Montevideo High School

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!

Due to the weather, Montevideo Public Schools will be closed today, Tuesday, March 26th. This will be an E-learning day. No Head Start, Small World Preschool, ECSE, Community Ed or school activities. Thunder Hawk Care will be closing at 4 p.m.

Due to the weather, Montevideo Public Schools will be opening 2 hours late tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26th. No morning sessions of ECSE, Small World Preschool or Community Ed activities. Thunder Hawk Care will be opening at 7 a.m.

Due to the weather, Montevideo Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Monday, March 25th, 2024. This will be an E-learning day. No Head Start, Small World preschool, ECSE, Community Ed or school activities. Thunder Hawk Care will be opening at 7 a.m.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! We are proud to shine this week’s spotlight on Gabi Van Sickle! Gabi is our librarian at the Montevideo High School. Gabi grew up throughout Minnesota and North Carolina. She lives in Granite Falls, Minnesota, and she is a Yellow Medicine East High School graduate. Outside of work, you can find Gabi spending time with her family and friends, or with her nose in a book! She also loves to bake and make crafty things. Gabi says, “I can easily say that I love my job. The students and staff are welcoming, kind, and always there for each other. Building relationships over the past two years with smart and funny students has definitely been my favorite part of being a part of the Thunder Hawk community. Come say ‘hi’ and talk about books with me sometime!” Thanks for being a keeper of books, guardian of knowledge, search engine and so much more, Gabi! We appreciate you! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! We are proud to shine this week’s spotlight on Bob Foley! Bob is a math teacher at the Montevideo High School. He is an assistant football coach, assistant girls' basketball coach, and a driver’s education teacher. This is Bob’s seventh year working for the district. Bob’s hometown is Philip, South Dakota. He graduated from Northern State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education. He attended Hamline University for Physics Licensure, SMSU for a Master's degree in Math Education, and St. Cloud State University for Driver's Education. Bob and his wife Joan have three kids; Keely, sophomore at MN State-Fergus Falls, Kiera, a senior at MHS, and Keenan, an 8th grader at MMS. Bob's hobbies are camping with family in the Black Hills, hunting, and attending his kids' activities. We are grateful to have you on our team, Bob! Thanks for your hard work and dedication to teaching and coaching! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

Happy School Social Work Week! This week we shine a spotlight on the dedicated professionals who play a pivotal role in enhancing the well-being and success of students across the nation. We celebrate and recognize the dedication and tireless efforts of school social workers, whose commitment to fostering positive school environments directly impacts students, administrators, teachers, parents, and the community at large. A special shoutout to the incredible school social workers in our school district making a positive impact every day! #SSWWeek2024 #ImpactInTheMaking #PearlsOfWisdom #HawkPride Char Dahl – Montevideo High School Todd Swedzinski – Montevideo Middle School Susan Marcinkowski – Montevideo Middle School Morgan Lenning – Sanford Elementary School Kris Kirkeby – Ramsey Elementary School Marissa Webb - MVALC

SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDER Friday, March 8 is an Early Dismissal-Staff Development Day. Sunday, March 10 is Daylight Saving Time. Spring ahead!

We all want our children to work hard and learn to be responsible members of the community. Every day, our Montevideo Public School board members are leading the way by example. They give hours of their time so our children can have a first-rate education. Thank a school board member today!

Mrs. Maloney's 10th grade English class is reading Romeo and Juliet. They created masks for the iconic Capulet Feast.

SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDER NO SCHOOL - Friday, February 16 & Monday, February 19th Have a nice Presidents' Day Break!

Valentine's Day TA Door Decorating Contest. Vote for your favorite! Voting ends tonight @ 8pm. The winning TA receives a treat in TA tomorrow.

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! We are proud to shine this week’s spotlight on Janelle DeZeeuw! Janelle is a Food Service/District Office Administrative Assistant. She started with the school district in 2017 as a part-time administrative assistant in the middle school office. She moved to her current, full-time position in the district office in 2018. Janelle grew up on a farm north of Montevideo, and she attended Ramsey Elementary School (K-5), Central Middle School (6-9), and Montevideo High School (10-12). Janelle’s husband Jim is a fuel transport driver for CHS. They have two adult boys, Adam and Tyler, who are both engaged to be married. Their youngest son lives and works in Montevideo, and their oldest son lives and works in the Twin Cities area. Janelle & Jim have one pet cat named Moose who tolerates them living in “his” house! Janelle’s hobbies include reading, puzzles, playing games, camping, snowmobiling, boating & ATV trail riding. She also loves to travel, exploring new areas of the state and country. She doesn’t always get her way, but when Janelle and her husband travel, she loves turning off the main route and trying a different way. She says, “You never know what memory you might make, or things you might see or learn about, by getting off the beaten path.” Your dedication and hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, Janelle. Thank you so much for all you do! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation

MHS Students in Mr. Olson's Industrial Tech classes took advantage of the Construct Tomorrow event to learn more about future careers. #ctemonth Founded in 2013, Construct Tomorrow was formed to bring awareness to high school students about the amazing post-secondary opportunities in the construction and building trades industries. Learn more @ https://www.constructtomorrow.org/

Students in our Foundations of Medical Careers course connected with many employers last week to learn more about local opportunities for careers in health care. Thank you to Brookside Senior Living, CCM Health, Countryside Public Health, Health Providers, Home Front First, and the Montevideo Veterans Home for providing a tour and/or participating in our employer panels. We also thank the Montevideo Memory Loss Unit for providing a program to help our students understand more about aging.

This week is National School Counseling Week 2024, "School Counseling: Standards-Based, Student-Focused," sponsored by the American School Counselor Association. Montevideo Public Schools would like to recognize our high school counselor Gabby Mazer for being actively engaged in helping students and focusing on positive ways to enhance students' academic, career and social/emotional development. Thank you for all you do each and every day to help our students succeed, Gabby! #HawkPride #NSCW

HELLO FEBRUARY! SCHOOL CALENDAR REMINDER Friday, February 2nd is an Early Dismissal - Staff Development Day Friday, February 16 & Monday, February 19 - NO SCHOOL - Presidents' Day Break

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Let’s get to know our Thunder Hawk staff! Shining in this week’s spotlight is Maddie Sletta. Maddie teaches seventh grade science at the Montevideo Middle School, and she is the head coach of the Thunder Hawk softball team. This year is Maddie’s seventh year teaching in Montevideo. Maddie is from New Ulm, Minnesota. She graduated from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, and she received a Master’s degree from Western Governors University in Middle Level Science. Maddie and her husband Tom have a two-year-old son named Ray. They live on a hobby farm outside of town so they have many pets and projects to tend to. Maddie’s hobbies include coaching softball in the spring and summer, gardening, traveling, hunting, fishing and many other outdoor activities. Maddie says, “It’s been fun getting involved with the Thunder Hawk community and getting to know so many great people!” We’re proud to have you on our team, Maddie, and we appreciate your dedication to teaching and coaching and your years of service. Thanks so much for all you do! #StaffSpotlight #greatemployees #staffappreciation