March 23, 2016 Vol. 1, Issue 11

District Breaks Ground at Vaughan Field

Shakopee  School  Board  members  officially  broke  ground  on  the  Vaughan  Field  renovation  project  on  March  14.  

School Board members, city administrators, district administrators, and individuals from the district’s consulting firm and architectural firm officially broke ground on the construction project at Vaughan Field on Monday, March 14. Temporary fencing will soon be in place around Vaughan Field to contain and secure the site as renovations begin. Much of the work that will be done from now through May will be underground utility work. The above ground work will mostly begin in June with an expected completion date in mid-August. Please note that we will hold a grand opening event for Vaughan Field on

District Receives MDE School Finance Award

Friday, September 9, which will be our first home football game in the new stadium. The grand opening will be an extra special event, as the district recognizes with the absence of Derby Days, this event will allow the entire community to come together to enjoy a carnival-like atmosphere. The event will include things such as live music, food trucks/tents, carnival type games for kids, and more! Additional information will become available in the coming months. You can get the latest updates on the Vaughan Field project by going to the Vaughan Field Construction Website.

Shakopee Public Schools was recently awarded the School Finance Award from the Minnesota Department of Education. This is an award that MDE gives out annually to recognize schools for meeting statutory deadlines for submission of audited fiscal financial data and reporting criteria.

Criteria to be eligible for the award include timely submission of financial data and compliance with Minnesota statutes, presence of select indicators of fiscal health, and accuracy in financial reporting. Kudos to Director of Finance Mike Burlager and his entire staff for this recognition!

 

 

Student Artists Recognized

Three high school students earned awards for their artwork at the 30th Annual Normandale South Suburban Art Conference in early March. Top two photos: Vy Nguyen received the Award of Merit for his piece “Break Free”. This award is given to only five students out of 120 entrants. Bottom left photo: Morgan Purdy received the Award of Achievement for her piece “St. Paul”. This award is given to only 15 students out of 120 entrants. Bottom right photo: Tristen Pink received the Award of Achievement for his piece “Sparks”. This award is given to only 15 students out of 120 entrants.

 

 

Two Tweets Not on … By Dave Orlowsky

Does everything need a grade/score? Are some things so foundational we just need to know, can you do it or not, that’s it! No traditional grade, just “yes or no”, “proficient or not”. Thoughts? Are there things that you are teaching where being proficient is the only option? (279)

Red Oak Teacher Has Two Upcoming Book Events

Red Oak High Potential Coordinator Stan Kusunoki has two upcoming events for his book of teacher poems titled, 180 Days: Reflections and Observations of a Teacher. At 7 p.m. on Monday, April 11, Stan will be

reading with Margaret Hasse, Kathryn Kysar, Roseann Lloyd, Mary Jo Thompson, and hip-hop poet Machega John at the Barnes & Noble in the HarMar Mall in Roseville, to celebrate National Poetry Month. At 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 16, Stan will be signing books at Barnes & Nobel at 3940 Division Street in St. Cloud in conjunction with their “My Favorite Teacher” ceremony—a highlight of their Teacher Appreciation Days. Educators receive a 20% discount on applicable purchases with a Barnes & Nobel Educator Card.

Join Shakopee Staff at the Fraser Walk for Autism

The Jackson Special Education Team has created a team (Shakopee Stars) to fundraise and walk to support autism at the Fraser Walk for Autism. The event is scheduled for 7-10 a.m. on Saturday, April 16 at the Mall of America Rotunda. You can register and donate by going to fraser.org/Events/Fraser-Walk-For-Autism. Registering is free, but please consider donating $10 if you can. Remember to search for and select Shakopee Stars when registering. Contact Megan Henke at Jackson if you have questions.

 

 

CAPS Students Visit Downtown Businesses

CAPS students in the Digital Design program recently took a field trip to downtown Minneapolis. Students were exposed to a variety of careers, skills and workplace environments. The students were able to visit the Fallon Advertising Agency as well as MAKE Visual, a design studio that specializes in the art of storytelling through motion graphics, visual effects, and animation.

 

 

News & Notes

Robotics Team Competes In Illinois

Social Studies Classes at Pearson Learn About Protests

Catching Creativity With The DLC’s

Koenen Continues to Rack Up Awards

The Shakopee Robotics Team competed at the Central Illinois Regional last week at Bradley University in Perioia, Ill. The team was recognized with the 2016 CIR Judges Award. The team looks forward to competing again in three weeks at Mariucci Arena on the campus of the University of Minnestoa.

Social Studies classes at Pearson Sixth Grade Center picketed and held silent protests on Wednesday, March 9 as part of their curriculum.

Shakopee High School senior Taylor Koenen has received a number of awards and recognitions this spring following

the girls’ basketball season. Koenen has already been named the Gatorade Player of the Year for the State of Minnesota as well as the Star Tribune’s Metro Player of the Year. Koenen is also one of five finalists for the prestigious Miss Basketball Award for the state of Minnesota. The winner of that award will be announced on April 8. Koenen plans to attend school and play basketball at the University of North Carolina next year.

Be sure to read the DLC’s latest Catching Creativity. Also be sure to check out the DLC blog for new posts about maximizing use of your MacBook and embedding content into Canvas and Schoolwires pages. Don’t forget to follow the DLC’s on Twitter @shakopeedlc and to use the hashtag #shakoEDU to share your own stories!

 

 

Save the Date!

Calendars can fill up fast! Make sure you put these four important dates on your calendar so you don’t miss out on the fun! The Shakopee Alumni Association will host it’s second annual gala on Friday, April 22 from 5:30 p.m. to midnight at Mystic Lake. The School District will host it’s annual recognition and retiree celebration on Friday, June 3 at Canterbury Park. The grand opening for Vaughan Field will be Friday, September 9. Homecoming and the annual Hall of Fame celebration will be held on Friday, September 30.

 

 

All race profit goes to the Shakopee Physical Education Programs in our Shakopee Schools.

June 4, 2016

Sun Path Elementary

Bring your family and friends for a day of fun, community and exercise.

Register online at www.active.com (search for Celebration of Children)

or visit the race website for additional information.

http://sites.google.com/site/celebrationofchildren5K

Central Family Center Gym April 1, from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm To sign up, contact Kay Palacio at apalacio@shakopee.k12.mn.us or call 952-496-5032 Or go online at www.redcrossblood.org and search by Sponsor Code: CFC Wellness Please bring Photo ID or Donor Card to donate. On the day of the event, you can go to redcrossblood.org/RapidPass before you go to donate blood to answer the questions. This can shorten the amount of time that you actually spend at the donation site. Call with any questions!

Upcoming Events

June 4, 2016 Sun Path Elementary

Bring your family and friends for a day of fun, community and exercise. Register online at www.active.com (search for Celebration of

Children) or visit the race website for additional information: http://bit.ly/1Xa9Smz