Principal Sarah Spear told the School Board that Vadnais Heights Elementary serves about 400 students and that the building’s programming emphasizes literacy, family engagement and community partnerships.

“Vadnais Heights Elementary is the cornerstone of our community,” Principal Sarah Spear said, reading the school’s mission and describing neighborhood structures the school uses to build community across kindergarten through fifth grade.

Spear said the school has roughly 400 students, about 43 percent of whom qualify for free and reduced lunch (Title I), 49 percent students of color, about 18 percent receiving multilingual services and 19.3 percent in special education. Vadnais also hosts a cluster program for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities and operates a tier‑2 program for students on the autism spectrum and for students with developmental cognitive delays.

On literacy, Spear presented FastBridge fall‑to‑winter results and said gains are emerging as staff and students enter their second year with the CKLA literacy curriculum. She noted that CKLA “spirals” material so content taught in kindergarten returns in later grades, and that the school is focusing professional development on curriculum implementation and differentiation.

Spear highlighted district and community partnerships that support student experience: a full‑time social worker who helps families access medical care and immunizations, city staff who visit for Earth Day programming, the Vadnais Heights Fire Department, local nonprofits that provide classroom materials and furniture, and a partnership with a local automotive shop that recently gave saplings to first‑ and third‑grade students. The school has longstanding partnerships with a local “Kids Hope” mentoring program and with a teacher‑training arrangement that places year‑long student teachers at the school.

Spear described annual and community events — community dinner conversations, neighborhood‑based family events, a spring service‑learning day on May 8 and a schoolwide run club — and a frequent emphasis on social‑emotional skills through a schoolwide program called “bear time” tied to the school’s core values (brave, empathetic, aware, responsible and safe).

Board members asked about turnover, building capacity and the effect of boundary changes. Spear said turnover at Vadnais Heights is not significant and that the building operates with about 18 classroom sections; she said the school has worked creatively with space and staff to meet needs. When a board member asked about the school’s transition after boundary changes, Spear said the impact was minimal.

Spear closed by reminding the board that spring academic and social‑emotional assessments are scheduled in May and by inviting members to upcoming school events.