January 27, 2016 Vol. 1, Issue 7

ReferendumUpdates The Special Edition: Referendum Update newsletter will be released in early February, updating our community and district regarding construction projects, academic timelines, and general updates about Shakopee Public Schools. See renderings of the expanded high school and begin to picture what the final project will look like. Also, learn more about the Academies of Shakopee and other academic goals for the district. Our goal is to keep our community and staff up to date on all construction projects. We are excited to show the hard work from the committees that have worked hard to give our students the best experience and competitive edge in the future.

Read the full ‘Year in Review 2015’ here

Superintendent Dr. Rod Thompson looks back with the Year in Review

Another year has come and gone and great things happened in Shakopee Public Schools. Like always, we celebrate our students and staff, and recognize their accomplishments, realizing that we could not be a great district without them. The Year in Review takes a look back at all of the wonderful things that students, staff, and community did throughout the year, reminding us that no lesson is too small and everything we do is for our students. Thank you to all of the teachers and staff that work with our children every day. Take a minute to review this amazing year we had and to appreciate the remarkable people in our district.

 

 

Student Events

Pearson 6th Grade Center Jazz Concert

East Junior High Jazz Concert

West Junior High Jazz Concert

Pearson 6th Grade Center, East Junior High and West Junior High had their jazz concert on Monday, January 11th in West Junior High’s auditorium. The students played all kinds of styles from swing to blues, and rock to music of the Caribbean! 6th graders learned two of their three songs by ear! Many students improvised. It was a super fun evening of music!

Conductors: Jana Meckler (Pearson) Scott Sater (East Junior High) and Sean Vander Veen (West Junior High)

Macalaster College Music Program Visits Shakopee

Mini Pow Wow Honoring Native American Culture On January 22, about 200 people attended the Mini Pow Wow at Pearson 6th Grade Center. The event boasted 37 dancers and five drum groups, all in honor of Native American culture and pride. Along with the event, students enjoyed a meal, and learned about the new curriculum and activities of the Shakopee Schools Indian Education Program. New initiatives include:

• New Native American Learning trunks in the classrooms • Native American Consultants in classrooms and Native

Group • Diversity training for teaching staff and other staff • Native Pride performances • Summer programming

On Tuesday, January 19, all Shakopee 5th graders went on a musical field trip to Shakopee High School to watch the West African Music Ensemble from Macalaster College. The event included master drummer, Sowah Mensah, who spoke about cultural experiences in each piece of music and allowed students to interact with the performers. Instruction about music from around the world is part of the 5th grade music curriculum, so this allowed students to experience music they are learning about!

 

 

Two Tweets Not on … By Dave Orlowsky

A 1912 study (I know it’s old, but stick with me) gave 142 teachers the exact same exam from 2 different students to grade. The teacher’s grades ranged from 64%-98% on one, & 50%-97% on the other. Could this happen today, regardless of the subject, 104 years later? (268)

Rethinking Grading by Cathy Vatterott

Stay In the Know

Students, Staff, and Administrators Present at State-wide Conference

The Shakopee CAPS team had the opportunity to present at two state conferences about our new high school program – The Minnesota School Board Association’s Leadership Conference and the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals Winter Conference. Representatives from the district’s business partners, students in the program and the teachers were able to share their experiences in the program thus far.

CAPS Interns Present Final Presentations Before Moving onto Internships

Shakopee CAPS students are beginning to wrap up the end of their first semester in the newly launched program. Students in the Digital Design CAPS program presented a summary of the past semester to district administrators, Shutterfly staff, and their peers. Student presentations included their initial fears, what they learned along the way, and their future plans.

 

 

Save the Date ShakopeeAlumniAssociation

Alumni Gala

April 22, 2016Save the Date