Superintendent Spotlight: The 2022-2023 school year will be one of new beginnings
The start of school is an exciting time of the year, filled with many reminders about why we do what we do. It’s the kids! Their smiles, laughter and curiosity motivate us to work hard for students every day.
Amazing things are happening at Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools and in other school districts throughout the state and nation. These things occur because of dedicated staff, administration and Board of Education members, as well as engaged students and supportive families.
School staff have an incredible opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children. They are passionate about teaching, providing extraordinary opportunities for students, supporting each other and building relationships with families and the community. Their enthusiasm is contagious.
We are excited to share our new plan
Through much collaboration, our 2022-2025 strategic commitments have been formulated and articulated. The more clear we are about our strategic commitments, the bigger difference we will make for our children and community. Moving beyond short-term successes, considering where we were, where we are now and where we want to be, is crucial to our continued success.
The 2022-2025 Strategic Commitments are:
Culture of high quality and effective instruction
Partnership and collaboration
Equitable education
Student and staff well-being
Stewardship of resources
High student achievement
These strategic commitments guide decisions that are made regarding activities offered, classes taught, policies established, and partnerships formed.
We are excited to share our new path
Our community is engaged and has shared the skills they believe students need in order to be well rounded community members. While graduates need to have learned and have the ability to demonstrate academic skills, they must also be able to employ soft skills. Soft skills include the following attributes: diverse thinking, empathy, flexibility, responsibility, collaboration and communication. Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools remains committed to fostering students’ positive attributes — those that contribute to their success through a process called The Portrait of a Graduate.
Our students grow up to pave our roads, build our houses, work in our schools and make decisions within our communities. They are our future. However, their future workplace is very different than even ten years ago. The world we live in is constantly changing, “We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't yet exist … using technologies that haven't been invented … in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet,” as shared by former Secretary of Education Richard Riley. It is up to us to prepare them.
It is vital that we work together as a learning community to help all students learn the skills they need to reach their aspirations and dreams beyond graduation. Let’s continue to support our children, work collaboratively, and take advantage of every opportunity to do good things for our kids and community.
We are excited to share our new beginnings
The new Pleasantview Elementary School opened for learning on Sept. 6. We are grateful to the district’s stakeholders for supporting the building of this new elementary school and thank the Pleasantview neighborhood families for their input and patience with the process. The Pleasantview project was and continues to be a community-driven plan.
The new school building sits on the existing Pleasantview site. It is a beautiful building that fits aesthetically in the neighborhood. The new building meets modern standards for education, health, safety and accessibility, as well as storage and security. Most importantly its design provides students and staff with traditional classrooms, large group spaces for collaboration and an amazing space to learn and grow.
The district, Board of Education, school community, staff and students are very proud of our new elementary school and would like to invite the community to the building dedication and grand opening on Sept. 24, 2022 from 1-3:30 p.m.
The 2022-2023 school year will be one of new beginnings. Let’s remember that students succeed and communities flourish because of talented and hard-working people who are willing to serve and share their gifts of time and expertise. Be assured, the time, talent and gifts shared by each of us, no matter how small, exponentially magnifies the strength and goodwill of our schools and communities. Let’s join together to create an extraordinary tomorrow.
— Bradley D. Bergstrom is superintendent of Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools. The Superintendent Spotlight runs on the third Sunday of the month.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Superintendent Spotlight: This school year will be one of new beginnings
