Winona Area Family Events Calendar
sponsored by the Early Childhood Family Education PTA

February Events

ECFE Drop-In Playgroup • Thursdays 12:30-2:30 • Room 106, Goodview School
• Come play with your pre-K children at Early Childhood Family Education. Make a craft, play with toys, or run around the Zoom Room. Open to all; no registration required, but donations appreciated. More info: 494-0913

Family Gym Nights • Fridays, 6-7:30 pm, Jan 19—Mar 16 except Feb 9 • Goodview School
• Come play with your preschool children! Free and open to all; no pre-registration needed. Sponsored by ECFE PTA. More info: 494-0913

Storytime for Toddlers & Preschoolers • Tuesdays, 10 am • Winona Public Library
• Come for storytime…no registration needed. Special Valentine’s stories and crafts on Tuesday, February 13. More info: 452-4592

Berenstain Bears On Stage • 7 pm Mon, Feb 5 & 10 am Tue, Feb 6 • Page Theatre, Saint Mary's University
• “Berenstain Bears on Stage!” is a musical by Stan and Jan Berenstain based on five of their most popular books: “The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room,” “Get Stage Fright,” “New Baby,” and “The Truth.” Tickets $6 for all ages. More info: SMU box office, 457-1714

Goose Bump Jump • Sat, Feb 10, 12-3 pm • Lake Park Lodge (foot of Main St., Lake Park)
• Watch Winona Park & Rec staff, plus dedicated community volunteers, plunge into Lake Winona to raise money for Winona parks. More info: 457-8258

Using a Baby Sling • Thurs, Feb 15, 4-5 pm • ECFE Parent Education room, Goodview School
• Learn how to use a baby sling in this hands-on class; come with or without your own baby sling. Sibling care available on a first come, first serve basis. Free. Register at 494-0913.

Do You Speak Your Child’s Brain Language? • Tue, Feb 27, 5:30 – 7:30 pm • Goodview School
• Learn about your own parenting style and how to identify your child’s “brain language.” This class introduces the basics of the Human Brain Dominance Instrument and Whole Brain Theory. $5 per family; childcare is available. To register, call 494-0913

Bird Banding Demonstration • Sat, Feb 24, 1-2:30 pm • Whitewater State Park (near Altura, MN)
• Get an up-close encounter with birds as a fine-mist net is used to capture birds at the Whitewater Valley Visitor Center’s feeding station. Participants will be able hold and release birds after they have been observed and banded with aluminum tags. Find out how this scientific tool helps wildlife researchers learn more about bird populations and their natural history. More info: (507) 932 – 3007, ext. 7

Grumpy Old Men Festival • Sat, Feb 24, 9am-1 am • Wabasha
• Some events include a pet pageant, bingo and Raghetti Spaghetti. More info: Wabasha-Kellogg CVB, 800-565-4158 or www.wabashamn.org


This calendar is sponsored by the Winona Early Childhood Family Education PTA. For more information about Early Childhood Family Education programs and events, call 494-0913.

Getting Control Over Kids' Birthdays

University of Minnesota family science professor Bill Doherty has teamed up with St. Paul parents to launch Birthdays Without Pressure. The group is hoping to combat extravagant children's birthday parties. Their website (www.birthdayswithoutpressure.org) offers tips to parents, a birthday pressure quiz, research, and other resources for parents. Doherty says:

Today’s parents feel pushed to do more for children, provide more experiences and opportunities—and in less time because of overloaded schedules. Toys overflow, birthday parties become Hollywood productions, and electronic gear takes over the home. If we are not paying for something or driving our kids somewhere, it’s hard to feel we are doing enough as parents. It’s time to take a deep breath and ask ourselves how to parent wisely nowadays, beginning with small things like birthday parties.

December events

Drop-in Playtime • Thursdays, 12:30 – 2:30 pm • Early Childhood Family Education at Goodview School
• Bring your pre-kindergarten children for unstructured play with ECFE staff! Do crafts, play with toys, or zoom around the Zoom Room for all or part of the time. Free and open to all, no pre-registration required. More info: 494-0913

Valley Oaks Santa • Fridays and Saturdays, 7-9 pm; Sundays, 7-8 pm • 64 River Oaks Court, Winona
• Turns our Santa's home-away-from-home is 64 River Oaks Court, Winona. Stop by and say hi while seeing the lights in the Valley Oaks subdivision...bring canned food or a check for the VolunteerServices food shelf.

Rotary Holiday Lights • Fri, Nov. 24 – Sun, Dec. 31 • Riverside Park, La Crosse
• More than one million lights illuminate Riverside Park from 5-10 pm daily (5-9 pm on Dec. 24 & 25), including a 140-foot Christmas tree, live entertainment on select nights, reindeer, heated tent with activities, hayrides, animated light displays, live Nativity scene, and Santa. Bring food items or cash donations for area food shelves. More info: (800) 658-9424 or www.rotarylights.org

Light Up Galesville • Saturdays, from dusk to midnight, through Dec 28 • Trempealeau County fairgrounds, Galesville
• Lights display, live nativity, Santa Claus, sleigh rides, free hot chocolate and coffee. Food donations collected. More info: Lynn Guse at 608-582-2604

Children’s Holiday Storytime • Tue, Dec. 5 & Dec 12, 10 am & 1 pm • Art Room, Winona Public Library
• Children’s storytime for kids age 3-5. No need to sign up in advance. More info: 452-4582

ECFE BookShelf sale • Sat, Dec 9 • The BookShelf (Huff and Sarnia, Winona)
• If books are on your Christmas list, buy them at the BookShelf on Sat, Dec. 9, and the store will donate a portion of the proceeds towards books for the ECFE parents’ library. Storytime with Barbi at 11:30. You must mention you are buying books as part of this promotion in order for the purchase to qualify.

Visit with Santa Claus • Mon, Dec 11, 4-6 pm • Student Activity Center, Kryzsko Commons, WSU
• Kids can have their photo taken with Santa. Punch and cookies served.

CPR Holiday Train • Mon, Dec. 11, 5-6 pm • Amtrak Depot, Winona
• Live performance featuring folk rock, country, and bluegrass from the lighted Canadian Pacific Railroad Holiday Train. “Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early and check the arrival time prior to attending as this schedule is subject to change.” Food items and cash donations to area food shelves will be collected. More info: www8.cpr.ca or 452-8612 (Amtrak station)

Drop ‘n’ Shop • Fri., Dec. 15, 5:30 – 8 pm • La Crosse Children’s Museum, 207 5th Ave S.
• Kids ages 4 – 12 play at the Children’s Museum while parents shop. $6 per child. Pre-registration recommended. More info: 608-784-2652

Did we forget an event? Add it in the comments area.

Events for the week of Nov. 13 - 19

Parenting in a Too Much of Everything World • Thu, Nov. 16, 6:30-7:30 pm • Jefferson Elementary
• Dr. William Doherty will be speaking to parents on the topic of "Parenting in a Too Much of Everything World." $5 suggested donation. Limited on-site childcare available (reserve in advance). To register, call Glenda at 494-0913

Goodview PTA Silent Auction • Fri, Nov. 17, 6 pm • Goodview Elementary, 5100 W. 9th St., Goodview
• Some items to be auctioned include tools, gift certificates for dining & oil changes, themed baskets, and many more items from area businesses. There will also be a raffle, kids games, and a bake sale. Admission is free, bid numbers are $1.

Cotter Winter Clothing, Coat, and Toy Drive • Fri, Nov. 17 - Wed, Nov 22 • Cotter High School, HyVee, Midtown Foods
• Cotter High School is sponsoring a winter clothing and toy drive to benefit the Dakota Indians from Crow Creek Indian Reservation in Fort Thompson, South Dakota. Winter coats, clothing, and toy donations can be dropped off at the main office at Cotter High School from 8-4, or at Hy-Vee and Midtown Foods. Financial donations are also welcome to help defray transportation expenses. Tribal members are in need of winter gear such as jackets, hats, mittens, boots, blankets, sweaters, or any other winter warm wear. Toy donations for children would also be appreciated to give as gifts for the holiday season.

Deaf Awareness Fair • Sat, Nov. 18, 1-3 pm • Winona Middle School
• Sign language activities, arts and crafts, games, sign songs, food. Suggested donation of $5 per family. Presented by the WSU ASL Club. More info: 458-8192

Did we miss your event? Add it in the comments section.

What would happen if you paid your kids to get along?

From NPR's "This American Life":
"Lisa LaBorde has two daughters, and having grown up an only child, she can't understand why they fight all the time.... Lisa decides to enlist the aid of science to see if she can turn these enemies into friends, in just a month." So Lisa paid the older sister, who was 12, $100 to play with her four-year-old little sister every day for a month. Her theory was that the positive attention from her older sister would reduce the younger sister's inclination to annoy her older sister...she called it the "Kill Her With Kindness Experiment." She recorded the number of times she needed to intervene in the kids' fighting. After a month, she found that the kids were indeed fighting less...but also realized that her constant intervention had been part of the problem.

You can hear the whole story (18 minutes), including clips of the kids' interaction and some reflection on whether it makes sense to pay siblings to be nice to one another (!), at This American Life. Click on "Complete archives," then on the show for November 10, 2006 (David and Goliath).

Better parenting through neuroscience

Mel Levine, a neuroscientist at the University of North Carolina, studies how children learn. In a speech this past summer, he suggests that education needs to be much more personalized and more specialized. In a speech this past summer, he talked about how kids learn, and what that suggests about how we ought to raise our kids. Some of his thoughts:

• Parents and teachers should teach kids how to learn by talking to them about what's happening in their brain as they learn, and helping them to hone key learning skills--for instance, practicing previewing skills.
  
• Parents and teachers should look for their kids strengths, and work on building those strengths rather than focusing exclusively on kids' deficits.
• "Kids who have to struggle a bit in their time in school are really getting an education that's very valuable."
• Too much success too early in life can leave kids vulnerable later on, because those kids don't learn how to cope with feelings of inadequacy.
• "Don't tell your kids to have fun in school. Say, 'I hope you have an extremely interesting day....'" Why? "Fun" has connotations of instant gratification through a relatively superficial experience. Interest develops more gradually and probes more deeply.
• The strong emphasis on visual motor ecstacy -- video games, sports, and so on -- is causing kids to have trouble expressing themselves through language, because those activities don't require kids to practice their language skills.
• Between the ages of 11 and 20, kids brains change dramatically as the most-used neural pathways get reinforced with a protective coating, and the least-used neural pathways get pruned away.
  
• "Kids ought to start working on their autobiographies starting at age six" -- that is, kids should be taught to reflect on who they are, what their affinities are, and where they're going.

You can listen to the whole talk at Minnesota Public Radio.

Statements of Candidates for the ISD 861 School Board

Several weeks ago, the Winona Early Childhood Family Education PTA invited candidates for the ISD 861 school board (Winona Area Public Schools) to submit statements to be posted on this website. We kept the invitation simple: "Tell us why you should be on the school board." We didn't specify a format, length, or topics to be addressed; nor have we edited their statements. All of the candidates have responded except Ted Benson, a write-in candidate for District 1 who entered the race late. If he chooses to submit a statement, we will post it as soon as we receive it.

We wanted to provide the candidates with this open forum so that interested voters could hear what each candidate has to offer. We are not endorsing any particular candidate; we only encourage voters to cast an informed vote. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

You can view the statements by clicking on the links below, or click on the "Candidate statements" link in the navigation bar on the left to view all the statements.

At Large Candidates
Stacey Mounce Arnold
Greg Fellman
John Goplen
Natalie Siderius

District 1 Candidates
Ted Hazelton
Larry Laber
Ted Benson (write-in candidate)

District 2 Candidates
Brian Neal (running unopposed)

"When I connect with my neighbors, they return it in kind"

“Can one act of friendliness start to generate peace? I believe it can. Peace begins with one person but spreads like warmed syrup. When I connect with my neighbors, they return it in kind.” One waitress's moving testimonial to the power of building relationships in our community, from Ivory Harlow at NPR.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome linked to brain defects

From the Boston Globe:

Babies who die of SIDS apparently have not developed a sort of "alarm system" that would make them respond to rising carbon dioxide levels by turning their heads and breathing harder, said Dr. Hannah Kinney of Children's Hospital, who is senior author of the study, published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

You can read the whole article at the Boston Globe.

November Events

Halloween Fun Night • Mon, Oct. 30, 6-8 pm • Saint Mary’s U. Toner Center
• Face-painting, coloring contest, games, and trick-or-treating in the residence halls. Stop at the guard booth at the main entrance for parking directions.

WSU Trick-or-Treating • Tue, Oct. 31, 6-8 pm • WSU residence halls
• Winona State University Housing and Residence Life invite Winona community members and their children into the WSU Residence Halls for trick-or-treating. The following halls are participating: Prentiss-Lucas, 265 W. King St.; Sheehan, 264 W. Mark St.; Morey, 256 W. King St.; and Lourdes, 457 Gould St. More info: Prentiss-Lucas Hall Director Mic Nauman, 457-5320

Fall Harvest Festival • Tue, Oct. 31, 5-7 pm • Rock Solid, 75 W. 3rd St., Winona
• Activities for children up to grade five from 5-7 pm, including inflatable bouncing and climbing equipment, costume contest, games, rock climbing, airbrush tattoos, and hot apple cider. Carmel apples for $3 and hot dog, chips, and pop for $1. More info: 452-2125

Mississippi Queen docking • Mon, Nov. 2, 1 pm - 5 pm • Levee Park

EagleWatch Opener • Sat., Nov. 4, 10 am - 4 pm • 152 Main St., Wabasha
• The National Eagle Center’s observation deck opens for the fall bald eagle and tundra swan migration; volunteers on hand to assist with scopes. Special events include Eagles in the Flags of our Nation at 11 am and Native American powwow at 2 pm. More info: www.nationaleaglecenter.org or 877-332-4537

Flippin’ for Books: Family Fitness, Flapjacks & Fables • Sat, Nov 11, 9 am - noon • Winona Senior High School
• Come join us for a free pancake breakfast (9 – 10:30), plus dramatic storytelling, free books, fun activities, and family resources from many local organizations. This event was planned especially for families with children age 5 and under. Sponsored by the Winona Early Childhood Initiative, Early Childhood Family Education PTA, Winona Family YMCA, and the Kiwanis Sunrisers.

Parenting in a Too Much of Everything World • Thu, Nov. 16, 6:30-7:30 pm • Jefferson Elementary
• Dr. William Doherty will be speaking to parents on the topic of "Parenting in a Too Much of Everything World." $5 suggested donation. Limited on-site childcare available (reserve in advance). To register, call Glenda at 494-0913

Old World Christmas • Fri, Nov. 24 – Sat, Nov. 25 • downtown Winona
• Wagon rides and visits with Santa, strolling carolers, Christmas decorations and lighting, sales. More info: 452-3722

Rotary Holiday Lights • Fri, Nov. 24 – Sun, Dec. 31 • Riverside Park, La Crosse
• More than one million lights illuminate Riverside Park from 5-10 pm daily (5-9 pm on Dec. 24 & 25), including a 140-foot Christmas tree, drive-through tunnel of lights, live entertainment on select nights, hayrides, carriage rides, animated light displays, live Nativity scene, and Santa. More info: (800) 658-9424 or www.rotarylights.org

Holiday Lighted Parade • Sat, Dec. 2, 5:30 pm • Third St. between Main and Franklin
• Numerous lighted Christmas floats, elves, and Santa. More info: 452-0735 or www.visitwinona.com

Did we miss your event? Feel free to add events by posting a comment (click on "Comments," below.)

Stacey Mounce Arnold School Board Candidate Statement (At Large)

My name is Stacey Mounce Arnold. I graduated from the Winona Senior High School and received an excellent education. District 861 prepared me well for college and beyond. I am married to Chris Arnold and we have four children. I have a successful family dental practice that has been in existence sixteen years. I have been actively involved as a board member of the Winona Area Chamber of Commerce. I have been on the executive board and long time supporter of the Women in Business organization. I am treasurer of the Winona County Dental Society. I am a member of the Winona Health Auxiliary and have put in many hours promoting the importance of our local healthcare system in our community. I continue to support and advocate for our secondary educational facilities in Winona. I have given many hours and have been actively involved with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Riverfront Plan. I have been a strong supporter of Maxwell Children’s Center—helping it move onto WSU’s campus and educating our legislators to see the value and importance of this model. I feel strongly that having a center on all college campuses in every secondary education community would benefit families and give a great start to these young lives. It is two-fold in the sense that the college students that work at the center learn valuable skills that will definitely help them in their chosen career paths (usually education, early childhood, nursing, physical education, etc) and also when they decide to become parents. (I am not a supporter of the satellite Maxwell center that went into Madison school because the district needed the space for other staff and programs and shouldn’t have given the space to an outside entity.) I grew up in this town and I care about this town. I have loyalty and obligations to help my community be a community that we are all proud of—in business, industry, healthcare, and education. I believe I bring many “hats” to the table that will help in decision making and understanding the big picture.

My vision for Winona Area Public Schools is to transition slowly in the direction of reprioritizing our goals for our children in our community. I see a need for a new image on all fronts where everyone plays an important role in creating the “new wave of education”! We need to educate everyone (parents, children, staff, teachers administration, board, and the whole community) that they have a role to contribute to the success of the future of our kids. Some of these groups are already doing that, but the collective whole is not working together and valuing the importance of education and at what cost it takes to have a successful system. We need to support each other in reaching this common goal.

I am interested in gathering the facts and utilizing the information to serve the best possible result. I want teachers and staff to feel that I am an open door for any feedback they want to give me. An environment that encourages a free flow of ideas will promote a healthy work environment(which is compromised right now) and create discussion and positive communication. We need to empower and embrace everyone’s potential and expertise and wrap it in respect and develop mutual understandings that will bring productive outcomes with people feeling like they contributed to the overall success. Right now the school system is lacking these dynamics. If you do not have mutual support you will generate a lack of excitement and low morale and then the quality of your system decreases.

I feel we need to refocus on the legislation that is in place today. The allocation formulas for school funding is designed for districts to fail. It needs to be reanalyzed. The proof is in the number of school districts that have had to rely on referendums and operation levys. I also see a need for more business backround individuals to be on school board. If you look at the history of our school board’s decisions, they have cost us more money than was necessary. Part of those decisions was based on the fact that they chose not to listen to the committees that were formed to research different problems and issues that were needing to be addressed. We need to delegate duties, listen to our community volunteers that do the research, and make tough decisions.

There are always going to be challenges in public education—funding issues, declining enrollment, increasing overhead costs, increasing special education needs, etc. I do not have all the answers, but I am willing to work hard with others to find solutions. I am also ready to make tough decisions—we need to find a home for ALC. Once we get the tough decisions handled, and get back on track, then we can focus on the KIDS and their education.

Greg Fellman School Board Candidate Statement (At Large)

Why am I running for the school board?

That’s a great question one my wife keeps asking me all the time! The answer is pretty simple, but the decision and commitment was hard to make. I am running because I care about kids and I care about our community. Current school board priorities do not seem to be putting our kids first and our community does not trust the board. I’ve served on WAPS committees in the past and I have had children, and still have one, in the public school system. I have 26 years of public accounting experience, management and budgeting. If elected, my commitment to WAPS would be one that is undivided and works hard to focus on the education or our kids and keeping us financially sound.

My Key Campaign Points:

· The students must come first – up to date curriculum and class sizes must be a priority, along with adequate space, equipment and supplies.

· Decision-making must be above board and transparent to all. There are too many items on the boards consent agenda. The public agendas and published minutes should also have more detail in them.

· We need to re-build trust, respect and cooperation in the community and throughout the district – this can only be accomplished via accountability in:

o Spending of taxpayers dollars (we need to take the opportunity while we have funds to not just spend them all, but to keep looking for areas reduce costs and not get back into the mess we were in)

o The quality of education we provide our children

(The school board, administrators and teachers all have these responsibilities and need to be fairly evaluated on how they are doing. It is not acceptable to have test scores that are not improving and lower than the state average)

· There needs to be better long-range planning. Not having identified homes for ALL of the programs in the Lincoln building before selling and under taking re-modeling for some programs should not have happened. We need to answer the question of where did all of the grade school capacity go? The Board identified that there was capacity and schools needed to close – the decisions made since then were to move all the 5^th graders to WMS and close Ridgeway and Dakota. Closing Ridgeway and Dakota DID NOT reduce capacity since they opened as charter schools and kept the students - moving the 5^th graders only provided more space in the elementary buildings.

· The ALC is an important program and should have a new home. We should not have a building built that the school district has to rent and pass this cost on to the taxpayers via a levy that can be applied without public approval

· All district programs need to be housed in district buildings before space is rented to outside entities while some of our programs continue to seek space.

· Grade level buildings should be considered for all grades, not just 5 – 12, for the elementary buildings in town. It was a mistake to close Ridgeway and Dakota and ask those elementary students to take long bus rides when there are multiple buildings close to each other in town. Why do we bus students who live closer to Rollingstone all the way to Goodview? School attendance boundaries should be reviewed.

· Decisions must be based on what is best for the whole district.

John Goplen School Board Candidate Statement (District 2)

John Goplen was born and raised in Winona and is currently employed at Watkins Inc. as a corporate archivist. John and his family have been serving in the Winona Public School District since 1968 when his mother was hired to be a traveling elementary music teacher and later his father would work as an Educational Assistant and Substitute Teacher in the district. John, a 1988 graduate of WSHS, began working in the district as an elementary playground supervisor and middle school cross country coach in 1991 after returning from serving in Operation Desert Storm. John served 17 years in the Army Reserve and Minnesota National Guard. After graduating from WSU in 1994 with a B. A. in History, John began working in the classrooms as an Educational Assistant at both the Winona Middle School and Winona Senior High School. John served 6 years as an assistant coach in both cross country and track & field and was the head boy’s track & field coach from 2001 to 2006. John is currently the chairman of the WSHS Athletic Hall of Fame Committee.

Key Campaign Issues

Change the atmosphere of WAPS System:

1. Make decisions based on what is best for the district and community as a whole.
2. Be community inclusive.
3. Build cooperation and mutual respect within the district and community.

Correct the current board’s misplaced priorities and focus:

1. Student needs must come first.
2. Responsibility to the District as a whole should take priority over special interests or pet projects.
3. Classroom staffing should have priority over additions to central administration staffing.

Accountability:

1. Board members, administrators, and educators should be held accountable for the quality of education and service provided to the students and communities served by WAPS.
2. Move away from closed discussion and pre-determined votes and return the focus of the board to the openness of public discussion.
3. Tax payer money is neither free nor unlimited and money should be spent only after considering where that dollar would have the most educational impact.

Natalie Siderius School Board Candidate Statement (At Large)

I come from a long line of public education supporters. My mother was a public school teacher and my father was a public school teacher, coach and administrator. I attended and graduated from two public universities, and my professional career has been in the field of land use planning for both city and county governments. My son attends the Middle School, my daughter is at Madison, and my husband teaches at WSU. I have served on the 861 school board for the past four years and throughout that time I have served as the board's Clerk/Treasurer and I continue to serve as an active PTA volunteer. I believe in public education because it provides stepping stones for a better life for all of us, regardless of one's abilities or income.

I am very interested and involved in early childhood education and family issues. I am a former member and officer of the ECFE Parent Advisory Council. I currently serve on the Winona Early Childhood Initiative Leadership Team. The Winona Early Childhood Initiative is supported by a grant from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. I support expansion of early childhood programs (like Maxwell at Madison Preschool and Childcare) because of the demonstrated benefits these programs bring to children and families. Recent studies show that for every $1 spent on early learning and care programs there is a $17 public return on investment. For more information, please see the following sites: http://woodrow.mpls.frb.fed.us/research/studies/earlychild/abc-part2.pdf
http://www.highscope.org/NewsandInformation/PressReleases/PerryP-Age40.htm

Thanks to a hard working referendum committee, school board, administrative team and this community, Winona passed an operating levy that puts the schools on solid footing. This year, I have had the great pleasure of voting to restore all day, every day kindergarten; restore high school athletics and activities and expand them to include the 7th and 8th grades; hire new teachers and reduce class sizes; add reading specialists and expand the gifted and talented program.

Using capital dollars, the Board approved construction of a new library/media center, student store, counseling center and administrative offices at the high school while improving indoor air quality, security and safety. The district has moved ahead with partnerships that have improved athletic fields at the Middle School, added a preschool to Madison, placed HVED programs at Jefferson, expanded mentoring for teachers and expanded student teaching opportunities.

I support neighborhood schools because strong neighborhood schools are signs of strong communities, and strong communities are necessary for strong public schools. Neighborhood schools tend to be smaller and have smaller class sizes that lead to effective learning. Not only does it make educational sense to support neighborhood schools, it makes economic sense too. Schools sustain the economic vitality of our residential neighborhoods and families are increasingly looking for safe, attractive, and easily accessible schools. Since the school district must compete for area students, we have a great opportunity to meet that demand and to do very well by the students and their families.

If elected, my priorities over the next four years include curriculum improvement, staff development, building improvements and continued financial stability.

• Curriculum: We need to make a commitment to prepare a curriculum that is appropriate for our current and future students -- and one that capitalizes on the expertise of our teachers, our higher ed. institutions, and all of our community partners. I will continue to support positive initiatives like the curriculum audit that is currently underway.
• Staff Development: We all know that no matter how good the curriculum is, it takes teachers to make it happen. It's time we return to using staff development dollars for improving teaching.
• Building Improvements: We have completed in-depth facility studies of all district buildings and made upgrades in portions of all buildings. I will work to prioritize needs and address them creatively and in a financially sustainable manner.
• Finances: Statutory operating debt is not a solution. Citizens have given us the financial means to improve the district and we should use these funds wisely.

Leadership, courage and commitment will move this district forward. With your support, I intend to continue to promote positive progress.

Ted Hazelton School Board Candidate Statement (District 1)

Hello,
My name is Ted Hazelton and I am running for a seat on the School Board in election district #1 agianst incumbant, Larry Labor. I am a life long Winona area resident. I am a very active volunteer in many civic groups and organizations; both past and preasant. I am a current board member and founder of the Winona Area Youth Wrestling Club, I am also an active parent volunteer in my youngest son's Cub Scout troop, a member of the minnesota Transportation Museum -(Railroad Division), and a member of the Chippewa Valley Motor Car Railway. I am a past member of the Winona Model railroad Club, and the Winona Area Jaycee's. I also give railroad safety presentations in the area schools during National Railroad Safety Week in May of each year, and have also helped chaperone on some school field trips at W-K in the past.

I am employed full time as a truck driver for D.J.Johnson Transfer Co. of Winona, and I'm also licensed pyrotechnic operator with J & M Displays. I shoot fireworks shows at many of the surrounding community festivals.

I am a single parent of a child who was involved in the E.C.F.E. program at the Lincoln Bldg. My son now is a 1st grade student at W-K Elementry school now so I have a vested intrest in 861 schools.

I am running for school board for many reasons. My first and foremost reason is to help restore public trust and accountability back to Dist. 861 and to open more communication between 861 and parents, students, teachers, and the tax paying general public. The current board is not representative of the wishes of the general public and there is no representation for the rural areas of the district, or the average working class citizens and familys. The current board is a "rubber stamp" for admimistration rather than for the wishes of parents, community and the tax payers. There is such a lack of direction, credability or accountability on this board that it is pathetic! Trust must be restored after many of the contraversial and hair-brained decitions that have taken place in the last 4 years such as moving the 5th graders out of the elementry schools over to the Middle School, and the way that S.O.F.A. was handled. The public is fed up with the actions of the current board majority as evidenced by the recent vote in the primary election on Sept. 12, and word of mouth around town!

Change in Winona is on the horizen! It's time to put the "public" back into our public schools!
Other issues that I am running on are: Finding a new home for the A.L.C. program in a DISTRICT OWNED BUILDING by either re-claiming the Lincoln building or more preferably moving the 5th grade back into the elementry schools (where they belong) to free up the space needed at the Middle School for the A.L.C. Improved relatoins with 861 staff & employees to help boost morale (which is currentley lacking). Improving test scores by doing a cirriculum audit to see what can be modified or improved for our students. Re-examine the 2 tierd busing system for cost effectivness and efficiency improvements. I have a hard time believing that 861 is saving the kind of money that they claim that they do to the public. Also, switching school start times between the older and younger students needs to be done as the current set up is backwards and creates a schedule nightmare for parents of elementry aged students in regards to day-care issues after school Additionally, the current set up may be in violation of federal law (daylight savings time). Daylight savings was done for 2 reasons. One; to give farmers an extra hour of light to work with, and second; to keep little kids from being out in the dark to catch the bus or walking to school! I would also address some of our screwed up attendance boundrys that are currently in place. Examples: kids living in Hidden Valley live 3/4 mile from Goodview School yet we bus them 4 miles to Jefferson School! Kids living in Minneiska are bused 14 miles to Goodview School, but they go right by highway 248 and Rollingstone on the way to Goodview! How dumb is that?!!

I also believe that the maintenance budget needs to be increased with the number of older buildings we have in use so they don't end up with same fate as the old Middle School did - what a shame!

Finally, I would bring a consrvative viewpoint to the board as for decisions that involve tax payer dollars and how they are spent. The spending practices of the current board are pathetic! Examples: Paying $120,000 for new tennis courts at the Middle School rather than re-habilitate the existing ones at the High School for $40,000 then paying for busing students from the high school to the Middle School to use them!

Paying an extra $4,000 per year on milk just to get "B.G.H. free" stickers on them! Paying $110,000 for 2 part time elementry principals then letting W.S.U. use them to teach over there and only getting $45,000 in return for this. Net loss - $65,000. Why not just hire 1 full time elementry principal at $55,000 and have that person split thier time between the 2 elementry buildings involved? Security cameras at Madison School. If W.S.U. requires them for the daycare program over there, let them pay for it instead of 861 footing the $22,000 cost! Isn't that what a partnership is all about, helping each other out for a common goal?!! These are just some examples, I could write a book on this subject if I had the time.

These are some of the issues that I will be addressing if elected to the board. Lets end this "good old boys club" that seems to be in place with our current school board with every vote being 7-0 no matter what the subject matter is. There needs to be more debate on the items in question.

This way, board members are more informed when a vote comes up. This is what the public wants. Vote Ted Hazelton for school board on November 7. Vote for change!

Thank-you,

Ted Hazelton
school board candidate

P.S. Please feel free to E-Mail or call me at my house in the evening with any questions or concerns that you have or would like to talk about. Its all about communication, which is part of being a good school board member. Phone: 454-3232 E-Mail: thazerailsinwinona@hotmail.com