OCT. 15, 2014 
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 10

CLASSROOM SNAPSHOT |
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RIC'S REFLECTIONS

CHALK TALK SHOWS HIGHLANDS' COMMITMENT TO

A BULLY-FREE ENVIRONMENT

 

Students at Highlands Elementary took their bullying prevention commitment to the streets -- well, the sidewalks anyway. They recently decorated the walkways around their school with positive, supportive words and anti-bullying sentiments as a reminder to everyone that Highlands students want their school to be a supportive, accepting and happy place for all.

EPS HEADLINESEPSHeadlines
The latest stories about what's happening in our schools

COUNTRYSIDE ELEMENTARY GETS A TASTE OF HEALTHY EATING

Parents Heather Lund, Sara Aubitz and Lindsay Sorem encourage healthy eating with students at Countryside Elementary by taste testing a delicious sweet potato salad made from sweet potatoes, raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon.

DEFINING SCHOOL IDENTITY DRIVES
BULLY PREVENTION EFFORTS
Building relationships and learning how to stand up for one another helps middle schoolers work toward creating a bully-free environment. Read more.

Continued Reflection on the Power of Partnership

 

As I have mentioned often before, Edina Public Schools has long placed a high value on the power of partnership to advance our mission - partnerships with families and community, community partners, business partnerships, and partnerships with other educational organizations. Our Next Generation of Edina Public Schools Strategic Plan also recognizes the benefit of partnership, including it as one of the core strategies of the plan. Our commitment to reaching beyond our borders, in particular with other educational organizations, is central to retaining and advancing our district's core excellence and ensuring all learners have the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing, global society.


 
We continue to partner with neighboring and local school districts in various ways, including

curriculum writing, staff training and direct educational services. We are fortunate to have strong collaborations with the City of Edina and Edina Chamber of Commerce. These partnerships allow us to maximize resources and set common goals, all in the name of better service to our stakeholders.

 

New Partnerships

But we continue to seek partners beyond Edina and metro area. Over the past year, Edina

Edina and Westside School Boards pause outside South View MS

Public Schools (EPS) has been working to grow our educational partnerships with districts across the country and around the world. We've built connections with Westside School District (Omaha, NE), a district similar to ours in educational excellence and community profile and one that is also seeking innovative way to create more personalized learning experiences for students. In September, the Westside School Board visited to Edina to spend two days training with our Edina School Board. The training and  

discussions looked at common leadership challenges and future cooperative opportunities. In addition, a team of our own EPS teachers recently traveled to Omaha to partner with Westside teachers on strategies to support the districts' commitments to personalized learning.

 

At the end of September, we were honored to host the 21st Century Consortium, a cohort of high achieving suburban school districts from across the U.S. The three days of workshops and sessions included discussions on the latest educational trends, sharing of common educational data, and site visits and tours of our EPS schools. Partnering with consortium members - Westside, New Trier (Chicago, IL), Palo Alto (CA), Highland Park (Dallas, TX), Manhattan Beach (Los Angeles, CA), Eanes (Austin, TX) - provides Edina with the opportunity to benchmark our performance with other nationally recognized, top performing districts. The consortium gathering provided us with great affirmation of our Next Gen strategic work, with the members districts showing strong support for the efforts we are making and our vision. They also offered key insights into how we could advance some of our targeted priorities, including our work around Professional Learning Communities and family engagement, to better meet our strategic goals.

 

As I reflect on recent conversations with our partners and the importance of collaboration in our work, I am reminded of just how strong we are when we work together. In continuing to seek opportunities to learn from and share our own work with others, we are demonstrating the importance and power of partnership to our students, families and staff. This idea of partnership is more than just a strategic plan action item, it is an affirmation of our core "All for All" mission. 

 

~ Ric Dressen, Superintendent

 

 

TEACHER TUESDAY SPOTLIGHTTeacherTuesday 

Shandra Prowell

Vocal Music Teacher

Countryside Elementary

 

Shandra Prowell has had a love of music, in every form, since childhood. Early in life she played instruments, but after switching to vocal music she found her passion. Shandra hopes to ignite the same passion and love of music in her students because she knows how important music is to the human spirit. This is her 16th year of teaching and continues to be committed to igniting a love of music in her students.

  

Read more about Shandra's enthusiasm for her students and how she shares her love of music.


Do you know a teacher or group of teachers who deserve recognition? Send your nominations to
[email protected] to be 
considered for the weekly blog spotlight.

 
STAFF NEWSstaffnews

Insurance open enrollment meetings set


 
The 2015 employee insurance open enrollment period is coming soon. Please watch dates carefully as the insurance website is updated, as there will be both 2014 and 2015 information for some time.  Attend one of the meetings below according to your contract. Visit the Employee Insurance website to learn more or to subscribe to the  insurance calendar. 

 

Schedule of Open Enrollment Meetings

Teachers Only - PEIP

 

Date

Time

Location

Room

Address

Monday, Nov. 3, 2014

3:15 p.m.

EHS

Media Center

6754 Valley View Rd, 55439

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014

7:45 a.m.

Countryside

Staff Lounge

5701 Benton Avenue South, 55436

Friday, Nov. 7, 2014

7:45 a.m.

Cornelia

Room 44

7000 Cornelia Drive, 55435

Monday, Nov. 10, 2014

3 p.m.

South View

Choir Room 252

4725 South View Lane, 55424

 

 

Schedule of Open Enrollment Meetings

Non-Teachers Only - Blue Cross/Blue Shield

 

Date

Time

Location

Room

Address

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014

10:30 a.m.

 

ECC

Demo Kitchen 165

5701 Normandale Road, 55424

Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014

4 p.m.

ECC/Normandale

Auditorium

5701 Normandale Road, 55424

Friday, Nov.14, 2014

8 a.m.

Valley View

Media Center

6750 Valley View Road, 55439

Friday, Nov. 14, 2014

10:30 a.m.

Bus Garage

 

5220 Eden Avenue, 55436

  

Update your email address/contact info in MyView 

Insurance Open Enrollment information coming soon 
TIES logo
Be sure to update your email address in myView by October 27, 2014 as the email address on file will be the one used for your Insurance Open Enrollment forms this fall. Failure to update your email address may result in you not getting your Insurance Open Enrollment information in a timely manner. Click here to access MyView

The EPS Bowling League wants YOU!


 
This is a fun opportunity to bowl on Wednesdays, January 7 through March 25.  We bowl at Southtown Lanes in Bloomington, right off 494 & Penn Ave., from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Our group is made up of current and past employees, spouses and friends. On the last Wednesday, we bowl for dollars and have a banquet. You don't have to be an expert bowler; we're all about fun!

 

Get three friends together and join us. You even get to name your own team! If you can't get enough people for a team, let me know.  There may be others that would also like to bowl and we can create a team. Please contact Karen Roach for more information and a sign-up sheet.

 

SCHOOL BOARD UPDATESchoolBoardUpdate

October School Board Meetings

 

The Board will hold its regular monthly meeting on Monday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. The tentative agenda includes the district's annual enrollment report, the annual financial audit, and a potential 2015 referendum proposal. The final agenda will be posted by Oct. 17. 


 

Previous School Board Meetings 

  • Recaps and videos of past School Board meetings are available online.
UPCOMING EVENTSevents

South View Presents: Little Women

Oct. 23-25, Thurs.-Fri. - 7 p.m., Sat. - 2 p.m. 
South View Auditorium


Come support South View Middle School students as they present their rendition of "Little Women." 
The play, written by Matt Buchanan, is based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott. Showtimes are Oct. 23-24 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets for the fall play can be purchased online
by clicking here.

 

 

Edina Day of Service

Oct. 25, various locations


Each year, in partnership with the Edina Community
Foun
dation's Connecting With Kids program, an Edina Day of Service is held to celebrate and encourage a culture of service in the community. This year Edina
Day of Service will be part of Make a Difference Day, a nationwide program with millions of volunteers working to improve the lives of others! To participate and learn more,
click here
 


 

Second Annual Carnival Concert

Oct. 25, 6 p.m., Fick Auditorium

The Edina High School Varsity Band will be hosting its second annual Carnival Concert! The concert is particularly geared toward families and children 12 years old and younger, to promote the joy of music at home and in our schools. The 6 p.m. carnival features fun and games hosted by EHS band students and will include an "Instrument Petting Zoo" where  kids may view and touch the different band instruments. The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. and features Edina elementary music teachers as guest performers. Tickets are available at the door: $3 for general admission and free for students 12 years old and under. 


 


 

EHS Thespians Present: Little Shop of Horrors

Opening Nov. 6 at Edina PAC

 Tickets are on sale now for "The Little Shop of Horrors," presented by the EHS Thespians. This campy musical is based on the 1960s cult horror film where a nerdy florist's clerk buys and nourishes a Venus fly trap-type plant, which grows big enough to devour everything in its path. Enjoy music in the style of early 1960s rock-and-roll and doo-wop, as well as more traditional Broadway ballads.

 

"Little Shop of Horrors" performances will be at the Edina Performing Arts Center on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 6-8 and Nov. 13-15, at 7 p.m. There will be a matinee performance on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m.

 

Tickets are available at www.edinatheater.org

 

 

DID YOU KNOW?didyouknow

REMINDER: Late Start on Wednesday, Oct. 29

 

Edina Public Schools has a late start scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29. All schools will start two hours later than usual; busses will likewise run two hours later than their normal scheduled time in the morning. Dismissal times and afternoon bus routes will remain as normal.

 

Staff will be utilizing these two hours to enhance their practice and advance the district's Next Generation Strategic Plan.Teachers will be meeting in their collaborative teams to review student data to modify instruction as appropriate to help personalize learning for each student. For more information about the late starts, click here.

 

CES offers enrichment options for late start days 

Edina Community Education Services (CES) invited elementary students to participate in enrichment programs before school on scheduled late start days. CES collaborates with EPS teachers to offer activities that complement what students are learning during the school day.

  • Program (grades K-5): Elementary students can enroll in enrichment programs at their home elementary school for one, two, three or all four of the late start days.
  • Cost: The cost per student for each two-hour time block is $20. To learn more about scholarships for the CES enrichment program, please call 952-848-3952.
  • Registration: Interested families can register for enrichment programs at edina.thatscommunityed.com.

 

Help us keep the 2014-15 school year Hope & Happiness theme alive. 

Contact the communications team at 952.848.3919 or email us at  [email protected] with news, story ideas or photos! 
Missed an issue of The Buzz Click here for archives.
 
 
5701 Normandale Road 
Edina, MN 55424
952.848.3000

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