IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Can’t get enough of Hopkins Public Schools news? Get daily updates from our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds. If you don’t already follow us, here’s a snapshot of what you’ve missed since the last newsletter. HopkinsPublicSchools
Hopkins270
Hopkins Public Schools ISD 270 1001 Highway 7 Hopkins, MN 55305-4723
The Community’s Guide to the District
May 2021
HopkinsSchools The Community’s Guide to the District
Hopkins Public Schools April 26
The Eisenhower ducks have left the building! On Thursday, April 22 the newly hatched Eisenhower Elementary ducklings and their momma walked from the courtyard down the hallway and out the door to their new home at the pond just outside the school. The ducks return to the Eisenhower courtyard every year and are the subject of a children's book called Ducks in a Row. KARE 11 covered the duck's official walk outside the school, and the story will air on Boyd Huppert's Land of 10,000 Stories. Hopkins Public Schools April 22
Happy Earth Day! Gatewood Elementary celebrated the day in their new greenhouse where teachers and students helped plant a variety of plants.
Hopkins270 April 15
Students at @AliceSmith270 received a visit from some furry friends yesterday. Kindergarten and first grades collaborated to learn about llamas this week just in time to meet four friendly llamas from Carlson's Lovable Llamas.
Hopkins270 April 14
@GlenLake270 educators found a way to increase hands on learning from a distance with Tinker Crate kits! Funded by the @HEF270, the kits included supplies for 24 STEM projects that scholars could do at home with their families! HopkinsDecisionDay2021 Ongoing
Check out what Hopkins High School's Class of 2021 have planned after graduation. Follow along at @HopkinsDecisionDay2021 on Instagram.
Residential Postal Patron ECRWSS
Dr. Nolan Selected as Gatewood Elementary’s Next Principal
Eisenhower scholars enjoy a book inspired by courtyard ducks.
Nolan’s service this year as an interim principal allowed Gatewood to experience his people-centered focus and commitment to Hopkins’ Vision 2031 work.
UPCOMING EVENTS Hopkins High School 2021 Graduation
Peer Mentorship Program Connects Freshmen and Upperclassmen
Congratulations to the Hopkins graduating class of 2021! Graduation will be held at the 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota's Minneapolis campus. This venue was chosen to ensure the health and safety of our scholars and families and will allow grads to invite more guests. Thurs., June 3, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. In-Person Event and Video Live Stream
Explore Outdoor Learning at Gatewood Elementary
GET CONNECTED, STAY CONNECTED
Enroll Your Child for Fall Kindergarten We can't wait to meet the class of 2034! It's time to complete your child's registration for the 2021-22 school year. Register online or contact our enrollment team to schedule an appointment at Enrollment@HopkinsSchools.org. Ongoing Register Your Child Online: HopkinsSchools.org/enroll
Hopkins Partners with Black Men Teach to Enrich Education for All Students
Dr. George Nolan has been named the principal of Gatewood Elementary. Nolan has been serving in the role of interim principal at Gatewood since the fall of 2020, following the retirement of the previous principal.
SHARING STORIES
Kindergarten at Gatewood will be going outdoors next school year! Bring your upcoming kindergartener and explore Gatewood Elementary's outdoor learning program at an interactive open house. Explore a story stroll in our woods, unearth treasures and learn about worms, plant seeds in our greenhouse, and take home a fun treat. Meet our kindergarten staff and learn about the benefits of outdoor learning for your child. Tues., May 25, 5:30-7 p.m. Register Online: Details Coming Soon at HopkinsSchools.org
May 2021
HopkinsSchools.org/update
Crossroad Peer Mentorship Program, started by Hopkins High School junior Dorothea Watson, is striving to bridge the gap between Hopkins ninth graders and the high school community. The program is for incoming freshmen who don’t know any upperclassmen or don't have older siblings and connects them with juniors or seniors who can help them navigate classes, extracurricular activities, and questions about high school. Read the full story online at HopkinsSchools.org
Eisenhower Elementary is currently hosting two interns from Black Men Teach, Mascuud Ali (left) and Zay Manley (right). Both are pictured teaching a math lesson to students.
Scholars engaged with newfound excitement recently when a support paraprofessional who is Somali started at Tanglen Elementary. “The energy in the building of students knowing that we had a new employee that looked like them and they could relate to in a different way was palpable,” Tanglen principal Jim Hebeisen said. Students were excited to see themselves reflected in a staff member, and their response was not insignificant. Data shows that when a student has at least one teacher who shares their race or ethnicity, they are more likely to do better in school. Hopkins has a longstanding partnership with Metropolitan State University, which helps place staff of color into student teaching roles with the hope of retaining them as classroom teachers. The District also recently partnered with a local organization to recruit Black male educators. Black Men Teach recruits, prepares, places, and retains Black male teachers in elementary schools. The program hopes to have 20 percent of teaching staff at each partner school be Black men within six years. “This is a long-term problem so the solution is
EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY
going to take that persistence and long-term commitment,” Hebeisen said.
Changing perceptions Black Men Teach is paving the way for young Black boys to see themselves represented in education and hopefully pursue a career in education. Hopkins is a melting pot of different cultures and backgrounds. The student body is made up of 68 different heritage languages, yet staff are more than 80 percent white. Those statistics are not uncommon in Minnesota. “I didn’t have any teachers who were Black until I went to college,” said Mascuud Ali, a Black Men Teach intern placed in an Eisenhower classroom. “I think if I did, I would have had a better understanding of myself and who I am.” Ali was a Hopkins High School graduate, but the lack of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) teachers in the classroom is a common experience. Zay Manley, a full-time PSEO student at North Hennepin Community College and current intern at Eisenhower Elementary, never encountered a Black teacher in his education either.
Enroll Your Child in Hopkins Public Schools Preschool Inspire your child to reach their full potential in our classrooms. Full-day, part-day, Spanish immersion, and summer options. Tuition assistance is available. Enroll at HopkinsSchools.org/preschool or email Preschool@HopkinsSchools.org
See Black Men Teach, inside
Register for Fall ParentChild ECFE Classes Connect with other families and inspire your child’s early learning exploration in outdoor or indoor classes. Register online today: HopkinsSchools.org/ECFE
ROYAL SPOTLIGHT Layne Bell English Language Arts teacher at Hopkins High School Love is at the heart of Layne Bell’s teaching style, but her encouragement of student voice is the driving force behind helping them reach their full potential. By creating a safe space and building trusting relationships, she helps her scholars redefine themselves as brave and brilliant learners. “Our scholars are insightful, compassionate, brilliant, and bold,” Bell said. “Every day I am humbled by what our scholars are capable of when given the space and freedom to direct their learning authentically.” Bell is known by coworkers as a teacher who centers her scholars in everything she does. Math teacher April Felt said Bell’s curriculum is designed around the academic and emotional needs of her students, and English teacher Bethany Ocar is inspired by the way Bell facilitates student discussions and encourages scholars to reach their full potential. Her colleagues aren’t the only ones who have taken notice of her teaching. Bell is one of nine finalists for this year’s Minnesota Teacher of the Year award. What excites you about Vision 2031? Vision 2031 is student-centered, first and foremost. It honors the brilliance and agency of each child, and in that regard, it affirms what I strive to do in my classroom. Any crowning achievements? What I am most proud of is the work I do to help scholars redefine themselves as brave and brilliant learners. Through student-driven community and curriculum, I help my scholars to unpack the trauma of their past and present. Slowly, and almost always, students transform into who they were before the system convinced them they were less than. And when they realize the size of their brilliance, they begin to question the boxes that were always too narrow. In time, we grow grounded, connected, and empowered.
ALUMNI CORNER Jared Nuness 1997 Graduate Stats: B.A. in Communications with a Minor in Theology from Valparaiso University Fun Facts: Jared Nuness knows that being a student athlete is about so much more than the sport you play. It was during his time playing basketball as a Royal where he learned about responsibility, integrity, and what it means to be a great man. He instills those same lessons in his own players as a coach at Baylor University. Baylor University recently won the NCAA national championship, which is the first time the school has won a men’s basketball national title. As a coach, Nuness said it has been an amazing feeling to reach a goal that most teams dream of achieving. So what’s next? “The goal is always to win another championship, but we understand that’s a tall task. So, if we don't fall short of helping our guys become better men, then that’s a win for us.”
Black Men Teach, continued from cover
Manley noticed his impact on students on day one of his internship. They were saying things like “he talks the way my family talks” or “he looks like me.” When students start to see a piece of themselves in an educator or intern like Manley, they begin to see a career in education as an opportunity for themselves.
“I am absolutely on board with every opportunity I get to make a change and make a difference for our schools,” she said. The environment in Lisa Hake’s outdoor classroom at Eisenhower Elementary has been enriched since her Black Men Teach intern arrived. Hake is Manley’s mentor and while she is there to support his teaching experience, she has learned just as much from him.
When Eisenhower Elementary teacher Mae Gruss heard about the program, she jumped at the opportunity to mentor an intern.
“We know that as educators, especially white educators — we’ve been brought up in similar backgrounds,” Hake said. “He brings a different perspective.”
“The program is built to help have windows and mirrors here in school to get more Black men into the educational field which is an excellent thing because our Black boys definitely need to see themselves represented,” she said. As a Black woman and 23-year teaching veteran, she has seen a shift in Hopkins since Vision 2031 goals were set in 2018. A critical success indicator of Vision 2031 is that staff demographics reflect the student body. Since setting the goal in 2018, Hopkins has already doubled the number of administrators of color in leadership roles, but there is a lot more work to be done.
When students get an opportunity to experience teachers from different backgrounds and cultures, it makes their education richer. As the world grows more connected, exposing scholars to differences and connecting them to what is familiar will allow them to develop empathy and a global perspective they will need to succeed in the future. “When you open yourself up to all those different perspectives, big changes can be made,” Hake said. For more on Black Men Teach, watch a video about our partnership at HopkinsSchools.org/BlackMenTeach.
What Hopkins teacher made a difference? Thomas Franke. He was unbelievable. He taught me so much about responsibility, priorities, and dealing with the pressure of being a student athlete. Even to this day, I still communicate with him and it’s more than 20 years later.
August 2018
May 2021
August 2018
May 2021
13.7%
17.5%
19.4%
44.7%
How did Hopkins prepare you for the future? Hopkins had such a family atmosphere and even now, people from high school have reached out to me and showed their support of Baylor and how proud they are, and that just makes me feel good because it reminds me of how close knit everything was in high school. At Baylor, we also value that family atmosphere. Everything we do focuses on growing men and having an impact on their lives not just from a coaching standpoint, but as a role model or mentor.
Total Employees: 1,188 Employees of Color: 163
Total Employees: 1,308 Employees of Color: 229
Total Roles: 36 Administrators of Color: 7
Total Roles: 38 Administrators of Color: 17
STUDENT VOICE Elliot Berman Senior, Hopkins High School Elliot Berman is a major advocate for the Hopkins student body. As Chair of the Hopkins School Board Student Representative Program, he is responsible for providing input and sharing the student perspective on important matters. “Hopkins has a large and diverse student body, we need as much representation as possible in positions of decision making and in spaces that can influence those decisions,” he said. When he isn't in the boardroom; Berman spends his time with organizations like the Hopkins Swim & Dive team, Gender Sexuality Alliance club, and the Hopkins-Minnetonka Recreation Services board. Next year, he plans to study political science but has yet to decide where. Why is Student Voice important? The way to start helping, supporting, and providing for us students starts with listening to what we have to say. We know what we’re going through when others only have a glimpse. It’s important for leaders to understand how much we can grow if they take the time to listen. How have you used your Student Voice? As a queer student, it is important that my entire community feels safe and sound. At Hopkins, I've advocated for more inclusive policies and infrastructure in our buildings to make sure everyone’s basic needs are met.
Know a Hopkins student, teacher, or alumni we should feature? Email Michelle.Wirth@HopkinsSchools.org.
of Hopkins workers were employees of color
of Hopkins workers are employees of color
of leadership roles were administrators of color
of leadership roles are administrators of color
UPCOMING CHANGES IN VISION2031 PROGRESS Four things that will be different in the 2021-22 school year If this past year has taught us anything, it is that we are capable of far more than we ever imagined. Hopkins Public Schools has used this time to study, lab, and better understand new practices and approaches to learning. We have started the big and exciting work of reimagining schools from the ground up. We can do education differently. Here are just a few ways school will look differently in 2021-22.
DR. MHIRIPIRI-REED
Benefits all students
Matching student and staff demographics
Gruss hopes to be a part of the change through the Black Men Teach partnership, and she is off to a good start. She is currently mentoring her second intern.
FROM SUPERINTENDENT
1. Outdoor learning for Gatewood kindergartners Next year, Gatewood Elementary kindergartners will learn in an outdoor classroom as part of Gatewood’s shift to becoming an environmental focus school. According to research, an outdoor learning environment has a positive effect on the brain and can lead to better learning outcomes.
2. Multi-grade classrooms Several elementary schools are exploring multi-age classrooms. Under this model, a “family class” could, for example, consist of eight first graders, eight second graders, and eight third graders. The benefits of multi-grade classrooms include continuity and improved attitude toward school and self.
3. Blended learning and online instruction Our junior highs are fine-tuning their approaches to personalized learning and are building schools that feel like community. Hopkins is currently implementing online learning options at the high school to give scholars more choice about how they approach their learning. Depending on interest, the junior highs may also offer online courses.
4. A more flexible schedule at Hopkins High School Next year, Hopkins High School will leverage a five-block schedule to provide personalized learning times for each scholar. During these times, scholars may choose to lead seminars, learn about careers and colleges, pursue a passion project, and much more.
How Hopkins will move forward Just over a year ago, Governor Walz issued a temporary closure of Minnesota’s public schools, forcing districts into distance learning. For an entire year, we worked as a collective to adapt to rapidly changing information in the midst of alarming pandemic conditions. We confronted uncertainty and raw emotions, creatively leveraged resources, pivoted multiple times, quarantined with precision, and built our resilience. Although the vaccine has recently brought a sense of relief, we have simultaneously been facing an intense budgeting and staffing season. Needless to say, this entire school year has been enormous.
What do future-focused organizations do in times of crisis? In Hopkins, we are working hard to be future-forward. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development — an international organization that works to build better policies for better lives — recently stated, “COVID reminds us that the future surprises us." In Hopkins, we don’t want to be surprised. We developed Vision 2031 to prepare our scholars for a world that will be volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. COVID-19 showed us that we are already there. For our scholars’ sake, we need to continue reimagining our schools to prepare our graduates for success in this reality.
What will we return to? Recently, we hosted seven different Reimagining Task Forces to help us answer important questions about what we have learned from teaching through dual pandemics. These teams reviewed the 2018 task force recommendations, then developed action recommendations. More than 90 participants including staff, parents, scholars, and community members collaborated on this work. The task force teams included: • Canvas Content & Collaboration: Teachers need access to high-quality content that can be easily located. How might we create a collaborative content creation and sharing process? • Summer Learning: How might we reimagine summer programming focused on developing leadership and scholar strengths? • Online & Blended Learning: How might online and blended learning pathways disrupt our current educational models? • Scholar Pathways: How can we transform learning models? • Enrollment: How might we position Hopkins into a district with a competitive advantage and appeal to families who live within our borders and beyond? • Space & Place: Which spaces and places will best facilitate activation of our scholar traits, competencies, knowledge, and values? • Student Success Metrics: Which student success metrics will best measure our impact on developing our traits, competencies, knowledge, and values? We were so pleased with the recommendations that came from these task forces, which are also available on our website. Over the summer and into next year, we will begin to explore how we will operationalize these recommendations into our system. The collaborative efforts that occurred within these teams are placing us farther along on our roadmap to Vision 2031. We are grateful to you for your ongoing partnership! Sincerely,
Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed Superintendent