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From the Office of the Superintendent 2/20/20
Weekly Briefing for ISD 709 Faculty & Staff
Dear Colleagues,
This week members of the Duluth School Board met with Congressman Pete Stauber to advocate for fully funding special education services at the federal level. We appreciate Rep. Stauber's willingness to meet and hear how decisions at the federal level impact our schools. Board members spoke plainly and passionately about our students and their needs.
This is National School Board Recognition Week, a great opportunity to thank the dedicated community members that choose to serve as members of the school board.
The Duluth School Board is engaging the community in important discussions on a number of topics including boundary adjustments, addressing facilities needs, and selecting our next superintendent. Their time, passion for education, and tireless work to continuously improve our school district is greatly appreciated.
Kind regards,
Bill
If you have questions or thoughts about what's going on in our school district, email: Superintendents@ISD709.org. Twitter: @billgronseth
Governor Tim Walz proclaimed February Career & Technical Education Month in Minnesota. Duluth Public Schools are fortunate to have a robust CTE program. Programs of study at Denfeld & Duluth East High Schools include:
- Aerospace Physics (Aviation)
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Automotive and Engines
- Business, Marketing and Finance
- Construction Technology
- Educational Careers
- Engineering and Design
- Graphic Arts and Digital Design
- Health Occupations
- Hospitality and Tourism (Culinary Arts)
Communication is important, especially during a school emergency.
On Tuesday March 10, Duluth Public Schools and the Duluth Police Department will conduct a test of emergency technologies such as alert systems, two-way radios and school building communications.
The test will include Infinite Campus Parent Portal notifications.
- On March 10, you may receive a test phone call, text or email from your school or from the district.
- The message will clearly state “This is a test of Duluth Public Schools notification systems."
- No response is necessary on your part.
We appreciate your patience as we test our emergency notification systems on March 10.
Check out our Kindergarten Roundup events, too - we look forward to meeting you!
ISD 709 Elementary Schools provide a rich learning experience for students grades K-5.
- Highly skilled, caring teachers
- Fun, engaging, creative learning activities
- Music, Art, Physical Education, Media
- Reading, Math, Social Studies, Science
- Emphasis on Family Partnership
- Community partnerships for learning
ISD 709 News
Lyric Opera at Myers-Wilkins
Through a generous, anonymous donation, students at Myers-Wilkins Elementary enjoyed Cinderella by Lyric Opera of the North. The production featured trained opera singers, a pianist and 17 students from Myers-Wilkins who learned the music for five selections over the course of five weeks.
#Inspire709 #TakeABow
Congdon Celebrates Women in Science
Students in Congdon Park Elementary KEY Zone, celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science - including Rosalind Franklin, whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA and RNA.
#Inspire709
www.ISD709.org/Congdon-Elementary
Piedmont Family Hour
Students at Piedmont Elementary won books during the school’s Bingo for Books event. Family fun during I Love to Read Month.
#ILoveToRead
Ordean East Knowledge Bowl
The Ordean East Middle School Knowledge Bowl teams took 3rd & 5th place at their final tournament this year, congratulations.
#Inspire709
Homecroft Students Get Creative
Homecroft KEY Zone students were given 16 hangers and challenged to create a snowflake. With creative thinking, team work, a few hints and some final touches students created three spectacular snowflakes for the cafeteria windows.
#Inspire709 #CreativeAndSmart
Award for Duluth East Robotics Team
The Duluth East Daredevils received the Greatest Depth Award at the ICC 2020 scrimmage in Grand Rapids. The award is presented to the team that goes above and beyond with knowing their team and its function well. It also exemplifies the team showing great effort in interacting with other teams in the scrimmage.
#Inspire709 #GraciousProfessionalism
Please come support the team and see the progress they've
made on this year's robot.
Monday February 24, 2020
6:00PM - 7:00PM
Denfeld High School Commons
401 N. 44th Ave West, Duluth
#Inspire709
Arrowhead Robotics Coalition:
Robotics Practice Field Grand Opening
Saturday, February 22, 2020 1:00PM – 4:00PM
Village Mall, 2322 Mountain Shadow Dr.
Duluth, MN
Students and mentors from many local robotics teams will be available to talk to the community and demonstrate their robots.
This spring Arrowhead Robotics Coalition secured a grant for a competition regulation playing field for area students to practice their engineering designs and robot driving skills. F.I. Salter graciously donated space for practice, which will be available to 20+ high school teams during the 2020 competition season that begins in March and continues through the Minnesota State Robotics Tournament on May 16.
Spotlight: ALC
Students Speak at Statewide Conference
Students and staff from the Duluth Area Learning Center presented at this year’s MN Association of Alternative Programs Conference at the DECC. They shared information about the Wilderness Elite program. Students spoke about feeling empowered and supported through nature-based programs, community-based projects and experiential learning opportunities.
#Inspire709
Duluth Construction Career Night
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
DECC, Paulucci Hall
Free Event, All Are Welcome to Attend
Learn about careers in construction at Duluth Construction Career Night. Experience a variety of construction careers through hands on opportunities with local union apprenticeship programs. This event is an opportunity for those that are interested in a building and construction trade career to meet with representatives of local union apprenticeship programs in Duluth.Don't miss this great opportunity to network, and learn about living wage jobs that are vital to the economic growth of our region.
Hosted by City of Duluth, Duluth Workforce Development, Head of the Lakes United Way
#CareerTechEdMonth
Stay Connected
Email: info@ISD709.org
Website: www.ISD709.org
Location: 215 N. 1st Avenue East, Duluth MN
Phone: 218-336-8700
Facebook: www.facebook.com/duluthpublicschools/
Twitter: @ISD709News