A group of Austin High School staff members have been training to implement BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) this August. BARR Center is a national organization that aims to improve student and educator success through positive, intentional relationships and a data-driven, personalized approach. BARR is a model that aims to bring education into the 21st century with intentionally deepened relationships and a data-driven, personalized, and supportive approach that aligns students, teachers, staff, and families with a unified culture of support and success so that, together, we can build strong schools and communities.

Using a strength-based lens, BARR will support the AHS team to help close the opportunity gap, improve academic outcomes, and increase the graduation rate. On average, large urban schools see a 40% reduction in failure rate, and smaller rural schools see a 29% average reduction after one year of using BARR.

Designed by an educator, the BARR system is rooted in the belief that growth is possible and within reach for every student and teacher in every school. After conducting 12 within-school randomized controlled trials, the BARR system has been proven to create statistically significant impacts in 20 areas of academic performance and outcomes for students, teachers, and schools. Compared to their peers, students in BARR schools report increased expectations and support from their teachers while feeling more deeply engaged in school.

"BARR's mission is to create equitable schools where every student, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status, has access to high-quality education where adults know them, recognize their strengths, and help them succeed. I developed and built BARR from a foundational belief that all schools can make key changes using current staff," explains BARR Center Founder and Executive Director Angela Jerabek.

Austin High School will benefit from BARR Center's services, including training, on-site and virtual coaching, resources, and data support. For more information, visit https://barrcenter.org/.

Sincerely,

Dr. Joey Page, Superintendent

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has awarded APS a 2023 school finance award. The School Finance Award is awarded annually by the MDE Division of School Finance to recognize schools for the timely submission of financial data and compliance with Minnesota Statutes, presence of select indicators of fiscal health, and accuracy in financial reporting.

Minnesota school finance is complex. Check out our new School Funding 101 video to better understand how this system operates.

Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) is an Austin Public Schools program that provides parenting information, support, and programming for families with children ages birth to five. Various Parent-Child activities and classes are available during the day and evening hours. A typical ECFE class includes parent-child activity, parent education, and child activity time.

Click the link to see our ECFE Brochure and register for exciting opportunities for you and your child to explore together this year.

Classes are located at Southgate Elementary School.

Austin employs numerous success coaches to work with non-English speaking families. Students at Austin Public Schools speak more than 40 home languages, and our success coaches help bridge the gap between the classroom and the family.

Are you looking for a way to give back to the community and invest in the next generation? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

At Austin Public School, our mission is to Inspire, Empower, and Accelerate as we prepare our learners to make a difference in the world. One of the ways we are working to support this mission is to ensure that all students start the school year off with the supplies they need to be successful.

Your donation will help make a huge difference in our students' lives, and we appreciate your assistance. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions.

Together, we can build a stronger Austin Public Schools. Learn more here and how to donate.

The Hormel Foundation Austin Assurance Scholarship (THFAAS) is a scholarship (free money) that students can use while earning a full-time or part-time education at Riverland Community College. This scholarship covers tuition (65 credits) and fees and includes a stipend for needed books and class materials. The scholarship amount varies for each student, but it will cover 100% of tuition and fees not fulfilled by federal grants or state grants. THFAAS has a potential savings of over $12,000 for college education costs! Learn more here.

Please see this information about our partnership with the Austin Police Department.

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In this week's Alumni Spotlight, we catch up with alumnus Keith Oldenkamp.

Are you an alumnus of Austin Public Schools? If so, we'd love to hear from you! We're excited to hear about your accomplishments and are eager to share your successes and advice with our current students, families, and the Austin community.

All you need to do is take a minute to answer a few quick questions at https://www.austin.k12.mn.us/alumni-spotlight.

Thanks, and we look forward to hearing all your wonderful stories!

At Austin Public Schools, our mission is to inspire, empower, and accelerate every one of our learners, and we know that the only way for us to reach this goal is through the efforts of all our incredibly hard-working staff.

In this week’s Staff Spotlight, we’re highlighting IJ Holton Intermediate School math teacher Lindsey Schaefer.

"[Ms. Schaefer] was my favorite teacher. She was sweet and understanding and she loved her students all equally. She was great at teaching and helped stop bullying within our FTLA."

Congratulations!

If you’d like to nominate an outstanding Austin Public Schools staff member for our weekly Staff Spotlight, please take a moment to fill out the form at https://www.austin.k12.mn.us/district-resources/staff-spotlight. It only takes a minute and can truly make someone’s day. Thanks!

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• Agri-Business Committee
• 2023 AMIGO - AUSTIN COUNTRY CLUB
• Business After Hours-The Cedars of Austin
• Ambassador Meeting
• Inviting Table: Welcome Home
• Leadership Austin
• EPIC: VIDEO DAY AT KSMQ
• Leadership Reads: Leaders Eat Last
• Catchfire Austin Business Owners' Group
• EPIC - Walk to End Alzheimer's
• 2023 Soda Shops & Car Hops At Your Service Car Show - PayItForward
• Mental Health Awareness Benefit
• 2023 Soda Shops & Car Hops At Your Service Dinner - PayItForward
• 2023 Soda Shops & Car Hops At Your Service Benefit- PayItForward
• Affordable Employer Healthcare Plan Option

APS offers a wide range of student activities, including competitive athletics, intramurals, academic clubs, fine arts, and performing arts. View schedules and learn more here.

Austin Public Schools is committed to creating an inclusive environment that values the diversity of its employees and does not discriminate against any employee or candidate based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, age, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, familial status or membership or activity in a local commission. The school district strongly encourages anyone interested to apply to join our teams. Reasonable accommodations to access job openings or to apply for a job are available. Click here to learn more.

You can review previous issues here.