Gehlen Catholic announces new elementary school principal
Gehlen Catholic School has announced that Conor Bertling will become the new elementary school principal, effective July 1st.
Bertling brings six years of administrative experience from West Sioux School District, being recognized as a student-centered, relationship-driven leader. He has extensive experience in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Advanced Practices in Learning, and the Science of Reading.
In a Facebook post, the district stated that they were “grateful that Conor and his family are already part of our Gehlen Catholic School community, as his own children attend our school,” and that Bertling was “excited to continue serving and supporting the school community he calls home.”
In the same post, the district mentioned they were looking forward to “opportunities for our families to get to know him better,” prior to July 1st.
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Sheldon’s St. Patrick Catholic School to permanently close
St. Patrick Catholic School in Sheldon will permanently close at the end of the current academic year. Woody Gottburg has the details.
A statement from the Catholic Diocese of Sioux City says the school’s Board of Education and leadership made the decision to close due to low and declining enrollment and other factors. The school has provided a catholic education for families in the Sheldon, Ashton and Sibley areas for the past 70 years. This year, St. Patrick has 42 students enrolled in grades Pre-K through 8th. Staff and parents were advised of the closure Friday afternoon and a message from the Board was shared with parishioners this weekend.
Bishop John Keehner of the Sioux City Catholic Diocese issued a statement saying in part: “This was a difficult decision for the leadership of St. Patrick. We are grateful for the many decades that St. Patrick Catholic School served the families and students in the Sheldon area, teaching the faith and academics to our young people.
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Public hearing to be held next week for bridge repair plans
The Le Mars city council will hold a public hearing during next week’s council meeting concerning planned repairs to a bridge in Le Mars that suffered fire damage four years ago.
Bids for the repairs on the bridge, located on Business Hwy 75 between 24th St SW and exit 116 of US Hwy 75, will be due to the city by 1pm on Wednesday, April 8th. The council will then award a contract during their Tuesday, April 21st meeting. Traffic on the bridge will be detoured during the repairs, with no timetable currently set.
The damage on the bridge was caused by accident during a fire on the evening of February 12th, 2022. A homeless individual that was living underneath the bridge started a fire to cook food and to stay warm, but the fire quickly got out of control, destroying the person’s possessions. The fire caused structural damage to the bridge, including to the bearings and a neoprene trough and curtain. The bridge was initially closed for two days for immediate repairs.
The city initially sent the project out for bids in March of 2023, but received only one bid for the project that would’ve cost two and a half times the estimated price of the project. The council rejected the bid. There are no immediate safety concerns with the bridge, which remains in use today.
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