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Board approves Northstar Academy SIP; trustees praise mental-health check-ins and MIT partnership
Summary
Northstar principal Aaron Kaos presented a site improvement plan emphasizing restorative practices, weekly mental-health check-ins, enrichment funded by the parent club and new MIT partnerships; trustees raised questions about small-sample data and instructional strategies and voted to approve the SIP.
Aaron Kaos, principal of Northstar Academy, presented the school's Site Improvement Plan (SIP) highlighting high attendance and low suspension rates, a revived house system to build belonging, a weekly mental-health "zone to grow" check-in routed to counselors, enrichment programs funded by the parent club and an eighth-grade capstone. Kaos described partnerships with MIT to offer post-day enrichment art and music classes and emphasized professional development with Dr. Cash to strengthen instructional strategies and assessment feedback cycles.
Trustees welcomed the MIT collaboration and questioned data interpretation when subgroup sizes are small. Trustee David and others asked how Northstar would boost engagement and address uneven growth, especially in math. One trustee recommended a future study session on pedagogy for gifted education and debated compaction versus acceleration in advanced programs.
The board moved and approved the Northstar SIP after discussion. Staff said the MTSS TOSA role at Northstar that supports multilingual learners will continue with supplemental concentration funding.
What happens next: The district will implement the approved SIP actions and monitor progress; trustees requested follow-up on assessment and engagement outcomes.
