Parkers Prairie ISD 547

Superintendent Saga

October 14, 2022 

Day 60 in District

7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind. This habit is based on the principles of vision, commitment, and purpose. At the School Board meeting on Thursday (10/13/22) the Board agreed to contract with the Learning Counsel to begin a visioning and planning process.  I have worked with the Learning Counsel and its CEO Leilani Cauthen (a Bemidji area native) and Chris McMurray, their Chief Academic Officer over the last 12 years.

Strategic Planning

As the Parkers Prairie School District begins the process of developing a vision for the future of the District we will all be asked to take risks and consider new ideas. Some risks may not pay off, but an optimistic risk-taker will always look at failure as an opportunity to learn. The willingness to experiment with new ideas is key to growth. Thanks to all Board members for being willing to move forward. 

I will be compiling a list of possible school visits or people to have conversations with about a new direction.  In the meantime I would recommend visiting the Learning Counsels’ Special Reports page and dig into the work they have done.

Evaluate

We continue to explore curriculum and pedagogy as we prepare for the new vision that is to be developed. Dave Olson, iCEV representative, gave a brief overview of his company’s online curriculum offerings in Career and Technical Education. Grace Ruckheim, Jerry Lampl, Carey Johnson, and Jim Duberowski are examining the curriculum through a pilot project. 

The Board also approved the purchase of a District subscription to Teachers Pay Teachers.  As soon as it is available we will be offering opportunities to teachers to purchase curriculum to use in their classrooms. 100% of the 28 teachers who responded to a survey sent out by Ms. Johnson indicated it would be a valuable resource.

 

Manage

We interviewed a custodial candidate and are checking references.

We will be setting dates and times for the Policy committee to meet and begin the exciting but arduous task of reviewing District policies.

Reminder we will be doing ALICE training on Wednesday, October 19, 2022. Early dismissal on Wednesday 10/19/22 for elementary students at 12:30 p.m. and high school students at 12:45 p.m. 

Peter E. Haapala, Interim Superintendent

“If we create a culture where every teacher (employee) believes they need to improve, not because they are not good enough but because they can be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve.” —Dylan Wiliam