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“Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.” — Robert Cavett

Organizing the New School BoardDr. Jeffrey Olson, Interim Superintendent

On Tuesday, N o v e m b e r 5, 2019, four people were elected to four-year terms on the Saint Peter School Board. I n c u m b e n t s Ben Leonard and Tim Lokensgard were re-elected and newcomers Bill Soderlund and Tracy Stuewe were elected for their first term. With the election completed, the school district is moving forward with plans to organize the new School Board. One of the first steps in the process is to have the newly elected school board members participate in two trainings provided by the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA). The first training is titled “Learning to Lead-School Board Basics.” This workshop helps new board members hit the ground running by covering the role of the school board, the role of the superintendent, the leadership team relationship, and common scenarios facing new board members. The second training is titled “Leadership Foundations-School Finance and Management.” This workshop covers topics such as the budget, school finance, policies, key laws affecting school boards, collective bargaining, and personnel issues. A second step is to have newly

elected school board members take office and to have the new school board organize for the year. State law requires that this occurs on the first Monday in January 2020 or as soon as practicable thereafter. The Saint Peter School Board met on Monday, January 6, 2020 to meet these requirements. Key tasks for the meeting involved selecting a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, a Clerk and a Treasurer. In addition, the board set the dates, times, and locations for regular board meetings. Also, the board conducted other business including designating district depositories, naming the primary legal council, setting board salaries, naming a firm to conduct the annual school district audit, and selecting the official newspaper of the district. A final step involves training for the selected officers of the school board. This February, the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Clerk, and Treasurer elected at the January 6, 2020 meeting will participate in an MBSA led Officers Workshop. Topics covered during the workshop are focused on board officers’ responsibilities and fundamental laws affecting school boards. This is a comprehensive process designed to have the school board operating in an efficient and effective manner as they work to meet the vision, mission and strategic priorities of the school district.

Kurt Hildebrandt, School Information Coordinator

First grade students at South Elementary are currently learning about space, astronauts, and tools that are used in space to help astronauts live in zero gravity. Students have watched a variety of short video clips of Chris Hadfield,

a Canadian astronaut who creates videos of astronauts doing everyday things in the International Space Station (like brushing teeth or sleeping).

Beyond watching astronauts in action, students have created astronaut helmets and paper rockets. Students will soon launch their paper rockets with

straws and build an astronaut tool. With these objects, the students will create a class green screen video of all of them using their tools in outer space.

“To help bring all the perspective and mind-blowing thought of what space travel would be like to life, the students utilize their virtual reality headsets

to explore the International Space Station,” Angie Potts, South’s STEM teacher, said. “As students work in stations, they rotate through to the virtual reality headsets and get to see an up-close experience of a real module and all the tools and equipment inside. Students feel as if they can reach out and touch the astronauts.”

South first graders learn about life in space

Olson

South Elementary first grade students in Angie Potts’ STEM classes are using virtual reality headsets to explore the International Space Station.

2 — Highlights, January 2020

Graduate Portrait Pilot Program UnderwayPaulette Topel, Teacher on Special Assignment and Innovation Coach

In late October, fourteen teachers, K-12, joined a pilot program intended to invigorate their teaching practice with innovative methods and to focus attention on the Graduate Portrait skills. A major component of the pilot is to complete up to four micro-credentials off ered through BloomBoard. A micro-credential includes online coursework, refl ection and an evaluation structure that requires educators to prove that they understand and can apply research-based teaching and learning strategies by demonstrating how they are using them with their current students. So, in other words, teachers must prove they’ve applied their learning in the classroom through unit plans and evidence of student work in order to earn credit. Jenny Curtis, an English teacher at the high school, likes “the

accountability piece. Doing the learning makes a bigger impact on my teaching. And it’s cool to have an opportunity that not only develops my career but helps my students’ learning as well.” Th e impact on teaching and

learning is exactly the purpose. Dave Paschke, who works with Th e South Central Service Cooperative (SCSC), collaborated with BloomBoard to provide the micro-credentials and is using grant money to help fi nance them for not only District

#508 teachers, but teachers in Fairmont and Waseca as well. Paschke and the SCSC have been long supporters of innovations in education. Dr. Jeff Olson, superintendent of schools, worked with the board to provide credit incentives for every micro-credential St. Peter staff earn. While the incentives have been generous, the teachers chose to be involved for greater reasons. John Warren, a social studies teacher, said, “I want my students to be more invested in their learning, and it’s

been a super fun process. My teaching is all about framing instructional strategies around a student-centered approach with an emphasis on the soft [Graduate Portrait] skills, and I’m hoping to fi ne-tune what I’ve been doing for some time.” Science teachers Robbie Deering and Dave Borslein are drawn to the collaborative nature of the practice. Deering stated he’s enjoying “connecting with other educators who are also interested in furthering their practice.” And Iliana DeRemer, EL teacher at South and fi rst of the teachers to earn a micro-credential, said, “I like the opportunity to become more informed on how to intrinsically motivate my students, and engage them in deeper learning. I also like that the micro-credential process seems to be targeted to a specifi c topic, as opposed to a traditional class or course.” Th e pilot is designed so that teachers can work at their own pace and personalize their approach. For the fi rst micro-credential “Understanding a Learner-Centered Experience,” teachers have to design and implement a personalized unit that incorporates skills on the Graduate Portrait. Other aspects of personalized learning include students taking an active role in planning, assessment and determining how they will demonstrate their learning. Th e units are as unique as the teachers and their content, and they are all in diff erent phases.

Jennifer Friedrich, fourth grade teacher, answers questi ons as her students research a region of the United States. Friedrich has enjoyed “watching students take off discovering informati on on their own and adding their own twists and connecti ons.” For teachers, personalized instructi on can be challenging when students are going in every directi on. Friedrich admits, “That is hard to get used to.” She balanced learner indepen-dence with structures and scaff olds. For example, students chose the region they wanted to focus on and the resources they wanted to use, but she provided them fi rst with key background instructi on, and then packets of informati on and a Google folder full of good websites to guide their research process. Friedrich uti lized small groups to build collaborati on and routi nes to teach responsibility and independence. Students video record their progress at the end of the work ti me, set goals for the next day and they are oft en reminded to “Use the rubric! Ask yourself and your team, ‘Are you answering the questi ons on the rubric?’ Your rubric and your group are here to guide your work.” Students seem to really enjoy the unit and the process. “It’s about the regions, but also learning to work together and communicate. Students are realizing the importance of those skills!” said Friedrich.

Two students from Shea Roehrkasse’s middle school health class uti lize an organizati onal system like a SCRUM board to guide their personal-ized learning. The process helps students to break down a project into smaller tasks, prioriti ze them, and track their progress toward comple-ti on. Roehrkasse reports diffi culty “fi nding ti me to get everything done as well as thinking through ideas that work,” but “learning new tech-niques to help me as a teacher is worth it. I love trying new things in my classroom and through this pilot I hope to fi nd a few that will work!”

Students in Exploring Careers in Educati on, a concurrent enrollment class off ered through Minnesota State University at Mankato and taught by Jennifer Maldonado, fi nish their presentati on which was a culminati on of weeks of study. Students studied current educati onal issues such as trauma-informed teaching, equity and grading in the United States and countries around the world and then presented their design of the “perfect school.”

Topel

January 2020, Highlights — 3

Members of the SPMS Executive Student Council members who helped deliver the school’s Pennies for Pa-tients donation included: (l to r) Janelle Ceja, Tobias Twait, Josie Schmahl (standing), Emmy Remmert, Nora Whipps, Gretta Baker, Cecily Winterfeldt, and Carl Jenkins. Not pictured is their advisor, Leah Knutson.

SPMS Student Council advisor Leah Knutson and her crew dropped off the Pennies for Patients donation at HomeTown Bank.

Kurt Hildebrandt, School Information Coordinator

Saint Peter High School is fortunate during most school years to have foreign exchange students attend classes here, which helps enrich the cultural experience for all students here and this year we are fortunate to have three exchange students enrolled.

Those students include Öykü Celik of Turkey, Runlin Liu from China, and Ayla Aydogdu from Germany. The following is a profile of Ayla Aydogu from Germany (the third of a three-part series):

Ayla Aydogu Host family -- Ben and Marcia Ranft along with two host sisters, Bella Edmonds and Ryan Ranft.

Family members -- Back home in Germany, my parents are Tülin (Mom) and Kenan (Dad) along with my two sisters, Aylin and Aysu. We are originally from Turkey but me and my sisters were born and raised in Germany .

Parents’ occupation(s) -- My mom is a nurse and helps mostly old people who need medical care. My dad works for a big German company as a truck driver.

Hometown & population -- I was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, which has a population of 1,791,120. Hamburg is called one of the prettiest cities in Germany and it’s true!

How many times have you been to the U.S. prior to your stay here in St. Peter? This was my first time coming to America. I went to New York with my organization

for 3 days before I came to Minnesota.

What are your impressions of life at Saint Peter High School now that you have been here for more than a month? Some of my impressions of the school here were the school spirit and how big it is. The classes are way different than in Germany. In the beginning, it was weird but now I’m used to it.

What are your favorite classes and who are some of your favorite teachers here at SPHS? My favorite class is definitely culinary arts with Mrs. Blue and she is also my favorite teacher here so far. All the teachers are really nice and always try to help me when needed.

What other activities will you participate in during your time here at SPHS? I joined the soccer team and it was great. It was a really good experience because I never played soccer before on a team. I made many friendships and met some really nice people.

What are some of your favorite activities/hobbies outside of school? I don’t really have any hobbies. I really like to work out in the weight lifting room. I also like to go out with friends, go to the mall, to the movies or just to hangout. I am also a very open person so I love to try new things.

Is there any particular activity you would like to do or place you’d like to visit during your time here in Minnesota? While I’m Minnesota, I definitely want to see as much as I can. I have already been into the Twin Cities and it was amazing. I am really excited for Christmas!

What do you miss most about your life back home? Definitely my family and friends. I grew up in a large city, so I’m really used to public transportation like the subway. I really like that because you are so independent and you can go anywhere you want on the subway. Here it is a little bit different since I am not allowed to drive, and I always need to ask someone to give me a ride. It was really different for me at first, but now I’m used to it and it’s not that bad.

How often do you stay in touch with your family/friends back home? I talk with my family once or twice a week on FaceTime. With my friends it’s different because of social media so I’m kind of always in touch with them.

Other comments? I really like Saint Peter because the people here are very nice and helpful. I’m glad that I’m here and can’t wait for those next months!

Kurt Hildebrandt, School Information Coordinator

Saint Peter Middle School students (grades 5-8) raised $323 during their annual Penny Wars fundraiser for the Pennies for Patients program. The students collected the pennies, along with other coins and bills, during a recent two-week stretch (Nov. 11-22).

Members of the SPMS Executive Student Council, and their advisor Leah Knutson, brought the donations down to HomeTown Bank to be counted. Those Executive Student Council members making the delivery included eighth-graders Janelle Ceja and Josie Schmahl along with seventh-graders Gretta Baker, Carl Jenkins, Emmy Remmert,

Tobias Twait, Nora Whipps, and Cecily Winterfeldt. Pennies for Patients connects schools with local blood cancer patients, provides tangible life skills to participants, and allows students to see the impact they’re making in the lives of others. Pennies for Patients raises funds in support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Exchange student from Germany enjoying life at SPHS

SPMS students raise more than $300 for Pennies for Patients

4 — Highlights, January 2020

Project for Teens encourages students to make healthy & responsible choicesKurt Hildebrandt, School Information Coordinator

A group of Saint Peter High School students in grades 10-12 is working with Saint Peter Middle School students during the 2019-20 school year as part of the Project for Teens (P4T) program, under the guidance of Shea Roehrkasse, Middle School health teacher. Project for Teens (P4T) encourages healthy and responsible decision making by youth through peer to peer education. P4T covers various topics, such as safe sex, abstinence, drugs and alcohol, bullying and body image. P4T seeks to foster a sense of connection between middle school and high school students and provides students with information and skills to prepare them for responding responsibly should they find themselves faced with an at-risk situation. P4T Peer Leaders serve as dynamic and positive role models to over 3,000 middle school students in the Greater Mankato area. “This year we have 41 student leaders in our group, and it is great to see our leaders get stronger and stronger each year,” Roehrkasse said. “This group is so much fun

to work with because they really take ownership in making our schools a better place. Watching them present each time makes me so proud of each of them and grateful to be a part of this amazing district.” “I think a big thing that makes this so impactful is that these leaders are able to pull from their own middle school and high school experiences and reach out to students in ways sometimes teachers can’t. My Health students feel very comfortable talking to them, and the different dynamics the small group discussions take each time are my favorite part to watch. In St. Peter alone these 41 leaders will interact with all 700 middle school students this year. I am so incredibly proud of everyone in our group and the work they do to help our student body.” Several of the SPHS Project for Teens participants took part in a brief questionnaire about their experiences working with the group. Here are their responses: What do you enjoy most about being apart of Project For Teens? Grace Remmert (10th grade): I enjoy being with the kids all day! I remember how it felt to have

all of the cool high school student with us and I just want to set that example for them just like it was set for me. Vanessa Krueger (11th grade): My favorite part about being in Project for Teens is being able to spend time with younger students at the middle school. I feel really honored to be able to guide students through tough times and teach them how to handle new experiences they will face throughout their high-school career and beyond Allie McCabe (12th grade): What I love most about Project For Teens is getting the opportunity to share my experiences and lessons I’ve learned with younger people. I have been in their shoes so I love being able to help them as much as I can. I also love connecting with people and leading them to succeed through high school and life! Sarah Conlon (12th grade): My favorite part about being a member of P4T is the relationships created between the other leaders the relationships created with the students. It gives me a chance to meet new people. Wyatt Olson (12th grade): Influencing kids in a positive way.

Knowing that you are being looked up to is a big responsibility and being able to have an impact on those kids days and lives is the best part. What kind of response do you get from the younger students you work with during the school year? Remmert: The students usually enjoy being around us and from the kids I’ve worked with they’ve been super into it and outgoing so that makes it super fun! They also ask us how and when are we able to join p4t so they must be enjoying it! Krueger: The response that we as a team get from younger students is truly amazing. Not only are we role models for the younger students but we build many friendships with them as well. As we spend the day with them in a large group and get to know them better in our small groups we really start to get a sense of friendship. They start to see us as people who they can rely on and who they can ask advice from. McCabe: When I go to other schools to present to young kids, I tend to get many questions about my high school experience. This is a very good conversation starter and helps them grow comfortable with me. Middle schoolers truly love when Project For Teens comes to their class, even though they may not admit it. Conlon: Many students enjoy hearing from the leaders and feel as though they can relate to us. Students are very responsive and eager to learn more about healthy relationships and how to respect themselves and others.

Olson: Positive, interactions during our day there and then outside of it in public are positive. Creating a relationship with just one of two kids can make a difference. If everyone does that, that’s where we can see change. How has your work with Project For Teens affected your own lives? Remmert: Working with Project for Teens has made me a better leader. Being a leader transfers over to everyday life, whether it’s on the volleyball court or with a group of kids. I’m glad I’m able to learn from and be apart of something like p4t. Krueger: I think Project for Teens has completely changed my life. As I teach others about certain topics, I definitely see myself growing and learning as well. The Project for Teens team is a group of people who I know I can truly lean on in any aspect of my life. Being a Project for Teens leader has brought me out of my own comfort zone, helped me gain confidence in who I am, and has shaped me into the person I am today.

McCabe: Project For Teens has definitely affected my life. It has taught me to open up to people. It has taught me that high school is about changing and adapting. It has taught me that you can inspire people just from little actions. It has taught me that what you put into things you will get exactly that. If you love what you do, and show others that with the energy you bring, they will gravitate to you and take into consideration what you are saying. Conlon: We preach to the students about how to be the best version of yourselves and doing so gives me a constant reminder to follow the same guidelines for myself. Olson: It’s held me to a higher standard. Knowing that I’m looked at as a leader in the school and community makes you more accountable to yourself and the rest of the leaders in P4T. I’ve become a better person because of that aspect of it.

Some of the girls in the SPHS Project for Teens pro-gram and seventh grade health class have a small group discussion.

Part of the SPHS P4T program is for the peer leaders in grades 10-12 to reach out to middle school students through small group discussions.

Cole Wynveen of SFM, Saint Peter School District’s casualty insurer, met with students from Mrs. Lilienthal’s, Mr. Peterson’s, and Mr. Reeser’s classes recently to share information about safe working conditions

SPHS P4T members (l to r) Zach Taylor, Carter Wendroth, Ella Rosburg, Lauren Odland, Grace Remmert, Alyssa Hrdlicka, and Allie McCabe speak to members of Mr. Roehrkasse’s seventh grade health class on the im-portance of making healthy and responsible choices in their lives.

Kurt Hildebrandt, School Information Coordinator

As a way to teach Saint Peter High School career and technical education (CTE) students about safety conditions in the workplace, District 508 staff had Cole Wynveen of SFM, the school district’s casualty insurer, meet with students from Mrs.

Lilienthal’s, Mr. Peterson’s, and Mr. Reeser’s classes recently. Wynveen’s job is to help employers provide their employees with safe working conditions and help them recognize risks to employee safety before anyone gets hurt. During his time with students, he shared insights into employee safety and the real costs a worker incurs if

they are injured at work. “Studies show that the employees most likely to be injured are young people in the first six months of employment,” Marc Bachman, District 508’s Operations and Maintenance Supervisor said. “I am excited we are able to offer our students this career readiness opportunity.”

SPHS CTE students learn about employee safety and work-related injuries

January 2020, Highlights — 5

What Is This Number Corner My Student Is Talking About?

Tasha Timmerman, North El-ementary Journalist

Th is school year brought many changes one being a new math and reading curriculum for second through fourth grades. Th e new curriculum brought some new teaching strategies for teachers, one of them being “Number Corner” which is a review of math skills that each classroom does

daily for about 30 minutes. Th e concept behind “Number Corner” is bringing a combination of math skills with real-world applications and recognizing patterns. Skills that are worked on each day change between identifying patterns, computational fl uency, problem strings (identifying patterns and new math strategies), and solving problems (real world). Most days this is a hands-on

learning experience that tends to help students gain and retain this information and skills they will likely use the rest of their school careers. On Th ursday, December 12, 2019, I was able to visit one of the Fourth Grade classes while they practiced their daily Number Corner. Fourth graders were creating pentominoes which are fi gures made of fi ve squares where

the sides of squares can only touch on the full side of other squares. Th e goal of this lesson was to recognize patterns of other pentominoes and to understand concepts of other geometric fi gures such as parallel and perpadicenary lines, angles, perimeter, and area. All of these are concepts that students will use all the way through college and some into their careers of choice.

Mr. Hassing explaining to his class what they will be doing for their daily Number Corner

4th Graders Lucas Schmahl and Bryce Petti t work as partners to design diff erent pentominoes 4th Grader Abigail Flowers working on tracing her pentomino

GET CAUGHT READING

Tasha Timmerman, North El-ementary Journalist

Kawthar Abdi is a para-professional here at North Elementary that works with our ELL students. Mrs. Abdi and her husband Mohamed Abdulkadir moved to St. Pe-ter in January of 2007 and have 7 children. Four of them are enrolled as are stu-dents here in St. Peter and the three others have al-ready graduated. Mrs. Abdi has been working with the school district as a transla-tor since moving here and as an ELL para since December of 2018. North is blessed to have such wonderful as-set like Kawthar who comes

to work with a smile on her face and always willing to help where she is needed.

The following is the Get Caught Reading profi le of Kawthar Abdi:

What she likes to read: I en-joy reading about history.

What she read as a child: As a child I like to read Proverbs and poems.

What inspired her to read: I was always inspired by my parents to read.

What she is currently read-ing: Kawthar is currently studying history.

Kawthar reading with Khadar Abdi (2nd Grade)

6 — Highlights, January 2020

Tasha Timmerman, North Elementary Journalist

Third grade teacher Miss Steele found a great way for her students to get excited about reading while using some of their writing skills to be able to communicate with other students from around the world. The Global Read Aloud project is an optional program that teachers can sign up to do. The project connects schools, across the world, by reading and discussing the same book. The program is offered once a year for six weeks starting early in October and running through mid-November.

This year’s preselected book for fourth through sixth grade students is Front Desk by Kelly Yang. Miss Steele read the book aloud each day to her class. Miss Steele said that the book Front Desk “ has great discussion points and was relatable for students in my class.” As the class read, students filled out postcards sharing their favorite parts of the book, predictions they may have, or any questions. They then sent the postcards out to other schools across the United States and the World. Miss Steele and her students have their map in the hallway on display to show all of the postcards they have received.

Kurt Hildebrandt, School Information Coordinator

South Elementary students and staff had the opportunity to see a raptor up close when staff from the Raptor Center of Minnesota paid a visit to the school to present a program on November 22. This exciting program is based on raptors of Minnesota and founded on national science standards, and creates an unforgettable experience for the students. The program was sponsored by South’s Parent Council. The Raptors of Minnesota program explores different

raptors (birds of prey) found in Minnesota and their role in the environment. Participants learn some raptor identification, habitats where different species are found, key adaptations that make raptors different than other birds, and amazing success stories of what is possible when we come together to protect wildlife and their environments. The Peregrine falcon and bald eagle represent two species nearly wiped out by human activity, but today have fully recovered because of the protections they were given. Participants also learn

about The Raptor Center, its work in raptor rehabilitation and medicine, and its important role in research and conservation. Participants often leave feeling inspired and empowered by experiencing these amazing animals up-close and by learning specific things they can do to help protect raptors and the environment we share. The program goals for students are: • Be awed by an up-closeexperience with a raptor (eagle, hawk, falcon, or owl), closer than you would ever get it in the wild

•Learnfascinatingaspectsabout their biology directly from a raptor expert • Explore hands-onbiofacts including feathers, wings, skulls, and feet •Takepartinaninteractivequestion and answer with the presenter • A taylored program tomatch the age-levels of the students •Customizeyourprogramto meet specific learning objectives upon request

The students of South loved getting an up-close look at the birds and learning about them.

Third Graders working on creating postcards to send out to others (usually choosing something that represents MN for the front of the card.)

Map of the US showing where each postcard originated.

A representative from the Raptor Center of Minnesota presented a program at South Elementary on November 22, giving students an up-close look at a raptor (bird of prey) during its visit.

Communicating Around the World About Reading

Raptor Center presents at South Elementary

January 2020, Highlights — 7

8 — Highlights, January 2020