January 11, 2023

ISD 748 families--

The health and safety of our students and staff continues to be a top priority and we recognize the importance of in-person learning with strong connections among educators, learners, and families.

However, Minnesota weather can be difficult to predict. Due to the extreme weather we have experienced thus far, the school board has approved using eLearning days for the 2022-2023 school year for possible future school day cancellations. 

For the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year, on days when school is canceled due to inclement weather or other unforeseeable events, students and educators may utilize developmentally-appropriate eLearning experiences related to current classroom curriculum goals and skills. 

PreK-5 Students and Families
Choice Boards are developmentally-appropriate learning opportunities and will be:

• Emailed to families on an eLearning day and posted to students’ Seesaw and/or Schoology pages by 9a. 
• Sent home with students in hard copy form by January 20. Please be sure to keep these Choice Boards accessible and in a known location. 
• Available at www.isd748.org/elearning. 

Parents/caregivers will need to sign their students’ Choice Board and students will have three (3) in-person school days to submit it to their teacher. Students who receive special education accommodations or modifications may have an individualized Choice Board that will be shared via Seesaw and/or Schoology and email. 

6-12 Students and Families

• Learning content will be posted to Schoology by 9a on the day of eLearning. 
• The learning experiences and coursework will be a continuation of the learning that has taken place at school. 
• Students can access Schoology via:
  • the school-issued device
  • “Sartell-St. Stephen Schools” mobile app
  • “Grades 6-12 Schoology Login” link on www.isd748.org/elearning
  • Schoology icon at the bottom of the District webpages 
• For students who receive special education accommodations or modifications, your case managers will share individualized lessons or Choice Boards via Schoology and email. 
• Students will have three (3) in-person school days to complete and submit their eLearning course work.

Communication
From the classroom: 

• Educators will communicate pertinent and timely information regarding learning goals, activities and assignments to parents/caregivers and students prior to anticipated eLearning days, when appropriate. 
• When school is canceled the night before or morning of an eLearning day, educators will post content to students’ learning management systems (Seesaw or Schoology) by 9a. 

From the District: 

• Communication regarding eLearning will be included with our weather schedule notifications sent via Skylert, posted on our District webpage and shared via media outlets. 
• Families may customize the phone, email, and text notifications they receive from Skylert via Skyward Family Access (using a laptop/computer, log in to Skyward Family Access and select “Skylert” on the left menu).
  • If you have questions about your Skyward account, please email Sue Fibranz.

Detailed eLearning information can be found at www.isd748.org/elearning.

Thank you for your continued partnership. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jeff Ridlehoover
Superintendent

October 22, 2022

ISD 748 families:

We are happy to share that the City of Sartell has announced that River Road/Riverside Avenue/County Road 1 and 19th Avenue South will be open as of Saturday, October 29.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Bus stop locations will not change unless you have been contacted directly by our transportation department.
• Bus stop times may differ slightly from their recent schedules as drivers adjust to traffic patterns.
• The temporary stoplight on Pinecone and 7th Street North has been removed and the regular stop sign on 7th Street North is back. Please use caution as we adjust back to this intersection control. 

For more details, please visit the City of Sartell’s website (https://sartellmn.com/) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/CityofSartell/).

Thank you to everyone for your continued patience during this project.

September 21, 2022

ISD 748 families:

Yesterday, a substitute bus driver transporting the Sartell Middle School Swim Team was pulled over by the Morrison County Sheriff’s Department.  Law enforcement shared that all students and staff were safe; families of students on the swim team received messages yesterday and today as information became available.

The driver was not under the influence of alcohol or other controlled substances, was not arrested, and was able to drive home after the incident. The driver is on leave; the District will continue to investigate the matter in conjunction with law enforcement and will handle any personnel matters in accordance with District policy.

SMS administration and some staff members met with the swim team today. The student athletes were able to process yesterday's event, ask questions, and feel the support of their teammates and the SMS staff.

Dr. Jeff Ridlehoover
Superintendent
Sartell-St. Stephen ISD 748

September 20

ISD 748 families:

The Sartell-St. Stephen School Board approved our new “Future Minded, Student Focused” strategic plan at last night’s meeting. 

Developing a strategic plan is a long-term and comprehensive project and the school board wants to extend their appreciation to the staff, parents, guardians, students, and community members who provided input through formal listening sessions, online feedback, school board meetings, and informal meetings.

The District’s previous mission and set of core values was developed approximately 10 years ago. The school board waited until after a new superintendent was selected in 2021 before beginning the process to develop a new strategic plan that includes a mission, vision, core beliefs, and strategic directions. 

Mission
Develop well-rounded citizens capable of becoming successful and contributing members of society by providing outstanding instruction in a welcoming environment where every student is given the support needed to excel according to their unique abilities, interests, and aspirations.
Consistent feedback was that it is important for our District’s mission to be focused on helping students strive for personal excellence. Our goal is for each student to achieve personal excellence and that personal excellence will vary in outcomes depending on each student’s abilities, interests, and aspirations.

Vision
Future Minded, Student Focused
The vision reflects our student-centered approach while also being mindful, creative, and innovative to provide students the skills and experiences they will need to be successful in the future workforce.

Core Beliefs
The core beliefs were compiled based on existing core values as well as additional items the school board heard through listening sessions at each building, staff insight, and informal conversations. 

Strategic Directions
The strategic directions are categories of action that leadership believes are important to the pursuit of the District mission and are meant to be categories for the next 3-5 years. The superintendent will develop an annual District Operating Plan (DOP) that will consist of specific goals aligned with each of the strategic directions.

To view the entire strategic plan, please visit www.isd748.org/StrategicPlan.

Dr. Jeff Ridlehoover
Superintendent
Sartell-St. Stephen ISD 748

September 8

ISD 748 families--

Today is our first day of school for all of our students in Grades PreK-12 and we are off to a great start!

Our bus drivers have been practicing their routes and we want to remind families that bus route schedules will likely be delayed these first few days of school as everyone gets back into their school routines. 

The road construction projects add an additional layer of unpredictability related to bus times and traffic congestion. We respectfully request continued understanding and patience as we all transport our students safely and in a timely manner. 

The Sartell Police Department posted an important update on Facebook this morning about construction routes. To view a copy of the message, please visit https://www.isd748.org/SartellPoliceRouteUpdate or https://www.isd748.org/announcements. 

Reminders:

• Bus routes are available to view in Skyward Family Access.
• Students may walk or bike to their building. Bike racks are available for student use.
• Thank you to our Kindergarten teachers and families for making sure your student’s bus route info is on their backpack. Some students transfer buses at Riverview Intermediate School before and/or after school and ISD 748 staff helps students with these transitions.

Questions about your route? Please contact the ISD 748 Transportation Office via email.

Thank you for your continued patience. 

Brandon Schneider
ISD 748 Transportation Office

September 6, 2022

Hello ISD 748 Families,

As we prepare for the start of what is sure to be an amazing school year, we wanted to once again share reminders regarding local road construction projects and the likely impact on our students, families, and staff through the fall of this year. 

The construction projects will add an additional layer of unpredictability related to bus times and traffic congestion. We respectfully request continued understanding and patience as we all transport our students safely and in a timely manner.

Construction UPDATE

• The City of Sartell has provided a detailed list of road construction projects, maps, and timelines (https://www.isd748.org/SartellConstruction) to help the community prepare. 
• An update: County Road 1 between 5th Street N. and 12th Street N. will be open to traffic starting Wednesday, September 7 at 6a. The goal is for the opening of 5th Street N to 12th Street N to help primarily with local traffic for school purposes.
  • The trail is paved, however, please note that the trail will not officially be open until the crosswalks and crosswalk flasher systems have been installed, likely not until sometime this winter or early spring 2023.
• The larger detour along 27th Street North, Pinecone Road, and 2nd Street will remain in place for traffic needing to get through the city.  

District-provided transportation

• Families who opted for transportation provided by ISD 748 have received a postcard, email, phone call, and Skyward Family Access updates with route details. 
• We appreciate your continued patience as everyone learns new Back to School routines because - as you may recall from previous years - our bus routes may not run at their scheduled times. Traditionally, it takes a week or two for everyone to get into the routine before buses routinely run at their posted times. 
• Questions about your route? Please visit https://www.isd748.org/Transportation.

Family-provided transportation
As families plan their arrival and departure times, please remember:

• Each building’s “door open” times (as shared in handbooks):
  • ORELC - 7:35a
  • PMPS - 7:25a
  • RIS - 7:20a
  • SMS - 7:45a
  • SHS - 7:45a
• Wraparound childcare is provided through the Boys & Girls Club of Central Minnesota’s KIDSTOP/KIDSTART programs. Registration is required.
  • Before-school KIDSTOP for Kindergarten students at Oak Ridge Early Learning Center is open from 6:30a until school starts and from school dismissal until 6p. 
  • Please visit https://www.isd748.org/childcare for additional information.
  • At this time, KIDSTOP at Pine Meadow Primary and Riverview Intermediate and KIDSTART for preschool at ORELC is at capacity, but families may join a waitlist.

Thank you for your partnership and understanding. 

Kind regards,

Dr. Jeff Ridlehoover
Superintendent

July 14

ISD 748 families:

Happy Summer! We are in the middle of updating our building lists, so if you have a senior who graduated, please disregard this message. Alternatively, if you know of a new family to our District, please be sure to share this with them!

We wanted to send a brief note about a few important items for Fall 2022:

• New Hours for ORELC, PMPS, and RIS: Our early learning center and elementary school hours have been modified due to two main reasons connected to our tiered busing system this past school year: several buses consistently ran late to SMS and some of our youngest learners were regularly waiting several minutes on the bus at RIS for their homeward departure. Both of these issues presented challenges to students, families, and staff and it was understood that adjustments needed to be made.  Our Transportation Department created routes after reviewing our annual student system data update. These modified routes and bell times should alleviate the issues mentioned above:

  • ORELC: 

    • AM Preschool: 7:50a-10:20a (previously 8a-10:30a)

    • PM Preschool: 11:50a-2:20p (previously 12-2:30p)

    • Kindergarten: 7:45a-2:15p (previously 8a-2:30p)

  • PMPS: 7:45a-2:15p (previously 7:50a-2:20p)

  • RIS: 7:45p-2:25p (previously 8a-2:40p) 

  • SMS: 8:40a-3:25p (no change)

  • SHS: 8:40a-3:25p (no change)

• Back to School Webpage: be sure to visit www.isd748.org/BackToSchool for updates including school supply lists, summer learning activities, and information regarding our unique first days of learning schedules for Sabre Launch (ORELC, PMPS, and RIS), Sabre Soar (SMS), and Sabre Splash (SHS).   

Principals will be contacting families later this summer with additional details about the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.

Thank you--

Dr. Jeff Ridlehoover

Thank you for your interest in providing input related to the school district's ESSER III COVID-19 Relief Funding. At this time, our feedback form is closed and the school district will be finalizing and submitting its application to the MN Department of Education for approval.