District Hits AMAO Targets

On Tuesday, November 3, Shakopee residents will have an opportunity to go to the polls to elect a number of candidates to school board and city government positions. Six candidates are running for three school board seats that will hold four-year terms. Those candidates include current board members Reggie Bowerman, Matt McKeand, and Angela Tucker, along with Anthony Bonsante, Bethann Lavoie, and Ken Ludzack.

October 28, 2015 Vol. 1, Issue 2

November 3rd Election Information

Shakopee Public Schools received word in early October from the Minnesota Department of Education that it met all of the Annual Measurable Achievement  Objectives (AMAO) targets for 2014-15. This is the fourth straight year that Shakopee has met all of the AMAO targets. All school districts that receive Title III funding (resources to support EL teachers and students) are required to meet the AMAO targets as part of the No Child Left Behind Act. The three annual targets measure the following:

• Annual progress in learning English

• Attainment of

English language proficiency

• Reaching academic

success and standards in language arts & math

In 2014-15, 140 districts in the state of Minnesota received Title III funding and Shakopee was one of 24 districts that met all of the AMAO targets. Shakopee is also one of only nine districts receiving Title III funds that has met all AMAO targets for the past four years.

Two candidates—John Canny and Tony Pass—are running in a special election for a two-year seat on the school board due to the resignation of former board member Chuck Berg. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Voters can find their polling place by going online to the MN Secretary of State website at pollfinder.sos.mn.us. Absentee voting is also available in-person by visiting the Scott County Elections Office now through Nov. 2.

Bonsante Bowerman Canny Lavoie

Ludzack McKeand Pass Tucker

 

Fourth graders at Sun Path Elementary were fortunate to have Captain Cristina Oxtra, AVID Coordinator, visit to teach them more about Veterans. The class was in the process of writing its Americanism Essays for the Shakopee American Legion Auxiliary. This year’s essay question is: “How do we keep Lincoln’s promise to our veterans and their families?” In Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address, he promised,

“To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan,” by serving and honoring the men and women who are American veterans. Captain Oxtra shared her experiences of being a veteran, and the importance of honor, liberty, and justice. She also taught the students the meaning of “HUA!” (Heard, Understood, Accepted). The 4th graders shared their connections of having family members, past and present, who have served or are currently serving our great nation. It was a wonderful afternoon filled with real-world learning, and a great reminder to take pride in being an American!

Oxtra Visits With 4th Graders

AVID Coordinator Cristina Oxtra talks to fourth graders.

 

River Valley Theatre Company Presents…

Lip Sync Winners Red Oak Elementary hosted a Lip Sync Battle earlier this month. Here is the winning group performing the Whip Nae Nae! Congratulations and way to show off your rap skills! The winning group included Maria Crosby, Bethany Olsen, Julie Dahl, and Chelsea Kochenash.

Fall athletic updates

One of the highlights of the team’s season was its 4-3 overtime victory over Farmington on Sept. 24. Congrats to seniors Irving Fernandez, Jacob Russett, Jacob Nadeau, Jacob Necklen, Nicholas Theis, Festus Boateng, Jacob Harinen, and Colin Winterrowd on outstanding careers.

The Saber football team finished the season under first-year head coach Ray Betton with a record of 1-8.    

The highlight of the season for the team was its 27-23 Homecoming victory over Edina on Sept. 25. Senior quarterback Travis Larsen threw two touchdown passes in the victory, while senior running back Owen Webster ran for two scores. The team’s season ended with a hard-fought 27-20 loss to Totino-Grace in the opening round of the Class 6A playoffs.

The Saber boys’ soccer team finished its season with a mark of 2-11-2, falling to 4-0 to Minnetonka in the first round of the section 2AA tournament.

The Saber volleyball team has put together another strong season as the squad finished the regular season with a record of 17-10.

The team finished 5-4 in South Suburban Conference play and won its home tournament in mid-September with wins over Mankato East, Buffalo, Bethlehem Academy, and Eagan. The team received the No. 7 seed in the section 2AAA tournament and will open the playoffs by hosting the No. 10 seed Chanhassen on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The Saber girls’ tennis team put together a solid season by going 11-4 in regular season matches and 6-3 in South Suburban Conference matches.

Seniors Haley Lickfold and Taylor Koenen won two matches in the section doubles tournament before being eliminated in a tough three-set match by a duo from Minnetonka. Seventh grader Isabelle Exsted won two matches in the section singles tournament before falling to the state’s No. 1 ranked player from Chanhassen.

The Saber boys’ cross country team is preparing to race in the section 2AA meet on Thursday, Oct. 29 in Hutchinson.

The team placed 7th out of 10 teams at the South Suburban Conference Championships on Oct. 13. Senior Karl Wachter placed fifth in that meet with a 5K time of 16:47. Sophomore Nick Olfert also cracked the top 10 with a time of 17:13 to finish in tenth place.

The Saber girls’ cross country team will also race in the section 2AA meet on Oct. 29 in Hutchinson.

The team won the South Suburban Conference Championships on Oct. 13 by edging out Lakeville South by a score of 69-73. Junior Tess Misgen led the way with a 3rd place finish with a 5K time of 19:07. Eighth grader Isabel Meger finished in 9th place with a time of 19:49.

The Saber girls’ soccer team finished its season with a mark of 3-11-2, falling 5-0 to Eden Prairie in the first round of the section 2AA tournament.

The team had a successful stretch in early September when it won three of four games during a 10-day span including victories over Holy Family Catholic, Apple Valley, and Chaska. Ten seniors made up the core of this year’s team and will be missed next season.

The Saber girls’ swimming and diving team is preparing for a couple of big meets in the next three weeks.

The team will compete in the South Suburban Conference meet on Saturday, Oct. 31 at Kenwood Trail Middle Schools in Lakeville. The team will then look to prepare for the section 2AA meet, which will take place Nov. 11-13 at Hidden Oaks Middle School in Prior Lake.

 

Junior High Students Selected For All-State Choir

Congratulations to three junior high school students! Eli Gessinger (West Junior High), Nathan Svestka (West Junior High) and Alijah Nelson (East Junior High) were accepted into the 2015 All-State Minnesota Junior High Honor Boys’ Choir. More than 2,400 students audition each year for placement into the various honor choirs sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) of Minnesota with approximately 830 students selected. “Students have to do an a cappella recording of ‘America’ and a major scale,” said Gary Butler, choir director at West Junior High. “Both musical examples of their singing has to be perfectly in tune. Talent is certainly some part of it, but diligence in work ethic is also a major portion of a successful audition.” “This is Alijah’s second year as a representative from East Junior High,” said Karen Van Sickle, choir director at East Junior High. “In order to be accepted you need talent, but work ethic, focus, determination, confidence, and take the initiative to audition. We make this opportunity open to any student who is interested.” The students will be participating in a day-long event put on by the ACDA on Saturday, November 21. Most of the day they will be rehearsing for a capstone concert that will take place that night at 5:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi.

Election Day is just around the corner and teachers, it’s time for your students to voice their choice! Students in grades 3-12 get to cast a special ballot for school board, city council, and mayor candidates.

Voting takes place at the same polling places as the adults. High school students and volunteers from local businesses and organizations will be staffing the polls. Kids Voting Shakopee, a nonpartisan organization, is dedicated to educating young people about the importance of civic engagement and informed voting. It is made possible by donations from local organizations and businesses as well as election day volunteers. More info is available at kidsvotingshakopee.org.

Food Drive Success

The Good to Go Kids food drive was a success thanks to the many who donated and volunteered!  The organization collected enough food to allow many students to have extra food for the weekends. The mission of the organization is to provide support for students, wherever it is needed. They would like to personally thank all of those involved! Good to Go Kids accepts donations of both time and money. Sign up to volunteer at goodtogokids.org.

Kids Vote!

 

High School Introduces New Coffee Shop

Looking for a latte? Craving a cappuccino? Shakopee High School food service is now offering new selections when it comes to morning java at its new coffee shop. The coffee shop is open in the Commons at breakfast, in between classes, and during lunch. Students and staff now have more selections than ever.

 

The Big Read program in Scott County is hosting a number of events in October and November. The Big Read program is a reading-in-common program that picks one book for all of Scott County to read, think about, and discuss with friends and neighbors. The program’s current book is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Upcoming Events: Oct. 28, 7 p.m., Book Discussion at the Jordan Library Oct. 28, 7 p.m., Book Discussion at the Elko New Market Library Oct. 31, 10:30 a.m., Halloween Kids Kraft Nov. 5, 7 p.m., Book Discussion at the Scott County Historical Society Nov. 8, 2 p.m., The Big Read Exhibit Reception & Photographer Interview: James Thompson, “Vietnam: A Window to War.” Nov. 12, 7 p.m., the Big Read Author Talk: Dr. Kim Heikkila, Sisterhood of War: Minnesota Women in Vietnam The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. For more information, call 952-445-0378 or email Stephanie Herrick at sherrick@scottcountyhistory.org.

October is Physical Therapy Month!  Physical therapy is provided in the schools for qualifying children from birth to age 21. Children are eligible to receive physical therapy in the schools if they have certain diagnosed conditions or gross motor delays. This information from the APTA section on pediatrics highlights what the District’s Physical Therapists do: Pediatric physical therapists (PTs) work with children and their families to assist each child in reaching their maximum potential to function independently and to promote active participation in home, school, and community environments. Physical therapists use their expertise in movement and apply clinical reasoning through the process of examination, evaluation, diagnosis, and intervention. As primary health care providers, PTs also promote health and wellness as they implement a wide variety of  support for children from infancy through adolescence in collaboration with their families and other medical, educational,  developmental, and rehabilitation specialists.

Therapy Dog Visits Eagle Creek    Eagle Creek was privileged to have Milo, a Tail Wagging Tutor with Therapy Dogs International, come and read with their Intervention

students. He belongs to High Potential teacher, Jeri Benson. Students thoroughly enjoyed sharing their time and books