1. education
2. school

MILNOR BISON BEACON
November 2014
www.milnor.k12.nd.us
Milnor Public School
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Parent Teacher Conferences
The key to a successful conference is two-way communication. By exchanging information, parents and teachers
can set the stage for a positive and productive school year. We have Parent Teacher Conferences this month, and
encourage active listening for both parents and teachers. Parents, please remember to talk to your child about what
was discussed at conferences. Stress the positive points. Discuss suggestions for improvement. Encourage your
child to do better and acknowledge improvements as the school year progresses.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Diann Aberle
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Veteran’s Day
K-6 will be hosting the annual Veteran’s Day program on November 7th at 2:00 P.M. in the Milnor Area Community
Center. Everyone is welcome to help us celebrate our veterans and their contributions to our country.
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
K-12 Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, November 6th from 4:00-8:00 P.M. Elementary teachers will
schedule times for elementary conferences. Junior High/High School Teachers will be available in the gym.
EARLY DISMISSAL
School will dismiss at 3:00 P.M. on Thursday, Nov. 6th.
AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK
November 16-22nd is American Education Week across the nation. Celebrate the educational success your children
are having! We strive to make a difference and ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience success.
NO SCHOOL
November 10th and 11th; and November 27th and 28th.
THANK YOU
The kitchen staff, Karla Dusek, Erin Olson, and Jodi Widhalm would like to send a “THANK YOU” to the generous
people in our community who provided donations of fruits and vegetables for our school lunch program: Caroline
Martin; Mr. & Mrs. Gary Wallin; Mr. & Mrs. Bill Pribula; Ronnie Wipf & Sundale Colony. Your donations were very
much appreciated!
Winter Weather
Please be sure that students are properly dressed for the onset of winter. I would like to see all K-12 students
dressed appropriately for the weather. Junior and Senior high school students are seen coming to school without
coats, much less hats or gloves. Many of these students drive themselves to school and could be in danger if their
vehicle breaks down. Please check your child’s clothing for such things as caps or hats, gloves or mittens, winter
coats, snow pants and snow boots. If there is snow on the ground, boots should be worn. Wind plays an enormous
role in the weather conditions, and elementary outdoor recesses are 30 minutes long, so it is vital that children are
dressed appropriately. Also, with winter comes the possibility of school cancellation.
SCHOOL CANCELLATIONS
Due to the changing weather we may have a late start, early dismissal or school cancellation. These
announcements will be given to the following stations: WDAY-TV Channel 6, KVLY-TV Channel 11, KXJB Channel 4
and KQLX-radio station. Every rural student must have a storm home in case we are unable to bus students
home due to a sudden storm. Also, to receive “instant notifications” via phone, text or email, make sure the
school has your preference on file in POWERSCHOOL.
MONSANTO PRESENTATION
This is the second year that the Milnor School has written a grant proposal and received a $10,000 grant from
America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education’s Monsanto Fund. This year we were able to purchase 17 iPads for the
Milnor Elementary for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Pictured are:
Supt. Diann Aberle, Monsanto Representative Preston Dagen, with a few of the nominating farmers Mike Mund,
Melissa Mund, Taylor Bussman, Derek Martinson, and Andrew Martinson.
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Bison Booster Club News
It's not too late! Volunteers are still out collecting
membership dues. If you have not been contacted
and would like to become a member for the 20142015 school year, please contact Jill Gainor at 6802587. Memberships can also be mailed to me at
14358 Highway 13. The membership is $10 per
person. Thank you for supporting your community
and the Milnor Bison!
Larson’s Lowdown
At this time of year, I start to get phone calls about attendance. Let me start by saying, we want as much
communication from home as possible. If you have a sick child, please call us. Yes, most of the time when a student
is not here it is for a good reason (and usually for good intentions), but having a call from home really helps us in the
office. If we do not know anything, we mark them as unknown. After a few days, if you still have not heard anything
we change that to unexcused. On the 7-12 side, unexcused means that it also has an impact on grading. Whatever
makeup work a student has for an unexcused absence, they will receive 1% below a D (so 69% in most cases).
Another ramification of missing school time is after 10 absences earning credit comes into question. Our attendance
policy states that we may withhold credit after 10 absences in a semester. When we get to that stage, we set up a
makeup schedule and work with the student to make up as much time as is needed. In this case, the 10 absences in
question are any missed school time. It does not just include unexcused absences. Part of the time could be illness
or a family vacation, etc.
To paint a larger picture, there are plenty of studies that have shown test scores and attendance are directly related
to attendance. So while the grades in school might stay stable, there is material missed that is on the state test or on
the ACT that will not be recovered.
From an office perspective, the more we hear from parents/guardians the better. We can operate and eliminate the
guess work.
Notes from the Counselor
Scholarship Spotlight:
BND Real Deal: Every month, October – March, 8 seniors from across ND will be awarded $500 scholarships. If you
have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, have been involved in school or community activities, and plan to attend a ND college
or University, you should apply. Winners are chosen at random in a monthly drawing!
NDSCA: The North Dakota School Counselor Association scholarship awards $1,000 to graduating seniors whose
school counselor is a member (Mrs. Kaspari is a member!!).
*More information and links to the application to these and many other scholarship opportunities may be found on the
school’s website under the Counselor tab.
JFK Profile in Courage Essay Contest: It takes courage to stand up for your beliefs. In Profiles in Courage, JFK
described 8 US elected officials who demonstrated political courage. The JFK Library Foundation invites US high
school students to write an essay on an act of political courage by a US elected official. Winner receives $10,000 and
an expense-paid trip to Boston. A link to more information can be found on the school’s website, under the Counselor
tab navigate to Student Opportunities.
Financial Aid Night for Seniors and their Parents! Come join me (Mrs. Kaspari) Tuesday, December 2nd at 7 P.M.
for an evening of information regarding the college application and FAFSA process. Bring your questions!
College Visits: A representative from NDSU will be at Milnor School to visit with interested Juniors and Seniors on
November 25th at 12:30 P.M. Parents are welcome to attend. This information along with updates can be found on
the front page of our school website.
Ms. Henning and the Kindergarten class visiting the Fire Station in Milnor on October 8, during
Fire Safety Week.
Book Fair
Satre Memorial Milnor School Library will be having a
Book Fair in the front of the MACC Wednesday,
November 5th and Thursday, November 6th.
Times will be:
Nov. 5th-10:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M.
Nov. 6th-10:00 A.M.-8:00 P.M.
Come check it out. We will be open during Parent
Teacher Conferences on November 6th. Books are
always a great gift!
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Milnor Public School
Building a Legacy of Excellence,
One Student at a Time.
Satre Memorial Milnor School Library (SMMSL)
Library Hours:
Monday –Friday
8:30 A.M.-10:15 A.M. & 2:30 P.M.-3:30 P.M.
Wednesday
3:30 P.M. -5:30 P.M.
We follow the school
calendar as far as days
off. We are working on
summer hours. Come
check us out.
The Deal Dispatch
Veteran’s Day
Milnor Elementary will be hosting a Veteran’s Day program at 2:30 P.M. on November
7th in the MACC. We would like to honor and show our appreciation for the men
and women who have served our nation. The community is invited and all area
veterans are encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be served following the
program.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
It is the end of the first nine weeks and we will be holding parent-teacher conferences on November 6th from 4:00
P.M. to 8:00 P.M. This is an important time for you to visit with your child’s teacher about student progress. Please
plan to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!
No School Reminder
There will not be school Nov 10th, 11th, 27th or 28th.
Out in the Cold
Winter weather is almost upon us…already. When the cold weather season begins,
please make sure your children come prepared with cold weather gear, including winter
coats, boots, snow pants, hats, and gloves. Children need to be protected against the
cold during recess breaks and when traveling to and from school.
We try to hold recess outside through most of school year. Time spent outdoors is an
important part of the elementary school day. Children need fresh air and exercise, and
time spent outside gives students an opportunity to break free from the structure of the
classroom. During days that the weather is uncooperative, recess will be moved indoors.
Should severe weather arise, the school will send an automated message and will provide information to local radio
and television stations, (FM 106.1, Channels 4, 6, & 11). These will announce all school cancellations, late starts
and early dismissals. If you live in the country, please make arrangements for a storm home, in case buses are
unable to make the route.
Box Tops for Education & Soup Labels
Milnor Elementary would like to remind you to save box tops and soup
labels that support education. These programs help sponsor educational
activities and playground equipment. You can send box tops and soup
labels with any elementary student or drop them off in the front office.
Gearing Up for Kindergarten
If you have a preschooler who will be entering kindergarten next year, you are eligible to attend Gearing Up for
Kindergarten. Eligible families will be receiving an informational letter explaining the benefits of the program. If your
child is eligible and has not received a letter, please contact the school. Fall dates are: 11/17/14, 11/18/14, 11/20/14,
11/24/14 & 11/25/14 from 5:00 P.M.-6:30 P.M.
National Custodian Day
Robert Mund and the second grade class thank and recognize Milnor’s custodians Reid Garrison and
Diana Halmrast for keeping our school a clean, attractive, and safe place to learn.
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Great American Opportunities
Thank You to all who have participated in our GAO magazine program. Winner of the 55” bear was Sara Martinson.
Jerilyn Yagow won the inflatable chair.
Remember, if you have magazines to renew or would like new magazines, please go through this program. The
school receives 40 cents for every dollar spent on subscriptions, new or renewed. If you do not receive a brochure in
a few weeks from GAO and would like to order magazines so the school can get credit, please call the school and
talk to Sandy Popp. You can go online and order a magazine and have the school get the credit. Go to
www.gaschoolstore.com, Shop now, put school online ID in: 2582435. You can put an elementary student in or skip
this step. You may order magazines or other gifts, wraps and other accessories.
With the money that we get from GAO, we will continue to order the World Book Online. This is available to use at
school and also at home. We have access to the World Book Online Reference Center, Kids World Book, the
Spanish World Book, and World Book Advanced. To use this at home, our login is milnorps and our password is
milnor. We also will purchase books for some classrooms and our libraries.
Again, thank you for your support.
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Milnor Scholarship Association
The deadline for applying for the Milnor Scholarship Association Alumni Scholarship is November 6th. To apply for the
one-time grant, send a recent transcript with a GPA of at least 2.5, and a short essay of your future plans following
your higher education. Submit to: Milnor Scholarship Association
PO Box 202
Milnor, ND 58060
Our next meeting is Sunday, November 30th at 4:00 at St. Arnold’s Church. We would be delighted to have new
members. There are only a couple of meetings per year.
The Buck-A-Basket fundraiser will begin with the BBB season. The 12/13 and 1/2 games are available to be
sponsored. The half-time score of the game is added and then divided to obtain the amount of the sponsorship(s). An
example would be a half-time score of 25 to 32 which would equal 57 to be divided by two for a total donation of
$28.50. Donations make it possible to add more money to the scholarship program. If you have questions about our
scholarship program or would like to sponsor a game, please call Mary Yagow 427-5023 or Alisha Olson 683-2164.
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Grade 5 students are pictured in Art Class writing and decorating letters of thanks to the Veterans of
Milnor. The letters and art work from all of the elementary Art Classes will be on Display at the MACC
during the Veteran’s Day Program on Friday, November 7, 2014, at 2:30 P.M.