North Star Elementary principal reports reading gains, sensory supports and cohort strategy
December 01, 2025 | White Bear Lake School District Collection, School Boards, Minnesota
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Dan Schmidt, principal of North Star Elementary, updated the School Board of Independent School District 624 on the school’s design, supports and early assessment results. "We are truly a neighborhood school," Schmidt said, describing the multi‑studio design, breakout rooms and embedded sensory spaces that staff use to support students’ learning and regulation.
Schmidt reported the school serves just under 500 students, with 26% students of color, about 24% of students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and roughly 11% receiving multilingual services. He described support programs including tiered interventions, an ASD setting, and collaborative studio teams that use short progress‑monitoring cycles and pull‑out instruction as needed.
On curriculum and outcomes, Schmidt highlighted use of district curricula and pilots for math (i‑Ready and Envision) and said a first cohort of students showed notable reading progress: a cohort that began with roughly 38% meeting reading standards reached about 70% after interventions. He cautioned that cohort trends can vary and that continued monitoring is required.
The school’s sensory spaces include four stations (movement, calming/stretching, breathing exercises) with timers and teacher visibility. Schmidt described Conscious Discipline training led by staff members Amy Cholbi and Trevor Putnam and said the sensory rooms give students a brief, supervised space to reengage without judgment.
Board members asked about measurement methods for the student‑experience survey (an 80% mid‑year target for grades 3–5) and the way the school preserves cohort integrity for longitudinal tracking. Schmidt said North Star developed a local survey and is moving toward district alignment, and offered to provide exact IEP breakdowns and cohort data on request.
Schmidt closed with community anecdotes — including a student‑initiated memorial called "Justice for Terry" for a turtle that had been struck on a nearby road — as examples of student agency and community connection.
The board praised staff and acknowledged continued attention to data and intervention strategies; no formal action was taken.
Schmidt reported the school serves just under 500 students, with 26% students of color, about 24% of students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and roughly 11% receiving multilingual services. He described support programs including tiered interventions, an ASD setting, and collaborative studio teams that use short progress‑monitoring cycles and pull‑out instruction as needed.
On curriculum and outcomes, Schmidt highlighted use of district curricula and pilots for math (i‑Ready and Envision) and said a first cohort of students showed notable reading progress: a cohort that began with roughly 38% meeting reading standards reached about 70% after interventions. He cautioned that cohort trends can vary and that continued monitoring is required.
The school’s sensory spaces include four stations (movement, calming/stretching, breathing exercises) with timers and teacher visibility. Schmidt described Conscious Discipline training led by staff members Amy Cholbi and Trevor Putnam and said the sensory rooms give students a brief, supervised space to reengage without judgment.
Board members asked about measurement methods for the student‑experience survey (an 80% mid‑year target for grades 3–5) and the way the school preserves cohort integrity for longitudinal tracking. Schmidt said North Star developed a local survey and is moving toward district alignment, and offered to provide exact IEP breakdowns and cohort data on request.
Schmidt closed with community anecdotes — including a student‑initiated memorial called "Justice for Terry" for a turtle that had been struck on a nearby road — as examples of student agency and community connection.
The board praised staff and acknowledged continued attention to data and intervention strategies; no formal action was taken.
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