June 2016 Communicator

Communicator JUNE 2016

Excellence. For Each and Every Student.

From the Superintendent

By Superintendent CHACE B. ANDERSON WOW, WHAT A YEAR it has been! It is always so rewarding to get to the end of another successful school year and honor our students and staff for all their hard work and accomplishments!

Being a part of the graduation ceremony every year reminds me how incredibly fortunate we are to live in a community that is so supportive of education and preparing students for success in the next phase of their lives beyond high school. Congratulations to the Wayzata High School Class of 2016 and their families!

This past school year has been full of change to meet the needs of our growing resident student population. From construction of a new elementary school and additions to Wayzata High School, to changing school attendance areas to accommodate the new growth, to new school start times, the 2016– 2017 school year will mark the beginning of many exciting changes happening in the district.

New Space for Growing Student Population

Construction of Meadow Ridge Elementary School, the district’s new eighth elementary school, is on schedule to welcome just over 700 students when doors open Mark your in the fall. We hope the calendar! entire community will Meadow Ridge join us for the Meadow Grand Opening Ridge Elementary Grand Opening Event set for Sunday, Oct. 16 Sunday, Oct. 16 from 2–4 p.m.

2–4 p.m. Mark your calendar and watch for more information in the fall issue of the Communicator.

New additions to Wayzata High School are on track as well. This fall, a new fourstory classroom addition, expanded cafeteria, upper and lower commons space and new gymnasiums will be complete and ready for students. Work will also continue this fall on the new additional auditorium, which is on schedule to be completed by January 2017. We are excited to showcase the new high school space, along with the incredible opportunities it will provide for students and staff. More

Congratulations, Class of 2016!

WAYZATA HIGH SCHOOL’S Class of 2016 celebrated commencement at Mariucci Arena on Friday, June 3. More than 89 percent of the 764 graduates are making plans to attend twoor four-year colleges or universities.

The summary of post-high school plans for the class of 2016 includes the following: University of Minnesota, all campuses: 156 Minnesota four-year state universities: 32 Minnesota four-year private colleges/ universities: 72 Minnesota one- and two-year colleges: 41 Out-of-state four-year public colleges/ universities: 227 Out-of-state four-year private colleges/ universities: 111 College bound, school undecided: 40 College bound, non-U.S. colleges: 4 Total college bound students: 683 information about the grand opening event being planned for early 2017 will be shared in future issues of the Communicator.

New Start Times Take Effect This Fall

Last December, the Wayzata School Board unanimously approved new school start times that are responsive to students’ developmental learning needs. Following is a chart of the new start times, which will take effect for the 2016– 2017 school year.

We are looking forward to working closely with families to ensure these are positive transitions for each and every student this fall and hope everyone has a wonderful summer! As

The remaining Wayzata students have indicated the following choices for their posthigh school plans: Other education: 20 Military: 7 Work: 16 Other plans: 38 The top 10 colleges chosen by 2016 Wayzata graduates are: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (132); Iowa State University (32); University of Minnesota, Duluth (21); University of St. Thomas (21); University of North Dakota (19); University of Iowa (14); Luther College (13); North Dakota State University (13) University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire (13) and University of Wisconsin, Madison (13).

2016 – 2017 School Start Times

Start Dismissal

TIER 1: Greenwood, Kimberly Lane, Meadow Ridge, Oakwood, Plymouth Creek

7:45

2:25

TIER 2: High School Birchview, Gleason Lake, Sunset Hill

8:20 8:30

3:10 3:10

TIER 3: East MS, Central MS, West MS

9:10

4:00

always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas on any educational topic. Please send me an email to chace.anderson@wayzata.k12.mn.us or call me at 763-745-5000.

Chace B. Anderson, Ph.D. is Superintendent of Wayzata Public Schools

2 Grading for Learning Coming to Wayzata Middle Schools THE MISSION OF Wayzata Public Schools is to ensure a world-class education that prepares each and every student to thrive today and excel tomorrow in an ever-changing global society. To support those efforts, a standards-based 4-3-2-1 grading system called Grading for Learning will be implemented in all three Wayzata middle schools at the start of the 2016-17 school year.

Grading for Learning wayzata middle schools

Grading for Learning is a grading system used in many schools across the country. This approach focuses on progress toward statewide standards for each course. The 4-3-2-1 grading scale does not translate to A-F grades. The highest score possible for some standards is a “3.” It reflects proficiency. If a “4” is possible, it usually involves going in-depth on a task or topic instead of doing more work.

Research has shown measuring students’ progress based on district and state standards is most effective in advancing learning. Grading for Learning ensures that students’ “grades” clearly represent their level of mastery of grade-level learning targets.

Grading for Learning provides more concrete and specific feedback about progress toward academic standards than an individual letter grade. It puts the focus on the learning rather than the accumulation of points and gives students more authentic feedback on their progress toward the academic standards.

Learn more

For more information, visit www.wayzata.k12. mn.us/gradingforlearning.

Grammy-winning Choir Visits WHS ON THURSDAY, MAY 19, Wayzata High School Concert Choir students were honored with a rare opportunity to sing side-by-side with professional singers. Conspirare, a Grammy Award-winning choir directed by Minnesota native Craig Hella Johnson, was artists-in-residence with Wayzata Concert Choir students during the students’ choir rehearsal.

Conspirare is based in Austin, Texas, but comprised of singers from all over the country. They have been nominated for seven Grammy Awards and won a Grammy for Best Choral Performance in 2015.

Wayzata Concert Choir has a long relationship with Conspirare, having shared five performance and clinic experiences since 2002. In January of 2017, the WHS Concert Choir will travel to Texas for a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) recording of a full-length oratorio composed by Conspirare director Craig Hella Johnson.

East Middle School’s People of Prominence Brings History to Life EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS at East Middle School celebrated the annual People of Prominence (POP) Day this spring. POP Day is a living history museum in which each student researches a different person of historical significance. The students dress as the person they researched and present speeches from the point of view of their subjects, with every student representing a different person of prominence.

A person of prominence is defined as a person who has made a positive impact on society and helped move the world forward in a positive way. This year’s people included both historical and presentday figures from a number of cultures and industries. POP Day might be the only place you can find Pocahontas, George Washington Carver, Henry Ford, Florence Nightingale, Lucille Ball, Martin Luther King Jr. and Steve Jobs all in the same room!

POP Day is also a fundraiser to support literacy programs at East, so to hear students’ speeches, guests are asked to donate spare change in any amount to “bring the performers to life,” just like a street theater performer. This year’s event raised over $1,200.

Security Improvements Coming Next Fall AT WAYZATA PUBLIC SCHOOLS, we take the security of students and staff seriously. We recently completed the construction of secure entries on all of our school buildings, and now we’re taking steps to control access to our schools.

Work has begun to phase in a new unified visitor registration system that will be used in all of our schools starting next fall. This new system will require visitors who wish to enter a school building during the school day to swipe their state ID. The system will produce a visitor badge with the date, location of event or meeting and their name and photo. These badges must be worn on school days

during school hours. In addition, the system will check against registered sex offender databases.

When parents and other visitors have swiped into the system once, they will be able to sign themselves in at a quick access kiosk.

To protect parent and visitor privacy, the new system will retain very minimal data, including first and last name, date of birth and the photo on the ID. It will not retain driver’s license numbers or other personal information. No information will be shared with other agencies, and other databases

such as driving records will not be checked.

“As a school district, we are in the unique position of engaging with the community while also providing a secure learning environment,” said Kristin Tollison, Wayzata Public Schools director of administrative services.

“Knowing who is in our schools at all times is a big step in ensuring student and staff safety.”

For more information and to see a list of frequently asked questions, visit the district website at www.wayzata.k12.mn.us/safe or contact Kristin Tollison at kristin.tollison@ wayzata.k12.mn.us.

3 WHS Students Introduce Drones to Nesting Sea Turtle Research WAYZATA HIGH SCHOOL seniors Bridget Carroll, Karin Leland and McKenna Miller recently received a grant to use drones to do research on nesting sea turtle populations in Costa Rica in an effort to protect the species.

In Costa Rica, the Guanacaste coastline hosts many important nesting beaches for several species of sea turtles, yet many beaches in the area are still not monitored, and their importance as nesting sites remains unknown. To overcome the financial and Karin, McKenna and Bridget, conducting turtle research in Costa Rica in January. logistic limitations of monitoring such a large area, Bridget, Karin and McKenna proposed the use of drone technology to acquire high-resolution aerial imagery of large swaths of the coastline. The images can then be analyzed to generate accurate counts of the number of nesting sea turtles and identify the primary nesting habitats.

Earlier this year, Bridget, Karin and McKenna travelled to Costa Rica to test their proposal. They concluded that drone imagery could be used to efficiently monitor sea turtle nesting habits on beaches that are already patrolled and allow for monitoring of inaccessible beaches. They also concluded that higher quality technology and infrared imagery would Turtle tracks, visible from aerial drone photography, help enhance their ability to conduct research at night. researchers understand turtle nesting patterns.

As a result of their project, Bridget, Karin and McKenna set up a multi-year project with the Leatherback Trust, a nonprofit turtle research organization, so it can use drone technology to expand its research. The students plan to present their finding at the “37th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation” in 2017.

Introducing the Wayzata Education Fund THE WAYZATA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Education Foundation is now the Wayzata Education Fund! Our new, shorter name better describes what we do. Our new tag line, “Community Support for Innovative Teaching,” reminds us that all of us make Wayzata schools excellent. Our new logo visually demonstrates our direct connection to the district.

More about the Wayzata Education Fund

An all-volunteer non-profit supported by the generosity of Wayzata families, businesses and district staff, the Wayzata Education Fund has distributed more than $200,000 for innovative projects since its 2003 inception. It is the only organization that raises private funds for innovative teaching for the entire school district. Grant applications are received from August through December each year and are awarded the following spring.

For ways to participate or to learn more, visit www.wayzataedfund.org.

Congratulations to the 2016 Wayzata Education Fund Grant Recipients THE WAYZATA EDUCATION FUND is pleased to announce the funding of 12 grants totaling over $40,000 for projects throughout Wayzata Public Schools for the 2016-17 school year. These grants will fund: 3-D Printers at all three Wayzata middle schools, thanks to ETD teachers Nancy Neal, Terri Bostrom, and Dennis Lehman An incubator at Central Middle School, thanks to science teacher Jessie Starken Mindfulness group sessions and instruction at Wayzata High School, thanks to social worker Becky Halvorson A digital microscope and digital camera at Wayzata High School, thanks to science teacher Amanda Laden Sphero Robotic Balls to introduce coding curriculum to students at Kimberly Lane and Gleason Lake Elementary Schools, thanks to media specialist Debbie Mossefin, fifth grade teacher Nicole Ringate and technology specialist Daniel Roth An Aquaponics Growing System at Central Middle School, thanks to science teacher Ruth Basant Makerspace Carts with STEM materials for Meadow Ridge and Plymouth Creek Elementary Schools, thanks to Principals Karen Keffeler and Sarabeth deNeui Materials to support the Young Scholars Program at Sunset Hill, Gleason Lake, Oakwood and Kimberly Lane Elementary Schools, thanks to Vision 21 teachers Bonnie Hatton, Angela Henry, Carolyn Sund and Sue Bradsher Digital tools and props to support the MAYhem creative writing program at Wayzata East Middle School, thanks to language arts teachers Rachel Anderson and Jacy Lawrence Sensory rooms in eight Wayzata schools, thanks to occupational therapist Sheryl Butler Glide Bikes for Adapted Physical Education throughout the district, thanks to physical education teachers Marge Shoger and Mike Doyle

World Language Proficiency Certificates and Seals Introduced at WHS LAST SUMMER, Minnesota legislation created the opportunity for high schools to award students World Language Proficiency Certificates or Bilingual or Multilingual Seals – a designation that allows students in their sophomore through junior years to receive Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) college credit.

This year, seniors at Wayzata High School were offered the opportunity to achieve a Certificate or Seal, and beginning this summer, sophomores and juniors will also be able to participate. The language options currently include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Community partnerships are also being developed to provide additional proficiency testing opportunities in additional languages.

Students who earn a Certificate or Seal will receive a letter of achievement, the Certificate or Seal from the State of Minnesota and a notation of the achievement on their high school transcript. Currently, 53 Wayzata High School students have earned Certificates or Seals, with many more to follow once we receive results from the 126 students who took AP Language and Culture Exams become available.

Central Middle School seventh grade students made over 1,200 bag lunches for Sharing and Caring Hands, a shelter in downtown Minneapolis on May 16, 2016.

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EMS Student Arul Belhe Takes First in State at the National History Bee

Aspirations in Computing

Ashmita Sarma Wayzata High School juniors honored by the h bot e wer lor Nay iel and Mar Information and en Wom National Center for in Computons irati Asp the with gy Technolo ng women you ors hon rd ing Award. This awa ishments mpl acco r thei and rest inte r for thei is a mita Ash gy. nolo in computers and tech e runner up. stat a is iel Mar and ner win state from multiple The students were selected and were hone stat the r ove all ts applican in April. y mon ored at an awards cere

RECOGNITI

The National History Bee is a national academic competition for elementary and middle school students that tests knowledge of a wide range of historical topics. Eighth grade student Arul Belhe took first place in the Regional/ State Finals and will advance to the National Finals in Chicago on June 9. He will represent Minnesota and compete for the title of National History Bee Champion!

WHS Seniors First

WHS Junior Wins National Scholastic Gold Medal in Journalism

Kimberly Lane M

ath Masters Team

Places First

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Two WHS Juniors Receive Perfect ACT Score Juniors Hannah Emmons and Scott McCullough earned the highest possible ACT Composite score of 36. On average, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn the top score. Both Hannah and Scott took AP-level coursework, which they say likely helped them achieve their perfect score.

Wayzata High School (WHS) junior Mina Yuan received a 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Award National Gold Medal in journalism for her article on Internet filters.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in grades 7–12. Yuan is one of only seven gold medal recipients nationwide in journalism. Yuan was honored at the Scholastic Art & Writing Award Ceremony at Carnegie Hall in New York City on June 2

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Daughters of the Am erican Revolution Re cognize Wayzata Students The Lake Minnetonk a Chapter of the Natio nal Society Daughters of the Am erican Revolution (DA R) recognized several Wayzata stude nts.

American History Ess ay Contest Three students from Wayzata East Middle School received top honors. They are: Eri n Olson in sixth grade , Mara Prochaska in seventh grade and Sai Chelluri in 8th grade .

Both Erin’s and Sai’s essays went on to win first place at the state-level competiti on. This contest was established to encourage young pe ople to think creativel y about our nation’s great history and lea rn about history in a new light.

Christopher Colum bus Essay Contest Wayzata High Schoo l junior Kristen Busch won the DAR Christopher Columbus Ess ay Contest at the cha pter level. The DAR along with the Natio nal Italian American Foundation, judge the essays for histor ical accuracy, adheren ce to the topic, organization of mater ials, interest, originalit y, spelling, grammar, punctuatio n and neatness.

Good Citizen Award The Lake Minnetonk a DAR Chapter also rec ognized Wayzata High School senior A.J . Yablonsky as the WH S 2016 Good Citizen Award winne r. The DAR Good Citize ns Award and Scholarship Contest, created in 1934, is int ended to encourage, recognize and reward individuals who posse ss the qualities of dependability, ser vice, leadership and patriotism in their homes, schools and communities.

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ON BRIEFS Four Destination Im agination Teams Ad vance to Global Tournament Four of Wayzata Publi c Schools’ 15 Destinati on Imagination teams took first or second place at the state tou rnament in April and advanced to the Glo bal Finals tourname nt in May. Destination ImagiNation is an int ernational problemsolving competition kindergarten through for college students tha t teaches life skills an expands imaginatio d ns through team-ba sed creative problem solving. Congratulatio ns to the following tea ms: Oakwood Elementary School’s team, The 7 Hippy Dippy Burgers took second place in state and 37th natio nally in “Challenge C, Get a Clue.” Team members include Bre nnan Tapper, Luke Greseth, Megan Griffin , Hannah Chen, Anika Swenson, Adam Christopherson and Tessa Shaver.

Wayzata High Schoo l’s team, Psychedelic Hippie Kaleidoscopes, took second place in state and took fifth pla ce nationally in “Challenge D, Close Encounters.” Team me mbers include Justin Greenberg, David Mo , Arman Shah and Ab

by Trouth.

Greenwood Elementa ry School’s team, Im prov Bananas, took first in state and fifth place nationally in “Ch allenge D, Close Encounters.” Team me mbers include Lariss a Zukor, Carly Globst and Anna Vollendorf. ad

Sophomore Chess Player Andrew Tang Named National Co-Champion The National High School Chess Championship was held in Atlanta in April with more than 1,500 players competing. After seven rounds of intensive competition, WHS sophomore Andrew Tang won five games, drew two and tied for first. Andrew was also the K-12 champion at the Minnesota State Scholastic Chess Championship in March.

In the team competition, Wayzata High School placed ninth in the nation and third in the state.

Kimberly Lane and Ply mouth Creek Elementa ry School’s team, Bright Minds, took firs t place at state and 22 nd nationally in “Challenge E, Musical Mashup.” Team memb ers include Abhiram Velagapudi, Neha Bu ridi, Tanush Thimma sani, Trisha Terafa, Tan Tersla and Nithya Dh vi armaishgara.

WHS Students Reco gnized in Scholars of Distinction Award Program

WHS Student Receives Perfect AP Macroeconomics Score Wayzata High School celebrates Allison Sholl for earning a perfect score on her Advanced Placement (AP) Macroeconomics Exam. Out of the approximately 4.5 million AP Exams taken by 2.5 million high school students in 2015, only 322 students earned every point possible on an AP exam, making her perfect score a rare accomplishment.

WHS Sophomores Place Second in State at Music Listening Competition Wayzata High School sophomores Joseph Ching, Christopher Lin and Jason Weng placed second at the Minnesota High School Music Listening Contest Region 8 competition. The Minnesota High School Music Listening Contest expands the music experiences of students – primarily through the use of classical music.

The contest materials also cover global perspectives and a variety of musical influences. The objective of the contest is to inspire students to become lifelong participants in the musical experience.

Ten Wayzata High Sch ool students have ear ned recognition in the Scholars of Distincti on Award Program. Th e awards conferred by Minnesota Departm ent of Education rec ognize exceptional accomplishment, achiev ement and performan ce as evidenced by the documentation provid ed by the students. Co ngratulations to the following students: Sydnee Anderson, senior, recognized for her project “An Analy of Suicide Preventio sis n, Intervention and Po stvention Policies in High Schools” Smita Bhoopatira ju, junior, recognized for her project “Phon logical and Semantic oFeatures in Four- and Six-Year-Olds’ Foreig Word Learning” n Michael Cai, senior , recognized for his pro ject “Furfural as a Feedstock for Nitrog enous Heterocycles” Pooja Kandikond a, senior, recognized for her project “Meth trexate Polyglutamate oAnalysis” Kevin Liu, senior, for his project “Computa tional Design of Farnesyl Diphosphate Analogues to Invest igate Protein Prenylation” Sasidhar Vankina , junior, for her projec t “Power and Responsi ity Concerns as Sourc biles of Response Bias” Jessica Weng, sen ior, for her project, “Ca n APOBEC3B gene be therapeutic target for a breast cancer?”

Gauri Binoy, junior , for her project “Rege nerating the neuron through blastocyst com plementation of PIT X3 knockout brains the treatment of neura for l degenerative diseas es” Drew William, jun ior, for his project “Ne xt Generation BrainSensing Interface for Brain Signal Analysis and Rapid Closed Loo Deep Brain Stimulat p ion Algorithm Devel opment” Amrit Bhatia, sen ior, for his project “Im plementation of an Adaptive Filter to Elim inate Power Line Int erference”

6 Wayzata High School Students Win 43 State Scholastic Art Awards

Heidi Donner

Kai Dranchak

Kass Mossefin

Maria Palomino

WAYZATA HIGH SCHOOL students have won 43 awards in the 2016 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards, the longest-running, most prestigious national art competition.

The Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards competition is broken into three categories: Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention. Over 4,000 submissions were submitted this year with students at Wayzata High School winning 14 Gold Keys, 13 Silver Keys and 16 Honorable Mention.

Gold: Kai Dranchak (drawing), Laurier Dubeau (drawing), Frank Fetrow (design), Kassandra Mossefin* (design), Maria Palamino (drawing), Sara Pauly (digital art), Rachel Pearson (drawing), Mariah Schmidt (drawing), Claire Reid (painting) and Zoie Zimmerman (digital art).

Silver: Heidi Donner (photography), Joe Kottke (photography), Katie Mehr (drawing), Maria Palomino (drawing), Sara Pauly (photography), Rachel Pearson (drawing), Claire Reid (painting and drawing), Mariah Schmidt (drawing and illustration), and Marali Singaraju (photography) and Rebecca Wallinga (design).

Honorable Mention: Mandy Behling (ceramics), Evelyn Birnbaum (drawing), Frank

Laurier Dubeau

Frank Fetrow

Joe Kottke

Katie Mehr

Sara Pauly

Rachel Pearson

Claire Reid

Mariah Schmidt

Rebecca Wallinga

Zoie Zimmerman

Fetrow (design), Jillian Hamer (painting), Jeff Johnson (design), Katie Mehr (drawing), Alexandra Morris (drawing), Noelle Polis (ceramics), Kate Van Horn (drawing), Anna Van Orsow (design), Rebecca Wallinga (design), Madelyn Wood Marali Singaraju (painting) and Mariah Schmidt (drawing).

Gold Key award-winning work is automatically entered into the National Awards competition in New York. Senior Mariah Schmidt received a national silver medal in drawing and illustration.

National awards were presented at Carnegie Hall in May. The Scholastic Art Awards are designed to foster creative expression by secondary students and to recognize and encourage achievement in the creative arts by offering visibility and scholarships.

The awards represent work from a broad range of art disciplines including digital art, drawing and

painting, crafts, sculpture and photography.

The exhibition of student artwork was on display at the Regis Center for Art on the University of Minnesota campus and students received their awards at a ceremony held at the Weisman Art Museum on Saturday, February 20.

The award winning works are currently on display in Wayzata High Schools’ Fine Arts display case in the D-Wing of the building. *Kassandra Mossefin also received a $3,500 summer scholarship to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

24th Annual Empty Bowls Event a Success MORE THAN 600 people joined together for Wayzata High School’s 24th annual Empty Bowls event on Thursday, May 19. Empty Bowls is an international grassroots effort to unite arts education and the prevention of hunger. Wayzata’s annual event raises money for Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP) and its fight against hunger in the Twin Cities.

Here’s how it works: For a suggested $10 donation, patrons can select from more than 700 handmade ceramic bowls, crafted by WHS advanced pottery students, alumni and staff. The bowl is filled with soup and bread and can be kept as a reminder of the evening.

Thanks to the Wayzata community, sponsors, donors, students and staff, this year’s event raised $8,000 for IOCP. When Wayzata High School held its first Empty Bowls event in 1992, it was the first in Minnesota. Since then, the annual event has raised over $100,000 for IOCP and increased awareness of hunger in the community.

7 Wayzata Student Writes Book, Raises Money for Animal Adoption Nonprofit SAVING STRIPES: A KITTY’S STORY by teen author Justin Anderson is the true story of how his orange tabby, Stripes, came into his life. The story is told from the cat’s point of view and is intended to shed some light on how people can help reduce the number of stray cats on the streets.

Justin attended Sunset Hill Elementary as an elementary student, and at the time his book was published, Justin had just finished 8th grade at East Middle School. Nearly a year later as a freshman at Wayzata High School, Justin returned to his elementary school, where Saving Stripes: A Kitty’s Story is now on the library bookshelves. Justin met with students and he even made an appearance on their daily newscast, TNN News.

More than 150 books have been sold with 100% of the proceeds benefiting S.O.S. Rescue Relief of Plymouth. Between the books sold and donations made to the charity as a result of publicity, approximately $2,500 has been donated to the nonprofit.

Saving Stripes: A Kitty’s Story is available at the Adopt-A-Pet Shop on Vicksburg Lane in Plymouth and at the Cats Preferred Animal Hospital at the intersection of Highway 55 and Rockford Road in Plymouth.

The book is also available online at www.createspace.com/4931704.

WHS Psychology Students Double as Home Base Staff as Part of New Course WAYZATA HIGH SCHOOL’S Family and Consumer Sciences department is partnering with Home Base, the district’s before-and-after-school care program, to give students interested in child psychology first-hand experience working with elementary school-aged children, while also accommodating the increased demand for Home Base enrollment.

The partnership will be part of a new course called Introduction to Education Field Experience.

Students will receive guidance from high school and Home Base staff in developing and implementing learning activities, studying the development of elementary-age children and engaging in reflective practices. The course is a semester long, allowing the Home Base students to become familiar and bond with the high school students.

In addition to providing hands-on experience, this course also offers concurrent enrollment with Normandale, allowing students to receive college credit while still in high school.

WHS Freshman Raises Tourette’s Syndrome Awareness through Leadership WAYZATA HIGH SCHOOL freshman Jack Shink has been named Minnesota’s 2016 Youth Ambassador for the Tourette’s Syndrome Association, an organization dedicated to making life better for all people affected by tic disorders.

Jack represents the state of Minnesota by assisting in media-related activities to spread awareness and raise funds for research and treatment. He shares his personal story, what Tourette’s has meant for him, what it means for those around him, and he challenges people to think about their definition of inclusion.

In March, Jack attended the Tourette’s Syndrome Association’s national conference in Washington DC with 49 other state ambassadors for leadership training and to lobby with both Senator Al Franken and Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Wayzata 3-2-1 Teams Have Another Successful Year 3-2-1 IS A NATIONAL competition that involves teams of students answering questions covering multiple content areas. The questions are pyramidal, so if the team answers correctly on the first question, they get three points. If it takes two clues to get the answer, then they get two points, with a third clue netting one point.

The Wayzata Junior/Senior team placed first in the high school division. Team members include: Abhinav Bhaskar, Senior Michael Cai, Senior Joseph Chen, Senior Vedran Hadziosmanovic, Senior Cody Hou, Senior Ian Kariniemi, Senior Nick Kessler, Junior Karma Lama, Junior Pranav Maddula, Junior Edward Mu, Senior Brielle Pizzala, Senior Kevin Qian, Senior Gayathri Rao, Senior Gowri Rao, Senior Nathan Ringo, Senior Ashmita Sarma, Junior Srivats Yerraguntala, Junior The WHS Freshman/Sophomore team placed fourth nationwide. Central Middle School also finished fourth in the nation and West Middle School finished 12th.

Elementary Principal Receives National Honor

DR. BRAD GUSTAFSON, principal of Greenwood Elementary, is Minnesota’s 2016 National Distinguished Principal. The National Distinguished Principal Program was established in 1984 to recognize and celebrate elementary and middle-level principals who set high standards for instruction, student achievement, character and climate for the students, families and staff in their learning communities. The program highlights the fundamental importance of the school principal in achieving educational excellence for prekindergarten through eighth-grade students and reinforces their continued leadership in helping children develop a lifelong love of learning.

One principal is chosen annually from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Congratulations, Dr. Gustafson!

Excellence. For Each and Every Student.

Wayzata Birchview Elementary celebrated its second annual STEM Day with creative engineering challenges and presentations. It’s a day many Birchview students say is their favorite day of the year. They even met the 3M scientist who invented the glue that holds your rearview mirror to your windshield!

Nonprofit Org. US Postage Wayzata, MN Permit 43

STEM Day is Favorite of the Year!

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

Communicator JUNE 2016

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@wayzata.k12.mn.us with questions or comments.

New WHS Compass Program Helps Students Find their Direction HELPING OUR STUDENTS imagine and plan for careers that feed their passion…

Developing post-high school education plans that provide a path to those careers…

These goals are inherent in Wayzata Public Schools’ mission of preparing each and every student to thrive today and excel tomorrow.

Compass, a new professional career studies program for high school juniors and seniors at Wayzata High School (WHS), goes to the heart of that mission.

The program launches in the upcoming 2016–17 school year with two courses – Graphic Communication and Business Management & Economics. According to Compass Coordinator Scott Tordeur, 55 students are already enrolled and many more are asking about how this might

fit into their plans for their final years of high school.

Compass courses are being planned and will be taught in collaboration with local business leaders and faculty from North Hennepin and Normandale Community Colleges. There are many advantages to students: • Course content will reflect input from working professionals • Working professionals will serve as guest instructors and mentors • Students will have opportunities to work on real-world projects with oversight from both professionals and high school teachers • Students will simultaneously earn high school and college credit “We are excited to offer this program to our

students,” said WHS principal Scott Gengler.

“We believe participation in Compass courses will help them make more informed decisions about their post-high school education and careers and ultimately help them be more prepared to enter the workforce.”

According to Tordeur, it’s not just students who are responding with enthusiasm. A dozen businesses have already signed on as partners.

“They love the fact that they can weigh in on the curriculum and begin to develop relationships with their future workforce today. We are already exploring courses in several other disciplines,” he said.

To learn more about how you can get involved in Compass, go to www.wayzata.k12. mn.us/compass.

Safety Drill Set for Wednesday, October 19* IN CONJUNCTION WITH the Plymouth Police, Wayzata Public Schools will conduct a drill on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 to practice safety plans, evacuation procedures and communication protocols. Middle and high school students will not attend school that day, so staff can take part in the event. At the conclusion of the event, lessons learned will be shared with all schools and buildings, allowing everyone to learn from this drill. *The Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) will still be offered at Wayzata High School on Wednesday, Oct. 19. Since October 19 is a non-school day for secondary students, this is a good opportunity for 9–11 grade students to take the PSAT without missing class time. For more information and to register, visit www.wayzata.k12.mn.us/page/14509.