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- Director
- Ph: 507-384-6701
Director's Corner
December 9, 2011
It has been a busy fall at MSAB this school year. The track team went to the Conference Championships in Tennessee on the weekend of September 30 to October 2nd and performed very well. On October 14th, we hosted what we hope will become an annual event: White Cane Awareness Day. It was a great day with about 100 participants. People from around the region joined the staff and students in the walk.
The A+ House is now open and seven students are enjoying the new house. The grand opening on September 29th went well and it was exciting to see the first students moving into the house.
The MSAB Foundation received a grant of $25,000 from the Bentson Foundation. We are purchasing 16 iPads, the wireless infrastructure to support the iPads, and 4 new tandem bicycles with this generous grant. Also, the Upper Midwest Optical Golf Day group raised $42,000 for the foundation this summer at their annual golf tournament. They presented the check to the MSAB Foundation on November 1st here at MSAB. The students put on a wonderful program for the presentation.
Our annual Holiday Program, “Jingle Bell Jukebox,” was Thursday, December 8th. Nicole Zweber and Joel Raaen directed a wonderful show and the students did a great job! Thank you to all of the staff that helped make the show successful! The last day of school before the upcoming holiday break is December 22nd. School will be back in session on January 4th.
The cheerleaders will be travelling to Little Rock, Arkansas for the cheerleading conference championships this coming January 20-22. The coaches are Stacy Akemann and Meghan Needham. The team started practicing right after Thanksgiving and are looking forward to competing against the other schools. Good Luck!
I trust you enjoyed a wonderful summer with your family and all of the activities that summer in Minnesota brings. The first official day of school is Wednesday, September 7. The return of students and staff to the campus is always an exciting time.
There have been a few changes at MSAB over the summer including the addition of 2 new teachers: Katie Novotny and Marlys Day. Welcome to MSAB, Katie and Marlys!
It is going to be a busy fall at MSAB this school year. The home track will be September 23rd and 24th. The track team will be going to the Conference Championships in Tennessee the weekend of September 30 to October 2nd. On October 14th, we will be hosting what we hope will become an annual event: White Cane Awareness Day. Please see the link on the front page of our web site for further information.
Construction on the new A+ house is complete. We are looking forward to having students living in the new facilities and experiencing all that it has to offer. The house is located across from the Dow Hall Memorial. We are planning on having a Grand Opening later in September. Stay tuned for more information on the exact date.
April 28, 2011
It has been a busy spring. In April and the beginning of May, the students have been taking the Statewide Assessments (MCA and MTAS) in reading, math, and science. The testing has gone well and will be complete by the second week of May.
We had a great turnout for our home Swimming, Forensics, and Goalball Meet on April 8th and 9th. The schools from South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin competed with MSAB. It was a weekend of great competition and the participants had a lot of fun. I want to thank all of the people who helped make the event go so well. The swimming and forensics team have their conference championship at the Ohio School for the Blind on the weekend of April 29th – May 1st.
The annual MSAB Foundation Board meeting will be on May 2nd. The Foundation will be here for lunch and their meeting will be at 3:00 pm in the board room. The focus for the MSAB Foundation in their fund-raising for this year is Arts in Education. They have generously voted to fund the design of a project on campus which includes a music lab to be located in the music room and acoustical treatment for the gym.
On May 12th, the Spring Program will be held at 1:30 pm and 7:00 pm. The program is “Be A Star” and the students have been working diligently. From what I have heard at the practices, it should be another wonderful program as directed Nicole Zweber, our Music Therapist.
As a reminder, please keep in mind that last day of school will be June 15th. This change in date is to make up for the 3 days that were missed in October. Also, if you are planning on your child attending summer school during July (7/10/11 – 7/22/11) and have not sent in the application, summer school applications are due by May 20th.
January 4, 2011
It has been a busy Holiday Season at MSAB. Our winter program, “A Holiday of Music”, was held on December 9 and was a great success thanks to the efforts of Nicole Zweber, MSAB Music Therapist, and the staff and students. We also celebrated Willie Peterson’s final performance of narrating “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” as part of the Holiday Program. Willie has been entertaining students and audiences with this story for the past 25 years and we are very grateful for the time and effort he has dedicated to MSAB.
Progress continues to be made on the new A+ house. The house has been framed in, sealed up, and has a roof on it. Please continue to check out the photographs on the home page of our web site to see the progress on the project.
On November 15th, the Upper Midwest Optical Golf Day (OMOGD) Sight Preservation Foundation presented a check to the MSAB Foundation for $33,000 to benefit the Academy’s art integration program. The UMOGD Sight Preservation Foundation raised the money at the 2010 Optical Golf Day on August 9, 2010.
MSAB will be hosting a meeting of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) on Saturday, January 29, 2011. The group will be taking a tour of the MSAB facilities and learning about the programming available at MSAB.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and good wishes for the new year!
It has been a busy fall at MSAB this school year. The Seitz Field track was resurfaced and has been used by our track team for practices and our home track meet on September 18th. The track team went to the Conference Championships in Indiana the weekend of October 2nd and performed very well.
The new A+ house construction is well under way. Please check out the photographs on the home page of our web site to see the progress on the project. The A+ housing will provide students at MSAB a great opportunity to work and expand their transition skills. The Academy Plus Transition Program prepares students for the following areas: home living and personal care, community work, use of community resources, self-directed leisure and recreation activities, academic preparation for post-secondary education, and job-related skills development for gainful employment.
I would like to thank the staff and students at MSAD for being such gracious hosts during our stay on their campus. They were all very helpful and supportive. Our students enjoyed walking on the MSAD campus with the beautiful weather that we had during our stay. The students and staff are thankful to be back on campus at MSAB.
Thanks to a Target Library Grant, we have just added over 100 new books to our library collection. Please remember to designate MSAB as your school recipient, if you already have a Target charge card (or plan to open up an account). Every time you use your Target card, 1% of your purchase amount will be donated to the educational program here as cash. Please take a moment to look at the Take Charge of Education information on the Target.com website.
I trust you are enjoying the summer with your family and all of the activities that summer in Minnesota brings. It will soon be the start of a new school year with the first official day of school on Wednesday, September 8. The return of students and staff to the campus is always an exciting time.
There have been a few changes at MSAB over the summer including a change in the Director’s position. I have very much enjoyed my last 11 years at MSAB as the Science Teacher and as the Athletic Director the past 6 years. It is indeed an honor and privilege to be asked to serve in the capacity of Director at MSAB. Much has been accomplished by MSAB’s hard working staff in the past years and I am fully confident we will continue to accomplish even more this year and in the future.
We are looking forward to your child's arrival at the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind! Registration for fall classes will be held from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 7. The registration process will move much more quickly if forms and student account transactions are completed prior to registration. Please make sure all requested materials are completed. Of special importance are the forms and requests specific to medical concerns, physical examinations, and emergency contact information. Students arriving without completed forms will not be permitted to stay.
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES – TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
- Registration for students and families is scheduled from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Residential students may not enter the dorms until the registration process is completed.
- Day students and parents are encouraged to attend, however, transportation may not be provided by the bus companies. If you are unable to attend registration, you are strongly encouraged to arrive and register your child in the health clinic between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. on September 8. Once your child has completed the registration process, he/she will be allowed to go to their respective class to join their peers and teacher.
- Parents are welcome to join their children for the evening meal scheduled from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
- All health forms must be completed for each and every student to be permitted to stay at the Academy. If your child is riding the bus and a parent/guardian is not present at registration, all materials must be sent with the student on the bus or mailed to our office prior to September 7. Again, if we do not receive all registration material and medical information, your child will not be permitted to stay. We take the health and safety of your child very seriously.
Please Note: If your child relies on bus transportation to and from MSAB, you must contact your local school district or the transportation company before the beginning of school to make transportation arrangements. If you have questions or are unsure about transportation issues, your school district can assist you. We also suggest that you contact the bus company to make sure your child's name is on their transportation roster.
We have been developing a new Academy Plus housing facility in conjunction with South Central College. Construction on the housing is planned for this school year on the northwest portion of campus. Please be aware that there may be additional traffic in that part of the campus (North of Dow Hall Memorial) when you visit MSAB during this school year. This is an exciting project and will help MSAB grow and be able to continue to improve on the services we are able to provide.
Also, we are looking forward to the installation of a high quality climbing wall this year which has been designed for simplicity of use for maximum fitness benefit. The ability to make this investment in the climbing wall was accomplished with the assistance and support of the MSAB Foundation. The Foundation has also helped in investing in sensory equipment for a Sensory Room and for the Occupational and Physical Therapy room.
One of my goals this school year is to keep you better informed on what is happening here at MSAB. I will do this through additional newsletters and on the MSAB web site – www.msab.state.mn.us
Your feedback is important as we work together to provide the best possible learning experience for your child at MSAB. I welcome hearing from you. I can be contacted by phone at 507-384-6701 or by .
