May 30, 2008

I have tried all year to get a “blog” out each week.  Came close but missed my “blog” last week.  It has been extremely busy and I had some personal things that needed to be done.  I apologize for not getting one done last week and I am late with this week’s “blog”. There are not any changes from two weeks ago.  The cool weather has been a blessing.  The building has not been extremely hot and this helps everyone’s attitude as we get to the end of the school year. The school year is almost over.  Today is the last Friday for the students.  We are finishing things up and students are now taking final tests for the year.  As a reminder, the last day of school for students is June 5.  This is due to a snow day we had.  Report cards will be mailed out the week of June 9th. 

Just to give you a “heads up”.  Below is a letter that is being sent to parents of current 5th graders at Madison.  It concerns information about the possibility of an optional pilot program that would bring sixth graders to North.  Oak Hill parents will have the same option with South.  Keep in mind; this would be a completely optional choice for parents to make. 

May 29, 2008

Dear Parents,

                As parents of current 5th graders, you are cordially invited to attend a meeting where information will be shared about the possibility of a pilot program that would bring sixth graders to North and South Junior High Schools in the fall of 2008-09. 

This program would be a trial effort, focused on offering enhanced options for sixth graders.  If a sufficient number of families are interested in this pilot, the potential of advanced math courses exists, with the possibility of additional Fine Arts programming, access to Allied Arts (communications, Spanish, health), as well as expanded opportunities in after-school sports. In general, sixth graders would operate independently of seventh and eighth graders at South, with some exceptions in Physical Education and advanced courses.

                If there is sufficient interest on the part of parents of current 5th graders to implement a 6-8 grade configuration at North and South Junior Highs in 2008-09, the decision to implement the pilot program will be made by the end of June.  Enrollment in either the North or South pilot 6th grade program is one more choice for families in our community.

                The informational meetings will be held on Tuesday, June 10th at 7:00 p.m. in both the North and South Junior High Media Center.  The meeting will include discussion on academic programming, transportation, counselors and other areas of interest.  Parents will be provided registration information and, if interested, asked to respond by Friday, June 20th.  Enrollment in the pilot programs at both North and South may be limited.

                We encourage you to join us on Tuesday, June 10th at either North or South to learn more about the exciting potential of this educational choice.

Sincerely,

Bob Huot                                                             Eric Williams

Principal                                                               Principal

North Junior High School                              South Junior High School

Please take the time to complete a Parent Climate Survey.  The information to do this is listed below.

2008 Parent Guardian Climate Survey

In continuing efforts to evaluate the progress of the St. Cloud Area School District’s current goals and to make new priorities for the future, your input is necessary!  Presented here is the opportunity to provide feedback by participating in the parent/guardian climate survey. Your participation is important for many district purposes and is greatly appreciated.

This survey will take about 20-25 minutes to complete.  Survey participation is voluntary. The answers you provide will be completely confidential and your privacy will be protected to the maximum extent allowable by law. You will in no way be associated with the responses you provide.  As you will see in the survey instructions, you will answer the survey questions based on a child you have attending school in District 742.  If you have children in different schools, you MAY take the survey more than once.  The survey window will be open from May 9th - May 30th.  If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Preppernau at 320-202-6821. Thank you in advance for your help with this important project.

To access the survey in English, please click on the following link: http://742info.org/survey/climateparent08.htm

If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact Andrea Preppernau at 202-6821 and she will mail you a paper copy of the survey.

If you need a survey in a different language (Spanish, Somali, or Vietnamese), please contact Andrea Preppernau at 202-6821.

This information is very valuable to us and gives the parents an opportunity to let us know how you feel about various issues.  Please take the time to follow the procedures in the letter and complete the survey

Two other things that I would like to let parents know about. 

  1. There have been rumors going on concerning Westwood students riding the bus with North students.  Some parents are concerned about elementary students riding with junior high students.  I talked with the head of transportation this morning and he assured me that the Westwood students will not be riding with North’s students.
  2. The “On Target Program” will be ending on May 22nd.  The last Saturday for “On Target” will be May 24th.

Below are workshops parents may find of interest.

Dear Robert,

Super Size... Extreme... To the Max...This describes the American culture today.

How does that look when it comes to children and parenting?

Allowing children to set their own rules.

Buying more toys than a child can remember.

Giving children unlimited access to today's technology.

Sometimes there is so much pressure on you as a parent to give in.  Come to this workshop to discover:

*        Results of overindulgence

*        Realistic expectations of children

*        How to teach your children to be responsible and respectful

Title:                When is Enough, Enough?

Presenter:         Peggy Imholte

Date:                Monday, June 9, 2008

Time:                6:30-8:00 p.m. (registration 6:00 p.m.)

Location:          Resource Training and Solutions

                        Cold Spring Center, Suite 550

                        4150 2nd St. South, St. Cloud, MN 56301

Fee:                  $15.00/person  $25 for two

To register you can:

Call - 255-3236 or toll free, 888-447-7032

Email - mroth@resourcetraining.com

Online - www.resourcetraining.com <http://www.resourcetraining.com/>  , code 7452

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Thank you,

Martha Roth

Resource Training & Solutions

Summer STAR Camp

(Students, Technology, and Robots)

When:  June 9-13  9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.

Who :  Students entering Grades 6-8 in fall of 2008

Cost: $125 per person – payment due at registration

(Scholarships available – call 308-8888 for information)

Transportation: Available upon request (for local community only)

Registration: Opening for 32 boys/girls

North counselors have the registration form.

Well, that’s it for this week.  I will try to get my next (and last) “blog” out on next week.  Again, I apologize for not getting a “blog” out last week and being late on this one.  Please let me know if there are items you would like me to cover in the next blog.  I have listed important dates below.

 

Bob Huot

Principal, North Junior High

Robert.huot@isd742.org

Other activities you might find of interest.

May

May 1- 2                          Teachers will be making calls to parents of students who are not doing well academically.

May 5-9                           MCA Science test (7th and 8th grade)

May 12                            Spirit of North - Site Council Mtg – 6:45 p.m. at North

May 13                            Orchestra Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 19                            North Side Band Concert (6:30 p.m. at Apollo)

May 20                            Choir Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 22                            Band Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 23                            Awards Assembly/School Carnival

May 26                            No School (Memorial Day)

June

June 5                              Last day of school for students

June 6                              Last day of school for staff

               

May 15, 2008

It has been an extremely busy week for me and I apologize for not getting this out on Monday.  There are not a lot of changes for this week but I did want to let parents know about a Parent Survey the district is doing.  The letter with information is below:

2008 Parent Guardian Climate Survey

In continuing efforts to evaluate the progress of the St. Cloud Area School District’s current goals and to make new priorities for the future, your input is necessary!  Presented here is the opportunity to provide feedback by participating in the parent/guardian climate survey. Your participation is important for many district purposes and is greatly appreciated.

This survey will take about 20-25 minutes to complete.  Survey participation is voluntary. The answers you provide will be completely confidential and your privacy will be protected to the maximum extent allowable by law. You will in no way be associated with the responses you provide.  As you will see in the survey instructions, you will answer the survey questions based on a child you have attending school in District 742.  If you have children in different schools, you MAY take the survey more than once.  The survey window will be open from May 9th - May 30th.  If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Preppernau at 320-202-6821. Thank you in advance for your help with this important project.

To access the survey in English, please click on the following link: http://742info.org/survey/climateparent08.htm

If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact Andrea Preppernau at 202-6821 and she will mail you a paper copy of the survey.

If you need a survey in a different language (Spanish, Somali, or Vietnamese), please contact Andrea Preppernau at 202-6821.

This information is very valuable to us and gives the parents an opportunity to let us know how you feel about various issues.  Please take the time to follow the procedures in the letter and complete the survey.  I am also going to have the letter sent to the Spirit of North site council members and may possibly mail it out with report cards.

Two other things that I would like to let parents know about. 

  1. There have been rumors going on concerning Westwood students riding the bus with North students.  Some parents are concerned about elementary students riding with junior high students.  I talked with the head of transportation this morning and he assured me that the Westwood students will not be riding with North’s students.
  2. The “On Target Program” will be ending on May 22nd.  The last Saturday for “On Target” will be May 24th.

Below are workshops parents may find of interest.

Summer STAR Camp

(Students, Technology, and Robots)

When:  June 9-13  9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.

Who :  Students entering Grades 6-8 in fall of 2008

Cost: $125 per person – payment due at registration

(Scholarships available – call 308-8888 for information)

Transportation: Available upon request (for local community only)

Registration: Opening for 32 boys/girls

North counselors have the registration form.

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope things settle down a little and I will try to get my next “blog” out on Monday.  Please let me know if there are items you would like me to cover in the next blog.  I have listed important dates below.  

Bob Huot

Principal, North Junior High

Robert.huot@isd742.org

Other activities you might find of interest.

May

May 1- 2                          Teachers will be making calls to parents of students who are not doing well academically.

May 5-9                           MCA Science test (7th and 8th grade)

May 12                            Spirit of North - Site Council Mtg – 6:45 p.m. at North

May 13                            Orchestra Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 19                            North Side Band Concert (6:30 p.m. at Apollo)

May 20                            Choir Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 22                            Band Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 23                            Awards Assembly/School Carnival

May 26                            No School (Memorial Day)

June

June 5                              Last day of school for students

June 6                              Last day of school for staff

               

May 6, 2008

The weather is cooperating more and our activities are all going strong.  We are giving the MCA Science test to our 8th grade students this week. The school dance on April 30th went very well.  We had a number of parents who volunteered to help out that night and they have our thanks.  The end of the year will get here very quickly.  We sent out mid-term reports on May 2 for students who have a “D” or “F” grade and to students who have dropped a letter grade from the 3rd quarter.  Please contact your student’s counselor if you have any questions.

As a reminder:

1.      North does not socially promote students to the next grade.  Students must pass the majority of their classes to be passed to the next grade.

2.      North runs “On Target” three days a week after school to help student’s complete work. 

3.      Special monitoring programs can be designed for your child so that you can receive additional reports on progress.  We also have “On Target” on some Saturdays during the year.  Please call your student’s counselor with any questions.

4.      There will be a limited District summer school for junior high students.

The Spirit of North site council meets May 12 at 6:45 p.m. in the conference room across from the office.   Dr. Welter will be there to give information concerning the levy. I would love to see you at the meeting.

Reminder about our “On Target Program” (this list continues to get smaller and smaller)

This program helps students with work completion and organizational skills.    The program will meet after school from 3:15-4:45 on the following dates:

               May:             1, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 19, 20, 22, 27, 29

In addition, the “On Target” program will meet on the following Saturdays:

               May 10, 24

Below are workshops for parents if anyone is interested.

Summer STAR Camp

(Students, Technology, and Robots)

When:  June 9-13  9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.

Who :  Students entering Grades 6-8 in fall of 2008

Cost: $125 per person – payment due at registration

(Scholarships available – call 308-8888 for information)

Transportation: Available upon request (for local community only)

Registration: Opening for 32 boys/girls

North counselors have the registration form.

Well, that’s it for this week.  I will update my blog next Monday.  Please let me know if there are items you would like me to cover in the next blog.  I have listed important dates below.  

Bob Huot

Principal, North Junior High

Robert.huot@isd742.org

Other activities you might find of interest.

May

May 1- 2                          Teachers will be making calls to parents of students who are not doing well academically.

May 5-9                           MCA Science test (7th and 8th grade)

May 12                            Spirit of North - Site Council Mtg – 6:45 p.m. at North

May 13                            Orchestra Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 19                            North Side Band Concert (6:30 p.m. at Apollo)

May 20                            Choir Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 22                            Band Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 23                            Awards Assembly/School Carnival

May 26                            No School (Memorial Day)

June

June 4                              Last day of school for students (unless there is a snow day).

June 5                              Last day of school for staff (Snow make-up day, if needed)

                                                               

April 28, 2008

We will be making up the snow day we lost.  This means the last day of school for students will be June 5 instead of June 4.  Please contact me if you have any questions.

Last week I said the weather was finally cooperating and then look what happens.  More snow and it is pretty chilly outside.  Part of the problem with cancelling events is that there are not enough open days to reschedule things.  Let’s hope that the snow is finally done and we have a nice spring.

There will not be much new in this blog.  We are continuing to get ready for next year.  We have finished the MCA reading and math tests.  We only have the eighth grade science MCA test to do yet in May.

Here is a note from Ms. Quesnell concerning a school dance we will be having on April 30th.

Parents:

On April 30th, we will be having another school dance.  The dance will begin at 3:15 and will end at 5:30.  There will be music, open gym, karaoke, and food available for purchase.

The cost of the dance is $4.00 without a Responsibility Pass or $3.00 with a Responsibility Pass.

We are also asking for parent volunteers to help with the dance. 

If you are interested in helping please contact Anne Quesnell at 251-2159 ext. 4017 or anne.quesnell@isd742.org.

Reminder about our “On Target Program” (this list continues to get smaller and smaller)

This program helps students with work completion and organizational skills.    The program will meet after school from 3:15-4:45 on the following dates:

               April             1, 3, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, 17, 21, 22, 24, 28, 29

               May:             1, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 19, 20, 22, 27, 29

In addition, the “On Target” program will meet on the following Saturdays:

                April 12, 26

                May 10, 24

Below are workshops for parents if anyone is interested.

Moms, Dads and Discipline...When Can We Get it Together?

- What happens when moms and dads disagree on discipline?

- How hard is it to find common ground?

- How do parents agree to disagree?

On May 6, Resource Training & Solutions will host a Learn and Munch session over the lunch hour entitled, "Moms, Dads and Discipline...When Can We Get it Together?" Come to this workshop to:

* Learn how to handle discipline disagreements

* Examine your own parenting beliefs

* Use your family's common values as a base for making decisions

* Identify strategies you can use to be successful parents to your children.

* Recognize that the best disciplinary decision is made...not who made it.

Bring your lunch to this session and we will provide beverages and dessert.

Who should attend: Parents, grandparents, foster parents, child care providers, preschool staff, coaches, counselors and others who have a concern for interacting with children

Speaker: Peggy Imholte has taught hundreds of parents, school staff and others interacting with youth a variety of essential behavior management techniques. Peg's drive and her passion for youth success and parent excellence will inspire you, challenge you - and remain with you long after her sessions end!

Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m. (registration 11:45 a.m.)

Location: Resource Training and Solutions

Cold Spring Center, Suite 550

4150 2nd St. South, St. Cloud,

Fee: $10.00/person

To register call Martha Roth at 255-3236 or 888-447-7032 or register online at http://www.resourcetraining.com/PEworkshops.aspx

Summer STAR Camp

(Students, Technology, and Robots)

When:  June 9-13  9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M.

Who :  Students entering Grades 6-8 in fall of 2008

Cost: $125 per person – payment due at registration

(Scholarships available – call 308-8888 for information)

Transportation: Available upon request (for local community only)

Registration: Opening for 32 boys/girls

North counselors have the registration form.

Well, that’s it for this week.  I will update my blog next Monday.  Please let me know if there are items you would like me to cover in the next blog.  I have listed important dates below.  

Bob Huot

Principal, North Junior High

Robert.huot@isd742.org 

Other activities you might find of interest.

April

April 4                             8th graders will be visiting Apollo

April 4                             End of 3rd quarter

April 14                           Spirit of North - Site Council Mtg – 6:45 p.m. at North

April 15                           MCA testing (7th grade)

April 17                           MCA testing (7th grade)

April 22                           MCA testing (8th grade)

April 24                           MCA testing (8th grade)

April 21-30                      Teachers will be making calls to parents of students who are not doing well academically.

May

May 1- 2                          Teachers will be making calls to parents of students who are not doing well academically.

May 5-9                           MCA Science test (7th and 8th grade)

May 12                            Spirit of North - Site Council Mtg – 6:45 p.m. at North

May 13                            Orchestra Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 19                            North Side Band Concert (6:30 p.m. at Apollo)

May 20                            Choir Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 22                            Band Concert (7:30 p.m.)

May 23                            Awards Assembly/School Carnival

May 26                            No School (Memorial Day)

June

June 4                              Last day of school for students (unless there is a snow day).

June 5                              Last day of school for staff (Snow make-up day, if needed)

                                                               

April 22, 2008

We will be making up the snow day we lost.  This means the last day of school for students will be June 5 instead of June 4.  Please contact me if you have any questions.

It won’t be long and April will be gone. Not that anyone is counting but a student today told me we only have 31 days of school left.

The weather is finally cooperating, snow is gone, fields are getting dry and our activities are trying to make up for lost time.  We are still in the process of working on our schedule and calendar for the 2008-09 school year.

We have completed the seventh grade MCA tests in reading and math.  The eighth grade exams will be on April 22nd (math), April 24th (reading) and the science tests take place the week of May 5-9.  These are high stakes tests for our seventh and eighth graders and it is very important that students are here and are well rested.  No students will be excused from school during those days except for serious illness or emergencies.

Here is a note from Ms. Quesnell concerning a school dance we will be having on April 30th.

Parents:

On April 30th, we will be having another school dance.  The dance will begin at 3:15 and will end at 5:30.  There will be music, open gym, karaoke, and food available for purchase.

The cost of the dance is $4.00 without a Responsibility Pass or $3.00 with a Responsibility Pass.

We are also asking for parent volunteers to help with the dance. 

If you are interested in helping please contact Anne Quesnell at 251-2159 ext. 4017 or anne.quesnell@isd742.org.

Reminder about our “On Target Program” (this list continues to get smaller and smaller)

This program helps students with work completion and organizational skills.    The program will meet after school from 3:15-4:45 on the following dates:

              March:           10, 11, 13, 17, 18, 20, 25, 27, 31

               April             1, 3, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, 17, 21, 22, 24, 28, 29