Hello United South Central Families,
We are now officially at mid-quarter and well into the 2025–26 school year. After 22 days of classes, homecoming week is here, and there are just 22 days left in the first quarter. It’s been a fantastic start to the year, and we are grateful to our extraordinary students, staff, parents, and community for helping make this first quarter such a success.
Community Meeting on October 13 – We’re thrilled to partner with our United South Central community as we look ahead to the future of our schools! With student enrollment continuing to grow, we’re exploring ways to expand and improve our facilities, and your voice is an important part of the conversation. Join us for a Community Engagement Meeting on Monday, October 13, from 6:00–8:30 p.m., at the Nasinec Event Center. We’ll provide a light meal, offer childcare during the meeting, and share updates on potential plans and opportunities for our schools. This is a chance to ask questions, share ideas, and help shape the path forward for USC. To help us plan for food and childcare, please RSVP to Laura Foley at lfoley@unitedsouthcentral.org or 507-553-3134. We hope to see you there!
Virtual Learning/Snow Day Preparation – While we’re hoping winter weather holds off, now is a good time to review our Virtual Learning plans in case of snow days. Our calendar includes a buffer of a few extra student days, so we may use a traditional “snow day” early in the season before shifting to Virtual Learning if school cannot be held in person. We will aim to provide as much advance notice as possible before a Virtual Learning Day so students can prepare and gather what they need. Please consider what resources your student(s) may need to be successful while learning from home. If your household needs internet access, we have a limited number of hot spots available for checkout. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Activities Supervision – We enjoy the energy our students bring to USC events and activities each season. To help ensure a safe environment, we need parents to directly supervise their elementary-aged children (6th grade and under) when attending events at USC. Please keep in mind that school staff do not supervise students at after-school events, in the same way they do during the school day. If students are not properly supervised, they may be dismissed from the event and families will be contacted to pick them up.
Parking Lot Changes – Thank you to all of our families for your patience and flexibility as we adjust to our updated parking lot traffic flow this year. The primary goal of these changes is to improve safety by reducing the number of traffic lanes students need to cross during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. In our previous setup, students often walked between two lanes of traffic, which led to several close calls involving buses and cars. With this new pattern, students are only crossing one lane, significantly reducing risk and helping everyone move through the lots more safely and efficiently.
Upcoming Events and Activities –
October 13, MS/HS Parent-Teacher Conferences 3:30–7:30 PM
October 16 & 17, MEA Break – No School
October 20, Professional Development Day – No School
November 4, End of First Quarter
November 5, Start of Second Quarter
We’re looking forward to an exciting Homecoming week and a fantastic October here at United South Central! As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out, we’re proud to partner with you in providing a high-quality educational experience for our students.
Go Rebels!
Taylor Topinka
USC Superintendent