Prairie Creek Community School to Reopen on Monday

The school was closed Thursday and Friday because of a burst pipe.

Editor's note: The following was submitted by Prairie Creek Community School. On Wednesday evening, a fault in a sprinkler line caused significant flooding at Prairie Creek.  There was extensive damage to three classrooms and a central hallway.   School was closed for two days in order to assess damage, finish cleaning and begin repairs.  "We were able to have the experts in to review and address the damage very quickly.  The main areas of concern were two classrooms, the music room and a portion of the hallway." said director Simon Tyler.  "The response of the fire department and related services was impressively quick.   We were able to protect thousands of dollars worth of music instruments and remove laptops and other electronics from …

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Prairie Creek Hopes to Reopen Monday

Prairie Creek Community School was closed Thursday and Friday after a sprinker line burst on Wednesday.

After much work Thursday and now into Friday, Prairie Creek Community School Director Simon Tyler is hopeful the school can reopen Monday after a pipe burst Wednesday and flooded four classrooms. Here's the latest update he sent to parents Thursday night: Dear families, Okay, we've had a busy, but very productive, day developing a response to our water damage problem that occurred last night.  All day, various service groups and workers have been here cleaning, checking systems and preparing to conduct repairs.   At this point we are optimistic that the school will reopen on Monday.  We will communicate a decision tomorrow after reviewing our progress.  Obviously, our primary concern is to ensure that the building is safe and ready before …

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UPDATED: Burst Pipe Causes Prairie Creek Community School to Close

Prairie Creek Community School will be closed Thursday and Friday after a sprinkler line burst on Wednesday, according to director Simon Tyler.

UPDATED: 11:40 a.m. Thursday Prairie Creek Community School will be closed Thursday and Friday after a sprinkler line burst on Wednesday, according to director Simon Tyler. Tyler said the burst pipe caused flooding in four classrooms and staff and professional cleaners will clean up Thursday and Friday.  He's hopeful that school will resume on Monday with those students from the affected rooms moved elsewhere in the school, like the gymnasium. While Tyler said he appreciates the response from the community so far, he said the school isn't asking for any volunteer help with the cleanup at this point. The school's insurance will cover the damage and repairs. Follow Northfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free …

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Local Voices: What Winter Walk Means to One Writer

Do you have something to say? Put it in writing and email corey.butler@patch.com to get signed up.

It was another great week for the Local Voices section. Sandy Vesledahl from the Prairie's Edge Humane Society shared the story of Joy the dog; Brenton Balvin shared his thoughts about what Winter Walk means to him; and Prairie Creek Community School share some of the fun from their Probability Fair. Click on the links to read the posts. Follow Northfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free newsletter

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UPDATED: Northfield Nonprofits See Results on Give to the Max Day

Here's an updated look at Northfield-area nonprofits for Give to the Max Day.

UPDATED: 2 p.m. Friday Once again, Northfield made out like a bandit. Thursday's annual Give to the Max Day saw thousands of donors hand over their hard-earned money to support area nonprofits.  For the third straight year, St. Olaf College was the top college/university for donations. More than 1,300 people donated $233,351 to St. Olaf. The top spot garnered a $12,500 bonus for the college. "We are deeply thankful to the alumni, parents, and friends who made this happen," said Tracy Fossum, director of the St. Olaf Fund. "Their enthusiastic generosity helps provide the margin of excellence that distinguishes the St. Olaf experience from the rest." Rice County Habitat for Humanity raised nearly $18,000 on the backs of 41 donors and Prairie…

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Election 2012

At Prairie Creek, This Election is for the Gourds

Students in the fourth- and fifth-grade classes at Prairie Creek Community School each chose a gourd, named it, and interviewed it as part of a creative writing assignment.

Editor's note: Submitted by Prairie Creek Community School. The basket of gourds didn’t look like a civics lesson at first.  Students in the fourth- and fifth-grade classes at Prairie Creek each chose a gourd, named it, and interviewed it as part of a creative writing assignment. But their gourds were citizens of the United States of Gourd—and a presidential election was coming up in a few weeks.  They feverishly began preparing, learning about the Declaration of Independence from King Gourd III, the three vines of government and, of course, the platforms of the two political parties, the Free Gourds and the Poligourds. “Kids this age are very passionate about politics, but their understanding is often superficial.  We needed to teach …

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Northfield School Board Rewind

School Board: Community Services, Prairie Creek, iPads

Here's a look back at Monday's Northfield School Board meeting.

Here's a look back at Monday's Northfield School Board meeting. The agenda for the meeting is attached as a PDF. The board: Follow Northfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free newsletter

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Haslett-Marroquin Family Comes Full Circle

The Haslett-Marroquin family held a community gathering on Friday for their new home after losing their house to a fire on Nov. 23, 2011.

The clock hand only had to go around one more time until it struck midnight and Thanksgiving was here. It was a much-needed day off for me—one planned to be full of thanks and merriment. One, as usual, to be full of reflection. Against my better judgment, I checked Twitter one last time before heading to bed. That's when I saw someone tweet a picture of an apparent house fire west of Highway 3 and north of Northfield proper. Sleep and Thanksgiving would have to wait. I had work to do. When I arrived to the home of Reginaldo and Amy Haslett-Marroquin just after 11 p.m., it was clear that the house was going to be a complete loss. In what seemed like seconds, fire ripped through the roof.  I documented the destruction with photos and video, …

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Northfield Students Score Well on MCA Reading Exams, Improve in Math

Twelve of the 14 groups tested for reading in the Northfield School District bested the state proficiency level. In math, 11 of 13 groups bested the state average of their counterparts.

Northfield schools received good marks compared to other Minnesota students on spring state exams testing students in math and reading proficiency, according data released publicly on Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Education. The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, given annually to the state's third- through eighth-graders in reading and math, and to high school sophomores (reading) and juniors (math), measures students' understanding of the relevant math and reading curriculum through their respective grades. Twelve of the 14 groups tested for reading in the Northfield School District bested the state proficiency level.  The public schools include Northfield High School, Northfield Area Learning Center, Northfield Middle …

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Northfield Schools Fare Well in New State MMR Rankings

A look at how Northfield schools fared under the new Multiple Measurements Rating system.

According to the Minnesota Department of Education, all but one of Northfield-area schools bested the state average under the new school accountability system that’s replacing the old No Child Left Behind measurements. The MDE released the school rankings based on its new accountability system, called "Multiple Measurements Rating," on Tuesday. The news was even better for Bridgewater Elementary, which earned the coveted “Reward School” designation for those schools in the top 15 percent of Title I schools statewide. Greenvale Park Elementary was the lone Northfield-area school to come in below the state average. Here's a closer look at how Northfield's schools did individually on the Multiple Measurements Rating accountability system. The…

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