Annual Notifications

The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School District must provide a variety of annual notices to our families.  Please read below for specific information:

2014-2015 ANNUAL NOTIFICATION

DISTRICT-WIDE ASBESTOS UPDATE

We are pleased to inform you that the District has continued to respond to the asbestos in schools issue in a cautious and proactive manner. The District will continue with its original asbestos operations and maintenance program, including periodic surveillance required by the Asbestos Hazards and Emergency Response Act (AHERA).

With the implementation of the District’s Asbestos Management Plan, the following activities have been completed in the past year or are planned for the upcoming year:

RESPONSE ACTIONS COMPLETED	RESPONSE ACTIONS SCHEDULED
Kitchen Renovation Asbestos Removal	Periodic Surveillance
-Summer 2014	- March 2015
Periodic Surveillance
-March 2014
-September 2014

Please be assured that the District’s ongoing efforts related to the management and control of asbestos containing materials are geared towards providing a safe and healthy environment for students, employees, and other occupants.

If there are any questions, interested persons should contact the District Office at (507) 234-5181.

Indoor Air Quality Notification

2014-2015 School Year

The JWP School District would like to take this opportunity to inform parents and employees of the District’s commitment to achieving and maintaining a healthy Indoor Air Quality environment for all students, staff and other building occupants.

The District has implemented an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan. This involves performing annual building walkthroughs, IAQ investigations for problem areas, ventilation checklists for mechanical equipment, staff IAQ checklists, and the development of policies related to Indoor Air Quality. The District utilizes the EPA’s “Indoor Air Quality – Tools For Schools” guide to help accomplish these tasks.

If you have any questions or concerns about indoor air quality, please contact the District Office at (507) 234-5181.

Pesticide Notification

General Notice for Parents or Guardians

2014 – 2015 School Year

JWP Public Schools may use pest control materials during the school year.

Should the need occur this school year, we may use an insecticide to clean up the area.  The district may use chemicals for weed control and turf management.  The determination will be made about the dates and chemicals to be used in conjunction with a licensed applicator during the growing season.  Notification will be posted on the district website and at the building one week prior to application.

Parents of students may request to receive at their expense, prior notification of any application of a pest control material and schedule, should such an application be deemed necessary.

Please contact the District Office to request notification at (507) 234-5181.

How Postings Happen on our Social Media

Recently, a follower of our Facebook site posed a question regarding how certain items get posted to Facebook while others do not.  I felt that was a great question and could use an explanation for our faithful followers.

District administrators have access to our Facebook account and can post items of interest at any particular time.  Many times some of the postings you see on Facebook and Twitter come directly from our staff members (coaches, paraprofessionals, teachers, etc...).  We do our very best to post each item that is shared but from time to time we miss things.  It is obviously our goal to post every outstanding happening in the District but it is inevitable that we will miss things. 

Should you be aware of something that should be posted and is not, please e-mail a district administrator and one of us will try to post for you.  We appreciate your understanding and support!

Bill Adams - adamsb@jwp.k12.mn.us
Jeremy Erler - jerler@jwp.k12.mn.us
Kevin Babcock - kbabcock@jwp.k12.mn.us
Jeff Adams - jadams@jwp.k12.mn.us

First Days of School

The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School District has experienced a great start to the 2014-2015 school year.  We had over 600 students report to school on Tuesday, September 2, 2014.  Students went over classroom rules, behavior expectations, syllabi, and many other items during their first day.  Every year the first day of school brings along a fun story to tell people.  This year's story is as follows:

A kindergartener was confused about how to get home after school.  After questioning, this student assured us that they rode the bus to school.  We were confident the student rode the bus to school and more than likely rode the bus home.  The student was asked if they remembered what bus they rode to school and the student replied with a confident 'yes'.  When asked which bus, the student replied, "the yellow one."  As you might imagine, that description did not narrow the field down.  Kindergarteners are always exciting!

This week has been extremely warm in the building and we are thankful today is going to be much cooler.  On Thursday the 4th I took a walk around the building checking on various rooms for temperature readings.  Many of the classrooms I walked in were uncomfortably warm.  Our students and teachers deserve great kudos for making the absolute best of a not so great situation. 

Thank you to all families for sharing your children with us!  We are fortunate and honored to serve them.

Have a great weekend!

Construction Update

As you all know, construction is well underway at the school.  We are experiencing forward progress on a daily basis which is a good thing.  With any construction there are always barriers to overcome.  We have experienced several barriers but I am happy to report that our construction management company has done an exceptional job ensuring each barrier was met with resiliency and effectiveness. 

In terms of the schedule of the project, we are still right on track.  The classrooms, dishwasher room, restrooms, concession stand, and parts of the kitchen will be completed by mid October.  The full kitchen and cafeteria should be completed by the end of November.  The administrative offices are scheduled to be done by the end of December or beginning of January.  All dates are subject to change pending weather and other circumstances.  With that said, we are pleased with the overall project and timeline.

Below is a video that has some photographs of the work being completed.  I will try to outline some of the photos below.

Photo 1 = Removal of the Curtailment Fuel Tank
Photo 2 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 3 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 4 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 5 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 6 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 7 = Demolition of the Former Concession Stand
Photo 8 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 9 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 10 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 11 = Demolition of the Administrative Offices
Photo 12 = Demolition of the Cafeteria (Correct Drainage Issues)
Photo 13 = Demolition of the Cafeteria (Correct Drainage Issues)
Photo 14 = New Flooring
Photo 15 = New Flooring
Photo 16 = Footings for Addition
Photo 17 = Footings for Addition
Photo 18 = Footings for Addition

I hope you enjoyed the video.  If you have any questions, please contact me directly.

adamsb@jwp.k12.mn.us
507.234.5181

Introducing New Teachers!

Each school year districts welcome new teaching staff members aboard.  This year is no different than any other year for the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School District as we welcome seven new teachers on staff.

Stephanie Mattson will be teaching third grade for us this school year.  She was hired in the early spring to replace Liz Winters who accepted the Title I Position.  Stephanie comes to us from Lake City where she spent five years teaching 5th grade.

Layce Johnson is one of two new special education teachers for our district.  She is a recent graduate of Northwestern College in Orange City, IA.  Layce is originally from the state of California but seems to appreciate and enjoy the midwest!

Christine Manteufel is the second of two new special education teachers hired in our district this year.  She holds several special education licenses.  Christine lives in St. Peter, MN and spent time substituting in a variety of school districts.

Amy Friedrichs was hired this year to replace Lynn Gostomczik as a 7-12 Language Arts instructor.  Amy is originally from the metro area and seems to be adjusting well to rural MN.  She attended Minnesota State University, Mankato and has worked as a long-term substitute.

Nicole Olsen is also a recent graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato.  Nicole replaced Darcy Reed as our new high school counselor.  She is off to a running start trying to get a grasp on all the workings of the high school counselor along with District Assessment Coordinator responsibilities.

Penny Hage joins us from the Faribault Public School District as our new Media Center Specialist.  Penny has great knowledge of media and technology.  She is excited to begin transitioning our media center to a 21st century facility.

Aimee Miller is a familiar face to many of you as she lives in Janesville and spent last school year in our preschool classroom.  Aimee is excited to be our new 4th grade teacher.  She replaces Sandy Wiste who accepted a position in the Mankato Area Public School District.

We are very fortunate and excited to welcome these new members to our team!  Please congratulate and welcome them when you see them.

School Linked Mental Health

Program:
 
This school year the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School District has been selected to participate in a School Linked Mental Health Services Program (SLMH).  SLMH services will be a great addition to our school district for those students and families that are in need of such services.  We are fortunate to announce that this program will be funded through a grant!

Counseling Services of Southern Minnesota is partnering with our school district to make high quality mental health services available to any student in pre-school through senior high school.

Goals of the Program:

SLMH is committed to providing holistic assessment of the child's strengths, needs, stage of development, relationship with caregivers and emotional/behavioral barriers to reaching academic, social, and developmental potentials.

SLMH strives to provide therapeutic interventions that promote the student's academic, emotional and social development.

SLMH will work collaboratively with other service providers to coordinate care and maximize support for the student and their family.
 
Services Provided: 

• Pre-intake sessions with parents/guardians
• Diagnostic assessment
• Individual therapy
• Family therapy 
• Skills counselor-practice skills in school/home
• Family skills counseling with student/caregivers
• Therapist can attend team meetings
• Therapist can engage in care coordination with other providers
• Therapist can provide consultation to include parents, teachers, counselors, and social workers

Treatment Team:

The team is made up of masters and doctorate level clinicians including psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists and professional counselors.  

Web-Site:

http://www.counseling-services.org/

If you have any further questions, please contact me directly.

adamsb@jwp.k12.mn.us
507.234.5181

Proud of JWP Students and Staff

Student Scholarships and Awards

This year we have experienced outstanding success with our students receiving scholarships and awards.  One of the highest honors to be received, the National Merit Scholarship, was awarded to Lauren Summers as she is JWP's first recipient of this prestigious award since 1997.  In addition to that award, JWP seniors will have earned over $200,000 in scholarships this school year.  Congratulations JWP seniors!

Graduation - 2014

On Friday, May 23, we had 35 students graduate from the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Public School District.  As a District we are confident these students have been provided with exceptional opportunities to prepare them for post secondary education or the workforce.  We are very proud of our graduates and wish them nothing but the best of luck in the future.  

Proud of our Staff!

This school year our staff members took on Professional Learning Communities, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, and two new curricula on top of the extensive work they do on a daily basis.  Preliminary data shows that their work this year had a positive impact on student achievement as per NWEA-MAP and MCA data.  We could not be more proud of our staff for their unswerving commitment to doing what is best for students on our continuous quest in improving learning for all.  Should you encounter a member of the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton staff, please thank them for the work they do each and every day to positively impact the children of our three great communities.
Enrollment

The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Public School District expects to see an increase to enrollment next school year.  This year our District had 585 students enrolled in grades K-12.  Next year we expect an enrollment of 610 students in that same grade span.  That is an increase of 25 students.  This growth can be attributed to a larger incoming kindergarten class, the addition of Trinity Lutheran School students to our 9th grade class, move ins, and students returning from open enrollment.  We are happy to share this exciting news as increasing enrollment is a thing to celebrate! 

Cafeteria and Building Security Project

This project continues to move forward.  We received official approval from the Minnesota Department of Education in April.  The bidding process is complete and at this time we are awaiting approval on building permits.  We are hopeful things will progress at a steady pace so that the project can begin.  It is our hope that our secured entrance and new kitchen are completed by December.