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Open Enrollment Open House Night
Update Hopkins Public Schools
The community’s guide to the District. National Merit Semifinalists
Ryan Levi and Alexandra Tisher, seniors at Hopkins High School, have been named National Merit Semifinalists. They are among 16,000 students nationwide chosen to compete for the National Merit Scholarship. Nearly 1.5 million students entered by taking the PSAT/ NMSQT® test. Hopkins Teacher Performs in ‘Nobel Conference Concert’ Hopkins music teacher Timothy Berry performed in the “Nobel Conference Concert — a State of Mind and Music.” The concert featured world premieres of commissioned music by Berry and other emerging Minnesota musicians. Choral Teacher Receives National Young Choral Director Award High school music and choral teacher, Philip Brown, has received the Young Choral Director Award from the ACDA (American Choral Directors Association). Go in-depth... Want to read more about our stories in this issue of Update? Go indepth at: HopkinsSchools.org/Update
Enroll your child in excellence. November 29, 7 p.m. Eisenhower Community Center, Room 233, 1001 Hwy. 7, Hopkins
November 2011
c o m m u n i t y High School Musical Disney’s Aladdin Jr. Disney’s beloved film comes to life with your favorite songs, clever characters, and some new twists! November 4-13 High School Auditorium
Family Swim Saturdays Family fun and fitness at the Eisenhower Pool. Sat., Oct. 29-Mar. 24 1:00-3:00 p.m. Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Hwy. 7, Hopkins
www.hhstheater.org
New Junior High Schedule Provides Students with a Wealth of Choices
Financial Literacy, Juntos Spanish, and Forensics are three new classes offered this year. A new schedule, the result of a comprehensive secondary study in 2009-10, is changing the look and feel of the Hopkins junior high program. In addition to stronger connections between teachers and students, countless innovative, cutting-edge opportunities for young people have been made possible by this effort. Three exciting classes that kicked off this fall are highlighted below. Financial Literacy, a Hopkins graduation requirement Starting this year, Hopkins Public Schools became the first school district in Minnesota to make Financial Literacy a required course for graduation. Hopkins students will need to take a Financial Literacy class in grade 9 and again in their junior or senior year. “Financial literacy opens the world to students,” said David Braaten, chair of the business department. “It helps them understand how they can get what they want.”
In the new Forensics class, a Hopkins student performs an experiment .
sets the foundation for a more rigorous high school class. Concepts like budgeting, salary range, online banking, identify theft, proper uses of credit, and the real cost of living are introduced, giving students a baseline knowledge of financial literacy.
The high school component is rigorous, but the real test for students will come after they graduate and apply the concepts they have learned to the real world. To prepare Financial Literacy developed as a collaborative effort students, the class focuses on applying for financial aid, between the FACS department (family and consumer using money management software like Quicken®, safely science) and the business department. Parents and students participating in online banking, establishing an optimal were showing a growing interest in financial literacy credit score, and more. Braaten remarked that one of the electives. Braaten’s Managing Money class, for example, was becoming increasingly in demand — some parents were most rewarding moments is when students take action on the concepts that they have learned. “I have had students even requiring their students to take it before allowing them return after high school to tell me they have to open a checking account or apply invested a portion of their graduation money in for a credit card. I have had a Roth IRA,” said Braaten. “That’s powerful!” “In my generation, you did not learn Hopkins’ accelerated Spanish track students return about managing money unless it begins with Juntos came from your family,” said Sue after high school Juntos 1 is an accelerated Spanish class designed Nefzger, a junior high FACS teacher. for heritage Spanish speakers and students “We are producing very educated to tell me they who have completed an elementary immersion kids, but they are lacking in the area program. Juntos will grow at the junior-high have invested a of life skills.” level each year. In its third year, grade 9 students portion of their Parents were strong supporters from will be able to take Juntos 3, an AP (Advanced the beginning. Given the current class capable of earning college graduation money Placement) state of the economy, making credit. Financial Literacy a graduation in a Roth IRA — Before enrolling in the class, students must requirement was a bold and logical pass a Spanish proficiency test. This is a critical that’s powerful! next step. prerequisite because Juntos teacher, Erik The junior high class is offered Thompson, does not speak a word of English every other day for nine weeks, and in class. Dialoguing with students entirely see Junior High inside