District News

Employment Opportunities

Holdingford Public Schools is currently seeking qualified applicants for various positions. The district has the following positions available.​
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  • .6 K-6 SPED Teacher
  • .4 3's Preschool Teacher
  • Language Arts Long Term Sub
  • Summer Cleaners
  • ELL Teacher (waiver can be attained if the license is not held)

For more information please check out the employment page. If you are interested, please contact Linda Zapzalka at 320-746-4307.

April School Board Meeting



Topic: April School Board Meeting
Time: Apr 15, 2020 06:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/99831265285?pwd=YXZDaTRTanUzRENLWFBMS3pGamtpZz09

Meeting ID: 998 3126 5285
Password: 7icw8y

HS Staff Message to Students

Preschool Screening

The most recent preschool screening and all April screenings have been postponed. All dates will be rescheduled and families who were previously signed up will be contacted when new dates are scheduled. Thank you for your understanding. 

COVID-19/Health Information


In response to the recent report by Stearns County Public Health of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Stearns County, Superintendents from the county have agreed upon shared school operations protocols.

The districts will follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Mild/Moderate Mitigation for Schools with COVID-19 Cases in their Community.” https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/community-mitigation-strategy.pdf The districts will also continue to partner with local health officials, Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL), Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Minnesota Department of Education (MDE).
The following protocols will be in place in our districts beginning March 16th and will continue until further notice.   Due to daily changes from the CDC and MDH this date will be continued to be evaluated and adjusted.
  • For the safety of students, staff and community, only district personnel (those on payroll and contracted partners) are permitted inside district schools. Visitors and volunteers will not be admitted to schools at this time.
  • Beginning and end of day routines allowing families into the school to drop off or pick up students will remain the same, but other family visits during the school day will be limited to scheduled school business.
  • Public health officials have advised limiting large gatherings of people. In response, all school-sponsored public and family events and activities will be cancelled until further notice.  Middle and high school practices for activities and athletics, however, are considered an extension of the school day and will continue as scheduled.
  • All field trips and school sponsored travel will be suspended.
  • Community education classes will be cancelled, and fees will be refunded when applicable.
  • Preschool 3s and 4s classes as well as Kids Zone will continue as scheduled.
  • Use of district facilities by external organizations and community groups will be suspended.
  • Students who have been exposed to a diagnosed case of COVID-19 must communicate with School Administration prior to returning to school.
  • Students who have symptoms consistent with COVID-19, or who are diagnosed with COVID-19, or who have a household member who is diagnosed with COVID-19 should not report to school and must notify the school office of the student’s condition. 
  • Parents must notify the school office if their student is not in attendance as a precautionary action related to COVID-19.
  • Staff members who have been exposed to a diagnosed case of COVID-19 must notify the Superintendent prior to returning to work.
  • Staff members who have symptoms consistent with COVID-19, or who are diagnosed with COVID-19, or who have a household member who is diagnosed with COVID-19 should be in communication with the Superintendent to evaluate work status.
Health organizations are asking us to plan for the worst and hope for the best. We are encouraging parents to do the same. Currently there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our community. If there was a confirmed case, MDH and Local Public Health agencies would contact the school district and work with us to determine the next steps. It is entirely possible the governor, state health organizations, or the department of education will direct schools to close. Families are encouraged to begin planning in the event this could happen. 

Stearns County Superintendents are committed to the health and safety of all students, staff and families. The districts will continue to monitor developments of the coronavirus COVID-19 and regularly update the community.
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Minnesota Department of Health
https://www.health.state.mn.us/disea…/coronavirus/index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Survey Request

​As part of the re-authorization of Perkins Funding (Perkins V), each Perkins consortium in the state is required to complete a Local Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CLNA) every two years.  The intent is to align our Perkins grant application and spending to the data found in this needs assessment.  
If you have a student in grades 7-12, your input is appreciated.  Please consider taking the survey below. 

Link to Survey

Kindergarten Roundup Dates

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Kindergarten Informational Meeting on Monday, March 9, 2020. This meeting is for families of children who will be attending our Kindergarten Program for the 2020-21 school year. We have two meeting time options for you to choose from. In order to be respectful of everyone’s schedule, we will be starting promptly at 4:00 P.M. and 6:00 P.M. The meetings will be located in the Elementary Media Center, which can be accessed through Door #8 at the front of the Elementary School.

New Website for Lunch and Breakfast Menus

Menus for breakfast and lunch are now available on Nutrislice.  The new menu format will allow families to access the menus more easily from their computers or mobile devices via the app.  Many of the foods have complete nutrition information and photos so young students can see what an item will look like.  

Skyward Outage

On December 23rd, Skyward will be offline. Parents, students, and staff will not be able to access accounts. We appreciate your patience and understanding. 
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Holdingford School Board Election Results

The School Board Election was held for Independent School District No. 738, Holdingford Public School, State of Minnesota, on Tuesday, the 5th day of November, 2019, for the purpose of electing four school board members to four year terms. Terms begin January 2020.

There are five candidates running for four positions they are

Robert E. Knettel,  Jr. - 201 votes
Lori Opatz - 201 votes
Evelyn Martini - 188 votes
Elissa Ebnet - 166 votes
Josh Ottman - 159 votes
Write in - 3 votes

Rob Knettel, Lori Opatz, Evelyn Martini, and Elissa Ebnet are elected to serve 4-year terms on the school board.

Questions can be directed to Linda Zapzalka at 320-746-4307.

2019-2020 Preschool Screening

Holdingford School is pleased to announce the 2019-20 preschool screening dates have been set. Please contact Christy Gustafson at 320-746-4462 to schedule for your child.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Monday, January 20, 2020
​Monday, March 23, 2020
​Friday, April 3, 2020

Fall Newsletter

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The Winter newsletter is now available. If you did not receive the newsletter in the mail, please click here to access an online version.

Building Bond Referendum, Operating Levy and School Board Results

On November 6th, 2018, residents voted to allow Holdingford Public Schools to issue building bonds to address space needs, aging infrastructure, safety, security, and site-related needs as well as improvements for our technology equipment and infrastructure. Holdingford Public Schools would like to thank our residents for supporting our students, staff, and schools by passing this referendum. This project will allow our District to address physical facility needs and better meet the changing needs of educational and instructional programs through updated technology.   

​Now that the referendum has been approved, we will begin the design process and set construction timelines with the input of our community. We thank everyone that was actively involved throughout this important process for the needs of our Holdingford students, and we look forward to the future of our District with your support.

Question 1 - Building Bond Referendum 

Yes - 1419 (57.92%)
No -  1031 (42.08%)

Question 2 - Operating Levy

Yes - 1235 (50.39%)
No -  1216 (49.61%)

School Board Election

Evelyn Martini - 1140 (51.33%)
Josh Ottman - 1067 (48.04%)
Write-ins - 14 (0.63%)

Holdingford Elementary - 2016 Reward School

Holdingford Elementary School was named a 2016 Reward School by Dr. Brenda Cassellius, MN Commissioner of Education. After being ranked in the top 15% of schools in the state, congratulations are given to the students and staff!

Skyward

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Parents and students may access Skyward for grades, classes, and updating personal information.  Login details given at Open House.  Get the Skyward Mobile App for ​Iphone/Ipad (Itunes), or Android.