April 5, 2024 - Issue #124

The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) will start in mid-April and end around mid-May for students in grades 3-11. We are proud of the work our staff and students do on a daily basis, which is reflected in the impressive results from our students each year on the MCAs. The full testing calendar can be found on the testing tab on Parent Resources page on the Pierz Schools website.

Parents, guardians, and family members also play a vital role in the education of your students. Here are some suggestions that will help your child get ready for statewide assessments and help your student have a smooth day:

• Ensure students get a good night’s sleep and eat a nutritious breakfast before taking a test. All children are provided free breakfast and lunch every day at Pierz Schools. Please encourage your child to fill up on fruits, vegetables, and healthy grains and proteins in the morning to satiate their hunger until lunchtime. 

• Maintain a pleasant home environment and avoid unnecessary conflicts. Try to make the morning of the test a pleasant one. Try not to add to your child’s stress. 

• Make sure your child takes any needed medication. 

• Ensure that your child is present during testing (children generally perform better when taking tests in their groups rather than at a make-up time). 

• Get your child to school on time the day of the test and have them dress comfortably. 

• Wish your child good luck each morning of the test. Tell your child that he/she/they are special and that you believe in him/her/them! 

• Remind your child the test is important. Encourage them to do their best. 

• Remind your child to listen carefully to the instructions from the teacher and to read the directions and each question carefully. 

• Explain to your child the importance of using time wisely. If your child gets stuck on a question, encourage him or her to make the best guess and move on. 



• Encourage your child to stay focused on the test, even if other students finish early. Relax and take deep, slow breaths. 

• Don't rush through the test. Data collected from the MCAs helps teachers and administration understand the educational needs of our students.

Lastly, encourage students to answer all test questions and to take their time. The MCAs are not timed, and students can take as long as they need to complete each section of the tests. 

Thank you for supporting Pierz Schools and the education of your children!

Happenings at Healy

Seniors to NY/Washington DC

The annual Healy High School senior class trip is this week. Twenty-seven seniors and three chaperones loaded the bus early Tuesday morning en route to Minneapolis Airport, landing in Washington D.C., bussing to NYC, and eventually flying back to Minnesota at the end of the week.

Our fearless chaperones, Ms. Patrick, Ms. Andres, and Mr. Swanson, have a jam-packed itinerary for the students. Wondering just what these students get to do and see in a few short days? Take a look and if you see any of these fine travelers this weekend, know that they will be tired, but full of newfound knowledge!

Day 1 - Hello Washington, D.C. First stop: The Smithsonian:

National Museum of Natural History,

National Museum of American History,

National Portrait Gallery,

National Museum of the American Indian,

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Dinner

Washington, D.C. evening guided sightseeing tour:

World War II Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Korean War Memorial

National Mall

Tidal Basin

Washington Monument

White House picture stop

Day 2 - Washington, D.C. landmarks

Breakfast

Holocaust Museum visit

Mount Vernon excursion

Dinner

Embassy Row & Georgetown

Day 3 Washington, D.C.‐‐New York City

Breakfast

Arlington National Cemetery & Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima) visit

Travel to New York City (bus)

Midtown walking tour: Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Times Square, Grand Central Terminal, Fifth & Madison Avenues

Dinner

Top of the Rock visit

Day 4 Downtown New York

Breakfast

Ferry boat to Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty

Lower Manhattan guided sightseeing tour: Trinity Church, Wall Street, Chinatown, 9/11 Memorial visit, 9/11 Memorial Museum visit

Dinner

Attend Broadway Show

Day 5 Start extension in New York City

Breakfast

Tour Director‐led Brooklyn Bridge tour

Neighborhood Guided Sightseeing: Greenwich Village, East Village, SoHo, Chinatown & Little Italy

Free Time

Attend a Yankees or Mets baseball game

Day 6 Goodbye New York

Breakfast

Metropolitan Museum of Art guided tour

Central Park walking tour: Cherry Hill, Strawberry Fields, Belvedere Castle, Delacorte Theater

Travel home

Whew!

First graders visit the high school greenhouse

It was a little chilly outside this week, but it was toasty warm in the Healy greenhouse as Mrs. Gotvald's Greenhouse students joined forces with Pioneer first graders to help them plant marigolds for a Mother's Day surprise (shhh).

It's always a fun experience for both the littles and the bigs when they can work together on projects like these. The collaboration builds a stronger sense of community and a bonus of letting our high schoolers flex their patience muscle, reminding them, "Remember when you were this small?" The answer was usually, "No".

Happenings at Pioneer Elementary

Sixth Grade Author visit and clay

Sixth-graders had a fun-filled day of hands-on learning last week.

First, they met with and learned from Minnesota author William Durbin. His books, which focus on Minnesota history, are a favorite amongst Pioneer elementary students: Broken Blade, The Hidden Room, Black Water Ben to name just a few.

Durbin shared his process for writing a book. To make it as realistic as possible, he shared how he looked at secondary resources to get a general sense of history and then looked at primary resources to get more details of history at that time. He also shared more historical details about his characters. This helped students make even more connections between the novels and add to their knowledge of Minnesota History they are learning about in class. 

After learning about the creation of Mr. Durbin’s novels, students got to try their hand at writing. Durbin shared strategies for creating interesting pieces of writing, especially what makes a good beginning. Students got a chance to write and share some of their own “good beginnings” with the author. What a great experience.

The other half of the day was spent working with clay. Students worked on creating coil or slab pots. These will get sent over to the high school to be fired in the kiln and later glazed and fired again in the kiln. 

Mary Poppins, Jr: coming soon to a stage near you

The always delightful 5th and 6th grade play comes to life this year as Mary Poppins, Jr. The students have been working hard on this production for months, and can not wait to present it to the community. Come one and all for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious time!

April 17, 18: Mary Poppins, Jr - PAC, 1:30pm and 6pm, respectively

April 26: Early Release Day - Teacher Workshop

May 17: Mark your calendars...it's Drive Your Tractor to School Day!

May 24: Class of 2024 Graduation

Pierz Public Schools #484

newsletter@pierz.k12.mn.us

District Office: 320.468.6458

112 Kamnic Street, Pierz, MN 56364

www.pierzschools.org