Public Schools Week will be celebrated from February 26 to March 1, 2024. It's a time when communities nationwide will unite to celebrate, support, and champion public education.

We would especially like to thank our teachers and staff. The work they do every day directly contributes to the future success of our students and our community.

Our world is changing rapidly, and our responsibility is to educate and prepare students for an uncertain future. Furthermore, in our schools, students are both accepted and celebrated. Every student's needs, talents, and personalities are championed and cherished. We invite you to join us in this celebration and share your positive reflections on public schools.

We express our continuous gratitude for your support of Austin Public Schools, Oakland Education Center, and our students and staff.

Sincerely,

Dr. Joey Page, Superintendent

I have been a proud member of the Austin community for over four decades and have served on the Austin School Board for the past eleven years. I greatly admire and am grateful for the incredible work in our district.

Having spent my career as an educator in Glenville, education has always been a passion of mine. As an English teacher, coach, and adviser, I am inspired by the work of the district's teachers, staff, coaches, and advisers. Athletic activities, the fine arts, and extra-curricular activities play an extremely important role in the education of young people. I embrace them wholeheartedly. An education outside the classroom's walls has a highly impactful, lifelong effect on students. I fully support those coaches, directors, and advisers who selflessly contribute to that significant part of the education process. With their dedication, a whole child is created. As a school board member, I am continually inspired by the dedication of our teachers, administrators, and staff, who tirelessly strive to provide the best possible education for our students.

Throughout my career in education, I have remained committed to ensuring that every student in our district has the support and services they need to succeed. I value staying engaged in legislative and community issues affecting our schools and teachers and am dedicated to advocating for our students and district.

As we move forward with our strategic plan and vision for the future of education in Austin, I eagerly look forward to the possibilities. Together, we can ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential and make a positive impact on our community and the world. To learn more about the plan, please visit AccelerateAustin.org.

Don Leathers, Austin School Board

As elected representatives on the Austin School Board, members make decisions to provide the greatest possible education for all of our students, and they keep the best interests of our school district in mind. Check out this video highlighting how the School Board's policy governance model operates. Thank you, Board members.

You can learn more about the School Board here.

The Austin Packer Dance Team is headed to state! After taking first in both Jazz and High Kick, APDT has extended their streak of consecutive state tournament appearances to 23 years.

Check out https://www.smore.com/3d98e for tons of information including performance times, schedules, and links for tickets and streaming. Good luck!

Yesterday was All4Ed’s 13th annual "Digital Learning Day" and Austin Online Academy was featured for their work “harnessing the power of digital learning tools to create authentic connections and personalized learning experiences for every student, regardless of where they are.”

The day ended with a one hour livestream featuring a message from US Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona, a discussion of Educational Technology led by Dr. Adam Phyall and Carl Hooker, and videos and discussion of four different school districts that are effectively using technology to reach students. It was a fun and informative time as Austin’s innovative online learning was featured on the national stage!

APS policies are routinely reviewed and/or revised. These policies provide the governance structure and guidance in school district matters and decisions. Please check this site periodically to be sure you have the most current version of any given policy.

Recent Updates:

• Policy 416 – Drug, Alcohol, and Cannabis Testing
• Policy 416 – Form
• Policy 506 – Student Discipline
• Policy 620 – Credit For Learning

The Wellness Committee is an advisory committee to the Austin Public Schools' administration and school board. The Wellness Committee aims to ensure that Wellness practices in Austin Public Schools align with our strategic priorities. Members of this committee come from the Austin Community and Austin Public Schools. Meetings are held every other month at 4:00 in the District Office Conference Room.

The Committee:

• will review the triennial wellness assessment submitted to MDE,
• make recommendations for wellness practices to be implemented in Austin Public Schools,
• will review and approve health-related grants prior to their submission to granting organizations and
• promote high-impact wellness resources available through the school district.

A huge congratulations to Austin's Carter Peterson and Logan Merfeld. They both participated in the Regional Spelling Bee on Tuesday, February 6, and placed in the top six, allowing them to advance to the Final Spelling Bee on Tuesday, February 20, at 9:00 AM at the Wood Lake Meeting Center in Rochester. The Grand Champion of the Final Spelling Bee will advance to the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC. Way to go!

Representatives from the Black Leaders and Allies Advancing Cultural Knowledge (BLAACK) Employees Resource Group from Hormel Foods stopped by Southgate Elementary School to announce the winners of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest.

This annual contest is open to schools across the United States. The top winner from each site is eligible for the next stage of the competition, where the top three essays are selected and their authors are invited to visit Hormel Corporate for a tour and the chance to read their essays to company leadership.

February 15 was School Resource Officer Appreciation Day, and we wanted to take a moment to thank our hard-working SROs for their assistance and commitment to making our schools safe places to teach and learn. School Resource Officers help lead safety discussions with staff and students, support the learning environment, and help bridge the gap between our schools and the community. So, if you see a School Resource Officer today, please tell them they are appreciated. Their hard work helps to make our schools, students, and staff safer.

The Austin Public Education Foundation invites you to join us on Monday, July 15, 2024, for an afternoon of golf to support education in Austin Public Schools. Register here.

Minnesotans can now claim the Child Tax Credit, with no limit on the number of children claimed. You must file a 2023 individual income tax return to claim the credit. Most taxpayers who are eligible to claim the new Child Tax Credit are also eligible for free tax preparation assistance. Learn more about income requirements and qualifications on the Child Tax Credit webpage.

The tax credit of up to $1750 per child is estimated to cut child poverty by up to one-third in Minnesota. Nearly 300,000 households, including 513,000 children, are estimated to qualify for the credit.

Applications for the Education on the Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples, and Other Genocides Working Group are now open. Applications will close on March 22, 2024. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is seeking:

• Middle and high school social studies and English language arts teachers
• Pre-service teacher education program faculty with expertise in relevant topics
• University faculty with related academic expertise
• Representatives of Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations,
• Community groups and sovereign nations whose missions include educating about and honoring the victims and survivors of displacement, genocide, and mass violence (See Education on the Holocaust and Genocide of Indigenous Peoples and Other Genocides Working Group Assumptions for Adults)

Applicants must agree to the assumptions and the timeline and be available for all meetings from April 2024 to October 2025. In addition to the scheduled full group meetings, additional small group meetings may be scheduled to draft pieces of the guidance between meetings. Please read the Education on the Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples, and Other Genocides Working Group Assumptions for Adults document before completing the Application for Adults.

Additionally, MDE is seeking current Minnesota high school sophomores and juniors with a demonstrated interest in Education on the Holocaust, genocide of Indigenous peoples, or other genocides. Before applying, students should read the Education on the Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples and Other Genocides Working Group Assumptions for Students and complete the separate Application for Students. All student application materials should be sent in a single email to mde.academic-standards@state.mn.us with the subject line: Holocaust, Genocide of Indigenous Peoples and Other Genocides Working Group Student Application.

Here is the latest APAC newsletter.

Learn more about APAC here.

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!

The Minnesota Department of Revenue offers two valuable tax benefits for parents who purchase school supplies for their K-12 students: the K-12 Education Credit and Subtraction. These benefits can reduce parents' taxes to increase their refund, but is only available for those who keep their receipts. Purchases for most school supplies, field trips, and musical instruments for school band are eligible.

Most Minnesota parents qualify for the K-12 subtraction, which reduces their taxable income. Parents under certain income limits may also qualify for the K-12 credit, which can refund up to 75% of their costs – even for parents who do not owe taxes. Visit Revenue's website for details.

Due to a newly scheduled Teacher Professional Development Day, the Woodson Kindergarten Center will be closed for students on March 8, 2024. As we transition our kindergarten students back to their neighborhood schools, the kindergarten staff needs the opportunity to collaborate, plan, and engage in professional development.

While we understand that the closure may cause some inconvenience, we want to assure you that this decision is made with your child's education in mind. We firmly believe that investing in our kindergarten staff's professional development directly contributes to our students' academic success and well-being.

March 8 is the Friday before Spring Break, and school will resume as scheduled on March 18, 2024.

If your child is enrolled in Kids Korner at Woodson, they will be open March 8, 6:15 am-5:15 pm. Full-day rate charges apply. Provide your student's schedule to the site lead.

Thank you for your understanding and support. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office and check out the informational site for more details about the transition.

• Establishing healthy behaviors that stick
• Game day grub: Tips for winning with party food choices
• Sleep your way to better athletic performance

In this week's Alumni Spotlight, we're catching up with alumna Julianne LaSmith.

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 Austin High School paraprofessional Melissa Klinger.

"Melissa is a great para who is very dependable, hard working and willing to go the extra mile for the students. She works hard with some of [the] most challenging students and they respect her. She is awesome!"

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!

• Why $2B in New School Funding Is Leaving Minnesota Districts Scrambling for Cash
• 3 Reasons Degree-Free Jobs Are On The Rise—And How To Land One
• Minnesota schools see influx of Latin American migrant students
• See the latest APS demographics here.

• K-12 students learned a lot last year, but they're still missing too much school

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.