During the recent Big Lake School board meeting, the board heard a presentation on plans for the Positive Community Norms Grant.
Last summer, the school district was awarded a Positive Community Norms (PCN) grant. This grant is intended to help the school keep drugs and alcohol out of the hands of the student body and encourage sobriety as students graduate and become adults.
In a 2019 student survey, it was revealed that most of the student body does not use drugs or alcohol. However, it was revealed that most of the student body believed that a large percentage of their peers did use these substances. Part of the grant will be used to educate students about the reality of drug use in the schools: how it is not something all their peers are doing and not “normal.”
A coalition of individuals has been formed to work towards this goal, including students, parents, local businesses, police, and others around the community. The coalition meets the first Thursday of each month at 9 a.m.
Recently, an event was held to raise awareness of these issues. Students were given a chance to indulge in cocoa and cookies as coalition members chatted with them about the issue.
Cheerleaders to Travel to Nationals
An official request was made to allow the cheerleading team to travel out of state in order to participate in nationals. Costs for the travel will be covered by fundraising done by the team.
Safe Routes to School
The board sent a letter to the county showing the district’s support for the proposed work on Co. Rd. 43. The work being done should help with morning congestion as students are dropped off at school.
Liberty Elementary SEL
The board heard a presentation on the implementation of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) at Liberty Elementary. Teachers are beginning to implement SEL into their classrooms and coursework. Cheryl Gordy, principal of Liberty Elementary, said students are more engaged in their lessons and beginning to show their new skills.
Gordy stated that the SEL learning was very important for these students. Students in second grade have not yet had a normal school year, and some of these students have fallen behind developmentally as a result. She was encouraged to see some of these lessons taking root with the kids.
World’s Best Workforce
David Bernard, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, gave a presentation to the board on the “World’s Best Workforce” (WBW) project. This is a project for all the schools across the state, and it aims to accomplish five goals:
• Make sure all children are ready for kindergarten;
• Make sure all third graders read at grade level or above;
• Close achievement gaps;
• Make sure graduating seniors are ready for careers or college;
• Ensure all students graduate.
Bernard noted several times that all of the goals the district is working towards are based on flawed data this year, as it has been difficult to test all the students when students and teachers are regularly being quarantined.
In fall of 2021 it was found that 50% of four-year-olds in the Little Learners program meet the literacy and emotional control standard that would define them as being ready for kindergarten. Staff hopes to increase this number to 75% by spring 2022. To do this, staff will make sure teachers have an understanding of the expectations on kids entering kindergarten, work with families to have kids learn at home, share resources and strategies with childcare providers and families outside the Little Learners program, monitor the progress in preparing students for kindergarten, and do strategic planning to align early childhood and preschool programs.
The next step in the WBW program is to ensure third graders read at grade level. Staff currently expects that students in the district will be at pre-COVID levels, in the 60% range, for being able to read at grade level or above. This already puts Big Lake ahead of the state levels, but improvement is always important. This goal will be pursued by implementing phonics programs and literacy practices in grades K-3.
The district hopes to close the achievement gap so students of all races, genders, and economic backgrounds have the same opportunity for academic success. This will be accomplished by reviewing data for each of these groups and providing teachers with an understanding of their students’ backgrounds.
Career and college readiness will be measured by students taking college/career assessments, such as the ACT, Accuplacer, or ASVAB. Scores on these tests will be used to determine whether students are prepared for college and the workforce. The district hopes to tackle part of this issue by growing the apprenticeship program.
Finally, the district expects graduation rates to increase by two percent this year, based on last data. The district will help promote a higher graduation rate by continuing to have counselors work with students and by offering a variety of learning opportunities that may work for individuals, such as online learning.
Student Report
Student representative Preity Persaud said that she hoped to implement an email blast or other form of communication that would allow her to better connect with her peers, in the hopes that students who have questions or are in need of resources can easily reach out to her.
Persaud said there have been many donations brought to the giving tree set up for students, and the project has, so far, been a success.
Superintendent’s Report
A tentative agreement has been made with the teacher group.
Kindergarten registration will be Feb. 9. Board members are welcome to attend, so board members, families, and future students can get to know each other. Buzz the Hornet, school mascot, will be available for photos.
Supt. Tim Truebenbach will be heading to the capitol in the near future in order to connect with legislators.
Truebenbach next addressed a Tik Tok (video app) trend of students threatening violence across the nation. A letter was sent out to families regarding this issue, though he stated there was no reason to believe there would be any violent acts in Big Lake. He encouraged parents to monitor their students’ social media and be aware of what their students are viewing online.
In Other Business,the Board:
• Heard a presentation on the process of going out for bond bids (approved during this year’s referendum election);
• Held the truth in taxation meeting and set the budget and levy for next year;
• Heard an update on the bidding process for the bond referendum projects.
