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From the Office of the Superintendent 1/10/18
ISD 709 School News
Congratulations to Cindy Upton, Lowell; Elizabeth Kersting-Peterson, Homecroft and Holly Bowen Bailey, Ordean-East, nominated by the Duluth Federation of Teachers for the 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award!
The three teachers were honored at a reception held at Ordean East Middle School and each received a special proclamation from Duluth Mayor Emily Larson.
A state Teacher of the Year will be announced by Education Minnesota in May.
The MN Teacher of the Year program, now in its 54th year, is the oldest and most prestigious recognition program in Minnesota to honor excellence in education. The program chooses one teacher to represent Minnesota's thousands of excellent educators. That teacher will be announced in May 2018.
Ordean East MS Students Make State Honor Choir
Congratulations to Ordean East students recently accepted into American Choral Director’s Association of Minnesota State 7-8 Honor Choirs.
>>State 7-8 SSA Honor Choir: Addison Dunkin, Daisy Thralow, Josephine Geidner, Maija Knutson, and Keegan McAuliffe.
>>State 7-8 TTB Honor Choir: Charlie Sunderland, Blake Bortnem and Carter Rice.
Ordean East Middle School students were selected from a pool of over 600 auditions statewide. Accepted students worked on their own and with their middle school choir director Sheila K. Shusterich to prepare and memorize five songs each for an all-day festival and concert in Mahtomedi, MN.
Building a Way to Ensure Equity is Considered in Decision-Making
Duluth Public Schools Staff are working on development of an Equity Framework for our district, to help guide staff in decision making processes which will result in equitable outcomes.
Proposed Components of our Equity Framework: Education Equity Definition, Tool for Equity Accountability, Resolution of Commitment by School Board
Work to date:
>>September & October 2017: Presentations to Staff - The Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent present each school site with the MDE (ESSA) definition of Education Equity and the idea of adopting a definition of Equity.
>>November 2017 - Inclusion of MDE Equity Definition in 2017 ISD 709 Annual Report; Work Session with Informants Group (7-8 people) to gather input on the proposed Definition and Tool, the process for community sessions, volunteers for recruitment and facilitation at community sessions, things we may be missing initially.
>>December 2017 - Work Session with Focus Group invited from a variety of groups to broaden the input from the initial Informants Group.
Current Proposed Timeline:
>>February 2018 - Up to 3 Community Input Sessions held in various locations across the district, open to the public and designed to gather additional input on components of the Equity Framework and opportunity for experiences in how the Framework will be utilized.
>>March/April 2018 - Presentation to the School Board for Adoption of the Equity Framework by a Resolution of Commitment
>>After 2018 Adoption - Share the Equity Framework with all staff, all students, and all parents via Infinite Campus email notification, Posting to District webpage, etc. (work to ensure all stakeholders are informed)
Intended Outcomes of this work:
Develop and Adopt an Equity Framework that includes a definition for Education Equity, an Equity Tool, and a Resolution of Commitment by the School Board. Also, provide guidance to the School Board and Administration on implementation and accountability measures.
2018 Twin Ports' MLK Tribute Events January 11-15
Duluth Public Schools is proud to support the 2018 Twin Ports' MLK Tribute Birth of a New Nation, Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Details: http://duluthnaacp.org/mlk/
They participated in the UMD Digital Art Workshop for Youth, a hands-on program using professional level software to explore animation, stop-motion photography, green screen technology, digital storytelling and the creative process.
The workshop included a public showcase and reception for families and friends at the Tweed Museum of Art, featuring student videos and a demo station.
A big thank you to UMD Art and Design Professor Joellyn Rock, UMD art education students, special guest artist, Kathy McTavish and Kathy Neff of the UMD Fine Arts Academy for making this opportunity possible!
We're proud to join dozens of Duluth organizations to help support the work of the Duluth Trafficking Task Force. January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Ron Lake, Duluth Public Schools Climate Coordinator, spoke eloquently at the kick-off.
All events for the month can be found on the News & Events page at: http://www.enditduluth.org/events/
Facebook: Duluth January Trafficking Prevention/Awareness Month
Award-Winning Denfeld, Duluth East Robotics Teams Gear Up for 2018 Season
During a kickoff held at UMD, DNA and the Daredevils joined over 4,000 teams viewing a worldwide broadcast to learn more about this years FIRST Robotics Competition Game Power Up.
The game has a retro arcade style. Students build a robot that can pick up and move power cubes to scales and to human players to place in a vault. The vault has Power Up options including Levitation, Force, and Boost.
Rockridge Academy Opens
The former Rockridge Elementary School underwent renovations this fall, in part to make the facility work for older students. Teachers moved in last week and classes started on Friday. We're pleased to partner with The Hills Youth and Family Services to provide educational services at Rockridge Academy!
Denfeld, Duluth East Career & Technical Education
College, Career Ready
Denfeld and Duluth East High Schools
Registration February 1 -25, 2018
>>Advanced placement, honors courses
>>College in the Schools: Earn College Credit in High School
>>Career & Technical Education: Engineering, Graphic Arts/Digital Design, Medical Occupations, Business/Marketing/Finance, Construction Technology, Automotive Technology, Aerospace (Aviation), Culinary Arts/Hospitality Industry, Agriculture and Forestry
>>Art and music, including Band, Orchestra, Chorus
>>Dozens of extracurricular activities including award-winning robotics, speech, music listening, business, cheer teams
>>School Spirit – Greyhound and Hunter Pride!
>>Dozens of Unique College/Post-Secondary Scholarships
Nearly 1,100 children participate in this year round safe and engaging out of school time program. KEY Zone complements the school day and creates an enriching environment, fostering positive youth development and academic success. Provided through partnership between ISD 709 and the Duluth Family YMCA.
More Information
Outdoor Fun
Families and children enjoyed time at Hartley Nature Center (before temps dipped!) through Duluth Public School's Early Childhood Education program. Enriching birth to age 5 classes and activities help families strengthen and support their child’s early learning and development.
For more information:
Phone: 218-336-8890 or 218-336-8815
Website
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