexibility during the first part of the school year.