© Forest Lake Area Schools, 2016

Mid-Winter and Project Update Edition

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Come find us on the web, at www.flaschools.org

January, 2016

INSIDE:

Project Timeline

Elementary Updates

7-12 Campus Updates

When Columbus and Lino Lakes elementary schools were built in the 1970s, their open floor plan was at the height of modern educational design.

Forty years later, the schools are relics of an educational trend that didn’t stand the test of time.

“Open floor plans were cutting edge for their day,” said Neal Fox, principal at Columbus Elementary, “but back then, no one ever imagined the safety and security concerns that we face today.”

The Reshaping Opportunities for Success (2015 - 2020) project calls for additional permanent walls and doors, a move that will help protect students and staff in case of a fire, and will make it easier to secure the

school in a lockdown situation.

In addition, new updates to the school will help cut down significantly on background noise that spills over into classrooms. Currently, at both Lino Lakes and Columbus, many of the classes are clustered around an open media center. There are no doors and only a few walls separating the classrooms from the hallway, or from one another.

“Sometimes when I excuse students to go the bathroom at the other end of the building, they come back and tell me, ‘we could hear your voice all the way over there,’” said Kim Andrews, a 2nd-grade teacher at Columbus.

Over the years, teachers have defined their space through temporary “walls” made from partitions, file cabinets, bookcases and other fixtures, but noise still carries over the top of these items and out of the open entrances.

The details for new walls and doors is still in the planning phase, but Fox has some ideas he’d like to see take shape. “It would be nice to put permanent walls in the classrooms that surround the media center,” said Fox. “It would cut down on the hallway noise that travels into classrooms.”

One thing Fox does not want to see changed is the classroom groupings that put all sections from one grade together with open, connected doorways.

“It creates a great collaboration between teachers and students in other classes,” Fox said. “The way I see them working together – it’s one of the things I love about this school.”

Columbus and Lino Lakes elementaries will see upgrades to their 1970s open floor plan designs. In addition, all school buildings in the district will have enhanced security features, such as redirected entryways that require visitors to check in at the office before gaining access to the rest of the school.

Renovations at the elementary schools will begin this summer and all projects in those buildings will be complete by the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.

Columbus and Lino Lakes ready to say goodbye to portable walls

A student at Columbus Elementary walks through the open doorway and partitioned walls of her classroom.

A student at Lino Lakes Elementary completes an assignment in the open doorway of his classroom.

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The 6th grade students in Forest Lake Area Schools have a unique distinction: by the time they begin high school, they will be the first class of students to attend their freshman year in a high school building.

This news recently gave students at Forest Lake Elementary food for thought. Upon hearing about the new 9 - 12 grade arrangement, 6th-grader Emily McPhee was quick to do the math, “So when I’m in 12th grade, my brother will be in 9th,” she said. “I’m going to have to share a school with my brother.”

Splitting up secondary students into equal grade groupings (7th - 9th grade and 10th - 12th grade) used to be common practice. But these days, most schools have changed that practice, and Forest Lake will soon follow suit.

As part of the Reshaping Opportunities for Success (2015 - 2020) initiative, all freshmen will begin attending classes at the high school building and all 7th and 8th grade students will attend school in the building that is known today as Century Junior High.

Not only will this give all 7th through 12th grade students the opportunity to take classes in the district’s two newest school buildings, but it would also create one large secondary campus, with the 7 - 8 and 9 - 12 buildings located across the street from one another.

This close proximity will allow more collaboration between junior high and high school teachers in all

subject areas, and greater flexibility for students to take advantage of advanced classes.

The 6th graders at Forest Lake Elementary are looking forward to starting school at the new campus.

Bailey Thomas said she was excited about being in a bigger place, meeting new kids from all the different elementary schools and “experiencing things we haven’t experienced yet.”

One of those new experiences will be the ability to take classes in a wider variety of subjects. The Reshaping Opportunities for Success (2015 - 2020) plan opens up a larger range of high school classes to all high school students, including freshman, and provides opportunity for a greater variety of classes for everyone.

Sixth-grader, Allie Hoekstra

said she was looking forward to taking advanced science classes, particularly in chemistry and physics.

For now, the students are focusing on getting ready for junior high. Thomas said she had mixed feelings about moving on from elementary school. “I’m about 50/50,” she said, referring to feeling both nervous and excited.

No new buildings will be built as part of the Reshaping Opportunities for Success (2015 - 2020) plan, but modifications and upgrades to the 7 - 8 and 9 - 12 buildings are planned. Construction will begin next year and be completed in time for students to begin attending classes in the new facilities in the fall of 2019.

These friends and fellow Forest Lake Elementary student council members recently shared their thoughts about becoming part of the first class of freshman to attend classes at the high school. They are (from left to right) Brianna Rothmeyer, Emily McPhee, Bailey Thomas and Allie Hoekstra.

Sixth-grade students look forward to being first class of freshmen at Forest Lake Area High School

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District designates staff to oversee planning and constructionThe Reshaping Opportunities for

Success (2015 - 2020) project will require multiple consultants and building contractors to complete the planned facility upgrades over the next five years. To help these contractors meet the needs of students and staff, the school board has added the following two staff positions to represent Forest Lake Area Schools during planning and construction. Both of these positions are funded through bond funds and are included as part of the overall bond project budget.

Mike Kopietz will serve as Construction Supervisor and will be working with the contractors and consultants on this project to represent the desires and expectations of Forest Lake Area Schools.

“Mike has been an integral part of the facilities task force and other preparations for this project,” said

Superintendent Linda Madsen. “He has unparalleled knowledge of our facilities and has previous experience overseeing large projects in other school districts.”

Steve Massey, Principal at Forest Lake Area High School, has taken a half-time special assignment coordinating the many channels of input that are needed to ensure that final design and construction meets

the needs of the district. “Steve has an excellent working

knowledge of academic facility needs, particularly at the secondary level,” said Madsen. Steve will also continue to serve in his current role as high school principal.

Steve will be working with project consultants over the next several months to gather input from staff on design and planning.

Project timeline and key dates

October 2016 7 - 12 Campus design and

planning completed

November 2016Low-complexity work completed

in elementary schools

7th-12 Grade Campus Timeline

Elementary & CLC Transition Timeline

March 2016 - Nov. 2016 Contractor selection

and bid process

May 2016 - August 2019 Construction at 9 - 12 grade building

and 7 - 8 grade building

April 2017Major elementary

projects design and planning completed

October 2017Early Childhood and Central

Montessori design and planning completed

This group of district staff and consultants has begun planning and project management meetings, which will continue throughout the project.

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Key contractors named to manage projects at multiple locations

May 2016 - August 2019 Construction at 9 - 12 grade building

and 7 - 8 grade building

2018 - 2019 School Year 9th grade students start classes at 9 - 12 building. Students from Southwest Junior High move into new combined 7 - 8 grade building.

June 2018 - August 2019Construction at former Southwest Junior High

August 2019All elementary projects completed

September 2019 All CLC programs start classes at former Southwest Junior High building.

Pat Overom

Spanning five years and 11 locations, Reshaping Opportunities for Success (2015 - 2020) is more than just a simple building project.

Key staff is already in place to oversee planning, contracting and logistics of the project.

Pat Overom, with ICS Consulting will serve as construction manager

for the secondary sites and also monitor details for the overall project.

ICS specializes in planning, development, and management of K - 12 school projects throughout Minnesota and the upper Midwest. Over the past several years, ICS has led several large-scale referendum project efforts very similar to the work that will be completed in Forest Lake Area Schools.

“At first glance it is difficult to grasp the magnitude and complexity of the planned facility projects,” Overom said. “The proposed improvements will impact every facility and site within the district.”

Overom added that project teams are currently working to finalize timelines so that all work is completed efficiently and with as little impact to on-going district operations as possible.

Chad Rettke and John Huenink of Kraus-Anderson are leading projects at the district’s seven elementary schools. “Kraus-Anderson is excited to be part of Forest Lake Area Schools’ upcoming projects and look forward to continuing our working relationship we have with the District,” Rettke said.

Kraus-Anderson brings over 118 years of construction management experience including over $1 billion in construction value of K-12 projects over the past 10 years and more than 35 years specifically in K-12 construction.

Design and planning will be provided by DLR Group and Martin Pevzner Engineering.

Construction planning meetings have already begun and will continue throughout the project. Staff from these companies are conducting site visits at many of the district’s buildings and will continue on-site work throughout the design and construction.

Chad Rettke

John Huenink

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Bruce Leventhal has been teaching science at Forest Lake Area High School since 1993. In that time, he’s seen students tackle more and more sophisticated levels of learning.

“In 25 years here, the nature of how and what I teach has changed tremendously,” he said, rattling off a list of labs and coursework his 11th- and 12th-grade students do now, that was college-level work when he was in school.

“I’m proud of what my kids do,” he said.

That success is contagious. Enrollment in Leventhal’s Advanced Placement (AP) courses in biology has skyrocketed to the point where he now teaches four very full sections of the class. Last year, Forest Lake AP students received some of the highest

scores in school history on their AP exams for college credit.

Leventhal is even more impressed with his students’ achievement, given the cramped and outdated conditions of his current science classroom. “My colleagues (from other school districts) are amazed at what we do here,” he said. “I could teach biology in a closet, but the kids deserve a better space than this.”

Those improvements are coming. The bond proposal approved by voters in November calls for 14,000 square feet of new and newly remodeled space for teaching science.

The final design details for those labs will be determined with input from teachers.

“What I’m hoping for is a lab space that has a lasting character so that 30 years from now, we’re not asking for another

Science teachers ready for new learning spaces

Juniors and seniors crowd into Bruce Leventhal’s AP Biology classroom.

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Julie Corcoran 651-324-8009 jcorcoran@flaschools.org

Dan Kieger 651-276-8571 dkieger@flaschools.org

Karen Morehead 651-464-3577 kmorehead@flaschools.org

Luke Odegaard 651-375-5889 lodegaard@flaschools.org

Jill Olson 651-785-9374 jmolson@flaschools.org Robert Rapheal 651-433-5847 rrapheal@flaschools.org

Gail Theisen 651-592-6901 gtheisen@flaschools.org

SCHOOL

BOARD

lab,” Leventhal said. “The community supported this bond, so let’s give them something to be proud of.”

Leventhal will lend his expertise to help architects design science classrooms that support advances in technology and allow for more productive lab work. He also hopes to have a teaching space that allows better student-to-student interaction and demonstrates the school’s commitment to learning.

“A professional space inspires pride,” he said.

Upcoming Events: Important information for families

Forest Lake Area Schools provide all-day, every-day kindergarten to all district and open-enrollment families at no charge.

Information can be obtained at any district schools’ Kindergarten Round-Up events, and a comprehensive kindergarten packet is also available for download from the district website. Versions of the packet in Spanish and Hmong are also available upon request.

Kindergarten Round-Up will be held Feb. 9 at all district elementary schools. There will two Round-Up sessions at 1:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and parents can choose to attend either session with their child.

More information is available on the district website at www.flaschools.org.

Jr. and Sr. High registrationJunior and senior high

registration guides for the 2016-17 school year are now available online or in print versions.

Both guides contain course numbers and descriptions, and

information about academic requirements for junior high and senior high students.

Electronic versions of the guides can be downloaded from the schools’ websites.

Kindergarten registration

Forest Lake Area Schools (FLAS) Community Education promotes learning by offering educational, social and recreational opportunities for everyone. Community Education has offerings year-round for all ages.

This winter, FLAS Community Education is offering opportunities that allow participants to explore new interests, develop new skills, meet members of the community and learn new things.

Community Education programs include: Early Childhood Programs including Little Rangers Preschool and Early Childhood Family Education, Childcare Programs including Steps Ahead, SAC and Sonic, Aquatics Programs (swim lessons)Youth Athletics, Elementary & Secondary Youth Enrichment, Adult Lifelong Learning, Adult Basic Education, General Education Development and LINK - Adults with Disabilities.

To find information, register or view the online catalog, go to www.flaschools.org or call 651-982-8110.

Community Education winter season in full swingActivities available for all ages

Kindergarten Round-Up Feb. 9, 2016 at all district

elementary schools

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School connectionS

Forest Lake Area Schools #8316100 N. 210th StreetForest Lake, MN 55025

ECRWSSPostal Customer

Connecting our communities through our

schools

East Bethel, May Twp, Ham Lake,

Hugo, Forest Lake, Columbus, Lino Lakes,

Linwood Twp, Marine, Scandia,

Stacy, Wyoming

Non Profit OrgUS POSTAGE PAIDTWIN CITIES, MNPERMIT #8314

High school welcomes new mascot

Forest Lake Area High School and its student council recently introduced the school’s official new mascot, “Ronnie the Ranger.”

Over the past two years the FLAHS Student Council has been raising money through school dances, Powder Puff and other fundraisers to bring Ronnie to the school district.

Last year’s student council chose the name Ronnie, after the late Ronnie Gamble, a football coach from Forest Lake who passed away suddenly a few years ago.

Ronnie is expected to become a large part of school culture and will be available for school events district wide.

Student council members introduced Ronnie to their fellow students at a special breakfast event back in December. Since then, he’s been popping up at various events this winter and will continue to appear throughout the rest of the school year.

Forest Lake High School students Kalley Berg, Benton Fry, Jared Hunt and Ben Muntifering pose for one of their first-ever photo with Ronnie the Ranger