Monday, November 30, 2009

THANK YOU FOR GIVING!

All Staff,

I just wanted to drop you a note of appreciation for all you do, and especially for your work and dedication to children. I realize that I expressed my passion for giving to the United Way in these past few weeks, but I did it with the best of intentions. Please accept this as my "thank you" to you for giving during these difficult economic times. I am proud to be working for such a wonderful school district where employees understand that we are here to make a difference in the lives of children.

Sincerely,
Steve

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics & Science Teaching

Kari Dombrovski
Saint Cloud, MN - Science

Kari Dombrovski teaches second grade science and mathematics at Talahi Elementary School in the St. Cloud Area School District, where she has worked since 1986. As a district science instructional leader, Ms. Dombrovski supports teachers in their science teaching and has conducted many in-service workshops to help connect science with literacy, mathematics, and other content areas. She was instrumental in the district's movement toward using research-based science curriculum kits for science instruction. On the district's Science Vertical Team, she helps K-12 educators align instruction with State standards.

Ms. Dombrovski's instructional and program improvement activities include chairing the district's K-6 Science Committee, serving as an Advisory Panel member for the Minnesota Department of Education to develop scenario-based test items for the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments-Series II Science Assessments, and serving on the Minnesota Science Teacher Association Board.

Among her colleagues, Ms. Dombrovski is recognized for her strength in integrating science into all areas of the curriculum. She uses hands-on learning experiences such as field trips, classroom activities, and experiments to weave science, literacy, and mathematics standards seamlessly. She has won praise for creating a learning environment in which students are held to a high standard while receiving individualized support. At Talahi Elementary School, she is known as both a model for effective science instruction and a helpful resource for other teachers.

As a member of the Advisory Board of Saint John's Arboretum at Saint John's University, Ms. Dombrovski has served on an advisory group, written and reviewed lessons and activities that are part of the arboretum's program, and trained teachers in implementation. Ms. Dombrovski has a B.S. in elementary education and an M.S. in curriculum and instruction from St. Cloud State University, both of which she earned with high honors. She has also participated in a master's plus program for environmental science at several postsecondary institutions.

Kari's remarks: Receiving this award means I have been highly recognized for my lifelong passion for and perseverance in science education of Minnesota's youth and their educators. I believe the exemplary science educators I have had in my life and the support of my family and my colleagues have fueled my passion for learning. My life's goal is to perpetuate this love for learning and receiving this recognition is a tremendous igniter to keep the passion burning as I try to be an exemplary science educator.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Reach Out and Read: United Way

Children who live in print-rich environments and who are read to during the first years of life are more likely to learn to read at and above grade level. About 16 percent of parents of children age 3 years and younger do not read at all with their children, and 23 percent do so only once or twice a week. Percentages are even lower among low-income families, whose children face the highest risk of literacy problems.

The Central Minnesota United Way recognizes the importance of developing reading skills at an early age through its Imagination Library book distribution program. Children from birth to their 5th birthday can be enrolled in the program and are eligible to receive free books. The child receives a new, age-appropriate, hard cover book — sent to them at their home each month until their 5th birthday. Programs like Reach Out and Read, efforts of the United Way through Imagination Library, or other early literacy programs are critical to support. The difference made through early reading skills is too significant to ignore.

Go to http://www.unitedwayhelps.org/ to learn more about this and all that the United Way Does for children. Then, please consider giving to the United Way of Central Minnesota. I am challenging the St. Cloud Area School District 742 employees to give at least $1 per pay period starting January of 2010.

Happy Thanksgiving and give thanks to the United Way for what they do.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

LEADERS WORKING FOR STUDENTS

District 742 Staff and Community,

An editorial in last week's St. Cloud Times charged St. Cloud School District 742 administrators with putting themselves in front of kids in a recent round of contract negotiations. As Superintendent of this school district for the past 17 months, I can assure the St. Cloud Area School District communities that the principals, assistant principals, directors and assistant directors work tirelessly on behalf of students, providing leadership that is critical to the delivery of quality educational programming.

There is no doubt that we are facing daunting budget deficits for the next several years that threaten to cut deeply into our ability to deliver the educational programs we envision for our children. The Board of Education, the administrators and I are committed to our core values of excellence, learning, leadership, partnership and respect. Even with the challenges we face, it is our obligation to provide a quality education to all students.

As we continue our work in collective bargaining with all of our employee groups, I have no doubt about the commitment of our administrators, and all employees, to the success of our students and the school district. I am confident that, together with our Board of Education, the leaders of this district will continue to work together to make the decisions necessary to serve the needs of students well, both now and into the future.

Steven Jordahl
Superintendent of Schools

District 742 Core Values
Excellence
: A continuous and relentless pursuit of the highest standards of rigor and relevance while being accountable to each other in all we do.
Learning: Keep the student at the center of our planning, preferences and choices while assuring many opportunities to maximize thinking, learner access, potential and success in a differentiated learning environment.
Leadership: Act courageously, fulfill our responsibilities, and collaborate with our constituencies to bring valued perspectives to our decisions.
Partnership: Engage in our shared mission with trust, competency, transparency and interdependency with all stakeholders: staff, students, families, community, organizations, and school board.
Respect: Honesty, authenticity and compassion in our words and actions while valuing the strengths, and the contributions of all, in this diverse community.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Star Watch at McKinley Education Center

Mike Lynch's Minnesota Star Watch Party will come to McKinley Education Center Dec. 1 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The public is invited to bring lawn chairs to use while getting to know the constellations and other wonders in our skies. The event is hosted by District 742 Community Education and the Area Learning Center West & PACE Program. After a brief indoor orientation, we'll go outside and get close and personal with our universe. Lynch will use large reflecting telescopes, including a giant 20" reflector, one of the biggest mobile telescopes in the upper Midwest for close up views of the planets, star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. View the flyer for more information.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Area Learning Center

I will be presenting information about the closing of Wilson and moving the program to McKinley as part of the budget adjustment recommendations at Thursday evening’s Board of Education meeting. Discussions have been held regarding moving PACE out of McKinley with the intent of possibly moving it to the City Life building. This space would allow for an enhanced Career Tech Education programming, which is currently being explored. We are also looking at how to support the program administratively; the Level IV EBD Program is currently housed at City Life. We could also look at the Night School component possibly going to City Life. We have met with the Waite Park Mayor and Police Chief, and they continue to have some concerns regarding the Wilson Program moving to McKinley.

We are having a discussion with the St. Cloud Police Department regarding some of the Safe School levy funds currently paying for a Police Liaison Officer at Wilson possibly being transferred to Waite Park for McKinley.

I firmly believe that the ALC programming will be enhanced by making this move. Opportunities at McKinley for the Wilson Program include Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM), lab space, science room, gym, and cafeteria. The City Life building would allow opportunities for PACE programming in various areas, including economic literacy, a reading program, art studio, automotive program, service to community projects, etc., as well as a gym and wellness center.

The total budget reduction for the ALC Program move will need to equate to $350,000, part of which will be operating costs due to closing the Wilson building. The administration will work with the ALC staff in figuring out the details of the remaining reduction amount. It could be an opportunity for the staff to redesign staffing patterns.

At Thursday’s meeting, I will review the recommendation to proceed with the closing of Wilson and moving the ALC Wilson Program to McKinley for a total budget reduction amount of $350,000. Board Members have received background information regarding the recommendation as part of their Board packet for the meeting. Rather than itemizing details of the plan, I will indicate that the ALC staff will be involved in working through the options and details of the plan.

I will also present information at the Board Meeting indicating that Discovery is being looked at as the site for ABE, Early Childhood Program, Family Literacy, a “Sun School” concept, and restructuring plans (AYP) with a possible move of 6th graders to North. Community Education offices could either remain at McKinley or be moved to Roosevelt. This entire plan/process has involved extensive discussion, and I am extremely confident that this will work in the best interest of this district (we alway want to do what's best for all children in this district.

Monday, November 16, 2009

GIVE WITH YOUR HEART

The United Way Campaign is underway and I am personally challenging all employees of the St. Cloud Area School District 742 to give with their heart to United Way this year. It's difficult to comprehend the number of children that are directly or indirectly impacted by the United Way of Central Minnesota. So much of what we give goes to the children that come to us everyday to learn with hopes of having a successful future.

Please, Please, Please give financially from the heart.

I challenge every employee to give through payroll deduction, but my real challenge goes even deeper by asking that all employees seriously give what's equivalent to one hour of wages each paycheck or at least one hour of wages each month. Last year, our district gave about $42,000 or $1 per person from each paycheck, and that's with some giving at a leadership level of $1000.

We work with these children everyday; we see their needs first-hand. Therefore, I want us to take a leadership role at giving to the United Way by finding it in our heart to rise well above the giving that was done in the past.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Skyward Access and Instant Messaging for Parents

We began seeing family access activity with the parent portal about 4:00 Thursday (15 minutes after posting the link on the web site). We could not figure out how people were getting in since the letters arrived at the post office at 1:00 the same day, but regardless, we are really excited about the access all parents will have. It looks like parents are clicking the tab "forgot password" and getting a new password sent to them. This is no problem from an implementation standpoint. It is actually good to have activity to see how it reacts.

Soon, we will be prepared to use our Instant Messaging service where we will be able to send out communications to all parents that have signed up for the service. An example would be the instant message that could be sent to phones through voice mails and text messages or the messages that could be sent via e mails at work and/or at home. Parents will have the option of getting messages in one or all of the above mentioned ways. Examples will include information about weather alerts, crisis drills, upcoming events, parent/teacher conferences, and etc. The information may come from individual classroom teachers or coaches, entire buildings or the whole district. This will certainly improve communications.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Update

Dr. Julia Espe, Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, presented information on a Race to the Top reform effort coming from the federal level that equates to $4.35 billion dollars worth of funding to encourage and reward conditions for education innovation and reform, achieving significant improvement, making academic gains, closing gaps, improving graduation rates, or student preparation for college. Funding will be awarded to states, and each state is to come up with a plan; it will be a competitive grant that will or won’t be received as a state. The State of Minnesota is currently in the process of collecting input from various entities, including school districts.

The core education reform areas they are looking for are: internationally bench-marked standards and assessments to prepare students for post secondary education; recruiting, developing, retaining and rewarding effective teachers and principals; building data systems to measure student success and inform teachers; and turning around lowest performing schools.

There are nineteen selection criteria for states to address when submitting their applications. Dr. Espe stated that we participated as a District in some input sessions, and most of the input we gave was to look for some more system-wide resources for our District. Districts are asked to forward ideas, comments, and/or questions to the Minnesota Department of Education via their website.

The MDE will be drafting the letter for the entire State, and School Boards and Teachers Associations will be asked to jointly sign the letter if Districts are interested in pursuing this funding. Board Members indicated that after a review of the letter, they would be interested in pursuing. Dr. Espe will meet with the St. Cloud Education Association to seek their support in signing the letter. She reiterated that signing the letter does not bind the District in any way.

The deadline to submit the letter is November 30th.

2010-2011 Budget

We have reviewed with the school board the recommended budget adjustments in the amount of $700,000 coming forth from the administration for the 2010-2011 year. This has been a four-month budget process with three public meetings, and each building held meetings where administrators presented information to staff. Board work sessions were also held to discuss the budget adjustment options. The administration ranked the $700,000 needed for adjustments in 2010-11 as a 1-2-3 ranking, with the remaining budget adjustment options as ranked 4-10.

The 1-2-3 ranking is as follows:

  1. Increase Third Party Billing
  2. Close Wilson (includes one FTE administration reduction)
  3. Defer Fund Balance Increase from 2008 levy Referendum (one-time savings)
If the Board follows this recommendation, extensive communication will take place with parents, the City of Waite Park, as well as with parents and communities of Discovery and Kennedy Schools due to the possible movement of some students (boundary changes) to accommodate Community Education Programs at Discovery that are currently housed at McKinley.

There is a lack of support from the City of Waite Park in consolidating the ALC Programs at McKinley, but we are working with the Mayor and their law enforcement to communicate plans that will hopefully alleviate their concerns. We do want to make sure that our decisions are about the students of the district first; we really care, not only about students and faculty, but also about the community, and that we desire to be a good partner with them.

A response will be forwarded to the City of Waite Park relative to their expressed concerns. If Board Members have other questions or would like more information, they are asked to contact Superintendent Jordahl or La Shawn Ray, Principal of ALC.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

PARENTS UNITED FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Parents United for Public Schools is a statewide, grassroots organization of concerned and informed Minnesota parents and citizens committed to Minnesota’s leadership in quality public education. To learn more, please go to http://www.parentsunited.org and watch the great video below.

Parents United seeks to:

Actively educate and engage a growing statewide network of parents and other citizens who will act on behalf of Minnesota’s public school children; hold elected officials accountable for providing the necessary policies and funding to enable public schools to meet state and federal academic standards and allow all students to reach their highest potential; and, continually work with parents, school officials, teachers, business and community leaders across Minnesota to promote an environment in which public schools can flourish.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Use of Web 2.0 tools increases student collaboration, say educators

More educators in New Jersey are utilizing the tools of Web 2.0 technology, which allows students shared access to content and more collaborative learning. While some educators caution about the downside to the latest technology -- like its propensity for distracting students -- others say wiki pages, classroom blogs, video conferences and online chats help students learn how to be creative and prepare them for college and the real world.

Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.), The | 11/07 Bookmark and Share

This story published in ASCD SmartBrief on 11/09/2009

Thursday, November 5, 2009

2009 ‘PARTNERS IN EDUCATION’ AWARDS

The District 742 Board of Education is pleased to announce the list of 'nominees' and 'honorees' for the 2009 ‘PARTNERS IN EDUCATION’ AWARDS.

The ‘PARTNERS IN EDUCATION’ AWARDS ceremony will take place at a Community Linkages Forum from City Hall on November 19th, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The event will be broadcast on Charter Cable Television Channel 6. Click on the link included in the story on our District's website at http://www.isd742.org/ to view the list of 'nominees' and 'honorees.'

All staff members are invited to attend this community linkage forum to show their support and gratification for these community ‘partners in education’.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The Harlem Children's Zone

How One Man's Vision To Revitalize Harlem Starts With Children
By Daniel Schorn

(I've compiled videos below, but you'll see more on You Tube)

(CBS) Harlem has long been the spiritual capital of black America. In its heyday during the Harlem renaissance, it was a wellspring of politics, music and art. But over the years, the neighborhood suffered a steady decline and came to symbolize the worst of urban poverty and decay. Today, there’s a new renaissance under way in Harlem, with the construction of new buildings, businesses and schools.

One of the people leading the charge is Geoffrey Canada. As correspondent Ed Bradley reports, his vision, quite simply, is to save children, and he has amassed a staggering amount of private money — more than $100,000,000 — to realize his goal. His testing ground is a 60-block area in central Harlem that he calls "The Harlem Children's Zone."

...read the rest at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/11/60minutes/main1611936.shtml

Monday, November 2, 2009

H1N1 Influenza Vaccines

Vaccine clinics will be held after NOVEMBER 9, 2009. Parents will be notified a few days before the specific date for their child’s school/community clinic. The vaccine will be provided free of charge to students. Parents must consent in order for students to receive the vaccine. Visit our Influenza Information web page for information letters, consent form, and vaccine information sheets.

7 SKILLS STUDENTS NEED FOR THEIR FUTURE - TONY WAGNER