Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! I want to express my gratitude and admiration to every educator in our District for impacting the lives of countless Waconia students. You are truly at the core of what we are here to do every day. You help ensure that students achieve academic success, are inspired to explore who they are and who they will become, and feel that they belong in school and in the community. I can't thank you enough for the work you do every day on behalf of Waconia Public Schools.
As part of Teacher Appreciation Week, our school board members are making the rounds this week to the different buildings to offer a small gesture of thanks in the form of an ice cream treat. Thank you to Mackenthun's for helping to sponsor the ice cream.
I want to congratulate the staff, cast and crew at the Middle School for putting on a terrific production of The Little Mermaid Jr. last week. I also want to put in a plug in for the High School Theatre program's upcoming performance of The Play That Goes Wrong. Opening night is this Thursday and there are a total of four performances scheduled through Saturday.
Have a great rest of the week.
Sincerely,
Brian
Board Authorizes Attorney to Submit Report to State Auditor
The Board voted to authorize the District's attorney to submit a report to the State Auditor regarding past financial practices and expenditures. I recognize that this might bring about some questions regarding what that means and what might result from this action. More information about this will be forthcoming to staff in a communication from Board Chair Dana Geller later this week.
Teacher PGRE Presentation
Interim Director of Teaching & Learning Sarah Klitzke gave a presentation regarding updates and changes to the District's Teacher Professional Growth, Reflection and Evaluation (PGRE) plan. Due to the restructuring of the Teaching & Learning Department, notable changes to the 2023-26 plan include:
Instead of Peer Review being facilitated by instructional coaches, it will be facilitated in professional learning communities.
Peer Review will still include opportunities for collaborative observation, peer walk-through observations, and micro-teaching.
Administrative evaluations will include one formal review within the 3-year cycle, instead of an observation annually.
Summer School Presentation
Teaching & Learning Manager Jake Hockinson gave a presentation regarding the District's summer school programming. Elementary aged targeted services will include a reading academy and a math academy. Middle School targeted services will focus on English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Personal Skills. High School credit recovery will focus on core content credits including English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies.
Looking Ahead
At the May 22 Regular Meeting, the School Board will honor this year's group of retirees. This year's group includes six employees who have a combined 140 years of service to Waconia Public Schools.
Hello ISD 110 Team,
