Hopkins Empty Bowls Event Total Tops $80,000

The 15th annual event was even bigger than the year before.

The 15th Annual Empty Bowls fundraiser soared more than $5,000 past the already-amazing total it reached last year. Tuesday’s event raised $81,400 for ResourceWest and ICA Food Shelf—including $67,695 from the Challenge to the Community Fund, sponsored by Supervalu, Choices For Children/Accra Care and 159 business, civic, congregation, school and community leaders, organizer Barb Westmoreland announced Wednesday. Last year, the event raised $76,117. The 2013 Empty Bowls saw the following big numbers, as well: “We want to thank you for mixing in your ‘special ingredients’ to make our 15th annual Empty Bowls fundraiser for ResourceWest and ICA Food Shelf a great success,” Westmoreland wrote in an e-mail. “March 12 was a wonderful day with …

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Parents and District Residents Urge Lawmakers to Fund Education

Parents and community members from Robbinsdale Area Schools advocated for public education at the State Capitol Wednesday, Feb. 27.

Robbinsdale Area Schools Students Win MSHSL Triple A Award

Winners of both of the Minnesota State High School League Region 6AA Triple A awards hail from Robbinsdale Area Schools.

***Information provided by Robbinsdale Area Schools. Allison Domingues of Robbinsdale Armstrong High School was selected as the 2012-2013 Girls Triple A winner from Region 6AA.  Ranked first in her class with eleven Advanced Placement classes under her belt, Allison is also a National Merit Semi-Finalist; she has lettered in three sports (Cross country, Nordic ski and track) and is captain of two of them (Cross country and track); additionally, she is highly successful in band, orchestra, and marching band, having been named to All State Band and All State Orchestra.  Allison is also a member of the school’s Link Crew. Lucas Ray from Robbinsdale Cooper High School has been selected as the Boys Triple A winner from Region 6AA.  Ranked in …

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Sixteen Armstrong and Cooper Athletes Sign National Letters of Intent

Fourteen Cooper football players and two Armstrong soccer players will play collegiate sports next year.

Students from Robbinsdale Armstrong High School and Robbinsdale Cooper High School signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, Feb.6. In total, 14 Cooper football players and two Armstrong soccer players signed letters. Below is the listing of student names and corresponding colleges. Robbinsdale Cooper High School Robbinsdale Armstrong High School

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Safer Schools: Robbinsdale Area Schools Enhance Visitor Security

A new electronic system tracks visits and records visitor identity. New procedures begin this week.

If you want to visit a District 281 school, procedures to enter the building will be a little different beginning this week. On Monday, the district implemented a new visitor management system that uses visitors’ drivers license or government-issued photo to track visits and confirm identity of those entering the school. “The safety of our students and the security of our buildings is extremely important to Robbinsdale Area Schools,” Jeff Priess, Executive Director of Business Services, said in a letter on Jan. 25. “In an effort to enhance school safety and security, Robbinsdale Area Schools will upgrade to electronic visitor management procedures effective February 4.” According to Preiss’s letter, here’s how the new system works: In …

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When Is School Canceled Due to Weather?

With dangerous wind chills settling into Golden Valley, you may be wondering: When is it too cold to go to school?

Wind chill advisories and weather alerts usually get an eye roll out of most Minnesotans. But for high school students, bad weather means a shot at a snow day or delayed start to school. On Friday, wind chill values in Golden Valley could drop to 25 degrees below zero. Weather service forecasters say that the temperatures are dangerous and could cause hypothermia and frostbite if you're exposed to the elements. Robbinsdale Area School officials say that the decision to close a school or delay start times due to weather is a complex one. In a recent letter, Superintendent Aldo Sicoli said that the decision-making begins in the wee hours of the morning. On the district's website, Sicoli explained the process: The district’s Executive …

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Study: Hopkins, Robbinsdale Schools See Opposite Impacts From Open Enrollment

Find out what a University of Minnesota Law School study says about open enrollment and the impact it has on diversity in local schools.

When it comes to open enrollment, more white students seem to be leaving Robbinsdale schools and moving to other districts, like Wayzata, leading to greater segregation between white and minority students in ISD 281, according to a University of Minnesota Law School study published Friday. The study found that open enrollment increased segregation in the metro region overall between 2000 and 2010, with 36 percent of open enrollment classified as segregative in the 2009-10 school year. By contrast, just 24 percent were integrative. The rest were race neutral. In Hopkins, though, open enrollment increased overall racial diversity. While 77 percent of open enrollments out of the district were white in 2009-10, just 60 percent of those coming …

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ISD 281 Taking Preventative Measures Against Flu

District officials say absences have not increased due to the flu.

There’s no denying that the flu, which has claimed more than 25 lives in Minnesota, has residents thinking about the importance of preventative measures. Schools across Minnesota are taking steps to ensure that students are staying healthy, including Robbinsdale Area Schools. In an email last Friday, Amber Spaniol, the Districts’ health services program director, said that ISD 281 has not seen an increase in absences related to the flu. Which could be, in part, due to schools’ work to promote vaccination and sanitary practices.   Spaniol said that staff promotes yearly influenza vaccination for all students, staff and families via newsletters, individual communication, posters and staff meetings. Nurses also help connect families to low-…

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How Will ISD 281 Budgets Change Next Year?

School board members discussed budget assumptions at a recent meeting.

During their Jan. 7 school board meeting, Robbinsdale Area School board members discussed general fund budget revenue and expenditure assumptions. In a document prepared by Jeff Priess, Executive Director of Business Services, numbers show that district revenues and expenditures are expected to increase next year. For the 2013-2014 school year, Robbinsdale Area Schools is expecting to see a revenue increase of $70,628 from local tuition, fees and admissions. Revenues from Minnesota’s basic general education aid, a primary source of funding, are expected to increase by $849,827. Property taxes will also increase, providing additional dollars. When it comes to expenditures, the district is preparing to spend more on employee salaries and …

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