September is always a fun month for our school district. Students are back in classrooms, diving into studies and school activities. There's an energy in the hallways, and homecoming is just around the corner. You can feel the school spirit.

While we are focused on pursuing another successful school year, I'm also reflecting on our district's growth, diversity, and success journey.

At Austin Public Schools, we have over 5,200 students served by more than 750 staff members across nine educational sites. Our district's strength lies in our commitment to providing educational programming and services that support students of many ethnicities and backgrounds. About 56% of our students are non-white, with over 45 home languages spoken. Further, 19% of our students receive special education services. We strive to reach every child to ensure they have the tools and support they need to thrive.

Looking ahead, the future is bright. Our community supports our students and staff in various ways, including partnerships that enrich the student experience in science, business, music, and technology. Above all, we are driven to provide an exceptional education for every Packer student.

With enrollment expected to grow more than 15% over the next ten years, our student population is rapidly increasing at a time when many rural school districts are seeing their numbers decline. As our district plans for the future, we continue to be guided by the long-term strategic plan the school board adopted in the spring of 2022 – and our four main priorities.

First, our district aims to provide support and resources to ensure a safe and welcoming learning environment. The second goal is to create a "Packer Profile" for all learners, reflecting the core values our students, staff, and families desire to see in our graduates. These values are responsibility, resiliency, learning, communication, and contribution. Students will build these characteristics through career exploration, hands-on learning, and other educational experiences and ultimately compile a digital portfolio demonstrating their growth in the Packer core values.

Third, our district is working to ensure that we can deliver district-wide, multi-tiered systems of support for all learners. This includes individualized learning support and coaching in reading, math, technology, and English Language instruction. Finally, our district is focused on efficiently and equitably managing dollars and resources. To continue our exemplary record of fiscal health, we remain committed to responsible budgeting and streamlining of programming and staffing.

As we work toward these goals, our district has relaunched AccelerateAustin.org as a hub of information on the strategic plan. We encourage residents to check out the website and stay tuned for updates in the months ahead.

There is no place like Austin in Minnesota – and our district is on a path to excellence. Thank you for your interest in and support of our schools.

Here's to a fantastic year!

Dr. Joey Page, Superintendent

Homecoming week is here and Austin Public Schools has been celebrating all week. Our festivities kicked off last Friday, September 29, with the announcement of the 2023 Homecoming Court.

Back Row (L-R): Kyle Schweihs, Jackson Clausman, Mission Duop, Isaac Osgood, Ethan Anderson

Front Row (L-R): Marie Tolbert, Julie Nesvold, Ely Jimenez Gonzalez, Ava Denzer, Allie Alm, Mary Omot, Ella Schultz

The first event for AHS students was kickball at Wescott on Sunday. Students were encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Packer Pantry (and earn 3x Battle of Connects points).

Throughout the week, students were invited to participate in theme days. At AHS, Monday was Comfy/Jersey day, Tuesday was SPAM day, Wednesday was Dress Up day, Thursday was Class Color day, and Friday was Scarlet and White day.

The 2023 Homecoming King and Queen were announced on Wednesday at the Coronation ceremony in Knowlton Auditorium. Congratulations King Kyle Schweihs and Queen Ava Denzer!

Thursday featured the Distinguished Alumni ceremony, where we honored US Master Sgt. Baffour Agbey (Class of '99) and Patrick Bradley (Class of '69). A big congratulations to our distinguished alumni and a huge shoutout to the distinguished alumni committee for all their hard work: Jeni Lindberg, Tim Ruzek, David Simonson, Edwina Harder, DeeDee Marx, Marie Cano, Cece Kroc, Katie Ulwelling, and Mike Ruzek.

(L-R): Superintendent Dr. Joey Page, AHS Principal Matt Schmit, Patrick Bradley, US Master Sgt. Baffour Agbey, AHS Activities Director Katie Carter, and Jeni Lindberg.

Thursday was also out annual Battle of Connects, where students compete to earn points for their class in various activities and sports. This is always a highlight of the school year for our students and staff, and this year was no exception!

The 2023 Homecoming parade will take place today at 4:00 PM and then tonight at 7:00 your Austin Packers football team will face off against the St. Agnes Aggies.

The week will wrap up on Saturday with the Homecoming dance at Wescott under the lights. Students will be able to dance, play games, and purchase food and concessions from a variety of food trucks.

We'd like to extend a huge thank you to the entire Austin community for your support for our students both this week and throughout the year. It is amazing to see the pride our community takes in our students and we're looking forward to great year of learning and fun.

During October, families of Kindergarten through 8th-grade students will receive information about Targeted Services programming in the Austin Public Schools. Targeted Services is an intervention/prevention program for Kindergarten to 8th grade students. Programming occurs after school and is designed to supplement the traditional school day. Programming aims to help students meet grade-level standards with extended day support.

Did you know?

• Students participating in Out of School Time Programming (OST) have better attitudes toward school and higher educational aspirations
• Have higher school attendance rates and less tardiness
• Better performance in school, as measured by achievement tests and grades
• Greater on-time promotion
• Improved feelings and attitudes toward self and school
• Increased self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy

Traditional Calendar Session Dates:

• November 1st-December 15th
• January 10th-March 30th
• April 11th-May 11th

Target Service Scheduled Times *transportation is provided*:

• Woodson: 2:15-3:30
• Elementary Sites: 2:45-4:00
• IJ/Ellis: 3:15-4:15

Families will receive more information on Targeted Services and criteria during the K-8 conferences. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or Jessica Cabeen, Principal of Alternative Learning Programs.

The Student School Board representative helps keep the Board up-to-date with what's happening at Austin High School while sharing concerns and helping find solutions from the student's perspective. One of this year's student school board representatives is Anita Rao.

During the 2022-23 school year, Minnesota students created the MSHSL Behavior Expectations to ensure safe and respectful environments free from harm. MSHSL offered eight regional student workshops this past September to advance this vision.

On September 26, 2023, seven students from Austin High School participated in the regional workshop in Rochester, MN. The seven students representing Austin High School included Elle Lunt, Neviah Compton, Marie Tolbert, Reese Norton, Isaac Osgood, Mission Duop, and Nathan Olok Omot.

The year two theme is Together In Partnership.

The purpose of these regional workshops was to engage in small round table discussions on the following topics:

• To engage, develop, and support student leadership within your school and student activities
• To engage with other schools and work with each other to begin to create an action plan on how schools can implement the eight behavior expectations at events
• Bring back ideas that were workshopped with others to your school table and brainstorm what would work best for our school
• Begin to create an Action Plan for Austin High School on how they, as student leaders, can help promote a positive culture in our school activities program

The next step in this process is the opportunity to participate in a State Workshop in the Twin Cities sometime in December.

Julie Cink will become the interim Executive Director of Finance and Operations. Most recently, Ms. Cink retired as Executive Director of Business Services for Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools, where she provided over a decade of finance and operations leadership. We want to take this opportunity to reiterate that the search for a permanent person is still ongoing. We are committed to finding the right individual who will impact our organization long-term.

This week was National Custodial Workers Day, and we'd like to take a moment to recognize those who help keep our schools running smoothly through their tireless efforts to keep our sites productive, clean, and safe. Thank you for the fantastic work you do. Your impact on our students, staff, and families is immeasurable, and you deserve to be recognized for all your amazing work.

If you see a maintenance or custodial worker, please thank them for their work. Austin Public Schools wouldn't be as nice as a workplace without them.

October is National School Principals month, and we wanted to take a moment to recognize some very hardworking members of the Austin Public Schools family.

Principals - please know that the long hours you put in to help ensure the success of your students and staff is notice and appreciated, both in the schools and the community. Your strong leadership shines through and the difference you make in the lives of those around you is incredible. So, thank you for all your hard work and dedication.

🎉 Happy National Coaches Day to all our amazing coaches!

At Austin Public Schools, our mission is to Inspire, Empower, and Accelerate our students to make a difference in the world. Your dedication to student success both on and off the field plays a key role in the high school experience for many of our students.

Thank you!

Nominations are now open for the 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year program. An online nomination form is available on Education Minnesota's website. All nominations must be received at Education Minnesota by Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

On October 3, all four elementary schools in Austin (Banfield, Neveln, Southgate, and Sumner) had a walkathon at their school. Money raised by the annual walkathon will go directly to provide extras for our students. This includes field trips, special programs, author visits, classroom supplies and technology, safety patrol gear, playground equipment, and more!

To give you a little bit more information, here is the informational video from our elementary principals.

You can donate here.

For any questions, or for additional information, please contact:

• Southgate: ashley.mclaren@austin.k12.mn.us
• Banfield: nrday11@gmail.com
• Sumner: angie.jannsen@austin.k12.mn.us
• Neveln: katie.tharp@austin.k12.mn.us

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) says an app aimed at keeping students safe in school has been accessed more than 3 million times since launching in 2021.

The "See It, Say It, Send It" tip app is a resource for students, parents, and school personnel to report threats of violence at Minnesota school facilities. The BCA says the app is not intended to replace local law enforcement or a school safety plan but rather supplement it by quickly identifying incidents involving multiple facilities.

Since its launch in the fall of 2021, the app has been downloaded 641,650 times and visited by Minnesota IP addresses 3,211,486 times.

The app can be used anonymously to send photos, videos, or other information. The tips are then reviewed by the BCA and shared with local law enforcement. When the tips aren't about criminal activity, the BCA works with the Minnesota School Safety Center, the Minnesota Department of Education, and schools to get students the help they need. Source

You can download the app here.

Review and Revision Process for K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies

Per Minnesota Statutes 2021, section 120B.021, subdivision 4, every 10 years, Minnesota's K-12 Academic Standards in each content area must be reviewed and revised. The review and revision process for the K-12 academic standards and supporting benchmarks in Social Studies began during the 2020-2021 school year. Because of this statutory requirement, a standards review committee of volunteer Minnesotans is formed to review and revise the standards and supporting benchmarks each year in the specific content area up for review.

The statutory rulemaking process for Social Studies began Monday, November 15, 2021, and proceeds to the next step today. The statutory rulemaking process is iterative and begins once the standards review committee's initial review and revision work is complete. This process is set out in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 14, and has many steps.

Rulemaking Public Comment Period for Proposed K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies

The public comment period for Social Studies' Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR) in the statutory rulemaking process starts on Monday, September 25, 2023. It will run for 30 days, closing on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. central. To provide feedback on the standards as a part of the statutory rulemaking process during this period of Dual Notice, review the Request for Comments document posted on the MDE rulemaking webpage for the proposed K-12 academic standards in Social Studies. Comments must be submitted to the Office of Administrative Hearings' e-comments system.

Next Steps in the Statutory Rulemaking Process

The next step of the statutory rulemaking process is that MDE will review the public comments submitted to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) during this 30-day statutory public comment period. If there are 25 requests for a hearing to discuss the K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies, a public hearing will be held on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, and Thursday, November 9, 2023.

Registration for 2023-24 AHS Winter Sports is now open. Please register through the school store on Infinite Campus. Learn more here.

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In this week's Alumni Spotlight, we catch up with alumnus Sara Kriehn.

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 Ellis Middle School math teacher Jodi Eich.

"Ms. Eich works hard to help all her students understand math. You can tell she really cares about what she’s teaching and believes in her students. Mrs. Eich is loved by all!"

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!

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• All hands needed to get students back in 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.

Austin Public Schools is committed to creating an inclusive environment that values the diversity of its employees and does not discriminate against any employee or candidate based on race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, age, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, familial status or membership or activity in a local commission. The school district strongly encourages anyone interested to apply to join our teams. Reasonable accommodations to access job openings or to apply for a job are available. Click here to learn more.

You can review previous issues here.