School District 166 Teacher Natalie Shaw shows School Board Member Deb White how her first-grade students use I-Pads. The school board had a good time at the March 5 board meeting, checking out the educational programs used by kindergarten through third-grade students at Sawtooth Mountain Elementary.
At least once a year, the School District 166 school board holds one of its meetings on the east and west ends of the county to make it easier for parents and community members to attend. On Thursday, March 5, the school board met at the Lutsen Town Hall on the Caribou Trail.
Louise Abelon of Lutsen thanked the school board for arranging the meeting on the West End. And expressed appreciation to the school board for its progressive actions such as the industrial tech expansion, the consideration of developing an alternative learning center and the integration of technology in the classroom.
“These are things our students and our school have needed for a long time. Thank you,” said Abelon.
Language arts and technology
Abelon’s comments were followed by a report on the Sawtooth Mountain Elementary School’s language arts program and a demonstration of some of the technology used by kindergarteners through third graders. Principal Gwen Carman said the teachers working well with a new language arts curriculum are Lacey Smith in kindergarten; Natalie Shaw in first grade; Karen Obinger in second grade; and Lorelei Livingston in third grade.
Overseeing the Title One Reading program is Monica Schnobrich, who gave the board an explanation of how she works with students and how they are monitored. Principal Carman said, “What I like about Monica is she finds ways to individualize the ways she works with students.”
Schnobrich said it is a “privilege and pleasure” to work with Internal Reading Coach Rochelle Staley, the school’s Reading Corps tutor. Schnobrich said, “She is dedicated, consistent, and a valuable member of our Sawtooth staff.”
The teachers then brought forward the colorful I-Pads used by their students, demonstrating the educational programs used in each class, such as Math Town and a programming program used by Smith’s kindergarten students. Shaw demonstrated Words Their Way showing the school board how students progress from touching pictures to hear sounds, to blends and patterns that help sound out words. Livingston said the school board could thank her third-graders who set up the I-Pads for the demonstration. The board checked out the Bill Nye Science Guy, Human Body and This Day in History programs.
As the teachers packed up the tablets, Principal Carman commended them. “They had to learn a different way of teaching. It’s a balance of course,” she said, “Of course there is still time for teachers to sit down with students oneon one. We do limit screen time.”
Carman also added, “Thanks also to Andra Lilenthal, our tech support person.”
Thoreson Construction gets parking lot project
Superintendent Beth Schwarz reported on the opening of bids for the proposed expansion of the parking lot. The school received four bids from Northland Constructors of Duluth, KGM Construction of Angora, Minnnesota, S& C Masonry and Edwin E. Thoreson, Inc. of Grand Marais. The low bidder was Thoreson, Inc. with a base bid of $134,293. The board voted unanimously to approve the low bid.
Schwarz said she was satisfied with the bids received. She said because the low bid was reasonable, the school can consider several different alternatives, which include additional parking spaces, possibly paved. She will speak with Thoreson’s which was also the low bidder on the additional work and will bring funding options back to the board for the remainder of the project.
Early retirement approved for Dorie Carlson
Schwarz provided the board with information about the School District’s early retirement agreement with the Cook County Education Association (the teacher’s union), under which the school district provides a retiring teacher who qualifies with a health care benefit that allows him or her to continue under the school’s health plan by paying the employee’s contribution until age 65 and which provides a onetime contribution for the employee in the amount of $16,044 to the Minnesota State Retirement System’s Health Care Savings Plan.
The board then read a letter of resignation from Middle School Social Studies Teacher Dorothy “Dorie” Carlson. Carlson, who has worked for the district since 1973, said her resignation would be effective June 3, 2015. Carlson wrote, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the children who have been my students.”
Superintendent Schwarz said Carlson is an example of a teacher who has gone above and beyond, coaching students in Geography Bee, Knowledge Bowl, etc. Board Member Deb White made the motion, which passed unanimously, to accept Carlson’s resignation, “with great appreciation.”
In other business
. Superintendent Schwarz reported on an Educational Innovation Partners (EIP) conference she attended at Fortune Bay which she said was “very exciting.” She said the group is working to create a Northeast Region of Excellence, aimed at giving every student in the northeast region the same opportunities that are available in large metro area districts. She said telecommunication would be a large part of it, giving an example of language skills. She said no school has the money to hire a Spanish, Mandarin and Arabic teacher, but through teleconferencing language courses like these could be shared in the region.
. Schwarz said a joint work session is scheduled for March 24 with the Cook County Board of Commissioners to review and discuss documents related to the Cook County Community YMCA collaboration.
. The board approved coaches for spring sports. Hired for softball was Jesse Anderson for varsity and Sara McAteer for JV. They will be assisted by volunteer coaches Kelly Roberts and Jim Roy. Arleigh Jorgenson was hired as varsity baseball coach with Bob Baker assisting as a volunteer. A coach is still needed to serve as assistant JV baseball coach.
. The board also approved the volunteer coaches for the track team, which is funded by the North Shore Ski and Run Club. The volunteers are April Wahlstrom, Chris Hegg, Anne Hegg, Jackie Nelson, Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux, Jared Berg, and Kerri Bilben.
. Superintendent Schwarz provided feedback from a survey about the 2015-16 school calendar. Board members noted that many responders requested keeping the calendar consistent to make planning easier. Looking at the results, Board Member Chris Goettl said, “It’s obvious people want consistency. It’s also obvious that you’re never going to make everyone happy.”
The school board was meeting after press time on March 19 and will make a decision on the school calendar at that time.
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