During last week’s meeting, the Big Lake School Board heard an update on the progress of referendum projects.
The district is getting ready for construction to begin around the school campus. Beginning the first week in April, projects funded by the bond referendum will begin, including the much-needed roofing projects.
Video scoreboards were delivered and installed, and will be in use very soon. According to Grounds Manager TJ Zerwas, the students were very excited about the new scoreboards, with students venturing down to see them during their lunch break.
SEL and Targeted Literacy
The board heard an update on the implementation of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and targeted literacy practices in the schools.
Targeted Literacy is mainly taking from in writing practices at the beginning and ending of each class which offers the students a chance to interact with the material in different, open-ended ways. These writing activities are low-stakes, meaning they have little impact on the student’s grade, and therefore allow the opportunity for the student to practice engaging with the material without being worried about a negative score.
The teachers are making progress in implementing and developing these writing activities, though there is still some room for improvement. The teachers found to do particularly well have shared their work (anonymously) with other teachers.
SEL focuses on teaching students about self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness.
Again, the schools are focused first on training the teachers to implement these practices in the classrooms. District-wide, Big Lake Schools will be applying for grants in order to hire more counselors, ideally one per school, to help students with behavioral or mental health issues. Counseling services can be billed to families’ insurance, but the grants will help for those families that are unable to cover the cost.
Radon Testing
The middle school will be tested for radon, in accordance with best practice recommendations from the Minnesota Dept. of Health. Other schools in the district were tested before the beginning of the pandemic. Radon is a naturally occuring gas which is odorless, tasteless, and transparent. Excessive amounts of radon inhalation could cause lung cancer. The district aims to test all the schools for radon every five years.
Presidential Award Finalist
Big Lake teacher Dawn Mueller was named the 2022 Minnesota finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Mueller submitted a video of a classroom lesson as her entry for this award, demonstrating her knowledge and teaching skills. Mueller will now move on to compete on the national level. The national winner will win a visit to the White House, several activities in the US Capital, and $10,000.
Supt. Tim Truebenbach voiced his pride in the staff of the Big Lake School District, saying that this, along with other forms of recognition, proved that the Big Lake Schools staff were qualified and talented professionals.
In Other Business, the Board:
• Heard the monthly financial report;
• Reviewed routine policy updates;
• Heard from Supt. Tim Truebenbach that bus stop trackers will be implemented soon.
