November 2025

Holton families:

Our first set of conferences are November 6th and 13th from 3:10pm until 8:10pm. You should have received a communication from signup.com sent by your child's teacher. Communicating with your child's teacher is critical to their success. We look forward to seeing you.

Last month we had several fun and exciting events at Holton like the Reptile assembly which was very informative with lizard's snakes and all sorts of cool creatures and two weeks ago we had our first dance which more than half of our students attended. Our dances are a perfect example of opportunities we try to create in a safe environment for our students to learn different skills and practice more socialization in a more social environment. We appreciate all our staff who attend to help make our dances fun, exciting but also safe.

Our behavior data so far this year is looking very positive. In the past, our lunch and recess times were the major area we experienced the most issues. However, this year, the students' classroom teachers supervise them for lunch and recess. Our teachers have done a fantastic job making sure supervision is consistent and an extension of the classroom. The teachers' presence has dramatically improved our behavior issues during lunch/recess time.

As I've discussed in past articles, our teachers have made incredible adjustments this year to a new schedule moving from a 7-period day to self-contained classrooms. The energy and passion our educators are modeling for our students is nothing short of incredible. From the parent perspective, you now have one person to contact for concerns about all core subjects. I believe this will become very apparent at our first set of conferences this month.

Thank you for your support,

Mr. Schara

Dear Families,

We hope this message finds you well! As we move into November, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your continued support and partnership. Your involvement makes a significant difference in our school community, and we appreciate everything you do!

Important Announcements

As we prepare for the coming weeks, please take note of the following important dates and events:

• Nature Center Field Trips for 6th Grade:

  • Drescher/Holets - Nov. 5
  • Herman/Veldman - Nov. 6
  • Eyre/Benavente - Nov. 7
  • Hofbauer/Schaefer - Nov. 12
  • Brolsma/Kline - Nov. 13
  • PI - Nov. 14

  Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for outdoor activities on these dates.

• PD Day: Nov. 4 - No School

• Conferences:

  • Nov. 6 from 3:10 PM - 8:10 PM
  • Nov. 13 from 3:10 PM - 8:10 PM

• Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 26 - Nov. 30 - No School

Celebrations from the Week

We are excited to share some positive highlights from our school community:

• Quarter 1 has ended! Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions regarding progress or concerns.

• The school dance on October 24 was a fantastic success, with great attendance and wonderful behavior from students.

• Our students showed exemplary conduct during the Snake Discovery PBIS celebration in October. We are proud of their enthusiasm and respect for our guests!

Additional Information

As temperatures drop, please ensure that your child is dressed warmly for outdoor movement breaks. We will continue to go outside until it is 0°F or a wind chill of -10°F.

A friendly reminder for parents dropping off children in the east side drop-off lane: please pull up to the curb. Stopping in the driving lane blocks traffic and can create a dangerous situation for our students.

We are grateful for your ongoing support in making our school a safe and nurturing environment for all students. Thank you for being an essential part of our community. We look forward to a wonderful month ahead filled with learning and growth!

Warm regards,

Mr. Malo

Hello Holton Families-

Here’s hoping that I am finding all of you well rested with your extra hour of sleep from over the weekend. It was nice having some sunlight while driving to school this morning. Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention our Vikings and Golden Gophers with big victories to open the month. Bring on November!

Let’s begin with a look back. We had a lot of fun in October. The Snake Discovery Center came for a visit last month and showed us snakes from around the world. We had students able to see and learn about several different snakes and lizards. Some students even got an up close and personal view and got to hold and touch them. It was extremely cool. To make it even better, our students were an amazing audience. The other big event we had was our first dance of the year. I hope your child made the choice to go. It was so much fun! We had 250-300 kids dancing, laughing, hanging out with their friends, and eating—oh, so much eating! Our dances are always some of the highlights of the year!

In November, we keep the fun rolling. We have another exciting PBIS Celebration planned. We have our 6th graders taking field trips to the JC Hormel Nature Center. Conferences are planned for the 6th and the 13th. Let’s not forget, we also have Thanksgiving coming up. November is going to fly by.

One thing we know about November is that the temperatures and weather conditions change rapidly. One can never be too prepared for what we might see. It’s important to remember that we go outside for recess every day. The only things that keep us inside are substantial rain, potential for lightning and thunder, or if the temperatures fall below zero degrees straight temperature or -10 degrees windchill. Please remind your child to dress for the weather. Students are NOT allowed to go back to their lockers once they have gone to lunch. It does not take very many “forgotten” jackets or hats on cold, blustery day for the students to suddenly remember to wear everything. If your child is in need of any cold weather clothes, please have he or she talk to their teacher or Ms. Veronica, our Success Coach. There is plenty available.

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. Enjoy the beautiful changing of the seasons!

David Brown

IJ Holton Dean of Students

Planning Ahead for Student Appointments

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We kindly ask that you plan ahead when scheduling appointments for your child during the school day. To help us ensure a smooth and timely dismissal, please notify the office in advance and arrive with enough time to allow for your child to be called from class.

Your cooperation helps minimize disruptions to learning and ensures your child is ready when you arrive. Thank you for your continued support!

📞 Keep Emergency Contacts Up to Date!

To help us ensure your child’s safety, please take a moment to review and update your emergency contact information. If your phone number, address, or emergency contacts have changed recently, let us know as soon as possible. Accurate contact details help us reach you quickly in case of illness, injury, or other urgent situations.

You can update your information by logging into the parent portal.

Thank you for helping us keep our records current!

***LOST AND FOUND

Please check the lost and found area during conferences. All items will be disposed of during holiday breaks. We get overcrowded and we lack space. We remind kids frequently to check the lost and found and instead of it downsizing it gets bigger, and we don't have the space, so items get disposed of during our holiday breaks.

Warm regards,
IJH Office Staff

Dear Students and Families-

Navigating the mid-level school years can be challenging, but with the right strategies, students can excel academically. Since we’ve just begun the 2nd qtr. of our 2025-26 school year, we thought this would be a perfect time to review some tips to help with student success:

· Set Realistic Expectations: Help your child understand it's okay to make mistakes and that they can learn from them. Setting achievable goals can reduce feelings of discouragement.

· Organize Effectively: Encourage your child to create a system for tracking assignments and deadlines, which is crucial for managing time and responsibilities.

· Stay Informed: When given the opportunity, attend back-to-school events and parent-teacher conferences to stay connected with teachers and school staff. Pay attention to Progress Communication through your parent/student portal, emails, and/or phone calls with school staff.

· Develop Study Skills: Students need to learn how to plan their study time, take notes, and review their material regularly. Encouraging your child to check their Schoology account will help them with this skill.

· Build Positive Relationships: Foster a positive relationship with teachers and grade level counselors who can provide guidance and support.

· Create a Study-Friendly Environment: Ensure a quiet and well-lit study area free from distractions.

· Maintain Healthy Family Relationships: A supportive home environment contributes to emotional and academic success.

· Balance Academics and Social Life: Encourage your child to engage in extracurricular activities while balancing their academic commitments.

· Stay Healthy: Regular exercise and a balanced diet are essential for physical and mental health, helping students perform well in school.

Remember, your child is on a journey. They are changing and growing physically, emotionally, and academically. They have all year with which to continue building and strengthening their skills for success.

If you have any questions or concerns, or if your child needs support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our school counselors or administrators. We are here to help.

Kayla Dickman, 5th Grade (507) 460-1533

Kirstin Norby, 6th grade (507) 460-1536

Lea Oelfke, 7th grade (507) 460-1510

Zack Langreck, 8th grade (507) 460-1513

Rebecca Gullickson, SSW (507) 460-8306

IJ Holton Families,

BARR is a transformative model that is now implemented at IJ Holton, Ellis, and AHS. The model ensures that each and every student succeeds by prioritizing relationship-building. Some highlights so far this year include our Small Block meetings. At these meetings, teachers engage in strength-based conversations about all our students while helping each other think outside the box when it comes to helping our students succeed. See below for the BARR strategies and the summary of our U-Time sessions from October. If you ever have any questions about BARR at IJ Holton, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Karen Dunbar, IJ Holton & Ellis BARR Coordinator.

BARR Strategies

Focus on the whole student.

Provide professional development for teachers, counselors, and administration.

Use BARR’s U-Time Curriculum to foster a climate for learning.

Create a cohort of students.

Hold regular meetings of the cohort teacher teams.

Conduct community connect meetings.

Engage families in student learning.

Engage administrators.

U-Time Sessions

10/2/25

Grade 5 Get Back Up In this lesson, the students reflected on why pursuing a goal is important even when obstacles happen. They watched a short video and worked independently on creating a visual.

Grade 6 Rainbow in the Clouds Students recognized the individuals who provide support and kindness to them when they are going through challenges. They watched a video about this topic and created a class rainbow.

10/9/25

Grade 5 My Name in Lights Students explored their hopes and dreams for the future and demonstrated the importance of having a growth mindset. They used color, drawing, and writing to illustrate this concept.

Grade 6 Commonalities This activity helped students learn about themselves and what they have in common with their classmates.

10/23/25

Grade 5 See How Lucky I Am Students were given the opportunity to identify and appreciate their unique talents & skills. They did this through a video or story and engaging in a discussion with classmates.

Grade 6 Mix-It-Up Moment Students were given the opportunity to build relationships with their classmates and build conversation skills.

10/30/25

Grade 5 Proud to be ME! Students were given the opportunity to develop their self-esteem. They did this through a class discussion and the completion of a handout about ways that they are proud of themselves.

Grade 6 Conversation Dice Students were given the opportunity to learn many things about their classmates.

Safe and welcoming learning environment:

1. Lunch and recess behavior issues are at a minimum.

2. We have adjusted our weekly professional development to meet teacher needs as we aclomate to our new schedule.

3. We had to make some adjustments to grading procedures for Social Studies and Science. We are reporting grades twice a year rather that four times.

4. Our schedule change is moving along very well and the teachers are doing an incredible job adjusting.

Packer Profile for All Learners:

1. We plan to replace one Project Lead the Way class for next year.

2. We are also choosing artifacts for students to include in their Portfolio.

District Wide Multi-Tiered Systems of support:

1. Larger blocks of time for Reading and Math have allowed us to incorporate small group learning time. This is a differentiated time where the teachers can work with small groups of students, 5-6, and focus on individual needs.

2. We added and Instructional Coach this year, Christy Halsey, and her expertise has been very helpful in making instructional adjustments with our new schedule.

3. We started data meetings in math and reading so we can adjust our small groups.

4. Professional Learning Communities are now if full swing. Teachers share data and make instructional adjustments to improve student performance.

Excellence in Resource Management:

1. We are beginning form a long-term plan to replace to sound systems in our classrooms. Currently, each room has a microphone and speaker system; however they are showing signs of needing updating. We will plan for that.

2. We are also concerned about replacing our SMART boards as they are no longer supported with SMART software and their life cycle is coming to an end.

3. We meet monthly with the accounting, food service and buildings and grounds departments to stay on top of building needs.

• November 4th, 2025- No school Professional Development

• November 5th, 2025- Nature Center Field Trip Drescher/Holets

• November 5th, 2025- Young Scientists Kick Off at IJH

• November 6th-13th, 2025- Book Fair (bonus hours during conferences)

• November 6th, 2025- Nature Center Field Trip Herman/Veldman
• November 6th, 2025- Fall Conferences (3:10 pm-8:00 pm)
• November 12th, 2025- Nature Center Field Trip Schaefer/ Hofbauer
• November 12th, 2025- Young Scientists Field Trip
• November 13th, 2025- Nature Center Field Trip Brolsma/Kline
• November 13th, 2025- Fall Conferences (3:10 pm-8:00 pm)
• November 14th, 2025- Nature Center Field Trip- Hastings
• November 15th, 2025- One Stop Christmas Shoppe 9:00 am- 2:00 pm
• November 15th, 2025- Book Fair 9:00-2:00pm
• November 26th-28th, 2025- Holiday Break No School