##VIDEO ID:gokMDXqX_dg## e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e to e good evening the time is now 7:00 and the wetta Public Schools Board of Education regular meeting for Tuesday November 12th 2024 will please come to order will the clerk please call the role hi k here Sheila PRI here Sarah Johansson here Paris Bend absent Valentina SS here Dan janesta here Milan soney present Chase Anderson here thank you we have a quorum if you wish to speak during the audience opportunity to address the board tonight please fill out the form placed at the back of the room and hand it over to our district admin assistant Amy sitting to my right in the far corner there all right the next item on our agenda is the approval of the agenda and the consent agenda items consent agenda items are considered routine in nature and will El will be enacted by one motion there will be no separate discussion of these items unless a board member or a citizen so requests in which event the item will be removed as a consent agenda item and addressed the consent agenda items are listed in the materials the recommended action is to approve the agenda and the consent agenda items is there a motion I so move a second thank you moved and seconded will the clerk please take a roll call vote Paris bende is absent Sheila prior yes Heidi ker yes Valentina SS yes yes Dan janesta yes Sarah Johansson yes Milan soney yes we have an agenda thank you all right the next item on the our agenda is the report from organizations this section of the agenda provides an opportunity for a wetta high school student council representative to report on information and events at WIA High School I would like to invite Pon M student Council vice president from maetta high school to please come forward welcome P hi oh jeez um I hope you guys are all having a wonderful Tuesday today I heard from a classmate that she thinks Tuesdays are worse than Mondays and I have to disagree I feel like tests are rarely assigned on Tuesdays and then there's never Extreme Conditioning in my sports on Tuesdays and I just feel like I hear more laughter from my peers on Tuesdays rather than a Monday or even sometimes a Friday um anyways yesterday was the start of our high school second term um which ultimately means that we have finals coming up but we don't have to worry about that till January um winter sports have be become or begun preparing um like basketball outp Alpine skiing Nordic skiing synchronized swimming and a lot other one a lot more um this last month girls varsity soccer and cross country uh won their state champ championships and then bo boys cross country plays second at the triaa state meet um and I got 41st on my JV mountain bike State race so I think I'm following that trend of winning um but I know Miss PRI or Miss prior said to bring Mountain B King up at our last um harah for our team um so I thought I'd bring that up um so with winter coming up student council has begun our yearly um Community Front fundraiser called um adopt a family and so we uh donate money to the ioccp and the children's hospital um throughout November um and then we've made some improvements from last year we've been working with more local companies and donors to contribute to our goal um that we haven't done in previous years um at the end of this term so last week um the student council hosted uh Sip and study um which is an opportunity to give support to students and tutoring um during their finals week um and so we were able to partner with academic mentors and the volunteer Club to make this happen um student council Fusion meetings um I think they began a couple years ago um it is a place to for leadership and for leadership boards in clubs to meet together and work together um those meetings have begun as of this week um and then another student council sorry um attended the hunin division meeting at Orno high school and so we were able to work with them and connect with other fellow leaders um NHS or the National Honor Society um is hosting the annual Winter Dance the snowball I think in a month or so um and they just finished their term one blood drive I think they have three of them um and it went really well I think it was a duration of two days and I didn't see anybody passing out so that was a good thing um um lastly uh WIA drama club and theater Department um sold out their fall play which is incredible um I think it was it's tart I don't know how to say it but I thought it was chart chartreuse like the caller but anyways um and it ran really well and then this weekend starts their fall musical which is foot loose um I'm going on Friday so if you guys happen to go maybe go on Friday so I can see you guys um and then I just really wanted to recognize the great leadership I've seen in some following clubs which are Chinese Club environmental club and then the youth youth in medicine club or organization and they've just I've seen a lot of improvement with their clubs and that's it yes Sheila hi pton I just want to say U mountain biking is no joke and I'm impressed by all of the athletes this year so coming in for 41st is is still really impressive so we did end the mountain bike season last month and for anybody who doesn't know it's an interesting kind of unique program at the school um it's a community ed and school partnership um and it goes from seventh grade through 12th so I encourage anybody to check that out it is a lot of fun um you can even get a varsity letter in it um and like I said it's it's it's impressive what you guys do so thanks for sharing that thanks for being here um there was a time when this when the um board met with the fusion group and we had a great conversation so it's good to hear that those meetings are starting up again and maybe there's a chance that we can do a board with a bagel with with Fusion or other things um because that's been a great conversation in the past so thanks all right thank you pton um you know I just when when you talk about all the activities that you do and as a council as a whole it just amazes me that you actually do all those things in spite of the heavy workload at school and that speaks volumes to your ability to manage time time management is very critical I think at this point and it'll help you as you grow older and older and you know then it'll become a lot easier I think as you man are able to manage time though thank you so much see you next month all right the next item on the agenda is recognitions and I I will now join superintendent Anderson at the podium good evening everybody and welcome to our school board meeting tonight my name is Chase Anderson I'm the superintendent for the school district and it's my pleasure to convene the recognition uh part of our monthly school board meetings we have quite a number of them uh here tonight and a lot of people that we're going to be recognizing so uh we greatly appreciate all of you who have come here to be recognized tonight and to join in on uh the festivities and the celebration and there truly is a lot to celebrate in our school district so our first recognition this evening um I believe are seated right here in the front are our first of a group of state champions that we're recognizing tonight I'm going to ask coach Tony pezer to come up here with your athletes that are here tonight I'm going to share just a little bit about the wonderful accomplishment and uh give you and students and student athletes as well an opportunity to to share a little bit if you would like to so it's uh again our honor tonight to recognize our wi Isetta High School girls soccer state champions I think we can give them a round of applause right now and I'll just share a little bit before I turn it over to coach pezer um the wi Isetta High School girls soccer team clinched the 20 2024 AAA state championship title with a decisive 3 to1 victory over Edina they scored two quick ones and then held on tight through the remainder of the game this Triumph marks the team's eighth state championship adding to their legacy of wins in 1991 1996 2000 2002 2009 2011 yes there's more 2012 and now 2024 it's pretty amazing I think in my hometown town of uh that's been in existence for with a high school for over 150 years would not have had that many state championships in every sport cumulatively during that century and a half so it's really amazing that you continue that Legacy this year they completed the season with an impressive record of 19 wins one loss and one tie solidifying their place as one of the top high school soccer programs in the state at this time I'll turn it over to coach Tenny Tony Pez Necker congratulations on yes another state championship thank you thank you everyone for uh having this uh event here for the all the the players across country girls and other people who are going to get recognized just wanted to say how very proud I am of of my team uh it's was a a process not just from the beginning of the season but last year they were Runners up in the state and they were very determined that they were going to go back and see if they could get that uh monkey off the shoulders um they perform very well we we had our our our our learning periods throughout the season but we just kept getting better and better and was one of the more dominant victories that we've seen um there was only in the last four years they've only lost uh three games and uh the only team that has beaten them in in three years other than a shootout loss that we lost to Mounds View in 22 as Z we lost to them three times in the last three years so they've really put together something that they should be very proud of and one of the other things that we're very proud of is last year as Runners up they had a team GPA of 3.85 and this year as state champions they were 3.86 so it's quite an achievement as we all know how hard it is uh to do all your work in school and to to still come out on top so um I'll just introduce the the players who are here I have Sophia Alvarez or goalie Nicole mahabat one of our captains Ella brinza one of our Defenders and Addy muo one of our forwards um did you want to say anything Nicole okay um just thank you for having us here and for recognizing us and like Tony said it was great to get back to US Bank for second year in a row and to obviously be Dina after losing three times and also having almost no injuries this year was a big change from last year here so thanks again for recognizing us thank you so much for being here having spent a decade and a half uh in Idina before coming to this role in wetta it's always great to beat the Hornets good job our next uh group of state champions that are here tonight are wisett high school girls cross country team so I'd like to invite all of those uh girls that are here tonight their coach to uh be recognized I'm just going to share a a brief uh overview and then turn it over to coach Kelsey Beach to share a few thoughts and and whoever the designated spokesperson or persons are tune up your speech because you're going to be on here pretty soon I'm sure you have somebody all designated for that but so I'd like to share the following the wi Isetta girls cross country team secured their third consecutive Minnesota State High School league state championship title marking an impressive achievement in the program's history the latest victory brings the teams total to seven state championships with settle in with previous titles won in 2012 2013 2014 2017 2022 and 20123 the Trojans capped off the championship with a score of 42 points and placed three runners in the top 10 underscoring their strength and depth in the competition congratulations to the team on another outstanding season and yet another state championship congratulations thanks for having us here tonight uh yes it's so fun to recognize this group and this is my second year as head coach my fifth year with the program and just such a privilege to continue the Legacy and tradition of this team uh but yeah we're so proud of their showing at the state meet and the showing all season obviously they're a very speedy lunch uh we had the state runner up in Maddie glixon and we had four three other athletes join her in all state honors and Lyla golum jasine maleric ozario and in Miley Clark but I think the thing I'm most proud of from their season and from the state meet was the way they presented themselves they showed up with a Poise and quiet confidence which can be challenging to do they were coming in as the favorite and knew what a responsibility that carried and knew how to take deep breaths at the starting line and stay composed and knew how to be good sports to their competitors I'm also so proud of their togetherness each of these athletes truly ran for each other above s and that showed in the way they ran together and encouraged each other throughout the season and during races and then thirdly and lastly our Mantra this season was show up positively and these girls just did that day in day out whether it was during a grueling workout or adverse weather or the middle of the race that's kind of a grind so super proud of this group and uh really proud of our two senior Captain leaders Julia link and Ali Clayman who have truly just set the example and been great role models for for this full team and really been the Rocks throughout it all so I think they're going to share a couple words oh I should introduce everybody I'm sorry uh we have Miley Clark Laya golum Addison needs desine maleric osario Rachel Tong Aubrey Smith Manny glixon Julia link and Ally Clayman seniors come on up thank you for having us here tonight and I just want to say um it's such a privilege to be a part of this team um I've been on this team for six years and I never would have dreamed of accomplishing all the things that we've accomplished and I couldn't have done it without my amazing teammates um hi um thank you guys all so much for recognizing us I have been on this team for only two years which is actually felt like very long time but these people the way these people has made me feel like a family and how like just including they are and how we can look on each other for any support we need uh running the sides um and I'm just very proud of everything that they put into this all the miles all the hard work and all the everything they put into this it's just been very fun season get our next recognition is in the form of accepting some funding from the wetta Youth Hockey Association and I know we have three Representatives that are here tonight I'd like to welcome all three forward please thank thank you for being here this is a I think it might be an annual tradition where we uh get to welcome uh folks from Our Youth Hockey Association uh to meet with us and they've been very supportive over the years and uh we're just always very uh happy to to welcome them here and to be part of our school board meeting so I'd like to share the following and then I'll turn it over to the team that's here tonight the wetta Youth Hockey Association in collaboration with the wetta community ed and the wetta school district dist facilities department is pleased to announce significant upgrades to theetta Central Middle School ice rink with the installation of new Dasher boards the rink is set to open at the end of October it's already open enhancing the facility for our community of over 1200 youth skaters and supporting our growing need for ice time the wetta Youth Hockey Association is grateful to the school district for their partnership and commitment to these essential improvements and I would say also that we are grateful to them for all that they do for our youth in the community and uh supporting us as strategic partners and developing our young people we really appreciate it so I was provided this uh longer script from Michelle earlier was this my script or yours want me to share a little bit yeah of course I'd be happy too so the it's really exciting for us and and uh very much appreciated to accept this donation of $300,000 uh from August of 2024 to replace the Dasher boards player benches and and shielding structure at the central Ice Arena Central Middle School and they're really critical components to the hockey rink for both functionality and also for safety a few talking points about uh this partnership and the work that they did the ice rink at Central Middle School is a critical component to the athletic programming offered in the school district both for uh uh through the W hockey and Central Middle School fied education program this ring serves over 1,200 girls and boys uh hockey players who attend school in the wieta public schools the sheet of ice supports a growing youth hockey program that is already maxing out available ice in the district and I think anybody who's connected to the hockey world knows that uh Ice uh sheets are always in high demand and and hard to get investing in the maintenance and Improvement of this ice arena ensures that our District's uh youth have access to ice hockey within the district the cost of this new system was $300,000 and it was fully funded by the wetta Youth Hockey Association that's pretty amazing all youth ages 4 to 19 who attend school in District 284 are eligible to play hockey with the wetta Youth Hockey Association and the program offers various age groups and levels that support hockey players across a wide spectrum of experience from firsttime skaters to highly skilled uh high school players so we really appreciate uh that we have Representatives here tonight Michelle are you the designated spokesperson that's what my script says or is it Greg I can't miss out on a chance all right I know Greg will always take the the podium thank you so much yeah I just I not sure how many people know but is that a youth hockey's real name is the district 284 Youth Hockey Association and our boundaries are district 284 so of those 1200 plus students I think there's one that I know of that does not go to school in District 284 uh but so virtually we're supporting and that's the largest enrollment in the history of wetta Youth Hockey so it's uh the need for the rink at Central Middle School from a from a Youth Association program for kids of District 284 is greater than it's ever been but we also noticed that I think the rink and I I wasn't there in the very beginning even though I might look like it opened between 72 and 74 at some point so it's 50 plus years old and it needs some updating and improvements um so Waki would like to continue to work with the school board to do that and keep that Arena available for students at Central Middle School during the day and youth of District 284 every night Saturday from 7 AM to 10 pm same on Sunday um as soon as we can open it so once again we would like to thank the district for all the support they've given the kids who play hockey for over 50 years and I hope to see another 50 years or as many of that 50 as I can possibly see but want to continue to make sure wetta Central Middle School arena is open to the kids of this District so thank you we need to get some photos and then drop off the rest of the money that the association owes the district um I'm not sure if it's the largest donation that's ever been made to the school district for any facility but we sure are happy to do it thank you I don't carry around checks depositor thanks again for being here tonight everybody we really appreciate it so Scott will drop that off at the ATM on the way home tonight I'm sure oh yeah that was awesome we would just appreciate again another example of the generosity in the community and and how wonderful people are to step up and help out in so many different ways our next recognition this evening is really a fun one that I actually got to be part of as well so um I'm going to share a little bit of information but I would like to invite the Oakwood contingent here forward tonight I think Sarah Beth did I the principal at Oakwood and Amy lean the social worker at Oakwood uh the three of us hung out a little bit in Washington DC at the end of last week and uh celebrated the fact that Oakwood Elementary is a National Blue Ribbon School in 2024 I know there's quite a contingent of support here as well um and I'll just share the following and then turn it over to our two staff members that are here to uh uh share a little bit and and uh talk about the award in Oakwood Oakwood Elementary has been named at 2024 National Blue Ribbon School by the US Department of Education Oakwood is one of only 356 schools Nationwide and seven schools in the state of Minnesota to be recognized as a 2024 Award winner Oakwood is being awarded in the category of exemplary High performing schools for being among the state highest performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests the National Blue Ribbon School award affirms and validates the hard work of students Educators families and communities in striving for and attaining exemplary achievement this is the second time Oakwood has been named a National Blue Ribbon School the last time was in 2017 wi Isetta Public Schools is proud to have 12 schools that have been recognized with this prestigious award Sarah Beth tonight I principal of Oakwood Elementary and Amy lean School social worker and Chase Anderson the superintendent accepted the National Blue Ribbon School award on November 8th 2024 in Washington DC congratulations to Oakwood well done I think we're going to show a brief video and then we'll let Sarah Beth Andor Amy share a little bit if they would like Cardona and I want to say a big congratul ation to each and every one of our 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools achieving this honor means that your schools are raising the bar thanks to your amazing Educators and students it means that your school is the pride of your community and the model for schools Across the Nation for more than 40 years our national Blue Ribbon Schools have shown us what it means to raise the Bor for our nation's students you show us what happens when we focus on the instructional core ensuring every student in America receives an excellent education that lets them achieve their dreams you show us what happens when we listen to the Educators in schools and classrooms every day who know their students and their communities best and you show us what happens when we lift up best practices in instruction when we Empower students to uncover their unique superpowers and share them with the world these could be skills like math or science speaking multiple languages or maybe just an ability to relate to those with different identities no matter what it is you allow students to realize their full potential as we celebrate your achievement I also want to recognize that our journey to raise the bar for our schools and students it never ends we know that Educators hold the key to shaping the future that's why this administration's commitment to supporting Educators is unwavering that's why we fight unapologetically to make sure Educators and education leaders get the respect they deserve and the support they need as a National Blue Ribbon School and Educators your journey has valuable lessons to teach other schools and districts and States Across the Nation so let's normalize what you've achieved and let's make sure that examples of Excellence that you've pioneered in your schools Inspire systems of success across our nation let's Inspire other schools and Educators with the power of your for example let's share our strategies for raising the bar for Educational Opportunity professional development giving teachers the support they need on behalf of the United States Department of Education President Biden vice president Harris and our entire Administration I want to congratulate you and say thank you for all you've done to raise the bar for Education Oakwood Elementary School Plymouth well thank you for this um recognition um well it was encouraged by the woman abumi who's in charge of the National Blue Ribbon um that we dance across the stage and Chase didn't think jazz hands would be maybe his style of accepting the award um but anyway it was a real honor to be there and to be um recognize as well as to accept it on behalf of all of our Oakwood Community because we know it is some of those um everyday things that happen that make that big difference in our students learning and so it really is an honor and a privilege to be part of Oakwood school so thank you so much it was a great event to be a part of and uh again congratulations to the entire Oakwood team and uh it's really a nice celebration and recognition for the schools across the country and uh I've been there a few times over the years and my tenure of superintendent here and each time I go my wife gives me uh a directive and says whatever you do do not dance on that stage and I never have so because I know she'll be watching and I'll hear about it all right congratulations sarbath and Amy and the whole Oakwood crew well done thank you so much our next recognition is for our employee of the month and I would like to invite Nicole suler forward please from Greenwood Elementary School congratulations I'm going to share a script of uh nomination information that was submitted on behalf of Nicole who is described as humble gracious and one who creates a sense of calm wherever she is she looks pretty relaxed I think over she's a wonderful teacher and a model of Excellence we are so lucky to have her in wetta public schools Nicole cares deeply about our students and inspires us to be our best when inter inter acting with others she has an uncanny ability to solve hard Problems by thinking creatively she is decisive in challenging situations Nicole always goes above and beyond to support students and staff at Greenwood she's an amazing advocate for our students and always Taps into the strengths of our students Nicole is a natural leader on the Greenwood Special Education team and makes more than the average number of decisions each day she's positive knows her students deeply and is diligent with Data Tracking she dedicates case every second of the school day to creating a positive learning environment for our students and she is always willing to help and collaborate with staff Nicole has high expectations for our students while also being in tune with how our students are meeting their basic needs similarly Nicole consistently supports the team of resource teachers special education parents and general education teachers so that they are able to meet their needs and help our students to be successful her dedication to doing this hard work is truly inspiring a whole host of caring comments specific examples and special memories were shared by the Greenwood team about Mrs suler but suff it to say she will represent our entire School District incredibly well as November's Employee of the Month Nicole congratulations and you can make two comments um thank you so much for the recognition I really appreciate it um I I'm really I am truly humbled to be here today um and accept this recognition uh I can't help but think that everyone from Greenwood deserves to be up here with me um it is a truly amazing staff to work with um when I first joined Greenwood several years ago um I was immediately struck by the really warm and welcoming and caring atmosphere there um I honestly was like oh was this just because I'm new like are they just being nice because of that it that's not the case um it is truly the Educators there are so genuine in their care for each other and for students um it it's just amazing to be part of that atmosphere um I really would like to thank the general education team for all of their support and collaboration with us um that I think says a lot about our building leadership as well um they are always open to new ideas um and that is what is best for our kids and they have some of the best ideas for us too um I want to take a minute to recognize my um Special Education team they are incredible people um again they could all be up here with me as well uh I could not do a fraction of what I do without them uh we they are some of the hardest working and most creative people if you have a challenge they're the people you want by your side they're going to figure it out with you um and they're just really incredible human beings um I'd like to also thank my family and husband for for my support in um education and my passion for that and I also have to um you know sincerely thank our students and the families that um share them with us we have some wonderful parents who entrust us with their kids um and they are just um a small I get to be a small part of their journey and it is wonderful to watch them grow and see how um the Greenwood team and the schools across the district really support them so thank you so much I appreciate it I believe our next and final recognition includes uh acknowledging uh somebody who recently submitted uh their intent to retire and each month at our school board meetings we do read the names of those who have made that decision uh we only have one this month and that is Kathy lner who's uh administrative professional at the Welcome Center and she served the district for 18 years she's not here this evening but uh we'd like to give her a round of of Applause and uh greatly appreciate her work and I believe that concludes our recognitions for tonight we thank you so much uh for being here and uh we'll continue on with our Greenwood Elementary School report I think I'd like to introduce Dana Miller at this time thank you Dr Anderson congratulations to the honoraries and a special thanks to the vetta Youth Hockey Association for that very generous offer all right we now move on to the next item on the agenda which is the highlight of our regular meetings the school Spotlight presentation tonight the spotlight is on Greenwood Elementary and I'll turn it over to executive director of teaching and learning DEA Miller to make the introductions there thank you director soney members of the board superintendent Anderson thank you for having us tonight um as you know the wetta schools have been on a journey about the last four years to revitalize our personal learning communities um in order to support each and every one of our students Greenwood Elementary staff have continued this Learning Journey in developing high functioning professional learning communities to leverage teacher and student and staff efficacy and collaboration in order to be who they want to be working to ensure Excellence for each and every student tonight with us we welcome principal Brad gustofson Dean Eric homand and literacy coach Lauren Peterson to share some of this work at Greenwood thanks for being here thank you so much for giving us a chance to share a little bit about the work our team has been engaged with this year and for the last several years couple quick notes before we dive in here I do want to Echo um everything Nicole suler said but our Greenwood Special Education team and staff really are um inspiring and just the leadership on that team is um just on inspiring as the best way to say it so I was just appreciate everything she said and thanks for the support of her and now to the reason we're here tonight I just want to piggy back to what Ross and Cassie shared last month when the Sunset Hill team was here green was while we'll be focusing on sharing how we're connecting with strategic Direction number two and specifically on our PLC work um this is not something different that we're doing than than any other school although we might have our own flavor and brand in in some way but it really is hopefully a representation of the efforts that teams and schools are doing across the district and the way that we kind of look at it is a lots of what Sunset Hill is engaged with we care about and we're working on too so together hopefully it's a mosaic of lots of great Educators work and efforts to make a difference for kids so with that said what's the best way to click do I say click or awesome thanks okay okay amazing yeah we thought we'd just have this won't quite be as entertaining or engaging as what Sunset Hill did I saw the video that was amazing but uh we are going to do a little bit of a role play here so if you could just reflect on the Continuum and maybe put um internally not going to shout out or have to get a tattoo where where we see ourselves or anything like that but just reflect on where do you see yourself on that Continuum either as an educator or a leader or just um when you're thinking about who you want to be for kids someone who builds relationships or gets results or somewhere along that slider so once you have that in mind I'll share just a couple quick fun facts on the numbers so um this was a like a nationally a national survey and of the leaders or um teams that saw their leaders focusing on relationships they they felt that the leadership and this wasn't just connected to education but 12% um felt the leader was effective or the leadership was effective so it's um surprising or at least I was surprised for those leaders and Leadership teams that were focused on results it was 14% of the people um working on the team saw that as effective and again somewhat surprising however 72% thought it was really effective and great I think was the survey language great leadership when a team focuses on both and I know who I think we want to be at Greenwood we want to be and we talk about leaders like everyone at Greenwood I has tremendous leadership in particular these two next to me as well but we want to be leaders who help students achieve and build relationships and connection and help each and every student belong so that's where the 72% comes in however here's the kicker among and this this was a second survey it was like mult multi- continents with um just this vast number of people responding less than 1% felt they were in an environment where the leader the leadership team was actually able to do that I think a lot of people think they're doing that we want to do that we want to be people but the question that seems unanswered largely in the world is how do we how do we be that people and fulfill that promise so that was not specific to education so hopefully an education in wetta the number would be much higher and part of our goal and our work together is to try to make it be higher so what does that actually look like and that's where the next slide comes in you've probably heard our team talk before a little bit in past presentations uh that were literacy related that we want to help all of our students do two things not just one thing we want to help them learn how to read but we also want to help them actually want to read so that we don't have um functioning someone who smarter than me said it better but like someone some who can read but just chooses not to or doesn't engage in it so that's kind of the Bulan and that's who we want to be and that it's a little bit like the relationship um with a book or with yourself with your identity as a reader and the actual skill to read so then we'll will transition now to our school goals and how they connect with our strategic directions and we have two goals as the next slide I'll share and the first one is in specific to academic achievement and the the second one is maybe more relational and it's the student empowerment the student voice our students just feeling like they belong and that they have a voice in their learning and that they also have that chance to learn from one another so that's kind of our our spin on the relationships and the results those two goals together now everything that by the way I'm the on- wp here the main event is coming up soon so if you're wondering just bear bear with me just for a minute we're going to get to the the meat and gravy of this thing but some of the C work that's been happening in our district for the last couple years with administrators and now our coaches just doing deep learning there are some really some graphics that stood with us so the next slide shows the staircase and I can't shake the staircase out of my head so it's always just what incremental learning what small changes and small areas of growth can we make to make an even bigger difference or if we have 60 70 80 90% of students or subgroups achieving what can we do to have every single student feel like they're belonging and connected and also learning so that's where the staircase comes in just what's our next um step to to get there and whatever we portray tonight we certainly don't want to um suggest even and we don't believe that we're in the ideal State we're forever learning and growing and some of this is messy and it's hard and we learn or I learned through mistakes and they're like told you Brad you probably shouldn't that but I'm kidding only slightly but it's just been such a team effort and we just want to authentically kind of open the C to just share a little bit of our PLC work the next slide is just a kind of reminder that while we're sharing about our goal and the work we're doing to help all kids achieve um it's not at the expense of um you know creating a culture that sees kids as human beings as whole kids with as the Hockey Association or somebody shared earlier just who have passions and so many talents in addition to math and science and reading so all of that matters a great deal to us so it's it's a both then for us so with that said just living out our core our district core one of our core Visions or values I'm sorry is the concept of professional learning communities so I was reminded that not everyone knows like intimately what that means so just want to highlight a few things for us it's not just collaborating so that's on the next slide it's showing up on purpose for a purpose we want to help each and every child learn and not just achieve for a test but just to be successful human beings who have Limitless opportunities and in order to do that that often will require not just testing and retesting but shifts in instruction shifts in mindset deep reflection it is time in intensive work that takes teacher bandwidth and commitment it it takes vulnerability and we are so proud of the Greenwood team for waiting in these Waters and growing so much and teaching us so much the um bullets on the right are the the few things that we will highlight tonight PLC work is really schoolwide work it's not something that happens in a meeting once a week again it's a bothan where we meet and we connect to data and we connect with one another and we reflect on practice and what we can do do different or what we can try again or who's getting it or who hasn't got it yet all of those things but those um Six Bullets on the right are the few things that we're going to highlight tonight so with that said the first is um those were just kind of at the beginning of the year shared commitments that we made to each other and we just said you know the school year Lots can happen in year but these are the six that at the end of the year we're going to feel like um we spent a lot of time and put some energy on them together so the first was just a commitment from the team to have a consistent meeting room outside a classroom and that might sound like a little thing but um the thing that made me most proud as a principal it was our teachers and leaders asking for a space outside of the classroom so they could focus wholeheartedly and not necessarily have drop-ins or other distractions they're really valuing this work and trying to make a difference and grow the photo of the class uh of our one of our separate meeting spaces I'll also add this one of those is pre flooding so it bring I'm having a little bit of PTSD I think it's called um but the carpet's dried out it's clean and looking looking lovely now but some of the other cool things about that space are the technology to support the work and just be able to reference student data on laptops and connect to things like norms and essential standards we've also had teams request um visuals and posters they're not just there for decoration but people have said it would be helpful to get for example a a photo or a visual of the four PLC questions which we'll get to later so just the ownership in the room and the process and one or two of those photos I think we're on a this is really geeky but like a PLC text thread where we're like hey this is cool and we'll share photos every once a while or of just uh learning and pictures of the room so I think we took one of those from the room so if you're ever wondering what we're communicating about after hours it's like PLC enhancements so next slide is another connection or a commitment that we made at the beginning of the year and I think for this one instead of just saying we do Norms I just wanted to provide a glimpse of the journey that we've been on I looked back in my some computer files from almost 10 years ago and just did did a summary I think I might have even thrown it into chat GPT but think I said synthesize several of the team's Norms you know so this isn't one grade levels but it was kind of a representation on the left of what you would have seen in our school and all of those are probably good and helpful but they don't all ensure that we're helping each and every student learn if you really were to look at them so the iteration after years of growth and conversation and just teachers continuing to push themselves and each other and um keep kind of you know being on the Journey of becoming is what you see on the right and that was mod ified from some solution tree training that um Dr Miller and the teaching and learning team have been super supportive just to build our capacity to be able to do this work and and keep getting better for kids but our team customized them for us and one of the things that I think is most exciting is at the top it says we're going to start by answering every meeting how are we going to improve learning for kids during this time and then at the end of the meeting did we do what we promised we would do and just the reflection um last year we implemented this but just people saying that felt right and it was more focused than usual and we continue to grow and now it seems like anytime you share something um it continues to evolve and there are different iterations so now where we're at we've had recent conversations on our building instructional leadership team that you know what we want to do those and live those out and not just talk about them in the sense of norms but we want to be super authentic and just have it be a way of being so we're in the process of checking in on what will this look like instead of just now talking about a checklist because when you start to to do things more regularly you don't need to sit and it's just a really cool thing you don't always need to recommit every single meeting that we're going to do this because then it get it gets to be like we we know we do it every meeting that's why we're here so it's an exciting thing and we don't exactly know what's next but we know that um who we want to be has been a big part of that conversation so with that said thanks for bearing with the on WP I do want to introduce we'll start with Lauren Peterson she's Greenwood's literacy coach she also serves another school in our district her leadership and collaboration along with our Dean Eric holand has been um I I just don't have enough words the capacity building that they've helped me and us do just with the high level of collaboration it's um I could be up here for like five hours and I wouldn't even be honestly be able to scratch the surface so um I just hope that I hope that you capture the essence of kind of what they bring into the space and how they've helped our school thanks Lauren so as part of our work um this year in focusing our professional learning communities um we took the work from the solution tree Institute that many of us got to attend um in tune and really took that and put it into action this year um and so part of toor's work is having these four PLC guiding questions and this these questions really help us ensure that we are meeting our mission of reaching each and every student so starting with that first question of what do we want all students to learn how do we know that they've learned it what are we doing when they haven't and what do we do when they have right really encap encapsulates both ends like how are we ensuring they learn and then what are we doing when they do um and that's been helpful to our work so in part of that first question is how what do we want them to learn um we took this also from solution tree it's called the real criteria and we engaged in a process of identifying our essential standards and this happened at many of the elementary schools so there are tons of standards and all of them are important and as part of our work we needed to really narrow in on what are we deeming as essential and instead of using some of our personal bias and what we think might be most essential um we used this criteria to help our teams online um and identify what are those standards that are really going to give us the most Readiness endurance accountability and leverage moving from one grade level to another and by doing that process it's really helped us to uh deepen our work around those essential standards so that we really know what we're looking for when we're looking to see if students have or have not learned um said skill and we can adjust our practice accordingly so that was um a really meaningful process and so then I'm gonna pass it off to Eric thank you all right thank you so you know we we've gone to the PLC Institute and looked at those four questions and and come back and thought you we really want to have a system based around that because on the graphic up here we want to be a leading school and when what it says up there right is high results and high understanding and to us that means that we have a high understanding of how our kids are being successful on those essential standards because we have a system we have a process we can go back and tell you how we were successful because then we can replicate that um so that's a big part of this if we go to the next slide we have created this PLC form and uh it's it's based off of the four questions I'm going to go through different parts of it here quickly um but each section of this is tied to those four essential questions we want to make sure that we're continuing to be aligned uh grade level plc's um so we we know what that essential standard is we know how we're going to assess it we know what we want to do when kids learn it and when they don't learn it so we actually have a comprehensive plan around those essential standards so we can go to the next slide this is getting a little bit more in depth on it you can see we start off with question one what do we want all students to learn and that's the great work that Lauren was able to do with plc's across our schools identify those essential standards so we come to the table we know these are the things we want to be able to guarantee to families if they came into our to our school your child is going to learn this right and here we have this system that is the ideal is that it's going to lead us to that result so we we focus it on a learning Target because with standards they can be wordy they can be multiple learning targets within that we focus in on that learning Target and then as a PLC the teams have been doing incredible work creating success criteria around that and sometimes I mean all this comes back to Student Success and that's our goal here but sometimes the really cool thing these plc's is listening to our amazing teachers have conversations about what Mastery looks like with an essential standard because it might be if we don't have this conversation we might have different perspectives of that so you're seeing Educators go really deep on the things that we think really matter and getting a really good grasp on what that Mastery looks like what does it look like if a kid is close if they're progressing or if they need additional support okay the next part on there is the common assessment we want to have an and sometimes we think of a big assessment it might be a test it might be something small it might be an exit ticket we have those conversations in our plc's too how can we collect data in efficient way so we can respond in a timely manner and have that data be useful if we go to the next slide so at this point in the process teachers have given the assessment they bring that data back and where it says section one two three that would have a teacher's name on there and they'll actually char students names on the for based off of um how the students did with that agreed upon success criteria on the agre agreed upon Common Assessment we can then go through the levels of data dialogue protocol which you see is label as observations inferences and trends we' like to start off by making observations specifically on what we see on the data up there so that we're not letting any background biases come in we're looking like actually like we have this success criteria this is what the data shows right I might think this kid is going to do this well or struggle on this but actually this is what it actually is so we can make those observations um then build some inferences why do we think those things might have played out the way that they did then identify some Trends what are kids who need support how are they showing up on the assessment kids who are progressing or kids who are at Mastery what is it that they're doing well after that we go to our next step which is on our next slide here and this is really cool we get into questions three and four which is can be a challenge to get to those sometimes if you don't have a system like this if you don't have a process like this it's easy to get stuck on the assessment this helps us go to the next level we know where our kiddos are at on these essential standards and now we can create an instructional plan what are we going to do for kids question three who didn't get it right if they're at a deep level of needing deep support um or if they're progressing they're close and then another thing that can easily be missed is okay the kids have it they're at Mastery where do we go next how do we extend their learning that can be an easy thing to say you got it I'm going to focus on everybody else but we want to focus on every child so that's why we have both of those steps in there um I'm not sure if we have another slide okay I think this is back to Brad so thank you thanks sir I think Eric alluded to this but all of those steps play out typically over multiple weeks so we'll come together in meetings and work on and look at some things and then teachers will go back and just do some incredible work usually additional planning and um instruction intervention whatever the whatever it calls for and then come back with data and just go through the process and then it actually cycles and we're not this far this year yet that I'm aware of tomorrow tomorrow okay where it actually then will recycle is not the right word but we can go up and either choose to keep the same essential s standard go deeper and work on different success criteria or move on to another standard um the the litmus for that is once 80% of our students have mastered an essential standard it is reasonable to look at the next one but we don't leave the 20 there are still those instructional plans and interventions that are happening but our students as a whole are ready for us to also focus on on that so again that's a a both end I think the grand finale what we just wanted to share was we're really serious as a school district and and on the Greenwood team about helping our students as whole complete people which includes the relational aspect of the work that is so important not just with us but with one another and just knowing that they can come to school and have the skills to make friends and lifelong friends if they so choose and have a deep sense of belonging and create the conditions where their voices matter and they're not just learning from the adults in the room for one another as well that's kind of our student experience goal number two but also our PLC work is one of our primary ways where we're just leaning further and further into strategic Direction Number Two that we highlighted tonight so with that said our team team or the representatives of the Greenwood team would love to answer any questions if we can thank you so much for that presentation I think it was just fascinating to see all all the data and everything else that you are hoping to achieve by May 2025 thank you any questions Sheila thanks sorry about that oh now it's on you're all my witness that I didn't touch it and it turned on right okay um thank you for sharing that we have heard a lot about plc's before and I think this is the first time that I really got a a sense of what it's like you know like kind of a detailed picture of what it would be like to be in one and what kind of stuff you know happens so thank you for that um it made me think of a question that um when you talked about the data and you had like the the table and you would say like one section and there would be a list of student names um what do you do with that data and are you are is each teacher responsible just for each their own students or is there like is there some collaboration where you say well this there's students in all of these classrooms that maybe are struggling and you know can we split them up or you know kind of make more efficient use of our time so that some teachers are just doing you know the students that need it and some are maybe working with the accelerated students and I don't know just uh wondering if you had more details on that kind of stuff sure thanks that's a wonderful question so philosophically and who I one of our teams um one of the strongest parts of our identity as a school Community I think is trying and looking at all of our students as our students so even if you really go back and read Nicole sembler the tribute that um staff submitted there's a lot of our students and that's really how we view it it's not my students my my class so within PLC meetings and afterwards there's a teachers just authentically have a vested interest and show up caring about and noticing and and helping one another so that's really cool so the short answer is it's not just worrying about a single class the p meeting I was in most recently this week um the team had noticed right away that one uh just how students in one of the classes did and they were very eager to I think one of the questions was like what did you do so and so I don't need to name any names but it's just that celebratory like noticing and wondering and being just constant Learners and then as far as some of the options like how do we respond to the data as a staff this reminds me of the staircase slide where I said I don't want to portray that we're in the ideal so all of our systems are start up and running there's things being you know as part of our school Improvement plan we're growing and building and you just can't do it all in September but it is forming and it's very exciting to see our team build on strengths from past years and just get better and better and learn more but one of the conversations that we're having more I think than we were ever ever able to do was some um sharing of students just flexible learning groups skill-based we have we've started at Greenwood now wi time which stands for what I need and and other many other elementary schools in our district have had that time but that's part of our system that we're constructing now but that's also a good opportunity if a teacher or a team wanted to I don't want to say trade students but help and collaborate and and connect with other kids that'd be one way to do it yeah but sometimes it's also um just talking about practice so teachers in the room saying you know how do you do that and then going back with your home room class and trying that whether it be um like one of the things in a recent meeting was we had given a common assessment and we weren't 100% sure our students knew the skill that we the strategy we were talking about thick and thin questions just for depth of understanding and our kids did pretty well but not as well as we want them to um but part of the conversation the team had was well we can give a burst of instruction in that so they have that strategic conversation and then oftentimes we'll go back to the room sharper you know iron sharpens iron but sharper as a result of the conversation do good work and then come back together and see what it did and what we need to do next so it really is a continuous cycle yeah I have two questions um this is fantastic thank you um thank you mostly for all the work that you do to support our teachers and our students it's really huge um this is incredible and it seems like a lot right I mean it's it's pretty intensive it's taking a lot of time and and as you work to have the 80% and then the 20% right I mean I I can imagine what this is going to look sound and feel like in March so is it how do you keep it sustainable right how do you is how do you keep it sustainable I'm assuming teachers see the benefit of it and so they do that but we also know there's a lot on our staff plates and so how does that happen yeah you you may get different answers depending on who you ask because every educator will have their own experiences I think one thing from our um leadership team outside the classroom is just trying to be really two things like Purpose Driven knowing that this work matters and we're not winging it it's really based on intensive training and ongoing support but then that um I know the the art of just working with other human beings and seeing them as people who have needs so part of the Norms on teams is when we're working on these together if a team says gosh sometimes it is really hard to show up at a meeting because I'm thinking about a student who needs X and I need to help with this and just you know the list so could we have 10 minutes to power through so that our brains can totally dedicate to to this so it's it's just trying to work together and have honest conversations and notice how people are showing up and um being willing to modify and adjust as the year goes on because we know who we want to be we have a really good system that's helping us grow and we also have ridiculously talented Educators with voices and experiences that um are are everything so trying to bring the best of all that together to co-create this okay that's super helpful and then if I can ask a second question um and this is a little off but I can't have Greenwood come in without asking about student voice right and so you're talking a lot about teachers making plans and going through this but I'm certain there's a student voice piece in there and can you tell us anything about that and and where that shows up oh my goodness it did feel really strange to come here I think for the first time I could ever remember not have a room full of kids so thank you for like uh speaking truth into this room and I don't even know how to answer it because I other than guilty not um yeah as far as presenting on PLC is not there but I will say um I don't want this to sound uh anything but but how genuine it is I think our team cares about kids and their voices and their experience more than we could ever even hope that they would if that makes sense sense so the work that we do and we when we look at a form this is not a form for us this is to help promise that kids get what they need just to do um really incredible things now and into their future and the way that teachers are even owning the even the the data and um doing certain things to to make sure that um students that are on their mind are um never forgotten and last is really um really impressive so even when student voice isn't physically manifested at a microphone in a in a room I feel like our team I'm just inspired by the way that um that's the the whisper and the heartbeat of the work so and maybe it's fair to say it's your way of being yeah thanks for saying that I would like you um I would like to ask to clarify about academic achievement of a goal uh what does it mean great so thank you had so many great notes coming in and I really didn't go off the notes so thanks for bringing us back so our academic achievement goal I'll just break that down just a little bit because there's there is a lot to it so when we talk about trying to increase a percentage of our students in in K5 um in the typical growth or aggressive growth category on Fast testing what that means is fast testing I think it has four categories of growth so flat is not helpful uh moderate isn't helpful when a student um is showing up and scoring in the highrisk area or some risk area and I'm using that language intentionally because kids are not high risk or some risk it's a score that they earn on a test but if they um are in that range initially then our school goal is to have a higher number of kids earn aggressive growth over the course of the year because if a student starts the year um scoring high risk but they make flat or kind of at grade level growth over the course of the year then at the end of the year while they will have grown one grade level they will not have caught up to where where we want them so the goal specifically it's for all students so it it touches upon you know typical growth for all kids but we're very cognizant of the fact that we're aiming for aggressive growth for the students who need that to be reading well in at grade level standards in every grade not just by third grade does that help clarify it yes uh thank you and next question if I can ask is um to be honest being in education one thing is to help out student to read and then being happy celebrated and then we call it summer times happened uh Autumn and it feels like uh student is rolling back like a year uh with results so what do you do to make uh to make sure that student want to read obiously thanks one time you learn a skill but then it will be nice that student continues on his own what what are the secrets yeah so a few schoolwide secrets we know the So reading motivation actually is part of the science of reading it's not necessarily the one that's most talked about but it is part of it so we want kids to be motivated to read one way that we do that is by investing in their reading identity sometimes that is actually going at it sideways and seeing them as a soccer player or however they're identifying in the things that they love because they might not love reading yet but if we can see them and relate to them and then connect them to literature or even show you know share our own reading life thereby basically creating culture so if you walk in our school um Chase always teaches under promise and overd delivered I feel like I'm about to overpromise so fast in your seat Bel here but I don't think you'd be able to take too many steps until you would just notice there is a culture of reading that people are trying to co-create here whether it's from the staff photo that has every teacher and parent person in our school holding a book it's not just a composite it's literally so kids are looking for the teachers they adore but also asking what books their teachers adore like all of these things layered on top of each other in addition to really solid instruction and intervention but when you create the culture where it is cool and expected to talk about what you're reading to to ask classmates what they're reading kids start to rise to that occasion and and by the way it's not um we also try to not have the identity be oh you're just a soccer player or you're just someone who likes reading so even though I talk about reading a lot I'm really intentional to let her students know I also love fishing and and some other things so that they know you don't like because some kids reading is not their first love but if you help them realize it is okay to like lots of things and reading might not be at the top of the list but lots of people have that as something that they also also like so it's um I would just say layers and layers so if you're walking down the hall and just noticing kids and classroom teachers advertising what they're reading for their read alouds and kids a lot of our classes have um like dry erase things above coat hooks where kids are updating what they're reading it's just um lots of little things done with intention to create the sum total of we want this to be a place where kids don't just come to learn how to read that's part of it but that's really the low bar we also need to make sure that they leave here with feelings that reading that they see themselves as a reader so another thing and this will be my last point is there are things historically that we've done in schools that can be problematic and not helpful to kids and not have them fall in love with reading and no judgments to anyone who is currently using a reading log because they can be used in a helpful way there there's an art and some research behind it but they also can have the effect of turning kids off after reading so just having intentional conversations about like um like in my own home when our kids were younger my son wanting to read a book and well it doesn't count that that can't be on your reading log when he was a voracious reader you know going into school if we're doing things that have kids feeling the opposite or moving further away from their identity as readers or like being like this I guess this isn't for me because of all the strings attached to reading those are things that we just want to reflect on so no judgments to anyone because I probably led the charge on half the practices that I just mentioned but at least creating a community where we can have courageous conversations just to ask how is that practice working for our readers and if it's working for 80% of them what about the other 20 who who it's not working for who don't see themselves in it so probably maybe um another answer to that would just be really intentional conversations in a culture where those conversations can happen yeah so first of all thank you for coming tonight and I want to thank you the three of you for leading with your vulnerability and with your seriousness and your expertise um the way that you presented this is striking to me because it creates while while it looks very structured I think it's also very Nimble right so so that you can um change things for each student however is necessary in that moment so I really really appreciate that as as a way towards each and every um so I'm going to I I love hearing the details and I love getting the opportunity but I'm going to zoom out for a second and I'm hoping you guys can help me so how does this overlay I feel like the real criteria was an example of how you're aligning the processes between schools but I'm wondering how how does this overlay with built and does it overlay with built because it's a great system that's set up at Greenwood and every school is going to look different like you were saying and this is Greenwood's brand of it but how do you share your findings or share your learnings yep so I'll start with built and then I'll zoom out um District level so our built team and the the teacher leaders in our school who we get to work with at built lots of just give and take and exchanges so if you remember the slide I talked about where we talked about the norms and the iteration over the years I think literally last built meeting maybe the one before we just had an honest conversation about how Norms were working because we we do not want to be people who just show up to a room where we could literally make a difference and keep growing but jump through hoops and and the team the built team said it so much more eloquently but we just had a conversation about the purpose and the need and actually self-reflecting on where we are and our school district has some really cool protocols where teachers and teams can self-reflect on Norms use and I think it's called levels of implementation but in in many areas and aspects our team at least as I see them as as I see our teachers are living out the Norms in in such a authentic way how we and how I was presenting them to kind of just like okay Brad you got to follow the rules you got to do this this is what you do we just had the conversation like who who is this for and what is it trying to do and it was just a really cool thing so that's just a microcosm of the type of conversation that happens to reflect on practice and how we might get better and grounded in who who do we want to be and it was much more detailed than that and teachers had some really great things to say but this work um intersects it it's actually more than an intersection it's um an extension of built probably like a symbiotic Rel I don't know if I've ever said that word all in my life so forgive me but it's like a two-way relationship where built learns and and grows and supports plc's and and and the latter okay at the district level you know I know Greenwood the most because I'm I'm there every day what I what I'm however what I'm very confident in is every Elementary School is invested in this learning work and while the approaches and the needs might vary slightly I'm very confident that excellent work is happening that is grounded in research-based practices with plc's partly because when we show up at the solution tree conference we see schools from across the district and get to cross-pollinate and have conversations to some of what we do you know back at Green but I use the word brand that was probably not the best word but just what like our approach the the way that we've approached this learning work we try to also be really strength based so Lauren and Eric have some skills that um literally I still knock my sock it just is fascinating how deep it is so we've tapped into those so some of the work that's emerged at Greenwood it might even be um a teeny bit in addition to like uh Eric and particulars job description working with students but it's been so transformative how could we not how could we not like learn and grow with that so just with the partnership with him Lauren and our incredible teachers and the give and take um that's how it kind of landed or landed isn't the right word but that's part of what we're trying and how we're doing it however I I'm very confident every school would have different um causes for celebration specific to this work yeah one question that came to mind you mentioned um you can have tests or you could have kind of exit tickets or exit slips and as was wondering kind of what an exit slip would look like yeah that's a great question cool yeah so the the team you know the the PLC they'll PLC team will determine you know their their uh their standard and then they'll break it down to a learning Target something a little bit more minute and when you look at let's say you look at a quiz or test and maybe it has you know 10 or 15 or 20 things on it there's a lot of different learning targets taking place on there so we might only be looking at two questions from that test if we were going to bring that back because that might be what's really focused on the on the skill that we're working with kids so we can create larger assessments that are just around that learning Target but another thing we can do is an exit slip so an exit slip is could be just a small piece of paper it could be digital it could be all kinds of different things but it's just a quick little checkin on whatever that skill is so I think uh Dr Guston mentioned we have a team who is working on thick and thin questions right are you going to depth with your question or is it kind of a surface level question they could create a large assessment around that they could also create um just on a paper before you leave or before you you head out to recess jot down a thick and and thin question from your independent reading book and then we have that put it on a Post-It note and then we can sort them later so the idea is that there can be really quick and efficient ways especially as we talk about how arduous this work could be there's ways and as teams as we collaborate around it to make it more efficient and and lighten the load a little bit for teachers so that we can get those those quick checkins throughout the work because we don't want to just check in at the beginning and at the very end and not know what that path was like getting to the final summi of assessment right we want to have those quick checkin so exit exit ticket is is one way to do that just a quick little paper whatever it is so you can demonstrate the skill quickly and a teacher could sort those out that thank you yes thank you okay um I have I have an observation although it may not be correct but let me know if I'm wrong um I'm referring to the academic achievement goals and I see that you want to go from 55.9% to 57.9% so that tells me it's a very very tough job you know it's not easy to do that in one year so is that is that correct to move it by 2% yes okay um so we started in fall and it's two months now since that program started and you're going to assess you know give us the final results in May I'm assuming that you are not going to wait till May to figure out that whether you are on track and if not are you Nimble enough to change the processes or you know tweak some of the methods to make sure that you're back on track great the the PLC cycles that we alluded to are Nimble by Nature so the good news is our the Greenwood team the leaders here tonight we have a mindset where um we know we believe in the process and the work that our teams are doing and we're receptive to feedback and making adjustments and this the PLC Cycles is very Nimble so as we're getting data and responding to it we're seeing our students uh who are responding in really favorable ways just with a burst of instruction or a little bit more time but but then we're also seeing kids who are haven't learned it yet and that's tracked and it's never lost so as far as being Nimble I wish I would have um that's such a good question I can't usually I can think of an analogy but it just reminds me if you're on a journey with someone um you're constantly walking and surveying the land and you're not just going to take a course when you're noticing it's not working for everyone so part of that is going together so if we have kids that haven't mastered it yet it's keeping our eye and helping them while also having a system that helps us respond to everyone so it's a pretty complex thing Sarah to your question earlier the work that teachers do it just I was actually reflecting sorry Eric I was listening to you too but I was also reflecting on what teachers are pulling off when they're trying to help kids so in in a classroom or a formative assessment is being given and maybe it's just through conversation like a teacher giving kids a question to talk about and the teacher circulating the room to hear kids actual thinking and voice and the in that moment the learning that happens but the responsibility on the teacher when you think about it they're not just listening for depth of knowledge and connection to the learning Target and master of that but even the social skills and the anxiety level of so and so and the proximity to so and so because it works better not that way and the person who's getting picked up a little later or has a group time so we gota got to get this lesson in so our kids can get their tier one instruction not miss it is just fascinating but at the heart of it I I guess maybe I'm for the time of night I'm getting a little verbose and I apologize but I believe we are Nimble and it's a really cool system but we also know that um we we understand the mission so therefore if something isn't working even for one student we're set up to have that conversation too I think Dr gon to also add to that for you Dr Sony is that um those assessments that get to that score we also give those now three times a year and so part of the built process is so they're doing the exit ticket so if we think about those levels of data um they're getting that that higher level of data three times a year through those assessments while getting that day-to-day data through their PLC so it does allow that nimbleness and then if I might going back to um Heidi's question a little bit around the plc's is that as you know this has been a huge um revitalization dedication from all of our buildings um e 12 plus through transition um and what we've been able to do with the principles is really come to an agreement on what are the um non-negotiables isn't want but what are the Lynch pins of high quality plc's and then buildings take that from there and put their building culture and their leadership skills and all of that to that so with that said I do want to say that Dr Guff and his team are being very humble tonight they have done incredible work in leading this this PLC journey and what's super incredible about that is with our collaboration amongst our literacy coaches and sharing that those skills across that they're constantly we have another one here tonight they're constantly talking about well this is what's being done in my building and this is what's being done in our building so that um I'm just so proud of you know with nine elementaries just extremely proud of the work that all nine of them have done with their literacy coaches and with their leaders in those buildings to take that that ground level Lynch pin work and then elevate to just incredible Heights in work um to support each and every but I I do want to make sure that that Dr gson and his team at greenw get the due recognition for the depth of work that they have done on this because it's it's something to be quite proud of okay there are no other questions thank you Brad Lauren and Eric U you are duly recognized thank you so much I appreciate that sorry uh the audience opportunity to address the board no okay nobody has filled out a form so thank you moving on uh we have the administrative reports and recommendations there are no superintendent and teaching and learning reports today we do have um the finance and operations report presented by executive director Scott and Scott will present the combined Financial reports for the month ended September Scott perfect thank you board members uh Dr Anderson uh just going over quickly these are the normal reports that come to the B to the board uh I'll just highlight on that first page but uh also know that we go through this much more in detail and pretty thoroughly with our finance committee of the board um so all the details are kind of in there but I will highlight with this one this is through the first three months of our fiscal year um really when you look at that July and August are pretty quiet for us in the big picture comparably so September is really the first month that we start to see a lot of activity for the district from a fiscal perspective another thing to point out just on the revenues is that the car act dollars from the co pandemic came to an end for us uh September 30th of this year so we had until those uh until that time frame to expand those and I believe we can draw on those until beginning of December so um those are coming to a wrap uh I wonder if we switch to the next page all right so as I've said a few times um the first two months really don't add a lot of value to these reports uh this is the first month that we really start to see that schools are kind of a way different Beast we are a fund accounting um organization and we're also very different from like a regular for-profit business we don't close the books on a monthly basis you would have you would never ask us how did we do this month um that's not a thing we're a fiscal year organization so and what I mean by that is our expenditures fall into place based on contracts um based on a lot of different things and our revenues are metered by the state of Minnesota and it also impacts when we get our property tax revenue so there's a lot of moving parts so um when we start to look at this this is the first month that we um really start to pay attention to it so when you look on that page up there um our property taxes it's been our consistent process not to start recognizing those until December so the board will see those during that month um State AIDS as you'll see there are right on Pace with what we have expected as you know we've jumped uh with enrollment over the years and so it's not surprising to see this fluctuating a little bit um but right in line with where we believe uh Federal AIDS as if you recall from last year this number was closer to five or six million with those cares funds winding down and with us using some federal funds to cover state aid tuition bills um you're seeing that kind of go down to right around that 2.7 million we will draw on those um more consistently this year um um so just pointing that out miscellaneous Revenue um that just varies significantly throughout the year um Food Service fund just to point out um this is slightly above last year um but right kind of somewhat in line if you recall last year was the first year of the free launches um so everything changed for them I feel like this is the first year it's kind of caught up they're a lot more like the general fund so they're getting payments after the after the expenses take place and after they turn for those reimbursements community service fund is right in line with last year I'm doing really well and then The Debt Service fund and the construction fund um Debt Service that is what it is obviously we Levy 105% of that through our Levy and those are paid throughout the year um construction fund those dollars that are in there are basically just interest income that the district gains off of the funds sitting in the construction fund if we turn to the next page as you recall uh we are rough we are a um service organization and so the majority of our expenditures roughly 70 to 73% are made up of salaries and benefits so when we look at this this is the first month of where I said we have that activity meaning um that's when we have two full pays um in SE from the month of September so we start to capture and look at that so this is probably the first thing that we focus in on right away um because if they're not in alignment we always would probably start to investigate um because this is a really high macro level overview but as you can see our salaries are right in line with where they've been in the prior years and our benefits are right in line with what we projected as well uh as I pointed out several on several occasions at the meetings um our purchase services and capital expenditures can vary significantly and what I mean by that is they're um typically uh payments to service vendors so it's our transportation and other areas we can't control when they Bell us so we might see fluctuations where we might be low few months and we might see some um big payments supplies of materials that's usually front loaded which would make sense right as we're starting the year so um but those are kind of variable we watch those when we see variability obviously our team is watching those very closely um Food Service fund um they are uh a little bit under expenditures from the prior year but more in line with two years ago I know that uh our director of wetta cafes Michelle had mentioned last week um don't quote me but at our um my direct reports meeting she said we had our first over 10,000 meals day so um with growing enrollment we're seeing uh a lot of demand and that team has reacted um quite quite amazingly um because as we talked about the free meales is an is a important thing um and the district obviously appreciates it but she's dealt with a lot of things on the back end unintended consequences of you're feeding more kids you need more storage that wasn't part of any funding that we received and then just the peer space and getting um kids through the lines to work through the lunch hours and make sure kids are able to get through and have a have time to sit down and eat so um I commender for that uh community service fund is right in line with um what they would project and very close to Prior years and then The Debt Service fund like I said that's pretty much just um happens when it happens the construction fund those are basically just a batement bonds that are left in there so we project that we will be spending the rest of that in this in this current fiscal year uh the final page uh this is just where we're sitting um with cash in the bank at this point uh and obviously that fluctuates tremendously uh as I mentioned we metered payments from the state of Minnesota and we do get those huge influxes from the county from our property tax leue revenue which we actually just received so I think um this shows right around 49 million I think as of today I think we're closer to about 85 million in the bank um that sounds like a lot but then it goes very very quickly as we get into the year any questions on the finance reports thank you Scott questions um SC I have one question uh so the the liquid asset fund with ML that's that's as it says it's liquid so is that something that we can dip into in cas case of an emergency and if so can is that considered it's not considered a part of the fund balance right um no that it that would be the difference between cash flow and then the fiscal financials like um it's pfm and PMA basically the dollars sit in there because we're in such a rich interest environment right now still um those funds sit in there and we do have access to them pretty much at any time um but we there are two different funds inside of there we try to leave one alone and then we transfer money into a closer to cash account um but it's available to us as we need we cannot put that in our you in our budget as a fund balance though oh no totally separate because that's more of a cash flow okay okay thank you and then I know it's it's too early we we have been through covid we have gotten out of covid and we're slowly creeping back up and I know it's still going to be a while before we come back to where we feel comfortable that we are very in a very sound financial position from a high level Point standpoint where do you see us this year compared to last year um that is the crystal ball question but um that is a great question as well and a fair question um it is a little bit early I'll just say um as you know we're required by Statute to bring to the board a budget to be approved by June 30th for the following fiscal year that creates challenges because we don't know how everything's going to lay out um I can tell you as the audit is winding down our finance team led by David draskovich and his team will work with other District leaders um and people in their departments to start to put together the revised budget we're going to try to get on that a little bit earlier OB obviously the audit does a heavy lift so I don't like to look at David and his team and say all right let's go um I want to let them breathe a little bit and do some of the day-to-day stuff that kind of gets put on the back shelf but um that will be in the process that'll give us a much better idea um I think some of the things I can tell you just from um what I know without any scientific numbers right now I can tell you we budgeted 12,684 students obviously that's our primary revenue driver um we're up roughly a hundred students on that I can also tell you that we have um without it in front of me and I can tell you more once we're done with the revised budget but I would say we've spent probably every single penny um Plus plus about 200k on top of that um adding back staff to kind of um to accommodate the student growth that we've seen so I view that as a positive as you recall with the preliminary budget we budgeted or we forecasted roughly 2.7 million revenues over expenditures as you know and I said at the time do not fall in love with that number because I guarantee you it will change um because there's so many things outside of our control we didn't know where student growth would come in um that that number where I say were're 100 up right now can vary because we see a lot of seniors kind of um that adjustment at the end of the year we see movein move outs but we feel pretty confident about that um but I think we're still sitting in a good place and just kind of a reminder because you um brought it up just coming out of Cost Containment I would just say you know we are cautiously coming out of Cost Containment as I pointed out in the budget presentation in June there's a lot of variables outside of our control that could have big impacts on it obviously one is a student growth what happens next year we have to be mindful of that um it can depend on um negotiations it can depend on other unforeseen cost there's just a lot of variables at play so um just to kind of keep that in mind and also a reminder that we are now back to 2% this year the legislature gave us 4% last year we are back to 2% next year we hover between two and 3% depending on um inflationary factor and then that's on 60% of our dollars on 30% of our dollars we're roughly getting between 3 and 4% and then on the remaining 10% it's usually flat or no growth um so I I don't want to take Dr Anderson's words um they're stealing from them but it's a really bad business model and so as we all know our expenditures far outpaced those revenues you'd say well how are we doing this there's no secret it's enrollment growth as soon as that slows things will change so that is why we kind of have our fingers on the pulse of that and watching it continuously which is why we're in the middle of another demographic and boundar study because we are growing so fast but I think it's um and I know I come to the board every time with it but we are very lucky we have this growth because coming out of Cost Containment between making the very tough cuts that we made we also were ballooned back up with the massive growing enrollment that we've experienced without that the cuts would have had to be deeper and I don't think we would have come out nearly as as we are forecasting pending no very Ables happen um that we will come out of Cost Containment it was a mixture of the cuts that were made and the massive growing enrollment very good thank you Scott there are no other questions thank you so much all right next we have Human Resource Services report presented by executive director Stacy was and Stacy I believe has one item for board approval tonight I do just one good evening uh chair Sone and me uh members of the board the school board's bargaining team and the wi Isetta principal Representatives reached a tenative contract agreement on October 14th and subsequently the wi Isetta principles voted to ratify the contract on October 17th before you as the summary of the proposed two-year contract the overall package was an increase of just under 8% the negotiation team members were Scott gangler Tyler Shepard Karen kefer Xavier Reed and Ross Williams for the princip and a special thanks to Dan janra um as the board member representative for your patience and support through that process the recommended action is before you thank you Stacy so colleagues the recommended action is to approve the contract with the Wisa principal Association for the period of July 1 2024 through June 30th 2026 as agreed upon by the bargaining teams and ratified by the wetta principal bargaining unit is there a motion I so move do I hear a second a second thank you m and seconded is there any discussion yes Dr Sone I just wanted to say thank you to um both parties um for you know just conducting in such a a professional manner I was grateful to engage grateful to Stacy Vos for her leadership during this process grateful to Mr gangler uh principal at the high school for leading his team of principles um I'm glad you know for them to uh you know come to the table and have a discussion about a wide variety of things from pay to policies and all those different things so our principles we know build our schools and we know that um you know contracts are an integral part to that so you know thank you so much for all of your hard work everyone and um you know looking forward to how all this shapes out so thanks so much I want to thank Stacy for her hard work and director janra for for participating as a member um of the as a representative of the board so thank you so much again the recommended action is to approve the contract with the wetta principales association for the period of July 1 2024 through June 30th 2026 as agreed upon by the bargaining teams and ratified by the wieta principal bargaining unit will the Clark please take a rooll call Valena SS yes Dan janesta yes Sarah Johansson yes Paris bende is absent Sheila prior yes Heidi ker yes Milan soney uh yes the motion is approved thank you so much all right there is no other board action tonight and the final item on the agenda is board reports this section of the agenda provides an opportunity for board members to update School school board members on school board related work or to make am uh announcements of interest to the public today we have director gestra with a report from inter um Intermediate School District 287 there thank you Mr chair um I just wanted to um you know really say thank you to Intermediate School District 287 I've been very fortunate to serve as y as representative to that organization um for going on 11 months now it's been a really great journey on October 15th just about a month ago uh we visited as part of the get on the bus program the north Education Center in New Hope um where we were taken by administrators to see um you know upgrades in facilities to um you know uh with concern to uh student safety um we saw students in programm and got to see some of the specialized classrooms that they've had constructed over the years and really just Shar in a very constructive dialogue with our our principes our Deans um you know and our uh our ESP and other staff members so really my gratitude to them to for having us in their buildings um we know it's a lot to coordinate the transportation and all that so then making that possible really just uh really means the world our next get on the bus will be on December 3rd we'll be visiting the Career and Technical Center um down Eden Prairie and uh we hope to have you all along I'll have a r cpf for that soon and uh we hope to have you there so thank you so much 287 for allowing us to partake in this program and we look forward to having um you know board members join us as Dr zoney did um to this visit to North education center so thank you so much colleagues any comments or questions from Dan uh I was fortunate enough to go on that October uh trip and I look forward to doing the same in December and I urge board members if you are able please join that uh bus tour I think it's a great great experience so hopefully you can all right our next board work session will be held on Monday November 25th at 4 pm in this room this concludes the WIA Public Schools regular board meeting I want to thank everyone for their participation in a process that is focused on students in our district is there a motion to adjourn I so move I second thank you all in favor say I I oppose nay the motion carries the time is now 7:4 sorry 8:45 the WIA Public Schools Board of Education regular meeting for Tuesday November 12th 2024 is adjourned