The Community’s Guide to the District
Hopkins Reaches Highest Level of Financial Transparency and Accountability 10 Years in a Row
Hopkins Public Schools has received the Certificate of Excellence (COE) in Financial Reporting award from the Association of School Business Officials International. The District was recognized for its high-quality Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ending 2019. This is the tenth consecutive year the District has received the award.
We Are Hiring and We Need You!
In our current health climate, we are building a team of flexible, enthusiastic temporary educators who are ready to inspire and support student learning. Be a part of an inclusive school district that values its staff and students. Apply for our temporary Floater Paraprofessional or Floater Teacher positions and work through Dec. 31, 2020, with the potential to stay on longer. Learn more and apply here: HopkinsSchools.org/ career-opportunities
Fall 2020
Learning in the Park
Arden Lovagnini, a reading specialist, teaches a reading lesson (left) and Eisenhower second-grade teacher Lisa Hake organizes a math lesson for her students (right).
If you drive by a Hopkins school, you may be surprised to see desks in the courtyards, canopies and pop-up tents for learning, and rustic classrooms in the woods around the school. You might even hear the Hopkins High School orchestra performing outside. Social distancing protocols require students to maintain six feet of distance while indoors, which has encouraged many teachers to embrace outdoor learning in an entirely new way. But two second-grade teachers at Eisenhower Community School, Spanish Immersion, and XinXing Academy — Lisa Hake and Abby Larson — wanted to take the concept of outdoor learning further. Together they created a pilot outdoor immersion classroom where the entire learning day is spent outside.
for all students.”
The pandemic gave them the momentum they needed to jumpstart this learning experience, but the two have shared a philosophy about outdoor learning long before COVID-19 was a term anyone would recognize. Over the last two years, Hopkins leaders were also thinking deeply about learning environments and how physical space can impact learning. As the pandemic disrupted traditional school, the District encouraged teachers to continue to think innovatively.
The outdoor immersion class meets Monday through Thursday at the city-owned Maetzold Field in Hopkins. Students have access to baseball and soccer fields, a playground, woods to explore, and a sheltered pavilion with picnic tables for eating. If the weather makes it unsafe to be outdoors, learning can take place in the Hopkins Activity Center building, which is currently not running programming due to the pandemic. The City of Hopkins leased these spaces at no cost to Eisenhower for the 2020-21 school year.
“Crisis can absolutely inspire innovation with the right mindset,” Eisenhower Assistant Principal Sara Schmidt said. “At Eisenhower we are taking advantage of this opportunity to ensure that we do not go back to 'normal' but rather create new systems that provide world-class experiences
Hake and Larson were intentional about the learning conditions they wanted to create. Students of color are underrepresented in magnet programs. It was important that their class was inclusive and represented the population of the Eisenhower neighborhood. The class, which includes most of the Eisenhower second-graders who chose in-person learning, has a strong sense of community. The curriculum is mindfully anti-racist and focuses on the social-emotional needs of each student. “We want kids to have confidence that they can learn anything and who they are as a person is a really important part of that,” said Hake.
“The City of Hopkins has been phenomenal to work with,” said Eisenhower Principal Melissa Ness. “They have gone above and beyond to support our outdoor immersion program.” See Learning in the Park, inside
Fall 2021 Kindergarten Families Upcoming Class! DATES Hopkins Public Schools offers an inclusive school Let’s talk about race. Join IN THE community where our teachers inspire young scholars Hopkins' own Chantele explore their talents and reach their potential. Join Burgess and Dr. George COMMUNITY to us for virtual Kindergarten information events in late Nolan in November.
fall. Details to come. Visit Hopkins.ce.eleyo.com Virtual events hosted in late Fall 2020 or call Hopkins Community Visit HopkinsSchools.org/kinder for more information. Education at 952-988-4070.
Learning in the Park, continued from cover
The world is their classroom Looking through the eyes of a child, the outdoors is a magical place, full of learning that looks and feels a lot like an adventure. This is exactly the environment that Hake and Larson wanted. Although the students don’t always realize it, learning begins the minute they enter the park school. Instead of school bells signaling mandatory transitions, outdoor church bells help students keep track of the time. “When we are talking about seven- and eight-year-olds, there is such an importance on play,” said Larson. “Unstructured play gives children a chance to make sense of their worlds.” The outdoor immersion classroom naturally mirrors the goals of Vision 2031, the District’s strategic plan to transform what learning looks like. By its very design, an outdoor classroom is dynamic. The learning is inquiry-based and fluid. Students are asked to observe different elements in the park to complement corresponding lessons. Leaves on the trees, worms that show themselves after it rains, and ant hills have all captivated students’ attention. An entire life science unit can be improvised in moments fueled by the curiosity of the students. Although it may look a little different, structured activities are still part of learning. Students learn reading, writing, science, social studies, and math just as they would in a traditional classroom. They also have access to gym, music, Spanish, and social-emotional curriculum. What does seem different is their ability to transition with ease and focus on the lecture. This is not by accident. Research supports a correlation between movement, better learning outcomes, and the positive effect that the outdoors has on the brain. In an outdoor classroom, it’s okay if a second-grader needs to wiggle, lie on
their backs, or even crawl. This can have a profound impact on their ability to process the lesson and also how they feel about learning. “We don’t have any issues with kids not wanting to sit down and learn when it’s time,” said Hake. “I have had to tell my students to stop doing math — they did not want to. They were completely engaged.”
But what about winter? The question everyone asks is how an outdoor immersion classroom will be possible in a Minnesota winter. Hake and Larson have partnered with ResourceWest to ensure that all families have access to the clothing and gear their classroom requires. If it’s dangerously cold or not safe to be outdoors, the students have access to an indoor, heated learning space. And while it may not be possible to be outside 100 percent of the time in the winter, the plan is to continue outdoor learning as much as possible. A snowy winter could present a host of learning opportunities — snowshoeing through the park, writing letters in the snow, and building snow structures are all examples of how outdoor learning will adapt in the winter. The second-graders have already faced a few rainy days that tested their resolve. Although the outdoor shelter was an option to stay dry, students were excited to put on their outdoor gear and brave the elements. As they splashed in puddles they pondered where rain comes from, how hard it would have to rain for it to hurt, and if rain has a taste. Having this collective adventure helps students build resilience and confidence. “For some kids, you can see the heaviness of school lift off their shoulders, which has allowed them to relax and take things in,” said Hake. "They don’t realize they are learning and they can do things they have never done before.”
Weekly park meetup for distance learners
Students learn art in outdoor classroom
As a first-grade distance learning teacher at Meadowbrook, Kristan Nalezny invites her scholars to a local park for free play once a week. Parents and siblings are also invited. The hour of outdoor play allows everyone to create connections that Nalezny sees transfer into their virtual space as well.
Nature is good for the soul, and one Hopkins teacher is proving that nature is good for education, too. This fall, art teacher Courtney Kohlstedt is teaching her students at Alice Smith Elementary in an entirely outdoor classroom.
The students in Nalezny’s class pointed out a monkey pictured on the slide at the local park. Nalezny told her class that the monkey was her favorite animal during a Google Meet earlier this year. Moments like these help Nalezny build connections and relationships with her students.
“The kids have truly experienced joy while stretching out on the grass and being surrounded by trees and the peaceful sounds of nature,” Kohlstedt said. “They can use their art to express themselves and process their feelings in a safe and tranquil outdoor environment.”
Gatewood builds outdoor classrooms Gatewood Elementary has already been on the path toward becoming a more environmentally conscious school, so returning to teaching during the during the pandemic allowed staff to get even more creative. Second-grade teacher Jim Ikhaml has been a leader in helping the school create outdoor classrooms. The increased stress and anxiety levels for people in 2020 was reason alone to create outdoor spaces. Being outdoors around plants, trees, and nature has been known to lower blood pressure and bring about calm. But even more than that, Ikhaml said that students become more interested in the lesson, and have longer attention spans, and it adds an extra spark to their learning.
STUDENT VOICE
ALUMNI CORNER
Linda Nyakundi Senior, Hopkins High School
Mara Hvistendahl 1998 Graduate
Linda Nyakundi is leading the way for young girls and women as co-president of Girls United MN, a group that discusses pressing social issues and hosts community events to support and inspire young women. She originally joined the group to be part of something bigger than herself.
Stats: B.A. from Swarthmore College • M.S. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
“Girls United was actually working to create change — not just sitting in a room and talking about it, which was very exciting and hard to resist,” she said. Most recently, the group has been working to improve the Title IX sex discrimination protection system in Hopkins and other high schools in the Twin Cities area. In addition to her work with Girls United, Nyakundi acts as a Student Board Representative. Through her position with the Hopkins School Board, she voices student experiences and opinions to teachers, parents, and other adults in the District. After high school, Nyakundi plans to study political science and government, but she is open to other fields of study. Why is Student Voice important? It is important for students to be heard to create a more welcoming and healthy environment in our schools. What advice would you give your fellow scholars? Take advantage of the opportunities that Hopkins offers! There are so many experiences and stories that are waiting to be made, but the first step is signing up and showing up!
Fun Facts: Hvistendahl is a wellrespected investigative journalist who has testified before Congress, been a keynote speaker at conferences, and appeared on various radio and television media outlets. She was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for her first book, "Unnatural Selection." After high school, Hvistendahl studied Chinese as a minor. She moved to China to work as a journalist for eight years and often writes about China to this day, including her most recent book "The Scientist and The Spy: A True Story of China, the FBI, and Industrial Espionage." What Hopkins teacher made a difference? I took AP European history with Ann Jurewicz, and she helped shape my critical-thinking skills. It's hard to cram so much content into one year and keep the course engaging, but she managed to do it by emphasizing social and art history, so that we really got a sense for what it was like to live in other eras. How did Hopkins prepare you for the future? I took Chinese at Hopkins the first year it was offered. There were only four students in my class, and the course was conducted through cable access, which meant that the teacher taught in person every third or fourth day and we watched her on television the other days. It was an early experiment in distance learning, but it lit a spark for me.
ROYAL SPOTLIGHT
Natalie Sawatzky Principal, Meadowbrook Elem.
Eduardo Navidad Principal, Alice Smith Elem.
Julius Eromosele Principal, North Junior High
Crystal Ballard Principal, Hopkins High School
George Nolan Interim Principal, Gatewood Elem.
Sawatzky is a collaborative leader who is a thoughtful and resourceful problem solver. She is deeply committed to Hopkins and Meadowbrook in particular, having worked in the building for the last 15 years. For her, the work is a calling.
Navidad strongly believes in teachers and their ability to build trusting and caring relationships with students. These relationships are the cornerstone to classroom engagement and challenging instruction.
Eromosele is a passionate and reflective leader who strives to do everything with love. He is intentional about creating a culture where each scholar feels valued, cared for, and challenged to be their most brilliant self.
Ballard knows her scholars by name, and her door is always open. Her leadership style is collaborative, strategic, and empowering, and her commitment to anti-racism grounds her work in a deeply personal way.
Nolan is a skilled and compassionate leader with a high level of integrity. He is focused on serving students with vigilant equity at his core, and is especially dedicated to multicultural integrity and understanding.
Want to learn more about our new leaders? Read bios and watch introduction videos at HopkinsSchools.org.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
FROM SUPERINTENDENT
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
DR. MHIRIPIRI-REED
HopkinsSchools RadelJeff October 6
Year #5 sleeping on the roof of @GlenLake270. Virtual story time starts in 6 minutes! youtu.be/qTwivT4tUlw
Hopkins Public Schools October 1
Did you know that Hopkins is offering Spanish Immersion Preschool this year? The program encourages students to be globally minded and complements future Spanish immersion learning in kindergarten at Eisenhower Elementary. The best part is that you don't have to wait until next year to register because we still have a few openings. HopkinsSchools September & October
Check out the story highlights on our Instagram page for an inside look at the various outdoor classrooms throughout the district.
HopkinsSchoolMeals October 5
So much more than free and reduced meals. You also may be eligible for reduced fees for school activities, AP tests, and discounted internet from some providers. It also helps maintain funding for student programs and services. You can apply anytime throughout the school year. HopkinsEdFoundation October 5
Staff @HopkinsNJH270 @Hopkins270 led by @NickLovas, have just received a $1,200 HEF grant: Home Studios Unlock Creativity. They'll create dynamic digital content to keep students engaged in this era of distance learning - and beyond. Learn more: https://bit.ly/2F2B8Gq
Keeping Vision 2031 as our North Star COVID-19 as well as the global pandemic of racial injustice have brought havoc upon our individual and collective health — not just physical health, but our mental health and collective psyche. These pandemics also have the capacity to interrupt and potentially damage our society — if we let them. History has shown that in every crisis, there is opportunity. This experience has the potential to expedite Vision 2031, which calls for us to redefine what education looks like. Hopkins Public Schools looks to Vision 2031 as our North Star, and we are leveraging these crises as opportunities for transformational change. We are committed to creating scholars of the world who are confident and academically competent, who are critical thinkers and problem solvers, who are globally minded and empathetic toward others’ unique and diverse perspectives and beliefs. And when we reach Vision 2031, we’ll know it because our staff and student demographics will reflect each other, we will have disrupted patterns of racial and income predictability from student outcomes, and every member of each graduating class will be matched with a higher education, career placement, or gap year experience allowing them to reach their full potential. With Vision 2031, we embrace the core values of love, authentic inclusivity, and vigilant equity. Vision 2031 also commits us to valuing optimistic innovation, being intentionally adventurous, and demonstrating humility of heart. Just like effective teachers and school leaders are key ingredients to our scholars’ quality education, our core values are key ingredients to building quality classroom experiences. Achieving Vision 2031 requires us to evolve to more effectively navigate the unknown. This will be a challenging journey for many of us, including our students. Navigating volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments requires that we sense what the world is asking from us. In many cases, we must shift from operating in our predictable environments to operating in new, unpredictable realities – which requires new behaviors for all of us. Reimagining schools from the ground up is an adaptive challenge that we committed to before the pandemic. The past few weeks and months have made all of us feel uncomfortable. There have been many problems and complexities, with few solutions immediately at our fingertips. We have had to work creatively to problem-solve the challenge of schooling in the context of COVID-19. How might we get better at feeling uncomfortable? How might we grow our agility, flexibility, and comfort while navigating ambiguity? These are questions we will explore this year, and we will explore them as a community. Now is the time to rebuild our educational system from the ground up. It’s time to double down on Vision 2031. Sincerely, Dr. Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed Superintendent
Hopkins Public Schools ISD 270 1001 Highway 7 Hopkins, MN 55305-4723
The Community’s Guide to the District
Fall 2020
Residential Postal Patron ECRWSS
WELCOME BACK! Learning and innovating during a pandemic
PREPARING FOR FALL 2020 Back-to-school this year was like no other. Planning started in June — one week after the previous school year had ended. Elementary families began hybrid learning mid-September, alternating between scheduled in-person and distance learning days based on grade level. Secondary remains in distance learning and is currently in discussion for how to phase into a hybrid in-person model. All students have access to distance learning. Listed below is a snapshot of the work that was completed to make school happen this year.
Protective Equipment:
24,700 cloth face masks distributed to staff & students
146,000 disposable face masks available for visitors 25 specialized face shields for hard of hearing students 12 lab/scrub coats & 120 disposable gowns for nurses
Buildings & Grounds:
Instruction:
137 teachers, administrators & staff worked on one of six summer back-to-school teams 1,106 in-person & virtual meetings scheduled for students receiving special services 1.6 million sq. feet measured to ensure physical distancing
Service Desk:
8 buildings received ionizing air purifiers within their HVAC systems
Technology staff spent 610 hours this summer preparing the Canvas platform
88 outdoor canopies for outdoor learning experiences
155 Wi-Fi hotspots, 4,631 iPads & 1,621 Chromebooks delivered
GET CONNECTED, STAY CONNECTED
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