Northfield Public Schools: 2021-22 District Family Update No. 30 | May 27, 2022

Press release from Northfield Public Schools:

May 27, 2022

***en Español***

Dear Northfield School District Families:

As we head into Memorial Day weekend, we think of all the brave people who gave their lives for our nation, what President Abraham Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.” We are grateful for their sacrifice.

There will be a community celebration on Monday, May 30, at Northfield’s Veterans’ Park beginning at 9:00 am. Consider attending the event to honor this most important holiday.

Uvalde, Texas Tragedy

I want to re-share the resources you can use to discuss the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas with your children.

These tragedies pierce our hearts in ways that are nearly impossible to fully understand. We struggle to explain how this can still happen in a modern society. As educators, we care deeply about your children and want them to be physically and emotionally safe.

Student safety is our top priority. No school district or community has all the answers. We work hard every day to create an environment where every student feels valued and supported. As parents, we want to explicitly share with you things we are doing to achieve that goal.

We start with relationships, prevention, and support:

We also have made physical improvements to our schools designed to enhance security while maintaining a welcoming learning environment:

Bright Spot: Middle School and High School Career Exploration Day

The career exploration day event returned to Northfield Middle School on May 17 with 38 different companies present. Middle and high school students were able to interact with these companies or organizations and learn about different technical career opportunities. This day is important because students see successful people in their field who are passionate about their work. This experience can help create a positive future vision of themselves as they begin to see what role they might fulfill in the workforce as adults. At the end of the day, seniors had the opportunity to interview with some of the companies and potentially receive job offers to begin their careers immediately after graduation.

Many thanks to John Stenz, Heather LaCroix, and Force America for the vital role they played in this event’s planning and execution. Northfield Middle School assistant principal Michael O’Keefe and Northfield High School counselor Mark Ensrud were instrumental in helping coordinate the day for the school district. And, as always, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) was a strategic partner in supporting this event.

Northfield High School Principal Selection Process

Northfield High School Principal Dr. Joel Leer has taken a new role as a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato. We thank him for his 16 years of dedicated service at NHS and wish him well in his new job! You can review the plan for selecting a new Northfield High School principal here. Please contact me directly with any questions about the process.

School Board Meeting Update

The school board held a regular board meeting on May 23. The board packet & table file are located on our website. The board approved the consent agenda, approved a new five-year contract for Arcadia Charter School, and approved policy updates. They also heard reports on the community education budget, the general fund budget, and the draft 2023-24 school calendar. A video of the regular board meeting is available on our website and you can listen to my recap of the meeting on KYMN radio.

Thank you

As always, thank you for your ongoing support. Enjoy the long weekend!

Sincerely,

Matt

—

Matt Hillmann, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

This press release was produced by the Northfield Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.