“Dog Haus News 2012-2013”
Issue 4
1-18-13

PAHS Students attend 63^rd Annual Dorian Vocal Music Festival at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa

Four students from the Paynesville Area High School Choir attended the 63rd annual Dorian Vocal Music Festival at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa on January 13^th and 14^th.  Attending this year from Paynesville were seniors Jackie Keller, Amelia Malling, Rachel McCloud and Natasha Meed.

1200 students from 278 high schools attended the Dorian Music Festival, forming the largest select choir in the United States.  Students from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and South Dakota were selected to attend the festival from nominations and rankings by their high school choir directors. 

The students spent two days rehearsing with the faculty at Luther College (conductors Allen Hightower, Sandra Peter and Andrew Last) before performing in the Grand Concert on Monday, January 14^th.  Also included in the concert program were the Luther Nordic Choir, five soloists (who were selected out of 278 soloists, including the Paynesville students), and a Chamber Choir selected from the 1200 massed choir members.  As one of the solo performers, each of the Paynesville students performed a solo in a mini-lesson for a Luther College voice faculty member, receiving comments and instruction after her performance.  The students also attended the Festival Concert on Sunday night, which included the Roseville Area High School Cantus Certus from Roseville, MN and the two freshman ensembles from Luther College, the Aurora Women’s Choir and the Norsemen.

 

Submitted:  Mrs. Cheryl Bungum     

“Dog Haus News 2012-2013”
Issue 2
9-27-12

                                           Summer TEAM Program

It’s a new year at Paynesville Elementary School, but before summer becomes a faded memory, we want to take time to thank some important community partners who helped our PAES students learn life skills over the summer.  The Summer TEAM was a project-based summer school program through Targeted Services (a state-funded program that serves students in before-school, after-school, or summer learning activities).  The program encourages students to extend their reading, math, and writing skills outside the school day.  This year, Summer TEAM offered students the opportunity to use math, reading, and writing in real-world settings.  We are so grateful to the generous community members who made these experiences meaningful.

Summer TEAM members learned about skills that are necessary for running a small business.  We were given first-hand accounts about skills, experiences, and personal traits such as determination and hard work at Sweet Nook Bakery and Wishing Well Café.  We were amazed by the world-wide reach of the ColorMaxx/ArcaSearch business, and we learned from them that flexibility and vision are important.  Each business owner we met told us that communication, listening, and hard work were important qualities.  We learned about the skills needed to work in a newspaper and how that work has changed over the years, thanks to the Paynesville Press.  We cleaned two parks in town, then met with the City Administrator to learn about waste management, recycling, and conservation.  We studied global warming, then enjoyed a presentation by the St. Cloud State Meteorology Department Chairman. 

In our second week, we visited Yarmon Motors to learn about vehicles, fuel efficiency, and decision making.  We used this information to figure out how to budget for buying and operating a car.  (It never hurts to start saving early!)  We were given lessons in comparison shopping and saving money on a grocery bill by the folks at Teal’s Market.  Finally, we learned how to read packages and make healthy food choices with a dietician from Paynesville Area Health Care Systems.

Summer TEAM was a new program in 2012, and we are so grateful for the many supportive community members who so willingly donated their time and talent to help our students learn through these projects.  Every business and organization we contacted responded positively to working with our students.  We are grateful to our community for making this program a success!

Submitted:  Kim Jones and Jennifer Wirz, PAES Summer TEAM Instructors    

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 23
5-25-12

School Patrol Goes to Twins Game

90 people from Paynesville including school patrol, chaperones, extra parents, and grandparents attended the Twins game on Tuesday May 15, 2012.

We parked in Big Lake and rode the North Star rail line to Target Field.  The train ride was wonderful.  Seats were comfortable, there was lots of leg room, cars were air conditioned, the conductor and security  people treated us like kings and queens, and the train delivered us right to  Target field.

The train ride was comfortable and fun and even though the Twins  lost  the game it did not matter thanks to the great train experience.

 

Submitted:  Mr. Virant – School Patrol Advisor

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 22
5-24-12

6^th Grader Students visit Paynesville Museum

On Thursday, May 17th the 6th graders visited our local Paynesville Historical Society and Museum.  It was the first stop on their journey through our local history. They were given the opportunity to spend the morning learning about many of the events that helped shape our community. The students toured a great timeline exhibit that the Historical Society has built which shows the history of Paynesville and Minnesota. This exhibit shows how the two histories intertwined to bring about the many aspects of our community; ranging from Industry, Manufacturing to our Cultural history. They also toured a one room school house that is on property, learning about a day in the life of a student that was a normal way of life for generations.

That same afternoon, the students were visited by a representative from the Minnesota Military Museum at Camp Ripley. They were presented with Minnesota’s unique role in the Civil War and the place that Paynesville had in the history of the US/Dakota Wars. The students were shown how a replica of an 1861 musket (that was carried by Civil War soldiers) was loaded. An enjoyable experience the students had was trying on replica uniforms that soldiers, both Union and Confederate wore and the packs they carried with them for the duration of the war.

It was a great history day and a great day in history!

 

Submitted:  Mr. Mike Eveslage (6^th grade teacher)

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 21
4-20-12

Communications 7: Poetry Exploration

 

 

 

The PAMS 7^th grade recently completed a Poetry unit that included a “Poetry Slam” in the HS Media Center.  After four weeks of studying elements and vocabulary used to write poems, the students wrote their own poems to share using those techniques or a favorite poem.  The rest of the students “snapped their fingers” to show their approval and enjoyment.  The unit included state standards and many activities. 

 

Mrs. Andersen, Mrs. Leyendecker, and Ms. Nevitt are proud of our young poets!

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 20
3-29-12

FFA National Teach Ag Day

 

In honor of National Teach Ag Day on March 15^th, 22 Paynesville Area FFA members from Paynesville and ROCORI schools taught an agricultural lesson at the Elementary Schools. The members from Paynesville taught the 1^st graders and multiage students in Paynesville. They chose a lesson titled, “Cheeseburger Storybook,” which focused on agriculture literacy and teaching the students where their food comes from and some fun facts of the cheeseburger. Each student received their “cheeseburger kit” that contained the different layers of a cheeseburger. Then, they cut out the pieces of a cheeseburger (bun, pickles, ketchup, meat, cheese, etc.) and glued the agricultural products (wheat, eggs, tomatoes, etc.) onto the correct layer. Finally, they were assembled so they could take their cheeseburger storybook home and share with their family. We also went through materials donated by the Minnesota Ag in the Classroom organization that was handed out to the students. These included two issues of Ag Mag Jr’s and a cheeseburger placemat. The members from ROCORI taught the 1^st graders from Cold Spring Elementary. Since the first grade classes were studying life cycles of plants and animals, the FFA members chose a lesson titled “All in the Family.” It focused on the life cycles and different names for agricultural animals (calf, heifer, steer, cow, bull, etc.). This was done as an interactive game on the Smartboard with the students. Following the lesson, the 1^st graders created their favorite animals out of homemade play dough, which was made by an FFA member prior to the event. They were able to learn more from their animal packets (coloring & activities), animal terminology bookmarks, and two issues of Ag Mag Jr’s that were also donated from the Minnesota Ag in the Classroom organization. Overall, it was a very enjoyable activity for the elementary students and the FFA members. They loved working with the younger students, teaching them about agriculture, and some even have a hidden “knack” for teaching. Great job FFA members and thank you to the 1^st grade and multiage teachers and classes for this opportunity.

Mrs. Natalie Utsch

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 19
3-22-12

PAYNESVILLE AREA SCHOOLS
Celebrating Music in Our Schools Month

The students of PAS started celebrating Music In Our Schools Month (March) on February 24th with singers from all of the choirs in grades 4-12 singing the National Anthem at the last home boys basketball game.  Each choir enjoys participation from many students and so we would guess that we had over 350 singers that evening.  Also that evening the Middle School Band members joined the High School Band members in Pep Band adding to the excitement of the evening.

This is the 2nd year all of the choir members have sung the National Anthem together for a basketball game. The National Association for Music Education started the National Anthem Project many years ago encouraging music teachers to teach all of their students the Star Spangled Banner.  This project is very important in Paynesville as students already participate in Veteran’s Day and Memorial Day programs. 

In honor of Music In Our Schools Month students at the Elementary school wore Black and White on March 8th, since black and white are the colors of the piano keyboard and that of written music. 

Many concerts were held starting at the end of February.  The 7th and 8th Grade Choirs performed Project Peace.  The High School Choirs and Middle School/High School Bands each performed Mid-Winter Concerts.  The Prelude Singers (the Elementary Choir) hosted their annual LolliPOPS Concert, which is a benefit concert for the Paynesville Area Service Center and where our Keep the Quality Committee handed out lollipops to a capacity crowd.  They included the 6th Grade Choir and High School Pops Choir on their concert program.  The Paynesville Community Talent Showcase (benefit for auditorium) was also held and played to a full auditorium. 

Paynesville Area High School hosted the vocal solo and ensemble contest for their district on February 27th.  Paynesville had 67 entries with 29 receiving the top superior rating and 3 Best-of-Site winners:  Eugene Schreder, Chance Holmes and Amelia Malling.  The high school choirs and bands also participated in the large group contest at ACGC on March 13th. 

Our goal for our students is the theme of Music in Our Schools Month; we truly want them to know that “Music lasts a lifetime.”

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 16
2-16-12

Paynesville Area Schools Launches BNC-TV
The Bulldog News Station!

Did you know that Paynesville Area Schools now has our own Internet News Station? 

I have always had a passion to help students become creators of technology and media instead of just consumers and that is why I started BNC-TV.  There are so many great things happening in our school district and we now have another avenue to help showcase them.  It has been very enjoyable working with the BNC-TV Team this year.  I am looking forward to all of the creative stories and excellent work our students will continue to do. 

You can directly access all of our broadcasts by going to our YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/paynesvillestudios or by going to www.PaynesvilleSchools.com and clicking on the BNC-TV Logo.

If you have a creative story idea or video of school/community events please email us at BNCTVNEWS@gmail.com.

Submitted by:

Matthew Dickhausen
Director
Paynesville Area Community Education
Paynesville Fitness Center
BNC-TV News
Email me at – BNCTVNEWS@gmail.com

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 15
1-25-12

Kindergarten Class Constructs Igloo

 

Paynesville Area Schools Kindergarten Students learn about igloos and create one out of gallon sized milk jugs. Construction of the igloo started on Monday, January 9^th and finished with close to 500 milk jugs, on January 17^th. The kids have been so excited watching and helping with the construction!

Along with constructing the igloo, we have also been learning about penguins, talking about snowmen, and reading books about snow.

Submitted by:

Connie Ludwig
Kindergarten Teacher
Paynesville Elementary School
cludwig@paynesville.k12.mn.us

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 14
1-18-12

Paynesville Area Schools Robotics Teams

 PAHS and PAMS Robotics

 

This year Vex Robotics supplied St. Cloud Tech with materials for 20 Robotics Teams in the area. Jay Thompson and Cheryl Porter have volunteered their time to become advisors for a MS and HS team. Both groups meet every Tuesday and Thursday to design, build and test their robots.

Jay Thompson has taken our HS Team to three meetings held at St. Cloud Technical College. Both teams will compete on Feb 18th, in St. Cloud.

The competition involves four Teams of robots going 2 on 2. The robots will be expected to carry blue and red balls or cylinders and place them into baskets "Robotic Basketball". The robot has an autonomous mode where it must “think” on its own and a mode where one can use a joystick to control it.

The students have enjoyed the challenge of learning how to program and test their robots. It has been a great learning experience in this up and coming field.

I would like to thank Nelson Plastics and Stang Precision for their financial support along with Jay Thompson and Cheryl Porter for volunteering their time to work with our students.

 

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 13
1-11-12

Paraprofessional Week January 16-21st

Paraprofessionals may work in a variety of positions in a school district including, but not limited to, instructional assistants, Title I paraprofessionals, pupil support assistants, special education paraprofessionals, job coaches, lunchroom and playground assistants, hall monitors, and media center assistants.

Many paraprofessionals work primarily or exclusively with students who have special educational needs. Their duties vary according to the needs of the student from physical assistance and care to behavioral management and academic assistance.

In Minnesota, paraprofessionals must meet specific locally developed requirements depending on the role and duties they are assigned.

During Paraprofessional Recognition Week, we want to recognize and celebrate the contributions of paraprofessionals working in our schools. The administration and board appreciate your Devotion, Enthusiasm, Dependability, Involvement, Caring, Attitude, Teamwork, Integrity, Optimism, and Nurturing. Behind our School is a Dedicated Team.

Thanks for all you do!!!

Todd Burlingame

Superintendent

“Dog Haus News”
Issue 11
12-9-11

News From Third Grade

        Well the holiday season is upon us and people are busy looking for just the right gift for the people on their list.  The third grade has gone on a different path.  We are not going to buy a gift for a fellow classmate or for the teacher. No we have not turned into Scrooges. Instead we are going to collect money and put together care packages for the residence of Washburne Court. We will bring the packages to them on Dec. 22^nd and sing a few songs for them.

        Third graders have done this for about five years.  Our teachers tell us it is a fun and warm experience.  Ms. Sorenson told us about the first time they did it. On the way back to school one of the girls said, “Oh Ms. Sorenson I feel so fluffy”.  That sounds like such a fun way to feel.

        We hope you enjoy your holidays with family and friends.

May you find that “Fluffy” feeling this year,

Paynesville Third Graders

“Dog Haus News”
Issue #10
11-18-11

Prelude Singers Attend Choir Performance

 

On Friday, October 14^th 115 members of the Prelude Singers and 14 chaperones attended the St. John’s Boys Choir performance of Boys on Broadway. We were dazzled by tap dancing singers, fantastic choreography moves, interesting costume changes and INCREDIBLE music.  It was a great experience for the Prelude Singers to hear another choir of their age range.  As we listened we were able to hear two and three part music being performed, talented boy sopranos singing very high notes and we could see the discipline, control and hard work exhibited by the boys to produce such a wonderful show.  Some of our favorite songs were: Put on a Happy Face, Seasons of Love and The Letter.  The finale song, You Can’t Stop the Beat, from the musical “Hairspray,” was sung by the entire choir.  We would like to express our gratitude for this awesome trip to our parents, classroom teachers, administration and Paynesville Motor and Transfer.  It was a learning experience we will try to take with us into our performance this year.---

Submitted:  Mrs. Strand

“Dog Haus News”
Issue #9
11-11-11

Riddle of the Day

What do you get when you mix the following items?

-        A bright sunny November morning

-        250 Middle School students

-        150 rakes

-        Yards full of leaves

Answer: MS Community Rake Day

On November 3, the morning started out with the Middle School students of PAMS arriving at school as normal but many of our kids were carrying rakes, wearing warm clothes and trying to find their gloves that they thought they put in their pockets.  After reporting to their Homerooms, we were off to rake the yards for some of the older residence of Paynesville as well as clean up the grounds around the Elementary and Secondary school buildings. 

The morning that is usually filled with classes, ringing bells and lockers slamming was filled with sunshine, laughter, yard work, leaves and connecting with some of the older residents of the community.  This is the second fall that the Middle School has worked in conjunction with the R.O.S.E. Center to assist with the fall yard work for some of the members of the community.  In the morning, our students along with their teachers, some members of HS TEAM Up, and some parent volunteers were out to tackle our list of yards with rakes and positive attitudes. 

Here is what we accomplished:

-        27 private yards raked

-        Jumping into piles of leaves

-        Students and teachers connecting outside the classroom

-        Bags and bags filled with leaves

-        545 hours of work completed

-        Connecting with members of the community by our Middle School students

-        Smiles and laughter

We would also like to thank Paynesville Motor and Transfer for providing the buses and the bus drivers for the morning and the R.O.S.E. Center for being the sign-up center for the residents that had needed their yards raked.  This has been a very valuable community service activity for the students and staff at PAMS. 

Submitted by: Dawn Knoll

“Dog Haus News”
Issue #8
11-4-11

To Gather, To Laugh, To Recognize … Were the Components of the LEEA Banquet

By Sandra Cordie

Congratulations Amy Flanders and Colin Wolf - 2011 LEEA Award Winners
To Gather …

The special evening began with honorees and their special guests arriving at the St. Cloud Civic Center for the Leaders in Educational Excellence Awards ceremony (LEEA).  They were met with warm congratulations from Resource staff along with a corsage, guitar and mandolin musicians and an opportunity to visit with each other and not be in the rush of a school day.

The LEEA event was Wednesday, October 26, in St. Cloud.  Nearly 500 people attended the event to honor 153 educators who were recognized with a plaque and certificate from the Governor of Minnesota.  The honorees were nominated by their school or district.  Represented at the event are public, private, parochial, and charter schools.  Additionally, the Meeker & Wright Special Education Cooperative and Wright Technical Center sent guests and honorees to the event.  

The evening began with a welcome by Rob Cavanna, executive director of Resource.  He emphasized the uniqueness of the event in that there is no other service cooperative in Minnesota who sets aside an evening to recognize the outstanding educators.  “A good teacher remains in our lives forever.  I’m certain many of you will be remembered by students for years to come,” he said. 

To Laugh …

Keynoter, C. Willi Myles, delighted the audience with his tales of coming to St. Cloud State University (SCSU) from Alabama in the middle of winter.  “I visited SCSU twice – May and July.  Are you seeing a pattern of deception here?,” he claimed.   Myles was recruited to play football at State and has gone on to have a very successful career as a comedian. 

“I have a lot of respect for teachers but I need to say that I was over sold on the algebra thing.  Maybe some of you math teachers are using it but I really don’t see how the rest of the world is working with the x and y equations on a daily basis.”  This statement along with other tidbits about frostbite and windchill had folks laughing at themselves.

“The last names up here really threw me.  I’m use to Jones and Smith.  You folks go about five letters before you get to a vowel.  And then you add ‘ski’ to the end,” Myles pointed out.

To Recognize …

Minnesota’s Commissioner of Education Dr. Brenda Cassellius, was unable to attend but sent a letter congratulating honorees.  In part of her letter she says, “We need to celebrate and replicate your hard work, which is why I encourage you all to keep working creatively to reach your students and to share with your colleagues what works.  The ripple effect of your success will spark growth and opportunity for students in your classroom and beyond.”

The Presiding Superintendent for the evening was Larry Peterson from the Eden Valley-Watkins School District.  Peterson, whose trademark gravelly voice, said teachers make learning come alive.  “You make the lessons from the books real and relevant,” he added. Peterson read the names of the honorees as they received their plaque and certificates from Ken Anderson, Board Chair of Resource Training & Solutions and congratulations from Willi Myles.

This banquet marked the 20^th anniversary of the LEEA event.  To date, there have been 2,889 educators in the Central MN region who have received this recognition.  Districts have the discretion to create their own selection criteria based upon suggested criteria from the LEEA organizing committee.

The event is sponsored by the participating school districts, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Resource Training & Solutions.  It is coordinated by Sandra Cordie, Director of Educational Program. 

Paynesville Area Schools Makes Adequate Yearly Progress, AYP

Hats off to Paynesville Area Schools staff, students, volunteers, parents, and community members!!! Paynesville Area Schools made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the 2010-11 school year. Our staff has been working very hard to increase student achievement. Although I may not agree with all of the requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, it has enabled our staff to work collaboratively towards a common goal of student achievement. Our staff is working together analyzing test data, curriculum, and teaching styles to improve our approach to teaching. I can say that our staff has come together as a team to improve on our strengths and address our weaknesses, in providing the best education for our students.

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires that all schools in the nation make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) toward achieving the goal of all students being proficient in reading and math. As you may be aware, Paynesville Area Schools has been designated as a school in need of improvement due to not making AYP for the last three years.

The goal of No Child Left Behind has been to have all children in the United States reading and doing math at grade level by the 2013-14 school year. To accomplish that, the law required states to implement a system of standardized tests with achievement levels ramping up each year.

Schools and districts must meet the requirements in a variety of subgroups to make adequate yearly progress. If they fall short in one category, the entire district may be labeled as not making AYP. The categories include ethnic minorities, students learning English, low-income students and special education students.

AYP status is calculated by the growth each district makes from the previous year and the target achievement rates from the base line year of testing in Reading and Math. Once the bar is set, it incrementally increases to 100% for the 2013-14 school year. Districts receive points for growth and reaching the bar. Once a district is identified as Not Making AYP, they are designated as a District in Need of Improvement for at least 2 years or until the district makes AYP for two consecutive years. Our district will need to make AYP again this year to get out of the District in Need of Improvement designation. This year, 226 of 335 school districts did not make adequate yearly progress. We were one of 109 school districts who made AYP for the 2010-11 school year.

We are working together within the district to ensure that all students receive the best education possible.  The Paynesville Area staff has implemented the following strategies to improve the quality of education: Power Half Hour, Paynesville Area Targeted Services (PATS), Core plus More, and Summer Boot Camp for reading and math. Once again, hats off to our staff, students and parents on a great achievement. It truly does take an entire village to raise a child. Paynesville Area Schools is making strides to become an excellent school for student growth and achievement.

To review our scores and to see how other districts around the state are performing please refer to the Minnesota Department of Education’s Website, School Report Cards at http://education.state.mn.us/ReportCard2005/index.do.  If you have questions please contact me at 320-243-3410 ext. 1149.

 

Todd Burlingame

PAS Superintendent

“Dog Haus News”
Issue #5
10-1-11

Educational Support Staff Recognition Event

Paynesville Area Schools is proud to give long overdue recognition to our educational support staff - paraprofessionals, clerical personnel, school bus drivers, custodians, food service personnel, buildings and grounds personnel, health and safety staff, technicians, custodians, school nurses and all other support staff.

On Wednesday, September 14^th the educational community honored 75 support staff from 23 school districts. Paynesville Area Schools honored Polly Jaeger, administrative assistant, and Diane Utsch, special education paraprofessional, for their outstanding performance which has had a profound impact on our students and our community.

Support staff are an integral part of our school district. They promote student achievement, ensure student safety and contribute to the establishment and promotion of a positive instructional environment. The Educational Support Staff Recognition Event is an opportunity to recognize and honor those school support personnel who go above and beyond their required duties. 

The following is a list of criteria used to help selecting honorees:

School support staff who:

*          are non-licensed educators

*          possess a thorough knowledge of work responsibilities, demonstrate safety for self and others, and cultivate respect for resources and facilities.

            *          portray a positive role model for students, staff and the community.

*          are exemplary staff members who recognize students, peers and colleagues as individuals and who show genuine respect and concern for others.

            *          seek to improve personally and professionally.

*          make a difference every day in the lives of students, staff and their community.

The district is proud of all our support staff, and would like to take this time to thank all support staff for their commitment and dedication to our students. Congratulations to Polly and Diane.

 

Todd Burlingame

PAS Superintendent

“Dog Haus News”
Issue #4
9-24-11

Farm to School Program

This year’s 6^th graders (last year’s 5^th graders) helped finish the Farm to School cycle On Tuesday September 13^th.  Last Spring the then 5^th graders planted seeds with Farmer Dick Geers, nurtured and watched the seedlings grow, and then went to the Geer's Farm just outside of Paynesville and planted those seedlings.  Farmer Geers nurtured the plants through flooding rains, heat, and other elements this summer.  On Tues. Sept. 13^th, the now 6^th graders took a field trip to the Geers’ farm to harvest the tomatoes.  The group then brought back several boxes of tomatoes, which will be served the week of September 19^th, in our cafeterias.  The Geers’ farm also provided cucumbers to enhance our cafeteria selections.  The tomatoes & cucumbers looked and tasted great!  Our food service at Paynesville Area Schools also will be serving apples from the Jim Schultz Orchards near Eden Valley in October. 

The Farm to School (F2S) program is a way for students to learn about where their food comes from, bring more fresh fruits & vegetables to our cafeteria, supports local farmers & the economy and is a greener solution as it cuts down on transportation emissions and costs.  The Paynesville Area School District Farm to School Program is a collaborative between Paynesville Area Schools, the city of Paynesville, and Stearns County Public Health.

Any questions, or if you are a local farmer that would like to be involved, please email Diane Fortney at dfortney@paynesville.k12.mn.us or Matt Dickhausen mdickhausen@paynesville.k12.mn.us at Community Ed.

Respectfully submitted by Mrs. Fortney.

“Dog Haus News”
Issue #3
9-16-11

6^th Grade Winter Camp

The 6^th grade students of Paynesville have been going on a field trip to the Long Lake Conservation Center (LLCC) in Palisade, Minnesota every winter for the last 30+ years. This years’ trip is planned for February 8-10th. During those three days, students will have the chance to learn about conservation while engaging in many activities and classes. Highlights of past years include:

1.     Wilderness Meal: students learn how to build a fire using downed branches, birch bark, and about an ounce of kindling. They are given one match to start their fire. They work together as a team to get the fire started. Students then have to figure out how to heat water for hot chocolate and create pointed sticks to roast hotdogs.

2.     Alpha Wolf: Groups of 8 students elect a leader and work together to become a pack. In the dark, they go out on a path in the woods with other student “packs” and listen for the alpha wolf’s signal. Then their group, holding a rope to stay together, set out to find the Alpha Wolf.

3.     Snow shoeing/cross country skiing are favorite activities if there is enough snow.

4.     Orienteering: The final activity is a race through the woods around the camp. Students learn how to use the compass for the race the day before and have a skills test that determines if they can go alone or with a partner.

5.     Among many more…

Students enjoy staying with their friends in a lodge with bunk beds housing up to 8 students per room.  Meals are served family style and each student has kitchen patrol (KP) at least once during their stay. Participating in these activities is a fun way for students to work together and create good memories with their classmates. They learn about some of Minnesota’s trademarks, the wildlife and habitat around them, and several outdoor skills.

Friday, September 16th will be the kick off date for our fundraising for the trip. Each student is responsible for their portion, which is approximately $125, less with donations. This includes the camp fees, transportation, and other additional costs. We also accept donations from businesses to help out with the costs and supplies needed for this field trip. Please contact me if you would like to become one of those businesses.

I am very excited to be part of this wonderful experience that will create great memories for our students. This trip would not be possible without the help and support from parents, the people within our community, and our teachers.  We would like to extend a big thanks to everyone who helps make this trip possible.

Respectfully submitted by Ms. Rindahl, Winter Camp Coordinator.

“Dog Haus News”
Issue #2
9-9-11

FFA Educational Plot Day

The 6^th annual FFA Educational Plot Day will be taking place on Wednesday, September 14^th from 10 AM to 2 PM. This event will take place in the Paynesville Area Middle School parking lot and the FFA Educational Plot. Throughout the growing season, the FFA members and FFA alumni members have been growing and caring for the 10 acre field just south of the school. Numerous local seed representatives have entered their variety/hybrid of corn and beans in the plot as an educational opportunity for community members and students to learn more about. From 10:00 am-2:00 pm community members, local businesses, local farmers, school administrators/faculty, students, FFA members, and alumni members can attend the plot day. A lunch will be served of brats, hot dogs, sauerkraut, beans, chips, cookies, and milk/water. Plot Day attendees can enjoy talking to local seed representatives that will be giving tours, as there will be educational stations focusing on the crop production industry will be set up. This is an educational opportunity for all people and we hope to see you there. Please email nutsch@paynesville.k12.mn.us if you have any questions.

Respectfully  submitted – Natalie Utsch -  FFA Advisor

“Dog Haus News”
Issue #1
9-1-11

PAYNESVILLE AREA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PATROL

Why do we have crossing guards (School Patrol)?   Our NUMBER ONE  goal is SAFETY.  Since the inception of  school patrol crossing guards in 1923 in  Omaha, Nebraska there  has never been a fatality at a school where crossing guards are on duty  (information provided  by MN  State Troopers).

School Patrol operates at the elementary school.  We provide safe crossings before and after school every day – rain  or shine hot or cold.  There are 5 intersections surrounding the elementary school where we provide safe crossings. 

In the mornings we close Mill Street from Stearns Ave to Augusta Ave. and after school we close Mill Street from Stearns Ave. to Washburne Ave.  This  provides additional safety with loading and unloading busses as well as safe crossing for pedestrians.

In addition, at the end of every school day we safely escort as many as ten reschool students from their classroom to the appropriate  bus.

We have approximately 55 students involved with School Patrol and we are split into two teams called the green and white teams.   Each team is on duty every other week.

  School Patrol provides a great opportunity to practice and demonstrate positive leadership as well as demonstrate responsibility in action.

The rewards of being involved in School Patrol are being first in the lunch line, plus a trip to a MN Twins baseball game in the spring.

Special thanks to the following

1.  City of Paynesville for providing orange safety cones plus providing police support when traffic violations occur.

2.  Paynesville American Legion Post 271 for financial support for both  safety yellow uniforms as well as funds for the MN Twins game.

3.  Central MN Federal Credit Union for funding the MN Twins game.

4.  Ron and Judy’s restaurant for purchasing 20 desperately needed new rain coats and  20 stop signs that have replaced the worn out crossing flags.

5.  Paynesville Motor and Transfer for providing a free bus to the MN Twins game.

Respectfully  submitted – Bill Virant  School Patrol advisor