September 2013
Excellence. For each and every student.
Communicator R
SCHOOL BOARD REVIEWING PLANS TO EXPAND SCHOOL DISTRICT CAPACITY
eports of a significant increase in new housing developments, larger classes moving from the middle schools to Wayzata High School and the addition of state-funded all-day kindergarten beginning in fall 2014 have prompted the Wayzata School Board to call for a plan to address enrollment growth by expanding its building capacity. Staff will present the plan, including a proposed funding model, at the September 9 School Board meeting. “The incredible growth in family-oriented housing developments and the opportunity to offer state-funded all-day Kindergarten to all families is a one-two punch to our building capacity,” said School Board Chair Sue Droegemueller. “We are delighted to welcome new resident families to our schools, and we need to ensure we have spaces for them when they arrive.” Continued on Page 2
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Development is occuring throughout the district. The Creek Ridge development located on Vicksburg Avenue in Plymouth is projected to build 2 single family homes.
Excellence. For Each and Every Student.
xcellence. For each and every student. Not only is this the new tagline that grew out of the district strategic planning process, it is the bottom line goal for all we do. From providing strong academic experiences, to our caring and nurturing teachers and staff, to a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities, to providing adequate educational space, we are committed to meeting the unique learning needs of each and every student in the Wayzata Public Schools. Although summer was late in arriving this year, the past couple months have been filled with students learning in a variety of classes offered through our special services and community education departments. We have also been busy working on building additions to Greenwood, Oakwood and Sunset Hill Elementary Schools to meet the needs of our growing resident student population. I encourage you to read this month’s Communicator for more information about a number of factors impacting the district’s facility needs for the future. We are also excited to expand our MyWay for Student Learning initiative focused on
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providing students with personalized learning opportunities through the use of an iPad. Last year was the first year of MyWay, which focused on K-2 students and middle school students in grades 6-8. Feedback from parents and students about MyWay has been positive and this year the initiative expands to also include students in grades 3-5 and grade 9. MyWay will be completely phased in during the 2014-15 school year when students in grades 10-12 will receive an iPad. We will be welcoming several new teachers to the district this year. Our Human Resources department works cooperatively with the school principals to interview and select the highest quality teachers. Many come to us with several years of experience in other school districts in Minnesota and from across the nation and others are just beginning their teaching career. Our principals consider their teacher hiring decisions very carefully to ensure our students have outstanding teachers. They recognize that this is one of their most important tasks. New teachers to the district attend three days
From THE SUPERINTENDENT
of orientation the week before we welcome the rest of our staff back. They are mentored by the district’s veteran teachers and other staff. We have a great balance of seasoned veterans and new teachers that work collaboratively to enrich the talent and grow the leadership of our young people. All of our staff members are excited to welcome students and families back to school! I hope you have all had a wonderful summer! – Chace B. Anderson, Ph.D. is Superintendent of Wayzata Public Schools