Health & Wellness Section Pages 15-18
Income Tax Tips Page 23
March 2017 | Volume 24, Issue 6
SFHS wrestlers have a season to remember Page 24
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Independent School District 15 Communications Department St. Francis, Minnesota Serving the communities of Andover, Athens Township, Bethel, East Bethel, Linwood Township, Nowthen, Oak Grove, St. Francis and Stanford Township
Support services staff play important role in district mission Heidi Anderson
Staff Writer
Support Services staff at Independent School District 15 (ISD 15) provide support to students in a variety of ways. According to Special Services Director Tim Finn, support staff in ISD 15 work to provide instruction and accommodations to ensure all students have an equal opportunity. “These staff members support students from where they are and help them get to where they need to be,” Finn said. One of the positions that fall under this category are health services staff. Health services employees foster the growth, development and educational achievement of students at ISD 15. Health services staff members are made up of health education assistants who complete tasks such as basic first aid, administer medication and assist licensed school nurses with certain tasks. Licensed school nurses assess health problems that may interfere with a student’s ability to learn. They also monitor immunizations and implement precautions to ensure a safe school environment. According to St. Francis High School licensed school nurse Holly Coy, her position allows her to help students be successful in the classroom. “I love to get to know the students and their families and help them with both their physical and emotional/
mental health needs so they are able to successfully learn. It is really great to see how they grow during their high school years,” Coy said. St. Francis Elementary School licensed school nurse Lillian Levine enjoys interacting with students and staff and giving medical care to students as needed. Another group of employees in ISD 15 who care for the needs of students are school social workers. According to Cedar Creek Community School (CCCS) social worker Jessica Marsolek, her job involves helping students work through issues that may be bothering them and working with students and their families to “identify and alleviate barriers that are impacting students’ success in school.” Along with working with students, Marsolek also helps parents with questions or difficulties they may have. She is able to provide resources for mental health needs, financial issues and more. CCCS social worker Cynthia Johnson works specifically with special education students and their families. A typical day for her includes meeting with students in small groups and individually. Through these meetings she helps students work on developing and improving interpersonal skills so they can build relationships with their classmates and teachers. Johnson says that her role as a social worker helps the district achieve its mission by helping students develop necessary skills.
“My role helps the district by helping to empower the students I see to make positive choices in order to become responsible citizens. Social skills are just as important as other curriculum being taught in school and should be treated as such. With this education we can say each child has been exposed to expected behaviors,” Johnson said. Another group of employees that support students are special education teachers. According to St. Francis Elementary School special education teacher Julie Sweeney, her duty is to “make sure students are succeeding in school to the best of their ability and having their needs met throughout the day.” East Bethel Community School special education teacher Paul Solinger says that he believes all students have the ability to achieve success, regardless of any disability. “[My job] allows me to build relationships with their families. For some of my students, it takes awhile to build that rapport and I appreciate the fact that I’m allowed the time to do that,” Solinger said. ISD 15 counselors also provide a variety of support services to students. Counselors at St. Francis High School (SFHS) say they are focused on the personal and social well-being of students, monitoring and promoting academic success, helping students with college and career preparation and keeping students on track for graduation. SFHS counselors say they enjoy working with students, developed relationships with them, helping students achieve their goals and watching them grow over the course of four years. Counselors also work with many local organizations, such as Alexandra House, YMCA, Anoka County, Trio and Fairview chemical and mental health. These organizations offer additional resources for students to be successful in school. According to Finn, support services staff are collaborators who work with many different people, including other staff members, students, parents and local organizations. Finn says that support services employees’ most important trait is that of problem solving. “I think they are tremendous problem solvers. They are able to take on challenges and help students, families and programs become successful.”
Inside
On February 9, 47 students from Cedar Creek Community School, East Bethel Community School and St. Francis Elementary School participated in a field trip to the North West Company Fur Post in Pine City. The trip, coordinated by the ISD 15 American Indian Education Program, took students to a fur post set in the winter of 1804. Students had an opportunity to hear Ojibwe storytelling, play a snow snake game, go snowshoeing, sit inside a wigwam, tour the traders’ living quarters and fur trade store and learn about the fur trade and Ojibwe culture by interacting with exhibits in the museum.
Carline Sargent, ISD 15 American Indian & Multicultural Coordinator
Schools in Action........................................................... 2 School Board Highlights............................................... 8 Community Education...............................................10 Community & Business..............................................14 Health & Wellness........................................................15 Income Tax Tips...........................................................23 Sports & Outdoors.......................................................24 Meetings, Events & Benefits.......................................27 Life..................................................................................28