Dragon Newsletter
5.2024
Upcoming Events
May 9- Preschool and Kindergarten Round Up from 6:30 to 7:30 at ES
May 10- ND Band Day in Bismarck at 6:30 PM
May 13- Sixth graders shadow at the HS
May 15- Underwood Track Meet for grades 4-6
McClusky-Goodrich Awards Day at the High School Gym at 2:45 PM
May 22- Finals at HS
Free Book Giveaway with the PTO at ES
May 23- Last Day of School
Elementary Field Day with Bravera Bank activities
Kindergarten Graduation
Preschool Open House
Elementary dismissing at 12:30 (The afternoon bus route is only running at 12:30 PM)
Finals at HS
May 25- Graduation at 2:00 PM
Summer Break Begins
Elementary Summer School- June 3-27, Mondays-Thursdays, 9 AM to 12:00 PM, Lunch Served
Driver's Education- June 24-28 Students have to be 14 by June 1st, passed 8th grade and have a driver's permit. Please contact Ms. Busman if you have any questions.
End of the Year Update with Ms. Munro
Our system is evolving thanks to the incredible dedication of our teachers, staff and Leadership and MTSS Teams. Our Leadership and MTSS Teams have worked diligently this last year to create initiatives and goals for our school system. I am excited for this next school year and working to ensure an even better system. No system is perfect, but the commitment to ensuring that we are continuously improving is the goal for any system to succeed.
When school resumes, we will have interventions geared to the reading and math needs of all learners. Our MTSS Team has attended two conferences with North Dakota MTSS, and most recently had an MTSS expert, Wayne Callender, discuss the MTSS model with our teachers and paraprofessionals. Our favorite kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Senske, highlights the other initiatives we are working on in her newsletter below.
We are offering summer school from June 3-27 for all elementary learners in grades K-5. This will be Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM with lunch served daily by our incredible Mrs. Brandi Baker. Driver's Education classes are this summer with Driver's Ed. extraordinaire, Ms. Bussman, from June 24-28.
Lastly, we have some incredible teachers that will be moving onto different ventures. They will all be greatly misses, and I would like to thank each of them for their dedication, passion and kindness they share with staff and students every day. Everyone at McClusky-Goodrich School wishes you the very best in your future endeavors.
Have an incredible summer! Please call if you have any questions or concerns.
Proud to be your Elementary Principal and Superintendent.
Kindergarten with Mrs. Senske
As the school year comes to an end, normally you are thinking of end of the year fun or summer activities, not the upcoming school year. However, that proves to be difficult this year! Our district will be implementing quite a few new things this fall! Times in education are evolving and we are following best practices.
Starting off with my current obsession lately, we will be switching K-5 to Standards-Based Grading. This is not a “new trend” grading scale or a “fad” in education. This is a system based off of a score of 1, 2, or 3 and the goal is to build intrinsic learners. This is a topic I could write pages about because I truly believe that it will create better teachers and in return better learners.
We have been doing this style of grading in Kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year, and I can for sure say, it is making me better and wanting to strive to create the best learning environment for my students. I look forward to the fall and exploring it as a district!
We also received a grant to purchase a new reading curriculum. This is a K-12 grant. Only speaking for K-5, but we will be implementing “Amplify CKLA.” One component of the grant was that the curriculum had to follow the science of reading. The simplest way to explain that is it follows Scarborough’s Reading Rope (another topic I could write pages about). The rope included, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Combining all of those skills together will in return create a skilled reader. With phonics being my favorite thing to teach, this curriculum has a strong foundational component to it, so I look forward to spending the summer learning the program and preparing for the fall!
The elementary school is also going to be implementing a new math curriculum! K-6 will be using “Reveal” by McGraw Hill. This will be an exciting switch for our district. This program not only deepens content understanding, but it focuses on growth mindset as learners, critical thinking, and emphasizes and active classroom. I think this will align very will with our switch to a new grade scale. We have been using our current curriculum for quite some time, so it will be refreshing to implement something new!
We are not done quite yet! We will also be forming HOUSES within the elementary school. A HOUSE is a multi-age group of students who will meet in other classes once a month. The idea is to build peer relationship, work on social emotional skills, and grow school culture. We did a practice run at the elementary school during reading month and it went well! I think it will be a great addition to our district!
It seems like a lot when you write it all down, and I know I am missing some things but they are all positive changes for our district! Change is good and when you embrace it fully, it can be very successful! As we continue to finish this year strong, be prepared for great things in the fall!
Lauer Power 3rd Gr…………………………..Final News
One of the first rock songs I ever heard as a youth, was by a band named Europe. The song title: “The Final Countdown.” Now, as I write this, I realize that this is indeed, “My Final Countdown.” By the time this newsletter finds its way to you, many of you will already know of, or heard through the grapevine, that this school year will be my “swan song” with McClusky/Goodrich Public Schools.
I never envisioned myself teaching anywhere other than my alma mater and certainly find myself in a semi-state of shock in doing so. But, when life throws you the perfect pitch, sometimes you just have to swing. That’s indeed what life has seemed to do to me as of last week. An opportunity, one in which I wasn’t seeking, fell metaphorically and directly into my lap.
Upon receiving the invitation, I hesitantly, yet excitedly, decided to pursue it a bit further. Upon doing so, it turns out this new opportunity is exactly the position for me; custom tailored to fit.
After interviewing, praying, and speaking with my family, it was decided that this is simply too great to ignore. With that being said, this will be my final year teaching here at McClusky/Goodrich Elementary School. It was hard letting administration, family, staff, and especially students know of this sudden development. But, I wanted everyone, including those of you reading this now, know just how much you mean to me and my career.
Without the help and support of a multitude of great people along the way, I would never have been considered for this fantastic career opportunity. And for that, I want to thank you all. I will miss my beautiful staff and all of the great people here in the McClusky/Goodrich school district. But, I will never be hard to find or far away. I mean that figuratively and literally. I mean, I live across the street.
Thank you all for the wonderful memories and support. I know the school and students are in great hands and that great things are happening here. I’m excited to see them carried out to their full potential in the near future.
God bless you all and have a wonderful summer. I will be seeing you around.
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Mr. Lauer