Halstead-Bentley USD 440

🥞 Happy National School Breakfast Week, USD 440! 🍎
We’re celebrating with delicious, nutritious morning meals for all Halstead and Bentley students. Start your day strong, stay focused, and fuel up with us in the cafeteria each morning!
☀️💙 #NSBW #USD440

Driver's Education enrollment is now open. Enrollment forms are available in the High School & Middle School offices. Please direct all questions to the High School office. Enrollment deadline is April 17th.

Good luck to all of the wrestlers headed to Hays to compete in the state wrestling tournament!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WK1KaNszt64XxSorlqrI2iLEkZD8ZnSP/view?usp=share_link

Check out these awesome QR codes 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Santoya created for K-2nd graders. Find your child's grade level and scan the QR code to access phonics readers for at-home practice.

Mr. Bruton's Woodworking Principles class utilized the instructional materials crafted by Mrs. Zehr's Professional and Technical Writing class to assemble furniture LEGO sets. The students in the writing class were responsible for designing and creating clear instructions for these sets. Once they completed this task, Mr. Bruton's students followed the instructions to build the sets and subsequently provided feedback to their peers.

📚 Exciting professional development happening in our district!

Last week, we were thrilled to have Brig Laene, Professional Learning Consultant, on site working alongside our teachers on implementing the 7-Step Learning Cycle.

Our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are a key component of our district's school improvement plan, helping both students and teachers grow as we focus on Essential Learning Targets.
Investing in our educators means investing in our students' success! 💡

#ProfessionalDevelopment #TeacherLearning #440PROUD #ContinuousImprovement

🎉 HUGE congratulations to Rachel Sebesta! 🎉
Ms. Sebesta earned 1st place in the Beginning Teacher category at the 2026 KAAE, Kansa Association of Agriculture Education, Ideas Unlimited Awards for her innovative unit on Legal Land Descriptions. Her lesson connects history, agriculture, and real-world application to help students understand why land descriptions matter—then and now.
Way to represent agricultural education and inspire students!
#440PROUD

Meet our PLC Guiding Coalition!
This team is leading the implementation of Professional Learning Communities across USD #440, strengthening collaboration and keeping student learning at the center of our work. Through shared leadership and purposeful planning, we are building systems that support teachers and help every student succeed.

🎉 Bond Project Progress Update! 🎉

🏫 Bentley Primary School
Big celebration time! The major construction work at Bentley is almost complete 🎉✨ Final inspections are nearly wrapped up, the new addition looks fantastic, and we’re getting very close to fully opening the new part of the building! Fresh paint, new flooring, and a cleaned‑up, ready‑to‑go space make this a huge milestone for our district. 🙌💙

🎭 Halstead High School – Auditorium
The auditorium is transforming in a big way! The massive scaffolding is coming down, opening up the space again 👀✨. New lighting and finished ceiling features are giving us a great preview of what’s to come. It’s looking more and more like a performance space we can all be proud of! 🎶🎤

🏗️ Halstead High School – 7/8 Classroom Addition
We’ve gone VERTICAL! 🚀 The new walls and steel structure are up, and it’s exciting to see a real building taking shape. This addition is going to create incredible learning spaces for our students. 📚💡

💪 Halstead High School – Weight Room
The weight room project is officially underway! Footings are poured and the foundation work is complete. 🏋️‍♂️🔥 We’re building a space that will support our athletes and PE programs for years to come.

Staff spent the January 5th professional learning day working on their essential standards for the second semester. Identifying and planning for essential standards is part of the Professional Learning Community initiative #440 has committed to through our Kansas Education System Accreditation process.

🌱 Hey Plant Lovers! 🌱
Our awesome 6th graders are turning green thumb projects into amazing gifts! 🎉 Come check out our Plant Sale—it’s full of leafy friends just waiting to be gifted to someone you love.

📍 Stop by Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm at Halstead Middle School and grab your favorite plant before they’re all gone!
💬 Got questions? Just ask—we’re rooting for you! 🌿
#PlantSale #GreenThumbs #6thGradeGardeners #LeafItToUs

Take a look at the Director's Newsletter!

Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month!
From September 15 to October 15, we celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. 🌎✨

Our school community is proud to honor the traditions, stories, and achievements that continue to inspire and shape our world. 💛📚🌟

#HispanicHeritageMonth #CelebrateCulture #ProudCommunity

District Leadership members spent a day with Brig Leane learning about Professional Learning Communities, a framework for educators to work together to improve their teaching practices and student learning. #440PROUD

💻✨ Happy IT Professionals Day! ✨💻

Today we celebrate and thank our incredible IT professional, Amy Hiebert!
From solving tech problems big and small to keeping our systems running smoothly, Amy’s expertise and dedication keep USD 440 connected every single day.

We appreciate all the behind-the-scenes work you do to support our staff, students, and community. 💙🐉

Thank you, Amy!

#ITProfessionalsDay #ThankYouAmy #DragonPride

Tune in to the KSDE Insight Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. 

https://www.ksde.gov/Home/Quick-Links/News-Room/Weekly-News/Feature-Story/ArtMID/6201/ArticleID/4549/KSDE-Insight-Podcast-Raising-Readers-What-every-parent-should-know