⏰ Reading time: three minutes, 18 seconds

Dear Northfield School District Families:

Thanks for a great September. As I visit schools, I see so many happy students and productive classrooms. I am proud of our students, staff, and families' efforts to get into the “cruising altitude” of the school year.

We have also faced challenges during the first month of school. There were two accidents near the middle school entrance during the week of Sept. 18-22. One of the accidents snarled traffic before school at the middle school entrance. Thankfully, there were no injuries. The second accident occurred after school and a high school-aged pedestrian sustained multiple non-life-threatening injuries. You can read the police department’s press release on that accident here.

With three schools located on Division Street/Highway 246, additional traffic at the beginning and end of the school day is a given. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) governs any changes to this stretch of road because it is a state highway. The district has worked with the City of Northfield to engage MnDOT over the years to implement the following changes:

• Secured approval for a lower school zone speed limit (this took several years to receive approval.)

• Shared the cost with the City of Northfield to install pedestrian-activated beacons in front of the middle and high schools.

• Advocated for installation of a dynamic speed sign between the high school and middle school to provide a visual reminder for drivers to slow down.

• Reversed the traffic flow at Bridgewater to improve traffic to that school.

• Collaborated on the roundabout at Division/246 and Jefferson Parkway to improve traffic patterns.

The City of Northfield is discussing the possibility of taking responsibility for that portion of the highway back from MnDOT. The City Council discussed several potential safety improvements at a recent meeting.

In the meantime, please be vigilant when driving near our schools. Please slow down and exercise patience. While it may take more time than any of us would prefer, it will prioritize the safety of our students getting to school. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Additionally, the Northfield Police Department will provide additional patrols near our campuses before and after school.

As always, please contact me with any feedback you have about our school district. We are grateful to serve your families!

Sincerely,

Matt Hillmann, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

mhillmann@northfieldschools.org | 507.663.0629

The district hosted Teni Agnar, a director of a school in Ghana, on Sept. 19. Teni has toured several schools in the United States this summer and early fall to gain insight into educational practices that she could replicate in her schools.

Teni visited the district office and toured all three elementary schools with Director of Instructional Services Hope Langston.

The Northfield School District posts a “students of the week” feature on its social media pages regularly during the school year. The most recent post features Greenvale Park students Margaux, Levi, and Zoey. Keep an eye out for this social media feature that highlights our students!

While we don’t want to think about it quite yet, winter will arrive in Minnesota sooner rather than later. You can learn more about weather-related disruptions and school closings here. Some key items:

• Unfortunately, Minnesota’s winter weather can sometimes disrupt our ability to hold in-person classes.

• You can learn more about what goes into decisions to close school, start late, or dismiss early here.

• The first full-day closure due to weather is a true “snow day.”

• The district uses e-Learning days for the second and subsequent full-day closures. You can read the e-Learning plan here.

📸 Photo Credit