The 2002-2003 regular school year is nearly over. We hope that our students have had a good experience this year, but we also want to encourage them and their parents to not let learning stop just because formal classes end on June 5. Parents are encouraged to continue reading and learning activities with their children at home. We hope that parents will also take advantage of the many summer learning activities that are offered to their children through our school system, community education and city-sponsored programs. Again this summer, there will be learning opportunities for all children from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in almost any area of interest.

On the evening of June 6, the 119th annual commencement ceremony will take place and 292 seniors will graduate from Albert Lea High School. The Class of 2003 has been an excellent class and they have shown strong leadership in academic and extra curricular activities. We wish them well as they make the transition out of our K-12 system, and take the next step on their learning journey, whether it is college, technical school, the military or the work world. We hope that the skills and knowledge they have gained will serve them well as they continue on as life-long learners.

While summer break signals a pause in our regular school programming, in almost every aspect of the District 241 school system, summer time is not a vacation. It is simply a time for everyone to work in a little different way to keep student learning moving forward. To accomplish this many administrators, teachers and non-licensed staff will be working this summer to deliver the classes to the more than 1,055 students currently enrolled in the summer sessions. Teachers and other staff will also be spending time learning this summer. Several teams of teachers will begin working the second week of June on curriculum review, ESL program development, technology scope and sequence and primary math data analysis. In August, our teaching staff will continue to learn more about how to help students who are living in poverty and how to adjust to the recent changes made to the Minnesota standards. In addition, many of our licensed staff will spend much of their summer break going back to college themselves, taking graduate classes to improve their capacities to teach our children with the best methods and knowledge available.

Our community has a strong desire to ensure that we maintain a high-quality school system. The staff of the Albert Lea Area Schools are committed to meeting this expectation. Our vision statement supports this expectation and states that, &uot;we believe that every child can learn, grow, and become a responsible contributing member of society.&uot; We have an excellent staff, great programming for students and wonderful facilities, all due to the support of our community. The residents of our school district continue to demonstrate in many ways their willingness to get involved and to support our vision of what District 241 schools should look and act like. The work and commitment of our community and our staff is truly appreciated.