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Fall Musical: Grease!
Update Hopkins Public Schools
The community’s guide to the District.
Two Hopkins students named National Merit Semifinalists
October 2015
Hopkins High School’s Royal Productions presents Grease. November 12, 13, 7:00 p.m. November 14, 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. High School Auditorium 2400 Lindbergh Dr, Minnetonka hhstheater.org
com m u ni t y Family Swim Saturdays! Make a splash at the Eisenhower pool! $10 per family/session. Saturdays, Oct. 24-March 19 1:00-3:00 p.m. Eisenhower Community Center 1001 Highway 7, Hopkins HopkinsCommunityEd.org
Young People’s Concert The Hopkins High School orchestras will perform a free concert for kids and families. Wear your pajamas, enjoy activities, an instrument petting zoo, and music. October 27, 5:45-7:00 p.m. Hopkins High School 2400 Lindbergh Dr, Minnetonka
Hopkins Students Show their SMARTS Summer and school-year program has positive impact on students
Hopkins Public Schools is pleased to announce that two Hopkins High School seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists. They are Madeline Nelson and Andrew Zhou. To earn this honor, these students scored in the top 3 percent of all students who took the preliminary SAT in the country last school year. The students are among 16,000 nationwide chosen to compete for the reputable National Merit Scholarship.
Hopkins High School Concert Choir to be featured performer at 2016 North Central Convention
The Hopkins High School Concert Choir has been selected as a featured performer at the NCACDA (North Central American Choral Directors Association) Convention. The choir will perform on Feb. 18, 2016 at the convention in Sioux Falls, S.D. While the Hopkins High School Concert Choir has been a featured performer at many state conventions, this is the first featured performance representing the North Central region.
Eisenhower Elementary was elated. All of the students who participated in the yearlong SMARTS program made gains in the subject of reading — the fifth-grade class by as many as 102 points. SMARTS is an acronym that stands for Students Making Academic Results Toward Success. More importantly, it is a program for students who are testing at or just below grade level. Teachers sometimes refer to these students as on “the bubble,” because just a little push could make a big difference in their education. “What we know is that kids who are behind are often different kinds of learners,” said Lisa Walker, youth program coordinator for Hopkins Public Schools. “SMARTS is a prescriptive intervention that meets the needs of the students.” SMARTS is in all Hopkins elementary schools during the school year, and in three of the elementary schools during the summer. Last year, 331 students were referred to SMARTS by their classroom teachers, which is a requirement for participation. During the school year, teachers focus on math, reading, or a combination of the two. Eisenhower, for example, chose to focus on the subject of reading last year.
Summer SMARTS students donated books to ResourceWest. SMARTS is a targeted service program run through Hopkins Community Education and taught by Hopkins teachers.
of fictional genres ranging from fairy tales to Japanese folklore. At the beginning of the year, they read aloud to students and ask questions about the stories before moving on to a higher level of thinking and questioning.
Expanded opportunities through summer SMARTS During the summer, Hopkins offers an It is our expanded version of the SMARTS program responsibility in a five-week, full-day program that includes a combination of reading, math, and STEM to offer youth (science, technology, engineering, and math) programming that concepts as well as social and emotional skills. Last summer, 315 students were referred into can help kids be this program.
better citizens of Hopkins Public Schools.
Experiential learning SMARTS is an opportunity for students to learn and master concepts using different methods from those taught in the traditional school day. It is experiential, fast-paced, and challenging. In SMARTS, students might learn math through shooting hoops rather than with a pencil and paper. At Eisenhower, students did not just read, they also focused on interpreting what they were reading and provided evidence for their arguments. It sounds intense, but the kids have fun.
“It’s a great place to be after school,” said Pat Johnson, who teaches SMARTS at Eisenhower. “It’s an extension of the school day, but relaxed enough that kids don’t feel the stress. They are engaged and learning. They want to be here.” Johnson’s team teaches third-grade SMARTS with Betty Johnson, also an Eisenhower teacher. The two developed a reading curriculum that focuses on a range
The longer day allows more time for students to build relationships with each other and caring adults. In addition to the academic work, students participate in service-learning projects, go on field trips in their community, and learn about making healthy choices and staying active. Last summer, the students donated books to ResourceWest, walked to the library, visited the Minnesota History Center, and took a tour of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, among other things. “The goal of targeted services is to offer students opportunities that they might not otherwise have,”said Shannon Lund, facilitator of the summer SMARTS program. Caring adults, caring community Every aspect of SMARTS is centered on learning, whether the kids are reading, participating in a group activity, or observing animals at the Como Zoo. Teachers are not held to a specific curriculum, but they administer a pre- and post-test to measure the success of their instruction. see SMARTS inside