District's youngest learn to accomplish tasks with robots

At its meeting Monday, the Rice Lake Board of Education heard a presentation by Brittany Ahlberg and Erin Johnson who shared that 1,091 students in Grades K-5 were introduced to robotics this school year through a grant funded by the Education Foundation of Rice Lake.

Ahlberg is the district’s advanced learning coordinator, and Johnson is the technology, integration and communication specialist. They said the VEX Robotics program required engagement, team work and problem-solving.

“We were able to purchase quite a few more robots,” Ahlberg said. “Our goal was to enhance the curriculum being taught in the different grade levels in a different way or perspective and gain consistency throughout the levels.”

Johnson said, “Our goal was to get into all of the K-5 classrooms.”

They said kindergarten students learned how robots moved and how to code them to get the right answer to an addition problem. First-graders transitioned into coding cards, while second-graders used their chrome books to program the robots. Third-graders were given several different hands-on stations to choose from. Fourth-graders integrated robotics into their science curriculum, learning to code and decode, and fifth-graders, who study the solar system, took part in a Mars Rover Challenge using robots to collect and sort rock samples.

Johnson said both students and teachers were asked to fill out surveys to give them insight as they continue to create ideas to incorporate robotics into the various content areas. She said they would like to come up with a way to use robotics in music and art in the future.

In other business, the School Board:

• Voted to move their regular board meeting time up an hour, starting with the board’s next meeting. Because of Memorial Day on Monday, May 27, the school board will meet Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. Future board meetings will continue on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 6 p.m.

• Accepted the resignations of Haugen Elementary School cook service cook Kim Arnevik; library media aide Mary Huset; instrumental music teacher Jake Arnold, and sixth-grade teacher Sadie Gunnink, all at the middle school; social worker Joshua Morey; and Warrior Room supervisor Diana Royal and JV2 girls basketball coach Sierra Thomfohrda at the high school.

• Approved the employment of Chad Preble, senior accountant at the Administration Office; Tammy Baxter, Tainter Elementary School custodian; Janette Foncerrada, noon/playground/classroom aide at Hilltop Elementary School; Andrew Kallio, assistant tennis coach at the MS; and Logan Seymour, English/social studies teacher for the high school’s WOW program.

• Authorized teacher contracts and support staff pay rates for the 2024-25 school year.

• Approved a Pupil Nondiscrimination Self-Assessment update, which is required every five years by the state Department of Public Instruction that is posted on the district’s website.