The Byron Buzz

Dear Primary and Intermediate Families,

This fall, we participated in a new fundraising event through Boostherthon. Being that this was a new partnership for us, we entered into the experience with open minds and a willingness to collaborate with the Boosterthon organization in setting fundraising goals to help enhance the school experience for our K-5 students. Each day our kids met in “huddles” and Boosterthon taught them how to be “World Changers” by supporting one another, developing a plan, and persevering through challenges. This focus on citizenship and character building corresponds with Byron’s Profile of a Graduate. While a monetary goal was set, our families helped us far surpass the original goal and for that, we say thank you!!! As of October 18th, the total amount of donations received totaled $43,500! These donations will be used to fund various things within each school that we’d otherwise be unable to do. Your support, patience, and understanding were all appreciated as we navigated through a true Boosterthon event and the Fun Run was true to its name! Students participated in a culminating outdoor Fun Run and were able to celebrate together with their peers. Thank you to all of the “cheerleaders” who joined us throughout the day to celebrate with their children.

We truly appreciate your partnership! Go Bears!

Amanda Durnen, Primary School Principal

Abe Rodemeyer, Intermediate School Principal

Website: bears.byron.k12.mn.us/
Facebook: facebook.com/byronbears

The Profile of a Graduate is the model we use to live out the District's Strategic Plan on a daily basis. It has been 6 years since we first implemented the Profile of a Graduate and we continue to find ways to teach the six Cs: Creativity, Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Citizenship, and Character.

Learn more about our Profile of a Graduate!

Hello! I can’t believe I am writing a letter about Christmas already but here it is. I will send out information closer to the holidays about Thanksgiving and Christmas opportunities and meals so watch for that email at a later date. Today we are gearing up for our in-house Christmas Anonymous Program. Details are listed below as well as contact information. I have also included some information on the food shelf and homeless services from Olmsted County.

CHRISTMAS ANONYMOUS

We are very excited to once again be able to coordinate Christmas Anonymous through our schools. If you are interested in adopting a family this holiday season and purchasing gifts to help make their season brighter, please use the contact information provided below. We will provide you with an anonymous list of children from a family, their sizes, and needs then you get to do the shopping. Our goal is to have your shopping list for you before Black Friday.

If your family is experiencing extreme financial hardship this holiday season and could use some help to put presents under the tree, our program is designed just for you. Due to an increase in BearPack participants we are expecting an increase in Christmas Anonymous participants so we are partnering with the Christmas Anonymous program in Rochester. Space is limited in our program and participation is not guaranteed. Please contact me using the information below to have your family added to the list.

If you are interested in either adopting a family or being adopted, please contact Christine at 775-2189, by email at Christine.jostock@byron.k12.mn.us or complete survey.

HOMELESSNESS RESOURCE

The Empowering Connections and Housing Outreach (ECHO) Center, located at 206 4th Street SE in Rochester, is next to the Rochester Community Warming Center (RCWC). The ECHO Center has allowed Olmsted County’s Housing Stability team to meet with people experiencing homelessness and connect them with resources to find safe and stable housing.

The ECHO Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For more information, please email housingstability@olmstedcounty.gov or call 507-328-7175

CHANNEL ONE FOOD SHELF

Visiting the Food Shelf:

The Channel One Food Shelf is open for indoor shopping Monday – Thursday from 8 am to 6 pm and Friday from 8 am until noon.

If you are new to Channel One, the registration process takes a few minutes. No appointment is needed. If you are returning, you can simply check in by telling us your name. Shoppers are welcome to visit the food shelf every week.

If it is difficult to visit the food Food Shelf in person, shoppers have the option to select someone else to pick up their food. That person is their proxy. Shoppers have the right to choose who can pick their food. Shoppers can also cancel permission for a proxy at any time by contacting Food Shelf staff.

If you would like to register for the Food Shelf over the phone or add a proxy to your account, please call the Food Shelf at (507) 424-1707

CHANNEL ONE GROCERY DELIVERY

If you need groceries delivered to your home, please call the Food Shelf delivery line at (507) 424-1720. Leave a message with the spelling of your first and last name and a phone number to request a delivery. We will return your call within 2 business days to confirm your delivery date.

Deliveries will be made on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All deliveries will be contactless.

* Please note we are unable to deliver outside of our service area of Olmsted County, MN.

With your delivery you will receive a variety of:

• Fresh produce

• Frozen protein (meat or fish)

• Milk, dairy, eggs

• Shelf-stable groceries

Smiles,

Christine Jostock

District School Social Worker, Grades K -12

Email: christine.jostock@byron.k12.mn.us
Website: bears.byron.k12.mn.us/
Location: Byron Middle School, 4th Street Northwest, Byron, MN, USA
Phone: 507-775-2189

The Byron Middle School is seeking community donations of 5-gallon buckets (minimum of 25) and drumsticks (minimum of 14 pairs) for upcoming Bucket Drumming lessons in the Band room.

If you have new or gently used buckets or drumsticks you would like to donate, please Sign Up with the link below or drop off your items at the BMS by 4:00pm Friday, October 27th.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084AA9A622A2FCC70-45283041-bmsbucket

Byron Spirit Squad ... they're back this year and have been a great addition to the atmosphere at games. Thanks ladies!

2023 Girls Soccer...Go BEARS!

Co-Conference HVL Champs, Beagle Cup, Black N Blue Cup, Section 1AA - 2nd Place

You are able to skip the ticket lines and purchase your tickets for any varsity activity/athletic competition online. We encourage people to use this online ticketing so we can serve you faster and more efficiently. Before attending a game, go to this link: https://www.bears.byron.k12.mn.us/Page/806 where you can pay for the tickets and download them to your phone. Activities passes and individual game tickets can be purchased below via the QR code.

Monday, October 23 - Rochester Raiders Adaptive Soccer Co-ed vs. Minneapolis - 4:30 pm (Minneapolis South High School)

Wednesday, October 25 - Rochester Raiders Adaptive Soccer Co-ed vs. Humboldt - 5:30 pm (Rochester Dakota Middle School)

Upcoming Events - Byron Public Schools HVL Conference Calendar

You may have heard or experienced a couple unfortunate issues that we had with the new Byron Athletic Stadium. The first issue was that during a day of heavy rainfalls, the field had some standing water on it and was very wet. This was the case at 3:00 in the afternoon and we were scheduled to have two playoff soccer games scheduled that night. Because playoffs are usually on a strict schedule, it is very hard to reschedule so the Activities Directors had to make a call of which was to move the games to other high school sites. This was the first time that we had an event scheduled on the field with heavy rains so we really didn't know what to expect for how the field drains. The rain subsided after 4:30 and the field drained and would have been playable by 5:30. We are working with several companies and will be monitoring during future rainfalls. We know that a new field needs time to settle and going through a cycle of seasons will help. It is a fantastic facility and we will deal with issues as they arise.

Speaking of issues, if you were at the last football game you may have noticed the music was coming from the top of the press box. We discovered on Monday that we did not have sound and the company had a tech on site on Wednesday afternoon. We believe it to be a faulty mixer board. The company sent a new one the next day so we will be getting that installed on Monday. A big shout out goes to our tech specialists, especially Tim Chesterman, for setting up portable speakers and sound system to be used for the game. If you ever bought anything, even a new house, you know that everything is not going to be perfect and you will have to learn and deal with issues as they arise. We are doing the same thing and having a new facility does not guarantee no issues. We are lucky to have great people like our AD, Brad Hak, who has been working tirelessly to make sure the games go on.

Pictured from Left to Right:

• BHS partnering with City of Byron to connect Human Geography and the real world.
  
• Mrs. Fletcher & Mrs. Johnson's third grade classes completed a service learning project at Oxbow Park.
• BHS Industrial Tech dice project requires students to follow directions closely. Paxson really did a great job here!

Second graders in Ms. Huntoon's class took a trip to France this week. Ms. Hendrickson, a student teacher, speaks fluent French and taught her students about French culture.

We're reaching out to invite our students, staff, parents, and community members to take an active role in our school district's technological journey by joining the District Technology Committee. With the upcoming renewal of our 5-year technology plan in 2024, your insights and contributions are crucial in shaping a plan that's both advanced and practical. This isn't just about the technology itself; it's about creating an environment that supports everyone's learning and growth. By blending diverse perspectives, we aim to devise a strategy that reflects our collective needs, ambitions, and the trends of the digital world. We believe in the power of technology to enhance education, and with your help, we can ensure that our plan remains relevant, inclusive, and effective. Join us in this important effort to shape our educational future!

To sign up visit https://bit.ly/531TechCommitteeSignup

The Byron School Board wants to hear from you. The Board will have two members available before each Work Session to listen to you. The listening sessions will be from 5:00-5:25 PM with the Board Work Sessions following at 5:30. During the listening sessions, the board members will be taking notes and notifying the rest of the board about topics that were discussed. They will not be making any decisions at that meeting. Listening sessions are held at 5:00 PM on the first Monday of each month at the District Office.

Do you need help getting organized?

Get expert tips in the Organizing 101 class on November 4. Samantha Erickson from the Rescued Room will help you conquer your clutter and create calm to your home.

Hurry! Sign up for the Senior Citizens Luncheon

Registration closes at Noon on October 26. Join us on October 30 for this free luncheon at 11 am - following the Senior Citizens Health Fair. Register here or call Community Education at 507-775-2336

Upcoming Classes & Activities

Middle School Art Club Exhibition Opens on Saturday, October 21

ECFE's Black and Orange BASH on October 27 - Registration closes on October 25

Bowling Basics and Beyond starts on October 28

Child and Baby-Sitting Safety Class on October 30

Home Alone Class on October 30

Gambling: What's the risk?

Community Education Center Open House on November 4

Organizing 101 on November 4

Register for classes online

Community Education Center Food Pantry - Update

The Food Pantry is stocked up and will open to shoppers on Wednesday, October 25. Shopping will be available by appointment. Request a shopping appointment here.

We will continue to accept donations through November 21 to ensure that we have enough items in rotation. If you or your community group would like to help with a food drive, email: katie.schmitt@byron.k12.mn.us

It is that time of the year where the kids and staff are back and so are some illnesses. We are looking for people to help fill in as a substitute or part-time employee. We need bus drivers for day routes and evening activities as well as teacher and paraprofessional substitutes. The great thing about these positions is that they can often work around your schedule and you are not committed to them every day. Therefore, if you have some time and want to be placed on a list to fill one of these positions, please contact the District office at 507-775-2383. If you want more information about being a bus driver, please reach out to our Transportation Manager at val.lindahl@byron.k12.mn.us.

We have openings for paraprofessionals, bus drivers and teacher substitutes to name a few of them. Find our complete job listings HERE

For more information, please contact the Byron Public Schools District Office at 507-775-2383. Thank you for your consideration of these employment opportunities.