2023-24 calendar approved by school board

PERHAM — The 2023-24 school year for the Perham-Dent Public School District is starting to take shape. The calendar for the year was approved at the monthly school board meeting on March 8.

Here's what the public needs to know:

• The first day of school will be Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023.
• The last day of school will be Friday, May 24, 2024.
• There will be 171 student days and 184 total teacher days.
• Snow days will continue to be e-learning days.

The calendar closely coincides with the current school year's schedule. Superintendent Mitch Anderson said that the district's goal has always been to start the school year as early as possible, which is the first Tuesday after Labor Day. They also try to be done before Memorial Day each year.
"We've had years where we came back for a day or two in June, and there's not a lot of education value that goes on those days," Anderson explained at the meeting. "For one, we have seniors who are gone, and at the high school, we have a lot of classes that are seniors mixed with sophomores. So, it's better just to get the days in and just be done all at the same time."

There will be two flexible full days between Aug. 14-28 when teachers come in to prepare their rooms for open house and the school year. These uninterrupted preparation days have been successful in the past, Anderson said. Aug. 29-31 will be the traditional back-to-school workshop days for the staff. From there, the district scheduled a single day almost every month for additional staff development days.

Contributed / Perham Public Schools

Also discussed at the school board meeting were the following:

• A citizen expressed concern regarding the school district's enrollment in the National Honor Society. Perham High School Principal Ehren Zimmerman assured her they are an official member of both the National Honor Society and the Minnesota Honor Society. The requirements are sent home with eligible students. At a national level, students are required to have a 3.5 GPA or higher to be eligible.
• Prairie Wind Middle School started an intervention group called HIVE Academy to assist struggling students.
• The middle school will also be hosting a party to celebrate students with positive behaviors on March 16, called the Middle School Glow Dance Celebration. It's hosted by the student council.
• The school district had an increase of 16 students from February into March. They have about 70 more students enrolled currently than they did at the end of the 2021-22 school year.
• All public schools will host the District 549 Arts Night on March 28 from 6-8 p.m. throughout the studio, gym and band/choir rooms in the high school building. This event will showcase different K-12 art programs, including visual arts, choir, band, speech and more.
• The next school board meeting is April 12, at 5 p.m. in the Perham High School Media Center.