School PagesSpring 2015www.bloomingtonschools.info

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Guiding principles shape who we are, what we do

A message from Superintendent Les Fujitake

Superintendent Les Fujitake talks with Osseo North View Junior High Assistant Principal Jamil Payton following a Positive Behavioral and Intervention Systems (PBIS) roundtable event at WashburnElementary School. Also attending were Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius and school leaders from across the state.

Our success is rooted in the guiding principle that all children are exceptional and entitled to an education that prepares them to thrive in a rapidly changing world. It's a daunting challenge, but one our team of

educators and support personnel embrace each day.

We are committed to creating pathways to graduation for all learners to prepare them for the next level of study, to graduate and to enter college or a career with the necessary skills to be successful.

We are invigorated to see that many students reach their full potential in spite of

E living in poverty.

E English not being their primary language.

E experiencing the challenges of mobility.

There is no shortage of other barriers to learning. In order to achieve one of our guiding principles of student success, we continue to innovate and partner to implement a variety of student supports.

Another guiding principle is shaped by the belief that parents, families and our community play a vital role in creating productive members of our society. It is through the ongoing collaborative efforts of all our stakeholders that trust is created and unity is achieved.

Our School Board consistently represents the district’s guiding principles, reflected by their commitment to honoring students, building supportive relationships and shaping policy to ensure every child has an opportunity to pursue their pathways to graduation.

Vision calls forpersonalized plans

Earlier this year, the School Board adopted a refreshed strategic plan

that laid out a new vision “to create Pathways to Graduation for all learners to prepare them for the next level of study, to graduate and to enter college or a career with the necessary skills to be successful.”

A critical piece to achieving the vision is the development of personalized growth plans (PGPs) for all students to prepare them to meet the following milestones:E pre-school readyE ready for kindergartenE reading by third gradeE middle school readyE high school readyE college and career ready

The School Board wasn’t alone in itsthinking. The new World’s Best Workforce legislation requires school systems to plan for students’ successful transition to postsecondary education and employment with personalized learning plans.

Current practices put the district ahead of the curve. The Pathways to Graduation framework, coupled with innovative use of technology in The Hub, allows parents and students to view test scores, track progress over time and chart long-term performance projections, according to Katrina Mezera, project coordinator for the district’s Next Technologies for Learning plan.Work continues on PGP develop-ment by combining the Hub’s current academic data with other criteria for students to consider as they plan for their futures. New elements that will be added to PGPs, such as personality assessments and interest inventories, were among recommendations that came out of the district’s Stakeholder Conversations last fall as well as a Pathways work group that met throughout the school year last year.

Leading this work is Natalie Golberg, a former counselor at Jefferson High School. Golberg said the work group will meet again this spring to pulltogether the recommendations and help further inform the work of creatingPGPs. The goal is to have plans for secondary students in place this fall, and PGPs for pre-K through grade 5 will come later as part of a multi-year plan.

PGPs will be reviewed and revised annually by students, parents and district staff to ensure students are making progress towards their goals and reaching the Pathways to Graduation milestones.

Performing Arts Calendar

April16-18 Valley View Middle School’s “Beauty and the Beast”, 7 p.m.

18 Valley View Middle School’s “Beauty and the Beast,” 2 p.m.

22 Kennedy High School senior preview, “Shrek,” 9 a.m.

23-25 Kennedy High School’s “Shrek,” 7 p.m.

24-25 Jefferson High School choirs Connection Special, 7 p.m.

26 Jefferson High School choirs Connection Special, 3 p.m.

Kennedy High School’s “Shrek,” 2 p.m.

27 Oak Grove Middle School jazz band concert, 7 p.m.

30 Olson Middle School jazz band concert, 7 p.m.

May6 Jefferson High School senior preview “Seussical the Musical,” 4 p.m.

7 Kennedy High School jazz/percussion concert, 7 p.m.

Oak Grove Middle School band concert 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 p.m.

Olson Middle School orchestra concert, 7 p.m.

7-9 Jefferson High School’s “Seussical the Musical,” 7 p.m.

9-10 Jefferson High School’s “Seussical the Musical,” 3 p.m.

8-9 Kennedy High School Con Brio concert, 7 p.m.

12 Oak Grove Middle School orchestra concert, 7 p.m.

14 Oak Grove Middle School choir concert, 6 and 7 p.m.

Olson Middle School band concert, 6:45 and 8 p.m.

Continued on page 4

Graduation Ceremony DatesKennedy and Jefferson high schools’ graduation ceremonies

will be held June 1 at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively, at Mariucci Arena on the east bank of the University

of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus.

Our deep-rooted belief that all children can be successful through effort, high expectations and strong support systems has served us well. I believe, together, we can inspire one another to rise to the challenges before us.

EXTREME SANDBOX

Kennedy industrial technology teacher Kevin Baas and his students visit Extreme Sandbox in Hastings to learn about diesel mechanics and operate heavy machinery. This hands-on, applied learning is one of the career tracts in the new Bloomington Career and College Academy, set to launch this fall. To learn more, visit bit.ly/career-college-academy.

Bloomington Public Schools /School Pages2

Contributors to our future leaders

Bloomington Public Schools thanks its business and community partners for contributing to the district while making education a part of business. A circle of Bloomington friends is recognized in periodic issues of School Pages.

Washburn Center for Children

The Washburn Center for Children’s mission is to help children with social, emotional and behavioral problems. The organization is Minnesota’s leading children’s mental health center and an expert in childhood trauma. Washburn Center for Children’s partnership with the district began five years ago, and continues to serve students from early childhood to middle school.

Intermediate School District 917

Intermediate District 917 provides high quality, specialized programming to its member school districts, particularly in the areas of special education, and career and technical education.

Bloomington Public Schools became a member district in 2009. Programs offered to district students include the fundamental chef, heavy duty truck and auto maintenance, and entertainment gaming.

Friendsof bloomington public schools

Board approves plan to align expenses with revenues

The School Board approved a set of budget reductions and funding shifts totaling $4 million for the 2015-16 school year in the first of a multi-

year process to bring the school system’s spending more in line with revenues.

The approval allows administration to prepare a budget that includes an adjustment to staffing levels and a consolidation or restructuring of administrative and support staff positions. As with other school districts, about 90 percent of annual spending goes to staffing costs. The remaining 10 percent is allocated to essential business functions, including

utilities, insurance, transportation, etc. The district has made adjustments to these business functions and central office operations for the past 10 years in an ongoing effort to have the least impact on the classroom. Unfortunately,

there is now little room for further adjustments in these areas.

The approved adjustment in stu-dent-to-staff ratios is a necessary step to balancing the budget. In many cases, there will be minimal impact at the individual classroom level, according to Rod Zivkovich,

executive director of finance and support services. Although a state class ratio is the basis for allocating

total staffing dollars for a building, that ratio of students is rarely realized in the actual size of the district’s class-rooms.

Compared to most neighboring school districts, Bloomington has the lowest average class sizes, as shown in the graphs below.

Continued declining enrollment and the impact of the state budget deficits over the past decade that has caused the basic funding formula to lag behind inflation are contributing to a need to right size the budget, said Zivkovich.

For more information, or to provide feedback, please visit www.bloomington.k12.mn.us/RSB.

Right Sizing the Budget

The following are 2015 summer programs offered by the district and Bloomington- Richfield Community Services.

k ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS

SLAM (formerly Summer Spectrum): Community Education and Bloomington Art Center program offering fee-based enrich-ment, recreation, music and art classes for pre-K to grade 9 students. Morning and afternoon classes June 15-Aug. 14. Call 952-681-6007.

GRASP: Fee-based reading and math correspondence lessons for students in grades 1-8. Register by April 16. Call 952-681-6125.

Early Camp SAFARI: Early Learners Academy summer program for four- and five-year-olds. Open only to current ELA families. June 9-Aug. 14. Call 952-681-6125.

k SECONDARY PROGRAMS

Operation Adventure: Fee-based trip for students in grades 7-8 to explore geology, social studies, camping and canoeing in Minnesota and Wisconsin state parks and forests. Eighth grade June 15-19, seventh grade June 22-26. Call 952-681-6559.

Summer Musical - Grease: Fee-based performing opportunity. Auditions in May. Rehearsals June 15-Aug. 1. Performances July 29-Aug. 1. Call 952-681-5307.

Staff In Training: On-the-job training program for students in grades 8-12. Four- or eight-week sessions June 15-Aug. 14. Call 952-681-5807.

Drivers Education: Two-week class including 30 hours of classroom training for students ages 15 and older. July 15-30. Call 952-681-6111.

BEACON Alternative Learning Program: Offering high school credit recovery as well as Ninth Grade Academy for Jefferson and Kennedy students. Multiple sessions available. Call 952-681-5058.

Camp SAFARI: Full-day, fee-based child care services for families offering thematic programming and two field trips per week with breakfast and snack daily. For pre-K to grade 6 students. June 9-Aug. 14. Call 952-681-6125.

Super SAFARI: Week-long, fee-based child care services for kindergarten to grade 6 students. Extended field trips, breakfast and snack daily. Aug. 17-21. Call 952-681-6125.

Camp Invention: Fee-based, hands-on science and creativity day camp for students in grades 1-6. June 22-26. Call 1-800-968-4332.

Galaxy Youth Center: Drop-in center offering a variety of youth leadership activities and service learning opportunities for students in grades 6-8. June 15-Aug. 14. Call 952-806-8606.

Youth Enrichment and Private Music Lessons: Variety of enrichment, dance, self-defense programs and voice/instrument lessons. For students pre-K and older, scheduled times once a week from June 15-Aug. 14. Call 952-681-6108.

Summer Musical - Aladdin Jr.: Fee-based performing opportunity for students in grades 3-7. Auditions in May. Rehearsals June 15-July 25. Performances July 23-25. Call 952-681-5307.

Summer School: Four-week, free remedial math and reading program for students in grades 1-6. Eligibility is determined by standardized test scores and teacher rec-ommendation. July 6-31. Call 952-681-6506.

Extended School Year, Special Education: Provided for eligible students with disabilities to maintain skills learned during the school year. Eligibility determined by IEP teams. For early childhood special education students through grade 12. July 6-30. Call 952-806-8950.

Summer programs offer additional learning opportunities

Spring 2015 3

Serving healthy food choices for students

Did you know Bloomington Public Schools serves an average of 42,000 school breakfasts and lunches per week? That’s 1.4 million meals per year!

Parents know how challenging it can be to put a healthy meal on the table at home — and to get kids to eat it. The district’s Food Services team rises to the challenge daily, planning and serving healthy, nutritionally-balanced meals tailored to a wide range of ages in multiple schools.

Updated school nutrition requirements implemented in 2013 brought significant changes to school kitchens across the country. School meals are now required to in-clude smaller portions, use only whole grains and include more fresh fruit and vegetable choices.

While the district follows the new guidelines, it strives to make more healthy foods and beverages available, and to encourage students to make good nutrition choices. The major changes include:

l All grains served are whole grain.

l A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables offered at least three times per week, and two different fruit and vegetable choices offered each day.

l All meals must follow the guidelines for calories, fat and sodium.

l A registered dietitian/ nutrition specialist reviews the menus each month to verify compliance with the guidelines.

l Ala carte items and vending machine options (high school) must also follow USDA smart snack requirements.

Like many districts across the country, Bloomington’s new menu options were not well received by students.

Schools saw a decline in students eating school lunch and more food thrown in the trash. Schools can only receive

School Lunch Program reimburse-ment funds for full meals; there-fore students are required to take all components of a meal.

An abundance of information con-firms the link between healthy eat-ing and good school performance. Yet, many students routinely skip breakfast and eat “junk” food for lunch. A recent, informal survey of Bloomington middle and high school students indicated that few students regularly ate breakfast,

and many did not eat a full meal for lunch most days.

District and school leaders and staff are brainstorming

Referendum 2013 Funding Update

School safety project work continues

Seven school sites — Hillcrest, Indian Mounds, Normandale Hills, Olson, Poplar Bridge, Ridgeview and Valley View elementary, and Olson Middle School — were part of the

first round of school safety and security enhancements last year.

Each site was equipped with an Access Management System (AMS) and related safety measures. Initial infrastructure work is also being completed on all facilities for an upgraded keyless entry and integrated door alarm systems.

The School Safety Plan’s implementation schedule called for the remainder of schools to receive the safety and security enhancements this summer. However, the projects will be spread out over the next two years. The project schedule is based on resource allocation, a limited construction window and coordinating with other district maintenance projects.

Based on these factors and what was learned with the first round of projects, the revised project schedule is as follows:

E Summer 2015: Oak Grove and Westwood elementary schools, Valley View middle and Jefferson and Kennedy high schools. The keyless entry and integrated alarm systems will continue to be developed as well.

E Summer 2016: Pond Family and Welcome Center, Southwood Early Learning Center, Washburn Elementary School and Oak Grove Middle School/ESC. To save on costs, Washburn’s safety enhancements will be part of a comprehensive school maintenance project in 2016, and the OGM/ESC project will be bid as one project, and therefore will also be delayed a year.

E A Visitor Management System that screens and authenticates visitors at each school will be delayed a year with a planned implementation at the start of the 2016-17 school year.

Other school safety and security items approved with the 2013 referendum – video surveillance and two-way radio upgrades — will be delayed a year or two from the original planned rollout.

I LOVE TO READ

Former Hillcrest parent and children's author/illustra-tor Nancy Carlson visited the school in celebration of I Love to Read Month. Carlson spoke with each grade level and read to kindergarten and Early Learners Academy studentsthroughout the day. The visit was made possible by the Hillcrest Community School PTSA in support of the school’s focus on artful learning.

For added convenience, by enrolling in PayPAMS, parents can easily monitor lunch money and food choices for each

student. Each student’s Hub profile includes a link to the lunch and breakfast menu for their school.

ideas for improving the breakfast and lunch programs. Parent and community feedback is welcome. Email Jennifer Hazel, purchasing and finance coordinator, with comments and suggestions at jhazel@isd271.org.

“We want to ensure all our students get a healthy start to their school day, which is why each school serves break-fast, and many at no cost,” said Connie Murray, district Food Production Supervisor. “We have also worked with our transportation department so buses arrive in time for students to eat breakfast before classes start.”

Murray said school lunch is another opportunity for students to receive a healthy, nutritious meal during the school day.

“Good nutrition is one of the building blocks of a good education. Parents can help by encouraging their children to eat breakfast at home or school, and a balanced lunch,” said Murray.

NATIONAL SCHOOL BREAKFAST WEEK

Olson Middle School Principal Jeremy Kuhns was a guest server during National School Breakfast Week. Several schools featured guest servers and other events to celebrate National School Breakfast Week. This year’s theme, “Make the Grade with School Breakfast,” points out the connection between healthy breakfast and good grades, attendance and fewer visits to the nurse’s office.

District-wide Food DriveApril 27 - May 1

The seventh annual District- wide Food Drive is slated to run the week of April 27 -

May 1. Students, families, staff and community members are invited to donate non-perishable food items or cash donations to their respec-tive schools. Contributions can be dropped off at each school’s main office throughout the week of the food drive.

All food and cash donations will be donated to VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People), a Bloomington non-profit agency serving low-income families. For each dollar donated, VEAP can purchase up to seven dollars worth of food through its purchasing power with local food banks. Last year, food and cash donations totaled 60,502 pounds of food. The goal this year is 70,000 pounds.

The School Board’s Youth Leadership Council and Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) Council coordi-nate this annual event, which has collected more than 214,280 pounds since its inception.

The school collecting the most pounds (food and cash combined) earns the coveted We Believe Alliance World Record Food Drive Donation traveling trophy.

Bloomington Public Schools /School Pages4

School Pagesis published by Bloomington Public Schools 1350 W. 106th Street Bloomington, MN 55431-4126www.bloomingtonschools.info

School Pages is printed and delivered by mail to 38,000 Bloomington households at a cost of 16 cents per copy to inform Bloomington residents about their public schools.

Editor: Rick J. Kaufman, APR Executive Director of Community Relations 952.681.6403

Writers: Andrea George, Kate Martin

Copy Reader: Nancy Eidem

Photos: Andrea George

2015 Bloomington School Board

Maureen Bartolotta, ChairRic Oliva, Vice Chair Nelly Korman, ClerkTom Bennett, TreasurerDick Bergstrom, DirectorJim Sorum, Director Dawn Steigauf, Director

Superintendent Les Fujitake, Ex Officio

Points of PrideStudent and Staff Achievements

Hillcrest Community School has been nominated to apply for the honor of National Blue Ribbon School. The National Blue Ribbon designation is among the highest honors given by the U.S. Department of Education to schools making significant progress in closing achievement gaps and those with the best overall performance.

dKennedy and Jefferson high school student athletes signed letters of intent to participate in collegiate athletics on National Signing Day. Students include Kennedy's Nate Eckerson (Augustana College, football); Danielle Prady (University of Wisconsin-River Falls, soccer); Deprience Isenberg (University of Minnesota-Crookston, football) and Jefferson’s Colton Myles (University of Sioux Falls, football).

dJefferson alpine skiers Ryan Murry, Morgan Gasser and Kaari Garnett were state qualifiers this year. Of 88 competitors in both the boys’ and girls’ meets, Murry placed 17th and Gasser 32nd.

dKennedy nordic skiers Tamer Miche- Richter and Alex Larson qualified for the state meet, finishing fifth and 25th respectively out of 159 competitors.

dStudent artists receiving recognition in the 2015 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards (MSAA) competition include Jefferson’s Nicole Jacobson and Kennedy’s Sara Aamot (Gold Key Award); Kennedy’s Travis Jackson, Anne Nelson and Samantha Tarnowski (Silver Key Award); Jefferson’s Jacobson and Rachel Lindo, and Kennedy’s Najaad Dayib, Jonny Artola, Anh Thu Nguyen, Uriel Rodriguez, Abby Trudell and Lia Thomson (honorable mention).

dJefferson Theatre Company’s one act play “The Trojan Women” completed its season with a runner-up finish in sectional competition. In addition to subsection and section honors, it also earned the top award at the Metro West Conference One Act Play Competition.

dHillcrest Community School Principal Paul Schullo is a recipient of the 2015 Minnesota Elementary School Principals’ Association (MESPA) Division Leader-ship Achievement Award. The award honors principals whose leadership and efforts have made noteworthy contributions to their schools. Schullo was recognized by colleagues from across the state during the annual MESPA Institute, a convention of Minnesota’s elementary and middle level principals.

The Jefferson High School Cheer Team placed third at the National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC) at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. The Jaguars earned one of the top two scores in the competition's preliminary round to qualify for the finals.

dOlson Middle School eighth grade violinist Joey Holzman performed as part of the Minnesota Middle Level Honors Orchestra at the Minneapolis Convention Center. The Middle Level Honors Orchestra is comprised of Minnesota’s top string players in grades 7-9.

dJefferson High School’s boys swim and dive team had seven state qualifiers in six events: Noah Becker, Scott Blazanin, Reeve Bowling, Michael Foss, Andy Pfau, Jacob Upton and Jesse Upton.

d

dOak Grove Middle School’s robotics team, the Typhoons, took first place in the Minnesota First Tech Challenge (FTC) State Championships held at Prior Lake High School last month. The finish qualifies the team for the North Super Regional Championships held March 26-28 in Des Moines, Iowa.

dBoth Jefferson’s and Kennedy’s Science Olympiad teams advanced to the Minnesota Science Olympiad competition after placing in the top 10 at the regional level.

dJefferson High School students named finalists in the 60th annual National Merit Scholarship Program are JacksonHaas, Matthew Wales and Kathleen Wang. Each are candidates for a merit scholar-ship award to be offered this spring.

BPS is now on Instagram!

Join the conversation on any of our

social media sites with the hashtag

#WeLoveBPS.

facebook.com/BloomingtonSchools

twitter.com/District271 @District271

instagram.com/district271 @district271

youtube.com/ISD271

I N T H E K N O WEmergency NotificationBlackboard Connect is the district’s parent notification system for communicating emergency, school event and student absent and tardy messages. Here are a few important reminders for parents and guardians:

DThe caller ID number that appears on incoming messages is 952-681-6400.

DParents/guardians are encouraged to answer these calls for important information.

DPress the * (star) button to have the message repeated, or dial 855-473-7529 to access messages that have been sent.

DEnsure ALL contact information is updated. Send changes to your child’s school secretary.

Bloomington Grad RatesThe Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) recently released statewide grad-uation rate data that shows a continued increase in graduation rates across the state, as well as narrowing gaps between student sub-groups. Jefferson High School (91.6 percent) and Kennedy High School (92.3 percent) are both more than 10 points above the statewide average

(81.2 percent) graduation rate. Jefferson saw decreased gaps in graduation rates between white and Hispanic students, while Kennedy saw similar gains in its Hispanic, black and English learner student populations.

Visit bit.ly/18ik61m to read the press release from MDE and bit.ly/17vhcVZ to review statewide data.

Social Media Safety EventThe district’s PTSA Council will host a spring parent academy on Protecting Kids from Drugs and the Internet, from 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28, in the Oak Grove Middle School auditorium, 1300 W. 106th St. Presenters will be Bloomington police detectives Heather Potter and Heather Jensen. The event is free and open only to parents due to the subject matter.

Mark Your Calendar!The Education Foundation of Blooming-ton’s popular Chip In for Schools Golf Classic fundraiser is coming back to Dwan Golf Club on Wednesday, July 29. Proceeds support student scholarships and the Children’s Food for Thought program. For more information, visit educationfoundationofbloomington.org.

Jefferson High School math teacher Jonathan Anderson (above) was one of 123 teachers from across the state nominated for Minnesota Teacher of the Year. The program, now in its 50th year, is the oldest and most prestigious recognition program in Minnesota to honor excellence in education.

May14 Valley View Middle School orchestra concert, 7 p.m.

18 Jefferson High School spring choir concert, 7:30 p.m.

Kennedy High School choir pops concert, 7 p.m.

19 Kennedy High School band concert, 7 p.m.

Valley View Middle School band concert, 6:30 p.m.

21 Jefferson High School spring band concert, 7 p.m.

Kennedy High School Orchestra Masterworks concert, 7 p.m.

Olson Middle School grades 6-7 choir concert, 6:30 p.m.

Olson Middle School grade 8 and Dolce choir concert, 8 p.m.

26 Valley View Middle School grades 6-7 choir concert, 6 p.m.

29-30 Kennedy High School Rhythm in Gold annual choir show, 7 p.m.

Performing Arts Calendar Continued from page 1.