District 742 Strategic Roadmap

St. Cloud Area School District 742 administration, school board representation and teachers partnered with parents and other community members to develop a strateic roadmap (link: http://isd742.org/StaffNET/TeamWorks/Sessions/040809Roadmap.pdf). Even though this document is still in draft form, this "development process" will work to guide change to impact student achievement.

We are going to accomplish this with a scorecard system that will work internally to drive change toward the "strategic directions" that are identified in the document. These strategic directions identify a vision for the this district with the use of a rubric that is designed to capture formative and summative data to to determine our success (or lack of it).

This transparent process will measure all strategic directions to drive change. We believe this will hold us accountable to excellence in the management of District 742.

Community Education: Celebrations

Community Education had several hundred programs offered for youth this past year including Pre-School through 12th grade students. The offerings took place at several District 742 locations, as well as at businesses where we partner. The classes were offered at a variety of times including week nights, week-ends and after-school.

Project Challenge participants (a Community Education program for Adults with Disabilities) gave back to the community by picking up litter at Whitney Park, ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, packing food for Kids Against Hunger, and sorting at the Goodwill store. Along with a Holiday and Spring Concerts, the Project Challenge Singers were asked to perform for an audience of over 350 community members celebrating October as Disability Awareness Month.

Riverwoods School: Celebrations

It was widely acknowledged that Riverwoods had a marvelous group of students (nearly 300) to share learning experiences with this year. The staff was very excited to have an additional tool added to their instructional planning this year in the form of the NWEA MAP assessments. They spent a great deal of professional development time learning about this tool, and plan to get a great deal of instructional support through it's varied applications next year.

Riverwoods highlighted the year with a graduation celebration for one student on June 3rd, and a spring student awards program on June 4th. The graduation ceremony was attended by all students, a number of family members and friends of the graduate, and one very special surprise guest invited by the graduate. The special guest was a speaker the graduate had heard a few months ago who particularly inspired her, so much so that she felt moved to write the speaker to express this, inform her that she was graduating, and invite her to the ceremony. The awards program on June 4th was attended by more parents than ever before. In addition, Board Member Bruce Mohs attended. Bruce received a standing ovation from students upon closing the program with an impromptu song of tribute to the students and family members attending ("Forever Young" by Bob Dylan, done in Capella!). It was a great way to end the school year!

Westwood Elementary School: Celebrations

Westwood Elementary School is proud of the many student achievements they have had this past year. The Grade 6 Future Problem Solving team took 1st place at the State Jr. Orals, and both 5th and 6th grade had a U.S. Academic Triathlon team qualify for the state meet.

The entire Westwood student body is enjoying the newly remodeled media center. Westwood has also received several grants that have helped us with new programs such as the Peaceful Playground and iPods in the classroom. We are fortunate to have a supportive PTA who has started a gardening club and landscaping project around the school, as well as provided students with wonderful opportunities such as Prairie Fire Theater.

Talahi Community School: Celebrations

The month of January was designated as Fact Power Month, and included fact drills, timed practices, and assessments in classrooms to monitor student progress in math. A school-wide at home reading program called “P.A.K.R.A.T.” ensured that every student left school each day (Monday-Thursday) with a book to read and share with his/her family. Talahi had three school-wide reading celebrations to recognize their success as a school. The first celebration honored
Dr. Suess’s Birthday and featured Teachers’ Readers’ Theater and Words of Wisdom from Dr. Suess performed at every grade level; the second celebration was in April, the Month of Poetry, which included students’ performing Readers Teacher and poetry; and the final celebration took place at the end of the school year where students presented the PTA with a check for funds raised through a Penny-a-Page, Nickel-a-Night, or Dime-a-Time READ-A-THON. From April 15th to May 15th, Talahi students read enough books to raise 63 pounds of coins. A Family Reading Night and Family Math Night were open to all students and their families and were designed to bring parents and students into the school for academically based family activities.

Oak Hill Community School: Celebrations

Oak Hill Community School takes great pride in the achievements and celebrations held this year. They had winners in the Sertoma Club Essay, Mathfax Competition and the District Spelling Bee. Two sixth grade Future Problem Solving Teams placed first and second at the regional level and advanced to the state level. One fifth grade Future Problem Solving Team also made it to the state finals. Three fifth grade teams competed in the Central MN Math Masters Competition and took first and fourth places. Many members of Oak Hill placed in Individual Problem Solving and Fact Drill Competitions as well. Fifth graders won highest honors in the Word Masters Challenge, while several others received outstanding results. Ten sixth grade students scored in the top ten for National Current Events League.

Oak Hill engaged in several service learning projects with sixth grade students visited local nursing homes every other week throughout the year to make connections and form friendships. The "Give with Your Heart and Change the World" school-wide project raised $2,107.30 and collected over 880 packages of supplies for global outreach to Guatemalan and Ugandan children and families. The Spaghetti "Meal in a Bag" school-wide drive collected 1, 872 pounds of food to donate to the local food shelf. Oak Hill also engages in the Prairie Burn and Park Clean-Up. They introduced the first ever regional garage sale, along with much other fundraising activity, to acquire some new technology such as a SMARTBOARD to be shared at every grade level. During Veteran's Day, they recognized those who dedicated their lives for freedom. Other activities include Read Across America, America Reads and a Volunteer Day to recognize the importance of volunteer contributions to Oak Hill school.

Roosevelt Early Childhood Center: Celebrations

The Spring Fling on Tuesday, May 19^th, drew 907 participants. The evening included: Llamas, a giant parachute, face painting, bike rodeo, music and more, which created an atmosphere of fun and laughter for parents and their young children at Roosevelt Early Childhood Center on Tuesday, May 19. Over 90 volunteers (staff, parents, Boys & Girls Club members, etc.) helped to make this a successful event, reaching out to our District’s youngest learners. With 373 parents and 444 children, ages birth to 5, playing games together and blowing bubbles across the playground, the laughter may have been heard across town. The highlight of this event for many children is the free book they received. With the help of Roosevelt’s Involved Parents Team and other community donations, they were able to give away over 1,200 books this school year. Just one more way we are helping the young learners of District 742 get ready for kindergarten!

Madison Elementary School: Celebration

Many wonderful things are happening each and every day, including flexible groups for guided reading and guided math, literature circles, co-teaching, and on going professional development. Madison has an amazing PTA that supports the school, hosting picnics, reading celebrations, and Creative Arts Night annually. The PTA has helped the school purchase Smart Board technology furthering the goal of a Smart Board in every classroom. Madison has dedicated parents and volunteers who help students achieve academically. Lastly, they have amazing concerts that bring audiences of 500 or more. The building engineer and custodians keep the school spotless and running smoothly. The cooks are superb!

Lincoln Elementary School: Celebrations

Family Fun Nights were held for students and families. The first event was titled Spotlight on Readers, and the second event was a successful Poetry Festival featuring grades K-6. Lincoln students are excellent community service helpers. They raised money for Toys for Tots, and the 6th graders went to Shopko to purchase the toys for the children in need. They also did a Read-Thon and Walk-a-Thon to help raise money for PTA which, in turn, will help students for the next year. Book Buddies are a hit at Lincoln, with the 4th graders reading on a weekly basis to the K-1st graders. Lincoln also has a community connection with the Downtown Kiwanis and have started a K-Kids Club in which students are actively involved. The first year with the BLEND program, sponsored through CentraCare, was completed. Students were fortunate to be provided with a curriculum which focused on healthy eating and physical activity. The teachers and students were very appreciative of this opportunity.

Kennedy Community School: Celebrations

Kennedy Community School opened a brand new building with a brand new PK-8 Program, and did not burn any fuel to heat it all winter. Sixth and seventh grade teams went to state in Future Problem Solving. The 7th graders put on a school-wide math carnival. They created games on chance and probability, and the other grade levels came to experience their games. An assembly was held to fill a time capsule with memories of our first year in the new school. Students spoke as they placed their class items in the capsule.

Discovery Community School: Celebrations

The Climbing Wall and Family Reading Night on May 21^st was a success! Climbers enjoyed trying out the climbing wall up, down, over, and around. Kids of all ages enjoyed the challenge. The Reading program was attended by 43 families – what a great turn-out! The audience was entertained by a variety of reader’s theater performances: Kindergarten, with their parents, 6^th graders, the 3^rd grade Family Book Club, and last, but not least, several staff members. The theme was taken from the book Big Chickens, which provided the audience with a message that chickens can learn to be brave. After a performance of the story, families played a game based on the book. There was also time to enjoy reading as a family. The librarian at the Waite Park Library provided information about the many summer reading opportunities in our community. The night ended with the option to buy books at the School Book Fair where books were a bargain as they were sold at half price. Thank you to all who made this night such a great success. Discovery looks forward to future reading nights! So be a brave chicken and read, read, read over the summer!

Discovery staff are participating in a summer online Professional Learning Community. Nine staff members will be discussing the resource Common Formative Assessments by Larry Ainsworth. The members will read, interact and respond via a Blackboard site hosted by Resource, Training and Solutions. This is an exciting way to extend learning and interaction into the summer months!

Clearview Elementary School: Celebrations

Clearview Elementary School became not only a Spanish Immersion school, but also a Spanish Magnet School. Every child at Clearview was exposed to the Spanish Language and culture thanks to the addition of a Spanish Teacher for their English program children. They were the recipients of a fishing grant that was intertwined throughout the school year. They began their Community Classes and had their first ever flag football after school program. A kick off was held for the new First Responders Tribute, which was funded by the Sherburne County Sheriff's Department. Noon hour programs were started, which included Clean Sweep Award, Noon Hour Advisory Committee, and Wall of Caring. A Fall Fun Day included a fun run, football game and omelet breakfast thanks to the help of our friends at the Clearwater Legion. Clearview began the Knowledge Bowl program for the year. They welcomed Veterans to morning and evening Veterans Day celebrations. A Family Fun Night and Book Fair was held. Clearview is a part of the Sherburne County "Kids Choice Program" for their Fifth Grade students. They had Perrin Boyd as an artist-in-residence with their primary children. Clearview also participated in Jump Rope for Heart and had their first ever "Clearview's Got Talent" show for students and community.

The ALC's: Celebrations

Area Learning Center (Wilson): This was a great year for community involvement and community based learning opportunities for students. They were involved in Veterans' Hospital service projects, Talahi Reading Buddies, Wilson neighborhood projects (talent show, craft fair, clean up the neighborhood, planning meetings with the leadership group, etc). The “I'm Saving Myself” production was more successful than imagined. Large numbers of students were involved in writing, singing, dancing and creating positive healthy messages for all young people.

Area Learning Center (West): Events included a Celebration of Excellence (old car show, 4000th graduate celebration, etc.), a West Sauk River Clean up project and talent show, and the Quarry Park poetry project. Students continued to participate in the Optimist Club writing projects and made hats for the Toys for Tots drive. ALC continued to expand the long list of Tech Prep courses articulated with the St. Cloud Technical College. The Youth Build Program served a diverse population of students who were able to learn construction skills, explore career areas and build a "green" house near Talahi School.

Both ALCs: There were a high number of graduates this year, and more students than ever chose to participate in the Tech and Apollo graduation ceremony.

South Junior High School: Celebration

At South Junior High, goals set were to increase math and reading Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). The goal was to see 56% of all students meet their growth target in Math as measured by the MAP and 57% meet growth targets in Reading as measured by the MAP. The results indicated 58.9% met growth in Math (this was huge!!) while 58.3% met growth in Reading. A record number of 7th graders took High School Algebra I.

North Junior High School: Celebrations

North Junior High School had several things to celebrate this year with all the wonderful programs that they were able to add that helped students. The Access Grant allowed them to work with students to increase student achievement. The Office of Equity Services and the cultural navigators worked with students in the classroom and helped with communicating more effectively with families of various cultures, as well as providing transportation for students so the students could attend targeted services programs after the school day. AmeriCorps provided staff to work with students in need of math help.

Then, there were several individual and team award winners as well. For example, an eighth grader at North won a state title in wrestling. Two Academic Triathalon teams took second in state.

Finally, North had a successful program with the addition of 6th grade.

Tech Celebrations

Tech High School: Fifty-nine seniors received scholarships totaling over $49,000 at Tech's Awards Program on May 20th. Twenty-nine juniors and seniors were inducted into National Honor Society last fall. Two hundred twenty-three students took AP Exams this spring. The Math Team went to state for the 17th year in a row. They finished in 7th place. Knowledge Bowl went to state for the 4th year in a row. The musical this year was "Bye Bye Birdie;” It was funny and entertaining. Gymnastics team took 2nd place in the state (4th year in a row). Boys' Basketball took 3rd place in the state (2nd year in a row). Randy Jordan was named Minnesota State Coach of the Year. Corron Baskin was state champ in Serious Interpretation of Prose (speech).

Apollo Celebrations

Apollo High School: The wrestling team took 6th place in the AAA state wrestling tournament. On May 20th, Apollo honored their seniors at the annual Scholarship and Awards nights; 56 students received in-house scholarships totaling $34,000; 36 students received outside scholarships worth nearly $82,000; and 14 students received four-year renewable scholarships totaling $311,000. On May 22nd, Apollo held an All School Activity Event in conjunction with yearbook distribution. All students participated in a variety of events the final two hours of the day, including a 9^th-grade dodgeball tourney, disc golf, table tennis, Sumo wrestling, kickball, Mama Mia sing-a-long, swimming, footworking dance off, Blackhawk helicopter tour, and several others. The Apollo Future Problem Solving Team went to the International Competition. The Speech Team earned several team and individual awards. The Apollo Girl’s Swimming Team was named the 2008-09 Class A State Academic Champions. The Mock Trial team placed 3rd.

Charlie Eisenreich was named as a Regional Honoree in "Ethics in Education" by the WEM Foundation. He will be honored at the Customer Appreciation Celebration on September 28, 2009, at Resource Training and Solutions. This award is for Charlie's work with PBIS and the "SOAR" initiative. Longtime Apollo golf coach and former Apollo teacher John Leiser was inducted into the 2009 MN State Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Swim Coach Sue Williams received the 2008 LEAF Coaching Excellence Award for her outstanding dedication to Apollo swimming.

CELEBRATIONS

Over the next several days I'm going to feature each of the schools and the accomplishments they have made. We have a great deal to celebrate, and it's important that we take time out to reflect on the year. This, being my first year, has been filled with challenges that have created a great adventure, and to celebrate our accomplishments is just one way I can share the adventure. So, stay tuned and I'll make sure I highlight all schools over the next few days.

Cell Phones: What Parents Want

I recently read an article that included the thoughts of parents when schools try to get a handle on the use of cell phones in schools. Schools often ban or restrict use of cell phones so that they're not a distraction to learning, but when banning becomes the school's choice, the opposition expresses their opinions. After polling 1,000 parents it was found that 95 percent of them want to remain in control of their child's cellular-phone use, rather than have schools set the rules.

Parents want their children to carry phones for safety; if and when a lock down takes place, they want contact with their child. The problem with this idea is that when hundreds of students make calls during a crisis the result is jammed emergency lines. Another reason is the parents' desire to stay connected during all the after-school activities that go on in schools. Students' days are filled with extracurricular activities and they want to be able to contact their child when plans change; that's when a cell phone becomes a great tool as well.

I still think that the technology advancements are emerging so fast that we may have to make a paradigm shift with regards to cell phones. After all, they are a link to the internet and a way to network for learning if done right. We keep saying that it would be nice if all students had their own computer. Well, to think outside the box, one can recognize that these are handheld computers.

Graduation: The Future

I realize that there has been a great deal of concern over the graduation events for Apollo and Tech High School this past week. We are going to be meeting to assess our program for graduation so that our students are able to participate with success in this event.

The concern was the great deal of distracting noise that was happening. I could talk about the program, the venue, the expectations, and etc., but what we need to do now is plan for the future. We need to be proactive so that all are satisfied. Now is the time to meet and plan since this last experience is fresh with our memories.

We do plan to restructure so that this becomes the formal event it is meant to reflect. We will play with lighting, perhaps issue tickets, look at the order of program, supervise all sections, look for more help with security, and etc. Even with all of this and the many reminders (in different languages), we still recognize that this event is a right of our graduating seniors and a privilege for all others in attendance. Therefore, we will look for ways to hold everyone accountable to making this the ceremonial event it should be.

2008-2009 School Year is Coming to a Close

Dear Parents and Staff,

It is really hard to believe that the 2008-2009 school year is coming to a close. This first year has been a challenge, but it has been a great adventure because I'm able to surround myself with so many quality individuals/leaders. I'm so proud of being able to serve this school district; people want change, recognize the need for change and have embraced a vision of excellence and accountability. From leadership development to holding all accountable to performance, this district has shown that stepping up to the challenge of excellence is the adventure most were looking to embrace. We will look to continually improve every year.

This year brought about many significant events, celebrations, awards and recognitions to our schools even though we are a school district who continues to do “a lot with a little,” and now we are challenged to find new ways to generate revenue and reinvest in education. We need a budget that does not continually undermine our efforts. We will be able to invest the stimulus dollars to keep us from cutting deep this year, and I know that we can address the challenges of the 2009-2010 budget.

Now, please enjoy the a relaxing summer so that you re-energize your batteries.

Thank you for a great school year!

Steven Jordahl, Ed.D.

Superintendent of School

Bullying & Cyberbullying: What Parents Can Do

Bullying another person just once is one too many times. The act of causing shame and harm to another is never O.K. I want all parents and staff to know that bullying needs to be addressed, and it's not acceptable in the school district I lead.

We have to hold our children accountable acts of kindness, and as a parent, I want my child to speak to me about these bullying when they see it or experience it. I want to make sure they understand the importance of tolerance and resiliency so that they grow to be mentally healthy human beings. After all, I can't control the acts of everyone, but I can help my child to understand that some are ignorant. Face it; bullying is never right, but chances are, we will never completely elimate it. Even so, do what you can as a parent to talk to your children about it.

Children often do not realize what cyberbullying is. Cyberbullying includes sending mean, rude, vulgar, or threatening messages or images; posting sensitive, private information about another person; pretending to be someone else in order to make that person look bad; and intentionally excluding someone from an online group. These acts are as harmful as physical violence and must not be tolerated. We know from research that the more time a teen spends online, the more likely they will be cyberbullied – so limit online time.

Watch the videos below and pass this blog on to your friends and family with children. These acts need to stop!