Raider Update

January 23, 2022

Good afternoon families,

I would like to take my space this week to recognize our Employees of the Semester. Twice a year, staff have the ability to nominate their colleagues based on contributions to our organization. A committee then works through the nominations and selects employees to be recognized. Our Raider Employees of First Semester are:

Bruce Kummer - Custodian, Pinecrest

Kim Sill - Welcome desk/copy center, food service, District Office

Jess Pettit - Welcome desk/copy center, District Office

Michaela Larson - Nurse, Pinecrest

Mike Johnson - Principal, High School

Mindy Tavenier - Assistant Principal, Middle School

Suzanne Koplin - Nurse, Middle School

Congratulations to all of these staff members who are a representation of the awesome Raider staff we are lucky to have in Hastings.

The county and district counts for the week (10,000 for 14 days) have come in at 263.9 and 283.9 respectively. Our building numbers are below. Please note that numbers may be larger than the total daily numbers because Monday is included.

HS - 54 students, 2 staff

MS - 57 students, 4 staff (correction for last week, 85 students)

KEL - 13 students, 2 staff

MEL - 11 students, 2 staff

PEL - 20 students, 2 staff

Bob McDowell, Ed.D.

Superintendent

The Minnesota Student Survey is an anonymous, statewide school survey that has occurred every three years since 1989. Students in the 5th, 8th, 9th, and 11th grades participate in the survey. Hastings students will take the survey between February and March.

The survey is anonymous and confidential. Students do not provide their names, student identification numbers, or other personal information. No individuals or families can be identified. The results are reported on the school district’s students as a grade level. The privacy of the students is protected.

The survey is given to get useful information from students about how things are going for them. It takes between 30-60 minutes. The information helps us develop and maintain effective programs and provide better services at school and within the community. It asks young people questions about their activities, opinions, behaviors, and experiences. It includes questions on a variety of issues, such as substance abuse, school climate, violence and safety concerns, healthy eating, out-of-school activities, connections to school, community and family, future plans, etc. If students do not want to answer a question, they can skip it.

This is a voluntary survey. You can choose to have your student opt-out. Students will also be told at the time of the survey that they can voluntarily opt-out. A copy of the survey will be available for you to review at each school’s office.

Your child’s school will be sending more specific information within the upcoming weeks including the process on how to opt your student out of taking the survey. More information can be found at https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/health/mss/index.htm

If you missed this information in our last Raider Update, you can review it all here.

We are offering a support group for parents and guardians living in Dakota County starting this December. This group connects parents of children under the age of 18 who have mental health, behavioral concerns, or have been diagnosed with a mental illness.

Group Dates and Times: Every 1st and 3rd Thursday evening of the month, 6:30-8:00 PM, on Zoom.

Group Zoom Link: We look forward to the day we can all meet safely in person again, but until then, this group will be meeting over zoom via this link.

For more information about our support groups, or to find a parent support group that meets at a better time for you, please visit our website. If you have questions or want to learn more, feel free to contact one of the facilitators, Mary, at parenteducation@namimn.org.

The Hastings School District consists of approximately 4,300 students. Please click on the links below to email the building principal or site leader. We've also included the phone numbers to the main offices of each of our district's sites:

• Tilden Community Center 651-480-7670
• Kennedy Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7221
• McAuliffe Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7390
• Pinecrest Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7280
• Hastings Middle School (5-8) 651-480-7060
• Hastings High School (9-12) 651-480-7470
• Hastings Alternative Learning Center 651-480-7690

*If you need any assistance in translating the Raider Update, contact us at kgorr@isd200.org.

Website: www.hastings.k12.mn.us
Location: 1000 11th Street West, Hastings, MN, USA
Phone: 651-480-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hastingspublicschools