January 8, 2016 | VOLUME 4 ISSUE 19

SNAPSHOT | HEADLINES | I AM EPS
 
SNAPSHOT: The pressure was on for 12 Valley View students as they participated in the final round of the school's geography bee. All students, grades six through eight, were part of preliminary competitions. The top four from each grade level competed on Wednesday for a chance to take the qualifying test to be among 100 students at the state competition. In the end, seventh grader Arjun Maheshwari, pictured at top, had the best answers of the day and placed first in the Valley View competition.  er  
Headlines
EPS HEADLINES



SECONDARY COURSE PROPOSALS REFLECT DISTRICT'S INITIATIVES
Thirteen new courses have been proposed for secondary students for the 2016-17 school year. The courses range from digital art to personal wellness, advanced levels of several languages to college-level algebra. What they have in common is their alignment to the district's educational competencies and the advancement of personalized learning opportunities.
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VALLEY VIEW TEACHER WILL TWEET STATE OF THE UNION FROM WHITE HOUSE
In all of his trips to Washington D.C. - and there have been at least 10 - Erik Anderson has never been to the White House. Now, the Valley View social studies teacher has a special invitation and a job to do. He will be tweeting the president's State of the Union (SOTU) speech next week live from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, just off the West Wing.
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FACILITIES PROGRESS REPORTS
 

District Office CPT completes first planning phase
A core planning team of 13 representatives from all areas of the district office completed its third and final planning meeting for the Schematic Design phase for the relocation to a portion of the third floor of the Edina Community Center (ECC). Plans call for the second floor area currently housing DO staff, to be renovated to add space for Normandale Elementary. Final schematic designs are slated to go the Board in late January / early February.
 
Similar to the designing of learning spaces at the schools, the DO CPT looked for ways to create flexible, collaborative spaces that will allow cross-functional teams to work together in different sized groups. Criteria included grouping like functions, maximizing natural light, and providing easy way-finding and logical layout for staff and community members, as well as the district's community education program participants who will continue to have classes in areas of the third floor and tenants of the Edina Community Center. The next phase, Design Development, will include discussions with each user group to determine space needs specific to their work. The district office move to the third floor is scheduled to occur during the 2016-17 school year ahead of the planned Normandale construction in spring 2017.

Early Childhood, Middle School schematic design phase paused
Schematic Design, the first phase of facilities planning, has been put on "pause" for the middle schools and early childhood spaces in order to further key programmatic design decisions. These decisions are expected in the next month after which schematic design discussions will resume.
 
Work begins to identify preferred student furniture options
The latest advancement in the district's post-referendum planning includes the procurement of student furniture. In addition to the redesign of learning and activity spaces across the district, the referendum also included new student furniture that can be easily adapted for different learning approaches and instructional strategies. To help identify needs and establish design criteria for student furniture across the district, the district has convened a Student Furniture Task Force (SFTF), comprised of staff and administration.

The team is charged with seeking input of colleagues and students to help select possible options and create a furniture catalog from which individual site teams will be able to review and select furniture options for their buildings. This development of district-wide standards for student furniture will take into account the need for multiple options, alignment with curriculum and instructional approaches, student age and size, etc. The task force as two teams - one focused on furniture options for early education and elementary, the other looking at middle and high school furniture. As part of their research, the SFTF will seek the input of students and colleagues, including opportunities for users to try out different options over the coming weeks. The teams will also be looking at feedback from teachers who piloted different furniture this fall. The SFTF is scheduled to conclude its work in early February, after which site teams will select their preferred options. Delivery and installation of the new furniture will coincide with the building construction timeline.

View progress updates on all teams on the district Construction Updates page. See meeting materials for the different planning teams as well as draft diagrams and plans to date for all facilities projects on the Planning/Design pages.
 
READ MORE HEADLINES!
iameps
I AM EPS
Meet Laurie Holland, Concord Media Specialist 
Laurie Holland remembers when she first became a media specialist at Concord Elementary 15 years ago and the technology challenge of the day was trying to convince everyone to use email. "People were reluctant," she laughed. "When you think of how far we've come in 15 years, it blows your mind!"
 
If you have an idea for someone to feature, email us at [email protected] with the subject: I am EPS Blog. Otweet us using the hashtag #IamEPS with your story and what makes you Edina Public Schools. 
communitynews
COMMUNITY NEWS
REMINDER: Kindergarten Preference Forms due Monday 
Kindergarten preference forms for the district's choice programs are due Monday, Jan. 11 by 6 p.m. You should complete this form if you wish to enroll your kindergartener in French Immersion (Normandale) or Continuous Progress (Countryside and Highlands) for fall 2016. Both programs have limited space and enrollment is determined by lottery. Families will receive notification of placement status on Friday, Jan. 15. Complete the form online at edinaschools.org/k-application

It's tax time!
  • Tax preparation assistance programs are available for income-qualifying households. For information on tax clinic locations, dates and times and what to bring, contact the Edina Resources Center, 952-848-3936.
  • Parents with students in KIDS Club, WISE Guys and SURGE can access a printable tax statement for 2015 by logging into your account and click the Download Tax Information button.
inthenews
EPS IN THE NEWS 

KARE 11 Sunrise: Cornelia 5th grader featured on Kids Who KARE
You first met Silas Bowman, a 5th grader at Cornelia Elementary, in the district's I Am EPS blog. He started a running club for his friends who need extra motivation to get moving. On Tuesday, Silas was featured in the Kids Who KARE segment of the KARE 11 Sunrise show and again on the 4 p.m. news show. If you missed it, click here to see the news clip about Silas and his friends.

Edina Magazine: Nordic ski teams featured Check out the January edition of Edina Magazine for a feature story about the EHS and middle school Nordic ski teams called "Finn-ish Line." Also look for an education feature about district teachers pursuing Global Competency Certificates, and photos from TEDxEdina in the Gallery. 
savethedate
SAVE THE DATE  
Jan. 9: EHS Model United Nations Conference
  • Saturday, Jan. 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., EHS
  • 400+ student delegates from across the state will issues around the refugee crisis in a United Nations format
  • Keynote speaker is Bush fellow, Tea Rozman Clark, executive director and co-founder of Greencard Voices, dedicated to humanizing immigrant/refugee experience through personal testimonies and interviews
  • The EMUNC is the only student-run Model U.N Conference in the state
Jan. 11: School Board Meeting
  • Monday, Jan. 11, 7 p.m., ECC Room 348
  • This will be the board's annual organizational meeting
  • Complete agendas and meeting minutes are available online.
 Jan. 11: PCN Presents Teachable Safety Skills
Jan. 18: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • No school grades K-12
  • No preschool, early ed classes or childcare; no KIDS Club, WISE Guys or SURGE activities
Jan. 21-23: EHS Thespians present Peter & the Starcatcher
  • Thursday-Friday, Jan. 21-23, 7 p.m., EPAC
  • Reserved tickets $12; general admission, $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors
  • Available at the door and online: edinatheater.org
  • Peter and the Starcatcher is a wildly theatrical, hilarious and innovative retelling of how a miserable orphan came to be "the boy who never grew up." Taken from the young adult novel, the story answers questions such as: How did Peter and Hook become enemies? Where did the dust that makes people fly come from? How did Peter get his name?  Who are the Lost Boys?
* The EHS production will be the first high school performance of this play, which was a Broadway favorite. EHS is one of three high schools nationwide asked to pilot this show by Disney Theatrical Productions. Don't miss these premier performances!

Jan. 24: 8th Annual Skate with the Hornets
  • Sunday, Jan. 24, 1-2:30 p.m. at Braemar Arena
  • Bring your skates and cameras -- Hornet Varsity and JV hockey players will sign posters, take pictures and skate with their fans
  • Please bring a non-perishable food item for the VEAP Food Shelf. (Cash donations also accepted.) Click here for more information.
Jan. 25: No School - Teacher Data Day
  • No School K-12
  • No preschool, early ed classes or childcare
  • KIDS Club, WISE Guys and SURGE activities available through Community Education

Jan. 29-30: EHS Thespians present The Jar

  • Friday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m., EPAC
  • Saturday, Jan. 30, 1 p.m., EPAC
  • All tickets are general admission: $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors
  • Available at the door and online:  edinatheater.org
  • This one-act play is the story of Don Lollo, a wealthy landowner, produces such a prodigious olive crop that he orders an immense container for the oil. The jar becomes his proudest possession. Find out what happens when it breaks and his Uncle Dimo comes to fix the jar and seals himself inside in the process.
  • This production will the EHS entry in the MSHSL One-Act Play Competition.
 

 

Contact the communications team at 952.848.3919 or email us at  [email protected] with news, story ideas or photos! 
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5701 Normandale Road 
Edina, MN 55424
952.848.3000