Supt's On!

June 10, 2009 Column

    As another school year wraps up, another busy summer around our school buildings has already begun.  Our regular school year ended for students this past Thursday and our teaching staff worked on Friday to complete grades and pack up their classrooms for the summer.  Graduation ceremony on Sunday capped off another successful school year for the Belle Plaine School District.  Thanks to all who contributed to another great year.
    Our buildings were not quiet long, however, as summer school started for some age groups this Monday and will be going on throughout the summer for various programs and students.  Summer school is a great opportunity for students to get some additional assistance in select areas and to catch up on credits that may have slipped by the wayside during the school year.  Summer school programs for our regular education students are coordinated by the Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative with our teaching staff providing the instruction.  Summer school for our special education students is coordinated by our district and instruction is provided by local staff as well.
    In addition to summer school, there is plenty of activity around our buildings with different projects and summer cleaning.  Currently, the north gym is having a new floor put in place after the original floor in that space was removed several weeks ago.  The floor had continued to heave and buckle during the summer and fall months and was no longer in condition for continued repairs.  The floor was removed shortly after our spring pops concert and the new floor is now installed.  Court lines are being painted on the floor and the final finishing coats of sealer are being applied this week.  After several weeks of cure time, the bleachers will be replaced and a much improved playing/competition area will await our students as they return in the fall.
    The biggest project that we have going this summer is our renovation of the Chatfield Elementary School.  This renovation project was undertaken to achieve two primary goals – improve the comfort level of this building, ensure the reliability of the main heating and ventilating equipment as most equipment was over 40 years old, and to improve the energy efficiency of the building.  In short, it is our desire to bring Chatfield Elementary up to the performance standards of our Jr-Sr High School and Oak Crest Elementary in order to provide the same educational environment for all of our students.
Work on this site has begun in earnest with many contactors on site already last Friday with more arriving this week.  There is much work to be done and only eleven weeks to accomplish everything.  The Chatfield site will be off limits this summer as work progresses.  If residents are looking for Chatfield staff, please check in the Jr-Sr High Offices or at the District Center.  
    I am excited to open the new school year in this renovated school building.  Chatfield Elementary is a sound building and the work that is being done on the building will enable it to serve our community for many years to come.
    With the beginning of the summer season, the District Center offices have changed to summer hours.  The summer hours are 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday - Thursday and 7 a.m. - 11 a.m. on Friday. As always, if you have any questions about the Belle Plaine Schools, please feel free to visit our website at www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us or call me at 873-2400.  Go Tigers!

June 3, 2009 Column

    Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2009 who will be celebrating the culmination of their high school careers on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.  I wish all the graduates best of luck as they take the next step into their adult lives through service to their country in the armed forces, entering the work force or continuing the education at a post-secondary institution.  Congratulations on a job well done!
    Congratulations and good luck to spring sport athletes who have qualified for state tournaments to be held this week.  Becky Koepp and Tim Hermann qualified for the individual state golf tournament to be played at Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.  Tournament competition is this Wednesday and Thursday.  Good luck to each of you.
    In track, a number of competitors advanced to the state meet led by Chelsea Fogarty who qualified by winning the triple jump and participating the winning 4 x 200 M relay along with teammates Alex Hartman, Emily Klehr and Katie Read.  Haley Fogarty advanced in two individual events placing second in the triple jump and in the 800 M run.  The other event to qualify for the girl’s team was the 4 x 100 M relay with team members Erin Moriarty, Katie Read, Jamie Read and Alex Hartman.  The girl’s team also captured the Section team championship on Monday easily outdistancing their closest competition, United South Central.
    In the boy’s competition, Devon Wright advanced to the state meet by winning the pole vault with a vault of 13’ 2”.  Joe Smith will also advance after placing second in the 800 M run.  Congratulations to all of these athletes and good luck on Friday and Saturday at Hamline University.
    As we end another school year, I also want to thank our great volunteers who contribute in so many ways to the success that we have.  The number of hours that parents, grandparents, friends and others contribute to our schools is impressive and I cannot say thank you enough for what you do.  I believe that we are doing many great things in our schools and we could not do them all without the support of the volunteers that we have.  Once again, thank you for your commitment to the students in our schools.
    Finally, as the school year draws to a close, we have three veteran teachers who have decided to retire at the conclusion of the year and I want to thank them for their service and wish them well in their retirement.  Diane Hanson, kindergarten teacher, is retiring after 37 years in the district, Lee Sauter, math teacher, is retiring after 33 years with the district, and Bev Wenisch, 4th grade teacher, retired mid year this winter after 30 ½ years with the district.  Thank you to each of you for the work that you have done with so many students.  Have a great retirement!
    As always, if you have any questions about the Belle Plaine Schools, please feel free to visit our website at www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us or call me at 873-2400.  Go Tigers!

May 27, 2009 Column

    In the photo, from l to r are:  Wanda Sommer Wall, CAE Education & Innovations Director,  Rep. Dean Urdahl, District 18B, Megan Voigt, Chatfield Teacher, Janelle Laurent, Chatfield Teacher, Lisa Treml, Belle Plaine Elementary Counselor, Alice Seagren, MN Department of Education Commissioner, and Keith Wenner, CAE Board Chair

    On May 21, the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) held the second Minnesota State Schools of Character and Promising Practices Award Ceremony in the Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda. Special guest speakers included Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren, Representative Dean Urdahl, and Keith Wenner, board chair for CAE.
Wanda Sommers Wall, CAE Education & Innovations Director, along with MN Department of Education Commissioner Alice Seagren and State Representative Dean Urdahl offered congratulations and distributed awards in recognition of schools in Minnesota who have successfully implemented character education programs. A short reception followed the ceremony in the Minnesota State Capitol Great Hall.
    This year Chatfield Elementary School was one of the recipients of a Promising Practices Award and Lisa Treml, elementary counselor, Janelle Laurent, kindergarten teacher, and Megan Voigt, 1st grade teacher, were present to accept the award on behalf of the entire Chatfield Elementary School staff and students.
    Chatfield Elementary was selected as an award winner for their great work with a new program that was implemented this year.  Each month the school holds an all school gathering in the gymnasium to promote good character traits with all students and to recognize students who have demonstrated outstanding character during the month.  Students are involved in the program by presenting short skits representing different character traits and staff members lead group cheers with each grade level and the entire student body.  It is a wonderful activity and has now been recognized as a Promising Practice to verify this.  Congratulations to all students and staff at Chatfield Elementary.
    At the program, Commissioner Seagren spoke fondly about her work with students in Minnesota and the importance of character education. She greeted all students attending the award ceremony with a smile and warmness representative of a true character education advocate.  Representative Urdahl, a former seventh grade teacher, spoke powerfully about the need for character education in schools to overcome “discipline deficit disorder…an inability to delay gratification, self-centeredness, and a rampant consumerism.” Representative Urdahl stressed character education leads to “core traits like patience, respect and putting other people’s needs on par with your own.”   (Information taken from the CAE website.)
    I am extremely excited and proud of this program as well as many other programs that are in progress at the Belle Plaine Schools.  We do have great staff and students working hard each day to make improvements in academics as well as character.  It is great to be recognized by a statewide organization such as the Center for Academic Excellence.
    As always, if you have any questions about the Belle Plaine Schools, please feel free to visit our website at www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us or call me at 873-2400.  Go Tigers!

May 20, 2009 Column

     As I woke on Tuesday morning, I was anxious to hear about the final results of the legislative session.  Unfortunately, as of reports at 7 a.m., there is no budget bill coming out of the legislature and the governor will be balancing the state budget using a process called unallotment and line item vetoes.  The DFL controlled House and Senate did approve a last minute tax bill that would have raised additional revenue to close the budget gap, but all indications are that the governor will veto this bill, just as he has all the other tax bills that have come before him this session.
     So where does that leave public education?  By all accounts, this will be a session that does very little for public education in terms of finances and policy.  Many of the reform ideas that were initially worked on by both sides of the aisle have been thrown out as attempts to reach a budget compromise were made.  There are still some potential changes that are alive including another attempt to pass a statewide health insurance plan.  At this time, I believe that language is included in the education bill sent to the governor.  This item has been sent to the governor in previous sessions and he has vetoed the bill each time.  There are no predictions what he will do with the bill this year.
     Here is what we do know for K-12 education funding.  We will receive no increases in general education revenue over the next two years.  We will have approximately $180,000 in revenue that we received this year taken away next year.  The set aside of two percent of our general fund revenue for staff development purposes will be waived for the next two years and there will be no requirements for staff development.  This action will free up approximately $180,000 in revenue to use within the general fund.  In addition, school districts will be allowed to transfer $51 per student (approximately $90,000 for the Belle Plaine Schools) from our operating capital fund to our general fund.  This will also assist us meet the day to day expenses of education.
     The biggest unknown that is still out there is to what degree will the governor use state aid shifts to balance the budget.  In a typical year, the State of Minnesota sends all school districts 90 percent of their revenue during the current school year and the final 10 percent in October of the following year.  Additional payments shifts are projected to be at a minimum 80/20 and could possibly go as high as 73/27.  With the current shift of 90/10, we borrow approximately $800,000 each year to make sure that we have enough cash on hand at critical times during the year to pay the bills.  If the additional shifts are made, we will have to borrow additional funds, up to $2,500,000 per year to ensure cash on hand to meet payroll and payment of monthly bills.  This additional borrowing means increased interest expense to the district and ultimately less money into our educational programs. 
     In light of the current economic conditions, the school districts across the state came out of this session reasonably well.  At this point, it does not appear that we will receive any major reductions in funding as some other entities such as nursing homes, hospitals, cities, counties and higher education are going to receive.  I am thankful for the bill we received and hope for better economic times ahead for everyone.
     As always, if you have any questions about the Belle Plaine Schools, please feel free to visit our website at www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us or call me at 873-2400.  Go Tigers!

May 13, 2009 Column

This past weekend, our high school music students put on their annual Pops Concert and once again did an outstanding job.  We have a lot talent in our school system and this event is a great opportunity to see and hear these talented students perform some lighter music.  In addition to music, attendees were able to see projects from our industrial arts and agriculture departments, purchase plants from our agriculture/FFA program and see numerous displays of art projects from the high school art department.  Once again, congratulations to all of our students whose participation made this a great couple of evenings and to our teachers/advisors for their efforts in coordinating this event.
The Belle Plaine Visual Arts team was in top form at Sections one week ago and they brought home a great deal of hardware for their efforts.  Fifteen of our eighteen entries earned awards:  five Excellents and ten Superiors.  In addition, Belle Plaine was awarded four of the six Arts Out Front Awards.
The Art Out Front Awards (designated with an *) are given to the best in each category.
Following is a list of entries that will travel to the State Exhibit May 14-17 at the College of Visual Arts' (CVA) Gallery in St. Paul.  Artists will be honored at an artist’s reception on May 17, from 2-4 p.m.
Drawing:  Tyler McGrath & Aaron Thomason - Superior
Painting:  Laura Anderson – Excellent; Jinniece Kalal & Kate Effertz (*) - Superior
Sculpture:  Matt Freemont, Tony Schultz & Erika Schneider (*) - Superior
Media Arts:  Jeremy Winders – Excellent; Danny Cates (*) - Superior
Crafts:  Mallory Kapphahn – Excellent; Dominick Rosario - Superior
Printmaking:  Molly Wickenhauser & Adrianna Doheny – Excellent;  Danny Cates (*) -  Superior
The final weeks of the school year are beginning to fly by as evenings are filled with spring events and special awards nights.  Our athletic teams are nearing tournament time as Minnesota River Conference tournaments are going on this week to be followed by Sub-Section high school league tournaments after that.  Our annual Academic and Activities Awards program will be held on Wednesday evening, May 27 and the annual Dollars for Scholars Awards program will be held the following Wednesday, June 3.  All of our spring awards and programs come to a conclusion on Sunday, June 7 with our 2009 Graduation ceremony at 2 p.m. 
As always, if you have any questions about the Belle Plaine Schools, please feel free to visit our website at www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us or call me at 873-2400.  Go Tigers!

May 5, 2009 Column

    I am excited to talk about the Belle Plaine Schools to anyone who wants to hear about the continuous improvement that is occurring in our district.  We have great staff within our district who are doing great things with students everyday.  This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and I want to extend a sincere thanks to all of our great teachers for the work they do every day to improve the academic performance of our students.  I also want to recognize one of our teachers individually.  Andy Lane, fifth grade teacher at Oak Crest Elementary, was recently recognized as a 2009 Inspirational Educator Award winner by Shepherd’s Learning Center in Prior Lake.  Mr. Lane was nominated by one of his students.  Congratulations Mr. Lane!
    Thank you to students and parents for a wonderful Jr-Sr prom this past weekend.  The weather cooperated as students participated in the grand march in Belle Plaine, traveled to Arlington for the evening meal and dancing, and then traveled to Mankato to the Wow Zone for the Post Prom event.  Once again, thank you to parents who helped organize this activity for our students.
     Recently the MN Dept. of Health has made some adjustments in the procedures that will be followed in the event of a H1N1 flu case being determined in a local school district.  The following information is from the most recent communication that we have received from MDH.
    Over the past week, much has been learned about the cases of H1N1 novel influenza. This virus currently appears to be acting like seasonal influenza in terms of the severity of illness and transmission of infection. We recognize that cases that have no relationship to travel or to other identified cases are occurring in communities, and that it is not possible to identify every case of novel influenza because the symptoms are similar to those of other acute respiratory infections.
    Therefore we recommend an approach that will focus on keeping all students and staff with symptoms of influenza out of school in order to decrease transmission of infections to others.
This will provide an approach for all schools to strengthen their measures to control the spread of infections whether or not a case is identified as H1N1 novel influenza. We will all need to continue to work together to control the spread of illness in our communities. 
    We recommend that all members of the school community – staff, parents and students take an active role in limiting the spread of infection. This will require increased vigilance among parents and caregivers, and school staff to identify students and staff with influenza-like illness, in particular looking for respiratory symptoms associated with fever.   
     School officials have several options, if a case has been identified in their school:
1) Remain open with appropriate isolation of the individual, at home, and follow other recommendations noted in this memo to decrease the spread of any respiratory illness.
2) Close school at their discretion, based on public health and community assessment.
3) Close school for a number of days following the CDC guidelines.
    As is our practice with seasonal influenza, schools may choose to close if large numbers of students or faculty become ill and school functioning is disrupted.  MDH is available to provide specific guidance about school closure should a school encounter an increased number of absences due to influenza like illness. These recommendations are based on current information and we will continue to provide information about the H1N1 novel influenza outbreak. The current influenza outbreak appears to be acting like seasonal influenza.
    Recommendations for public health protection for all Minnesotans:
• Wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water.
• Cover your nose and mouth with your sleeve when you cough or sneeze.
• Limit your contact with others who may be ill.
• Stay home from school or work if you are ill 
    Preventing the spread of influenza requires all of us – schools, families, businesses, and government – to cooperate and work together.  Thank for your work and your partnership.  For specific questions, please call MDH at 1-877-676-5414 or 651-201-5414.
    As always, if you have any questions about the Belle Plaine Schools, please feel free to visit our website at www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us or call me at 873-2400.  Go Tigers!

April 29, 2009 Column

    For the past several days, swine flu stories have dominated the news headlines and it will continue to receive coverage until this issue is resolved.  School districts across the state are reviewing their emergency plans in the event that this situation grows into a full-blown pandemic.  We are certainly not near the pandemic stage at this time, but we have reached a point where everyone needs to be cognizant of his/her own health symptoms and should be checking those symptoms against those present with the swine flu.
    I want everyone to be aware that the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is working closely with other government agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Health, in response to swine influenza.
    Currently, there have been no confirmed cases of this new swine influenza in Minnesota. State health officials are monitoring the situation closely and have increased disease surveillance.
    MDH has closed two schools as of this time. The situation may change if MDH identifies cases among school-aged children. At this time, MDH recommends schools emphasize basic infection prevention measures with staff and students.
These measures include:
       * covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing
       * washing your hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub
       * staying home when you are sick
    In addition, MDH recommends that schools stay in regular contact with local health officials and report to them if they have students with flu-like symptoms who have been to Mexico or to parts of the U.S. with confirmed cases of swine influenza, or students who have had contact with sick persons who had been to one of the areas with confirmed cases of swine influenza.
    As a local school district, we will continue to monitor the health of our local students while remaining in contact with health officials at the county, state and national level for further assistance with this situation.  For more information, interested residents may go to these web addresses:
          www.health.state.mn.us
          http://education.state.mn.us/mde
    A quick reminder about nominations for our Friend of Education award.  If you have someone you wish to nominate as a "Friend of Education", please contact me by Friday, May 1st. Indicate the name of your nominee(s), their contact information and the contributions that they have made to the district that you believe makes them worthy of this honor. This award is a wonderful way to recognize individuals who have committed much time and effort to the youth of our community.  Thank you for your assistance with this request.
    As always, if you have any questions about the Belle Plaine Schools, please feel free to visit our website at www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us or call me at 873-2400.  Go Tigers!

April 22, 2009 Column

    Each spring the school district asks for nominations for recipients of the "Friend(s) of Education" award. The “Friend(s) of Education” award has been established to honor a community person, persons, or entity that has made longstanding significant contributions to the improvement of education in our district. This award was established in 1989 and has had a distinguished list of recipients.
    The list includes: Louella Bromaghim, Elizabeth Schmidt, Orville Heitkamp, August (Auge) Tolzmann, Henrietta Stiles, Dr. Roger Hallgren, Mike Newell, Sr, Mary Pat Murphy, Roger Delgehausen, Dr. John Bartholow, the Belle Plaine Historical Society, Fred and Paul Keup of Keup Motors, Greg and Denise Gerhart of Ruck’s Meats, Dr. James and Judy O’Reilly, Dr. Tim and Sue Halloran, Brad and Sue Schultz and last year’s recipient, Phoebe Einertson.
    If you have someone you wish to nominate as a "Friend of Education", please me by Friday, May 1st. Indicate the name of your nominee(s), their contact information and the contributions that they have made to the district that you believe makes them worthy of this honor. This award is a wonderful way to recognize individuals who have committed much time and effort to the youth of our community.  Thank you for your assistance with this request.
    We continue to work on our school budget for next school year with a very incomplete picture about many key components of the revenue budget.  Unfortunately, many of the questions that we have about the revenue budget will not be answered until the Minnesota legislature completes their work.  At the present, it looks like they may have difficulty finishing their work by the set closing day of session and there may be a special session (or more) in order to get some final decisions made.
Recently the house proposed their education bill along with their tax bill.  The education bill keeps funding for schools at current levels for the next two years, but uses new tax revenue of approximately $1.5 billion in order to accomplish this.  Eventually, the house and the senate will need to agree on a tax bill that is estimated to be near the house’s position of $1.5B.  The governor has stated repeatedly that he will veto any new tax increases and it is doubtful that there will be any legislative over-ride of that veto this year. 
    If the tax increases proposed by the house and senate are vetoed by the governor, the house and the senate will need to find other ways to balance the budget and a very likely source is K-12 education.  I am fearful that additional cuts to education will be a major part of the budget balancing mix and that is something we cannot afford right now.  Even more devastating is the possibility that the legislature may look to take away fund balance reserves that school districts have in an effort to balance their budget.  We have worked diligently to have a reserve fund to help us with our cash flow needs throughout the year and to assist us during difficult times such as this.  It will be disastrous for all districts in Minnesota if the state begins to raid school district fund balances.  Please call your local legislator and tell them that K-12 is important and should not bear any more cuts than other entities within state government.
    As always, if you have any questions about the Belle Plaine Schools, please feel free to visit our website at www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us or call me at 873-2400.  Go Tigers!

Community Conversations Meeting Locations

The Belle Plaine School Board and administration have been seeking additional ways for district residents to bring concerns and/or satisfactions to the school board's attention.  We have initiated a number of meetings throughout the school district and will be seeking input on additional meetings in the future.  Please feel free to join us at one of the meetings listed below:

Saturday, April 18 at 8:00 a.m.  @ Kingsway Retirement Center  (Coffee and Rolls provided)
Monday, April 20 at 6:40 p.m.  @ ECFE, Chatfield Elementary
Tuesday, April 21 at 9:40 a.m.  @ ECFE, Chatfield Elementary
Tuesday, April 21 at 10:25 a.m.  @ ECFE, Chatfield Elementary
Tuesday, April 21 at 6:40 p.m.  @ ECFE & PTO, Chatfield Elementary
Thursday, April 23 at 9:40 a.m.  @ ECFE, Chatfield Elementary
Thursday, April 30 at 6:40 p.m.  @ ECFE, Chatfield Elementary

Please join us as we discuss current Belle Plaine School District issues and education issues across the state and country.

April 15, 2009 Column

     The school board will be hosting their first Community Conversation session this Saturday morning (April 18) at the Kaffee Haus located in the Kingsway Retirement Center.  These meetings are intended to give community residents an opportunity to come and discuss school issues with school board members and administration in a more informal setting.  The gathering begins at 8 a.m.  Please come and join us for some coffee and rolls!
     This week marks the beginning of the spring state testing season as the window available for taking the state mandated MCA II tests began on Monday.  The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) are the state tests that help districts measure student progress toward Minnesota's academic standards and meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind.  The reading and mathematics tests are used to determine whether schools and districts have made adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward all students being proficient in 2014. Science is required for No Child Left Behind but is not included in AYP calculations at this time.
     Reading and mathematics tests are given in grades 3-8, 10 and 11. Science tests are given in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school, depending on when students complete their life sciences curriculum.  In Belle Plaine that test will be given to our 10th grade students who will be nearing the completion of their biology class when the test is given in early May.
     In addition, the grade 9 GRAD writing test is given this week as well.  This GRAD writing test replaces the previous Basic Skills Test that was given for many years. The Graduation-Required Assessments for Diploma (GRAD) are the state tests that fulfill Minnesota’s high school graduation requirement for students who first entered grade 8 in 2005-06 or later.  These tests measure student performance on essential skills in Writing, Reading and Mathematics for success in the 21st century.  If a student does not satisfy the graduation requirement for an assessment during the first administration, there will be retest opportunities available.  The GRAD is first administered in grade 9 for writing, grade 10 for reading and grade 11 for math.  For the math and reading tests, the GRAD components are imbedded in the MCA-II tests for those subject areas in grade 10 and in grade 11. 
     By the end of April, the majority of mandatory state testing is complete for our district.  There will be re-take opportunities for students who did not perform at the necessary level on the GRAD tests for writing, reading and math.  At the local level, however, we will be giving our own NWEA Measures of Academic Progress exams in early May.  These tests are given three times yearly and help us provide the level of individual student academic growth during the year and from year to year. 
     While there is an ongoing debate over the appropriate amount of testing that should be done in our schools, I must emphasize how important all of the testing is for our students, our school and for state information.  I encourage parents to relay the importance of these tests to their students and help prepare them for test days by getting a good night’s sleep, having a good meal in the morning and encouraging them to relax and do their best.  Good luck students!
     As always, if you have any questions about the Belle Plaine Schools, please feel free to visit our website at www.belleplaine.k12.mn.us or call me at 873-2400.  Go Tigers!