Education Edition Volume 14, Issue 1
Independent School District No. 761
August 26, 2015
A welcome from the superintendent Dear parents and students of ISD 761,
I would like to welcome our students, parents and staff to the 2015-16 school year. Each school year brings the anticipation of new opportunities for our students and teachers. A great deal of time and effort was spent during the summer months with teachers working on curriculum and establishing common assessments for grade levels or subject content areas. These efforts will provide better instructional practices for our teachers and better ways to measure our students’ performances in the classroom. This coming school year begins with an exciting opportunity to address facility needs and the solutions presented to the School Board by the Task Force Committee. I hope you all have had a chance to follow along as the committee provided recommendations to the Board for consideration to be brought to the voters of the District. On the District’s website is a “task force” tab that you can review all the meetings and information the committee looked over and worked on. The recommendation the Board approved addresses school building
Peter Grant
many new faces working in our classrooms and buildings. Each year it is difficult to have people retire or move on and then replace them. We feel very fortunate to have hired some great new talent for our classrooms or to provide support for our teachers. We look forward to having these new employees bring their experiences to our schools and to help us improve. School will begin on Tuesday, September 8, 2015. We anticipate a student enrollment of 4,900 entering our schools. As you start to prepare your students for another school year, remember that the first week can be quite hectic. You will be getting your family schedules re-aligned and we will be doing everything we can to help make that first week be successful. Look for bus schedules coming to your home if your child will be riding a school bus. Be sure your child knows the safest walkway to their school. Being safe at crosswalks to and from school is critical. Please work with us to help provide the best education we can for your children. We cannot do it alone as we need your help for this to be a successful year.
security and safety improvements; improving capacity issues with buildings; changing Willow Creek to a kindergarten through fifth grade school and moving grade six to OJHS; and working on many deferred maintenance issues that have accrued over several years. The grand total of the recommendation is $77.9 million which will be brought to the voters for a November 3, 2015 election. There will be public forums provided for the community to gather information to help you understand the recommendations and answer any questions you may have. Those dates and times will be published soon. Submitted by Peter Grant, SuperinThis new school year brings about tendent
School
Immunizations
ARE YOUR CHILD’S SHOTS UP TO DATE?
To go to school in Minnesota, students must show they’ve received immunization against a number of diseases or file a legal exemption with the school. Documentation of immunization or exemption must be submitted to the school before school begins on September 8th. Required Immunizations: Kindergarten-Age 6: 5 doses of DTaP, 4 Polio, 2 MMR, 3 Hepatitis B and 2 Varicella (chickenpox vaccine) Age 7-6th Grade: At least 3 doses of diphtheria and tetanus, 3 Polio, 2 MMR, 3 Hepatitis B and 2 Varicella (chickenpox vaccine) 7th-8th Grade: At least 3 doses of diphtheria and tetanus (including 1 Tdap), 3 Polio, 2 MMR, 3 Hepatitis B, 2 Varicella (chickenpox vaccine) and 1
Meningococcal 9th-12th Grade: At least 3 doses of diphtheria and tetanus (including 1 Td/Tdap), 3 Polio, 2 MMR, 3 Hepatitis B and 2 Varicella (chickenpox vaccine)