⏰ Reading time: Four minutes, 22 seconds

Pictured above: the cast of the Northfield High School production of Arsenic and Old Lace

Dear Northfield School District Families:

I appreciate all of the work that is happening this month to bring the 2023-24 school year to a successful landing. Every school day, all the way through June 6, is an opportunity to learn and grow. May can tempt us to “coast” to the finish line of the school year…I encourage us all to “sprint” through that proverbial finish line on June 6.

Every school year has its peaks and valleys — just like life. It has been, overall, a very good school year and we want to complete the year on a high note!

I also want to remind you to become informed about our Nov. 2024 bond referendum focused on reimagining Northfield High School.

Here are our upcoming events:

• NHS Tour: Saturday, May 18, 2024, 9-11 a.m. Enter at Door No. 10 and meet in the media center.

• NHS referendum virtual session: Sunday, May 19, 2024, 7-7:30 pm. Use this Zoom link to join the session.

» View the Reimagine Northfield High School website here

The district will provide a presentation for any group that asks for one. Contact Anita Aase at (507) 663-0629 to schedule a presentation.

As always, please reach out if you have any questions or feedback about the district.

Sincerely,

Matt

--

Matt Hillmann, Ed.D.

Superintendent

mhillmann@northfieldschools.org | 507-663-0629

Benjamin Bus will be delivering pre-filled bus forms again this year for all the elementary/middle school students. They delivered blank forms to the High School office and are planning to drop all forms off a week earlier this year, as we will be moving ahead the return deadline to Friday, May 24 (the Friday before Memorial Day weekend).

The 2024-2025 school year bus form will NOT be available online until after September 6. We received far too many duplicate bus forms last year, so we are hoping to avoid that this year by turning off the online option until after the start of the next school year.

Watch for your students' bus registration forms this week. It is imperative that you look for and return the bus registration form being sent home with your student. If your student does not receive a pre-filled bus form for some reason, blank forms are available in the school office or you can call Benjamin Bus @ 507-645-5720, to request transportation for the 2024-2025 school year.

As a reminder, Friday, May 24 is a teacher work day and there is no school for students. Monday, May 27 is Memorial Day and students return on Tuesday, May 28.

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 the 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.

» Complete the survey here.

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.

Envirothon is a hands-on environmental and natural resources problem-solving competition that builds leadership skills for high school students in grades 9-12. AP Environmental Science teacher Mark Auge brought two teams to the southeast Minnesota regional competition recently. Northfield High School advanced to the state competition by winning the regional competition.

Congratulations to Rae Musicant, Zac Hosterman, MacKenzie Perkins, Grace Vanvoorst, Savannah Mellies, Gabriel Fisher Navarro, Jennifer Salinas, Liam O’Neill, Ellie Capatina, Bella Rushing, and Coach Auge!

The Northfield School District will host a Juneteenth event on June 19th at the Northfield High School auditorium. You can learn more about the Juneteenth holiday here. Here are the event details:

• Date: June 19, 2024.

• Location: Northfield High School auditorium.

• 5-5:45 pm: A free meal will be provided for the first 100 attendees.

• 6-6:45 pm: Juneteenth lecture by Dr. Yolanda Williams, professor of African American literature, art, and history at the University of Minnesota

The funding for the event is being sponsored by community partners, including Northfield’s Neuger Communications, Northfield Promise, and the Northfield Racial and Ethnic Equity Collaborative. If you would like to be a sponsor, contact Matt Hillmann.

Congratulations Dr. Eric Swan McDonald for being a 2024 Rice County Prevention Champion!

Dr. Swan McDonald led a weekly class called Youth Connect that provided a safe space for students to discuss chemical health related issues at the Area Learning Center. Eric does an amazing job of fostering a safe and trusting environment for the students at the ALC.

Several times per year, I invite parents/caregivers, district residents, and business and property owners to schedule meetings about any district-related topic they would like to discuss with me. Here are details about an upcoming opportunity:

• May 29, 1 pm — 4 pm.

• Meetings are held at the district office.

• Email Anita Aase at aaase@northfieldschools.org to schedule a 15-minute or 30-minute time slot.

Please note: I am always willing to have meetings with members of our school community. These events are intended to provide an explicit invitation to a wider community audience.

• On May 13, 2024 the board held a regular meeting.

• All board meeting materials, including the video of the meeting, are located on our website.

• The board approved a letter of support to the Northfield City Council, affirming the district’s intention to continue leasing the city’s ice arena for the foreseeable future. The letter indicated an understanding that the district’s annual lease cost would increase with the construction of a new arena and provided a maximum amount we are willing to pay annually - up to $250,000. The district uses its lease/levy authority, which requires approval on an annual basis by the board as part of the levy certification process. The lease funds do not come from the general fund. We use this approach for leasing space at the current ice arena, the gymnastics center, and the Dundas Dome.
  
  The current effort to address the ice arena dilemma is rooted in a public-private partnership that includes the district, the City of Northfield, the City of Dundas, and the Northfield Hockey Association. The current arena’s condition is such that the City of Northfield is at a crossroads: do we have an ice arena in Northfield or not. The district estimates (conservatively) that at least 100 students would enroll elsewhere if the community no longer has access to an ice arena. This would mean a loss of approximately $1 million dollars in revenue.

• You can listen to Superintendent Hillmann’s highlights of the meeting on KYMN radio.