Eden Prairie Schools will be adding another elementary school starting next fall as part of the Continued Excellence through Transformation process. This means that new boundaries and school hours will be needed for implementation in the 2011-2012 school year. A new boundary map(s) will be shared with our community at the end of September or early October. This map was created by a task force made up of staff and parents.

Feedback will be taken through October and a final decision will likely be made about the new boundaries in about early November. New school hours are expected to be shared in October or November as well.

The Eden Prairie Community Education Fall Catalog has hit the street! Click on the headline for more information.

The Eden Prairie Community Education Fall Catalog has hit the streets!

Check out the classes we are offering and discover something new this fall that will entice your mind, body or soul.

To register for a class visit www.epcommunityed.org or click here to download the PDF.

"Locally Grown Free Range Turkey" is our Farm to School featured item for the month of September. The turkey is raised on Ferndale Farms in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Turkeys are raised with minimal or no antibiotic usage, and processed naturally with no additives at a USDA facility. During the warmer months, all of the turkeys on the home farm are raised completely free-range. The Peterson family works hard to ensure that all their turkeys are happy and healthy, so you’re guaranteed to get the best product possible.

John Peterson will be visiting a few of our school cafeterias during Farm to school week, September 20-24th. He will be talking to students about good food and sustainable living and have a display of pictures of his farm.

We will use his turkey in Turkey Gravy and Turkey Tacos.

Bon appetite!

Eden Prairie Schools has seen significant improvement in its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status that was recently announced by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). MDE measures each district's and school's performance in terms of the percentage of students who are at, or above, state-defined academic goals in reading and math as reflected on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA). Click on the headline for more information.

The EPHS Eagle Marching Band officially kicked off their 2010 season with their first full band rehearsal on July 20. Click on the headline to learn more.

A great band begins with great leadership! The award-winning EPHS Eagle Marching Band officially kicked off their 2010 season with their first full band rehearsal on July 20. The student leadership team was selected by directors Liz Jackson, Scott Palmer, and Mike Whipkey. These talented student drum majors, captains and section leaders will "march the extra mile" to make sure the Eagle Band creates another impressive show in 2010:

Drum Majors:	Catherine Cahoon, Lindsay Lundeen, Jonathan Young
Captains:	Joe Orner – Brass Reilly Quirk – Drumline Natalie Ottum – Guard Caroline Schmitz – Guard Co-Captain Kendra Johnson-Tesch – Woodwinds
Section Leaders:	William Black – Baritone Jessie Farrell, Nicole Frey – Clarinet Dain Anderson, Matt Keck, Reilly Quirk – Drumline Sophie Adomaitis, Addie Whelan – Flute Nikki Burghardi, Emily Slinkard, Sarah Waller – Guard Brian Rolf – Mellophone Jenny Derring, Mark Rissmann, Christina Stolz – Saxophone Reed Hartman – Trombone Mitch Gulbransen, Stephanie Hanson – Trumpet Andy Carlson, Devon Dalton – Tuba

From now through the end of the competition season in late October, every band member will put in more than 350 hours of rehearsal and performance time. Practice will include a full, grueling week in early August at Band Camp. The season will continue with marching in the State Fair parade, performing at home EPHS football games, participating in band competitions, and culminating with the Youth in Music Marching Band Championship. Last year’s Eagle Band earned third place honors at the YIM event. With the pride and dedication of the new crop of student band leadership plus the commitment of all Eagle Band members another successful season is anticipated.

All are invited to attend the Prairie Colors Band Festival hosted at EPHS on October 9. This will be an all-day event with finals in the evening and featuring an exhibition performance by the Eagle Band.

The Eden Prairie High School Bands have enjoyed a long tradition of recognized excellence. They are proud to have earned a reputation as an innovative and exciting organization that provides its membership with quality musical and educational experiences. For more information about EPHS Bands, click here.

Click on the headline to find out what your child will need for their first day of school.

School supply lists for the 2010-2011 school year are posted below. We recommend students bring the following supply lists. Teachers may have specific requests they will share with you.

Preschool Supply Lists

• Partners Preschool
• Spanish Preschool

Elementary School Supply Lists

• Cedar Ridge Elementary School
• Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion School
• Eden Lake Elementary School
• Forest Hills Elementary School
• Prairie View Elementary School

Intermediate School Supply Lists

• Oak Point Intermediate School

Middle School Supply Lists

• Central Middle School

High School Supply Lists

• Eden Prairie High School
  students will need to bring only a notebook and pen/pencil on the first day of school, individual teachers will assign the needed supplies

Click on the headline for more information.

June 24, 2010

One of the Continued Excellence through Transformation Task Forces has finished its work, and we'd like to share with you the recommendation they've presented to Superintendent Melissa Krull. The "6th School Identity Task Force" was asked to determine whether the new k-6 school that will be located with Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion School at Oak Point should be a boundaried or district-wide destination/magnet school.

We want you to know that the parents and staff on this task force have now recommended to the Superintendent that this new school be a boundaried school. Tuesday night, members of this task force shared their research and reasoning with the School Board. The Superintendent will consider board member ideas and feedback prior to making her final decision on the identity of this school by the end of the month.

Research & Reasoning Used
The 6th School Identity Task Force synthesized their research into "key learnings" that helped them form and support the recommendation for a boundaried school. Below is a summary of their findings (to see all their key learnings and additional information from this task force, you can click on the Continued Excellence box on the right side of the district website's front page, www.edenpr.org).

• Demographic Balance
  • Equality in demographics raises all students' achievement. The boundary option would have a slightly greater likelihood of demographic balance.
• Academic Achievement for All
  • The structure of a magnet offers a themed approach to instruction but has no greater or lesser likelihood of exhibiting characteristics of high-achieving schools.
• Utilizing School Capacity
  • A boundary school would have a greater likelihood of assuring utilized capacity immediately with fewer complexities.
• Survey Results
  • Most parents surveyed said they'd prefer that this school be similar to the other elementary schools in having attendance boundaries.
• Effective Instructional Program
  • Either a boundary school or a magnet would meet Board Policy OE -10.
• Impact on District-wide System
  • A potential lottery system in the magnet option could create divisiveness in the community which could have more unanticipated risks or challenges.
• Cost
  • Costs of magnet schools are difficult to estimate but could include additional staff training, new curriculum, etc.
  • We do not have the space capacity at this time to have a goal to attract enrollment from outside the district for revenue purposes.

Next Steps
In addition to recommending that the 6th k-6 school be a boundaried school, this task force said that parent feedback indicates significant interest in the areas of science, math, technology, and inquiry instruction. They added that they would suggest that the K-6 Innovation, Ideas, and Possibilities Task Force carry these themes forward as they consider practices that should be incorporated in all of our elementary schools.

Again, this is a recommendation and not a decision, but we wanted you to have the latest information on our Continued Excellence through Transformation process as it unfolds. The Superintendent is reviewing the information from this task force and is expected to make a final decision on the 6th school's identity before the end of this month.

We will make sure to keep you updated. Even though it's summer, we will be working to ensure that you are emailed any important news on our schools, and we continue to welcome your feedback, ideas, and questions via our Communications Line: 952-975-7150 or communications@edenpr.org. Enjoy your summer.

 

My best regards,

Camie Melton Hanily
Director of Communications

If you would like to update your email address, please log onto www.edenpr.org and click on "edit profile." If you have any technology questions, please contact the website helpline at helpline@edenpr.org or 952-975-7094 during school hours.