May 15, 2015 
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 35

  


Creek Valley i-Run group promotes healthy exercise 
Students run for fun and wellness Wednesday mornings 
More than 90 Creek Valley students met early Wednesday morning for i-Run, a weekly running group. Wednesday's chilly morning, however, drew a smaller crowd than normal. "We usually have about 150-200 kids every week," said Josh Jansen, a Creek Valley physical education teacher. Jansen runs the group with Anne Thompson, another physical education teacher, with the help of many parent volunteers. Kids eagerly participate in warm-ups before each session's work-out. Wednesday was a longer run, but Jansen said they like to mix it up with obstacle courses or different stations. i-Run is teaching young learners about taking responsibility for their own health and wellness.
Headlines
EPS HEADLINES
The latest stories about what's happening in our schools
 



VALLEY VIEW STUDENT ON-STAGE WITH BROADWAY COMPANY 

You may have seen him in the latest commercial for a local credit union speaking French to his mother, or you may have seen him in the hallways and classrooms at Valley View Middle School. This weekend, however, you will find Henry Constable on stage at the Ordway, performing in Camelot, May 12-17.

READ MORE 

EHS JUNIOR SCORES PERFECT ACT  

Ashley Law, a junior at Edina High School (EHS), has scored a perfect 36 on the ACT test she took on April 18. She joins the ranks of the less than one-tenth of one percent of students nationally who receive a perfect score. Law learned of her perfect score on April 28 as she was preparing to take the 

test again.

READ MORE 




SCHOOLVIEW ENHANCEMENT LIVE; UPDATE CONTACT INFO ON PORTAL
The first of two enhancements to the parent portal rolled out May 13, providing direct access for parents to update contact and health information via their SchoolView login. 

Parents can input changes to family and emergency contact information, phone numbers, addresses and student health information such as provider information and updates to immunization records.


FeePay is another SchoolView enhancement that will rollout this summer. It will provide a one-stop, online location to pay for activities, field trips, school age childcare, community education classes, and more. 


Click here to see a tutorial about how to update family contact information.

MANY MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOLS LEFT OUT OF RANKING BY NATIONAL PUBLICATION

Most of Minnesota's more than 500 high schools are missing from the national ranking of "Best High Schools" by U.S. News & World Report due to an as yet unexplained glitch in the release of the state's Advanced Placement (AP) test scores. Officials at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) are baffled.

 

"[U.S. News] informed us that we had not submitted a signed data sharing agreement that would allow them to use our state's data," said Josh Collins, communications director at MDE, in a message to the state's school districts. "This was perplexing, since the data were AP's and not ours to give. We have never had to sign a data agreement like this in the past, so why it became an issue this year is difficult to understand." READ MORE

 


ONLINE NEWS ARCHIVES
Teachers
TEACHER TUESDAY SPOTLIGHT
Get to know our amazing teaching staff!
Doris Sternberg
Math Teacher, Edina High School

Hometown:  Belle Plaine, Minnesota

 

Education: Doris has a Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics - Teaching and a Master's of Science in Curriculum and Instruction from Minnesota State University, Mankato

 

Experience: Doris has been teaching math in Edina since 2004. Prior to that, she taught at Henry Sibley in Mendota Heights for 14 years. Her first teaching position was in Truman, Minn. where she taught 8th grade math, consumer math, basic programming, computer applications, and 7th grade and kindergarten physical education. She was also the head volleyball coach and assistant basketball coach. EPS asked Doris about how she engages students and piques their interest in learning. 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.
 
StudentVoice

Japanese exchange students stay in touch as pen pals

By Madeline Marker, EHS Junior

Last fall, the Secretary of Japan America Association of Minnesota (JASM), Tom Haeg, brought an opportunity for Edina High School (EHS) students studying Japanese to learn the about the country and the language in a more personal way. Four EHS students and their families hosted Japanese exchange students from Kaisei Gakuen High School in Hokkaido.

 

Senior Kelly Anderson hosted two Japanese exchange students, Aika and Reina. She and Aika continue to stay in touch. "We have conversations in the chat box where we communicate in both English and Japanese, Anderson said. "Sometimes I'll write her simple phrases that I know how to write in Japanese, and other times I use simple English."

 

During their visit, the nine Japanese students shadowed their American hosts or other students studying Japanese so they could experience an American high school. EHS students utilized this time to improve their conversational skills. Lya Meahyen in the Japanese 2 class said that she had a lot of fun practicing her Japanese with a native speaker throughout the school day.

 

In February, after the exchange took place, Japanese 2 students wrote handwritten letters to Kaisei students and then mailed them by postal service. They received replies in March and sent back replies in April. The exchange continued as EHS students received two more letters and now plan to reply and share letters with their pen pals through Google Drive.  

 

The exchange of letters has emphasized communication. However, occasional miscommunication can happen when using a new language. "There have definitely been some miscommunications, unfortunately," said Anderson. "In real life, you can mime things and gesture, but online you just have to rephrase things until the message can get across. Even in person, we were using dictionaries and electronic translators, but for some reason it is more difficult online."

 

Despite these miscommunications, the exchange had a large impact on Anderson as she is planning on visiting Japan this summer and hopes to see Aika during her visit.

 

The success of this year's program has spurred future planning. The Japanese program hopes to create a more interactive platform next year for faster communication using technology. They also want to start correspondence prior to meeting the exchange students in October. The exchange has been beneficial to students in both countries and both schools are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead.

StaffNews
COMMUNITY NEWS

 

2015 Edina Learning Institute will focus on educational competencies 

Registration is open for the 2015 Edina Learning Institute, Aug. 17-20 at Edina High School. In addition to a great lineup of keynote speakers aligned with our Educational Competencies, more than 30 workshops and 75 breakout sessions facilitated by your EPS colleagues have been proposed. Get more information about the speakers, the schedule, compensation and registration at the Edina Learning Institute website.

 

BG5 Options Survey will gather stakeholder input for program planning

You are invited to provide input for future Birth through Grade 5 (BG5) programming. A BG5 program study was begun in 2013 as part of the Next Generation of Edina Public Schools Strategic Plan. 

   

The purpose of this study is to develop a customized learning system that combines innovative choice and quality with accelerated and flexible learning. Using input gathered from teachers, students and parents, as well as research collected from around the world on innovative, 21st century early childhood and elementary programs, a school district Design Team created a set of Options for further consideration by EPS stakeholders.    

 

Click here to learn more and to participate in the BG5 Options Survey.  The survey will remain open for your feedback through Friday, May 22.

 

SchoolBoard
SCHOOL BOARD UPDATE 

School Board Meeting 

May 18  Meeting Preview 

On Monday, May 18, the School Board will meet at 5 p.m. in a closed session to discuss negotiations, followed by a work session during which the School Board will hear reports on the Mental Health & Wellness Study, Guidance and Counseling Study, as well as a construction update. The Board will then hold its regular monthly business meeting at 7 p.m., during which the Board will recognize national champion members of the EHS DECA team.

 

Among the agenda items planned for Monday are discussions around proposals to adopt K-5 writing curriculum materials, as well as updates on the framework that will guide planning for grade 6-8 middle school and grade 9-12 program redesigns. The Board is also expected to act on several recommendations, including authorization to issue building bonds per the recent voter approval of the facilities referendum, 2015-16 instructional class size guidelines, and proposed meal price increases due to changes in federal regulations.

 

Full agendas are available online.  

 

Previous School Board Meetings  

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

Events
UPCOMING EVENTS

Ed Fund Golf and Tennis Classic May 17-18

Have fun while supporting Edina students!

Don't miss out! Sign up now to attend the Kick Off Dinner for the Edina Education Fund Golf & Tennis Classic. Don't play golf or tennis? Don't worry. The dinner is an "all-comers" event where you'll be able to enjoy the company of 300 friends, old and new. The dinner includes a night of food, friendship and fundraising. With a world class silent auction and live auction that include a shorkie puppy, exotic travel destinations, Octane Fitness Zero Runner and more. This night is critical in raising funds to enrich public education right here in Edina. And, if you don't want the fun to end, you can sign up for the golf or tennis events that take place on Monday, May 18.

 

New to the event?
Q: Do I need to play golf or tennis to attend the dinner?
A: No! While golf and tennis are played on Monday, the kick-off dinner on Sunday is open to all and attendance is encouraged.
Q: What should I wear to the dinner?
A: Anything goes. Informal cocktail attire is appropriate.
Q: How is seating assigned?
A: At registration enter a "seat with" request or we will assign seating you to a super fun table if no preference is indicated.

Check the Education Fund website for details and to register.

 

Class of 2015 commencement May 31
About 670 seniors from the Edina High School Class of 2015 will graduate on Sunday, May 31. Commencement ceremonies will be held at 7 p.m. at Mariucci Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Tickets are not required to attend commencement.

 

DidYouKnow
DID YOU KNOW?

Register now for 2015-16 

school age care 

KIDS Club, WISE Guys, Surge offer before and after school fun 

Registration for school age care for the 2015-16 school year opened on May 1. Learn more about each program and check out their calendars. Click here to register online.

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