
ENG 2023-24 Family Update No. 10
December 14, 2023

2023-24 Family Update No. 10 | Dec. 14, 2023
⏰ Reading time: four minutes, 11 seconds
💭 Superintendent's Message
Dear Northfield School District Families:
Ensuring students are connected in meaningful ways with adults at their school is vital to their success. The Middle School, High School, and Area Learning Center are tracking the results of four specific questions from the Social Skills Improvement System and using the data to better support students and their development. Here are the overall results of the four key questions. Results are based on a four-point survey scale. All four tracked questions showed improvement over last year’s results.
I have at least one adult at school I look forward to seeing each day. Survey results show an 8% improvement from 63% rating this statement as “a lot true” or “very true” in 2022 to 71% rating this statement as “a lot true” or “very true” in 2023.
I have at least one activity/club I look forward to participating in. Survey results show a 3% improvement from 72% rating this statement was “a lot true” or “very true” in 2022 to 75% rating this statement as “a lot true” or “very true” in 2023.
I have at least one class I look forward to each day. Survey results show a 3% improvement from 79% rating this statement as “a lot true” or “very true” in 2022 to 82% rating this statement as “a lot true” or “very true” in 2023.
Most of my teachers care about and are interested in me as a person. Survey results show a 6% improvement from 65% rating this statement as “a lot true” or “very true” in 2022 to 71% rating this statement as “a lot true” or “very true” in 2023.
We should be pleased to see the improvement in all four questions while acknowledging that there is more to do. Ensuring students have connections to the school community contributes to positive experiences and outcomes for our students. You can view the full, interactive dashboard here.
As always, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or feedback about the district.
Sincerely,
Matt
❄️ Winter Break Schedule
The following is the upcoming winter break schedule:
Friday, December 22: No school: teacher preparation day.
December 23, 2023-January 1, 2024: No school: winter break.
Tuesday, January 2, 2024: Students and teachers return!
📸 Image credit: s.salvador via Freepik
💡 Board spotlight: Claudia Gonzalez-George earns MSBA recognition
Board chair Claudia Gonzalez-George has earned the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) Leadership Development certificate. The certificate is awarded to elected school board members who complete all four phases of MSBA’s “Learning to Lead” workshop series. We are grateful for Claudia’s dedication to our district and community. She will be honored at the MSBA leadership conference recognition luncheon on January 11, 2024.
🔆 Student spotlight: ExCEL Award Winners
Danica Sorem and Isaiah Mahal were recently named the Northfield High School ExCEL Award winners. The ExCEL Award – Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership honors Minnesota high school juniors who are active in school activities, leaders in their schools, and who demonstrate a strong commitment to community service. Congratulations, Danica and Isaiah!
🚌 Alternate bus stops for rural routes
Benjamin Bus is finalizing alternate bus stops to be used during the winter when most roads have been cleared but some rural roads are still impassable. The purpose of alternate stops is to prioritize in-person learning while still safely transporting students to school.
The district and Benjamin Bus met with the district’s township snow plow drivers in November. Based on the information learned at that meeting, there are six (6) routes that alternate stops would be more frequently utilized.
Bus cards with alternate stops for the six (6) routes that experience indicates will be most often used were mailed to impacted families last week.
Alternate stops for the remainder of the bus routes should be completed by December 22. These remaining routes will only use the alternate stops in a true weather emergency.
Benjamin Bus will communicate the use of alternate stops to families on individual routes via the Skylert system as needed.
Contact Laure Benjamin at Benjmain Bus with any questions.
🗓️ 2024-25 Calendar Approved
The school board approved the 2024-25 school calendar at its Dec. 11 meeting. You can see a copy of the calendar here.
💬 High School tours and facility discussion
The Northfield School Board continues to discuss the problems with the Northfield High School facility and will be considering how to address those facility problems. So far, the board has:
Held two work sessions focused on the issue.
Discussed it at two regular board meetings.
Conducted two community tours of Northfield High School.
Offered a tour of the new high school that opened this fall in Owatonna.
The process is intended to identify what, if any, bond referendum questions should be presented for voters’ consideration on the November 2024 election ballot.
🪧 Dec. 11, 2023 School Board Update
- The school board held a regular meeting on Dec. 11.
Board packets, table files, and meeting videos are located on our website.
You can listen to Superintendent Hillmann’s recap on KYMN radio.
🔵 Free COVID-19 tests available
As of Nov. 20, individual households can order four more free tests through COVID.gov ahead of the holidays.