Montevideo Public Schools

SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDER Friday, November 3rd is an Early Dismissal - End of Quarter 1 for the Thunder Hawks. Early dismissal times are: Ramsey 1:15 pm Sanford 1:20 pm MHS 1:25 pm MMS 1:30 pm

Question of the week! Q: If the referendum is approved, and the Ramsey site is sold, what will that money be used for? A: The school board and administration have been listening to community feedback on this topic and have committed to putting any proceeds created from the sale of the Ramsey site to pay down the debt associated with the referendum approved projects. #MontevideoForward

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! We are proud to shine this week’s spotlight on Cassie Nelson! Cassie is in her 8th year teaching Small World Nursery School (SWNS) and Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE). Cassie was born and raised in Montevideo! She earned her Bachelor's degree at Southwest Minnesota State University. Cassie taught for Head Start prior to becoming a SWNS teacher. Cassie is the proud mom of Ryzen, a senior at Montevideo High School. In her free time, Cassie enjoys lake weekends with family, walking, biking, kayaking, playing board games, and traveling to beautiful places. Cassie says, “I am proud to spend my days having fun, creating smiles, encouraging a love of learning, and fueling the light that shines in Montevideo's young Thunder Hawks. I am grateful and fortunate to work alongside some amazing, hard-working superstars at the Hawks Nest.” Thanks for all you do for our young Thunder Hawks, Cassie, and for your love for teaching! We appreciate you! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

Reminder! Come join the MHS Band and Choir TONIGHT at 7pm in the MHS Gymnasium for an evening filled with wonderful live music! We hope to see you there!

On October 27, 2023, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan announced the appointment of two new members to the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board. Congratulations to our very own Brandee Shoemaker! #HawkPride Brandee Shoemaker Teacher Outside the Seven-County Metro Area Effective: November 1, 2023 Term Expires: January 6, 2025 New Seat

Reminder: There are 7 days left to cast your early vote! The district office is open from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. The Special Election will be held at the TACC on Tuesday, November 7th. Polling hours will be from 7 a.m.-8 p.m.

October 27th is World Occupational Therapy Day, and we would like to take this opportunity to recognize our OT and OT Assistant! Stacy and Lauren do a wonderful job evaluating needs, developing specific plans and making sure our students are continually improving and reaching their goals. Thank you for supporting and empowering our kids! We are so grateful for your work! #HawkPride #worldoccupationaltherapyday #greatemployees #staffappreciation

Do you have questions about the referendum? Join us for our last community info session tonight at 6:00 p.m. at the high school where we'll be answering any questions you have. #MontevideoForward

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our elementary schools and middle school! SAVE THE DATE for November 9 & 14 (during school conferences), and get ready to empower your reader with book choice. Watch for more information to come!

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! We are proud to shine the spotlight on Shea Bohlin this week! This is Shea’s second year working in the district’s Grounds and Maintenance Department. He also works as co-manager and holds the office of Quartermaster of our Montevideo VFW. Shea’s hometown is Montevideo, and he is a 2003 Montevideo graduate. Shea was in the Minnesota National Guard for eight years with a deployment to Iraq in 2004-2005. He and his wife Nikki have been married 15 years, and together they have three boys, Jaxon, Rauly and Wynston. In Shea’s free time, he enjoys spending time with his family in the outdoors hiking, kayaking, camping and riding dirt bike. Shea says, “It’s nice to be living in a small town and enjoying a simpler life. I love watching our boys grow up in our hometown and attending the same schools I went to, sharing similar memories with them roaming the halls of Montevideo Schools.” We appreciate you, Shea, and your hard work and dedication to Montevideo Public Schools! Thanks for all that you do! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

We want to recognize a mistake in one of our community info session dates previously listed; the correct date is Thursday, October 26 at 6:00 p.m. We hope to see you at the info session at the high school this week and look forward to answering your questions!

Question of the week! Q: How do I learn more about how this referendum will affect my tax amount? A: Visit the property tax information page on our website to learn more about the estimated tax impact for your Residential Homestead, Commercial/Industry, or Agricultural Property. Use the calculator feature to determine your estimated tax impact. https://www.ehlers-inc.com/microsite/montevideo2023nov/ Example: If both referendum questions pass, a residential homestead with an estimated $200,000 market value will have an estimated impact on taxes payable in 2024 - $500 annual/$42 monthly/$1.37 per day. Investing Today In Our Community's Tomorrow #MontevideoForward

Montevideo Public Schools will be open until 4:00 today for early voting in the district office located at the Montevideo Middle School. A reminder that the district office will be closed on Thursday, October 19, and Friday, October 20 due to MEA Fall break. Please take advantage of the opportunity to cast your vote.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! This week's spotlight shines on Melissa Erp. Melissa has been a Title One teacher for the school district since 2013. Melissa is from Montevideo and is a Montevideo High School graduate. She received her college education and degrees from Willmar Community & Technical College and Southwest State University in Marshall. Melissa has two children, Meghan and Justin. Her daughter Meghan is in her 4th year at NDSU, and her son Justin is a junior here at Montevideo High School. Melissa has been a Minnesota State High School League Dance Team Official since 1999. This keeps Melissa busy and in the stands during the winter months, and it allows her to do a little something extra with her daughter as she is a dance team official too. In the summer months, you can find Melissa back in the stands again, as she and Bryce attend many racing events at area racetracks cheering on her son who is a race car driver. Go #32J!! A fun fact about Melissa is that she loves 80’s TV shows, movies and music! We are proud to have you on our team, Melissa! Thanks for all that you do! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

Mark your calendar and plan to join us for the first high school band and choir concert of the year! Monday, October 30th* 7:00 p.m. at High School Gymnasium *Note the calendar change - NOT Monday, October 23rd as printed in the 2023-24 Calendar & Information Resource.

Montevideo Public Schools will be open for early voting this week Monday-Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the district office located at Montevideo Middle School. The district office will be closed on Thursday and Friday due to MEA Fall break. There are 2 weeks left of early voting, please take advantage of this opportunity to cast your vote.

Question of the week! Q: If both referendum questions pass, how much will the State of Minnesota pay towards the referendum? A: If both referendum questions pass, the State of Minnesota will pay approximately $25,137,100 towards the total referendum amount of $61,310,000. In addition, don't forget to join us for our community information sessions being held tonight and tomorrow! Tonight at 6:00 p.m. @ Talking Waters Tomorrow at Noon @ the Community Center #MontevideoForward

SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDER No School - October 18-20, 2023 October 18 - Staff Development Day October 19 & 20 - Fall Break

Montevideo High School was proud to host our Minnesota Supreme Court Justice's for a day. Students and Staff heard oral arguments from both sides of a current appeals case in our gymnasium. There was even a Q & A session once the arguments commenced. Students from Dawson-Boyd, Lac qui Parle Valley, Yellow Medicine East, and Maccray joined our High School students for this once in a lifetime event. Our students created a menu, prepared, and served lunch to the Justice's and their staff. Click the Fox9news link below for a quick clip of the case. https://www.fox9.com/video/1294358

What's the difference between the last referendum and this referendum? We took the feedback we were given from the previously failed referendum and explored options for our schools' facilities planning resulting in an overall cost reduction of $5 million. Continuing our vision of Investing Today in Our Community's Tomorrow, we've reduced the tax impact while keeping the important learning areas at the forefront of the schools' design to provide modernized learning environments for all grade levels. Check out our website for more information on the referendum: https://www.montevideoschools.org/page/referendum #MontevideoForward