We are excited to recap some news from the past month about various student and staff accomplishments at Austin Public Schools.

At the beginning of February, we celebrated the advancement of several longtime staff members. Joni Irvin was named assistant principal at Ellis Middle School, and Dave Brown started as the new dean of students at IJ Horton Intermediate School. Both hold a wealth of experience and respect from our staff and community, having worked at the district for a combined total of 50 years. I know they will continue shining brightly as Austin Public Schools leaders.

Our teachers continue demonstrating the district's commitment to excellence at Austin schools. Tieler Myers, an Austin High School Spanish and AVID teacher, was named a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars. This award recognizes high school teachers, counselors, or administrators who have significantly impacted a student's academic career. Mr. Myers embodies what it means to be a great role model. With a positive attitude, he welcomes every student into the classroom wholeheartedly, encouraging them to pursue their dreams confidently. We're proud to have him on staff.

Our students, including Yvanna Lopez from Southgate Elementary, continue to inspire us with their hard work and success. Yvanna won the Southgate Elementary School portion of the Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest, sponsored by the Black Leaders and Allies Advancing Cultural Knowledge Employees Resource Group from Hormel Foods. That made her eligible for the next stage of the competition, where she placed in the top 3 and was invited to Hormel to read her essay to company leadership. Congratulations, Yvanna!

Finally, Amy Thuesen, APS Director of Technology, shared an update with our community regarding the direction of the district's technology planning. The district partnered with a Technology Advisory Team of teachers, recent alumni, administrators, and community partners to make recommendations and help our district update and execute our technology plan. This collaborative endeavor has led to the development of four primary goals:

1. Safeguarding data
2. Promoting effective technology use
3. Fostering a tech-infused learning environment
4. Establishing a responsible technology management strategy

Please stay tuned for more information as we move forward with this initiative. Underscoring these goals lies one objective: preparing our students to make a difference in the world, a theme reflected in our district's long-term strategic plan. To learn more about the strategic plan, visit AccelerateAustin.org.

Reflecting on the past month, including the Superintendent Listening Sessions, it's evident that our district has made significant progress and is on a positive trajectory, with exciting opportunities for further growth ahead. As we look ahead to the remainder of the school year, we remain committed to preparing our students for successful futures. Have a great spring break!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joey Page, Superintendent

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has just shared with us that Sumner Elementary is no longer classified as a Racially Identifiable School as of the 2023-2024 school year. This is a big achievement, reflecting the positive impact of our neighborhood school model on increasing diversity and fostering inclusivity in our community. This development is a major step forward in strengthening the ties between our neighborhoods and our wonderful schools.

The District Grading and Reporting Committee of Practice is continuing its work in learning and development for recommending guiding procedures to the school board. The group will be joined this year by Nicole Dimich, a leading author and presenter in student assessments.

In 2022, the United States transitioned to the new three-digit dialing code 988 to reach crisis support. The change is part of a nationwide effort to transition the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (the Lifeline) to a phone number people can more easily remember and access in times of crisis. The shift also includes an online chat feature and a new texting option.

The new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline code will serve as a universal entry point so people can reach a trained crisis counselor who can help regardless of where they live. Anyone can dial or text 988 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to reach crisis support or to use an online chat feature to connect with crisis support. People can dial 988 if worried about a loved one needing crisis support.

For more information, visit Mental Health and Well-being.

• On Monday, the 9th Grade Prep Orchestra is traveling to Minnetonka to participate in the MNSOTA Mid-Level Orchestra Festival.
• Dori Olana, 9th grade violist, performed with the MNSOTA Mid-Level ALL State Orchestra on Saturday 2/17 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. She was 1st chair.
• At the March 7th concert, the Symphony performed the famous Fourth Movement of the New World Symphony by Dvorak. They also joined with Wind Ensemble to perform “Alpenglow,” written by Austin’s own Blake Zimmerli.
• Austin had three “Best in site” winners at the MSHSL Region 1AA Solo/small-ensemble Contest: Dori Olana, Narwas Zaki, and Pak Jaw Bee Moo.
• Orchestra director Mr. Schott has been invited to perform with the Minnesota Orchestra in April at Orchestra Hall.

Amanda O'Connell from DEED recently shared a presentation that aligns directly with our Packer Profile. It's filled with valuable insights and can be viewed here.

Read Across America is the nation's largest celebration of reading. Many schools, libraries, and communities of readers celebrate with an annual event on March 2, but National Education Association's (NEA) Read Across America also provides educators, parents, caregivers, and children the resources and activities they need to keep reading on the calendar 365 days a year.

Everything we do here at APS is geared toward supporting our students, whether in the classroom, on the stage, or in the cafeteria. To successfully inspire, empower, and accelerate our learners, we need to meet their needs and work to develop the whole child.

This week is National School Social Work Week, and we wanted to take a moment to thank all the School Social Workers who work diligently to help our students along the way. School Social Workers are a hard-working and humble group of professionals who spend much time advocating for others. School Social Workers do not work for the praise; they do their work excellently because they value the students, families, schools, and communities they serve. From helping students cope with life to planning for the future, our school social workers provide an invaluable service for all our learners.

Here is the March newsletter Website.

The Minnesota P20 Education Partnership (MNP20) has published its annual report, outlining progress and accomplishments over the past year. MNP20 works toward ensuring a seamless system of education across the state. From hiring its first executive director to strengthening operational growth, MNP20 is focused on strengthening pathways for Minnesotans from early childhood to K-12, to higher education, and into the workforce.

There has also been advancement in four priority projects intended to advance the state's postsecondary attainment goal—to help more Minnesotans complete a postsecondary credential by 2025, while simultaneously working to increase equity, strengthen access, and eliminate success barriers for historically underserved groups. Read more here.

On April 4, 2024, the entire Kindergarten Class of 2036 will travel to see a play at Ellis Middle School. The amazing middle school cast will be performing Junie B. Jones the Musical, Jr., based on the beloved children's book series. The play will focus on the ups and downs of change and making new friends. The students will participate in lessons about theater etiquette and the topic of change before the event as they prepare to move to first grade in the elementary schools next school year.

Public performances of the musical are Friday, April 5, at 7:00 PM, and Saturday, April 6, at 2:00 PM, at Ellis Middle School. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students.

New this year - thanks to an MN pilot program, more people than ever are eligible to be substitute teachers!

During the pilot, individuals with an associate's degree in any field and educational support professionals (paraeducators) with a high school diploma who have worked at APS for at least a year are eligible for a short-call substitute license.

Call us at 507-460-1903 or email us for more information!

• More than stress: What you eat affects your blood pressure
• Can you prevent cancer with lifestyle changes?
• Newborns diagnosed with syphilis at alarming rates
• Isometric exercise: Using body weight to lower blood pressure

In this week's Alumni Spotlight, we catch up with alumnus Dave Sandum.

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 Community Learning Center Pre-K Special Education Teacher Lindsey Christian.

"Ms. Lindsey is a very caring person who does anything to help her little students make big gains. She understands and supports her students and their families. Great teacher!"

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!

• 4-day school week could become more common in Minnesota with proposed law
• Proposal aims to help high school coaches prevent eating disorders among students
• Proposed ban on flavored tobacco products moves ahead in House
• Father writes op-ed to thank Caitlin Clark for helping him be 'a better dad'

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.

The school district strongly encourages anyone interested to apply to join our teams. Reasonable accommodations are available to access job openings or apply for a job. Click here to learn more.

You can review previous issues here.