Page 8 - TTMNFall2023

Leadership
Page 8 Electronic Edition: www.teachingtodaymn.com

Minnesota School of Excellence Awards 2023

The Minnesota School of Excellence applications to the board, which allows for St. Croix Preparatory almost 200 students in grades K-4. It takes
(SOE) program promotes excellence through an improved flow of instruction. Having the pride in its strong sense of community and
a rigorous one or two year-long, self-directed newest technology allows for a variety of web- Academy’s Lower School commitment to student growth and well-
evaluation process. The schools earn vali- based tools for students to access up to date Congratulations being. Their mission is “To prepare students
dation by completing a school community information and current events.” to St. Croix Prepara- for life by engaging them in meaningful
self-study, developing a plan to build on tory Academy’s Lower learning experiences.”
evident strengths, addressing areas needing School, under the leader- “Our participation in the SOE process
improvement, and assessing ongoing results lakeparkaudubon.com ship of Principal Joann was an intent to be purposeful,” expressed
from implementing the plan. Karetov! Principal Jennifer Olson. “We wanted to look
Established by the Minnesota Elemen- St. Croix Prepara- closely at and celebrate the things within
tary School Principals’ Association (MESPA), the school where we are thriving, and make
the program is recognized by the Minnesota South Terrace Elementary tory Academy’s Lower School serves over plans to address identified needs discovered
Department of Education, as well as the Congratulations to 400 K-4 students in the St. Croix Valley. They in our outcomes. This self reflective process,
embody the K12 charter school’s mission,
National Association of Elementary School South Terrace, under the “St. Croix Preparatory Academy will develop especially done with our whole school com-
Principals leadership of Principal each student’s academic potential, personal munity, created an automatic investment and
Donita Stepan! character, and leadership qualities through sense of pride in our results.”
Principal Olson shared, “I am person-
Lake Park Audubon South Terrace Elementary is part of the an academically rigorous and content-rich ally most proud of our connectedness to
Elementary Carlton School District and serves approxi- educational program grounded in a classical everyone that makes our school community
mately 160 students in grades preK-5. It takes
tradition.”
Congratulations pride in its strong sense of community and com- “I am most proud of my amazing faculty what it is. We are a FAMILY, first and fore-
to Lake Park Audubon, mitment to student growth and well-being. Their and staff. They work above and beyond what most, and relationships matter. Students,
under the leadership of vision is to become “the leader in educational is expected to make sure our students and staff, families and our community partners
Principal Craig bahr! transformation”, while showing P.r.I.D.E. in community are supported and that their needs expect and hold each other to high standards,
Lake Park Audubon everything they do. Students at South Terrace are met. Our students also work very hard to help us to create safe spaces for risk-taking
Elementary is part of are Positive (P) and show respect (r), while meet high expectations – they persevere and and exploration, and have fun learning and
the Lake Park Audubon demonstrating Integrity (I), Determination (D) accomplish the academic demands…” Princi- being together. I love our ability to embrace
School District and serves over 400 stu- and Empathy (E). They do this by ensuring they pal Joann Karetov shared. each member’s unique gifts and find ways
dents, pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade. Its have systems in place to educate the students Investing in a comprehensive profes- to connect talents to different opportunities.”
mission is to prepare students with academic, and staff, and empower and inspire the students sional development program for faculty and Winsted Elementary has cultivated
social, and life skills to succeed in a changing and staff to try new things. Stepan is both the staff is fundamental to the success of St. Croix an environment that sets high standards
world. South Terrace’s Principal and Carlton’s Super- Preparatory Academy. They have a detailed for the development of all students. As
Community engagement has been essen- intendent. onboarding process for teachers that includes the leadership team wrote, they are “fos-
tial to Lake Park Audubon’s success and referring to the SOE process, the leader- work on student seminars. This onboard- tering a learning culture that is adaptive,
positive impact on students. As the leadership ship team mentioned, “it was agreed that this is ing occurs for a span of two school years. collaborative, innovative, and supportive.
team wrote, “Lake Park Audubon Elementary not only something we should do, it’s something There are also professional development days The school’s principal, administrators,
recently passed a bond referendum for a newly we must do. [...] We knew we needed to do the throughout the year where teachers can choose teachers, staff and stakeholders consistently
renovated elementary school. This was done work and were thrilled to have a process to help from a variety of different learning options. seek opportunities to enhance student and
through the Pave Your Way project to gain us get there. We agreed that now is the time.” “Our teachers appreciate the flexibility in pro- adult performance by embracing diversity
community input and through sharing informa- Diversity is valued and enhances the learn- fessional development that meets their specific in people, ideas, perspectives and experi-
tion with community members. [...].” Principal ing of the entire South Terrace community. needs as a teacher or to support their students,” ences. To achieve these goals, the school
bahr adds, We are very fortunate to serve our Specifically, the school community honors, sup- the leadership team affirms. community engages in various activities
surrounding communities. We always fill the ports and highly regards diversity as a way to St. Croix Prep recognizes that relation- and initiatives that promote inclusivity and
gym for student showcases, regularly hit 98% increase learning, not as a barrier to learning. ships matter. They start building relationships support diverse learning needs.”
conference attendance, and benefit greatly For example, this past school year, our Ameri- with families early by dedicating the first
from partnerships with our parents. I hope this can Indian Coordinator brought in a group of four days of school for parent conferences.
award can serve as a badge of pride for our American Indian students from our community “Prep for Success conferences provide an
communities. They have helped create a great to teach and discuss the ricing process within the opportunity for teachers to complete incom- hlww.k12.mn.us/wes
school that reflects the values and character of Ojibwe culture,” the leadership team affirmed in ing assessments so the teachers may begin the
the communities it represents.” the SOE process. year already having targeted objectives based
In addition, the school has partnerships South Terrace strives to build relationships on student needs and success,” the leadership
with businesses in the area to expose students with the school community and reaps the bene- team shared. Randolph
to potential career paths in their community. fits. As they wrote in their SOE application, “We Elementary
“An onsite visit is held to first introduce stu- work hard to reach out to parents and ask for
dents to the company and to learn about local their partnership in everything from behavioral www.stcroixprep.org/ Congratulations to
careers within the organization,” the leader- expectations for their children to partnering in lower-school randolph Elementary
ship team noted. Each grade level partners getting work done. Many of our teachers have under the leadership
with a different business or sector. relationships with parents outside of school. of Principal Matt rut-
Lake Park Audubon Elementary invests [...] Many of our staff members volunteer and Winsted Elementary ledge!
in a technology-rich culture that connects engage in activities outside of school. They are Congratulations randolph Elementary is part of the ran-
learning to the global society. As the leader- always looking for ways to create partnerships to Winsted Elementary dolph Public School District and serves over
ship team shared in their application, “Not only with area businesses or organizations.” under the leadership 400 students in grades K-6. Their mission
do all students in grades K-12 have their own of Principal Jennifer is “Working in partnership with the family
computer, but all classrooms are outfitted with Olson! and the community, [randolph] is dedicated
a Promethean board [which enables students] W i n s t e d to providing a caring, disciplined, and chal-
to share their work easily with the class using www.carlton.k12.mn.us Elementary is part of the Howard Lake-
screen share. Teachers are able to connect Waverly-Winsted School District and serves Continued on Page 9