District News Archive: 2010-2011
June 2011
Edina High School’s Production of Anything Goes Earns Local and National Honor
Edina High School’s Theatre production of Anything Goes has earned local as well as national recognition and has been selected to perform at the June 2011 International Thespian Festival. Out of the 250 high school troupes that will attend the festival, only 8 are chosen to perform on the main stage. The highly praised EHS fall production of Anything Goes got rave reviews and will enjoy the honor of presenting the first main stage show from Minnesota in more than 40 years.
As a show of congratulations for the State of Minnesota, Governor Mark Dayton issued a certificate of commendation for the Edina High School thespians and proclaimed June 17, 2011 as "Edina High School Theater Day."
After attending the 2010 International Thespian Festival, Edina High School Theatre Director Tony Matthes said, “For many years after watching the main stage performances put on by the country’s top performing arts schools and programs, our students would ask me, “why can’t we do that”? Matthes said, “Every year I respond, “We can. Let’s get to work.” This year they did indeed get to work and made it! More
June 11, 2011 Named Doug Johnson Day
Saturday, June 11th was named Doug Johnson Day in Edina. Doug Johnson Day was proclaimed by Edina Mayor, James Hovland, to honor Doug's lifetime commitment to public service in our community. Johnson recently retired as Director of Community Education Services and Community Relations in May after over 30 years with the district.
Anja Beth Swoap Places 19th at Scripps National Spelling Bee
Valley View Middle School eighth-grader, Anja Beth Swoap, attended the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., finishing tied for 19th place. After spelling "calvities" and "mesmerize" correctly, Anja Beth competed in the semifinals, making it through to the sixth round where she stumbled on the word "weltschmerz," mistakingly spelling it as "weldschmerz." Weltschmerz is a German word referring to "mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state."
Swoap qualified for this year's National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "triforium" after 16 rounds of competition at the Seven County Metro Area Regional Spelling Bee. She has also attended the National Spelling Bee for the last two previous years, placing 20th at last year’s Bee. Earlier in May, an ESPN crew filmed Swoap at Valley View and around Edina for a feature profile that aired during the national broadcast.
More (Patch.com)
Edina Art Students Getting their "Foot in the Fair"
| In a new partnership called Foot in the Fair, Edina Art Fair is promoting the appreciation of youth and the arts by showcasing original works from Edina Public School students in 1st through 12th grade. 115 total pieces were submitted from Edina art students, and after each piece was juried by the Art Fair committee, 62 pieces were selected to be displayed at this weekend's fair. Of the works selected, 25 pieces are high school student work, 6 pieces from middle school students, and 31 hailing from elementary school students. |  |
| Ribbons will be awarded to a student from each school. Work will be on display this weekend, June 3rd - 5th at the Edina Art Fair. (Artwork by EHS Senior, Alex Winocur) | |
May 2011
Edina Honors 33 Retirees
The Edina School Board recently recognized this year's thirty-three retirees for their years of dedication and service to Edina Public Schools. A luncheon was held at Edina Country Club for the retirees and their guests in order to honor them and their career. View retiree bios and event photos.
School Board Approves Proposed Budget Adjustments for 2011-12
The administration presented their recommended four-tier list of budget adjustments for the 2011-12 budget to the School Board at the May 16 board meeting. The four tiers identify Budget Reduction, Reallocation and Revenue Generation (BRRRG) items totaling over $3 million. Superintendent Ric Dressen shared the recommended BRRRG items to address the projected funding gap between available revenues and expenditures. This is the fourth year in the last five that the District has had to make budget adjustments to ensure a balanced budget.
The School Board approved moving forward with tiers I, II and III of the adjustments plan as recommended by Superintendent Dressen. These adjustments include increased fees, reduction in budget line-items, reductions in staff, the elimination of elementary Spanish, and the increase of class sizes in select middle and high school classes. The administration also identified areas of further BRRRG study for the 2012-13 budget. The approved budget adjustments with allow the administration to prepare the budget for School Board approval at their June 20th meeting.
The administration continues to monitor several variables as they move forward with the budget approval process, including the 2011 legislative session and projected student enrollment for the upcoming year.
The details of the 2011-12 Budget Reduction, Reallocation and Revenue Generation tiers and the specific areas of reduction can be found here.
April 2011
Edina Public Schools Selected by Google as International Winner in
'Gone Google' Story Contest
Edina Public Schools have “Gone Google.” There’s a billboard near the intersection of Interstate 494 and Portland Avenue in Richfield, Minn., that proves it.
The billboard, which went up on March 28, simply states, “Edina Public Schools have gone Google.” This was the search engine’s way of announcing that the school district was selected as one of 10 global winners in its “Gone Google” story contest.
The contest was open to users of Google Apps, a suite of web-based applications that allow individuals the ability to access, collaborate and share information anytime, anywhere. Contest entrants were asked to explain how their organization uses Google Apps and why they should be featured in the “Gone Google” ad campaign, which included free publicity on a billboard.
Molly Schroeder, Edina Public Schools Technology Integration Specialist, is a Google certified teacher, Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer, and worked on the launch of Google Apps in the school district at the beginning of the school year. “When I saw the blog post calling for entries to share our story about how Google Apps has changed the way that we approach learning, I thought we really had a great story to share,” said Schroeder. “Google Apps for Education has transformed the way we are able to help students and staff engage in learning.”
This year, Edina Public Schools staff and students have been using Google Docs, Google Sites, Picasa, Blogger, and Google Maps to work efficiently and collaboratively. Now teachers are better equipped to stay relevant in the evolving world of technology and provide tools that allow students to work in the 21st Century.
Some other examples of how Edina Public Schools are using Google Apps for Education:
- With Google Apps for Education, teachers and students are able to create, collaborate and publish using cloud-based tools
- Teachers use Google Sites as their classroom web pages, and students create Google Sites for research projects, group presentations or as an ePortfolio.
- Teachers use Google Docs to have parents sign up for conferences and volunteer opportunities, while students use Docs to collaborate on group projects, turn in work digitally and publish their work to the web.
“Google Apps for Education gives the staff and students free tools and resources, and provides opportunities for students to engage in a global society,” said Schroeder. “Any other software or technology solution that would provide each student with 7GB of digital storage space and collaboration tools like these would cost thousands of dollars.”
Technology is always changing and Edina Public Schools knows the key to student learning is great teaching. We try to provide our teachers with the tools and resources so they can be relevant to the students in the classroom. Google Apps for Education is helping make this happen by allowing students and staff to change how students learn.
From the Official Google Enterprise Blog, here is the list of 10 winners of the “Gone Google” story contest and where they are located:
- 3Tailer (Online Retail) - Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
- Boise State University (Education) - Boise, Idaho, USA
- Boxx Group (Construction) - Antwerp, Belgium
- Edina Public Schools (Education) - Edina, Minnesota, USA
- ESSEC Business School (Education) - Cergy-Pontoise, France
- Just Salad (Restaurants) - New York, New York, USA
- Monash University (Education) - Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Oakwood Junior School (Education) - Southampton, Hampshire, UK
- The Phoenix of New Orleans (Non-Profit) - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
- South Carolina REALTORS® (Real Estate / Non-Profit) - Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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Open enrollment closed at Concord Elementary and South View Middle Schools for 2011 – 12
The Edina School Board has closed open enrollment for the 2011 – 12 school year at Concord Elementary and South View Middle Schools. This action was in response to projections that suggest both schools will reach their capacity.
School Board Chair Randy Meyer noted the Board and administration will closely monitor enrollments at the other schools and will respond as needed.
Edina High School student receives Siemens award for Advanced Placement performance
Edina High School junior Xue Zhang was selected by the Siemens Foundation and the College Board for her exceptional test scores in Advanced Placement math and science.
The Siemens Awards for Advanced Placement are given out annually, recognizing one male and one female in all 50 states. Students with the greatest number of scores of 5 on eight AP math and science exams in each state receive the award.
Bill Hicks, an Edina High School guidance counselor, said Zhang is clearly one of the top students in the junior class. "She is a phenomenal student, extremely bright and a wonderful kid. She is above and beyond the normal curriculum."
Zhang will receive a $2,000 college scholarship.
‘Soap 4 Hope’ benefit at Highlands Elementary garners local media attention
Highlands Elementary students collected thousands of bars of soap to send to Haiti to help combat a cholera epidemic. The “Soap 4 Hope” service project was highlighted by the Edina Patch, Star Tribune, KSTP, FOX 9 News and the Edina Sun Current.
Nonresident enrollment closed for the year
Due to capacity issues, Edina Public Schools has closed nonresident enrollment at nearly all of its schools until June 30, 2011. The school board approved this decision at the Nov. 8 board meeting. Edina Public Schools reached enrollment capacity as defined by the Minnesota Department of Education and the District. Currently 252 students are on the nonresident waiting list.
If you would like more information, please contact Mary Manderfeld.
‘Kids Voting’ election results are in
Edina students of all ages showed up in numbers--1455 to be exact--to the polls. The kids have spoken and have chosen Tom Emmer as their governor, Geoff Michel as their state senator, and Keith Downey and Pat Mazorol as their state reps. To see more election results, click here.
2009-2010 student assessment report reveals overall strong student performance and some areas for growth
Edina’s testing results were revealed in an assessment report prepared by Edina’s Research and Evaluation Director Chad Schmidt. Students’ performance on the math and reading MCA-II (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment) ranked at or near the top of the state. Additionally, 98% of ninth-graders passed the GRAD Writing assessment. Student performance on the science test was lower than math and reading, but still near the top performing districts in the state, with 66.6% of students proficient. Edina’s composite average on the ACT was 26.2 – 5.2 points higher than the national average and 3.3 points higher than the state average. A record-breaking 2,181 students took AP (Advanced Placement) exams, and of those, 83% received a mark of 3 or higher on a five-point scale. Despite overall strong student performance, Edina Public Schools was determined not to be making AYP (adequate yearly progress) as part of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Edina has a plan in place for addressing areas of need relative to AYP, while maintaining a focus on accelerating the learning of all Edina students.
Statewide test results confirm Edina remains among highest academic performers
The statewide testing scores are in, and Edina Public Schools continues to be among Minnesota’s very best districts when it comes to student performance. The results of the 2009-2010 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment-II show that Edina students continue to perform nearly 20 percent above Minnesota proficiency rates. As a whole, the District’s proficiency rate in math increased by approximately 1 percent, up to 86.89 percent, while the reading proficiency rate fell ever so slightly, from 90.43 to 90.28 percent. The results were released in early July. More