Central Public Schools - Education Is Central

The State Football bracket has been revealed. The Central Raiders have been given the #3 seed in the South and will face #2 seeded Jackson County Central. The game will take place at Orono HS on Thursday, Nov. 7th at 7:00 PM. More details to come!

Today our seniors passed down their "school spirit" to the kindergarteners. The class of 2025 and the class of 2037 came together in the Field House. One class preparing for their final year at Central, and the other class just beginning their journey. The seniors handed each kindergartener a special pin representing their school spirit, and a letter encouraging them to continue our school traditions. There was so much joy and excitement shared between the two classes, and new friends were made. This is one of the many ways our amazing students show Raider Pride and make our school such a wonderful place to learn and grow.

Wake up Raider Nation! It's Section Championship Game Day! Come on out to Watertown-Mayer and cheer on the Raiders as they face the Cannon Falls Bombers. Game time is 7:00 PM. Ticket Link: https://www.vancoevents.com/us/CSBW Streaming Link: https://nspn.tv/MSHSL/GameStream/24448

Last week the preschoolers in Cologne used their imagination to plan, create and build after reading the book Busy Builder, Busy Week. So cool!

Monday, Nov. 4 is a staff development day with no student attendance!

Central Elementary School staff pulled a fantastic group costume for halloween!

When it snows on halloween, you go outside and try to catch snowflakes! These preschoolers were very excited about the first snow and enjoyed observing and brainstorming ideas on how to use it.

The Raider Field House will be closed to the public until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 while we host a volleyball tournament.

Save the date for the 41st Annual Central Public School Community Education Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 23. There will be tons of vendors and great fun for the whole family!

Tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 1) is the end of the first quarter and will be an early release day!

Tell me it snowed on halloween without telling me it snowed on halloween.

Our entire 4th grade was given a fun and engaging challenge to create a timeline using the football field! The 50-yard line represented year zero, and the students were split into two teams, each tasked with placing six important historical dates along the field. The dates included Egypt (circa 3100 BCE), Greece (circa 1000 BCE), Rome (circa 750 BCE), the First Thanksgiving (1621 CE), and Today (October 22, 2024). The goal was to help them grasp how long ago these events happened and understand how our perception of time can get muddled. Can you guess which group matched each event to the right point in history?

The first annual Raider Rally held in October was a huge success! Over $28,000 was raised, which will go back to the students, clubs, programs and athletics at Central Public Schools. It was also a great night honoring the 2024 Central Hall of Fame inductees. Mark your calendar for the next raider rally on October 4, 2025!

Central Public Schools ISD 108 will have four school board seats on the ballot during the Nov. 5, 2024 election. As a way to introduce each candidate to the community, the district has collected responses on questions from each candidate and will share one candidate a day (Monday-Friday) on social media ahead of election day. Posts will be shared in the order that candidates will appear on the Ballot which was a result of a randomized selection process. You can view all candidate responses here: https://www.isd108.org/article/1715982 Responses have been minimally edited for formatting and clarity and all content and viewpoints are of the respective candidate. -Candidate Name: Shelby Erickson -City of Residence: Norwood Young America -How long have you lived in the district? 19 years -What is your occupation? I have worked at Ridgeview as a nurse for almost 26 years. Currently, I am the nurse manager of Women and Children Services. -Why do you want to be a member of the ISD 108 School Board? If elected, this would be my second term as a board member. I originally ran for school board because I wanted to make a difference. I was frustrated with some of the decisions being made at our district and wanted to help influence the district leaders in a positive way. Now, I have been able to witness the change of direction at Central Schools and want to continue to be a part of the positive changes we have witnessed over the last five years. -What qualities will you bring to the board if elected? I believe that my leadership skills, open mindedness, and positive attitude are the qualities that I would bring to the board, if elected. -What do you believe is the most important issue facing education today? This is a challenging question! There are so many important issues that our district deals with daily! Student safety and security, employing high-quality educators, and offering a variety of extracurricular opportunities are all very important issues in education today. Personally, I believe that giving every student the opportunity to achieve success is critically important. While everyone's definition of success looks a bit different, opening doors and removing barriers for our students' success, through policy and governance, are the most important tasks for our school board to accomplish.

Check out the latest artists of the week as we showcase artwork from the Draw Paint Print Class! This project has been nicknamed "Shoedala" (short for shoe mandala) by Mrs. Raduenz! In this art project, students are tasked with creating a mandala design that incorporates shoes as a central element to highlight both radial symmetry and contour lines. The mandala, a circular design that radiates outward from a central point, is perfect for showcasing symmetry, with the shoes used as repeating motifs arranged around the center. As they place the shoes in a symmetrical pattern, they learn about balance, repetition, and how to break complex objects into simple, flowing lines, resulting in a visually striking piece of art that blends realism and geometric design. Congratulations to these students for being named Artists of the week: Avery Arndt RaeAnn Heuer Cassie Reams Ella Wickenhauser

Congratulations to our October Award Winners! High School Winners: Academic Achievement Award: Camden Barthel Addison Klingelhutz Jacob Neuman Adriel Schnabel Parker Honl Sam Woizeschke Ethan Hutchins Annabelle Zernechel Lions Citizenship Award: Paizley Alsleben Tenley Read Cassandra Reams Nick Ojeda Raider Pride Award: Ellie Mackenthun Rosella Traver Taylor Hackbarth Middle School Winners: Academic Achievement Award: Xandria Grundmeyer William Kroells Aubrey Broscoff Carina Marttinen Emily Hecksel Reagan McMullin Lions Citizenship Award: Isabelle Dahlke Matthew Storms Owen Rodman Raider Pride Award: Austin Fashing Mylah Alsleben Avery Blom

Don't miss Financial Aid 101 this week! This informative session will cover lots of great information about the financial aid process presented by Alyssa Gillette, the Director of Financial Aid at Crown College.

There is still time to participate in the Winterwear with Care donation drive by Old National Bank in NYA! New or gently used warm clothing items will be collected until Oct. 31.

Secondary School conferences are coming up on Monday, Nov. 4 and Thursday, Nov 7. Watch for more information coming home!

Central Public Schools ISD 108 will have four school board seats on the ballot during the Nov. 5, 2024 election. As a way to introduce each candidate to the community, the district has collected responses on questions from each candidate and will share one candidate a day (Monday-Friday) on social media ahead of election day. Posts will be shared in the order that candidates will appear on the Ballot which was a result of a randomized selection process. You can view all candidate responses here: https://www.isd108.org/article/1715982 Responses have been minimally edited for formatting and clarity and all content and viewpoints are of the respective candidate. -Candidate Name: Sara Eischens -City of Residence: Hamburg -How long have you lived in the district? 42 years -What is your occupation? Registered Nurse, Licensed School Nurse (District Health Manager - ISD 110) -Why do you want to be a member of the ISD 108 School Board? I am seeking re-election as a school board member for a variety of reasons, perhaps the largest reason of all is a desire to continue serving our community and schools by being a partner with our community and administration with the shared vision of educational excellence, fostering a school culture full of opportunities in and outside of the classroom, and a place where all students belong. I immensely enjoy my time as a current board member and have been extremely proud of the positive growth and direction the district has taken with the improvement in facilities and progressiveness in educational opportunities for students. Being a lifelong resident of the Norwood Young America area, a Central graduate, and parent to two Central students, I have a strong vested interest in continued forward progress. My hope is that Central becomes a destination district that others look to as a beacon of excellence in student achievement and a place that students, staff and the community are proud to call home. GO RAIDERS! -What qualities will you bring to the board if elected? I feel I bring a plethora of experiences, qualities, and knowledge to the school board. Serving as a board member since 2016, I have been a part of a variety of experiences such as hiring a new superintendent, developing a strategic plan, development of district vision cards with measurable outcomes, establishing board goals, referendums, and working as part of a team to plan and implement a large building project for our district. I have an ability and skill set to see the district's long range goals and work collaboratively with the board and administration to accomplish these goals. In addition, I have been a part of a variety of committees as a board member including negotiations, finance and policy. I have completed all four phases of the Minnesota School Board Associations Training and enjoy being a member of this organization. Additionally, in my professional role, I am the District Health Manager at another district and a part of their school administrative team. This work experience in the education setting brings with it a strong foundation in school operations, finance, and knowledge of educational outcomes that I can tap into as a member of the Central school board. -What do you believe is the most important issue facing education today? At Central Schools I think the biggest challenge is enrollment and maintaining financial stability. As a district and board we have been working hard to increase our “capture rate”, meaning increasing the percentage of children/families residing in our district that choose to attend Central Public Schools vs. other educational institutions. Much effort is being put into increasing our capture rate. However, with other educational opportunities available for our families, it is important for Central schools to stay innovative, creative, cutting edge and to continually look for ways to enhance educational outcomes and opportunities for students and families. We have amazing students, staff and community members at Central and Central has a ton to offer. It is important that we market our district and continually share all the amazing things about Central schools in and outside of the classroom. Additionally, I value and understand the importance of the board’s role to ensure financial stability, maintain accountability, and to maximize the generous gifts given to the district from our community. Establishing a budget and continually monitoring, assessing and modifying as needed to stay within the parameters set forth by our board and constituents is extremely important.