Chris Hahn

Trustees of the Osterud-Winter Foundation met to approve the semi-annual distribution of $34,100, proceeds from the $1 million trust established for the Spring Valley area by the late John N. Osterud, Founder of Home Federal.  The Trustees approved distributions to the following organizations:

 

Kingsland School District Scholarship Fund
Spring Valley Cemetery Organization
Spring Valley Living
Spring Valley Public Library
Spring Valley Historical Society

 

Discretionary Grants:

 

Spring Valley Ambulance
Spring Valley Fire Department
Senior Dining/ Meals on Wheels
Spring Valley Historical Society
City of Spring Valley EDA
Kingsland School Parents
Spring Valley Public Library

 

The Osterud-Winter Foundation was established in 1994 and the past 28 years we have provided the students of Kingsland School District scholarships totaling $865,000 with total charitable distributions of $1,730,000. We continue to be grateful for the generous gift to our community and appreciate the US Bank Private Wealth Management Group of Rochester of investment advice.  The trustees are Deanna Capelle, Sue Kolling and Steve Heusinkveld.

The Spring Valley City Council held a regular meeting on June 13.  All council members were present (Mayor Tony Archer, John Dols, Chris Danielson, Luan Ruesink, and Greg Brooks).  City Administrator/Clerk Deb Zimmer was absent, so Chris Hahn participated in her stead.

The council discussed a price quotation from RCM Specialties, for filling potholes and other patchwork needed on city streets.  Council members said the city had been pleased with work done by that company before, and the council voted to approve the work to be done as listed in the quote, at a price of $25,000.

Next, the council considered operations at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).  A proposal was received from the firm of Bolton & Menk, for “interim assistance” on operations at the WWTP, until the city can have a fully certified and trained operator in-house.  The council voted to accept the proposal from Bolton & Menk.  The council also approved two new employees for the city: Ben Chopp as WWTP Operator, and Jordan Lieffort as Deputy Clerk.  Chris Danielson mentioned that she sat in on the interviewing with each, and feels they will be good employees.

Click to read the full story by Rich Wicks  from June 22, 2022 in the Fillmore County Journal 

 

WYKOFF, Minn., May 4, 2022

St. Johns Lutheran Church and School, Fillmore County’s only Christian elementary school, is launching a trio of new programs beginning this summer with academic and recreational courses, and added preschool and after-school care options heading into the 2022-2023 academic year.

The summer academic and recreational course is open to any student entering K-8 this fall from any school or district and will run seven weeks during summer, starting June 13, and concluding the week of Aug. 8, with no classes from July 11 through July 22. Students can attend the duration of the summer,  or choose only the weeks desired. They can also choose to attend full or half days with pricing based on their selection. This program, which is open to the community-at-large, is intended to both prompt continuing education during summer and to provide childcare, which many families need.

Mickey Angerman, the Principal and a teacher at St. Johns explains, “As an educator, I know kids can get rusty over the summer. We want to attract students from throughout the community and help them stay sharp, and even give them a little extra attention if needed. And, it’s summer—we also want to have some fun!” Angerman also notes this is the only offering of its kind in the county.

The days will be broken into morning and afternoon sessions with each week. The morning session will focus on core academics, including math, language arts, reading and social studies. It will also include a brief, daily Bible study. Afternoons will still embrace learning, but be leisurely and fun; they will include things such as art, crafts, cooking, movies, games and sports. If families need care before or after the courses, Eagle care is available for additional fees.

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The daily schedule breaks down as:

• 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Optional Eagle Care
• 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Morning Academic Session
• 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Lunch and Afternoon Recreation Session
• 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Optional Eagle Care

The other new development at St. Johns deals with expansion of its preschool offerings and school-age care program. Beginning in fall 2022, preschool classes will be held five days per week—Monday through Friday—for the entire school day from 8:05 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. Families can utilize the full schedule, opt for half days, or attend fewer days per week, at a prorated cost. In addition, Eagle care will still operate on school days before school from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., and also now after school from 2:50 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The expansion comes in response to many parent requests for enhanced preschool offerings and for their students who need an after-school program. “Anymore, most families desire preschool that meets every day and they require after-school care. We will meet their needs and continue offering top-notch academics, extracurricular opportunities, and growth in the Christian faith,” states Angerman.

St. Johns welcomes students beginning at age three for preschool, and offers schooling through eighth grade. St. Johns utilizes Kingsland Public Schools transportation and keeps a similar calendar to the overlaying district. Personal appointments to meet with teachers and tour the school are available for prospective students of any level.

For additional details, program offerings, program costs, or question, please visit the school website www.stjohns-wykoff.org, call the school office (507) 352-4671, or email school@stjohns-wykoff.com.

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About St. Johns Lutheran Church & School

St. Johns Lutheran Church was founded in Wykoff, Minn. in 1874, and St. Johns Lutheran School opened in 1889 to provide Christian education. Both are affiliates of the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). The school welcomes any student who is interested in receiving a Christ-centered, high-quality education. St. Johns Lutheran School admits students of any faith, race, color, national and ethnic origin, or sex to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs. Connect with us at www.stjohns-wykoff.org/ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StJohnsWykoff.

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, May 21,2022.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

Kingsland school board members were pleased to announce the hire of a new middle/high school principal during the May 2 board work session.

Kingsland Elementary School (KES) Principal Scott Klavetter, recently named successor to retiring Kingsland Superintendent Jim Hecimovich, gave his K-6 principal’s report, one of the last he will give as such because Deana Dontje will become Kingsland’s new 5-12 principal, and the search for a dean of students continues. The district has had interviews scheduled and had identified a potential candidate, fourth grade instructor Erin Milz, as of the time of the work session agenda’s release. Furthermore, the district has several open teaching positions, including a Physical Education and Health position and numerous elementary instructors’ positions that Klavetter stated he hoped to have filled by the end of May to prepare for the 2022-2023 school year.

He told the board that Dontje has “a lot of experience…we’re excited to have her here.” He added, “We have a lot of things going on, and now that we have the leadership team in place, we’ve been busy, but we’re right where we want to be.”

Klavetter stated that curriculum updates are of importance as the district examines what is available and how much replacing dated curriculum will cost. He noted that language arts standards will dictate what the district purchases and that he has been working with Kingsland’s Spanish instructor to upgrade the Spanish curriculum to “the most current copyright” so that teachers don’t pass by the chance to upgrade their materials now and regret the choice later.

Gary Kuphal, acting as interim superintendent while Hecimovich is on family and medical leave, registered that he was uncertain as to who would be serving as the official superintendent at the Kingsland graduation ceremony because he hadn’t discussed the possibilities with Hecimovich. He did point out that the approaching commencement observations would require the board to review the list of seniors eligible to graduate.

Board member Natasha Howard asked about Kingsland’s determination on how to recognize foreign exchange students departing the district at the end of the school year, as one student’s host family had inquired whether that student would be allowed to participate in graduation as part of the 2022 class. Previous board conversation with Hecimovich had led board members to conclude, as board chairwoman Jackie Horsman said, “they don’t meet the standards to actually get those other things” – with “other things” defined as the right to be awarded a Kingsland diploma. The board had considered letting exchange students stand and speak about their experiences at Kingsland and what they had enjoyed about being able to attend school here.

Kuphal then broached the topic of high school course offerings and how to shift students from one class to another if that class’s registration shows that there are too many students interested in such a course, as is the case with the high school’s welding class. The chemistry class’s registration “is too low” and leaves the administration and guidance counselor Bruce Rohne concerned that not enough interest exists to fill out an attendance roster.

Horsman commented that her own concern is that students choose to take college-level chemistry classes because they feel they can conquer the syllabus but find that it’s too difficult once they’ve signed up, after which they distribute the message that “that class is too hard,” in turn discouraging other students from taking any chemistry classes. She also relayed that “it seems like interests shift from year to year” with regard to students’ class choices.

Activities director Laurie Hendrickson reported that most games and tournaments have had to be rescheduled because fields and tracks are too wet for competition. “It’s been crazy,” she commented, adding that the recent bad weather has also disrupted spring sporting progress because the April 11 windstorm damaged a ballfield dugout as well as the football ticket booth. The district needs to obtain quotes for materials and labor for insurance purposes before accepting assistance from a local contractor who would like to donate labor to the reconstruction efforts.

Hendrickson then spoke of supply chain issues for ordering new athletic uniforms, “experiencing incredible delays” even as the uniforms were ordered a long time ago.

Also, Kingsland Athletic Booster Club (KABC) members have approached the district with support for tearing out the existing track and resurfacing it.

The board reviewed capital outlay requests and how to spend reserved funds. Kindergarten teachers have placed tile flooring on their wish lists to replace carpeting that was installed in 2008 when the former Art and Tech Ed classrooms were converted to kindergarten rooms. The existing carpeting has served its purpose and is “not comfortable to sit on anymore,” especially because it’s under students’ desks and has caught years of milk spills, crumbs, art project bits, glue and more.

The unusual situation that the district finds itself in is that it must spend funding allocated from pandemic education intervention monies and is having difficulty identifying items that fit the guidelines and that it truly needs to buy, but there is time left to choose what to purchase because the allotment’s deadline isn’t until September 2023.

The Kingsland May and early June calendar is very full – the Junior Knightette dance recital is set for this Saturday, May 14; the kindergarten through third grade concert is at 1 p.m. and the fourth through sixth grade concert is at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 20, followed by preschool graduation at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 21 brings the Kingsland School Parents (KSP) Color Run – a fundraising run that has become popular among sprinters of all ages; Thursday, June 2 features the Kingsland High School scholarship awards ceremony at 7 p.m., and graduation is slated for Friday, June 3 at 7 p.m.

Kingsland’s school board meets the third Monday of each month for its regular meeting and holds a workshop two weeks prior to manage business in advance. Meetings are held in the elementary conference room at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted, and the public is welcome to attend. For more information, log onto the Kingsland website at www.kingsland.k12.mn.us, or call the district office at 507-346-7276.

 

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325