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Dec. 5, 2014 
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 16

SCHOOL WAS OUT BUT LEARNING WAS ON

Thanksgiving Break was time for creativity and learning
 

Learning is always in action in Edina Public Schools, even when regular classes are not in session. This was evident last week as students opted for creative learning opportunities during the Thanksgiving break. With classes ranging from Red Cross babysitter training, where students learned how to perform basic first aid and CPR, to Spy Science, in which students learned the science behind their favorite spy stories, new learning experiences could be found throughout the Edina Community Center. 
Click here to see photos of the different classes held last week. To learn more about learning opportunities outside the school day, brom birth through age 85 and beyond, check out Edina Community Education.

 

EPS HEADLINESHeadlines
The latest stories about what's happening in our schools
Edina Public Schools Named to 5th Annual AP Honor Roll

District recognized for increased participation and excellent performance of AP exams

 

Edina Public Schools has again been named to the 5th Annual Advanced Placement (AP) District Honor Roll. A total of 547 school districts in the U.S. and Canada earned a place on this prestigious list. Edina is one of 10 Minnesota school districts on the Honor Roll. This is the third time in five years EPS has been on the list.

 

The AP District Honor Roll recognizes efforts to open AP classroom doors to a significantly broader pool of students, while maintaining or improving the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on the final exam.  READ MORE





INTERNATIONAL THESPIAN SOCIETY INDUCTS EHS STUDENTS, CLUB
Thirty-five Edina High School (EHS) students and the EHS Thespian Club were inducted into the International Thespian Society (ITS) for their 2013-14 season. According to ITS, the average student inductee has completed more than 100 hours of excellent work in theater arts and related disciplines. 
EHS SPEECH AND DEBATE TEAM EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION

The Edina High School (EHS) speech and debate team has earned national recognition for ranking in the top 10 percent in the country and has earned membership in the National Speech and Debate Association's 100 Club.There are currently more than 100 students in speech and debate at EHS. 

READ MORE


 

FACILITIES UPDATEfacilitiesupdate

Next Generation Community Forum

Dec. 8, 7-8:30 p.m., Edina Community Center, Room 349


You are invited to a community conversation to learn how Edina Public Schools is planning for a redesign of its district facilities to meet the needs of current and future learners. By focusing on learning as the constant, as articulated in its Next Generation of Edina Public School's Strategic Plan, the district is looking at ways to align and create flexible learning spaces that will serve it well into the future.


*This forum will be recorded for playback on the district's website at www.edinaschools.org

 

TEACHER TUESDAY SPOTLIGHTTeacherTuesday 

ELISE SCHMIDT

Art Specialist at Concord Elementary
 

Elise Schmidt can't remember a time when she didn't love art. As a child her mother encouraged her to create with anything and everything, and from that place she grew to love the craft.

 

After graduating from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2011, Schmidt landed a job as a kindergarten paraprofessional at her alma mater - Normandale French Immersion School. The following year, she received the opportunity to pursue her true passion as an art teacher at Concord Elementary. Read more.


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.

 
COMMUNITY NEWScommunitynews
Important News for the EPS Community


 

Edina Give and Go launches new website to close opportunity gap

  Edina is a community that offers many enriching life and learning opportunities in academics, athletics, and the arts. But nearly 10 percent of Edina's 8,400 students struggle with poverty and it is difficult (if not impossible) for them to take part in these opportunities. This has created an opportunity gap in Edina. The mission at Edina Give and Go is to close this gap and offer ALL Edina students the opportunity to GO far in life.


 
Edina Give and Go works with teachers, social workers, and families to recognize the needs of individual students in Edina Public Schools. While keeping the identities of the students confidential, they use their website to tell students' stories and communicate their needs to the community. Visit their new and improved website at edinagiveandgo.org, read the stories of need, and be moved to GIVE so that ALL Edina students can GO.

 

The Spirit Store open until Dec. 27

The Edina Athletic Booster Board has opened The Spirit Store to help with your holiday shopping. It is located inside the Neighborhood Ice Cream Shoppe off of Valley View and Kellogg Road. The store will be open from noon to 5 p.m. every day until Dec. 27 and features sweatshirts, sweatpants, blankets, hats, mittens and scarves, pullovers, flannel pants, T-shirts, stocking stuffers, etc. All proceeds go to the Edina Athletic Booster Cub, which supports all Edina High School athletic teams.

 

VEAP Holiday Toy Program

This holiday season, Edina Public Schools is once again partnering with VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People) to provide toys for parents in low-income families to give to their children. VEAP is preparing to serve up to 5,000 children this year. The goal is to provide every child a $15 gift, a book and two winter wear items, plus a game for every family.

 

You can help by donating new and unwrapped gifts/toys to VEAP's donation box located at the Edina Resource Center, (inside North door #3 of the Edina Community Center, 5701 Normandale Rd.) from Nov. 17-Dec. 11. All donations must be new items. Due to health regulations, VEAP cannot receive or distribute used items. Cash donations are also welcome and can be mailed directly to VEAP at 9600 Aldrich Ave. S., Bloomington 55420.

 

The greatest needs are for toys for ages 0-18, winter wear items (hats/mittens/gloves/scarves), books, $15 gift cards from local retailers (Target, Walmart, Kohl's etc.) and games. Please see VEAP Holiday Toy Store Wish List to learn more. You can contact Lana Davis by email or at 952-848-3921 with any questions about donating or how families can utilize VEAP's services.


 

Take the Vision Edina survey by Dec. 12

The City of Edina has opened up the Vision Edina community engagement session to an online survey! The survey will remain open until Dec. 12. Take the survey and provide your views about the future and your thoughts on a number of key themes that are important to shape the character and future development of the city. Find the report or watch the video and take the survey at www.EdinaMN.gov/Vision

 

 

EPS IN THE NEWSinthenews

District Response to Star Tribune Article About TIES

As a member district of TIES, Edina Public Schools contracts for a variety of technology products and services, as well as trainings for our staff. We do not anticipate any negative financial impact on Edina Public Schools as a result of the recent news about their financial situation. Nonetheless, from what we have heard and read about the situation, the practices highlighted in the audit do not align with our own approach and philosophy of fiscal stewardship. We look forward to TIES improving their financial operations so that they are able to continue to serve its members effectively. Read Star Tribune story.


 

RIC'S REFLECTIONSricsreflections

 

The Impact of Facilities and Physical Environments on Learning

Designing Spaces for Their Future, Not Our Past

 

Edina Public Schools has always done a masterful job of using our available school facilities to compliment student learning. We've successfully repurposed, remodeled, renovated and added to our school facilities since our most recent new school was built in the early 1970s. This has been a team effort involving creative staff, expert construction professionals and a supportive community.

 

As our school district moves forward with implementing our Next Generation of Edina Public Schools Strategic Plan, we know that our facilities and structures are integrated with the programming transformations. As a district we have been studying our facilities for several years, including the recent Facilities Advisory Task Force (FATF), comprised of students, staff, parents, alumni and community members. The work and recommendations of the FATF continues to guide School Board and administrative discussions as we work toward a concept proposal to bring to the community for a vote in May.  

 

Throughout our study of how to improve and update our facilities to ensure they support the learning needs of current and future students, we have heard from a variety of voices on what is needed and desired. As with any remodeling or construction project, there is never enough money to do everything we hope. Yet, we are working to make sure that all of our schools and programs have the opportunity to see improvements to help advance our Next Generation work. We also know that we need to address some basic infrastructure improvements, including safety and security upgrades at our schools and fields.

 

The time is now to align our strategic programming efforts with our spaces, and we will do this through a collaborative approach. In the next few weeks, the Board will identify a basic framework for a facilities improvement proposal, which will then be followed by several months of information sharing, dialogue and engagement. Much of the detail work with the Next Generation spaces will play out following a community vote on the concepts. I look forward to the many staff and community conversations that will occur over the next few months. But even more, I look forward, presuming a successful referendum in May 2015, to the innovative and creative ideas that will be generated by students, staff, families and community members when we enter the design phase next summer and fall. This will be an opportunity to create classrooms and learning spaces that complement the educational needs and demands of our future students, which will require us to build a variety of learning spaces that provide flexibility to adapt to the ever changing needs of learners. Just as we know that a one size fits all approach to learning does not meet the needs of all students, so too do uniform, factory style classrooms not meet the needs of all learning styles and instructional strategies.

 

By including a variety of spaces in our future plans, we will be able to address the needs of direct instruction as well as individual, small and large group learning. These spaces will align with our strategic programming work that include future learning experiences for early childhood, elementary (grades K-5), middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12), in addition to continued learning opportunities for all ages.

 

These next few weeks and months will go by quickly, with increasing detail and information being shared and input opportunities along the way. I appreciate how busy everyone is, especially this time of year, but I encourage all of us to be involved in this important process and stay informed on the proposals coming forward. Our current and future students are counting on us to provide diverse learning environments, both programmatically and structurally,that help all of our learners thrive and achieve.

 

To read more about the district's facilities planning, visit www.edinaschools.org/FacilitiesPlanning.

 

UPCOMING EVENTSevents
Valley View Theater Presents: The Phantom Tollbooth

Dec. 4-6, 7 p.m., EPAC

 

Valley View Middle School students in grades 8-9 will perform "The Phantom Tollbooth" at the Edina Performing Arts Center on Dec. 4-6 at 7 pm. The play follows the life of Milo, who is always bored with everything - until one day a mysterious package arrives. Within the package is a tollbooth that takes Milo to the Land of Wisdom, where he meets the Watchdog, Tock, who protects time from being wasted. Together, the two must rescue Dictionopolis and Digitopolis from the chaos that has descended since the Princesses Sweet Rhyme & Pure Reason were banished to the Land of Ignorance. In the end, Milo learns the true value of time and learning.

 

Tickets are general admission only and are $6 for students and seniors and $8 for adults. Tickets will be sold in the VVMS cafeteria during lunch on December 4 and 5 and through the EPAC box office one hour prior to show time. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

 

South View Theater Presents: 30 Reasons Not to be in a Play

Dec. 11-12 at 7 p.m.; Dec. 13 at 2 p.m., Dragseth Auditorum
South View Middle School students in grades 6 and 7 will stage a play ironically called "30 Reasons Not to be in a Play." The play features a series of  hilarious monologues, duets and ensemble pieces expressing how many non-thespian students feel about performing on stage -- horror. It promises a lot of laughs and perhaps will bring back memories of your own youthful stage experiences.


Tickets are general admission and are $10; $5 for students and seniors. Purchase tickets at edinaschools.org/southview or at the box office one hour before each performance.

   
 

2nd Annual Winter Jubilee Features Music, Drama

Showcase for EHS Performing Arts is Dec. 12-13

Experience the instrumental, choral and dramatic talents of the Edina High School  (EHS) performing arts students at the 2nd Annual Winter Jubilee Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13. The event features performances by the EHS concert band, concert choir, symphony orchestra and thespians, and celebrates the season with music and fun. Proceeds from this year's event will go toward upgrades and improvement of the lighting system in the Fick Auditorium.


 

Performance times are Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. at the EHS Fick Auditorium. Reserve tickets by contacting [email protected]  Last year's event sold out quickly, so don't delay!


 

DID YOU KNOW?didyaknow

Next Gen Educational Competencies Video Now Online

Click here to view video


 
Six educational competencies have been identified by Edina Public Schools as key to the success of Next Generation learners. The teaching of these skills and literacies is embedded in curriculum district-wide. Learn more about what the competencies are and how you can recognize them in action.

 

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 Edina In the Know? Click here for archives.
 
 
5701 Normandale Road 
Edina, MN 55424
952.848.3000

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