Great letter from the Superintendent of IDS 279(Osseo / Maple Grove)

June 04, 2008
Sharing the Joy


What started out as a simple request for information for a Superintendent’s column has become an exciting and notable list of accomplishments from throughout our school system. This was the email I sent to our ISD 279 Principals and Leadership: Please help us celebrate all the wonderful accomplishments that we have made at our sites and within our system this year. I would like your help to declare our progress on our journey to optimize our energies and resources to increase student learning through a collaborative culture that is focused on results.
I am so proud of our district and I’m happy to share some of the highlights with you. All of the accomplishments submitted by our district’s leadership are posted online at http://www.district279.org/. I encourage you to take a look. Be sure to allow plenty of time. There’s a lot, but it’s worth it. They’re inspiring!
For this article, we selected some noteworthy accomplishments in four categories: Academics, Accolades, Helping Others and Behind the Scenes.
ACADEMICS – ESPECIALLY MATH!Academic test scores improved in many schools throughout ISD 279, with schools being recognized at the state and national levels!
Rush Creek was named a 2007 Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Student test scores rank in the top 10% of the state. The school was one of eight Blue Ribbon schools in Minnesota and 287 nationwide.
The Osseo Junior High MATHCOUNTS team took first place in the regional competition and participated at the state meet. They also took a second- and two third-place finishes in the St. Cloud State University Math Contest.
Elementary schools reporting “skyrocketing” gains in math test scores include Zanewood Community School, Garden City, Birch Grove and Park Brook.
An individual standout is Sydney Kara, a 5th grader at Fernbrook Elementary, who scored a perfect 30 out of 30 on this year’s Continental Math League meets. CML is a rigorous math problem solving competition that is offered to students throughout the nation.
ACCOLADES
Edgewood Elementary: A Science, Math & Technology School, and Birch Grove Elementary School for the Arts, were each named a “Magnet School of Excellence” by the Magnet Schools of America. In addition, Edgewood was one of just three national finalists in the Elementary Science category for the Intel “Schools of Distinction” award.
Edward Stronge, a senior at Park Center Senior High, received a National Achievement Scholarship. Edward was one of only 700 scholarship recipients, from a pool of over 140,000 applicants.
Brad Derrick of Osseo Junior High and Jessica Barry of Weaver Lake won their respective school’s Geography Bee and represented Osseo Area Schools at the Minnesota State Geography Bee.
Ashlee Kephart, a junior at Park Center Senior High, was honored in Washington, D.C. by the Caring Institute as a 2008 National Caring Award Young Adult Winner. Ashlee has published a book, A Special Way of Remembering When a Parent Dies, has volunteered more than 5,000 hours, and is the founder of a non-profit organization, Kids for a Better World.
Rice Lake Elementary 4th grader Jack Cassidy was selected to play one of the lead roles in the Maple Grove Senior High fall production of Suessical the Musical. In addition, the production won the Hennepin Theatre District Spotlight Award and students will perform their opening number at the Orpheum Theatre in June.
The Park Center Senior High Summer Marching Band made history with its undefeated season. The Marching Pirates were 1st Place Grand Champions in each of their 10 competitive parades last May and June. The culmination of their championship season was winning the Grand Champion Trophyat the prestigious national parade in Alexandria, Minnesota.
More than 500 students representing Maple Grove Senior High, Osseo Senior High, Park Center High and the District 279 Children’s Chorus performed at Orchestra Hall last November.
Maple Grove Senior High earned State Team Championships in Girl’s Swimming, Dance Jazz/Funk, and CI-Adaptive Floor Hockey.
The Osseo Senior High softball team won its first Northwest Suburban Conference title in 13 years and is playing in the Minnesota State High School League AAA Girls Softball tournament.
HELPING OTHERS
When an Osseo Elementary student was diagnosed with sinus cancer, the school and community rallied together to plan a waffle breakfast fundraiser and raised nearly $6,000. Students also made posters to welcome him back to school.
At Maple Grove Senior High, when a student fell out of her wheelchair and broke four front teeth, students and staff are helping to raise money to replace the teeth. Almost $8,000 is needed to repair her teeth, and fundraising efforts are ongoing.
Basswood Elementary staff began a Families Helping Families initiative this year and hosted their first annual spaghetti dinner. Revenues from the event will support families in the community during times of loss.
Numerous schools also held fundraisers and hosted service projects. Thousands of dollars were raised and hundreds of donations were created or purchased to support worthy causes.
BEHIND THE SCENESSo much of our attention focuses on activities in our schools, which it should. However, none of that learning could take place without our wonderful support staff. We’re pleased to share some of their accomplishments:
The Health & Safety Department installed an anonymous “Tip Line” allowing students, parents and the public to report information that impacts school safety. Videos, posters and bookmarks were created to promote the new Tip Line.
The Transportation Department reported that the start-up of 2007-08 bus transportation was the best in five years due to staff training and effective staffing of the Transportation Call-in Center and the Enrollment Center.
The Technology Management Department reported the successful installation of Connect-Ed, a high-speed web-based parent notification system that allows district leaders to deliver a pre-recorded telephone message to all parents and employees in less than 15 minutes.
I want to close by acknowledging a wonderful story submitted by Custodial Services. While we all have made sacrifices this year due to the budget reductions, there are personal sacrifices occurring that are typically never seen or heard. This one is notable: “Enough members of the custodial unit volunteered to take three days off without pay to save one custodial position from layoff. I believe it shows the courage of the custodial unit to step up and contribute to the well-being of their fellow custodians, and to show their support of the educational process.”
This speaks volumes of the commitment at absolutely every level within our organization. We thank you.
Personally, I want to thank everyone in District 279 for a tremendous year. Have a fabulous summer, and we look forward to seeing you next year!