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The Courier
www.the-courier.org
a division of Independent School District 15 Community Education | St. Francis, Minnesota
December 2013 | Volume 21, Issue 5
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St. Francis Elementary School designated as a Reward School for second consecutive year Angie Hylen SFES Community Relations Coordinator
St. Francis Elementary School received the prestigious designation of Reward School from the Minnesota Department of Education for the second year in a row. The state has created a method to recognize high performing schools by designating the top schools as Reward Schools or Celebration Schools. Reward School is the highest possible designation and is bestowed upon the top 15 percent of schools compared to their grade level grouping. Celebration School is the second highest classification and is given to the next 25 percent of schools. In turn, lower performing schools are classified as Continuous Improvement Schools, Focus Schools or Priority Schools. In 2011, Minnesota received a waiver from the No Child Left Behind plan, and now holds schools accountable through a more comprehensive system. The waiver has transitioned from a punitive, compliance-based system to one that recognizes high performing schools and offers support to lower performing ones. The focus of the new plan is on cutting the achievement gap in half by the year 2017, rather than expecting all schools to reach 100 percent proficiency by 2014. To become a Reward School, the state looks at data in two different areas; the Multiple Measurement Rating (MMR) and Focus Rating (FR). According to the Minnesota Department of Education website, the MMR uses data from the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) tests in reading and math and looks at proficiency, growth, individual achievement, gap reduction, and graduation rates for secondary schools. The Focus Rating pertains to the proficiency and growth of specific subgroups including students of color, special education students, students in poverty and English learners. The data posted on the MDE website lists St. Francis Elementary School as scoring 94.48 percent on the Multiple Measurement Rating system and earning a 94.60 percent Focus Rating. Principal Kathy Kohnen is justifiably proud. In a congratulatory letter she commended her staff saying, “Thank you for all your dedication to the teaching and learning that happens every day for our students within every facet of the building. Everyone plays a part in this reward. You make SFES and SFES-North the best.”
Sara Prekker, cake decorator for King’s County Market in St. Francis and Andover and a St. Francis resident, recently won first place in a cake decorating contest held by the Upper Midwest Bakery Association October 27 at the Mall of America. Prekker competed against 11 other decorators in the zombie birthday cake category during the Ultimate Cake Decorating Competition. Prekker is pictured with her winning zombie cake. She has been employed at County Market for nine years and won a number of other awards for her decorating skills. She has been in six competitions, winning first place four times, earning trophies and cash prizes. Submitted Photo
New school board members elected Alicia Loehlein Staff Writer
The Independent School District 15 election for school board members was held November 5. The school board approved the resolutions for the canvassing return of the general election and authorizing certificates of election at the November 11 school board meeting. Marsha Van Denburgh was re-elected to a four-year term and David Roberts and Barbara Jahnke were elected to four-year terms as well. Roberts was appointed by the school board to fill a vacancy last February. Betsy Roed was elected to a two-year term to complete the remainder of the vacant position. Terms begin the first Monday in January. Outgoing board members are Harry Grams (8 years) and David Anderson
(12 years). Totals are as follows: 4-Year Term Candidates Total Votes David Roberts 879 Barbara Jahnke 688 Marsha Van Denburgh 615 Juanita Reed-Boniface 577 Malcolm T Vinger II 521 Shannon Collier 267 2-Year Term Candidates Total Votes Betsy Roed 751 Scott Schwarz 621 As of November 5, there were 19,092 registered voters in three precincts. Forty-two people registered on Election Day and 26 absentee ballots were cast. Total persons voting were 1,412, or 7.4 percent of registered voters. The next election for ISD 15 school board will be held November 2015 when the term of Amy Kelly, Janet Glover and
Suzanne Erkel will end. Voters saw new tabulator machines when casting their ballots this year. The basic voting process was the same, with voters completing a paper ballot to insert into the vote tabulator. However, advanced technology and improved features in the equipment enhanced the voting and tabulating process. New equipment was purchased by Anoka County to replace obsolete optical scanners. The new equipment combined the familiar paper-based balloting system with the flexibility and efficiency of the most advanced digital image technology and included a 12-inch LCD display and a modem that transmitted vote totals directly from the polling place for faster and more accurate results.
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Schools in Action..........................................2 School Board Highlights.........................13 Community & Business...........................15 Community Education............................28 Sports & Outdoors....................................31 Life..................................................................33 Classified.......................................................36