April 30, 2015 
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 33

  


Family Service Fairs provide community service opportunities 
Concord, Highlands families unite to serve others 
About 500 students and their families turned out for Highlands Elementary's first Family Service Fair on April 23, an opportunity for them to "do good together." The event featured community service projects for soldiers, seniors, homeless people, shelter animals and even bees. Participants wrote peace letters to Iraqi children, decorated lunch bags for Meals on Wheels, and filled a donation truck with clothing, toys and household goods. Concord's fair consisted of a week-long food drive and an evening of service on April 21. They tallied 200 personal hygiene kits for the homeless, 600 sandwiches for the homeless, and 1,400 detergent packets for local shelters, among many other projects and donations. Click here to see more photos from the Highlands fair.
Headlines
EPS HEADLINES
The latest stories about what's happening in our schools

Students serve schools and community with time, talent 

End of year brings recognition for student volunteers 






EDINA CONTINUES TO BE AMONG NATION'S MOST CHALLENGING HIGH SCHOOLS

Edina High School (EHS) continues to be among the top performing high schools in the nation according to The Washington Post's annual list of America's Most Challenging High Schools. This year, Edina ranked fifth in Minnesota and 277th in the U.S., which places EHS in the top 14 percent of more than 2,300 public and private schools in the nation. Each year, education columnist Jay Mathews of The Washington Post uses an index system to determine the list of the most challenging high schools. 

READ MORE 
STUDENTS SHARE EXPERIENCES, LEARNINGS FROM CIVIL RIGHTS TOUR 

"Life changing" is how Faith Bichanga described the Civil Rights Research Tour (CRRT) that she and four other Edina High School (EHS) students participated in over spring break. In 10 days, the group travelled thousands of miles across southern states visiting historic civil rights locations, meeting top elected officials in several cities, touring historically black colleges, and learning about the history of black people in the United States - learning about history that is often "below the line" and not necessarily covered in traditional history texts.

READ MORE 

NEW SCHOOLVIEW FEATURES ADD EASE OF USE FOR PARENTS

Life is about to get a little easier for busy parents. Two enhancements to the district's SchoolView parent portal will create a one-stop spot where families can accomplish more of their routine school business. The first enhancement will roll-out on May 13 and allow parents access to update their family's contact and health information via their SchoolView login. This feature is designed to reduce the amount of paper forms used throughout the district and to help keep important information current throughout the school year.

READ MORE   



ONLINE NEWS ARCHIVES
Referendum
FACILITIES REFERENDUM UPDATE
Updates on the May 5 Bond Referendum
 
 

STAFF: Understand your role during referendum election - check staff FAQs 

Read more and link to staff FAQs under Staff News. 


New FAQs posted
We continue to get new questions about the referendum each week. Here are the latest additions to the online FAQ list. Click on the questions below to see answers:
Find the answers to many other FAQs, plus information about the facilities plan, learning spaces, ballot information, polling locations, tax impact and more on the district website.

 

Extended hours for absentee voting include Saturday, May 2  Voters wishing to cast their ballots before May 5 will have added opportunities to do so. Edina City Hall will offer extended absentee voting hours on Saturday, May 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be an extra half-hour on Monday, May 4, when absentee voting is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please note that there is no absentee voting on election day, May 5. Voters who have not cast a ballot should go to their polling location that day. Learn more at www.edinaschools.org/absenteevoting

Get ready to vote Tuesday, May 5 

Wondering where to vote on May 5? - The election is less than two weeks away! Find out your polling location, including maps and directions to the site, at pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/ 

Teachers
TEACHER TUESDAY SPOTLIGHT
Get to know our amazing teaching staff!
Caroline White
2nd Grade Teacher, Normandale Elementary School 

Hometown:  Toulon, in the south of France

 

Education: Master of Business Law from the University of Aix en Provence, France; Master of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire; Master of Arts in Instruction (teaching French K-12) from the University of Saint Mary in Minneapolis; an additional K-6 license from Hamline University.

 

Experience:  Caroline is in her second year teaching 2nd grade at Normandale French Immersion School. She previously taught for 8 years at the International School of Minnesota in Eden Prairie and taught in language schools for more than a decade.

Find out how Caroline encourages creativity in her young students. 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.
 
INTHENEWS
EPS IN THE NEWS

TONIGHT: District bus driver makes appearance on Family Feud  

30 years after missed opportunity, Barb Aslesen finally 'buzzes in'
Barb Aslesen, a district bus driver for six year, along with two sons, her daughter and daughter-in-law will appear tonight and tomorrow night (April 30 and May 1) on the Family Feud game show. She can't say how they did in the game, only that they had "a riot" during the taping. Read more about Asleson's experience and tune in tonight at 6 p.m. on "The CW" Channel 23.

FOX 9 News highlights A Better Chance program at EHS  

High school senior featured

In a FOX 9 news feature, Elizabeth Bueno, an EHS senior, talks about the difference between going to school in a rough neighborhood on the south side of Chicago and going to school in Edina. She is one of several students attending EHS through the sponsorship of A Better Chance organization, which brings high potential, motivated students to schools where they can achieve their educational goals. View the FOX 9 news story here.  

StaffNews
STAFF NEWS
Important EPS employee news

Staff Milestones

To submit an entry for Staff Milestones, please include staff name, job title/type, employment location and major life event/announcement information to [email protected].

  • Condolences to Chris Hanson, Family Center operations manager, on the recent passing of her mother.
  • Congratulations to Tara Mumm, grade 3 teacher at Concord, on the recent birth of her daughter, Evelyn Elizabeth.
  • Congratulations to Zhuo Wang, Chinese teacher at Valley View and South View Middle Schools, on the recent birth of her son, Jason.
STAFF: FAQs will help to understand your role during referendum election May 5
We have prepared an FAQ to help you understand your role as a district staff member during this referendum election. A good general rule to remember is - if you are acting in the capacity of a district staff member, you should not be advocating for or against the bond referendum. There are 15 frequently asked questions that more clearly describe your role and scenarios you may encounter. Clear here to READ MORE.

New insurance plan documents available

Detailed Summaries of Benefits for PEIP medical insurance and Certificates of Coverage for LTD insurance are now available on the district insurance website.

 

 

Time to spring clean your Moodle!

'Weed the garden' by June 1 to be ready for new features 

This summer, our Moodle server will be upgraded to version 2.7. Here is a link that showcases the new features. In order to prepare for the upgrade, we would like to weed out any courses that are no longer needed. Please look through the courses where you are still listed as the instructor and paste the titles of any you are no longer using in this form. NOTE: If there are multiple teachers in the course, please be sure that ALL are in agreement that the course can be deleted!

In addition, Turnitin assignments created in the Assignment 2.2 format will not upgrade to version 2.7. These assignments will need to be recreated in the new version of Moodle. If you have any courses that use Turnitin assignments, please include those on the form.

The plan is to "weed the garden," between now and June 1. The Moodle server will be upgraded on June 2 and 3, and you will have access to it again on June 4. If you have questions, please contact Mike Walker.

 

SchoolBoard
SCHOOL BOARD UPDATE 

School Board Meeting 

May 5 Work Session Preview

The School Board will hold a special meeting/work session at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 4, in the Community Room at Edina High School. Following a closed session to discuss a personnel matter, the Board will hear updates and discuss work of the Birth to Grade 5 Study Implementation Team, a facilities referendum update, and 2015-16 and 2016-17 leadership plans for implementation of the district's Next Generation of Edina Public Schools Strategic Plan.

 

Full agendas are available online.  

 

Previous School Board Meetings  

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

 

Events
UPCOMING EVENTS

Current Jam presents pop songs and tradition

April 29 - May 2 at Fick Auditorium

It's part show choir, part tradition, and all fun - you don't want to miss the 2015 Edina High School Current Jam concerts. This year's concerts will be April 29 through May 2 at Fick Auditorium at EHS. Show time is 7 p.m. each evening, with a 1 p.m. matinee on Saturday, May 2. Begun in 1973, Current Jam has become a tradition of more than 40 years that is a showcase of individual and ensemble student talent as they perform popular music, many of which include choreography and back-up bands.

 

This year's playlist includes: Uptown Funk, Under the Boardwalk, Footloose, On Top of the World, with solo and small ensembles forming selections including Hello My Old Heart, Fine By Me, and Radioactive. While the list is lengthy and includes pop songs old and new, some things never change. The senior video will play to Times of Our Lives and Everyday will be the closing number, as it has been since it was first used in Current Jam in 1982.

 

Tickets are $15 for reserved seating; $8 for general admission. All seats for the May 2 matinee are general admission seating only. Click here for more information and to order tickets. 

 

'Synch or Swim' to make waves May 11

Edina Synchronized Swimming Team presents exhibition

The Edina Synchronized Swimming Team will present "Synch or Swim," an entertaining exhibition of their 2015 synchronized swimming routines.  The show will be Monday, May 11th at 6:30, at the Art Downey Aquatic Center, South View Middle School, 4725 South View Lane, Edina.  Tickets are available at the door for $5.00. 

DidYouKnow
DID YOU KNOW?

Multicultural Dates to Note

As part of our efforts to increase the awareness of the changing demographics of our Edina Public Schools community, The Weekly Buzz will periodically include a listing of some upcoming multicultural and religious holidays and events. For background on many of the multicultural events noted, click here. 

 

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Better Hearing and Speech Month and National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.

  • May 1: Dia del Trabajo (Labor Day in Mexico)
  • May 3-10: National Music Week
  • May 3-9: Be Kind to Animals Week
  • May 3: World Press Freedom Day
  • May 4-8: School Nutrition Employee Week
  • May 4: Horace Mann's Birthday (Father of American free public school system)
  • May 5: Cinco de Mayo
  • May 5: National Teacher Day
  • May 6: National School Nurse Day
  • May 8: VE Day
  • May 8: World Red Cross Day
  • May 10-16: Food Allergy Awareness Week
  • May 10: Mother's Day
  • May 11-17: National Children's Book Week
  • May 14: Ascension (Catholic)
  • May 16: Armed Forces Day
  • May 17-23: National Educational Bosses' Week
  • May 17: Anniversary of School Desegregation Ruling
  • May 18: Victoria Day (Canada)
  • May 20-21: Lindbergh Flight Anniversary
  • May 23-25: Shavuot (Jewish Festival of Weeks)
  • May 23: Declaration of the Bab (Bah�'�)
  • May 24: Pentecost (Christian)
  • May 25: Memorial Day
  • May 29: Ascension of the Bah�'u'll�h (Bah�'�)
  • May 31: World No Tobacco Day

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 Weekly Buzz? Click here for archives.
 
 
5701 Normandale Road 
Edina, MN 55424
952.848.3000