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Hello United South Central Families,
As we step into March, this past week certainly feels like spring has arrived in full force thanks to the wonderful weather. With the final quarter of the 2024-25 school year on the horizon, the countdowns to the last day of school will quickly begin. As we approach the finish line of the school year, it's important to stay engaged and put forth our best efforts.
Testing Season - March and April mark the beginning of spring testing at USC. During this time, students participate in several required assessments, including the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) for grades 3-11, as well as the ACT for 11th graders. These assessments provide valuable insight into student progress and help us ensure we are meeting individual learning needs while maintaining strong educational support. Please encourage your student(s) to put forth their best effort and practice healthy habits—such as getting enough sleep and eating a nutritious breakfast—as we enter the testing period in the coming weeks.
Looking Ahead to Summer Projects - As the summer months near, we are finalizing plans for a few projects at USC. We are very fortunate to have an incredible facility and our aim is to keep our building in the best shape possible. Over summer break this year we are planning to have all of our light fixtures converted to LED, and also have our parking lot sealed and restriped. Along with this change, some traffic flow changes are coming to our parking lot as well over the summer months.
Facilities Task Force - Our facilities working group continues to meet and held its second meeting in mid-February. This group's goal is to assess the district’s current facilities’ strengths and challenges with the goal of identifying potential solutions for our board to consider to keep our building at its best for our students' needs. Key concerns identified by the task force included overcrowding, limited parking, restricted lunchroom and gym space, and inefficiencies in classroom locations/sizes throughout the building. Broader factors such as community needs, financial constraints, and economic uncertainty were also considered. In their last meeting, the task force generated a wide range of possible solutions, from minor adjustments—such as utilizing off-site spaces or relocating district offices—to larger-scale expansion projects, including additional classrooms, a small gym, or a separate facility for PreK/child care and community programs. Each of the six proposals will now be reviewed by the task force for feasibility, cost, and impact. As part of the group’s next meeting in March, they will carefully evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential challenges of each option to determine its viability. While some proposals may be quickly ruled out, the goal is to present a well-considered recommendation to the school board. In the coming weeks, input will be gathered on the proposed options, and updates will continue to be shared on the Facilities Task Force section of our website (Linked here: USC FacilitiesTaskforce Updates).
Looking Ahead - On April 15th, our regularly scheduled school board meeting will be in Bricelyn at the Community Center. Everyone is always welcome to attend and see the process of school governance in action. Public schools are unique in that they truly are operated by the community in which they reside and we want to encourage you to be part of that process. Our June meeting will be in Kiester, August will be in Walters, and our October meeting is scheduled for Freeborn. The remainder of our meetings are scheduled for our building in Wells.
Winter Weather & Virtual Learning - Thanks to all our families for the flexibility with our two weather closures and virtual learning day this winter. While we certainly are not out of the winter season yet, we have faired reasonably well so far this winter. We are in a good position with our academic calendar for the school year, and it is nice to have another year without the need to look at making up days or instructional time.
Parent/Family Survey - Part of the goal-setting work we do as a district is to gather input on how we are meeting the needs of our families. When we went through the process of developing our strategic plan, part of this process included a survey and parent focus group that put together a list of items they wish to see as part of their “desired daily experience” at USC. Linked here is a survey to gather feedback on how we are doing as a school, and what areas we need to identify to learn and grow in. Please consider participating in this survey over the next few weeks. Link to Parent/Family Survey.
Upcoming Events and Activities at USC -
March 3, K-12 Evening Conferences
March 14, No School for March Break
March 17, Staff Development Day, No School
March 18, School Board Meeting - 5:30 PM
March 26, End of 3rd Quarter
Thank you for your continued support as we partner together in providing the best education and experience possible to our students. Go Rebels!
Taylor Topinka
USC Superintendent