ENG 2023-24 Family Update No. 9
December 1, 2023
2023-24 Family Update No. 9 | Dec. 1, 2023
⏰ Reading time: Two minutes, 39 seconds
💭 Superintendent's Message
Dear Northfield School District Families:
I hope this message finds you well and that your families had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. Our district is proud to serve your students and families. Our district has many reasons to be grateful to serve you.
Please take the time to read this update and, as always, let me know if you have any questions or feedback about the district.
Sincerely,
Matt
--
Matt Hillmann, Ed.D.
Superintendent
mhillmann@northfieldschools.org | 507-663-0629
💡 Staff spotlight: Alisha Clarey
Northfield School District Instructional Coach Alisha Clarey recently earned certification as a national facilitator for the Language Essentials of Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) program. LETRS aims to “provide early childhood and elementary educators and administrators with deep knowledge to be literacy and language experts in the science of reading.”
To earn the certification, Alisha completed the 170-hour LETRS training program, the 64-hour local LETRS trainer program, and 56 hours of training to become a National LETRS facilitator.
By having a national trainer on staff, the district is better positioned to implement the Minnesota READ Act, which requires teachers to be trained in literacy practices associated with the science of reading. More importantly, this training will help more students read at grade level and achieve higher levels of academic success during their Northfield School District career.
📝 FY23 Audit
For the third consecutive year, the district earned a “completely clean” audit as reported by CliftonLarsonAllen principal Craig Popenhagen at the Nov. 27 board meeting. A “completely clean” audit means that:
The district had an “unmodified audit opinion” — the best of four audit opinion levels.
The district was found to be compliant with Minnesota state legal requirements, generally accepted accounting principles, and there were no deficiencies identified with the district’s internal controls.
Additionally, no deficiencies were found in the “single audit” of the district’s federal funds.
Thanks to Director of Finance Val Mertesdorf, her district finance department staff members, building-level administrators and administrative assistants for their diligent efforts that resulted in this exemplary audit report. You can read the full audit report here.
💬 High School tours and facility discussion
The Northfield School District Board of Education has begun discussions about a potential November 2024 bond referendum election to address the deficiencies of our current high school facility. The first board work session about this topic was Nov. 16 and the first high school tour was held on Nov. 18.
The board has another work session scheduled on Monday, Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the Northfield High School Media Center. On Saturday, Dec. 9, there will be a free bus trip to see the new Owatonna High School that opened this fall. Two buses are available to transport interested residents and will leave from Northfield High School Door No. 1 at 12:15 p.m. Another high school tour, originally scheduled for Dec. 9 has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 12 from 6—8 pm.
🪧 Nov. 27, 2023 School Board Update
The school board held a regular meeting on Nov. 27.
Board packets, table files, and meeting videos are located on our website.
- You can listen to Superintendent Hillmann’s recap on KYMN radio.
🔵 Free COVID-19 tests available
As of Nov. 20, individual households can order four more free tests through COVID.gov ahead of the holidays.