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Celebrating the great work of Faribault students and staff
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Best of 2019-20
Strategic Plan 2020
As we gathered input from over 300 community stakeholders, these five areas of focus emerged: Student-centered learning, equity, mental health and safety, school climate and family and community engagement. In the coming months, our district leadership will lay out plans and action steps for how we will continue to address these priorities in ways that support our mission statement.
A strategic plan is a living document that will be reviewed and refined regularly to reflect on progress made and address changing needs.
Board approves early-childhood addition at Roosevelt
At the Sept. 14 school board meeting, the board approved construction of an early-childhood addition at Roosevelt Elementary.
The addition will allow Faribault Public Schools to shift our early-childhood programming from McKinley Early Childhood Center to the new space at Roosevelt Elementary in 2022.
McKinley was originally built in 1957 as an elementary school. It also served as the district office before becoming McKinley Early-Childhood Center.
“Moving forward on the early childhood project at Roosevelt will help our preschool classes expand and serve more families, while providing greater accessibility to our community and elementary schools,” Early Childhood Coordinator Olivia Sage said. “We want to continue to grow our early childhood program in relation to our Falcon community. To do that, we are listening to the parents of past and present students to understand their desire to be a part of the elementary schools and connect on a larger scale to other families who are a part of the K-5 school. We also believe that this will help us foster a better platform for academic, social, and emotional success in later grades.”
The district has contracted with architect ISG of Mankato and will accept bids for construction in January of 2021. The project will be funded through a lease levy at a cost of $12 per year for the average homeowner in the district.
The addition will feature six new classrooms, a screening room, a pumping room, office space, bathrooms, storage, additional rooms for special services, and an age-appropriate playground.
“The new preschool classrooms are larger and better equipped for our teachers to access materials and resources in a clean and safe environment,” Sage said. “We will gain access to new resources for our families which supports our vision to collaborate with community partners to provide high quality education.”
National Hispanic Heritage Month Spotlight: Fabian Macias ('16)
Faribault High School is celebrating the unique tapestry of the community of Faribault in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15).
We will be highlighting the careers of 10 Hispanic, former students from various sports, activities, and arts as our graduates share what National Hispanic Heritage Month means to them, their best memories as a Falcon, and their advice for current and future Faribault students.
Our first spotlight is on 2016 alum Fabian Macias. Click here to view his entire profile:
https://www.faribaultfalcons.com/page/show/5892275-national-hispanic-heritage-month-sep-15-oct-15-
“We had such a diverse team of Hispanics, Caucasians, Somalis and Asians that made it difficult, yet unique in comparison to other soccer teams. We learned to appreciate and support each other to the point where we started learning each other’s languages to make it easier for us out on the field. As a team, we had many challenges but were able to overcome them because we grew to be a family."
Principal Jamie Bente: FHS steps into new learning opportunities this fall
(July 1 Faribault Daily News column)
Faribault High School will be taking a major step forward in our Pathways of Excellence this fall with the addition of a seven-period schedule and new online course offerings for students.
After working through the planning phase for several years and earning the support of the community in last November’s levy, we can now begin implementing an additional 20-plus courses for students.
The pathway model, which is based on successful programs at Shakopee High School and Alexandria High School, will offer students a sequence of classes in one of four main pathways: Engineering and Manufacturing, Business and Technology, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture. Embedded within those pathways are mini-pathways for students who want more course options in areas like science, the arts and education. The new schedule will allow students to take eight additional courses over the course of their high school career and get more exposure to these career fields so they’re better-prepared when it comes time to decide their post high school plans. The additional room in their schedule will also provide more opportunities for internships and work experiences with local businesses.
This will be the first year of the pathway model at Faribault High School and students will be fully immersed in the model over the next two to three years as all of the pathways classes are phased in.
We’re also very excited to begin offering online courses starting this fall through our new program called Falcon Online. FHS will be partnering with Edgenuity to offer students the capability to be both an on-campus student and an online student.
Through Edgenuity, students will be able to sign up for online courses run through Edgenuity that we don’t currently offer on campus. Hosting these classes ourselves means in addition to having a virtual instructor through Edgenuity, students will have the benefit of additional on-site mentors and academic coaches who will meet with them regularly, track their progress within the platform, and provide support.
Students will have to meet academic standards to take online classes and in most cases students will only take one or two online classes at a time. We know there are many benefits to taking classes in a traditional classroom setting and that will continue to be the foundation of what we do at FHS.
Online learning won’t be for everyone, but we’re excited to be able to offer this option for students who are looking for more independent and flexible education experiences.
Elementary schools welcome back students
With plenty of safety precautions in place, in-person learning resumed on Thursday, Sept. 10 for the first time since March.
Over 80 students participate in Summer STEAM
Summer STEAM in 2020 looked quite different, transitioning to STEAM on the Go as we all worked to adapt during the current pandemic. Rather than serving kids K-8 from one school each day, SOTG offered programming in multiple outdoor locations around Faribault including Cannon River Mobile Home Park, Jefferson Elementary, and Faribault Middle School. 5 days a week for 6 weeks SOTG staff packed up activities to bring them closer to home for students of all ages. Over 80 participants and families were reached and plenty of boredom was busted in the process.
Some families received weekly Kiwi Co crates that allowed them to explore STEM topics by creating rockets or engage in artistic pursuits through multiple geography based crafts.
Those who were able to participate in a more socially interactive experience were in luck thanks to the fabulous weather and cautious COVID-19 practices implemented by staff. For these in-person activities, students learned how to communicate in both Spanish and Somali, created the very first Falcon Marketplace, and even spent time decorating masks to show off during the upcoming school year.
While the STEAM on the Go model was far from traditional, it was an innovative opportunity for students to ease into a COVID-19 filled school environment and have fun learning about their world in the process. From early July to the end of August, students had the chance to truly be kids again free of charge, even bringing their families along for the fun. While COVID-19 has changed the world in countless ways, it was no match for the joy created by Faribault’s youth this Summer.
RISE program supports FHS students
This fall, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI), Faribault Youth Investment, HealthFinders, Carlton College and Faribault Public Schools Community Education are partnering on a program that’s providing on-site mentoring and support for Faribault High School students.
The RISE (Realizing Individual Student Excellence) program fills the role previously held by Check and Connect, but as a community-wide collaboration is able to serve more students. RISE coordinators Hanan Mohamud and Jaunita Picazo, as well as AmeriCorps Promise Fellow Nora Schultz, are able to regularly check in with about 80 FHS students on topics ranging from attendance, family outreach and mental/chemical health to academic support, ACT prep and college/career exploration. RISE has reached out to specific students that may need support, but the program is available to all students.
“Our goal is to provide the necessary support for every student in Faribault Public Schools to be successful in school, graduate and be hopeful about their future as they pursue the college or career of their choice,” FHS assistant principal Shawn Peck said. “We are fortunate to be in a community where so many people feel that the success of our young people will lead to our community thriving in the future.”
Schultz was immediately interested in the opportunity the RISE program gave her to help students succeed.
“I think the chance to help students that might not have the opportunities or resources available to them really stuck with me because I always had so many supporters,” she said. “I just wanted to pay it forward and do what others have done for me.”
Mohamud, a 2014 Faribault High School alum, graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with a degree in psychology. She sees the RISE program as a great opportunity to gain experience working in a mentorship role.
“When I was going to Faribault High School, it would have been nice to have something that would get me where I wanted to go. As a first-generation college student I felt like I didn’t know what to do, so it’s nice to have a group to support you,” she said. “We provide students with a place to hang out and feel like you’re understood, and that you have a voice to advocate for you.”
Picazo has worked in the school district as an EL para and as a security monitor. She’s eager to continue to serve in a role that benefits Faribault students.
“We as a team are very excited to be that gap between the students and teachers, administrators, and counselors,” she said. “We are here for any student that is facing a barrier in their life to reach their goals for graduating and on to college.”
During hybrid learning, the RISE staff will continue to meet with students in-person and reach out through home visits, phone calls, Schoology and other virtual platforms.
Middle-schoolers decorate masks on Day 1
Solar garden helps district cut its energy bill
Faribault has seen a reduction in pollution since the installation of solar gardens last fall, and the school district has seen another reduction — in its energy bill.
To date, Faribault Public Schools Financial Director Andrew Adams said the district saved approximately $11,300 on energy costs since March. Nokomis Energy, the solar garden provider for the district, expects another $17,000 in savings between now and December. Annually, the district could save between $24,000 and $30,000.
The district currently uses six solar gardens, located in Rice, Waseca and Dodge counties, but Nokomis Energy will complete three more by the end of 2020. After that, Nokomis Energy partner Brendan Dillon said the district could save closer to $40,000 or even $50,000 a year.
“That was the number they always wanted to get to because to them, that’s a teacher, or a substantial fraction of a new teacher,” Dillon said.
Dillon considers schools like Faribault important partners for solar gardens because, as he said, “When a school has an opportunity to save significantly in electricity … that frees up money for them to spend on education, whether that’s more teachers or better facilities.”
Adams confirmed that the district will take its energy savings into account when budgeting for the 2021-22 school year.
“It will go toward maintaining teacher-to-student ratios and maintaining the structure of the classroom as much as possible, Adams said. “ … It could reduce the amount of cuts we need to make next year.”
The total energy savings to the district is not dependent on how much the buildings are used, Dillon explained. In Minnesota, Xcel Energy runs the solar garden program and third parties, like Nokomis Energy, develop and construct solar gardens on farm land or unused land in cities. Xcel buys the electricity generated and provides Nokomis Energy with bill credits, or coupons. Nokomis Energy then sells the bill credits back to subscribers, usually schools or commercial businesses. Faribault Public Schools signed up for a number of programs through Nokomis Energy, which charges it a fraction of the coupon value.
On a local level, Dillon said landowners generate more income with solar gardens on their property than they need for taxes, which can benefit them financially during down years of farming.
Cost savings aside, the solar gardens displace coal or natural gases with a clean form of energy. Dillon said a typical solar garden in Minnesota offsets the energy usage of 200 to 250 homes.
Most solar panels have a 30-year warranty but typically last longer, Dillon said. The Nokomis Energy panels are made from simple, non-hazardous materials like glass, silicon and metal. The locations of the solar gardens are chosen according to available land that runs close to distribution lines with high capacities, making use of existing structures.
Dillon said the process is similar to the way LED TVs or lights work, only in reverse. An electric current creates light in the case of the LED light, but light instead generates an electric current for solar panels.
“We’ve been revealing plans for this for over two years now, and we finally decided to sometime last year make the decision to utilize solar gardens to help save a few dollars,” Superintendent Todd Sesker said. “It’s great environmentally for the school district, and we had that savings. And the relationship [with Nokomis Energy] has been very positive. We looked at other companies, but we felt this was the company we wanted to work with based on the proposal and their reputation.”
(Story courtesy of the Faribault Daily News)
Ouk named Mary Diaz award winner
Faribault Public Schools Equity and Multilingual Coordinator Sam Ouk was recently selected as the 2020 winner of the Mary Diaz award for his advocacy for equity in multilingual programming and pathways to graduation for immigrant and refugee students.
The award is presented annually by MinneTESOL, a professional association of teachers of English as a Second Language in Minnesota and neighboring states dedicated to the education and support of students acquiring English at all levels of public and private education.
Mary Diaz was one of the founders of Hamline University’s ESL and bilingual programs. She also worked for the Comprehensive Assistance Center, housed in the Hamline School of Education, from which she provided technical assistance to school districts serving English learners to help them meet Civil Rights Act requirements. Receiving the award is especially meaningful for Ouk, who studied under Diaz at Hamline.
“Having known her, it’s a great honor and very meaningful. I know the work she did in terms of advocating for students, so I’m very honored to be given her award,” Ouk said. “The meaning of the work itself, helping our most vulnerable students, providing them with opportunities, helping give them a voice and empowering them through acquiring language and having their culture be recognized is work I will never get tired of doing.”
Ouk will receive the Mary Diaz award Friday, Nov. 20 at the Minnesota English Learner Education Conference.
8th grade Outstanding Student-Athletes for 2019-20 - Cristian Escobar Pearson, Hailey Reuvers, Aubrey Filan and Isaac Yetzer
$1.3M grant will pay for literacy specialists, coaches
Eight new literacy coaches and two family literacy specialists will start their tenure at Faribault Public Schools this fall, giving students, staff and families more support than ever before.
During the Faribault School Board’s virtual meeting Monday, new Director of Teaching and Learning Tracy Corcoran announced the district received a $1.3 million federal grant through the Minnesota Department of Education to fund the literacy coaches and family literacy specialists for students in pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade.
Through the closed grant, Faribault Public Schools will employ one literacy coach at each of the three elementary schools, one at McKinley Early Childhood Center, two at Faribault Middle and two at Faribault High.
The MDE grant is an extension of the SRCL (Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy) grant the district received for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years, but including the pre-kindergarten level is a new opportunity. Because the state extended the SRCL grant to last another year due to the coronavirus pandemic, five previously employed literacy coaches will remain in the district in addition to the eight new literacy coaches through the MDE grant.
“The pre-K through 12 presence really creates that system approach as well as bringing in our families and being able to support them in a new way,” said Corcoran of the MDE grant. “We’re very excited about it.”
The new literacy coaches will work directly with teachers to provide instructional coaching around evidence-based practices. Coaches will focus on the development of skills in disciplinary literacy so students learn to write and read in every subject area. For example, teachers will learn to help students decipher writing and reading from a scientific lens versus a historical lens. Coaches will also work with teachers to align their lessons with state literacy standards to ensure all students acquire the necessary skills to be successful readers and writers.
Corcoran said the roles of the SRCL literacy coaches will evolve a bit with the addition of eight new coaches. SRCL literacy coaches will focus on continued improvement and development in literacy instruction as well as the family partnership component.
In addition to employing eight new literacy coaches, the MDE grant will allow the district to hire two family literacy specialists. One will work with students from pre-kindergarten to grade five, and the other will focus on students in grades six through 12. Both specialists will connect with students’ families to encourage literacy in the home by offering support, understanding and resources.
Although the current pandemic presents unique circumstances that may conflict with family literacy specialists making home visits, Corcoran said they could extend their outreach when it’s safe to do so. The district may also host events like a family literacy night to bring families to the schools. Corcoran said plans are being considered, and the grant allows for flexibility.
One important function of the specialists will be collaborations with cultural liaisons and interpreters to work with families that are learning English as a second language. Corcoran said the district hasn’t completely mapped out the plan in this area, but having the specialists and other systems in place will open the door for more opportunities.
“Even pre COVID, we wanted to work toward building the family engagement component,” said Community Education Director Anne Marie Leland. “[This grant] is going to be a win-win both for the child and adults in that family and support kids for more success.”
The grant period will begin this 2020-21 school year, in conjunction with the district’s back to school plan amid the coronavirus pandemic. The district is working to make the model work with whichever scenario the schools employ in the fall.
Board members showed strong support of the grant after Corcoran’s announcement.
Said Board member Carolyn Treadway: “We could all really use some positive news, so hearing about this grant today is just fantastic.”
(Story courtesy of the Faribault Daily News)
70 special education paras complete annual CPR training
FHS staff talks about building relationships and changing culture
The book by Joe Ehrmann is given by the Minnesota State High School League to all credentialed head coaches. Every Sunday night, the FHS staff discussed what they read during the week and answered questions related to each chapter. Activities director Keith Badger led the group and said its main purpose was to change the win-at-all-costs sports culture.
“We’re working to change that culture that exists now and refocus what we do on education-based activities in athletics,” Badger said.
One of the main focuses of the book is relationship-building. It guides coaches through the rewriting of their purpose statement (why they coach) and guides them through the building of their own narrative. The idea is that the better a student-athlete knows and understands their coach, the better they will be able to relate and build relationships with them.
“A big part of the book is figuring out who you are as a coach and using your experiences to connect with kids,” Badger said. “A lot of coaches shared the personal and athletic events that were significant in their lives. What I learned is that all our coaches are uniquely qualified to coach and teach kids. They all have unique events in their lives that kids want to hear, and they can use those to connect with people.”
Sage receives Star of Innovation Award
Click here to learn more about The Nest: https://fhs.faribault.k12.mn.us/resources/the-nest