May 4, 2022 | Volume 2 • Issue 34
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A Message from Superintendent Osei |
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Thank you for taking time this week to acknowledge the work of our teachers and staff. Every year during National Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week, our staff is overwhelmed with your generosity and care. I have observed several positive communications sent to staff and events being planned to recognize their commitment to seeing, inspiring, and empowering each learner to live their brilliance in an environment that centers student voice and experience to create racially equitable learning that energizes and enhances the spirit of our community.
I appreciate the impact St. Louis Park Public Schools educators are having on the lives of our students. Last week, St. Louis Park High School was recognized as one of the U.S. News and World Report best high schools. Each year, U.S. News and World Report ranks nearly 18,000 public high schools across the country on data connected to enrollment, graduation rates, student body demographics, free and reduced-price lunch, location, school type and state assessment results. Additionally, data on participation in and performance on challenging college-level coursework is considered in determining a schools ranking.
Generally, when I look at these results, I make sure to use a critical thinking lens. I recognize that the heavy emphasis on Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) scores can sometimes be misleading in determining a school's effectiveness due to some of the factors that impact scores. For example, participation has been a challenge for us over the years as students are not required to take the MCAs. When students do not participate it is counted as the student being not proficient, which has had a direct impact on our proficiency scores.
This year as we recognize teachers and staff across the district, I thought that it would be important to express my appreciation for the impact our staff has had on preparing our students to take rigorous coursework at the high school level. St. Louis Park High School ranks 18 out of 414 high schools across the state and 1535 out of 17,843 high schools across the country in the proportion of 12th graders who took and passed at least one Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exam. U.S. News and World Report calls this indicator the College Readiness Index Score.
Students taking and passing AP and IB exams is not something that just happens during 12th grade. The foundation for this success is laid in our early learning program where staff work hard to prepare students for Kindergarten. It happens in our elementary schools where staff provide students with a strong academic foundation and allow students to begin to explore their talents. It occurs at the middle school where staff strengthen the academic foundation that was developed in elementary school, and allow students to explore different interests through a wide variety of elective options. It takes place in grades 9-11 where staff build on students' strong academic foundation and provide pathways for post secondary interest. Regardless of a staff member's role in the district, they all play a role in creating the conditions for students to be prepared to take and pass challenging college-level coursework. I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the varied ways in which our staff contribute to our mission and find ways for our students to demonstrate their brilliance.
As a part of our strategic plan for racial equity transformation we hold a belief that college level rigor and enrichment opportunities can be achieved through purposeful collaboration, curriculum and program development. Over the past couple of years we have engaged in a curricular and program review process that centers the belief that all students come to us with gifts and the ability to learn. With that foundational belief we are working to ensure that each student takes at least one IB, AP, or concurrent college course before graduation.
Thank you for your commitment to St. Louis Park Public Schools and for your support of our staff. The philosophy of Ubuntu, I am because we are, continues to be on display in St. Louis Park Public Schools. The collective approach we take in this community to support and lift up one another and our students is beautiful and a reflection of our core value on collective responsibility. We truly are stronger together and our collective approach is leading to positive outcomes for our students.
With much appreciation,
Astein
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Building for Sustainable Excellence
A Referendum to Secure the Future of Learning
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School Board Members unanimously approved two ballot questions for the bond referendum and capital project levy at the April 12, School Board Meeting. Question one asks voters to renew and expand by $500,000 the Capital Project Levy for Technology and Question two seeks approval for a $136 million bond referendum. If both questions are approved, the owner of a St. Louis Park home valued at $331,800 (the median home value) would pay an additional $18.92 monthly or $227 annually in taxes.
The capital project levy for technology funds the operational needs of technology districtwide - staff, devices, infrastructure maintenance, etc. Absent this levy, these costs would come from the general fund. The current capital project levy for technology was renewed in 2013 for 10 years and will continue through the fall of 2022 levy. District Administration is recommending a renewal at ten years with an increase in tax rates that would approximate a $500,000 increase in the levy to cover growing costs and needs related to student and staff technology.
The $136 million bond referendum will focus on items that enhance the daily lived experience of students, stabilize costs and conserve energy, maintain core operations, and improve safety and security. The bond referendum includes projects that received voter approval in 2017, and were unable to be completed due to pandemic related construction cost increases, supply chain shortages, and regulatory requirements that added millions of dollars to project costs. These projects were important in 2017 and they remain vital to our student experience.
Click here to download a two-page informational flyer regarding the August 9 Technology Levy & Bond Referendum.
Stakeholders can always get the latest information regarding the Building for Sustainable Excellence special election by visiting the website.
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Summer Learning Academy and Summer Learning & Play Opportunities Available for K-5 Families |
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St. Louis Park Public Schools and St. Louis Park Community Education is excited to announce a number of summer program opportunities for families with K-5 students.
The K-5 Summer Learning Academy provides enrichment in the areas of literacy, math, wellness, global & social justice, and arts. This year's Summer Learning Academy will take place from June 20 through August 4 at Peter Hobart Elementary School.
St. Louis Park Community Education is also excited to announce more than 40 afternoon fee-based camps as part of its Summer Learning & Play program. There is something for every kid including STEM camps, arts camps, sports camps, and more!
Use the following links to download more information in one of three languages:
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Middle School Jump Start Registration Open to
Current 5th Graders
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Registration is now open for two different sessions of Middle School Jump Start on Saturday, May 21. Jump Start is a program offered by St. Louis Park Community Education to current 5th graders who will transition to the Middle School next fall.
Due to summer construction, this year's Jump Start program has been moved from the summer months to May 21. Available sessions include an 8:00-11:00 a.m. option or a 12:00-3:00 p.m. option. Click here to register.
During these sessions you will:
- Meet teachers
- Learn about the building
- Practice opening lockers
- Learn what you really need for a day in school
- Meet new people
- Ask questions
- Have fun!
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May 2-6 is Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week |
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May 2-6 is the week when St. Louis Park stakeholders have the opportunity to thank teachers and staff members for the countless hours they put in during the school year to inspire and empower each St. Louis Park learner to live their brilliance.
Stakeholders are encouraged to send a note of gratitude to a teacher or staff member who has positively impacted the life of their student(s).
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May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month |
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May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).
Like most commemorative months, Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month originated with Congress. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
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Middle School Coffee with the Principals is Friday, May 6 |
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Middle School Principal Les Bork and Assistant Principal Jason Boll will host a virtual Coffee with the Principals event at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 6 via Zoom. Come with your questions about St. Louis Park Middle School. Click here to join us on Friday!
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