It's the last month of classes at Austin Public Schools! This year has been filled with achievements, challenges, and countless moments of growth. Thank you for your important role in our district's success.

As the school year draws to a close, we embrace a new season of awards and recognitions. I want to congratulate three students in our district – Ellen Elkins, Mia King, and Eeva Nelson – who were named Scholars of Distinction by the Minnesota Department of Education. Only 11 students in the state received the prestigious award, and three call our district home. This is the first time in the award's history that it has been given to any student from Austin.

In addition, Austin Area Alternative Learning Center (AALC) teacher Gabe Nelson was named the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs (MAAP) STARS Advisor of the Year. Mr. Nelson was nominated by several of his students for this prestigious honor. Thank you for your strong leadership, Mr. Nelson!

On May 1, we celebrated our students graduating with High Distinction at the annual Academic Excellence Celebration. These students have earned an unweighted GPA of 3.9 or higher. We also celebrated our Honor Roll students at the Honor Roll Luncheon hosted by Hormel Foods on May 2. Graduation is May 31 for seniors at Austin High School. In addition, this month holds musical performances, athletic events, end-of-year conferences, and much more.

In other news, I am proud to share that Banfield, Neveln, Southgate, and Sumner elementary schools have been recognized by the national nonprofit Common Sense Education for elevating digital citizenship as a key part of the student experience. In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, digital literacy is critical for our Packers' future education and careers. Thank you to everyone who has collaborated on our digital literacy initiatives, including our staff, families, guardians, and community members.

In the same spirit of collaboration, I have shared highlights from a recent community survey. I am grateful to the more than 1,000 parents/caregivers and Austin residents who participated – your responses make a difference. The survey showed strong community support for our school district and revealed several growth areas. For a closer look at the survey, please visit the "Goals" page on AccelerateAustin.org.

One of the most significant roles in our district is the school board, which is responsible for the district's curriculum, personnel, and physical facilities. The general election on November 5 will include the school board election. To learn more about the school board and how you can engage, please visit the district's dedicated webpage or view our policy governance handbook.

I hope you will celebrate with us this month as we reflect on a successful year. Thank you for all you do for our students and schools.

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing moms, their families, and friends!

Sincerely,

Dr. Joey Page, Superintendent

Teacher Appreciation Week is an opportunity to celebrate the dedication of teachers who educate students daily to prepare them to make a difference in the world. Thank you!

In last week's issue, we highlighted our Packer Profile and introduced one of several Pathways Posters. Our next career poster, Education, Health Science, and Human Services Career Pathway exposes students to careers and experiences that support and improve safety and well-being based on the needs of individuals, families, and communities.

Being on the school board has been a great experience that has taught me important skills on and off the board. As a student representative, I've had the opportunity to sit in on school board meetings and learn about our community from various perspectives. As a student, I find it interesting to see all that goes into managing and improving our schools. As a student representative, I've also had the opportunity to help create and present the student report, allowing me to practice my public speaking and leadership skills. These skills have also helped me off the board, such as with my experience on the speech team. This year, I was co-captain of Austin's Speech Team and had the opportunity to go to State in Informative Speaking. My time on the board has definitely helped me to accomplish this, and I'm grateful for the support from school board members and coaches along the way.

With the many activities at Austin High School, such as sports, music, and clubs, being on the board is a great way to showcase all the high school has to offer and all the students' accomplishments. As someone who participates in many of these activities, I think it is exciting to see more students getting involved, and I hope to see this continue in the future. Being a part of different activities, from Orchestra to Student Council to National Honor Society, has shaped a large part of my high school career. As I graduate this year, I thank all the teachers, staff, and community members who have helped me along my journey. I'm excited to see what the future of Austin Public Schools holds!

🎓 For the first time, Riverland Community College will hold their graduation ceremony in Austin High School's Knowlton Auditorium. This year, eight Austin seniors will be receiving diplomas during the festivities. For the following students, tonight's Riverland ceremony is just a warmup before they take to the stage again on May 31 to officially graduate from Austin High School:

• Namo Afanou (Associate of Arts & Sciences)
• Skye Anderley (Associate of Arts & Sciences)
• Beany Gilo (Associate of Arts & Sciences)
• Lupita Maldonado (Associate of Arts & Sciences)
• Moo Say (Associate of Health Sciences)
• Gracie Schmitt (Associate of Arts & Sciences)
• Blake VanPelt (Associate of Arts & Sciences and Precision Agriculture Certificate)
• Avery Wempner (Associate of Arts & Sciences)

Congratulations, all!

You won't want to miss this event! Our 21 students will showcase the fantastic businesses they have developed through the CEO Program. This is an excellent opportunity to see what this program is all about and to support our entrepreneurs and future leaders! Come ready to shop!

Date: May 15

Time: 4-7 pm

Location: Austin Packer Arena

Congratulations to Austin's Ellen Ekins, Mia King, and Eeva Nelson on being named Scholars of Distinction by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). Only 11 students in the state received this prestigious honor, and three of them hail from Austin.

MDE's website states that the Scholars of Distinction program is meant "to recognize academic and intellectual accomplishments by talented Minnesota students that happen both in school and out of school. This program celebrates the collaboration among students and educators, as well as family and community members, that promote ongoing inquiry and the quest for new learning and new understanding of the world around us."

"The Scholars of Distinction Award program recognizes exceptional performance and achievement by students in grades 11 and 12," says MDE's Wendy Behrens, Scholars of Distinction Project Director. "This recognition confirms student engagement in a rigorous course of study and completion of a focused research project. To earn the award, students are required to demonstrate the ability to think critically and creatively to address a real-world problem. I have no doubt their achievements will serve as an inspiration to other students and provide a foundation for continued academic success."

To be considered for the program, students completed a capstone project in an academic area they are passionate about. The project allows students to "exercise [their] creativity, stretch what [they] have learned, and challenge [themselves]." Submitted projects needed to be new academic work (not repurposed from another school assignment) and beyond the typical high school coursework.

"For the first time, three exceptional students from Austin have been honored with the Minnesota Department of Education's Scholar of Distinction award," said Dr. Joey Page, Austin Superintendent. "We are immensely proud of this extraordinary achievement, which sets a new standard of excellence for future scholars."

A virtual ceremony for award recipients will be held on June 20 at 7:00 PM. To learn more about the Scholars of Distinction program, visit here.

The AHS Project Graduation Party has been a tradition for Austin area seniors since 1989, celebrating the senior class with an all-night event on graduation evening. This party run and organized by parents/guardians of AHS students and community volunteers. If you want to volunteer for one or more shifts, please sign up here.

We have 11 singles bowlers and 6 doubles teams who will be competing at the State Adapted Bowling today!

The team also has 8 athletes who received All-State Honors: Alex Dube, Espy Chigo, Liam Nguyen, Julia Zerke, Syndey Lange, Ella Riley, Diana Mendoza Hernandez, and Gerardo Trinidad Hernandez.

Austin Area Alternative Learning Center (AALC) teacher Gabe Nelson was named the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs (MAAP) STARS Advisor of the Year at the Spring STARS Conference held in Mankato on April 25 and 26. Mr. Nelson was nominated by several of his students for this prestigious honor.

According to AALC principal Allison Gunderson, "Mr. Nelson is an amazing educator and a strong leader for our Austin Alternative Learning Center, and this year, he became our MAAP Stars advisor. Through Mr. Nelson's leadership with this program, they continue to make a positive impact for our high school and our community. In the words of his students in the MAAP STARS program, 'Mr. Nelson does the most and expects the least.' We are truly grateful to have him as a teacher."

MAAP STARS, the student arm of the Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs, "is a comprehensive program designed to help [students] unlock [their] talents, develop [their] skills, and reach [their] full potential."

Mr. Nelson was honored at the Spring STARS Conference, a "two-day conference [giving] students in alternative settings the opportunity to showcase the knowledge they have learned, along with their artistic, career, and life skills. Students participated as individuals and/or in teams in competitive and non-competitive events and were evaluated by volunteer judges."

Austin has been a member of MAAP Stars for more than 15 years, boasting several state officers and honored students.

Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of media and technology, has recognized Austin's Banfield, Neveln, Southgate, and Sumner Elementary Schools as Common Sense Schools.

Austin's elementary schools have demonstrated their commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing their students to think critically and use technology responsibly to learn, create, and participate while preparing them for the perils in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyberbullying.

With the proper support, kids can take ownership of their digital lives, engage with real issues, and improve their communities. The recognition acknowledges our school's commitment to creating a culture of digital citizenship.

"We applaud the faculty and staff of Austin's elementary schools for embracing digital citizenship as an important part of their students' education," said Liz Kline, vice president of education programs at Common Sense Education. "They deserve high praise for giving their students the foundational skills they need to compete and succeed in the 21st-century workplace and participate ethically in society at large."

The schools have been using Common Sense Education's innovative and research-based digital citizenship resources, created in collaboration with researchers from Project Zero, led by Howard Gardner at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. They are grounded in the real issues students and teachers face. The resources teach students, educators, and parents tangible skills related to internet safety, protecting online reputations and personal privacy, media balance, managing online relationships, and media literacy. The free K–12 curriculum is used in classrooms across all 50 states and in more than 80,000 schools by more than 1,00,000 educators.

Austin Technology Integrationists Josh McRae and Jer Osgood were instrumental in helping achieve this incredible honor.

"We're honored for our elementary sites to be recognized as Common Sense Schools," said Superintendent Dr. Joey Page. "By preparing our students to use technology safely and responsibly, we are allowing them to build lifelong habits to help them succeed in a tech-driven world. This ties in nicely with our mission to prepare all learners to make a difference in the world."

• Experiencing a mental health crisis: Call, chat, or text 988 to speak with a trained crisis counselor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, and only half of them receive treatment.
• 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience a serious mental illness each year, and only two-thirds receive treatment.
• 1 in 6 U.S. youth experience a mental health condition each year, and only half of them receive treatment.
• 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14, and 75% by age 24. The average delay between onset of mental illness symptoms and treatment is 11 years.
• Data from SAMHSA, CDC and others. Find sources for this resource at nami.org/mhstats and in NAMI's Poll of Public Perspectives on 988 & Crisis Response (2023).

If you think you may be experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition and are unsure of where to start, take a free, private mental health test at mhascreening.org to determine the next steps. APS has launched a new website with helpful resources. Well-being for students and staff is a part of a high-quality education that supports academic performance, school climate, and other important developmental outcomes and core values.

Today is School Communicators Day! Please help us thank Ryan Mayers, Communications Coordinator, for his commitment to telling Austin Public Schools' story.

Austin Public Schools is pleased to announce that Denny Bray will be the head coach for the Austin Packers Girl's Hockey program.

Coach Bray is no stranger to Austin Hockey. He was the inaugural coach in 1997 when Girls Hockey was introduced as an MSHSL sport. His resume speaks for itself. Bray had coached girls' hockey for 16 years prior to stepping away in 2016. He took 3 teams to the state tournament.

Mr. Bray was inducted into the Girls Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame in 2016 and was an Austin Distinguished Alumni Honoree in 2019. "It's exciting to be back." states Bray, "I am looking forward to rebuilding Austin Girls Hockey."

"Austin Activities is excited to have Coach Bray on board. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will help the girls grow on and off the ice. We are excited to have him return and help develop our athletes," shared Activities Director, Katie Carter.

As the school year winds down, nominations for next year's edition of the award have opened and you have until May 24 to nominate a deserving teacher.

To be eligible for the award, a teacher must:

• Teach in a public Pre-K through 12th-grade school or ECFE or Adult Basic Education program, working at least 50% of the time directly with students.
• Hold a bachelor’s degree and a Minnesota teaching license.
• Have completed five years of teaching by the nomination deadline.
• Intend to teach for the full following school year after being named.

Families, educators, and students (grades 8–12): Do you have ideas about how the statewide assessment results, like the MCA, could be shared with the public and school and district staff?

MDE is beginning the process of redesigning the statewide assessment reports. This includes evaluating how student results are organized and communicated (including labels like "does not meet" or "exceeds" the standards and what the reports will look like for new academic standards). The redesigned reports will be seen for the first time in summer and fall 2025.

Please take the survey to share your experience. It should take no longer than 15 minutes. The survey is now open for submissions until May 19. Responses are completely anonymous.

Click here: tinyurl.com/state-testing-survey

Your voice is important to this process. We appreciate your time and consideration. Please reach out to mde.testing@state.mn.us with any questions or concerns about the survey or feedback process.

Here is an update from our Food and Nutrition Department.

• Foreign travel plans? What to know about influenza before you go
• Maximizing your running potential with cross-training
• Creating an advance directive for your future well-being

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 Sumner Elementary School Grade 4 teacher Amanda Lee.

"Ms. Lee is an exceptional educator, demonstrating dedication, supportiveness, and leadership both within her school and district-wide. She is an incredible teacher, fostering a positive learning environment for her students."

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!

• Net neutrality is back. What does that mean for schools?
• Addressing Inconsistencies in Grading Practices
• Physical access leads to dropping of barriers for young athletes

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.