2018 Winter Communicator

Communicator WINTER 2018

Excellence. For Each and Every Student.

Work Underway on New Elementary School and Other Referendum Projects

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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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Voters also approved renovating elementary The CONSTRUCTION chart below illustrates when capacity, PROJECTS TIMELINE and middle school media centers and performacademic and safety projects are scheduled for ing arts spaces at East andWAYZATA West Middle Schools PUBLICspecific SCHOOLS buildings across the district. All work to create more flexible learning spaces.

In addiCONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TIMELINE is scheduled to be completed by the2020 fall of SCHOOLS 2017 2018 2019 tion, traffic flow and pedestrian safety improve2022. Watch our progress by visiting the district START OF SCHOOL YEAR WAYZATA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ments will occur at Central Middle School and website and following us on social media. Or ask NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL #9PROJECTS TIMELINE CONSTRUCTION many of the district elementarySCHOOLS schools. specific questions by leaving a message WAYZATA 2017 2018PUBLIC 2019 2020 2021 on our MOVE IN q Construction Hotline at 763-745-5050.

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The new school will be similar in design to Meadow Ridge Elementary, which opened in the fall of 2016. An addition is currently underway at Meadow Ridge, scheduled to open SCHOOLS in the fall of 2018, that will provide new space START OF SCHOOL YEAR

Central Middle School Cafeteria — Design work will begin this summer to expand Central Middle School’s cafeteria and food service areas to better accommodate students at the district’s largest of three middle schools. Construction is expected to be complete by fall 2019.

In an effort to maximize cost-effectiveness, the timing of these academic and site safety improvements is being aligned with the district’s long-term facilities maintenance projects already scheduled. “We have to prioritize the order of the projects approved by voters and it made sense to leverage our resources to get the best value for our community,” shared Superintendent Chace Anderson.

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CAPACITY PROJECTS New Elementary School — Work has begun to design the new, ninth elementary school approved by voters. The new elementary school, scheduled to open in the fall of 2019, will be built to serve more than 800 students when it opens.

to accommodate an additional 100 students, increasing the overall capacity of the building to more than 800 students.

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THANKS AGAIN TO school district voters for supporting three school funding requests on the November 7, 2017 ballot. Now that funding has been approved, planning has begun to address the district’s growth and facilities needs for capacity, safety and academics. Here is a recap of work to be done and timelines for completion.

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Are you following the District and school happenings on social media? Follow the District on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @WayzataSchools. You can also search for schools on social media (i.e. @GleasonLakeWPS).

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2 From the Superintendent

By Superintendent CHACE B. ANDERSON AS WE ENTER the new year, there is much to be thankful for and excited about. We are thankful to our community for continuing to support our mission of providing excellence for each and every student. We couldn’t do it without you.

We Can’t Thank You Enough - Thanks again to voters for

approving the three questions on the November 7 ballot that will allow us to maintain class sizes, provide students with needed support services, stabilize the budget, address the district’s growth and facilities needs and maintain technology for our students and staff. I hope you will take time to read more about the facilities projects on page one, highlighted by the building of our ninth elementary school, and continue to follow our progress in the months to come.

School Attendance Areas to be Reconfigured - As part

of bringing the new, ninth elementary online, it is necessary to adjust school attendance areas in order to plan ahead of time who will attend the new school.

A Boundary Reconfiguration Committee, made up of parents and district staff, will meet in March and April to develop an understanding of the factors associated with attendance boundaries including: transportation, enrollment projections and building capacities. Additional online feedback will be gathered from parents and community residents once possible scenarios have been identified.

Honored for Excellence - We recently received top honors

both as a school district and for Wayzata High School.

Business Insider, Inc. ranked Wayzata Public Schools as the best school district in the state and Wayzata High School was ranked the top public high school in Minnesota by USA Today.

Although we don’t actively seek such recognition, when it finds us, it is appreciated. Our most valued satisfaction ranking comes from within our community through the eyes of our students, their parents and our residents.

We are looking forward to more good news and progress in the new year! Email me anytime with your thoughts to chace.anderson@wayzataschools.org.

I would love to hear from you.

Mary Poppins Receives Spotlight Education Honors WAYZATA HIGH SCHOOL’S production of “Mary Poppins”, and many of the cast and crew, were named among the fall 2017 honorees by Spotlight Education, a program of the Hennepin Theatre Trust.

The musical received “outstanding” in the categories of Achievement in Musical Theatre, Overall Production, Overall Performance, Ensemble Performance, Movement/Dance Performance by an Ensemble, Student Orchestra, Overall Technical Team, Technical Crew and Light & Sound Board Operators. The production also received honorable mentions for Vocal Performance by an Ensemble.

Individual students received the following honors: Outstanding Performance in a Leading Role Katy Manderfeld, 10, as Jane Banks, and Maddie Newman, 11, as Mary Poppins Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role Annika Peterson, 11, as Beryl/Dance Captain and Lance Sorenson, 10, as Baxter/Dance Captain Outstanding in Technical Leadership Abby Larson, 11, as Stage Manager and Katie Polum, 10, as Stage Manager Honorable Mention for Performance in a Leading Role Jon Motes, 11, as George Banks and Casey Centner, 10, as Winifred Banks

Evaluator Shout-out Alex Denniston, 10; Carol Reinert, 12; and Kayla Marie Mielke, 9 The Hennepin Theatre Trust Spotlight Awards recognize students who participate and excel in high school musical theatre. The award program provides an opportunity for students to network with students from across the metropolitan area, receive constructive feedback for their production from professional evaluators and gain valuable knowledge from the workshops available to them at the Spotlight Annual Conference. q

Best High School and School District in Minnesota!

OF THE NEARLY 100,000 elementary, middle and high schools in the nation, both Wayzata High School and Wayzata Public Schools rank among the best of the best.

USA Today named Wayzata High School as the best public high school in Minnesota.

Business Insider named Wayzata Public Schools as the best school district in Minnesota.

Factors that contributed to these honors include academics, quality of teachers, rigor of academics and standardized test scores. q

3 Super Kids, Super Sharing a Super Success SUPER KIDS, SUPER Sharing for Super Bowl 52 was a shining success across Wayzata schools. Every school participated in the donation drive to benefit youth in need.

Students dropped off donations at collection boxes for two weeks during the month of January. Thousands of gently used books, sports equipment, school supplies, games and even used cellphones were donated and will be repurposed to be used by students who need a helping hand.

“It was a wonderful opportunity for Wayzata to help our neighbors and our students stepped up to the challenge,” explained Brenda Badger, Youth Service coordinator. “The students had a goal of a thousand donations at the high school and the final number was double that. Kimberly Lane Elementary alone had 4,000 donations so the event really exceeded everybody’s expectations.”

Wayzata Public Schools partnered with the National Football League and the collection drive culminated at a distribution event at Braemer Field in Edina. The field was split in half with one side used to gather and collect donations, while the other side was for kids to play and have fun. Former Minnesota Vikings players, cheerleaders and Victor, the Vikings mascot, were on hand to meet and greet students.

Super Kids, Super Sharing has become an annual event for the NFL during Super Bowl festivities. The event started in 2000 and this year’s event was the most generous ever with nearly 50,000 donations from school districts across the Twin Cities. q

WPS Honored by College Board WAYZATA PUBLIC SCHOOLS is one of 447 school districts in the U.S. and Canada being honored by the College Board with placement on the 8th Annual AP® (Advanced Placement) District Honor Roll. Since 2015, Wayzata Public Schools has increased the number of students participating in AP, while also increasing or maintaining the percentage of students earning AP Exam scores of three or higher – both requirements for inclusion on the 8th Annual Honor Roll. Reaching these goals shows that the District is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for AP. “Each of our students is on a unique and wonderful educational journey and we do everything we can to help them embrace and nurture the possibilities,” said Superintendent Chace Anderson. “Our students and staff are routinely recognized for excellent academic achievement.” q

Wayzata Junior Receives Champion of Change Award RUCHIKA KAMOJJALA, grade 11, received the Champion of Change award from the Minnesota Association on Children’s Mental Health on Friday, November 9, 2017. She accepted the award speaking of teamwork and advancing the conversation around mental health. Ruchika serves as president of Helping Every at Risk Teen (HEART) at Wayzata High School. Working alongside other students, she helped organize a variety of events for students, parents and community members, including a Wellness Week and two Stand Against Stigma events. q

Band Scholarship Fund Concert Set for March 2 WAYZATA BAND ALUMNI and friends will be hosting a fundraising concert Friday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Blue Water Theater in Wayzata for the Woody Budnick/Chip Williams Scholarship Fund, set up in honor of two former Wayzata High School band directors. This fund provides an annual college scholarship to a Wayzata High School Band senior.

Concert goers will enjoy the Wayzata High School Jazz Ensemble under the direction of David Elmhirst. After intermission, special guests the Benny Weinbeck Jazz Trio, will perform featuring Gordy Johnson on bass and Phil Hey on drums.

The event will also feature a silent auction, raffle opportunities and refreshments. The cost of a ticket is $40. For tickets, email budnickwilliams@gmail.com. q

Wayzata Public Schools 210 County Road 101 N. P.O. Box 660 Wayzata, MN 55391-0060

Communicator WINTER 2018

Excellence. For Each and Every Student.

Oakwood Elementary Named 2017 National Blue Ribbon School

The Communicator is published for residents and staff of Wayzata Public Schools. Contact Amy Parnell, director of communications and community engagement, at 763-745-5068 or amy.parnell@wayzataschools.org with questions or comments.

Wayzata Public Schools Early Kindergarten Entrance REGISTER FEB. 14

It’s Registration Time!

Summer 18 & 2018-19 School Year Community Education Programs Peppermint Fence Preschool & Early Childhood Family Education • General registration opens February 14 at 8 a.m.

• All classes are held at Wayzata Early Learning School, 1461 County Road 101, Plymouth • Questions? Call 763-745-5290 Home Base Before and After-School Childcare & Bright Start Pre-Kindergarten Program (4-year olds) • General registration opens February 14 at 7 a.m.

• Available at all Wayzata elementary schools, space is limited • Questions? Call 763-745-5201 Register at: www.wayzata.ce.eleyo.com Learn more at: www.wayzata.k12.mn.us/ces

ACCORDING TO MINNESOTA law, children who are five years old by September 1 of any given year are eligible to begin kindergarten. However, Wayzata Public Schools offers an early kindergarten entrance option for children who will turn five between September 2 and October 15, and reside within the school district at the time of application. Children who demonstrate superior intellectual ability, high levels of academic achievement, and social/ emotional development well-advanced for their age may be considered for early kindergarten entrance.

If you would like your child to be considered for early kindergarten entrance, please visit www.wayzata.k12.mn.us/earlyentrance to view the district early kindergarten entrance criteria and complete the application.

Applications will be accepted through May 1.

District staff will evaluate eligible students from mid-May through June and will make a decision

by June 30. q

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Oakwood Elementary has been named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

“You are visionaries, innovators and leaders. This award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Principal Sarabeth deNeui and Andrea Cohen, second grade teacher, represented Oakwood when they received the prestigious award November 6 and 7 in Washington, D.C. Congratulations to Oakwood staff, students and families!

3-2-1 National Champions CONGRATULATIONS TO THE Wayzata High School 3-2-1 teams for their performance in the fall national competition, in particular the 11th and 12th grade team, which placed first in the nation scoring 420 points in 91 minutes and 40 seconds. Over 175 teams from 167 schools across the country participated in the competition.

3-2-1 is a computer-based semiannual worldwide academic competition. During the competition, teams of students earn points by answering short-answer questions accurately. The questions come from 15 subject areas including math, geography and history.

Team members of the 11th and 12th grade team include Geoffrey Chen, Neil Khadilkar, Matthew Qu, Mayuresh Vernekar, Aniket Bhalerao, Zoë Foster, Divya Goel, Tora Husar, Pil Joo Jeon, Joseph Kammann, Akash Kaul, Brandon Lai, Michael Li, Melody Liu, Thomas Myers, Brian Sachs, Shubham Singh and Cathylin Wang.

In addition, congratulations to the 9th and 10th grade 3-2-1 team, which placed third in the national competition. q