Mahtomedi Public Schools

09/16/2026

The Team Behind the Technology 💻
On National IT Professionals Day, we want to give a big thank you to Mahtomedi’s Tech Department! 💛💙 Our Technology Team provides hardware, software, and networking support to all schools, programs, and the district office.

📚We are grateful for their help every day and especially during back-to-school time!
💡Over the past month, the Tech Team has addressed 907 technology-related support requests. Helping our staff, students, and families get ready for the school year!
📞Tech Support Calls: 236 calls since August 24
💻Infinite Campus Support: 170 requests from families and students between August 17–September 14.
🏫Staff Help Tickets: 501 tickets between August 17–September 14
📸Pictured L-R: Sam Lengyel, Nick Newman, Yvonne Anderson, Nick Fletcher, and Josh Ebner

09/15/2026

“Karen has been an outstanding teacher.”

Mahtomedi Teacher Impact: Academic Excellence💙💛
Karen Goff is a kindergarten teacher at Wildwood Elementary School. Parent messages shared during the 2025-26 school year highlight how Ms. Goff gets to know each child, makes sure humor and fun are part of learning, and helps students and families feel confident during the first year of school.

Mahtomedi parent Ingrid Kinmounth shared, “Karen has been an outstanding teacher to our son, making him feel welcome and seen as he entered Kindergarten! She’s been so supportive every step of the way as parents sending a child to school for the first time. She is always ensuring kids have fun learning, exploring their interests, building friendships and deepening lifelong skills about being good humans!”

Another parent shared, “Transitioning to kindergarten was a challenge for my son. Mrs. Goff was patient, understanding, and comforting. She got to know his strengths, needs, and quirks and pulled out the best in him. He has made tremendous strides and has had the best year thanks to her guidance, support, and humor.”

09/14/2026

Leadership in Action: Band Students Build Skills and Community 💛💙
Student leadership in the Mahtomedi High School band goes beyond the music. Through the Band Leadership Team (BLT) students are building community, mentoring, and developing skills that prepare them for life beyond high school. For eight years, Ms. Laura Goucher, Mahtomedi High School Director of Bands, has been developing the BLT, and the program continues to strengthen each year. Leadership is one of her biggest goals for her students. “It is important for them to develop their leadership skills to prepare themselves for the real world, as we’ve outlined in the Portrait of a Graduate. In addition, the rest of the band really looks to their student leaders, and it gives ownership to the students to really want to make this the best band musically in addition to socially and as a culture,” shared Ms. Goucher.

The student-led team gives students a voice in the band, organizes events outside of school to connect band members, mentors new band members, and even supports middle school band students. The team is led by two presidents who work alongside two presidents-elect giving future leaders an opportunity to learn the role and helping create a seamless transition from year to year.

BLT co-president Devin O’Donnell (Class of 2027) reflected on this leadership opportunity, “Band Leadership Team taught me so much about how to be a good leader. This has impacted me personally by making me confident to share my opinions and voice any concerns I have, while also listening to others' ideas. It's also taught me the value of teamwork because some of what we do wouldn't be possible without every person on the band leadership team.” Fellow co-president, Molly Roettger (Class of 2027) shared this about the culture they hope to build as co-presidents: “As presidents, we have made it our goal to mentor young students and foster friendships among the band members, as well as leaving behind a strong legacy of teaching younger students how to lead and play.”

09/11/2026

Remembering 9/11 🇺🇸
On September 11, we remember and honor the lives lost on September 11, 2001. We also reflect on the heroic efforts of firefighters, police officers, first responders, and others who stepped up and helped others through the tragedy.

09/10/2026

Recognize this little Zephyr pup? 💛💙
🐶Before Piper became one of our Therapy Dogs at Mahtomedi Middle School, she was already a part of the Zephyr community at the 2018 Homecoming Parade! 📸🐾

Zephyr Tradition: Homecoming Parade 💛💙
The Homecoming Parade is such a special time for Zephyrs to connect and celebrate! This year’s Homecoming Parade is on Friday, October 2 at 4:30 pm. 🎉

09/10/2026

Happy First Week of School to Our Preschool Students 💛💙

This week, we welcomed our Mahtomedi Area Preschool (MAP) students to school. It was a busy day meeting their teachers and peers, learning classroom expectations, exploring the classroom, and getting time to play outside! The Mahtomedi Area Preschool program through Mahtomedi Community Education is a proud 4-Star Parent Aware-rated preschool, and according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Office of Early Learning, MAP meets the highest level of criteria when preparing children for kindergarten.

09/10/2026

A Reminder to Lead with Love 💛💙

At our annual staff welcome-back, 2026-27 Mahtomedi Teacher of the Year Julie Conzemius brought students, alumni, staff, and community members together through music. Their three songs beautifully brought to life Ms. Conzemius’ message for the year ahead: lead and measure with love. ❤️

🎥Clips of the Teacher of the Year’s musical performance featuring students, alumni, staff, and community members

09/08/2026

“Gives him a hug on hard days, but pushes him to be his best… the perfect balance and teacher for my child.”

Mahtomedi Teacher Impact: Personal Success 💛💙
Elisabeth Bacon is a fourth-grade teacher at O.H. Anderson Elementary School. Parent messages shared during the 2025-26 school year highlight how Mrs. Bacon gets to know each student, builds their confidence, and motivates them to do their best.

A Mahtomedi parent shared, “Mrs. Bacon has found a way to get my sports-loving boy interested in reading by finding books that interest him, making reading into a competition, continuously challenging him to do more, and holding him accountable when he needs it. She also knows and truly cares about my son… gives him a hug on hard days, but pushes him to be his best… the perfect balance and teacher for my child.”

Mahtomedi parent Meghan Scelfo, shared, “My daughter has loved having Mrs. Bacon as her 4th grade homeroom and math teacher. Mrs. Bacon is always very encouraging, and motivates her students to do their best. Mrs. Bacon finds a way to make the classroom fun every day, while also keeping it calm and orderly to facilitate learning. Cece can be quiet in the classroom, but Mrs. Bacon has helped build her confidence to more actively participate in class. Additionally, Mrs. Bacon was a key driver behind the 20 book reading challenge, which Cece has loved participating in! Finding creative ways to encourage the love of reading among all students is just another reason we are grateful for Mrs. Bacon.”

09/08/2026

09/07/2026

Reading is Better with a Buddy 📚🧸
We love seeing our Wildwood Elementary School students enjoying books with their reading buddies! 💛💙

Media Specialist Ms. Deb Kipp has a new Reading Buddies area where students can read with stuffed animal Beanie Babies. 🧸🐘🐴🦁
💡Reading to a stuffed animal buddy is a great way to build confidence and practice reading skills! ⭐️