#492Happenings

On Veterans Day, we remember all who have served our country in the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force.

As the US Department of Veteran Affairs stated, "the theme for Veterans Day 2023 is 'Service'." Veterans are proud of their military service in defending our Nation. Honor reflects the military value and tradition of answering the call to duty. There is distinct honor in serving to protect our way of life and the Constitution of the United States of America." Finally, our brave military service people rely not only on training but also on strong families supporting our freedoms. I also want to thank their families.

Best Regards,

Joey

An essential part of setting the direction and implementing our Strategic Plan is comprehensively assessing our core functions and departments and making the necessary improvements to improve student outcomes. Over the past two years, we have taken a good long look at several areas, and I want to provide an update on where things currently stand:

What's Happening Now?

• Our District Multi-Tiered Systems and Supports (MTSS) Committee worked over the summer to develop procedures for buildings to implement the following school-based MTSS teams this year: School Leadership Teams (SLT), Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), Supplemental Support Teams (SST), and Intensive Support Teams (IST).
• Building teams are attending a series of training sessions from the Minnesota Department of Education regarding MTSS implementation this school year. This has included a self-evaluation, the SEMI-SLT, to identify targeted focus areas at each site.
• District MTSS Team members are each assigned to a building to attend training and assist in the MTSS team building process by site. These district team members then bring information and questions back to the district team for discussion, problem-solving, and decision-making to ensure a unified approach districtwide. The District Team also uses this feedback to develop an FAQ as a resource for building sites.
• As part of our system for identifying students needing intervention through our MTSS processes, we are implementing an Early Warning System to identify at-risk students for early intervention.

During the 22-23 school year, the K-12 system engaged in a Math Program Review. This review informed areas for professional learning, alignment, development, and design. Below is an update on how the K-4 and 5-12 staff will operationalize some of the findings this school year. K-4 focuses primarily on assessment strategies, classroom environment, and enhancing state standards, while 5-12 aims to improve data-driven instruction, vocabulary alignment, and curriculum planning.

What's Happening Now?

K-4 Math:

• K-4 Collaboration Meetings will focus on the following areas:
• Future Planning: Audit focused planning for academic years '23-'24 and '24-'25.
• Assessments: Confirmation of pre and post-unit assessments for future data analysis in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
• Basic Math Facts: Discuss their role in lessons and small groups.
• MN Standards: Plans to enhance lesson rigor and improve assessment questions for '24-'25.
• Grading: Procedures in Infinite Campus (IC)
• Classroom Environment: Creating math-centric spaces in classrooms and hallways.

• Small group instruction will be the focus for the 24-25 school year

5-12 Math:

• The 5-12 Math Departments will focus their collaboration efforts on:
• Data Analysis: November meeting to examine data, including benchmark data, for instructional planning
• Vocabulary: Aligning academic and informal math vocabulary across grade levels
• Curriculum Alignment: Synchronizing standards and benchmarks with unit plans

Last school year, the K-12 system engaged in a Gifted and Talented Program Review. This program review informed areas for the identification process, communication, professional learning, instructional alignment, and service delivery. Below is an update on how the District will operationalize some of the findings this school year.

What's Happening Now?

• Early Entrance and Grade Advancement: Processes have been updated.
• Gifted Services Definition: A revised definition for Gifted Services for Talent Development has been established in collaboration with multiple teams.
• Program Objectives: The program aims to develop students who are successful communicators, resilient, academically challenged, responsible, and community contributors.
• Service Delivery: A tiered model focuses on critical thinking, reading, math, and creativity while supporting students' well-being.
• Family Partnership: The goal is to offer a meaningful educational experience in collaboration with families.
• Identification Process: Grade 6 will not have CogAT testing this year. Grades 2 and 4 will continue testing, and multiple measures like teacher recommendations and screenings are under review.

Beginning this year, we have slowly implemented the EWS. Using artificial intelligence (AI), the EWS employs advanced data analytics to evaluate the relationship between factors like attendance, behavior, academic performance, and stability at home and school to forecast the probability of graduation so we can intervene more rapidly to support student learning outcomes.

What's Happening Now?

• Information Services integrated EWS in our Infinite Campus Student Information System in the late winter or early spring of 2023.
• Information Services staff began EWS training, starting with district administration in the spring/summer of 2023, to familiarize administrators with the GRAD Score (Graduation-Related Analytic Data) and related domains.
• Summer 2023 – EWS implementation expanded to include instructional leaders and school counseling staff.
• August 2023 – Infinite Campus EWS and MTSS Data Walls in Viewpoint Data Warehouse rolled out to school-based MTSS teams to support students' instructional needs.
• Fall 2023 – Training continues at schools and within teams throughout the District to build capacity and better understand, implement, and utilize the EWS data and analytics.
• Winter 2023 – Information Services will continue to work with building leadership to train and prepare stakeholders on using EWS appropriately and integrate graduation-related analytical data into what will become standard work within the District.
• Advantages of using EWS AI and Machine Learning technologies:
• The machine-learned statistical model has better predictive power than heuristics published in dropout prevention literature.
• The EWS system can detect changes in educational data faster than staff members can and update GRAD scores accordingly for earlier identification and intervention.

What Will Happen?

Austin Public Schools plans to work again with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) from the University of Minnesota to conduct a comprehensive program review of English Language Services in early 2024 with the implementation of findings next school year.

Thank you all for competing in the Cybersecurity Awareness competition during the month of October. We're excited to announce the three overall winners of the official Golden Floppy:

• Office Staff Winner: District Office
• Elementary Winner: Woodson Kindergarten Center
• Secondary Winner: Austin High School

Keep up those great cybersecurity practices for the rest of the year! Winners can expect to see the Golden Floppy displayed in a central staff area of their building starting next week. Be on the look out for this beautiful award.

Austin High School junior Nadia Hummel has been named to the Minnesota Department of Education Computer Science Working Group. The group is “charged with developing a state strategic plan for long-term and sustained growth of computer science education in all kindergarten through grade 12 school districts and charter schools.”

“According to the 2023 State of CS Education Report, only 28% of Minnesota high schools offer a computer science course, which is the lowest in the nation,” says Austin High School computer science teacher Joee Winter. “There are many computer science career pathway options in Southeast Minnesota and the state. For our schools to prepare students for these careers, they need access to computer science education. This working group and the associated legislation is one step towards this goal. I am thankful for the support the district has given to be able to offer computer science courses at Austin High School. Minnesota needs a plan to make this the rule and not the exception; all students, no matter their location, should have access to a CS course.”

Nadia’s involvement in the working group began after she was nominated by Ms. Winter. “I wanted to help impact our local community and others like it. Computer science is one of the fastest growing occupational industries in the modern world and there is a huge need for people from that background. Computer science teaches students complex problem-solving skills that are applicable in almost any field.”

“Nadia has been an exceptional computer science student and is dedicated in all her academic endeavors,” says Ms. Winter. “I knew she would take this role seriously, going above and beyond the expectations and not be afraid to share her thoughts and opinions with the working group.”

Sumner Elementary will unveil a new playground and soccer zone this upcoming summer thanks to a grant and district funds. The Sumner Stars will soon enjoy a modern space tailored for fun, creativity, and growth. This is more than just a playground; it's a commitment to enhancing the school's spirit and community bonds.

And another huge congratulations to Austin JV Boys Soccer coach Ryan Mayers on being named the Section 1AA Assistant Coach of the Year. Ryan has been with the program since 2010 and has helped develop the program into a perennial contender.

The Fire Department plays a vital role in educating school staff and students about proper fire prevention practices and habits. Fire inspections are conducted to identify and correct potential fire and life safety issues and violations. All buildings across Austin Public Schools have completed the fire inspection process.

We are now in Phase II of the process, where we need to remediate any noncompliance identified in each building report.

Please take this time to collaborate with Facilities Services to address each deficiency, knowing that some may be frustrating. Failure to resolve each issue WILL result in fines against the District, reducing our resources available to provide a high-quality education to all learners.

Upon your return next week, Facilities Services will collaborate with Principals and staff to resolve ALL deficiencies identified. A few of the common items of note include:

1. Hanging anything on the sprinkler system or its heads
2. ONLY APPROVED Electric heaters may be present in buildings. THEY MUST be plugged directly into the wall
3. Extension cords being used for longer than 90 days must be removed
4. Temporary lights (i.e., light strands) can only be present for 90 days or less and must be removed
5. Blocking doors that provide egress from the building in classrooms/shops must be cleared
6. Limit the amount of artwork and teaching materials in corridors to 20% of the wall area or 50% of the wall area in fully sprinklered buildings

We must comply with all codes and laws around fire safety. Please relay any further questions to your building principal during this process, and they will address them.

SSC has just published their latest Connections newsletter. It contains pertinent information and resources for their valued members and partners.

Austin Public Schools' More Than Pink program has won a Regional Project Award from the Minnesota Community Education Association. The award is "presented to outstanding projects that have exemplified the concept of Community Education." The award will be presented to the Austin School Board by a representative of the MCEA at the December School Board Meeting.

Now in its tenth year, More Than Pink is a program designed for girls who have completed third through sixth grade to empower themselves and each other. This 6-week summer program innovatively weaves training for a 5K run with lessons that empower girls to celebrate their bodies, honor their voices and embrace their gifts. A More Than Pink day consists of 60 minutes of physical activity, a Topic Talk lesson and group time. Topics include self-worth, body image, nutrition, puberty, peer pressure and more. Strong female role models from our community lead our Topic Talks.

"More Than Pink has been an inspiring program in Austin for many years and has impacted hundreds of young women in our community," says Community Education Director Jen Lawhead. "Our Community Education Coordinator, Teri Wermager, brought the program to Austin and has been not only its creator, but also its greatest champion. We are also grateful for the many amazing women from the Austin community who have volunteered their time and talent as guest speakers and fitness leaders for this program."

The goals of More Than Pink are as follows: to help girls grow and develop mentally, physically, and socially with community support, to empower girls to be true to themselves, to gain healthy fitness habits that will have life-long benefits. The program concludes with a community 5K event that celebrates the learning, training, and community building that happened during the six-week program.

Austin's Community Education program includes Austin Adult Learning, Community Education, Early Childhood Family Education, Early Childhood Preschool Programming, the Kids Korner program, and more.

Did you know that, as an Austin Schools employee, you have access to resources and discounts through MERSC (Minnesota Employee Resource + Service Company)? With special deals and discounts on everything from auto service and sales to restaurants, sports, and travel, MERSC offers Austin's employees the chance to save money and experience some of the best Minnesota has to offer. You can access the program via the staff tab on the APS website or directly at https://mersc.com/.

The week before Thanksgiving is American Education Week, highlighting different themes daily. It's a tribute to everyone in the country's public schools. Thank you to our Austin Public Schools staff for the work you do to prepare all learners to make a difference in the world. Learn more here.

• Vaping by high school students dropped this year, says US report
• How do Minnesota schools deal with flag issues?
• Success coaches: Building bridges to connect school and home

APS offers a wide range of student activities, including competitive athletics, intramurals, academic clubs, fine arts, and performing arts. View schedules and learn more here.

Please Note:

We are currently between the fall and winter sports seasons.

The Austin Packer Bulletin (APB) is an external newsletter that is another opportunity for APS to share information with families/caregivers and the greater Austin community. It is an exciting time in the Austin Public Schools, and knowing everyone knows what is happening is essential.

Previous issues can be found here.