Irondale High School profile, 2022-23

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More than half of Irondale’s graduating class earned at least one semester of college credits.

Irondale High School 2425 Long Lake Road New Brighton, MN 55112 651-621-6800
Vichai Saefong, Principal 651-621-6803
School hours: 8:35 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Office hours: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. The Irondale Experience Irondale High
mvpschools.org/irondale
vichai.saefong@mvpschools.org
School serves: 1,724 students in grades 9-12

We’re personal

At Irondale, teachers and staff get to know each of their students personally. The school’s Dean Model prompts students to develop a supportive relationship with an adult who maintains contact with students and their families regularly to ensure a personalized comprehensive learning experience.

Personal Learning Plans

Every Irondale student has a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) and access to personalized post-secondary planning tools. Deans work with students throughout their high school career to create unique goals by analyzing academic data and personal connections using online tools like Naviance. Teachers use students’ test scores and achievement data to tailor their daily instructional approach, and students and parents can view progress and receive performance benchmark data throughout the year by logging into the online parent portal, ParentVUE.

A personalized educational program Irondale’s comprehensive curriculum includes more than 200 course offerings.

• A wide range of world language offerings.

• A variety of enriched and accelerated courses.

• Online hybrid courses where the majority of the instruction is delivered online, supplemented by face-to-face instruction in a regular seminar.

• Flipped instructional model in which the traditional teaching model is flipped so students can use class time to work on assignments with help from the teacher, and they can view pre-recorded lessons at home as needed.

Instructional technology

Irondale High School is committed to implementing technologies that best align with instructional needs.

• Wireless access points are available throughout the building, making the Internet accessible in classrooms and all areas of the school.

• All instructional spaces are equipped with LCD projectors and touchscreen monitors.

• As part of the District’s technology vision and the COVID-19 pandemic, access to technology tools continue to increase in classrooms. Increased access to technology provides students with opportunities to extend their learning beyond the classroom walls and allows teachers to personalize instruction to meet the needs of all students. Technology used to support high quality instruction and student learning at Irondale includes SMART Boards, Chromebooks, iPads and laptops. These devices offer students access to online resources such as Google Apps for Education, Google Classroom and Moodle. Access to these resources provides opportunities for students to hone research skills, process ideas and collaborate with their peers.

• Programs and services will be in place at all schools to ensure that race, gender, class and disability will not predict students’ success.

• Students’ academic performance will not fall into patterns identifiable by factors such as race, ethnicity, English language proficiency, socioeconomic status and disability.

• The school that a student attends will not be the predictor of their success in school.

Every student has a Personal Learning Plan focused on post-secondary success.
ru P or m ise. Our Promise . ruO orP esi The Equity Promise: – 2022 parent survey
96% of parents rate the quality of education provided by the District as “excellent” or “good.”

Safe & supportive

All students receive individualized attention from Irondale, not simply the high-performance groups and the at-risk students. Irondale ensures that students who fit into the “majority in the middle” receive the attention and guidance they need to succeed.

It’s for everyone

Every student has different academic and social needs. Irondale realizes this and provides a variety of programs, courses and services tailored to all students.

• Honors courses, independent study experiences and more high performance programs.

• A full complement of mandated special education and related services for students with educational disabilities.

• Services including Title I, English Language Learning, Indian Education, speech and language services, psychological services, occupational and physical therapy, school health services, social work services, chemical health services, emotional-behavioral disorder education, developmental adapted physical education and other state-mandated services.

Notifications

Ongoing communications about District and school news and events are delivered to parents and subscribers regularly via paperless e-newsletters. Emergency notifications can be delivered to all families in a matter of minutes in the event of a school closing or critical situation. The Mounds View Messaging system sends personalized voicemail and text messages to parents’ phones and email addresses simultaneously.

n Hawaiian/Pacific Islander .1%

n Native American .4%

n Two or more categories 7.5%

n Asian 8.4%

n Hispanic 15.3%

n Black 18.7%

n White 49.7%

Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch 47%

Students receiving special services

Special Education 11.7%

English as a second language 7.7%

Demographics and enrollment data were compiled in December 2022.

Irondale nurtures a culture of respect within its welcoming community.
Who we are: Diversity of student population
Two or more categories 8.8%

Students who feel connected to their school do better in school and in life beyond our walls. That’s why Irondale emphasizes student connectedness through a variety of efforts. Students who take advantage of these opportunities report an increased sense of connectedness to their school.

Award-winning co-curricular programs

More than 75% of Irondale students participate in a wide range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities ranging from National Honor Society and student council to football, music, speech and much more. Students involved in music, school publications, drama, athletics, academic problemsolving and other special activities compete in the Suburban East Conference and regularly advance to state, national and international levels of competition.

Online parent portal

Irondale parents are encouraged to play an active role in their child’s school experience. Parents can stay connected to their student’s daily schedules, attendance records, assignments, lunch balances, test scores, grades, Personal Learning Plans and more using the Mounds View Public Schools online parent portal known as ParentVUE. The online portal, combined with open communication with school deans, teachers and staff, offers parents real-time information about their student’s progress, goals and more.

Connectedness

Communication hours

In addition to the two-way communication feature in ParentVUE, Irondale offers a weekly proactive communication hour during which teachers reach out and connect with families regarding student progress in real time.

Activities offered at Irondale include:

• Asian club

• Baseball

• Basketball*

• Black student union

• Cross Country*

• Dance team

• DECA

• Drama

• East African club

• Football

• Golf*

• Gymnastics

• Hockey*

• Lacrosse*

• Latino club

• Math team

• Mock trial

• Music: choir, concert band, drumline, jazz band, marching band, pep band, orchestra and winter colorguard

• National Honor Society

• Peer Helpers

• Pride club

• Quiz Bowl

• Robotics

• Science Olympiad

• Skiing (Nordic and alpine)*

• Soccer*

• Softball

• Speech

• STRIPES

• Student council

• Swimming/Diving*

• Tennis*

• Track*

• Volleyball

• Wrestling

• Yearbook

* Designates activities that offer both a boys’ team and a girls’ team.

Find a full list of activities at mvpschools.org/irondaleathleticsandactivities

For Community Ed activities, visit mvpschools.org/communityeducation

Two or more categories 8.8%
Feeling connected to school is a key to academic success.
BELONG I NG PARTNE R SHIP J O Y ENGAGEME N T IRON SHARPENS IRON.

College and career readiness

Irondale is the first high school in the state to offer a comprehensive Early College program allowing students the opportunity to earn a two-year associate degree for free. Irondale partners with Anoka Ramsey Community College to offer the Early College program as one of many opportunities students can choose for a personalized focus on postsecondary success. Through the Early College program, more than 85% of Irondale students earn college credits, and more than half earn at least one semester of college credits.

Post-secondary focus

n College 72%

n Undecided/Other 25%

n Work/Apprentice 2%

n Military 1%

Irondale offers

• More Advanced Placement (AP) course offerings than most schools (18).

• College in the Schools (CIS) courses in partnership with the University of Minnesota, and career and technical education programs in partnership with the Northeast Metro 916 Career & Technical Center

• Access to an online career planning system called Naviance that helps students align their Personal Learning Plan goals with their post-secondary plans. Students and parents can track college applications from start to finish, learn about financial aid and scholarship opportunities, research colleges, prepare for standardized tests and more.

• An onsite Career & College Planning center, with dedicated staff helping students decide what’s next, whether it’s college, career and technical training or employment.

High achievement

ACT

All Irondale High School students attain college and career readiness. Thanks to a grant from the Mounds View Schools Education Foundation, Mounds View Public Schools was the first school district in the state to ensure every high school junior had a free opportunity to take the ACT on-site during the school day. To date, an average of 99% of students participate in the exam.

Scholars

Mounds View Public Schools consistently ranks among the top districts in the state for National Merit Semifinalists, with Irondale High School students regularly being included in the list. In 2022, 419 Irondale students took 675 Advanced Placement (AP) exams. Of those students, 77 were named AP Scholars, 28 were named Scholars with Honors and 59 were named Scholars with Distinction.

Pathways to Possibilities

Irondale offers students the opportunity to explore a variety of careers through specific coursework aligned to industry pathways. Exploration continues with exposure to industry experiences that allow students to follow their interests and prepare for further post-secondary study, training or work opportunities.

Business Automotive Construction/ Solar Welding Engineering/ Manufacturing AA Degree PATHWAYS TO POSSIBILITIES

A popular choice

Mounds View Public Schools enrolls 84% of the students in our attendance area.

Irondale High School is a member of Mounds View Public Schools, a school district of more than 11,000 students that routinely ranks in the Top 10 of metro districts when measured by test scores. National high school rankings consistently put Irondale among the top schools in the country. Irondale matches the performance and opportunities of area private schools, yet offers the value of public schools.

Enroll

Irondale welcomes students in its attendance area, which includes parts of Arden Hills, New Brighton, Mounds View and Roseville. To enroll, residents can call 651-621-7500.

Reputation of excellence

It’s award winning Irondale’s academic teams consistently win awards in state and national competitions, and its music education program offers award-winning instrumental and vocal performing groups and a nationally acclaimed marching band.

Irondale has been named a top school and Local Government Innovation Award winner for its Early College program. Irondale is recognized by the College Board’s AP Honor Roll for significant gains in Advanced Placement (AP) access and consistently receives national recognition in the form of rankings and awards.

Elementary Attendance Areas

Bel Air Elementary

Island Lake Elementary

Pinewood Elementary

Sunnyside Elementary

Turtle Lake Elementary

Valentine Hills Elementary

School Feeder System

Bel Air > Highview > Irondale

Island Lake > Chippewa > Mounds View

Pinewood > Edgewood > Irondale

Sunnyside > Edgewood > Irondale

Turtle Lake > Chippewa > Mounds View

Valentine Hills > Highview > Irondale/Mounds View

Mounds View P UBLI C SCHOOLS February 2023

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