Brief: Woodbury's Bailey Elementary Conducts Lockdown Drill

The school sent out a notice about the drill Monday afternoon.

If you saw police activity at Bailey Elementary on Monday, don't be alarmed. It was part of a lockdown drill at the school. Woodbury police and district personnel were on hand for the drill. According to a notice from the school: Today we practiced a full lockdown drill at Bailey. The Woodbury Police Department and district personnel joined us in this drill today. We had several officers who walked around the building during our lockdown to check our doors and familiarize themselves with the layout of our building and watch how we perform our drills. The students and staff did a fantastic job during this drill. The officers who were present commended the students and staff for a job well done! We will have two more lockdown drills this …

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Kris Janisch

2:21 pm on Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Just got a notice that Royal Oaks did the same today. The PD "gave us very positive feedback and had no suggested changes," according to a note from the principal.   more ›

Newtown School Shooting: Resources for Parents via Principal of Woodbury's Bailey Elementary

Candy Hofstad sent out a note to parents Sunday.

In the wake of the shooting at an elementary school in Connecticut, the principal of Bailey Elementary in Woodbury on Sunday sent out the following statement: As you are aware, there was a tragic shooting at a school in Connecticut on Friday, December 14, 2012. Because the incident happened in a school setting this comes of concern to students and their families locally. At Bailey Elementary School, our staff will support all of our students as needed in the days ahead. In addition, we will pay close attention to our security steps/routines as well as review the school wide crisis plan. Although nothing truly prepares us for the tragic event of Sandy Hook Elementary School, the strength of our own school community and our commitment to our…

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Kris Janisch

4:20 pm on Sunday, December 16, 2012

"Additional police presence at our schools."   more ›

Woodbury Firefighters School Students on Safety

As part of Fire Prevention Week, the department was at Bailey Elementary School.

Woodbury firefighters were at Bailey Elementary School on Friday morning to teach children about fire safety. The event was part of the Public Safety Department’s outreach programs for Fire Prevention Week. On Saturday, Oct. 13, the department will host open houses at the city’s four fire stations. People will have an opportunity to meet local firefighters, check out fire trucks, try on gear and spray a fire hose. Officials will also be on hand to train people in hands-only CPR as part of the Take Heart Woodbury campaign. Fox Run Station 9 a.m. to noon Afton Road Station 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Radio Drive Station 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thames Road Station 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.   Like Patch on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our free …

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A New Place to Play for Bailey Elementary in Woodbury

The new $50,000 playground is expected to be ready next week.

A new $50,000 playground at Bailey Elementary in Woodbury is nearly complete. Three years ago the school started raising funds for the playground, which will feature “360 play,” meaning students will be able to move from structure to structure without touching the ground, said Denise Mok, who for the past two years has served as co-chair of the playground committee with Barb Daly. On the old equipment, students often simply camped out, she said. “It became their clubhouse,” Mok said. “We wanted to keep them moving.” The new playground is an addition to the existing play areas at the school, and is geared toward older students, Mok said. Physical education classes will also utilize the new playground in the curriculum, Daly said. Several …

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A Lesson from the Heart in Woodbury

Bailey Elementary fifth-grader, whose brother died from cardiac arrest, teaches her fellow students hands-only CPR.

A Woodbury 10-year-old gave a lifelong, and life-saving, lesson Thursday. Faith Goetzke, a fifth-grader at Bailey Elementary, showed her fellow students how to perform hands-only CPR as part of her Girl Scouts Bronze Award. The lesson was especially poignant for Faith, whose brother Kevin died of cardiac arrest at age 9 while playing tag with his relatives in California about four years ago. Kevin was born with a small hole in his heart, but it closed on its own over time, said Laura Goetzke, who, along with her husband Don, watched Faith’s presentation and helped out with tips for the fifth-graders. Despite that, the event Thursday was fun and lighthearted, with Faith’s students yelling at her to call 911 during a practice session and the…

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Angela's Angle

The Gift of Art Education in Woodbury

The annual District 833 Elementary Art Show open house is tonight, March 20, at the District Service Center.

March is Youth Fine Arts Month in District 833! I still remember my elementary school art class. In a room saturated with mingling scents of paint, clay, glue, marker, colored chalks and drying art. A haven to explore creative forms of expression. A place to receive the gift of art education. The gift keeps giving. Tonight, from 5:30-7 p.m., is the annual District Elementary Art Show open house at the District Service Center in Cottage Grove. I spoke with art teacher Jessica Frisco, who’s pulled together two thousand pieces of student artwork for another show this week: the Fine Arts Exhibit at Bailey Elementary. She says her students are excited to share their artwork, which she’s been busy helping them prepare for display. The kids frame…

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Burning Smell Prompts Evacuation Of Woodbury’s Bailey Elementary

No students were injured in the incident; an HVAC unit apparently overheated.

Bailey Elementary in Woodbury was evacuated Wednesday afternoon after a mechanical problem with a rooftop ventilation unit caused a burning odor in the building. No one was injured. The Woodbury Fire Department got the call at about 12:30 p.m., said Sgt. John Altman with the Woodbury Police Department. Firefighters responded after school officials noticed the smell of something burning in the building, he said. Once the cause of the odor was determined, students were allowed back into the school’s gym. Woodbury Fire Cmdr. John Wallgren said there was some smoke in the building, but firefighters were quickly able to determine the cause. Crews were on scene for about an hour, Altman said. Firefighters did not put any water or chemicals on …

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Snapshot: Woodbury’s Bailey Elementary Raising $50,000 For Playground

The school, now 20 years old, is already halfway to its fundraising total.

Two years ago, Bailey Elementary in Woodbury started raising money for new playground equipment. School officials are hoping to raise $50,000, and already more than $26,000 has been collected, said Barb Daly, a member of the Bailey PTA. This week, the school had Bailey the Bobcat—a carving by art teacher Jessica Frisco—out with a water dish filled with cash donated for the playground. The school is now 20 years old, and officials thought it was a good time for a playground upgrade, Daly said. Much of the equipment will be for older children at the K-5 school. “Things that spin,” she said. The school has three fundraisers set for later this school year, including one during I Love to Read Month (February) and a hanging basket sale to …

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Bailey Elementary Has New Principal

Candace Hofstad will take over for Molly Roeske, who accepted the principal’s job at Lake Middle School last month.

Bailey Elementary has a new principal after the District 833 School Board approved the new hire at Thursday night’s meeting, school officials announced this morning. Candace Hofstad will take over as the Woodbury elementary school’s principal. Hofstad replaces Molly Roeske, who accepted the principal’s job at Lake Middle School last month.  Hofstad was most recently at Valley Crossing Community School, where she served as educational coordinator for the past five years. Prior to that, she worked with Mahtomedi schools for 13 years as a first- and second-grade teacher. “Her personable and dynamic personality along with her passion for students and learning will serve the Bailey School community and the school district well,” Assistant …

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Lake Middle School Has New Principal

Bailey Elementary Principal Molly Roeske will take over at Lake Middle.

Molly Roeske has been named the new Lake Middle School principal, District 833 announced this morning. The announcement comes days after Rick Wippler opted to resign from the post, citing personal reasons. Wippler was named the interim principal after Todd Hochman took a job as an assistant principal at Park High School in Cottage Grove in July. In an email to parents and students, Roeske, the current principal at Bailey Elementary, said she enjoyed her time at the elementary school. “The decision for me to accept this position has not been an easy one—simply because of my sincere admiration for your students, your family and the Bailey staff members,” she wrote. “I have been extremely fortunate to be a member of this school community.” …

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