Saint Peter Middle School seventh grade students took part in the annual History Day exhibit at the school’s media center on Feb. 13.

According to SPMS history teacher, Dustin Sharstrom, History Day has been around since 1980 and students all around the country compete. The theme this year was "breaking barriers" and all students selected a topic that in their mind broke barriers in history

“This year we had the president of the Treaty Site Kate Martens volunteering almost daily helping students with projects,” Sharstrom said. “We also had city council members, school board members, as well as members from The League of Women Voters all volunteering with History Day. Also, we had our State Representative Jeff Brand volunteers with projects.”

There were also three different college students serving as tutors helping students with projects. Around 25 to 30 SPMS students will compete at regional competition in March and can qualify for state and national competitions.

Last week Saint Peter Middle School sixth graders started a miniature golf unit as part of their physical education classes.  Students learned about how to keep score, correct putting techniques, and the importance of being laser focused when making the shot.  

“The fun part was when the students got to use their creativity to design the hole with the items given, name the hole, and determine the par number,” Alex Weis, SPMS physical education teacher, said. “They had fun and learned a lot about a lifelong activity.”

Middle Schoolers in the fifth, seventh, and eighth grade classes will also be participating in the miniature golf unit under the tutelage of MS PE teachers Bill Stuewe (grades 7-8), Kris Sandborg (grade 5), and Abby Whritenour (grades 7-8).

Opportunity Day for Saint Peter High School students (grades 9-12) has been set for Tuesday, Feb. 25, with specific and unique educational opportunities being planned for each grade level.

Coordinating the Opportunity Day activities are Mandy Quist and Jana Sykora, School Counselors.

“Opportunity Day provides students with college and career readiness knowledge, skills, and experiences that enhance their academic planning while developing and practicing hands on employment skills for their future careers.” College and Career Readiness Counselor Mandy Quist shares.  Each grade level’s activities are designed in the continuum of the overall PreK-12 college and career readiness scope and sequence. The extensive preparation and coordination of this event is substainstated as students share their Opportunity Day experiences.” It is exciting to hear the students share their stories and renewed energy to pursue their academics and future careers, connect real world workforce knowledge with their classroom lessons and see the self discovery growth of their own skill levels and career interests.” 

Coordinating with local partners, St. Peter Area Chamber and businesses, Mankato Workforce Council and CareerForce Center, along with post secondary educational institutions, organizers developed the resources to ensure that  students at the high school will be able to maximize their educational and exploration opportunities to enrich the students’ career and college readiness knowledge. 

“I am grateful that our teachers, administrators and families are so engaged and supportive of career and college planning,” SPHS School Counselor Jana Sykora said. “This day is a gift for students as it allows for significant progress toward their postsecondary goals. There is a lot of planning involved in this day, and all of our teachers” 

Some of the other benefits of Opportunity Day according to Quist and Sykora include exposing ninth graders to a variety of post-secondary opportunities, optimizing the college and career readiness testing environments and building employment skills confidence. The developmental grade level activities provide post secondary options for students who might not have previously considered for themselves as they continue their career readiness planning. 

The following is an overview of what will take place for students in all four grades that will be participating in Opportunity Day:

12th Grade
Informational Interview and Observation (off-site)

• Seniors utilize homeroom time for career assessments and activities, employment speakers, identifying career interests and developing and enhancing their employment skills to assist them in scheduling and preparing for their observation day in the career field of their choice

• Seniors are expected to conduct their observation and informational interview during the school day on February 25. Seniors will not report to school February 25

11th Grade
College and Career Assessments

• 11th grade students will take a college and career readiness assessment of their choice; ACT with writing, the Accuplacer or the ASVAB.

• After their assessment, students will have a break for lunch and then rotate through presentations on scholarships,  financial planning, Career Day preparation and senior year timeline planning.

10th Grade
PreACT Testing Day

• 10th grade students will take the PreACT.

• After the PreACT, students will have a break for lunch and then report to their homeroom for the afternoon to work on their Personalized Learning Plan, prepare for the Career Expo (scheduled for March 25) and begin exploring scholarships and financial planning.

9th Grade
Opportunity Tour

• 9th grade students will begin their day in the theater with a motivational and interactive presentation intended to inspire each student toward reaching their own personal and academic growth.

• Students will depart the high school at 9:00 am and visit a four year public  and private college, learning about admissions,financial aid, programs/majors, athletics, scholarships and overall campus life. 

• Students will return to school by 2:45 pm.

Mr. Chantharak and Mrs. Leibfried are taking some of our special education students in the community to practice their life skills and social skills. This group will leave school at 8:30 a.m. and visit various places in the community such as the government offices, laundry mat, bank, doctor office, post office, and grocery store. This group will end their day at a sit down restaurant where they will use the skills they learned to order off of a menu, use appropriate social skills, and make a purchase. The students will return back to school at 2:30 p.m. where they will end their school day. 

 

Saint Peter High School will host its first-ever Course and Curriculum Night on Thursday, Feb. 13, from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m., which is being held the same evening as Parent-Teacher Conferences.

The SPHS counseling staff encourages all 8th through 11th grade families (grades 9-12 in 2020-21) to attend Course and Curriculm Night's two main events:

* Course & Curriculum Fair - Open House -- Stop by the SPHS gym to meet department staff and learn about course selection and offerings. 

* Registration Information Sessions -- Learn about the registration process for all students, the role of parents, and the timeline for submitting 2020-21 registration requests. Two sessions will be offered in the SPHS Performing Arts Center (theater) -- 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. 

Saint Peter High School and its Building Leadership Team (BLT) are hosting a parent information and advisory gathering on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m. at the SPHS commons area. Parents/guardians of students in grades 9 - 12 are welcome to attend.

At this first meeting, according to SPHS Principal Annette Engeldinger, the BLT would like to gather information and feedback on programming, policies, and practices, as well as share information on some of the things the team is working on this year.

We hope to see you there!