Montevideo Public Schools

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week - May 6-10, 2024! We are truly grateful to our teaching staff here at Montevideo Public Schools for the amazing work that they do to educate, support, and inspire our students every day! Thank you for making a difference and for all that you do! #TeacherAppreciationWeek #ThankaTeacher #HawkPride

Happy School Principals’ Day! Thank you to our amazing principals for your hard work, dedication, leadership, and commitment to education. Today and every day, we appreciate each of you! #SchoolPrincipalsDay #ThankaPrincipal #HawkPride

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! Shining in this week’s spotlight is Jenny Harker! Jenny works in Food & Nutrition Services and is the Head Cook at Montevideo High School. Jenny was born in Ortonville, Minnesota, and has lived in Montevideo since 2000. She began working for the school district in 2002 at Kid’s Korner and has worn many hats in the district since then. Over the years, she worked as a second cook at Ramsey Elementary School and subbed in all of the schools in the food service and custodial department. She worked as a head cook at Sanford Elementary School and also worked at Little and Junior Thunder Hawks. After some time away, Jenny returned last year to work in Food & Nutrition Services at the Montevideo High School, and this year she took on the duties of head cook at the high school. Jenny mentioned she has loved working with the different ages of children within the district, and she cherishes the friendships she has made with co-workers over the years. Jenny and her husband Joe have two children, daughter Shiann and son Logan. They also have two dogs, a Golden Doodle named Daisy and a Labradoodle named Dino. In Jenny’s free time, she enjoys spending time at the lake with her family and friends, kayaking and reading a good book! A fun fact about Jenny is working at Montevideo Public Schools runs in her family! Both of her parents worked for the school district, and her brother also works for the district. We are proud to have you on our team, Jenny! Thank you for your dedication, hard work and always serving with a smile! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear aprons and hairnets! On Friday, May 3, we celebrate School Lunch Hero Day. This annual observance is a chance to showcase what a difference school nutrition professionals make in the lives of every child who comes through the cafeteria. Thank them for all that they do!

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! We are proud to shine this week’s spotlight on Susan Marcinkowski, School Social Worker at the Montevideo Middle School! She has worked for the school district for 21 years! Susan grew up in Spicer, Minnesota, and she is a New London-Spicer High School graduate. Susan graduated from Augsburg University in the heart of Minneapolis with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. She loves to play the piano, read and knit, and Susan and her partner love adventures which include hiking in our Minnesota state parks, camping and visiting her two daughters and their spouses in Georgia and Arkansas. A fun fact about Susan is that she is a member of the Minnesota State Park Hiking Club and has hiked over 90 miles total in 36 of 64 state parks. Thank you, Susan, for all you do! We appreciate your dedication, hard work, and years of service at Montevideo Public Schools! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

Happy Administrative Professionals Day! Today we celebrate the incredible contributions of our administrative professionals at Montevideo Public Schools! It's their dedication, organization, and hard work that keep our school offices running smoothly and efficiently. Thank you for all you do! You're the best!

The Community Education Office has temporarily relocated to the Montevideo Middle School. They can be reached by dialing 320-269-5026.

SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDER: Friday, April 26, 2024 - NO SCHOOL

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! We are proud to shine this week’s spotlight on Jenn Miller! Jenn is the Student Success Coordinator and a Hawk Window Assistant at the Montevideo High School. She is also the JV Softball Coach, and this is her third year with the district. Jenn grew up in North East, Maryland (yes, that’s really the town name). She graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Jenn has a 7th grader at the Montevideo Middle School and a freshman at the high school. Her husband is also a Thunder Hawk, 2001 Montevideo graduate! In her free time, Jenn enjoys reading as many books as possible, gardening, and hanging out with her family. Jenn says the best part of her day is on the field with the softball team. Montevideo has been her favorite place to live. She even got her sister to move to Montevideo a few years ago! Jenn’s sister also works at the high school with her. We are lucky to have you on our team, Jenn! Thank you for all you do for the students and staff at the high school. #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

Small World is up and running this morning! Thank you to Our Savior's Church for working with us to give our Small World, ECSE and ECFE programs a new, temporary home, and thank you to everyone who has helped through this move! The little Thunder Hawks are happy to be back to school!

The Thunder Hawk Speech Team had a great day competing at the Section 3A Speech Tournament on Saturday. Two of our speakers made it to the final round in their category. Congratulations to Violet Ludwig who received 6th place in Extemp Reading. Moving on to compete at the Minnesota State Speech Tournament on April 19 at Shakopee High School is Junia Fitzkappes who received 3rd place in Discussion. Go Hawks!

SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDER: Friday, April 12, 2024 is an Early Dismissal-Staff Development Day for Montevideo Public Schools.

HONK! HONK! HONK! Come on down (and don't be strangers) to the Hollywood on Main to see the Montevideo Middle School Musical Departments production of HONK Jr. This heartwarming, award-winning musical is a modern telling of the Ugly Duckling tale with a few twists, turns, and delightful characters met along the ugly duckling's journey. Two performances at the Hollywood on Main, Montevideo, Minnesota Friday, April 12th and Saturday, April 13th at 7:00PM Purchase your tickets at the door: Adults - 8$, Students - $5 Come out to support our incredibly hardworking students in their production of Honk! Jr.

Due to a water pipe burst, the Hawks Nest will be closed today. There is no Junior Thunder Hawks, Small World Nursery, or Childcare. We apologize for the inconvenience and we'll keep families informed about the status for tomorrow.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! We are proud to shine this week’s spotlight on Shantel Syring, Special Education Paraprofessional at Sanford Elementary School. This is Shantel’s 4th year working for the school district. Shantel loves spending quality time with her children and fiancé. They often embark on trips to museums, zoos, or any activity that allows the kids to release their energy. Shantel is currently pursuing her dream of becoming an elementary teacher. She is set to graduate from Ridgewater College this spring and will continue her education at SMSU in the summer. She has two awesome boys, Dominic (9) and Jorge (3). Shantel finds joy in cooking, baking, reading, and exploring new destinations on road trips. She is grateful for the opportunity to work in the school district, and that is the reason for her wanting to become an elementary school teacher. We’re happy to have you on our team, Shantel! Thank you for your dedication and support to our staff and students! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

Students carefully crafted "Face Jugs" made by Mr. Van Sickle's Advanced Ceramics class are on display at Mind Your Business! Take a stroll by to see these unique creations.

Reminder - Join us tonight for the elementary spring music programs! Ramsey at 6:00 p.m. and Sanford at 7:15 p.m. at the Montevideo High School Gymnasium. We hope to see you there!

Happy National School Librarian Day! We appreciate the work of our school library staff in each of our schools: •MHS - Gabi Van Sickle •MMS - Allie Virnig •MES - Karla Peterson and Jessica Cantu Thank you for all you do for our students and staff!

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! We are proud to shine this week’s spotlight on Kristi Arndt! Kristi is the Special Education Assessment Coordinator for Montevideo Public Schools, and this is her fifth year in the district. Kristi’s hometown is Clinton, Minnesota. She graduated high school from Ortonville, Minnesota. Kristi received her undergraduate degree from SMSU in Marshall, Minnesota in K-6 Elementary Education and received additional special education licensures from NSU in Aberdeen, South Dakota. She received her Masters of Special Education from SMSU. Kristi has two daughters and a son. Kortni is studying for her Physical Therapy Assistant certification; Kenadi is a senior at Minneota High School, and she will be attending Bethany Lutheran where she will continue playing basketball and pursue a career in elementary education; Kyson is a sophomore at Minneota and loves to play football, wrestle and play baseball. Kristi’s favorite hobbies are attending her kids' events, reading and relaxing by a campfire with family and friends. A fun fact about Kristi is she taught first grade with De De Epema in the Hendricks school district, Hendricks, MN. Kristi says, “I love coming to work everyday and being part of the Thunder Hawk community!” We’re happy to have you on our team, Kristi! Thanks for all you do for our staff, students and families! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

Happy Paraprofessional Appreciation Day 2024! Paraprofessional Appreciation Day is celebrated the first Wednesday in April each year. THANK YOU to our paraprofessionals for the work you do each day to support our students, teachers, and schools! Enjoy your day!