August 2025

Holton families,

We are very excited to start the school year. The first day of school is coming quickly. We are also very excited about our schedule change for this year. In the past we have had a modified seven period day. This is essentially a middle school schedule where core curriculum teachers (math, social studies, science and language arts) teach 50-minute periods in their content areas. We are now moving to an elementary model to provide more nurturing and support for your child. Please see this link for more information: IJ Holton Master Schedule Change FAQ - IJ Holton Intermediate School . We will continue to provide our STEAM classes with our Project Lead the Way curriculum. We are adding BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) programming to our support systems. Please see this link for more BARR information: BARR - IJ Holton Intermediate School .

We hope to see you at our open house on August 18th from either 8am-12pm or 4pm-8pm. This gives your family time to tour the building, meet your teacher and visit your classroom. This year, we are providing basic school supplies for our students. We have a $15 fee for computer maintenance and $5 classroom fee for our red organizational folder. For our 5th grade parents especially, here are a few things to know that will make your school year go much more smoothly. First, if you are planning to drop off and/or pick up your child, please park a block or two from the school and have your child walk to and from the building. The traffic in the parking lot at Holton is very difficult to navigate if you plan on door-to-door transportation. Second, it is important to me, as your principal, that you know I am accessible to you! If you email or call and need to speak to me, I will get back to you within 24 hours (really, I will try to get back to you the same day). I often have parents say, "I know you run two buildings, and I didn't want to bother you." Your child is your most valued possession, and I take that seriously. I never want a parent to worry if there is a question we can answer or a problem we can solve together. Please do not hesitate to contact me: 507-460-1500 or dewey.schara@austin.k12.mn.us.

We look forward to working with you this year,

Mr. Schara

Dear Families,

I hope this message finds you well and that you’ve all had a wonderful summer! As we prepare for the upcoming school year, I want to express my excitement about the changes ahead and the opportunities they will bring for our students.

Important Announcements

• We are looking forward to a new school year with some exciting schedule changes.
• Students will be spending more time with their homeroom teacher. This is a significant change, but we believe it will positively impact student learning and relationships.
• I am eager to work with you throughout the school year. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at kane.malo@austin.k12.mn.us.

Important Dates:

• Parent-Teacher Open House: August 18th from 8 AM to noon and 4 PM to 7 PM
• First Day of School: August 20th
• Picture Day: First day of school, August, 20th
• Student Schedules: Active within the portal
• (New This Year) Parents can excuse absences, tardys, medical appointments. etc. in attendance tab in the parent portal.

We are thrilled to kick off the school year with such exciting events and to see the smiles on our students' faces!

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. We are grateful for the trust you place in us to educate and nurture your children. Together, we can create an enriching environment for our students.

Looking forward to a fantastic year ahead!

Dear Holton Families-

I can’t believe that as I write this message, it is still July. Yet here we are talking about the start of school in less than a month. Either I am unbelievably excited for the school year to start, or the boss has told me I need to get my message out early this year. Let’s go with the former. 😉

To our returning 6th grade students and families, welcome back! To our incoming 5th grade students, WELCOME! We are so happy to have you here. Allow me to (re-)introduce myself. My name is David Brown, and I have the absolute pleasure of being the Dean of Students here at IJ Holton Intermediate School. What exactly is a Dean of Students you ask? In a nutshell, I’m the behavior guy. I like to tell people that my job has two components: to be proactive and to be reactive. Proactively, it is my job to set up all the rules and expectations throughout the building. I set up the systems in our school that allow all 762 of our students to travel and exist in our building safely and efficiently. For example, having 125 students enter and exit the cafeteria every 15 minutes doesn’t just happen. It requires extensive planning and establishing guidelines that need to be followed for everything to work smoothly. With that said, it does require some time to make it happen. The first few days in the cafeteria, especially for our new 5th graders, will feel chaotic. Trust me, it does get better quickly.

The second part of my job is the reactive part. I am usually the person who deals with the students who fail to meet our expectations. In other words, I am the discipline guy. Fortunately for me, that is usually a very small percentage of our students. Consistently, 90-95% of our students do exactly what is expected of them. Of course, the 5-10% who struggle with expectations do require a considerable amount of my time.

It's not only the negative I deal with. I am also the person who responds to the students that are following expectations. PBIS Celebrations, (You’ll learn more about those soon.) Friday student drawings and prizes, and numerous other recognitions for our incredible students are the best part of my job. IJ Holton is an incredible place!

At IJ Holton, we encourage our students to be Respectful, Responsible, Safe, and to Do Their Best!

If at any time you have any questions or concerns, please email me david.brown@austin.k12.mn.us or call me at 460-1525.

David Brown

IJ Holton Dean of Students

On July 14, the School Board approved a resolution to propose a two-question bond referendum to district voters on November 4, addressing the critical needs of our school buildings.

The $66.7 million investment plan focuses on improving the functionality, safety, accessibility, and learning environments of our school buildings, many of which are 70 to 100 years old. While our schools have served the community well, they need significant updates to stay safe, efficient, and ready for the next generation of Austin students.

• Question One of the referendum proposes a $54.7 million investment to make major repairs and renovations across eight of our school buildings, including upgrades to mechanical systems, improvements to safety and accessibility, and updates to classrooms and restrooms.
• Question Two proposes a $12 million investment to renovate and expand the 50-year-old pool at Ellis Middle School. Question Two can only pass if Question One is also approved.

Our strategic planning website, AccelerateAustin.org, has been updated with details regarding the referendum. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

For a median home valued at $200,000, the monthly property tax increase would be $16 per month starting in 2026 ($13 for Question One and $3 for Question Two). To help residents determine their specific tax impact, the district has shared a tax calculator on AccelerateAustin.org.

I encourage you to learn more about the plan, including its benefits, costs, and the voting process. Residents are encouraged to reach out to the district with questions or feedback through the AccelerateAustin.org website or by contacting the Superintendent.

• August 18th - Open House - 8:00-12:00 & 4:00-8:00 (The building is closed from 12:00-4:00)
• Pay School Fees - $20
• August 20th - First Day of School - Building is open from 7:45-3:00
• August 20th - School Pictures - Bring exact amount of money for packets or purchase online - There is no cash box.
• August 21st - Bus Safety