Though still in the preliminary stages, Austin Public School officials are exploring the possibility of starting a science, technology, engineering and mathematics program at a proposed grades 5-6 school.

“We are investigating and looking into it,” said John Alberts, the district’s educational services director during a school board meeting Monday.

Board members have spoken about a STEM program before, as Dick Lees brought up the STEM program several times during Facilities Task Force meetings in March. They’ve added a STEM presentation to the next broadcasted public meeting in August, where they will decide whether to formally sanction further research into a STEM program.

A STEM program focuses on critical thinking and analysis through science and mathematics study. National experts have lauded STEM programs in recent years as necessary additions to education in a time when student math scores on standardized tests are falling. In Minnesota, 59 percent of 11th graders statewide met Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment standards in 2010. Austin’s test results from last year won’t be out until mid-August. Alberts said thus far district officials have had very informal, preliminary conversations with local and state STEM experts to examine how STEM programming worked for them, and whether a STEM program would align with the district’s five-year strategic roadmap.

“If we were to pursue this … we believe that this is something all students should experience,” Alberts said.

The talks could affect the design plans of the proposed 5-6 school, but design talks can’t begin until district officials know they have the funding to build the school and make renovations to Woodson Kindergarten Center. A 20-year, $28.9 million bond referendum will be put before voters in November.

Dress coding for success

The Ellis Middle School students who designed the school’s new dress code should be ecstatic when they hear this good news: Their plan, along with some minor changes to the student handbook, was formally accepted by the Austin Public School board Monday.

“It was really empowering for our girls,” said Ellis Assistant Principal Jessica Cabeen. “It really worked out well.”

The new dress code will be enforced this fall after a group of eighth graders redesigned the dress code.

“We thought we should help our school and classmates,” said Mer Gach, Ellis eighth-grader last month. “We thought we should have clothing dos and don’ts because people are wearing innappropriate stuff to school that we shouldn’t have or allow.”

The group, which met weekly with Ellis Assistant Principal Jessica Cabeen, performed service-based projects, including sending letters and treats to troops in Afghanistan. They decided about six months ago to take a look at the dress code. These six girls looked at 60 other schools’ dress codes as well as Austin High School and Ellis dress codes.

One thing stood out: these dress codes needed to be simplified. That’s what the group did, spelling out what short shorts means (If your arms are at your side, your shorts should be below your fingers) to the kind of tops that expose shoulders or midriff (no tank tops or low v-neck that require a tank top underneath), to defining the differences between gang-related clothing and clothing that advertises drugs, alcohol, tobacco or other innapropriate things in school.

“(Students) need to know the difference between them,” said Cindy Renteria, eighth-grader last month. Both Renteria and Gach will go into ninth-grade this fall.

Board members heard the new dress code last month, approving it for the student handbook.

On the auction block

There’s televisions, pianos, and microscopes (oh my) on the docket at a district surplus auction set to take place next month.

Board members approved the auction Monday, which will have items that haven’t been used by the district for more than two years for sale.

Included in that list is seven pianos, which according to Mat Miller, the district’s buildings and grounds director, are from general education classrooms that simply didn’t have room for pianos anymore.

“After it sits there for two or three years, the district obviously doesn’t have a home for it anymore,” Miller told the board Monday. “For the most part, this is stuff that has been sitting here for a long time now.”

School administrators will preview all of the items up for sale before it goes to a rummage-style auction, scheduled for July 14.

This is the first time in three years the district has run a surplus auction. A partial list of items for sale include:

—35 TV
—Seven pianos
—15 overhead projectors.
—20 microscopes
—Record players
—Tape recorders
—Movie projectors
—Microwaves
—Tables
—Light fixtures.