School Board Reduces Proposed Tax Levy

by $223,141 The maximum property tax levy limitation is determined by the

Minnesota Department of Education for each public school district in the state. The school district’s proposed property tax

levy amounts must be set by the school board by the end of September by law. The final levy amount, which is finalized in December, may not be greater than the proposed levy and can only be reduced. The proposed tax statements that District residents received from the county in November were based upon the proposed levy, which stated the maximum allowable dollars that the school district could levy the taxpayers. At the December board meeting, the Pillager School Board certified a final levy, which will reduce the proposed levy by $223,141. The final levy will have an increase of $444,236, which is mostly due to the board levying the full $350,443 of the Long-Term Facility Maintenance (LTFM) Levy which was explained at each community meeting. This is an increase of $199,855 since the board had previously under levied the available dollars in past years. The dollars for the (LTFM) levy can only be used on deferred maintenance of facilities and grounds. The board also levied $44,813 in safe school funds for the first time as well. The safe school levy will be used to enhance and improve the safety of the school. The reduction in the school district final levy will result in resident taxes being lowered from the proposed tax statements that were mailed out in November. The proposed statement showed that a home valued at $150,000,would see an increase of $152.49. With the reduction from the December board meeting, the assessed home valued at $150,000 would see a projected reduction of $84.49 from the proposed increase of $152.49. That will leave an estimated final increase of $68.00. That is a 55% reduction from the proposed school levy. Other factors in the reduction include the district’s resident market value (RMV) and the net tax capacity (NTC) both increased as a result of increased property values and new property growth as new residents in the district spreads the tax across more people. This is an estimated number and any change in the assessed value of your property will also factor into the final amount of the overall increase. Please keep in mind that even with the increase of the levy for this coming school year, the Pillager School District receives $724 per adjusted pupil unit (ADM) for the Tier 1 and Tier II non voter approved levies while the average of all schools in the state of Minnesota is $1,302 per (ADM) as many districts have voter approved excess operating levies. This means that our district is education our students on a balanced budget which is considerably less than average schools. Please visit our district website at www.isd116.org for a complete presentation on the levy. Please contact a board member or Superintendent Michael Malmberg at the district office if you have additional questions.

This publication is produced at the Pillager School for the whole Pillager community. If you have local news, please contact Sue Van Hal at (218) 746-2105 for submission information.

Second grader, Bentlee Walker has been

racing since he was four years old. His love, passion and determination for the

sport really shows when he is out on the track racing. His goal has been to make it to Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Motocross Championship and see how he can do against 42 of the fastest kids in the nation. Bentlee made his dream come true by making it to Loretta Lynn’s in the 50cc 4-6 limited class on his 50cc Cobra Junior. Loretta Lynn’s is where the fastest racers in the nation go to show off their talent. (continued to page 11)

NEW FORMAT:

INCLUDES MORE COMMUNITY

NEWS AND FEATURES

The Referendum Failed in November, Now What?? I would like to first thank all of those that came to vote on the referendum in November. With the referendum failing, the Pillager School Board will need to continue to look at the needs of the district and seek additional

feedback from our district residents. The past feedback received from surveys and task force meetings has not provided us with enough of our resident voice! We must strive to do a better job of that as a district! The maintenance needs as well as the space issues that the district has are still very prevalent. If the district wants to continue to offer the current programming that we have and possibly even expand in the areas of vocational education, those issues need to be addressed and resolved. With the failed referendum, we will need even more community input to help the district resolve some of those issues and needs. There were several opportunities for residents to come to a community meeting during the referendum to ask questions, to hear the needs of the district, and to find out what would need to happen if the referendum failed. At those meetings, several topics were discussed and questions were answered on open enrollment, past building projects, current and existing debt, and levy information to name just a few. Residents heard why open enrollment has been good for the district, as we have financially survived without additional operating levy dollars because of our enrollment growth. In fact, the district has under levied our residents in the past and also spent down our existing fund balance prior to taking additional levy dollars. As many of you now have seen, the board recently increased the Long Term Facility Levy (LTFM) to help with the maintenance issues within the district. In the past, the school board has under levied to help keep taxes lower for our residents. That was also shared at the community meetings that these increases would need to happen if the referendum failed. We knew that it was important that community members were given many opportunities to hear the referendum information, and whether they supported or didn’t support the project, voters were given the information to make an informed decision. However, the three community meetings were poorly attended with less than fifty residents present to hear all the information. Another twenty residents heard the presentation in an additional five presentations that were given throughout community organizations such as the city council meeting and at various organizational board meetings. The district website that contained the presentations, videos, and all the referendum related information was not viewed the way we had hoped it would be. Many of you were not aware of the issues and what the board would need to do if the referendum failed. Some even voted on incorrect or misguided information. With all that being said, it is my job and responsibility as well of that of the board members to do a better job seeking input from our residents and to get information out in a better format to our voters and residents. Moving forward, the school board would like to conduct a survey with our residents on several key questions as well as hold additional listening sessions to seek input from our residents. Keep an eye out for more information coming in the future on when those will occur. The district will need to develop a new task force committee with more district community members with a wider background with various concerns and ideas to help develop a better plan moving forward that will meet the needs of our students and residents. There are many questions that need to be discussed and resolved in the near future: How does the district manage open enrollment in the future with policy? How does the district continue to offer programming that is in need of an auditorium? Would our community support a smaller auditorium to meet the needs of our district and community? What additional classroom space will be needed based on a possible set enrollment policy and future growth? Do our residents want increased vocational programming opportunities for our students? How can the district use levied (LTFM) dollars to offset the cost of a possible revised referendum? I appreciate the opportunity to help lead and listen to the district and our residents into the future and to help resolve the issues that we have in a positive way that works for all of us to help educate our students in Pillager. Go Huskies!!

A message from Mr. Malmberg, Pillager School Superintendent

Here is a summary of the CALENDAR ITEMS

in this newsletter and the page where you will find more info

Date Event Page

Feb I Love to Read Month 8

1-Feb Job Shadow Day 17

2-Feb Movie Night 9

5-Feb Snow Days 18

9-Feb Chili Bowls for the Arts 17

10-Feb Father/Daughter Dance 11

12-Feb Mother/Son event 11

13-Feb Chili Bowls for the Arts 17

14-Feb NHS Blood Drive 20

22-Feb Bus Driver Appreciation 14

2-Mar Jump rope for Heart 7

2-Mar Donuts with Dad 10

6-Mar Hoops for Heart 7

15-Mar Kindergarten Roundup 8

19-Mar Interview Day 3

2-Apr EA Appreciation 14

6-Apr Spring Music Program 7

7-Apr Fiddler Contest 16

14-Apr Gourmet Night/Theater 15

27-Apr Arbor Day 15

8-May Teacher Appreciation 14

April 13-15 Musical 15

July 12-15 Fair 32

July 12-15 Husky Days 32

Here is a summary of the INFORMATION ITEMS in this newsletter and the page where you will find more info

ACT 18

Athletics 22

Athletics-Schedules 23

Box Top Challenge 8

Butter Braids 21

Calendars 29-31

Career Day 18

Child Abuse Prevention Month 26

CIS / PSEO 18

Clay Target League 24

Community Events 16

Community Groups 16

Contact information 32

Early Childhood options 26

ENVoY 4

Excel / AAA Awards 19

Fun Stop 27

Girls in Trades 21

Hall of Fame nominations 11

High School Principal letter 19

Interview Day 3

JO Volleyball 17

Kid's Ad Design 12

Lost and Found 6

Metier 12

Here is a summary of the COMMUNITY NEWS ITEMS in this newsletter and the

page where you will find them.

Barn Quilts 24

Bentlee Walker, racer 1

Community Notification System 14

Day Care Centers 27

Food Shelf Facelife 28

One Earth Recycling 25

proposed tax reduced 1

Recycling Info 25

referrendum info 2

Congratulations to

Mike Pettit on his retirement

after serving Pillager students for 30 1/2

years as a High School math teacher,

and many years as a golf, basketball, and football coach.

Middle School Principal letter 12

Pettit resignation 2

Pillager History 32

PTO 9

Scholarships 18

Scholarships / PEF 15

Special Olympics 17

standards-based grading 3

Students of the Month-Elem 6

Students of the Month-HS 18

Teacher of the Year 20

Teachers of the Month-Elem 6

Title One 9

Weight room 25

Yearbook 17

Interview Day Attention: Local employer

Monday, March 19 1-3:00 pm grades 9-12 (ages 14-18)

Students who have pre-selected your company based on summer jobs available will be available for a short

interview. Please respond by Feb 19 to the High School office if you would like to join this school/

community partnership event.

Are you looking for a way to get involved at school? There are many opportunities: Call the school (746-2105) to find how to get connected!

Pillager School District Continues Work Towards Standards-Based Grading

The Pillager School District is continuing its work on Standards-Based Grading (SBG) which is an innovation in education that focuses on learning and helps increase student achievement. It is often combined with other standards-based instruction techniques to better engage students and foster a positive environment. The following information is an introduction for parents and community members new to standards-based education.

The Basics of Standards-Based Grading (SBG) Traditionally teachers focus on teaching, the attempt to deliver knowledge. In SBG teachers also measure student learning, to understand the effec-tiveness of instruction. Instead of a single overall grade, SBG breaks down the subject matter into smaller “learning targets.” Each target is a teacha-ble concept that students should master by the end of the course. Throughout the term, student learning on each target is recorded. Teachers track student progress, give appropriate feedback, and adapt instruction to meet student needs. Traditional grading and SBG also use different grading scales. In traditional grading, students are primarily measured by the percentage of work successfully completed. The assumption is that higher completion rates reflect greater mastery, and earn higher grades. Often 90% achieves an A, 80% a B, etc. In SBG, grading is based on demonstration of mastery. Students attempt standards-aligned activities and teachers assess the student output and choose the appropriate mastery level that was demonstrated. Our District will use a three level scale based on the numbers 1, 2, and 3 with each level reflecting student’s increasing skill. Level 1 indicates that a student still need assistance with a concept, and consequently cannot demonstrate any mastery. When starting a new target, many students have no prior knowledge, and begin at level 1. As students learn, they can demonstrate a developing mastery, and are at level 2. Once they meet a target, they reach the level 3 and are proficient. In standards-based education, teaching is responsive to learning. When starting a new learning target, teachers present introductory lessons. As students progress, they are of-fered more complex material. They continue working and learning until they reach the target. Consider SBG much like a ladder that students climb, one step at a time, eventually reaching the top. SBG is powerful because it provides a framework to regularly measure student progress. When teachers have continuous understand-ing of students’ mastery, they can adapt instruc-tion to better meet student needs. This causes education to be more effective and engaging. In SBG environments, better feedback accelerates learning. Instead of simply giving scores like 9/10 or 85%, teachers give feedback about the task performed and skills used. This helps students understand their current areas of improvement, and helps them reach the next level. This positive environment speeds learning and students reach higher levels of achievement -- all while being deeply engaged and enjoying school.

3

Pillager School is committed to maintaining its status as a certified ENVoY school. Teachers and support staff continue to use the seven ENVoY gems. In addition, staff are expanding their repertoire with many ENVoY specialty skills. Implementing the ENVoY gems and specialty skills allow staff members to nonverbally manage behaviors so their words can be saved for curriculum and building positive relationship with their students. What does it mean to be ENVoY certified?

A teacher earns ENVoY certification when he/she demonstrates proficiency (including the student response to the strategy) of all 7 ENVoY gems in real time within the context of one lesson. An Educational Assistant earns certification by demonstrating proficiency in using the skills of productivity, using an influence approach as well as supporting the teacher in using the seven gems. Pillager Elementary School has had the privilege and honor of hosting educators from other school districts who are looking to implement ENVoY in their schools. Pillager's host teachers and demonstration teachers welcome these guests into their classrooms as they demonstrate the implementation of the GEMS. What does it mean to be a certified ENVoY demonstration teacher? Becoming a certified demonstration teacher is a rigorous process that requires teachers to demonstrate the gems at a habit level with guests present. During the ENVoY LIVE visits, our demonstration teachers may be asked to create situations to showcase ENVoY strategies for the LIVE participants to help them secure their learning. Our demonstration teachers are able to demonstration these situations to help area teachers see the positive effects that the ENVoY strategies provide. Internal ENVoY Coaches... Mr. Smith, Mrs. Hall, and Mrs. Bouc have been trained as internal ENVoY coaches for Pillager Schools. This certification consisted of one week of intensive training.

ENVoY has positively impacted our school by creating common expectations and a common language (verbal and non-verbal). Using non-verbal signals and intentional body language has helped to create a more calm, positive, and highly productive learning environment. Studies show that a classroom gains 1.5 hours of instruction time over the course of one week when all of the strategies are consistently implemented.

A star and heavy border = Certified ENVoY demonstration teacher A heavy border = working towards certification as an ENVoY demonstration teacher

Pillager School Envoy certified teaching staff

Pillager School Envoy certified support staff

Reminder: All Elementary students will be

required to go outside for recess when the temperature is above

-10 degrees F, including wind chill. Please make sure your children

bring their boots, gloves, hats and coats to school every day.

Clothes that are not claimed from the

elementary lost and found will be washed

every two weeks and then donated.

Please make sure that your kids

check often for their lost items!

Student of the Month September - Chevelle Luchka, Tera Miller, Mariah Martin, Grace Mulder, Taylor Kavanaugh, Jackson Mudgett, Ella-Mae Swanberg, Gabby Gold, Natalee Kuklok, Jasper Turnbaugh, Rachel Holingsworth, Mason Krause, Lane Adams, Emily Braaten, Veronica Metz, Jon Tighe, Earl Brown, Logan Fitch, Zoey Breerwood, Alainna Dobson, Thomas Niggeler, Breauna Ailts, Teegan Thorsett, Lenell Reynolds October - Kiptyn Lester, Triston Albertson, John Anderson, Ava Braaten, AnnaSofia Sotomayor, Bradley Gaspa, Eleanor Schmidt, Juniper Wieser, Maddison Imgrund, Mya Kruger, Elizabeth Everson, Frank Brown, Keira Dickinson, Heidi Landecker, Keagan Shamp, Layne Adams, Lucas Hoglin, Jayden Lyons, Nathan Braaten, Colston Cremers, Ivry Decker, Gemma Fairbanks, Sana Moss, Elijah Nichols, Iome Decker, Jacob Albertson November - Mila Krautkremer, Aiden Seeley, Violet Hamilton, Evan Ithivongkham, Nicholas Pietz, Zuriah Krause, Jeremiah Sprau, Kaiden Johnstone, Stephen Bourassa, Anna Poegel, Oliver Espe, Parker Pallansch, Thomas Niggeler, Aaron Engdahl, Isabella Brinkman, Chelsea Vieths, Hailey Neyens, Landon Albertson, Zaylee Lundberg, John Anderson, Delaney Dolen, Abigail Hines, Leneaya Kerr December - Lawson Merck, Ruth Gilligan, Carly Homan, Lily Hicks, Gavin Niles, Sam Roiko, Gemma Fairbanks, Sana Moss, Tayla Bowman, Elijah Waage, Owen Cestnik, Kaitlyn Cueva, Caitlin Cobbs, George Swanberg, James Dumpprope, Laney Danielson, Mikayla Schuety, Kalyn Karppinen, Violette Metz, Brady Pliscott, Kristine Bourassa, Ellie Decker, Grant Grimsley, Haley Hall, Alex Beach, London Zapzelka

Teacher of the Month

September Mrs. Bouc

October Mrs. Marcy

November Mrs. Norlin

December Mr. Tervola-Hultberg

Elementary Student Council

Alexandra Kretzman, Chris Bock, Bailey Rudrud, Rya Glas, Brody Gustason, Thomas Niggeler, Elizabeth Abear, Riley Trout

Elementary

A message from Mr. Smith, Elementary Principal

The temperature is below zero as I sit and type this letter, but all of the accomplishments and great work that has been done these first few months of the school year are sure to keep us warm throughout the cold weeks ahead!

There are so many reasons to be proud of Pillager Elementary School and even more reasons to be optimistic of the direction our staff and students are moving. This letter gives me a great opportunity to share some of the amazing things that have happened in just a few short months.

Staff have continued to strive for excellence and are hard at work maintaining status as an ENVoY demonstration school. We are very close to earning this distinction once again! It has also provided us the opportunity to showcase our staff, students, and school by hosting educators from across the region. These educators come to Pillager Elementary to learn from OUR teachers and paraprofessionals!

Pillager Elementary teachers continue to work at improving instruction through weekly professional learning communities. Our focus continues to be on Minnesota’s learning standards for students and standards based instruction and reporting. Information will continue to be provided as this process unfolds over the coming months.

Of course, all of the great work that staff are doing wouldn’t be worth it if it couldn’t be shared with the fantastic students we have the privilege to serve. I am so proud of the commitment to Husky PRIDE that is shown daily. I have had the honor to call many parents with a “Good News Call of the Day”, visit with students on a daily basis in the hallways, classrooms, and other commons spaces, and watch them grow both academically and personally. I really do have the best job! I read a quote from the retiring Superintendent of New York City schools and she said she wants to be remembered for the stories more than the statistics. In the coming months, we will continue to assess our students growth with STAR assessments and the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments. While these tests provide some important statistical data, they do not reflect the tremendous amount of sweat (and tears) that go into molding the people our students are becoming right before our eyes. We will continue to work to make the city of Pillager and the surrounding communities proud our our students, staff, and school.

These events are a fundraiser for the American Heart Association. Prizes and awards can be

earned by collecting donations.

Parent help is needed — call the Elementary office to volunteer.

Jump rope for Heart

Jump Rope for Heart

Friday,

March 9

During the “specials” time for each grade.

Hoops for Heart Tuesday, March 6

3:00-4:45 p.m. grades 3-4-5

Hoops for Heart

Spring Music Program (formerly called Grandparent’s Day Program)

Friday, April 6 Grades K-4 1:30-2:30 p.m.

(Doors will not open until 1:05 pm, due to HS lunch) High School Gymnasium

Symphony of Stories, Op. 7 Our annual Spring program continues to celebrate all things that

work together to make us better people. Written and spoken stories, together with songs will collectively entertain and inspire us all. Our students will share some of the music learned in class. Students will

also have the opportunity to create stories for the event.

Elementary

Ms. Pettit's Kindergarten collected $116.45 during their "Coins for Kids" drive.

They donated $100.00 and 19 presents to the Pillager Family Center's Christmas for Kid

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BOX TOP CHALLENGE Earn a stripe for your teacher’s hat with every fifty (50) box tops

you bring to school. There is a special party for the winning class

and a prize for the teacher. Watch the chart in the hall by the Elem. office. Contest runs from Jan. 10-Feb. 23, but the schools collects labels all year around.

Kindergarten Round-Up will be Thursday, March 15

at 6:30 p.m. For details or to register

please call the Elementary office at 746-2111 or email

elementary@isd116.org

Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020 Fall 2021 Fall 2022 If your child's birthday falls between:

9/1/2011 & 8/31/2012 = is elgible for 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

9/1/2012 & 8/31/2013 = is elgible for Kindergarten 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

9/1/2013 & 8/31/2014 = is elgible for School Readiness Kindergarten 1st 2nd 3rd

9/1/2014 & 8/31/2015 = is elgible for School Readiness Kindergarten 1st 2nd

9/1/2015 & 8/31/2016 = is elgible for Preschool School Readiness Kindergarten 1st

9/1/2016 & 8/31/2017 = is elgible for School Readiness Kindergarten

9/1/2017 & 8/31/2018 = is elgible for School Readiness

Free Movie Night

Middle School Gym Friday, February 2 Door open at 6, Movie starts at 6:15

Free popcorn. Event sponsored by PTO. Bring your own beverage, blanket/chair

Pillager Elementary School is a "Title for Everyone" school. Donations from NJPA and the Alternate Career Pathways Project, Lakes Area Fire Security, Thrivent, and Title I funds have been used to purchase over 7,000 Literacy Footprints books and literacy manipulatives. These research-based guided reading books are organized according to reading level so that teachers can utilize them to instruct their students in a small group setting. We are excited about this phenomenal resource and thank all of the staff members and spouses who have helped this dream become a reality. Although we have a great start, we look forward to continuing to invest in even more resources in the years to come.

PTO News Getting Involved Often parents ask, “How can I get involved in my child’s school”, or

“Where can I volunteer?” The Pillager Elementary PTO is just that place to help you get connected to your child’s school and classroom. This Parent-Teacher connection is a great way to meet new friends, hear about what is happening in the school from teachers and

other parents, and volunteer with events to make your child’s school experience the very best. The PTO has worked on several projects over the past few years and we are always looking for new input from parents and teachers. If you have volunteered for any of the activities and thought to yourself that you’d like to be more involved, then PTO IS FOR YOU! If you are interested in attending one of our monthly meetings and/or see what PTO is all about, please join us at our next monthly meeting, Tuesday, February 13th at 6 pm.

Board Member Positions open for 2018-2019 At the end of the 2017-2018 school year, PTO will have several board member positions

open to include: Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Volunteer Coordinator and Communication Coordinator. There are currently 3 board members holding two positions each. Elections for these positions will be held at the May meeting. If you have questions, please contact us at pto.pillager@gmail.com or call Joanna at (218) 839-6850.

Pillager School believes in the importance of relationships, and invests in these with school-sponsored events to strengthen these connections. We also believe that having parents and grandparents in the building models to students that education is important. “When schools, families, and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more.” That’s the conclusion of A New Wave of Evidence, a report from Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (2002). Pillager School offers three important morning family events: 1. Cinnamon Rolls with Senior Adults in October 2. Muffins with Moms in November 3. Donuts with Dads in March Each of these events is open to the whole community, not just stu-dents. So, if adults in the community have a parent around they are welcome to come together to these events (Donuts or Muffins). The Cinnamon Roll event is for students to bring any senior adult in the community: neighbor, grandparent, or friend.

“Connecting home and school makes us a great community of learners!”

Four high school students in Pillager were nominated for awards sponsored by the

Minnesota State High School League. (pictured to the left)

Julia Johnson and Noah Jacobson are juniors at Pillager High

School who were nominated for the ExCEL Award (Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership Award). Sponsored by the Minnesota State High School League, ExCEL is a recognition program designed for Minnesota high school juniors. Students who are active in fine arts and/or athletics, who show leadership qualities, and who are model citizens in their community are eligible for the award. Johnson, the daughter of Dan and Karin Johnson, participates in band, volleyball, track, HS musical, student council, yearbook, and NHS. Jacobson, the son of Dan and Wendy Jacobson, participates in band, track, and peer tutoring. (pictured to the right) Tanner Swenson and Rebecca Swartz are seniors at Pillager

High School who were nominated for the AAA Award.

Sponsored by the Minnesota State High School League, AAA is a recognition program designed for Minnesota high school seniors. Students who are active in fine arts, athletics, who show leadership qualities, who are model citizens in their community, and excel with their academics are eligible for the award. Swartz, the daughter of Richard and Cara Swartz, participates in band, track and field, and NHS. Swenson, the son of Brad and Britta Swenson, participates in band, football, basketball, baseball, and NHS.

Every person who brings a “dad” (or significant father-figure) to breakfast will be treated to free donuts, juice, and a fun activity. beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, March 2

$1 suggested donation. RSVP 746-2105

Community Connection: This is for ALL students — but also every person in the community who wants to have donuts with their dad should come! It’s FREE! Community adults, bring your dad for a free breakfast!

(Moms -- volunteer to help by calling 746-2105!)

Nominations are being accepted for induction into the 2018 Pillager School Hall of Fame. Nominations will be accepted in these categories: Business, Athletics/Entertainment, Military, Education, or Community Service.

We are specifically looking for a nomination from the class of 1968 to celebrate your 50th

class reunion.

Hall of Fame Induction Banquet Saturday, September 29

For full details and nomination forms, see the school website or call the office. Nominations

are due by June 1.

If you would be interested in serving on the selection committee, please contact Sue at

746-2105 or send an email to news@isd116.org

ATTENTION ALL DADS and DAUGHTERS Saturday, February 10 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the Pillager School Commons

$35 for the whole evening for two people ($15 for additional daughters being accompanied by adult)

Join us for a magical evening with food, photo, and dance. This event is for all dads and their daughters of all ages.

(Send your ticket order and $$ to the school office by February 5.)

Girls, spend this special evening with your Valentine. Bring your dad, big brother, uncle, or family friend!

ATTENTION ALL MOMS and SONS, grades K-4! Monday, February 12 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the High School commons

Simple meal included. Cost $10 per person

Join us for a fun filled evening as mothers and sons team up to race against a 60 second clock in an array of fun "Minute to Win It" games.

(Send your ticket order and $$ to school office by February 8.)

Boys, spend this special evening with your Valentine. Bring your mom, adult sister, aunt, or family friend!

Bentlee (continued from page 1)

talent. In order for Bentlee to make it to Loretta Lynn’s he had to finish in the top six at the Area Qualifier which was held in Little Falls, MN and he placed 1st, then he went to the regional race which was held in Mount Carroll, IL and again he had to finish in the top six and took 1st.

After the race in Illinois he got his ticket to Loretta Lynn’s which is held on the ranch of Loretta Lynn in Hurricane Mills, TN. It is a weeklong event held in the beginning of August. It is a 3-race format, where your final placement is the average of the three races. Bentlee’s first race he took sixth, second race he took 5th and then in his third race he had issues with the clutch on his dirt bike and finished 16th . That gave him an overall finish of eighth out of 42 kids.

Bentlee’s goal for 2018 is to make it to Loretta Lynn’s in the 50cc 7-8 premix class on his 50cc Cobra FWE. In 2017, Bentlee also took the championship in the AMA District 23 (which is MN) 50cc 4-6 premix and Motocity Championship in the 50cc 4-6 premix and 50cc 4-8 open class.

With all of these wins Bentlee is a very humble kid and loves to teach and help other kids race. Bentlee and his parents (Ricky and Amy Walker) are excited to experience Loretta Lynn’s again. Bentlee’s motocross season starts in the beginning of April and goes through the end of September. There are races every weekend and the family only missed three races last year. It is a family friendly sport and everyone is there to help if you have any sort of troubles and everyone is cheering for all of the kids!

We have had some pretty cold days already this winter, but I am thankful for the heat that has filled my office. As I walked into the office this morning it was -27. Although I have a short distance to walk, it is certainly long enough to get my attention! As I look towards 2018, I get excited about the work that is being accomplished here in the middle school. The staff has worked exceptionally hard and I believe we are starting to see some dividends from the investments they are

making. As I am privileged to be in the classrooms on a daily basis, I am amazed and thankful for the difference so many of our staff is making in the lives of our students. One specific area I want to touch on has to do with a sensitive issue called grading. The staff here at Pillager has really begun to dig deep into Standards-Based Grading research and am finding that it makes a lot of sense. The school understands the importance of the standards the students are supposed to learn and uses them as a basis for the curriculum in their specific subject area. We all know we want the students to learn what they should know. The tricky part is finding out if the students really understand the concepts that are in the specific standards. This is where Standards-Based Grading comes into play. Our district is beginning to learn more about the impact this change in the way we grade students can have on each student, as well as the district as a whole. There is no question we are finding more and more support to what we are looking into and realize this is a process. However, it is a process worth spending the time and resources to do right and I believe we are well on our way to making progress for our students. The jest of it is that we believe we should have a way to “assess” each specific standard and learning target and place a “scale score” by each standard as the student begins to work towards mastery. This fundamental change will allow a parent to truly understand what their child(ren) knows and what they have to work on. With this shift in philosophy also comes a few small, but profound changes. The most notable one is the change in the amount of homework that is given and graded. Research definitely supports practice for the students but not grading and entering all of it. This is comparable to a sports analogy I use in that kids practice all the time but coaches traditionally don’t “grade” or “keep score” at practices. They use practices to work on the areas (standards, learning targets) where the players need help based on the last game (test) and how they did as an individual, as well as a team. This lends itself to fewer grades in the gradebook but a truer sense of what our kids know and where we need to focus our instruction. The instruction is also changing as the way we look at grading our students does. There has been a much more consistent effort by most teachers to be innovative in the way they prepare, present, and assess learning. More and more teachers are working towards more “student centered” learning and less “teacher centered” instruction. Ultimately, we want the students to learn what they are supposed to know but want to allow them more opportunities to learn in ways they learn best, not the way we want to teach everyone and think one size fits all. This too is a change for many staff but they are working extremely hard to foster creativity in all students as we know all students are creative in their own way. We just need to find out how each student learns best. We have passed the semester break and we will continue to look at what we are doing and monitor the trends in learning by collecting multiple data points. We have already had three specific STAR Assessments this year to help us monitor the success of our students. We also continue to receive staff development training and support from professionals who work with schools in assuring the instruction they are providing is best for all kids, not just those who fall in the middle of the road. By being more flexible with student centered learning focused on learning targets and tracked by multiple data points, I believe we will see the growth we all desire in our students. Looking forward, I want to once again challenge each of you to come in and see the great things our staff is doing with your kids. You will be amazed and I believe you will be more thankful than ever for the teachers and staff who work with your child on a daily basis. They are truly a great team! Stop in the middle school office anytime and see me. I would love to share more about the great kids and staff I get to hang out with here every day. Pillager Middle School is a great place to call home! I want to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors, John Maxwell. Looking at the way we “do” school here at Pillager has really made me think about the effectiveness of our building. There is no doubt the building runs efficiently, but there is more. Dr. Maxwell states “Efficiency is the foundation for survival, while effectiveness is the foundation for success.” Thank you for your continued support and encouragement as we all work towards being more effective in the way we prepare our greatest resource, your children, for life after Pillager and a life of impact.

A message from Mr. Doss, Middle School Principal

In January, Pillager Middle School students participated once again in the "Kids Ad Design" competition. The Brain-erd Dispatch partners with businesses from throughout the Brainerd Lakes Region and cre-ates a special newspa-per insert where kids get to actually create the advertisements for the area businesses. Each classroom is given one business that they are responsible for designing the artwork and the advertising message. The students within that classroom then get to get creative and design an adver-tisement that markets clearly for their given business. Out of the hundreds of advertisements submit-ted by kids to the Brainerd Dispatch each year, we have had one Pillager 5th grade student selected each of the last two years as one of the TOP 3 best advertisements in the whole Brainerd Lakes region! Pictured here are featured drawings from last year and Elsie Turner, last year’s 3rd place winner.

Middle School Students Creating Websites Having the ratio of one computer for each student in the classroom has ena-bled our Pillager 5th graders to begin experimenting with real-world skills. Be-yond the basics of learning to use the internet responsibly, check their email, and expand their knowledge of the Google Office software, students have begun creating their very own websites. The actual websites are password protected and are managed by Mr. Parrish, but the students are receiving real-world experience using technology that may open doors for them someday in the future!

Metier students have continued their jour-neys in finding the truest, happiest, and greatest versions of themselves in a career field they love throughout the winter of 2018 at both the 5th / 6th grade and 7th / 8th grade levels. The 5th and 6th grade Compass Craftsman have completed the “truest” versions of themselves through play and Howard Gard-ner’s eight multiple intelligences. They have

now transitioned to the “happiest” versions of themselves by examining which flow profile, or learning environment, is how they focus best because flow follows focus. The first flow profile is the Hard Charger profile, which is an environment of intensity, competition, and challenge. Students have played the game Tenzie to see if a Hard Charger environment is their preferred way to focus. The 7th and 8th grade Flowblazers have been “doing” the business career field for the months of December and January, incorporating Junior Achieve-ment’s amazing “It’s My Business” and “Job Shadow” programs. Students have learned the elements of starting a business, created their own business-es and pitching them in a “Shark Tank” competition, and participated in mock interviews before going on a field trip to downtown Nisswa January 26th to “see” six small businesses share their experiences and expertise. Finally, Metier was recently featured on the “Golden Apple” segment from Lakeland News. Search Google for Lakeland News and Metier to see the Hard Charging 5th and 6th graders and the first mock interviews of our 7th and 8th grade Flowblazers live. Next up in Metier is the final flow profiles and love languages in the younger grades and a electricity month in February for the older two grades.

We appreciate you, and

we have set aside a

special day for you!

Bus Drivers - Feb. 22

Teachers - May 8 Education Assistants- April 2

Citizens are inundated with information from a variety of sources (traditional media, the internet, social networking sites, etc.) but the quantity of

information does not correlate to quality of information. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office utilizes a system called Nixle to implement its Community Notification System to alert residents in real-time for localized emergency situations and relevant community advisories. These alerts may include: hazardous weather warnings, public safety messages, and community notifications and are issued for imminent public safety alerts. All alerts are targeted geographically, allowing residents to receive localized, relevant alerts via text or email. You will not be inundated or ‘over-notified’, you will only receive pertinent, time-sensitive information that is related to public safety. There are three simple ways to sign up.

1. Text your zip code to 888777 or; 2. Go to http://www.co.cass.mn.us/ and click the ‘Nixle Alerts’ widget or; 3. Go to www.nixle.com where residents can sign up and create a user profile which allows you to customize your alert settings. The process of creating a user profile on the Nixle website is very simple and intuitive.

Most residents carry technology in their pocket, their cell phone, and having the ability to share important information to you during a time of need is one reason why the Cass County Sheriff’s office uses Nixle. Being prepared for a disaster means being informed, especially from trusted sources in your community and we would encourage you to sign up. If you have any questions about Nixle or Cass County’s Community Notification System, please feel free to contact Tim Norton, Emergen-cy Management Coordinator at 218-547-7437 or tim.norton@co.cass.mn.us. Important for FAIRFIEW TOWNSHIP: Fairview Township has a local version of NIXLE with local notifications. If you are interested in being included in that notification system, send an email with that request to: fairviewtownship@msn.com This would be a localized version of the NIXLE system that would allow the township to alert residents about information that pertains to just the township residents … a special meeting, a specific road closure due to township road construction, local emergency for Fairview township. (This is a separate system than listed above. Signing up for one does not include you in the other system.)

The Journey North Community Church Donates to Pillager School With the generosity from The Journey North Community Church in Baxter and Ruby's Pantry, Pillager Elementary, Middle, and High School were able to donate over $2,500 worth of groceries to families in need this Christmas season. A big thank you to The Journey North Community Church for your love and kindness to our school and community.

Ruby's Pantry is a non-profit organization helping families in the Brainerd Lakes Area stretch their grocery budget. For a small $20.00

fee, families can purchase a "share" of food. Each share is about $125.00 worth of groceries. Ruby's Pantry is open the second

Tuesday of every month at the Brainerd Armory. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. with distribution from 11:00 p.m.-12:30 p.m.

For more information please go to https://www.rubyspantry.org/food-distributions/find-a-distribution-near-you/.

Community Notification System

Friday, April 27 is Arbor Day. Once again Pillager Schools will be hosting a community celebration behind the school. Events will include tours of the greenhouses and a pre-sale featuring student-produced plants. Take your plants with

you on Arbor Day and receive a 10% discount. (Otherwise, plants could be ordered and picked up on May 9.) Informational booths, tree give-aways, raffles, refreshments, and games are

being planned as well. The public is invited to come join the fun. Celebration hours are 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the

greenhouses located on the school property.

**** Arbor Day shirt designs due February 15****

Community and students submissions welcome.

Activities

All seniors at Pillager High School who are planning to attend a qualifying post-secondary school are eligible for a scholarship if an application is submitted on time and the student has volunteered at two or more PEF events. Senior students should check the sign-up sheet near Ms. Rivera’s door for a limited number of volunteer opportunities. Scholarship application forms are available through the high school counselor’s office in the spring of each year. For the 2015-16 school year, the Education Foundation awarded over $30,000 in scholarship aid. Every student who qualified for a scholarship received one of varying value. The Pillager Education Founda-tion believes this is a large part of its mission and looks forward to award-ing funds again this spring. Additionally — If you would be interested in GIVING a scholarship for education from your business, an estate, or personally… the Pillager Education Foundation would like to work with you to help facilitate this gift. Please contact the scholarship committee with any questions. (Betty Doss (746-2185), Neal Gaalswyk, Margaret Knebel). The fiscal host for these funds is the Initiative Foundation of Little Falls who would also be glad to answer any questions.

Senior Scholarships

A Small Plate Dinner

in three acts Followed by the performance of Fiddler on the Roof Sponsored by the Pillager Education Foundation

Saturday, April 14

Evening begins at 5:00 pm.

Dinner prepared by Tom Kavanaugh and Pillager ProStart students To reserve your tickets, send your money to PEF, PO Box 345, Pillager or drop off your money at the school with Sue Van Hal. (218) 746-2105 Get your tickets early! Limited to 60 guests This is an annual fundraiser of the Pillager Education Foundation. You will have a chance to financial-ly support the PEF in addition to your ticket price

$40 includes

Small Plate Dinner

Door prizes / Live Auction

Reserved seating at the play

A special thank you to the following businesses for their generous donations to our school:

October: Hengel Ready Mix, Staples Bakery, NJPA November: Scandia Valley/Lincoln Lions Club

Community Calendar

BINGO every Sunday at 1:30

at the Community Center Sponsored by the Lions Club

Community Garage Sale March 24

If you would like a booth, contact Donna (218) 820-3261

Consignment Auction

April 28 at the Pillager Community Center Contact any fairboard member or

Donna (218) 820-3261

Community Groups — Call for info

4-H Jana 587-8280 Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts Mark Huber 839-1513 Girl Scouts Monica Husen 828-3515 Lions Club Les Swift 746-3946 Moms in Prayer Rhonda Dosser 746-4142 Am.Legion and Auxiliary Tom Rhett 746-3945 or Anne Ness 746-3270 Fair Board / Community Center Jamie Hauge 839-5329 Pillager Family Center Betty Doss 746-2185 Pillager History Sue Van Hal 821-2276 Ministerial Association Dan Johnson 746-4369

If you would like your club or organization listed here, please call the office with your contact information.

Community

Saturday, April 7 5:00 p.m. Music, 7:00 p.m. Competition

in the Pillager High School gym $5 to listen, free to participate

Over 20 fiddlers, ages 5 to 91

2 raffles with lots of prizes! In house raffle tickets available at event,

Grand raffle tickets available from fair board members.

This great event will draw over 400 people.

You won’t want to miss this!

For additional information, or to register as a fiddler

call Lisa Fletcher (218) 330-8383 or Jamie Hauge (839-5329)

2016 was 32nd

2017 is 33rd

2018 is 34th

COMMUNITY DINNER DANCE

Support the Minnesota Lions Vision Foundation

February 24, 2018 Dinner 5-6 pm / Dance 6-10 pm

Community Center-Pillager Fairgrounds $15 (children under 5 are free)

Catered by Ted and Gens BAKE SALE ● SILENT AUCTION ● DANCE

Tickets are available from Marlene (232-8699)

or at the door the evening of the event.

Community Ed offers this interactive, hands-on session We will roll and eat + eat and roll! Open to anyone in the community

Monday, February 19

6:30-8:30 p.m. In room #355 (enter door O)

Cost of class : $35 Instructor: Matt Annand

from Prairie Bay

If you have questions, call Wade at (218) 746-2115

Registration forms are on the school website

Minimum class size 8, Maximum of 25

Yearbooks are now on sale for $60. All orders must be placed by

March 25. No extra yearbooks will be ordered this year.

Order forms are available

in the school offices.

Support the Arts (Culinary Arts and Visual Arts)

chili bowls For the arts

February 9 and FEBRUARY 13

Job Shadow Opportunity

February 1 is Groundhog Job Shadow Day. This national

campaign gives young people a new perspective on their studies through hands-on

learning and a one-day mentoring experience.

High School Juniors may choose a mentor who they will

"shadow" throughout the day to experience how the skills they learn in the classroom can be applied to the real world.

Chili $5

prepared by our culinary students

Bowl $10* (including

chili) created by our art department

*Special Purchase:

3 bowls for $25

Order your yearbook NOW!

12U (5th-6th grade, open to all players) $75 by December 31 (2 payments accepted, $85 after January 1)

14U/16U (7th-11th grade, must already be in volleyball program) $85 by December 31 (2 payments accepted, $95 after January 1)

Season: March 4—early May

Sunday evening practices, tournaments TBD

Contact / Head Coach: Jill Moss jmoss@isd116.org

If you are interested in more information or want to register, see the registration forms on the school website on the “athletics/activities” tab.

Congratulations to our 2017-18 National Geographic Geography Bee Champion,

Maddie Jansen!

Next she will take a state geography bee qualifying test to determine her advancement.

The special Olympic basketball game vs. Menahga was a huge success and an all-around fantastic evening. Both teams worked super hard and supported each other for all 20 minutes of the game. The leading scorer for the Pillager Huskies was Domenik VanAllen with 10 points, Nate Putnam dropped 6 points, and Josh Smith add-ed 2 points to complete the scoring for the Huskies. Andrew Tabor did an excellent job with calling plays as the assistant coach. Bella Clark racked in multiple steals for the Huskies, and Emma Sebasky facilitated the offense for the Huskies. Huge thanks to Menahga High School and the Braves’ team for hosting the event, and giving us such a great time —Written by Aaron Klein

STRIVE

Early Childhood through High School

February 5-9

Dress Up Days

Monday- Pajama Day

Tuesday- Jersey Day

Wednesday- Blackout Day

Thursday- Summer Vacay Day

Friday- Class Color Day High School Dance

Friday, Feb 9.—9:00-11 p.m. $5. In the Middle School gym. High School students only. Non-Pillager students must be cleared through the HS office by Tues., February 6. No one over age 20 is allowed. Form available in HS office.

Snow Days

September: (Theme-Leadership) Jennifer North, Samantha macheel, Sabrina Otto, Lauren Hughes, Aaron Klein, Dana Fleener, Alex Retke, Faithline Crawford October: (Theme-Perseverance) Maddison Hensch, Dana Fleener, Blanca Bouzas-Ortega, Katey Flansburg, Noah Jacobson, Isaac Thomsen, Sam Richards. November: (Theme-Respect) Lauren Hughes, Tanner Swenson, Desiree Johnson, Brenden Warren, Austin Houle December: Lexi Koland, Mason Lee, Matt Hughes, Deanna Root, Rachel Sheehan, Kayleigh Veith, Noah Theisen

High School Students of the Month

Criminal Justice Trip On Thursday, December 14, the Criminal Justice class, comprised of juniors and seniors, took a field trip to the Crow Wing County Courthouse and Jail. The students were allowed inside one of the active courtrooms during a series of parole violation hearings. From the attorneys giving their case, to the judge handing down a verdict, the students got to experience the day-to-day aspects of the Justice System. After the court hearings, the students headed over to the Crow Wing County Jail. Once inside the jail, Officer Flowers met the students in the lobby, before taking them on a tour of the jail. On the tour, the students saw the inner workings of the booking areas and holding cells within the jail. Afterwards, they headed into the cell blocks, where they learned about the organization of inmates based on offenses and security levels and about the jobs that inmates can partake in while incarcerated. During this time, the students observed various inmates heading to and from the cell block and workplaces. Officer Flowers then took the students back out into the lobby and answered any questions they had for him. All in all, the students gained an invaluable experience of the real world Criminal Justice System. -Eli Uban and Brock Ronnebaum

EC-Green K-Black 1st-Orange 2nd-Blue 3rd-White 4th-Red 5th-Red 6th-Orange

7th-Yellow 8th -Green 9th -Blue 10th -Purple 11th-White 12th-Black Staff-Camo

Class Colors for Friday Dress-up

ACT All of the juniors and those seniors who have not had the opportunity to take the ACT their junior year will have the choice to take the ACT + Writing on Tuesday, February 27, 2017. Testing will take place during the school day. Students will not be charged a fee to take the ACT + Writing when taken on this date. Stu-dents who are interested in taking the ACT + Writing can sign up with Mrs. Turner. Career Day Students in grades 9-12 will have the op-portunity to explore many different careers and speak with different professionals from the business, medical, and trade communi-ties on Friday, March 9 from 8:45-12:30PM at Bridges Career Explora-tion Day at the CLC-Brainerd Campus. This is a great learning event for all high school students. CIS & PSEO Students interested in attending PSEO and/or taking CIS (College in the Schools) courses for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year can sign up with Mrs. Turner to take the Accuplacer testing this spring. To be eligible for either PSEO or CIS students must have the following cumulative GPA: juniors, 3.0; seniors 2.5. Interested students must check their school email for sign-up information. Scheduling Classes 2018-2019 It's that time of year again and students will be selecting courses to reg-ister for this upcoming spring. Students will have finalized schedules before the end of the school year in May. Please look for registration materials and information in the next few weeks. Scholarships & Career Information Please make sure you visit Mrs. Turner's website for career interest in-ventories/exploration opportunities, upcoming news/events, scholarship information and applications, financial aid information, transcript request

forms, PSEO and CIS information, and college admission news and events. As we enter the season of spring scholarships, it's im-portant to check the website frequently for local scholarship opportunities and applications. 1. Go to www.isd116.org 2. Click on the top tab "schools" 3. Scroll down to Pillager High School 4. Select HS Counselor at the very bottom 5. Categories and topics will be presented on the left hand side of the website. Click on the topic you are interested in.

High School Forestry Class This year's class has been busy learning the basics of tree identification, cover types and plant structure and function. Now the class is focused on putting those con-cepts to work as they learn the science behind silvicultural pratices. As students learn the different harvesting tech-niques, they are able to see the on the ground results from those practices in our school forest. Currently, we have another timber harvest slated for this winter and our stu-dents will be able to witness first hand the benefits of prop-er forest management techniques.

Pillager High School helps students explore, and eventually make informed decisions, regarding their career tracks. Below are grade-level snapshots of student career, interest, and exploration activities that are currently taking place. All students meet periodically with a career or school counselor to work on a Personalized Learning Plan. All PHS students use The Minnesota Career Information System (MCIS) to help them make more informed career decisions by providing accurate, comprehensive, and current career information and planning resources. Each student has his

or her own username and password. When logged in to MCIS, students can explore career fields, complete interest surveys and skills assessments, and get information on post secondary education, including scholarships. Students can save their personal information in their account and refer back to it as needed. Parents also have the opportunity to log in and see what their student has been working on. 9th Grade Review information from Metier Program Update personal goals & Personalized Learning Plan Navigate the MCIS website Complete and review Learning Styles Survey, Career Cluster

Inventory & Employability Skills Survey Discuss Time Management and Study Skill Tips Learn about Bridges Academies and College in the Schools

opportunities 10th Grade Update Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) and Resume on MCIS Complete Interest Survey, Work Personality Inventory, Reality Check,

Financial Management Skills Assessments, and a Work Values Assessment

ASVAB Career and Academic Assessment, Research Careers, Job Outlook, and Education needed

Discuss and/or assess Interviewing Skills, Soft Skills, Networking Skills, Job Shadowing and Apprenticeships ASVAB Career and Academic Assessment 11th Grade Update PLP and Resume on MCIS Complete work Importance Locator Assessment, Financial Aids Awards Worksheet, Work Values Assessment, and Interest Profiler Research Careers, Job Outlooks, education, etc. Review scholarship and awards section on MCIS Research and complete ACT Prep Activities Field Trip Options: College Fair, Construction Trades Day, Individual College Visits, & More Participate in PHS Reality Store to practice financial management skills 12th Grade Update PLP, Personal Goals, and Resume on MCIS Remind Seniors of Financial Aid, Scholarship, and College Application Deadlines & Requirements Create a personal email Complete Workplace Employability and Entrepreneurial Career Assessments Participate in PHS Reality Store to practice financial management skills

This is a snapshot, not an exhaustive list of activities in which PHS students are involved. We will continually change and update activities and courses to prepare students for the

ever-changing world outside the school walls. I encourage you to sit down with your student to review their career-related work and to explore what the MCIS website has to offer.

A message from Mr. Savage, High School Principal

Teacher of the Year

Kim Lund has been teaching Physical Education at Pillager schools since 2008. She is a dedicated teacher who gives her students the best she has and continues to strive to better her teaching through continued education. Currently, Mrs. Lund is working on her Master's degree through MSU-Mankato in Physical Education pedagogy. Mrs. Lund works with other departments and develops outdoor learning activities that take students out of their comfort zone in a fun and safe environment. When it comes to teaching, Mrs. Lund cares about the whole student not just the academics. She is

willing to go the extra mile to help students be successful. She wants students to do things well and to the best of their ability. She also focuses on inclusion so that each develops the skill of being kind to others and accepting people for their differences. Mrs. Lund is very involved in Special Olympics and she positively impacts the lives of many students and their families. What she does every day extends beyond the classroom walls and the kid themselves. In her free time, Mrs. Lund likes to spend time with her husband, Kevin, and her three young boys, Logan, Conner, and Cole. Her family enjoys a variety of activities from fishing to cooking. She loves watching her boys wrestle and she simply states, "We love it all!". Mrs. Lund has a simple motto that was shared by her husband and she has it posted on her whiteboard in the gym, "Be brilliant at the basics." This is a daily reminder to herself and her students to be the best they can be!

Congratulations to Mrs. Lund for being chosen Pillager Teacher of the Year.

Congratulations to the 2017-2018 NHS inductees. These students have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 and have participated in many school activities, completed community service, and have outstanding character. They were evaluated and recommended by Pillager staff for this honor. Please congratulate: Logan Gjovik, Braeden Wangsness, Julia Johnson, Ella Kilchesky, Samantha Macheel, and Annie Posner.

NHS Blood Drive

February 14 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

.

Community members, parents, and students interested in donating blood can contact Ms. Prax at jprax@isd116.org to

reserve your donation spot. This event is sponsored by the National Honor Society in conjunction with the American Red Cross.

AmeriGas offers a unique program designed to benefit the schools in our communities. School Days from AmeriGas will give our school up to $2,000 per school year. These funds can be used for books, computers, sporting equipment, band equipment, art materials, vocational technical supplies, or field trips. Here’s how it works! Save your AmeriGas receipts and bring them to the High School office and place it in the receipt box – it’s that simple! AmeriGas will total the gallons on the receipts and pay $0.02 per gallon, up to a maximum of $2,000 per year.

Spanish Club Spring Butter

Braid sale

February 5- February 19 Each braid sells for $13 and is available in the following flavors:

Caramel Rolls (9 individual rolls) Cream Cheese Strawberry Cream Cheese Blueberry Cream Cheese Apple Cinnamon Raspberry and the NEW 4 Cheese and Herb

Girls in Trades On November 16, seven high school girls toured CLC's Brainerd campus for their second annual Girls in Trades event. The girls were able to learn more about CLC's Welding, Natural Resources, Mobile Applications, and Horticulture programs. Students had the opportunity to explore career paths that are not traditionally held by women. The girls were able to meet one-on-one with the instructors and other young women of all ages working on completing their education at CLC.

Orders may be placed by any Spanish Club member or by

contacting Ms. Rivera at 746-2086 or

mrivera@isd116.org. Delivery is set for Thurs., March 8.

The Middle School RAK PAK enjoyed singing Christmas carols at Riverside Assisted Living. They were also joined by

NHS and the High School Chamber Singers .

Mr. Almen’s Building Trades class is putting on an addi-tion to the school’s garage on Hazel Avenue. This has been a great learning experience from getting a building permit from the city, getting approved plumbing plans from the state, adding to an existing roofline, dealing with weather issues, and everything else involved in construc-tion.

Spring Sports

Each month two students are recognized as HUSKY OF THE MONTH. This recognition includes their name on the school Huskies Page, gift card and a t-shirt. These students are rec-ommended by the Pillager coaches and are endorsed by the Pillager Huskies Booster Club.

Husky of the Month

Boys Basketball Parents: Thursday, February 1 Seniors: Friday, February 23 Girls Basketball Parents: Friday, February 9 Seniors: Tuesday, February 20

Parent and Senior Night at Basketball

September:

Boys CC: Anthony Jansen

Volleyball: Maggie Schmit October:

Girls CC: Allie Watson

Football: Eli Horn

December:

1 Act Play: Tristan Praff Special Olympics: Andrew Tabor January:

GBB: Charlea Johnson BBB: Aaron Klein

The Pillager Husky Booster Club supports the Athletic and Fine Arts programs of the school by promoting

school spirit, participation, and sportsmanship.

The club raises money through concession sales and events. They are generous in giving back to our students

through scholarships and contributions to student groups. For more information contact the president,

Chad Koel or Wade Mortenson.

Booster Club

BOYS TRACK—Coach Jim Bentson This is my 19th year as the Boys track Coach. We have our entire Coaching Staff returning this year! Assistant Coach for the 11th year in a row, Ann Hutchison. Coach Dan Johnson returns this year as our Varsity Thrower’s Coach. State Qualifiers: Dylan Loftis-200m Academic All State: Brennan Bordwell Section Qualifiers : Relays 4 x 800: Brennen Bordwell, Carson VanVickle, Luke Woidyla, Judah Beard 4 x 400: Levi Nagel, Ben Oie, Brennan Bordwell, Luke Woidyla, Carson VanVicke 4 x 200: Jared Eng, Logan Gjovik, Dylan Loftis, Ben Oie, Levi Nagel, Tucker Peterson 4 x 100: Hunter Gjovik, Tucker Peterson, Eli Horn, Logan Gjovik, Individuals: Dylan Loftis --100m, 200m, Logan Gjovik --100m Brennan Bordwell -- 800m Zacc Gilbertson --110m hurdles, 300m hurdles Ben Oie -- Discus All Conference: Brennan Bordwell-800m, Ben Oie-Discus All Conference (Honorable Mention): Dylan Loftis-200m, Zacc Gilbertson-110m hurdles & 300m hurdles, 4x200 m Relay (Jared Eng, Logan Gjovik, Dylan Loftis, Ben Oie, Tucker Peterson, Levi Nagel), 4 x 400m Relay (Levi Nagel, Ben Oie, Brennan Bordwell, Luke Woidyla, Carson VanVicke) 4 x 800m Relay (Brennen Bordwell, Carson VanVickle, Luke Woidyla, Judah Beard) Zeke Gilbertson-Pole Vault, If you wish to volunteer to help us with any track meets, please contact any of the Coaching staff. We host a number of Varsity and Junior High Track Meets!!!! GIRLS TRACK —Coach Terry Hollingsworth The Girls Track and Field team comes into this year as defending Park Region Confer-ence Champions with hopes to repeat this year. They also were Section 5A True Team Runner-Up again last year. Qualifying for the MSHSL State Meet last year was Julia Johnson in the High Jump and Long Jump, 7 athletes qualified for the Section 6A meet: Bethany Gielow - 800M(5th), Triple Jump(4th), Julia Johnson - HJ(4th), LJ(1st), and Pole Vault(3rd),100M Hurdles(7th), Jordyn VanVickle - 100M(10th), 200M(4th) and LJ(5th), Mariah Ramsey - PV, Danielle Kocur - PV, and 4X400M Relay placed 6th(Bethany,Jordyn,Danielle Conklin and Brenna Bollig). Julia was also voted Park Region Conf Field MVP. Bethany, Julia, Jordyn, Rebecca Swartz, Mariah, and Danielle Conklin earned All-Conference honors also. SOFTBALL—Coach Greg Bennett I am very excited as I enter my 3rd year as the head coach of the Pillager softball team. I look forward to getting on the field and continuing in the successes that last years team were able to accomplish. It was a great experience to be part of this team last year as they finished as Section 5A champions and went to their first state tournament. Many fantastic memories were made for those players. I look forward to building on last years success with many great returning players including 3 returning seniors that received All-Conference, and All Section Tournament awards last year. I know this team will be hardworking, dedicated, and enthusiastic to continue building more memories.

GOLF—Coach Chris Berent I am in my 10th year as the Varsity Golf Coach and 13th year with the program. Assis-tant Coach Missy Koel and I look for great things in the upcoming season as we are bringing back several varsity players 10th grader Jacob Lewis, 12th graders Ben Koel and Jordan Hines,. We look forward to a great season and can't wait to get started in the spring. Last year we had a girls varsity team for the first time in many years. Abby Koel, Bailey Knoblauch, Charlea Johnson, and Sadie Tryggeseth are all returning varisty girls play-ers. Coach Berent, Coach Missy Koel and the other returning players are excited to get started.

GO HUSKIES!

Athletics See a full schedule of all athletic events and

practices on the school website. The “calendar” tab links to the school calendar program that is

updated regularly.

Performing February 1 and February 20

at halftime of the basketball games

Practice Begins: March 12

Boys Head Coach: Jim Bentson Girls Head Coach: Terry Hollingsworth Asst: Jessica Davoli, Ann Hutchison,

Paul Peterson, Dan Johnson

Practice Begins: March 19

Head Coach: Paul Jenkins Assistants: Joe Davoli, Jacob Box,

Bryan Hutchison

Schedules not available yet

(waiting for courses to open)

Practice begins March 19

Coaches: Varsity: Chris Berent

JH: Melissa Koel

Practice Begins: March 12

Head Coach: Greg Bennett Assistants: Wade Mortenson, Terry Quick, Dave Peterson

Varsity Baseball Date Time Versus

04/03/2018 4:30pm @Wadena-DC

04/05/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Pequot

04/06/2018 4:30pm HOME vs. BHV

04/10/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Menahga

04/12/2018 4:00pm HOME vs.Sebeka (DH)

04/13/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.LPGE

04/17/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Wadena-DC

04/20/2018 4:30pm @ BHV

04/24/2018 4:30pm @ New York Mills

04/26/2018 4:30pm @ Crosby-Ironton

04/27/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.OTC

05/01/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Parkers

05/04/2018 4:30pm @ Menahga

05/08/2018 4:30pm @ OTC

05/11/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.New York Mills

05/15/2018 4:30pm @ Parkers Prairie

05/17/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Royalton

05/21/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Staples Motley

Varsity Softball Date Time Versus

04/03/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Wadena-DC

04/05/2018 4:30pm @ BHV

04/09/2018 4:30pm @ Long Prairie Grey Eagle

04/10/2018 4:30pm @ Menahga

04/12/2018 4:00pm @ Sebeka

04/13/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Pequot Lakes

04/17/2018 4:30pm @ Wadena-Deer Creek

04/19/2018 TBD HOME vs.BHV

04/24/2018 4:00pm HOME vs.New York Mills

04/26/2018 4:30pm @ Crosby-Ironton

05/01/2018 4:00pm @ Parkers Prairie

05/04/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Menahga

05/08/2018 4:00pm HOME vs.OTC

05/10/2018 4:30pm @ Staples Motley

05/15/2018 4:30pm HOME vs.Royalton

Varsity Track Date Time Location

3/20/2018 4:00pm Becker H.S.

4/3/2018 1:00pm BSU

4/6/2018 4:00pm Pierz

4/9/2018 4:00pm Wadena

4/19/2018 4:00pm HOME

4/20/2018 4:00pm Crosby-Ironton

4/24/2018 4:00pm Pequot Lakes

4/26/2018 4:00pm Staples-Motley

5/1/2018 4:00pm Sebeka

5/3/2018 4:00pm HOME

5/8/2018 4:00pm Crosby-Ironton

5/17/2018 4:00pm (Conf) Wadena-DC

5/24/2018 4:00pm (Sub-S) Sauk Centre

5/31/2018 11:00am (Sect) Fergus Falls

The Pillager Huskies Baseball team has high hopes for the 2018

season. They return seven starters off their first state tournament appearance. Eight seniors return along with two under classmen who both started. Seniors returning are Josh Doss, Braeden Wangsness, Joe An-derson, Bo Kruchten, Tyler Wilcox, Kaleb Smith, Aaron Klein, Shane Evenson. Junior Sam Jensen and Sophomore Ty Swenson are the two underclassmen who started last season. We also have several younger players from our J.V. team who will challenge for starting spots as well. Two of our top three pitchers return in senior Joshua Doss, 47 innings pitched with a 4.77 ERA. Junior Sam Jen-sen pitched 37 innings with a 4.35 ERA and a 3-2 record. Two of our top hitters return in Doss who hit .415 with a team leading 29 RBI’s and 3 homeruns, along with a team leading 21 walks. Braeden Wangsness hit .310, and was one of three players that hit over .300. Ridge Hunstad, who graduated last year, was last season’s leading hitter with a .423 average. The Huskies will move from class A baseball to class AA this season. We will be in one of the toughest AA sections in the state which includes – Saint Cloud Cathedral, Pierz, Foley, Melrose, Albany, and ten other larger schools. “It will be a challenge for us but we will definitely be able to compete this year if we continue to improve.” — Coach Paul Jenkins

Did you know that Pillager has a FREE

ice skating rink?!

Courtesy of the Pillager Fire Department and the City of Pillager, there is an ice rink at the fairgrounds that is open to the public — FREE. It is located near the northwest corner of the fairgrounds and is open all the time, as weather permits. (There is a street light close which will help with evening skating.)

The mission of the Veterans History Project (VHP) is to collect, pre-serve, and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. This project is being coordi-nated by the Library of Congress, one of the world’s most respected research and cultural institutions. Participation is easy and free! Listed below are two ways to help to preserve the oral history of our American veterans: #1 Field Kits may be downloaded and printed from the VHP Web site, www.loc.gov/vets. Complete details are there on how to interview your loved one, neighbor, or friend, but in summary there is a 30-20-10 Rule:

30 minutes or more for interviews 20 pages or more for memoirs, diaries, or journals 10 or more photographs or letters

#2 There is an app for your iPhone (looks like the vhp logo above). This much simpler method gives you the questions to ask, uses your phone camera, and allows you to submit online. Americans everywhere are encouraged to participate in this national project to preserve the very important oral history of our military.

Clay Target League returns to Pillager School

this spring! For more information about schedules and costs call Kandi Gardner. (746-3107)

Congratulations to Missy Koel for

winning the Booster Club drawing for a new

ATV. The money raised in this project goes back to the school in the form

of scholarships, and support for Athletics,

Arts, and Activities.

If you are looking for School Spirit clothing,

check in the school offices for several styles.

Have you seen them? Sprinkled around Wadena, Todd, Morrison, and Cass counties, you will see “barn quilts” — created and displayed by area residents and business owners on barns, buildings, and fence posts. Each Barn Quilt is uniquely and carefully crafted to reflect its sponsor and last for generations. You will find a TRAIL MAP at www.barnquiltsmn.org for area quilts and this organiza-tion is searching for people who would like to create quilts and be included on their trail map. Contact Lisa at (218) 894-2906 for more information or check out their website.

Our school weight room is open to the public on

Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Workout programs and coaches are available to help the novice and seasoned trainers. Machines and free weights are available. Guests should use Door K on the far northwest end of the addition.

Our halls are open for WALKERS!

Every school day YEAR-ROUND 6:00-7:30 a.m. and

4:00-6:00 p.m. FREE, just stop at the office.

Recycling

Items that can be recycled include the following:

Corrugated Cardboard and Newspapers– Flatten cardboard and place loose in compartment #4. (glossy inserts are ok)

NO food contaminated boxes or beverage cartons.

Steel and Aluminum Cans - Rinse and Place in compartment

#’s 1, 2 or 3. (Labels are ok.)

Glass– Please Rinse and place in compartment #’s 1, 2 or 3. (any color ok / labels ok/ broken window ok)

NO automotive glass or light bulbs of any type.

Magazines and Office Papers - pack in grocery bag and place

in compartment #4. (junk mail ok- please remove promotional car keys and other non paper items)

Plastic NEW! NEW! Cass County now accepts all types of plastic bottles, tubs and lids! Plastics numbered 1-7 are accepted at all coun-ty recycling bins. Place rinsed containers in compart-ment #’s 1,2 or 3.

Check the bottom or side of

your containers to make sure that it has the triangular re-cycling symbol and one of the numbers 1-7.

NO styrofoam, plastic bags,

food wrap or other shrink wrap.

NO plastic cups, plates or utensils

NO motor oil or pesticide containers.

Place plastic containers in compartment #2 or #3. Motor oil con-tainers, or styrofoam.

Cass County Recycling Information This information is provided to you as a service. Complete information can be seen on the Cass County website on their “services tab”. www.co.cass.mn.us/services

The local recycling bin is behind the Pillager fairgrounds, just north of the base of the water tower. (The roll-offs at the fairgrounds are not for public use — those are privately rented.) Drop-off in the recycling bins is free, but sometimes a hassle. So our own Pillager student, Noah Brogle has come up with a solution. Brogle has gained statewide attention with his idea. The following story is reprinted from MPR News (10/31/2017)

16-year-old cares about the earth because someone’s got to In Pillager, Minn., Noah Brogle, 16, loves recycling more than high school football. KARE 11’s Boyd Huppert reports the young man has quit the football team to concentrate on his business providing curbside recy-cling in his town. He’s a recycling fanatic.

“He wants to do big things. He wants to make a difference in the world,” Angie Brogle, Noah’s mom, told Huppert. When he was on the junior high baseball team, the coach knew where to find Noah after every game. [Looking for recycling.] His father says they were disappointed when he quit the football team, but there are no hard feelings; his coach is one of Noah’s customers. Cass County isn’t dense enough for anyone to provide curbside recycling services, so Brogle is filling a niche covering the 100 square miles of Pillager, East Gull Lake, Sylvan Township and Fairview Township on Sundays. “I was that weird kid that pawed through the trash,” he said. “I just think he cares about the earth,” his former football coach said.

For items beyond paper or plastic, or larger items see the Cass County website for the informational brochure or contact:

May Township Transfer Site (218) 746-3593 4972 112th Street SW, Pillager ( 2/5 miles west of County road #1 on Hwy 34) Year Round: Monday, Wednesday 3:00-7:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 am-5 pm

Pillager student, Noah Brogle’s business name is

One Earth Recycling, and info can be seen on his website:

OneEarthRecycle.org (218) 513-3996

Curbside recycling: $10 a month

www.pillagerfamilycenter.org

School Readiness This program offers a variety of experiences and activities that prepare preschoolers for success in Kindergarten. To be enrolled, children must be four years of age by September 1st. Pillager School offers two options of School Readiness classes:

Monday, Wednesday, e/o Friday 8:15-2:50

Tuesday, Thursday, e/o Friday 8:15-2:50 If you have questions please call Carla at 746-3075.

Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) Children ages birth to seven who exhibit developmental delays (motor, auditory, vision, cognition, social-emotional, or speech/language) may qualify for services to meet their specific needs. Children receive services in their home, daycare, or in Pillager’s Early Childhood or Kindergarten classrooms.

Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) This program provides support and resources to all families with children from birth until their enrollment in Kindergarten. The ECFE program believes parents are a child’s first and most important teachers. Our pro-gram provides an opportunity for parents and children to play and learn together in a supportive environment facilitated by licensed child and parent educators. The next class sessions are April 3, 10, 17, 24. Classes in both sessions are 3:45-4:45 p.m. Please call Carla at 746-3075 for more information and to put your name on our mailing list.

Head Start Provided through Bi-County CAP, this program is for families with chil-dren ages 4-5, focusing on education, health, parent involvement and social services. Children attend full-day classes (8:15 am – 2:50 pm) Mon/Tues/Thurs throughout the school year. Priority is given to families who meet income guidelines.

Early Childhood Options

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month!

Get involved in the life of a child! You can make a difference. When we help children do better today, we all do better tomorrow. Cass County 218-547-1340 Crow Wing County 218-824-1140 Morrison County 320-632-2951 Todd County 888-838-4066

“The Pillager Family Center would like to thank everyone who contributed money and/or gifts to the Christmas for Kids program and Food Shelf this past year. Thank you for helping make Christmas special for the children and fami-lies in the Pillager community.”

Thank You

March is Food Share Month

All food and money donated in March to the

Pillager Food Shelf will be matched by

Minnesota Food Share.

The Pillager Family Center operates the Pillager Area Food Shelf and offers help to families in the Pillager school district once a month. Call

746-4009 for schedules or questions. All donations are tax deductible. Our Fed tax ID # is 41-1811057

Throughout the month of March there will be regular drop-off sites

located at the school. Bring your non-perishable food items or financial donation** to the any school office or school activity.

** Money is really the preferred donation.

The Food Shelf uses your money donation to buy 3-4 times the amount of food that you could buy from area grocery stores by purchasing items through the Second Harvest Food

Bank. Money donations can be dropped off with a PFC Board member at the Family Center, or brought to the

Early Childhood building during business hours.

Husky PRIDE Perseverance Respect and

Responsibility Integrity

Discipline Excellence

Congratulations to Ken kelling

who was honored with the

pillager lifetime

fan award.

Home Visiting Program The Family Center Home Visiting Program offers weekly home visits to new parents offering infor-mation about child development , physical and social/emotional, parenting ideas, basic care and cues and communication. The Home Visitor and parents work through the Growing Great Kids curriculum . For more information, please call Myra at (218) 746-4009. Funding for this program from The United Way, Cass County and the Cass County Leech Lake Reservation Children’s Initiative. “Hand in hand for early success” ... Working together to build a secure foundation for newborn babies and their first time parents.

Pillager Little Huskies Child Care Center Location: Pillager School Early Childhood Center Hours: 6:30 am to 6:00 pm Ages: 16 months to starting Kindergarten State licensed and 4 Star Parent Aware rated Contact Ashley at (218) 746-2193 or aoehrlein@isd116.org for more information or to enroll your child. Children must be enrolled in the program and pre-registration and pre-payment is needed in order for your child to attend.

Fun Stop: School-Age Care Program Location: Pillager School (Early Childhood building Ages: Kindergarten through 4th Grade Hours: 6:30 am to 6:00 pm summer and non-school days 6:30-8:00 am, 3:00-6:00 pm school days Children must be enrolled in the program and pre-registration and pre-payment is needed in order for your child to attend.

please call for hours Michele Spar, Family Support Coordinator 218-746-4009

Betty Doss, Executive Director 218-746-2185 Food Shelf: Thursday noon-5:00 p.m. WIC: 3rd Tues/Wed of the month call 218-547-1430 for appointment Child and Teen Checkup Clinics:

4th Tuesday of the month call 746-4009 for appointment Cass County financial workers: Thursday through v-link call 218-547-1340 for appointment Cass County Veteran's Services 3rd Thursday of the month 10:00 a.m.—2:00 p.m. Other services: phone, computer use, fax and copy machine

available to the public for a small charge.

www.pillagerfamilycenter.org

305 Fir Avenue, Pillager

Enrollment forms are available online on the

Pillager School website or from

the Fun Stop staff.

LOCAL LICENSED DAY CARE PROVIDERS

Little Rascals / Lydia Atkinson 218-251-4395

Deborah Berndt 218-821-7465

McKenzie Bohman 218-746-3269

Tammi Carlson 218-746-4093

Linda Hall 218-825-8252

Jacqueline Kempe 218-232-7843

Learning Ladder 218-746-4131

Little Huskies/Pillager Family Center 218-746-2193

Little Feet / Heather Rader 218-851-4723

Little Stars / Shannon Wright 218-820-6890

We provide this list of area licensed day care providers as a resource only. We encourage you to interview all potential child care providers and make the best choice for your family. This list is not exhaustive, and we surely have unintentionally missed someone. We have tried to include daycare providers in our school district or have children enrolled at Pillager School. If you would like to be added to this resource, please call (218) 746-2105.

School Leadership

Administration Team

Superintendent Mike Malmberg 746-2100 mmalmberg@isd116.org

Elementary Principal Josh Smith 746-2110 jsmith@isd116.org

Middle School Principal Scott Doss 746-2112 sdoss@isd116.org

High School Principal Jason Savage 746-2117 jsavage@isd116.org

Activities Director Wade Mortenson 746-2115 wmortenson@isd116.org

School

Board

6 5 4 3 1 2

1 - Becky Bennett 12328 Upper Sylvan Rd. SW Pillager, MN 56473 (218) 851-7527 becky.bennett@isd116.org

2– Brian Grimsley 12423 43rd Ave SW Pillager, MN 56473 (218) 746-4207 brian.grimsley@isd116.org

3 - Shawn Hunstad 13710 13st Avenue SW Pillager, MN 56473 (218) 828-4268 shawn.hunstad@isd116.org

4- Scott Mudgett 13129 25th Ave SW Pillager, MN 56473 (218) 820-9935 scott.mudgett@isd116.org

5- Sara Nagel 11059 Richmond rd SW Pillager, MN 56473 (218) 746-4478 sara.nagel@isd116.org

6—Steve Uban 10504 Orchard Pk Ln SW Pillager, MN 56473 (615) 247-1335 steve.uban@isd116.org

Local Food Shelf gets a Facelift The Board of Directors of the Pillager Family Council are proud to announce the completion of the renovations of the Pillager Area Food Shelf. The renovations were made possible by grants from Second Harvest Agency Capacity Building Program (Grand Rapids) , Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless (Minneapolis) and an anonymous grantor. The Pillager Area Food Shelf has been remodeled and has changed the service delivery. We have added shelving and a freezer and cooler in order to offer more protein, produce and dairy products and so families can self-shop. This is called the “clients choice” model of service, where they make their own decisions. In the past, a family would fill out a form listing family members and a food shelf staff person would go in the back room and fill bags of food based on the family information. Now families can see what is available and shop for what is best for their family. “This is the new way of service deliver in the food shelf world, it treats families with more respect,” said Betty Doss, the Pillager Area Food Shelf executive director. The grocery store approach is an emerging trend among food shelves statewide, said Jill Westfall of Hunger Solutions Minnesota. Every Thursday families can visit the Pillager Food Shelf to shop for groceries donated and/or purchased from several sources, including Second Harvest, Baxter Cub Foods, WalMart, Costco and community members. Some of them are jobless; many others, the working poor. Some are middle-class families experiencing a sudden loss of employment or other life-altering events. “It’s the new clients who have a tough time, and the middle class,” said Doss, who’s been executive director for 15 years. “It’s just getting them in the door that’s hard because there’s a stigma to it and asking for help is not easy.” Volunteers and staff members stock shelves and manage the food shelf, including the newly added cooler and freezer. “Offering more fresh produce, more protein items and dairy, including milk, is really a big thing for us,” Doss said. An outdoor freezer and cooler where purchased with grant dollars in order to buy in bulk and have plenty of these items on hand, providing healthier choices for families. This also gives us the ability to receive more food donations. The Pillager Family Center has been providing services and resources in the Pillager community since 1994. Our mission is “Empowering and strengthening families to build a strong Pillager community”. The Pillager Family Center is a 501(c)3 organization and has met the Charities Review Council Standards as a trustworthy organization. How to help: Money is the preferred donation because “we can make it stretch 10 times more,” said Betty Doss, executive director. Volunteers are needed on Thursdays, she said. The Pillager Area Food Shelf is located in the Pillager City Hall building: 305 Fir Avenue W, Pillager, MN. Please us the south entrance. For more information, call (218) 746-4009. Regular food shelf hours are Thursdays from noon until 5:00 pm.

Pillager Public Schools

323 East Second Street

Pillager, MN 56473

POSTAL CUSTOMER

Non-profit Organization

U.S. Postage Paid

Brainerd, MN 56401

Permit #471

Special note to community members: When you look through this newsletter,

look for this “rick-rack” border. These are items that would be of special interest to you. As a new feature, we have included many stories and community information, too!

School Contact Information

District office Early Childhood Elementary School Middle School High School

(218) 746-3772 office (218) 746-4236 fax lblumke@isd116.org

(218) 746-3075 office (218) 746-2188 fax bdoss@isd116.org

(218) 746-2111 office (218) 746-2134 fax elementary@isd116.org

(218) 746-2112 office (218) 746-2153 fax middleschool@isd116.org

(218) 746-2113 office (218) 746-3406 fax highschool@isd116.org

There is an active Pillager history facebook page. (Pillager Minnesota History)

Here are some recent photos that have been posted there...

MARK YOUR

CALENDAR