October 11, 2024 - Issue #132 | |
MCA Results: another impressive year for Pierz Schools | |
As you may know, Minnesota students take the Minnesota Comprehension Assessments (MCAs) to determine if they are on track in their education, identify areas to improve learning and instruction, and give the state as well as the nation an indicator of comprehension and competency amongst elementary and high school students.
Pioneer Elementary and Healy High School received the results of those tests earlier this year, and once again we are celebrating the success of our staff and students. Pierz Schools take great pride in many things, but in particular our passion and commitment to student success in the most critical foundational skills of Reading and Mathematics.
The test results show the percentage of students who proved they have tested as ‘Proficient’ in all of the standards for each grade level; meaning, they have learned and understand the grade level material being taught to them. Every student in Grades 3-8 across the state takes a Reading test and Math test. There is an additional test for 10th Grade Reading and 11th Grade Mathematics.
The chart above compares Pioneer Elementary with the state data (all elementary schools in Minnesota) in math, showing the state average is 49.98% proficiency in math. Simply put: about 50% of all elementary students testing in math MCAs were proficient or higher on the math standards. To be clear, that is not meant to mean only 50% “passed”. Passing is a lower score than showing proficiency. To some degree, one could say that testing at proficient means you can perform most all of the standards.
Compare the state average of 49.98% with the average for Pierz, which is 79.27% performing at proficient or better. This means about 80% of the students who attend Pioneer Elementary School showed they were proficient in math. Again, many of those were much higher than proficient, but about 80% were at least that.
That is an astounding difference and an amazing accomplishment. In these types of comparisons, a 5% difference is pretty significant, especially when large numbers of students are being counted in the data. Additionally, looking at the data it’s clear that schools in our region are fairly consistent in the 40 to 50% proficiency range. Read on.
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Welding students working with high-tech machines | |
For the past few weeks, students in Mr. Brisk's welding classes have been working with the CNC plasma cutter. Plasma cutters use a high-temperature ionized gas called plasma to cut metal and other conductive materials. The process works by forcing a gas, like argon, nitrogen, or oxygen, through a nozzle while simultaneously passing an electrical arc through the gas. This reaction transforms the gas into plasma, which is then used to cut the material. The plasma arc produced by a CNC plasma cutter can reach temperatures of up to 45,000° F (25,000° C).
Students have to first learn the design program EnRoute on the PC which they use to program the machine to cut their precise design. Last week's projects consisted of fire pit rings (see photo) and laser-cut signs.
In the video, you'll see one of our students using the plasma cutter to effortlessly carve through 3/16 inch steel and the water in the table bubbling up to cool the cut, preventing warping and smoking.
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Manufacturing Month means tours for Healy students | |
Manufacturing Month is celebrated in October to recognize and promote the success of US manufacturers, and to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in manufacturing.
This week, Ms. Essen took 10-12 graders to local manufacturing companies AirBorn and White Wolf Custom Apparel to learn about their products, workforce, and opportunities.
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Computer class learning wiring | |
This week, Ms. Welle's Computer Support Intern (CSI) class spent some time learning the fine art of electronic wiring as they assembled classroom speaker systems under the tutelage of district technology coordinator, Mr. Hoeper. Students then installed these audio enhancement systems, paired them with the teacher microphone, and will troubleshoot any technical issues.
This class also services all student Chromebooks: repairing broken screens, missing keys, plugged headphone jacks, disconnected batteries, and a host of other technical tasks.
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What's happening in Healy Classrooms? |
- Mrs. Strohmeier's FACS 9 class was learning about how to read food labels this week and began planning their Sugar Shocker projects, detailing how much sugar (a staggering amount!) is in the foods we eat and drink every day.
- Mrs. Gruber's senior Economics students began researching the economic systems of the United States, China, and two countries of their choice. They will be using the information to compare the countries' systems.
- Ms. Jones' Practical Writing students worked in groups to build a Lego structure, write directions on how to build the structure, and then had other groups try to build their structures. The activity highlighted how difficult (and important!) it is to communicate clearly to other people.
- Mr. Herold, Ms. Maleska, and Ms. Essen led very important and insightful Mental Health awareness talks to our 7th and 10th graders this week while also emphasising empathy: for ourselves, our peers, our teachers, and our families.
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Happenings at Pioneer Elementary | |
October is Fire Safety Month |
The Pierz Fire Department was a little busier than usual this week as they hosted our elementary students for tours, demonstrations, and safety lessons. Look at our preschoolers: learning all about patience and personal space while they wait their turn!
Thank you to all the volunteer firemen and their families who sacrifice to keep our community safe.
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Studying water in sixth grade | |
Sixth graders spent time in nature last week as they conducted their stream study in the Skunk River at Pierz Park and attended the Water Festival at Camp Ripley.
The Water Festival gathers sixth graders from all over Morrison County and is put on by many agencies, including Morrison County Soil and Water Conservation District, USDA, and local DNR officers. Students learned about the history of water on Earth, the water cycle, and how humans and animals consume water. They also learned about aquatic wildlife, including the blanding and snapping turtles, how to identify macroinvertebrates and how these animals can indicate water quality, as well as how to identify and mitigate invasive species in the water. Event presenters also talked about pollution and the effects of agriculture run-off on our groundwater.
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Pioneer Elementary featured on Lakeland News | |
As part of the ongoing accolades around Pioneer Elementary being recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School, the Lakeland News team was onsite to checkout our extraordinary school and hear from our principal, Mr. Otte. Check out the full news story.
Mr. Otte, Mr. Weber, and Ms. Stamm will represent Pierz as they receive the Blue Ribbon Award on behalf of Pioneer Elementary at the award ceremony in Washington D.C. next month.
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Pioneer Elementary made the Lakeland broadcast again when the news team came onsite for the Raptor Center visit, an exciting day with birds of prey for our entire elementary school. | |
October 15: Picture retake day
October 17-18: No School, MEA Break
November 1: No School, Teacher Workshop
November 6 & 7: Pioneer Elementary Parent/Teacher Conferences
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Community Education will use the same class registration as the Activities Department starting with fall camps and preschool. Please call if you have any trouble creating your account. Although both activities and community ed will use rSchools, you won't be able to check out a varsity sport and a youth camp simultaneously. User experience will be the same making it easier to navigate but they are two different stores requiring separate log-ins. You can create the accounts with the same user name and password to keep things simple! A link to both stores will be on the Activities page and the Community Ed page.
Lunch payments will still be made with Edutrak.
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Join us on October 17, 2024 at 6:30 pm to discuss Haunted House in Hillman (H2OH), by local author, Frank Weber. There is no charge to join this club. | | | | |