The Pony Post

October 16, 2025

By: Mr. Bryan Hackbarth, Superintendent

First, what was accomplished in order for us to begin the school year as scheduled was an AMAZING accomplishment. No doubt, this was a pivotal moment for all of us at WAO and there are so many people to thank for making it possible. Our staff members, the Pony football team, our contractors, and subcontractors, all went above and beyond in our time of need.

Then… our students arrived! It was awesome to have them back at WAO!

The first day and first week of school have always been my favorite time of year. There is nothing like the energy and excitement that students bring with them upon their return. The adults feed off that energy and that unique dynamic is what makes it one of the most memorable and special times of the year. The way our principals, staff, and students came out of the gates to start the year has been truly incredible! Without a doubt, there is visible growth happening here each day and we should all be excited for the future at WAO!

Fall Activities

As Mr. Gullikson details in his article below, our fall season of extracurriculars has been busy as usual. This year’s homecoming was another week filled with spirit and fun. I am thankful for the time and effort of our coaches and volunteers who ensure that no matter a win or a loss, the goal is to always have fun, grow, and help students make wonderful, lasting memories. Thank you to the community for your continued support of all student activities. Go Ponies!

Community Engagement

Last winter, the district began the work to strengthen our communication, marketing, and branding needs associated with our 2021 - 2026 Strategic Plan. In particular, the strategic plan focuses on improving communication and engagement with all stakeholders; building and maintaining a positive reputation within the community; and attracting innovative, quality staff to further the organization's mission and vision.

This critical work started last winter with the stakeholder public relations survey and was followed by our logo and brand refresh initiative in the spring. Late this summer and into early fall, we increased our marketing efforts with additional advertisements and promotions to highlight what makes us unique and promote the many reasons why more and more families (and staff!) are choosing Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School District.

In an effort to further engage with our community, the School Board is taking a couple meetings on the road! This past Monday's meeting was held at the Alvarado Community Center and the Monday, November 10 meeting will be held at the Oslo Community Center at 107 3rd Ave S, Oslo, MN 56744. We'd love to see you there!

Construction

Of course, the biggest topic at WAO for the past couple years is construction! I am happy to report that we continue to make good progress each day and remain hopeful that most of the project will be completed this winter. With school back in session, the primary focus has been to finish areas before starting the last phase of the project. Even though there are a number of areas that still remain unfinished, it is apparent that we will soon have state-of-the-art facilities.

A community open house will occur this winter once all academic, athletic, art, and office spaces are finished. The event will welcome the entire Pony community - and beyond! - to tour the work that has been completed at both the elementary school and high school, as well as the exterior renovations to the facilities and athletic spaces.

In the meantime, let’s continue our school year the way we started it back in September - with all that energy and excitement!

There continues to be good progress on the building project at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School District:

The auxiliary gymnasium held its first event on September 23.
The kitchen opened on October 1.
Progress continues on the high school science and choir classrooms, with the FACS classroom very near completion.

Now that school is in full session and we are occupying all buildings, there are some limitations of what can be done, which has caused construction to slow a little bit. Even though many areas are still under construction and not finished, the students and staff have come in with a great attitude this school year and people are excited to be in the new addition. If you have any questions about the construction project, please do not hesitate to contact us.

High School FACS Classroom

Cafeteria

Auxiliary Gymnasium

Next week is National School Bus Safety Week, an awareness campaign to bring attention to the importance of school bus safety and educate the community on ways to stay safe at bus stops, riding the bus, or sharing the road with buses.

Be prompt and ready for the school bus, arriving at your bus stop five minutes before the scheduled departure time.
Dress appropriately for the weather when riding the bus. In cold weather, have closed-toe shoes, a hat, gloves, and a jacket.
Be respectful of the bus driver and other riders.
Follow all rules and expectations for the bus stop and bus ride.
When sharing the road with a school bus, drivers must bring their vehicle to a complete stop when a school bus has its stop arm extended and red lights flashing. Drivers must then remain stopped until the bus lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm has been withdrawn, and the bus begins to move. These rules apply to all drivers in the near vicinity of the school bus, no matter the direction of travel.

By: Mr. Tony Gullikson, Activities Director

Our fall season at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo High School has been busy and productive. A junior high volleyball game against Stephen-Argyle Central was the inaugural event in the district’s new auxiliary gym on September 23. The cross country team hosted a successful meet on September 30, with a special “thank you” due to the Warren Riverside Golf Course for the use of their facility and golf carts.

Homecoming 2025 was during the week of September 22 and featured a dance, dress up days, a boys’ volleyball game, and a girls’ flag football game in addition to the home volleyball and football games. During Thursday’s football practice, members of the 2000 Ponies football team returned to encourage this year’s team in preparation for the big game against the Northern Freeze. The team of alumni (including Principal Miska) ended their season 25 years ago with a second-place finish at the state tournament. Their encouragement may have been the ticket for the Ponies earning a 34 - 13 victory Friday night! A huge congratulations to this year’s Ponies and an equally large thank you to our Pony alumni who returned to the football field!

We are fortunate to have all 2024 - 2025 winter coaches returning again this year, providing consistency within our programs. We are evaluating participation numbers to determine if a boys’ C-squad basketball team is viable this year.

We follow a four-year rotation for uniform updates, with the purchases being funded by the W Club’s concession stand sales. We are currently bringing all uniforms into compliance with the National Federation of State High School Associations’ updated rules and Minnesota State High School League’s subsequent guidance.

To receive updates and news on schedule changes and all things Pony activities, download the sportsYou app on Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store today! During the setup process, enter the following code to link to WAO activities: DNSU-QLXS.

By: Mr. Ben Miska, Secondary Principal

Welcome to a new school year at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo High School! We are very excited to work with students, staff, and the community to have another great year. Joining us at the secondary level this year are a few new staff members.

Mr. Phil Klopp has joined WAOHS as our new trades and industry teacher, offering classes in auto, metals, and woods.

We have a large sixth grade class this year, so we added a third section. Mrs. Betty DuBore is serving as the mentor teacher for the first semester while Ms. Julia Rheault completes her student teaching assignment in the classroom. Come second semester, Ms. Rheault will transition into the full-time classroom teacher role, replacing Mrs. DuBore.

Our intervention services have expanded with the addition of a new reading interventionist and math interventionist. As a reading interventionist, Ms. Marie DeMarce has been working hard to determine additional student interventions based on the reading data from our recent Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) and FastBridge Learning Assessment. Mr. Nathan Heisler joined the district at the end of September as a math interventionist and quickly dove into analyzing middle school students’ math data to establish additional math interventions. Both positions were made possible by the Minnesota Department of Education’s Alternative Delivery of Specialized Instructional Services (ADSIS) grant, which provides special education funding for students to receive additional, proactive support in their general education experience.

While not new to WAO, we are happy to announce that Mrs. Mary Stanislowski has come out of retirement to return as a special education teacher. She retired from the position at the end of the 2023 - 2024 school year and served as a part-time mentor and paperwork specialist for the district last year. We are excited for her return to the classroom and to have our students benefit from her years of expertise.

As always, our staff is committed to making sure every student has every opportunity to succeed. Please contact us at any point in the year with questions or concerns.

By: Dr. Tara Olson, Elementary Principal

Welcome to a new school year at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Elementary School! It has been a great first quarter here at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School District as the new elementary principal!

Prior to joining the Pony community, I spent the last two decades at Bismarck Public Schools in Bismarck, North Dakota. During my tenure there, I was a special education teacher, classroom teacher, instructional coach, and the learning design and innovation coordinator. While new to my role at WAO, my family and I are no strangers to the area, with my children even participating in the Marshall County Fair parade on numerous occasions.

In addition to myself, we have a few new staff members joining us this year at the elementary level. Mrs. Erin Dubore has joined us this year as a kindergarten teacher, while Ms. Paige Jadeke is a new first grade teacher. Mr. Ryan Froemke is our new physical education teacher, and two new paraprofessionals, Ms. Morgan Underdahl and Mrs. Nikki Childress, started with us this year.

A couple new programmatic changes are unfolding this fall. The student leadership team gave me an impressive presentation on their suggestions for improving morning recess. We’ll be taking some of their suggestions and implementing a few changes soon - stay tuned for additional details! Additionally, we have a new schedule at the elementary school that now includes What I Need (WIN) Time for each student. The next issue (January 15) of our district’s newsletter will include additional details on this program.

Our staff wishes our students and families a joyous fall and holiday season. Please contact us at any point in the year with questions or concerns.

At Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School District, we believe that a child’s early learning experience sets the stage for a lifelong love of education. Our preschool and Little Ponies programs provide a warm, supportive, and engaging environment where children can grow academically, socially, and emotionally through play-based learning. While this school year is still young, we are already planning next year’s preschool program!

Within the next few weeks, those families with children eligible (by age) to attend preschool in 2026 – 2027 will receive enrollment information in the mail. The information will include a list of dates for the mandatory preschool screening, enrollment requirements, and program details.

Preschool screenings are scheduled to occur on Friday, November 14, 2025, and Friday, March 27, 2026. Preschool screening is a free appointment with licensed educators to identify possible health or developmental concerns in infants and young children who may need a health assessment, mental health assessment, or educational evaluation. Screening in early childhood supports learning and promotes health and development. It may also link families to free early learning opportunities and resources such as Head Start, early childhood family education, early childhood special education, early learning scholarships, and home visits.

If you have a child who will be four years old by September 1, 2026, watch for additional preschool information in your mailbox!

The district hired a new community education coordinator over the summer. Mrs. Amy Trudell started in the role in July and immediately began planning the Summer Safari theatre program’s production of Pinocchio for August 1. Since then, the community education program has offered a stained-glass mosaic art class, managed the registration for the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo cheer camp in September, and offered an AARP Smart Driver course at the beginning of October.

A group of young girls dressed as cheerleaders and completing a cheer routine.

Looking ahead, the goal is for at least one community education course to be offered each month, with field trips and ongoing class sessions also in the works. Upcoming courses include:

Grapevine Wreath Workshop

Monday, October 27 at 6:00PM

📍American Legion | 424 N 1st St, Warren, MN 56762

Cost: $65

Knitting for Beginners

Saturday, November 1 at 2:00PM

📍The Log Cabin on RedTail Ranch | 22576 300th Ave NW, Warren, MN 56762

Cost: $35

If you have suggestions for a community education class or an instructor to recommend, please contact Mrs. Amy Trudell.

multicolor icon symbolizing inclement weather

The district has procedures in place for when inclement weather warrants an early dismissal, delayed start, closure, event cancellation, or adjustment to transportation services. As we prepare for the upcoming winter, please take a moment to review the district's inclement weather procedures and ensure all parent/guardian contact information is up-to-date in JMC.

The annual vision and hearing screenings are happening at Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School District, with the elementary school students nearly complete and the high school students set to begin soon. The screenings aim to identify children that may have a vision or hearing impairment that may lead to learning difficulties. Early identification and intervention are key to help ensure every child is ready to learn and succeed in the classroom.

If a child does not pass a screening, parents/guardians will receive a phone call and letter with recommendations for moving forward. These screenings are not a substitute for a full exam by a doctor or specialist, but they can help identify those students who may need additional evaluation.

The Minnesota Department of Health recommends the following health screening schedule:

A vision and hearing screening for preschool students if not completed during the preschool screening process.
A vision and hearing screening for students in kindergarten, first, second, third, and fifth grade.
A vision screening for students in seventh and tenth grade.
A hearing screening for students in eighth and eleventh grade.

Parents/guardians with concerns about their child’s hearing or vision may contact Nurse Janelle at (218) 745-4441.

By: Mrs. Heidi Thorstenson, Director of Technology

Warren-Alvarado-Oslo School District uses JMC, a student record management software, to keep families connected and informed on their child’s education. Both the JMC Family Portal (a web-based platform) and the JMC Family App (a mobile-based platform) provide quick and secure access to important information right at your fingertips.

With JMC, parents/guardians can:

Check Grades & Progress - Stay updated on assignments, test scores, and overall class performance.
Monitor Attendance - See daily and historic attendance records for tardies and absences.
Monitor Lunch Balances - See live balances for lunch accounts and add funds as needed.
Update Contact Information - Ensure the district has the most accurate phone numbers, addresses, and emergency contacts on file.
Access Schedules - Review class schedules, staff names, and room assignments.
Stay Informed - Receive important messages and reminders from the district.

Additionally, the JMC Family App makes staying engaged with the district and a child’s education even easier by holding all of this information on a mobile device for on-the-go access. Download the JMC Family App on Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store today!

Parents/Guardians are encouraged to log in and explore all the features available in JMC. Those requiring assistance with accessing JMC may contact the elementary office at (218) 745-4441 or the high school office at (218) 745-4646.