The Chatfield School Board met on February 26, 2018, in the high school media enter. Board members present were Jerry Chase, Scott Backer, Amy Jeffers, Katie Priebe and Matt McMahon, along with Superintendent Harris, Administrative Assistant Lorri Lowrey and Community Education Director LuAnn Klevan. Also present were student council members, Macy Pederson and Brittany Fretland.
The student council representatives reported that for Valentine’s Day they sold flowers and they exceeded their expectations for this fundraiser.
LuAnn Klevan, Community Education Director, reported that the spring assessments are beginning in the preschool and information regarding registration for the 2018-2019 school year will be available the first week of March. ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education offered two special events in January; “Donuts and Dads” and “Muffins and Moms,” that were well attended and received positive feedback from the parents. Valleyland registration for current families will begin in March and for new families in April. Summer Valleyland will be located at the elementary school due to construction at the high school. Bussing to swimming and rec activities will be provided the same as last year. Fees this year for Valleyland will be raised 4% for additional staffing. This year’s theater performance will be “Alice in Wonderland” with auditions in March for students grades 4-6. The performance will be in May. Planning is in the process for Summer Rec with the possibilities of adding some new programs. Some of the new programs may include fishing, bowling and skill building clinics for Grades 9-12 in basketball and baseball. Camp Invention will be the week of June 18 and there will be summer ball for current first and second graders. Soccer and possibly Science Camp will also be expanded.
Craig Ihrke, elementary principal, thanked all the supervisors, volunteers, and participants for their work with the Triathlon and Math Wizards. The students represented their school at these events very well but the biggest success was their willingness to participate and work together. MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) testing will begin in April. This year they are going to limit the amount of testing each week to no more than three days in one week. Upcoming events for the elementary will be the Gopher Showcase at Potter Auditorium on February 27 and Kindergarten Roundup on April 4 at 6:30 p.m. If parents have a kindergartner and do not receive information, they should call the school for information.
High school principal, Randy Paulson, congratulated the two wrestlers, Seth Goetzinger and Jake Mandt, who are going on to the State Wrestling Tournament. He has been meeting with staff and both the middle school and high school student councils about the safety procedures in place for emergencies. Priorities discussed were communication between staff, students and parents; making the best decisions for the situation; and taking all threats seriously. Letters about safety procedures are being sent to all parents and guardians of students in the Chatfield School District.
Superintendent Harris noted that the school calendar draft is much the same as this year except that Easter is earlier, which will change some of the dates. Current enrollment is 914, up from 907 the same time last year. Construction is still on budget and on schedule. Next week, cafeteria renovations will begin and meals will be served out of a classroom with tables in the large group room. It is hoped that the media center renovation will start in April. All of this is contingent on the completion of the STEM addition. The Facilities Committee is trying to repurpose the shed that will need to be moved for the construction of the new swimming pool. It is a 40 by 80-foot shed that could be sold and moved. He also thanked the board for their contributions to the school district. Last week was School Board Appreciation Week and each board member was given a small gift for the work they do.
Under consent items, the fundraisers for the next year were approved for the senior class, along with speech concessions for a home meet. New hires approved were Jenny Bradt, assistant track coach; Melissa Delaney, elementary nurse/one day per week; and Jason Voeltz, junior high baseball coach. Resignations approved were Kim Harmening, elementary nurse/one day per week; Joel Viss, junior high science teacher; Jodie Daniels, grade eight volleyball coach, and Meredith Keefe Johnson, elementary teacher. Also approved was a job posting for a grade eight volleyball coach.
The first reading of district policies for 613 graduation requirements, 614 school district testing plan and procedure and 614 FRM will be approved at the next meeting. The second reading of district policy was approved which included 603 curriculum development and 604 instructional curriculum.
Under new business, the CCTV streaming payment of $5,000 was approved along with the 2018-2019 school calendar. Also approved was the hiring of Scott Backer as a junior high baseball coach. A discussion about school safety ensued and whether the board should establish a committee and what the purpose and parameters of the committee should be. The board approved a Safety Committee made up of three board members: Amy Jeffers, Katie Priebe and Scott Backer. Additional stake holders may be added and a purpose would be established for the committee.
The next board meeting will be March 19, 2018. The end of trimester two for grades K-8 is March 9.
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