The Kingsland School Board held a “work session” meeting on October 5. Board members in attendance included Jackie Horsman, Noella Lund, Natasha Howard, Maranda Emig, and Kyle Rader, as well as Superintendent Jim Hecimovich, Principal Scott Klavetter, Athletic Director Mark Fitzpatrick, and Business Manager Amber Herbrand. Tiffany Mundfrom was absent. During these “work … [Read more...]
Houston Elementary awarded National Blue Ribbon School Award
By Wanda Hanson On October 1, 2020, The Houston School Board heard from a humble principal Rick Bartz that Houston Elementary had been notified that it had been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School. Only eight schools were selected for the award in Minnesota. The award is for “exemplary work in closing achievement gaps.” Normally the award would include a trip to … [Read more...]
Nikita Albrecht, the new vocal teacher at Grand Meadow Public School
Grand Meadow Public School welcomes Nikita Albrecht, the new K-12 vocal music teacher, and her family to Grand Meadow. “After hearing many positives about the Grand Meadow School and community, I did a lot of ‘research’ into what the job and the community might be like and decided it just felt like a very good fit for my family and me. It is closer to where my husband and I … [Read more...]
Spring Grove School takes classes outdoors
The start of the 2020-21 school year presented public schools with difficult challenges due to COVID-19. School administrators and staff worked together throughout the summer to address each challenge that arose. A tactic implemented by Spring Public School to address the needs of the Title 1 Essential Workers is the use of outdoor classrooms. Spring Grove Superintendent … [Read more...]
Rushford-Peterson welcomes new teachers
By Wanda Hanson Rushford-Peterson School is welcoming two new teachers this year, Jacob Kramer and Alex Smothers. Mr. Kramer actually student taught biology last spring with the teacher he now has replaced; as a result, although he is a first year teacher, he knows many of the students already. He enjoys the great community of teachers, staff, and students, noting that R-P has … [Read more...]
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation seeking applications for Early Care and Education Wrap Around Grants
Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), is currently accepting applications for its Early Care and Education Wrap Around Grant program. This special grant program will help fund early care and education wrap around services for children birth to age eight from underserved populations impacted by the … [Read more...]
Eight Minnesota schools receive National Blue Ribbon School Honors
September 24, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today recognized eight Minnesota schools as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2020. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. “Congratulations to this year’s National Blue Ribbon School awardees,” said Secretary DeVos. “It’s a … [Read more...]
Spring Grove’s Amazing race
Spring Grove is the host of the high school drama club’s first Amazing Race Scavenger Hunt on Saturday, October 3. In past years, the drama club hosted the Halls of Horror, the club’s largest fundraiser. Due to COVID-19, the popular event is not happening this year. Instead, the club is organizing Spring Grove’s first outdoor scavenger hunt. Participants will explore the … [Read more...]
Fall sports a challenge for Kingsland and all MN Schools
During the Kingsland School Board meeting on September 21, one of the main topics was the Minnesota State High School League’s (MSHSL) sudden reversal of decision regarding football and volleyball seasons. In August, the MSHSL had announced that these two sports would be allowed to have a brief “fall practice” season, but that their competition seasons would be in the … [Read more...]
R-P gets update from new school nurse
The idea of acquiring a school nurse on staff at Rushford-Peterson has been kicked around since before the district built its new facility. The new school officially opened in August 2017 and that year, the school board made the decision to proceed with a health assessment in lieu of hiring a nurse. Fast forward to the pandemic, the school board unanimously approved moving … [Read more...]