Dakota H.S. ~ Meadowlark News

David Burkman, Principal

Ila Hegg, Adm. Asst.

Website: www.fargo.k12.nd.us/Dakota
Location: 1305 9th Avenue South, Fargo, ND, USA
Phone: 701-446-2800

Dakota High School will provide a student-centered alternative instructional program to allow students to obtain a high school diploma and to learn skills necessary to be productive, responsible citizens.

by Tyrese Katoya McCullough, Positive Behavior Technician

Dakota High School is where all students and staff are welcomed, accepted, and cared for.

Throughout the year there are many activities that help our students grow a sense of community and belonging. Please students, sign-up for as many as you would like and earn advisory credit at the same time.

As our students become more comfortable, they become more confident and enjoy their academic path.

Hi Dakota friends!

My name is Jazmyne Breitbach, and I am so ecstatic to be joining the DKHS team. I taught my first seven years at Davies High School as an English educator for mainstream and EL students. I also advised for journalism, GSA, and creative writing clubs. I earned my undergrad degree from NDSU in 2015, and I just completed my master’s in Library and Information Technologies from VCSU this summer… WOOHOO!! At home I love cooking, quilting, gaming, and gardening.

These pictures are from the spring garden clean up me, my husband, and my cat did last spring. I have adored getting to build relationships with the students and staff here at Dakota, and I hope I can continue my goal of supporting you and your students whenever possible!

Here is the breakdown of our daily schedule:

• AM1 ~ 9-10:05 am (10 minute break)
• AM2 ~ 10:15-11:20 am (Lunch)
• Lunch ~ 11:20-11:40 am ~ Serving in the Cafeteria
• Lunch Over~ 11:45 am Cafeteria Closes (12:05 Back to Class)
• PM1 ~ 12:05-1:15 pm (10 minute break)
• PM2 ~ 1:25-2:30 pm

Purchasing Breakfast & Lunch

These meals can be purchased by putting money into your student's SchoolPay account or you can apply for free & reduced meals. Both options can be found in your Parent PowerSchool account or the forms are in the main office.

We do accept cash money or checks in the main office to put into your student's lunch account as well. Please call the main office for more information at 701-446-2805.

2024-25 Meal Prices for lunch

High School Breakfast $1.85

High School Lunch $2.95

We would like to invite parents to their student's Advisory Day (which is similar to Parent Teacher Conferences) on Thursday, November 21st. Your student has signed up for a time with their advisors, either in the morning or the afternoon, and parents are welcome to attend. No regular classes will be held that Thursday after 11:20 am other than this advisory appointment. The advisors would love to visit with you on your student's graduation progress.

Please opt-in to receive text messages from Fargo Public Schools. FPS has switched to a new mass communication system for the 2024-25 school year and you MUST opt-in to receive text messages from FPS. If you do not opt-in, you could miss important information from our school or the District. You can opt-in at any time by texting the word “YES” to 79041.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

For the 2024-2025 school year, Fargo Public Schools (FPS) will implement four “early release” school days for students. On these days, students will be dismissed two hours early at each building. The early dismissal will allow our teaching staff to gather in an extended Professional Learning Community (PLC). Principals will send out specific building schedules.

During these early release days, our teachers will be focusing on analyzing student data, setting goals for student learning, and reviewing and planning research-based instructional strategies for students who need support and those who need enrichment. Teachers will collaborate with grade or content-level peers to review, reflect, and learn from each other in meeting students' needs.

We understand that early release days may cause some inconvenience for parents and guardians, but this is an important step towards improving our teaching practices and ultimately benefiting our students' learning outcomes. We appreciate your understanding and support in this matter.

The dates of the early outs are:

Thursday, October 10

Friday, December 20

Friday, February 14

Friday, March 14

Dakota High School: There will be no afternoon classes on the above dates. Dismissal will begin at: 12:30 p.m.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

David Burkman, Principal

Hello everyone at Dakota! My name is Jessica Gernentz, the new Social Studies teacher. I am teaching World History and Economics in the AM her at Dakota and teach at South in the afternoon. I am from Red Wing, MN but have lived all over the state of Minnesota. I started teaching preschool more than 20 years ago and have taught all age groups since then. I love traveling, reading, and spending time with my family. I am excited to be apart of the Dakota family and looking forward this year!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

North Dakota has launched a dashboard called “Insights,” designed to help communities across the state access important information about K-12 districts and schools. Insights features easy-to-read reports on multiple measures of school success, including:

• · Student Achievement
• · Choice Ready Results
• · Performance Comparisons
• · English Learner Progress
• · Graduation Rates
• · School and State Accountability Results
• · School Improvement Information
• · Post-Secondary Education
• · School Environment

Transparency to the Public

North Dakota is committed to informing communities about how well our schools are doing. North Dakota’s future success depends on tapping into the potential of all students, so they graduate choice ready with the knowledge, skills, and disposition to be successful.

State education departments are required to annually create an accountability report for every public school in the state per the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The school accountability reports outline how schools perform on the accountability elements North Dakota selected within its ESSA plan.

How is our School Doing?

To find more information about our School Accountability Report, visit the dashboard at Insights.nd.gov, select “Explore Public K-12,” then select “Data for Specific District or School,” and either type the district or school in the search box or search alphabetically from the list provided. The school accountability report is posted under the Dashboard heading.

Please note that the data made available to the public masks or hides data for groups with ten or fewer students to protect confidential information about individual students. Therefore, if data is unavailable to less than ten students, it will say “no data available.”

Family Engagement

We have strong plans for working to improve the educational programs at our school. We want you and your child(ren) to continue actively participating in our educational system. Please help support our high expectations for student achievement by participating in the school educational initiatives, offering input and support in our endeavors to raise student achievement, or volunteering at the school. Meeting our school’s goals will take a united effort, and I look forward to working with our families to ensure success for each student.

Continuous Improvement

All schools engage in continuous improvement for general support; therefore, our school has completed a continuous improvement plan through Cognia.

As part of the overall school improvement plan, a strategy map is generated for each school. Our strategy map, outlining our key school improvement initiatives, is also available on Insights.

Dakota High School is a participating Title I school, with a student membership count of 144 students.

If you have any questions regarding the information in the memorandum, please contact David Burkman at 701-446-2800 or burkmad@fargo.k12.nd.us.

Sincerely,

David Burkman, Dakota High School Principal

Federal and state regulations require districts to adopt procedures for receiving and resolving disputes. A complaint may include an investigation by district staff that will result in a determination of findings of facts, conclusions, and reasons for the final decision.

Any individual who believes the Fargo School District has violated the regulations or law governing the federal Title program should submit a detailed, written statement of facts supporting the allegation to:

(Manager of Specific Title program~ see below)

Fargo Public Schools

700 7th Street South

Fargo, ND 58103

Fargo Public Schools Title Managers

Title I Part A (Economically Disadvantaged Students)

Tristan Love lovet@fargo.k12.nd.us

Title II Part A (Teacher Training/Recruitment)

Robert Grosz groszr@fargo.k12.nd.us

Missy Eidsness eidsnem@fargo.k12.nd.us

Title III (English Language Acquisition)

Liann Hanson hansonl3@fargo.k12.nd.us

Title IX (Discrimination/Sexual Harassment)

Patricia Cummings cumminp1@fargo.k12.nd.us

Section 504 (Students with Disabilities)

Patricia Cummings cumminp1@fargo.k12.nd.us

Any complaint must include:

• The date;

• The name of the district, unit, or individual the complaint is against;

• The name, address, and telephone number of the person making the complaint;

• A detailed description of the complaint, including specific facts; and

• The signature of the person making the complaint.

When a complaint is filed, the appropriate Fargo Public Schools Title Manager will investigate and issue a written response within sixty (60) calendar days from the date the complaint is received.

Reconsideration

The complainant may submit a reconsideration request in writing to the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, the North Dakota Division of Juvenile Services, and the U.S. Department of Education.

State Superintendent The Secretary of Education

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction U.S. Department of Education

600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept 201 555 New Jersey Avenue NW

Bismarck, ND 58505-0440 Washington, D.C. 20208

North Dakota Division of Juvenile Services

100 Railroad Avenue

Bismarck, ND 58501

There are several dates on our yearly calendar that you may like to be aware of such as, "No School" dates, Early Release dates, ACT & ASVAB Test dates and Advisory Days.

PARENTS: Updated immunization records if your student had updated their vaccines during the summer. Students beginning 11th & 12th grade must have their 2nd Meningitis vaccine or have a waiver signed within 30 days of registration.

For the school year 2024-2025, a second dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) is required for students entering eleventh or twelfth grade. This means your eleventh or twelfth grade student will need proof of two doses of MCV4 within 30 days of enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year.

Ideally, students should receive one dose of MCV4 when they are eleven to twelve years old and a booster dose on or after their sixteenth birthday. Please schedule with your child’s health care provider or your local public health. Please have your child receive this booster prior to the start of the school year. Also, remember to bring in the documentation of the immunization date to the school.

North Dakota Century Code 23-07-17.1 and North Dakota Administrative Code 33-06-05-01 requires any child admitted to school be required to receive the immunizations according to the recommended schedule set forth by the state department of health. Any child not adhering to the recommended schedule must provide proof of immunization or a certificate of immunization within thirty days of enrollment or may be excluded from school or early childhood facility.

We would like to invite parents to their student's Advisory Day (which is similar to Parent Teacher Conferences). Your student will have signed up for a time with their advisors, either in the morning or the afternoon, and parents are welcome to attend. No regular classes will be held on Advisory Days after 11:20 a.m. other than this advisory appointment. The advisors would love to visit with you on your student's graduation progress.

Advisory Dates for 2024-25

November 21

February 6

April 3rd (Seniors Only)

Classes Available: Economics, Government, World History, US History & English 9, 10, 11 & 12th grade levels

Students meet with their school counselor to sign up for evening courses.

Evening Session Dates:

Session I ~ Oct. 7- Dec. 12 (Cancelled)

Session 2 ~ Jan. 13 - Mar.13

Session 3 ~ Mar. 24 - May 22

Night School Campus: Agassiz Building - Room #311 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

1. Approximately half the FPS Night School class meetings are held in person at Agassiz. Attendance is required.
2. Approximately half the FPS Night School class meetings are held asynchronous virtual. The teacher is virtually available to help students. Students are required to do a virtual check-in as per teacher expectations.

Night School Format & Attendance

• FPS Night School classes are self-paced independent learning with teacher support and availability.
• Multiple courses in social studies or English meet in the same classroom and use Edmentum as a backbone to meet district and state standards. This flexible arrangement is beneficial.

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All Dakota High School students are welcome to join and participate in their home schools co-curricular programs (sports, music, dances etc…) which exist for the development of skills, attitudes, and self-esteem of students, and are intended to enhance the physical, social, emotional, artistic and intellectual growth of our young people. Parents are encouraged to be positive and supportive in their relationships with advisors and coaches. It is the prerogative of the advisor/coach to manage the activity in such a manner that sound human relationships are encouraged and the regulations of the North Dakota High School Activities Association are met. A team effort by parents, school officials, and the participants is needed.

Do you like to do crafts, play cards & board games?

How about hang out with friends? Check out this opportunity with Merrily.

The Dakota Game Day Mondays is the place for you. We meet the every Monday.

Please call the DKHS main office before 9:00 a.m. @ 701-446-2805 to report an absence.

Good attendance and being on time are very important life skills.

Students can earn P-R units (punctuality and reliability) towards advisory elective credit by having good attendance.

1. Is your current address a temporary living arrangement?

2. Is this temporary living arrangement due to loss of housing or economic hardship?

If you answered “yes” to both of these questions, your child(ren) may be eligible for McKinney-Vento services.

Please call Jan at 701-446-1387