FMS @ a Glance
February 25 - March 1, 2019
Proud to be!
I would like to give a shout out to Tina Erickson for always listening and helping our students and colleagues.
To team 601.... you guys rock!
Diane Pilcher for doing a terrific job supporting multiple EL students in multiple classrooms at the same time hour after hour. Your hard work and dedication to your students is noticed and very appreciated!!
TJ Lombard, Britta Peterson, Heather Nelson, Michaela Raney - thanks for helping out during your lunch periods with 7th graders.
Scott Bruns and TJ Lombard - shout out for your dedication to organizing the Winter SLC's.
Team 702 - Shout out for piloting SLC feedback forms
Alicia Sheehy - shout out for coordinating Academic Seminars.
Team 701 for piloting an e-hall pass program.
Nikki and Dana for their work with the web students, thank you!
I would like to thank the WEB students that stayed and helped out Friday night with the 602 fun night, they were great!
Thanks to the 602 team for putting together a great opportunity for our kids to have a fun time on Friday night. The students did very well as well.
Thanks to Tim Bestul for his excellent wardrobe selection!
Thanks to Brent for his help with concessions and organizing our fun night.
February 27, 2019
Para's and clerical may leave after the staff meeting.
Thank you.
Bus Driver Appreciation
Wear Yellow to show the love for the men and women transporting our students each and every day. It's not a glamorous job but we could, literally, not have a school without them.
Show your appreciation - WEAR YELLOW.
Week @ a Glance
Monday, February 25
Admin visits to CPT (to be rescheduled)
3:00 pm Spring Celebration meeting (rescheduled to 2/28)
5:30 pm School Board meeting
Tuesday, February 26
6:45 am SITE Council meeting
10:00 am Restorative Justice planning meeting
3:00 pm FMS Admin meeting
7:00 pm Band Concert
Wednesday, February 27
Block Schedule
Development Day meeting
Bus Driver Appreciation Day - wear Yellow!
9:00 am PST
Thursday, February 28
Welch Village Ski Trip
Block Schedule with Academic Seminar
9:00 am Community School meeting
1:00 pm 5th grade Band concert and presentation
Friday, March 1
Polar Plunge
1:30 pm District Principals meeting with Mr. Sesker
A look ahead:
3/4 School - TBD
3/5 District Leadership meeting
3/5 Falcons for Change trip (Hawkins)
3/5 FMS Admin meeting
3/6 Orchestra Festival
3/6 PST
3/6 Development Day meetings
3/7 Principal PLC with Ryan K.
3/8 FMS Tech Committee meeting
3/8 Paraprofessional monthly meeting
3/8 Falcons for Change trip (Coppess)
By Cheryl Abla
January 22, 2019
BY NANCY L. AKHAVAN/School Administrator, February 2019
Legislative Update:
Make- Up days info bolded down below.
On Tuesday, the biggest news day of the session to date, the Governor released his proposed budget.
K12 in a nutshell: 3% on the formula in year 1 and 2% formula increase in year two. (Year one is the 2019-20 school year and, of course, year two is 2020-2021.) The percentages translate into $189 per student in the first year and $130 in the second year. The cost of the formula increase is $523 million. In addition, the budget proposes $77 million for special education. (This basically keeps the cross subsidy at its current level.) Also of interest is a proposed $26 million to improve and address school safety.
The budget was met with positive comments and concerns by the House and Senate respectively. Revenues are obviously a concern for both Democrats and Republicans, with the Democrats appearing more inclined to support increases in revenues. (Taxes that is!) Generally, voters support increased taxes to fund schools. But as every legislator knows, voters don’t always support the legislators who vote for those taxes. The budget will be put into the form of a bill, introduced in the House and Senate and be sent off to hearings in the appropriate committees.
The day before the budget, President’s Day, was not celebrated as a holiday by the Legislature. Open for business, the Senate Education Committee used the day to hear, among other bills, the requirements that every student take a citizenship class as a graduation requirement starting with students entering 9thgrade in the 2020-21 school year. The class must be taken in the 11th or 12 grade and it has to be a course in “government and citizenship”. The legislation says “for credit”. Senator Nelson indicated that the course did not have to be a full credit, but could be a portion on the 3.5 credits required in social studies. In addition, districts will have to detail student involvement in “civic life” as part of the world’s best workforce report. These bills were sponsored by Senators Nelson and Cwodzinski. (SF 294 and SF 17)
One of Senator Cwodzinski’s former students testified in support of the bill. The Senator, a former social studies teacher is known for his loud, booming, enthusiastic voice. (He really does crank up the volume.) The student gently teased him about the volume saying it was especially hard being in his class when she was recovering from a concussion. Cwodzinski’s enthusiasm is reminiscent of former Representative Tom Rukavina who recently passed.
The committee also heard Senator Rest’s bill on cursive handwriting. (SF 193) The bill requires the Department to develop model curriculum on the ancient art of penmanship. I have some ideas for the department on this. In 1894, The Palmer’s Guide to Business Writing gave some practical advice that could still work today: “As the movement we teach for writing is one in which the muscles of the right forearm play an important part, it is highly essential that the muscles of that arm should be so clothed as to permit at all times the unrestricted action. Many good writers consider this of sufficient importance to lead them, in winter, to cut off the heavy undersleeve at the elbow.” By the way, I am still a bit sore about the “C” I received in handwriting in 3rd grade at Horace Mann Elementary School in Virginia, Minnesota.
On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee focused on Community Education.
Meanwhile, the House heard a variety of bills this week. The Finance committee heard a bill on funding teacher training for suicide prevention. (HF 813). The policy committee heard bills on low income student access to driver education (HF 987) to homeless transportation (HF761) to transporting pregnant and parenting students (HF 525).
The House Education Finance Committee heard Representative Freiberg’s bill authorizing school boards to renew expiring referendums without going to the voters. (HF 116) This is a longstanding initiative of school districts and always stirs some good debate. Unlike the policy committee, there was no roll call vote. This should pass in some version this year.
On Wednesday afternoon, the House Education policy committee heard Representative Kunesh-Podein’s bill (HF 576) to have schools pay (and the state reimburse) the cost of SAT and ACT tests for all students. The response by members was positive. The committee also heard Representative Jurgens’ bill on school lunch practices including denial of lunches for non-payment and shaming. (HF 55) The lunch language was agreed to last year and much of the drama was absent in this year’s legislative presentations. The advocates from legal indicated it was less than they wanted but understood that compromise was necessary.
The House Education Finance Committee hit the road for a hearing in Windom on Friday. Fortunately, there was no blizzard, freezing rain or 30 below wind chill. It has been a while since education has taken a legislative field trip.
Much discussion has taken place about compliance with instructional time requirements and school calendar requirements given the record cold and snow in January and February. (And there may be more to come.) Concerns stem from some funding issues (on the question of extended time for example) and the loss of salary by some employee groups. Notwithstanding what has been reported in the paper, there is no “agreement” yet as to what the state is planning relative to these weather emergencies. Schools will receive the foundation aid. Legislators are concerned that everyone gets paid. (Sounds a bit like the federal government shutdown.) Quietly, the issues are being sorted out, so stay tuned on this.
Interestingly, some school districts in Wisconsin are adding 5-11 minutes to their school days to meet state calendar requirements.
As February winds down, the committees are getting concerned about time to hear bills. The House Education Policy Committee added two hearings next week, so the committee will meet on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. (Friday will start at 10:00 AM and go into the afternoon.) Should be a long week.