KidPack Program Provides Relief to Local Families

Local churches are partnering with some Robbinsdale Area Schools to ensure that children don't go hungry over the weekend.

On Thursday night, a handful of members from Golden Valley’s Valley Community Presbyterian Church spent their time organizing bags of food for children at Noble Elementary School. The food, which was donated by PRISM and packed in bags by M&I Bank employees, is given to children in need through the KidPack program, an effort started by Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church in Plymouth to ensure that children have food to eat over the weekend. The KidPack program first started at Zachary Lane Elementary School about two years ago. Since then, it has grown to serve almost every elementary school in ISD 281. Local churches partner with the various schools throughout the Robbinsdale school district and work to provide food to children at the end of…

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Meet Noble Elementary School's New Principal

Patch sat down with Noble Elementary School Principal Jane Byrne to learn more about her vision for the Golden Valley School.

Jane Byrne is a District 281 veteran. For 20 years, Byrne has been involved, in one way or another, with Robbinsdale Area Schools. This year, Byrne is the new principal at Noble Elementary School, which is a change of pace from her previous principal role at Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School. With a student population of roughly 400 children, which is almost half the size of some of the other ISD 281 elementary schools, Byrne said that she's finding time to really get to know her students. "I'm able to get into the classrooms and say 'hi' to the students," Byrne said. "I'm getting to know the kids and their families personally." It's the sense of community that Byrne loves most about her new job at Noble Elementary School. Earlier this …

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City Council Welcomes New Principals in Golden Valley

Two principals shared their excitement to be in Golden Valley.

Two new Golden Valley principals were welcomed by the City Council at their meeting Sept. 4, which also marked the first day of school for many residents. Kim Hiel, principal of the new School of Engineering and Arts magnet school, and Jane Byrne, principal of Noble Elementary School, were both recognized. “I’m very happy to be at Noble Elementary School,” Bryne said. "It’s a beautiful school and a great neighborhood.” Councilmember Joanie Clausen shared Byrne’s excitement. “I went to Noble Elementary School the first year it was built, and my children also went there,” Clausen said. “Welcome to our neighborhood.” Hiel has been in the Robbinsdale School District for 18 years. Most recently, she was the principal of Meadow Lake Elementary …

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Back to School Supply List: Noble Elementary School

Wondering what your child needs to get ready for school? Patch has you covered.

Get ready. It won't be long now until our streets are crowded with falling leaves, yellow school buses and outfitted members of the crossing guard. For many, the first day of school is less than a month away, so parents have only a few weeks to start shopping for school supplies.  According to Nobel Elementary School's website, here's what you need to buy: All-day Kindergarten ½ Day Kindergarten Labeled w/student’s name First Grade Second Grade All items need replacing periodically through the year.   No Trapper Keepers or large loose-leaf notebooks.  Please label all student materials. Third Grade Fourth Grade Fifth Grade

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(Photos) Golden Valley City Leaders are Reading by Example

Noble Elementary students shared a lesson in literacy with important people in the community.

All eyes in Mr. Hubred's fourth-grade class were focused on Golden Valley Police Chief Stacy Carlson as she opened the cover of Bat Night at the Library and began to read last Friday at Noble Elementary School. "I've never met a police chief before," 9-year-old Wynter said. "And I've never had one read to me either." For the past three years, Noble staff invited firefighters to read to their students, and reading specialist Melissa Kivi said that made an impression. "Our kids are coming in further and further behind," she said. "We need to do whatever we can to find new ways to reach kids—especially the ones who are struggling." Kivi figured if firefighters could make an impression, then certainly the mayor or the police chief could, too. …

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More Robbinsdale Teachers Will Learn About STEM

Third- through fifth-grade teachers at Neill, Northport, Spanish Immersion and Zachary Lane will be trained.

More Robbinsdale elementary school teachers will attend Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) training this year. Third- through fifth-grade teachers at Noble Elementary in Golden Valley previously spent 30 hours learning about the "Nature of Science and Engineering," according to a news release from Tia Clasen, communications director. Now they will be joined by instructors at Neill Elementary in Crystal, Northport in Brooklyn Center, the Spanish Immersion Program in New Hope and Zachary Lane in Plymouth. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our teachers, and even more fantastic for our students,” stated Gayle Walkowiak, executive director of teaching and learning for the district. “This means that all third- through …

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Photo Gallery: First Day of School at Noble Elementary in Golden Valley

Teachers welcome back students and kindergartners part with their parents

Summer vacation has officially ended for hundreds of Golden Valley students who returned to school Tuesday. At Noble Elementary School, students arrived at 9 a.m. as teachers opened their classroom doors.  After a brief meeting with parents in Mary Jo DeSmitt's half-day kindergarten classroom, students said goodbye to their parents for their first day of school. Some said goodbye more easily than others. Out on the playground, first-graders reveled in the sun and didn't seem to mind they were at school instead of at home.

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Robbinsdale Science Scores Drop

Compared to last year, the percentage of students who met state standards dropped at nine out of 11 of the district's schools.

Almost two-thirds of the Robbinsdale Public Schools students tested in science in March failed to meet state standards, according to data the Minnesota Department of Education released Friday. While state scores mainly remained flat from last year, most Robbinsdale schools saw a decrease in the number of proficient students over last year. (Details on each school’s performance are available here.) The percentage of fifth-graders who were not proficient increased by more than 6 points over last year, from 62.1 percent to 68.5. Only two elementary schools beat the state average of 54 percent not proficient: the Spanish Immersion School with 46.5 percent and Zachary with 45.9 percent. The Spanish Immersion also improved over last year's …

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Golden Valley Kids Fold Wishes for Japan

The Lakeview, Northport and Noble Adventure Club spends part of its spring break to reach out to victims of the earthquake/tsunami.

Children from Lakeview, Northport and Noble Adventure Club volunteered their time over spring break to make origami cranes to help the people of Japan after the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsumani wreaked havoc on March 11th. Nancy Rzeszutek from Adventure Club, as she has done in the past, looks for great ideas to get involved in volunteering or helping others out. “I get emails from an organization called DoSomething.org and making paper cranes for Japan was one of the ideas that was sent to me before spring break,” she explained. “I spent a whole weekend teaching myself how to make a paper crane so I could teach the students. Well, it all turned into something amazing.” And yes, it did turn into something amazing. The children…

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Robbinsdale Schools Spotlight

First Graders Already Thinking About College? You Bet.

As part of Noble Elementary's College Week, students find out why it's never too early to start dreaming big.

Hundreds of feet padded into the gym, and children sat cross-legged, eyes wide, and leaned in to get a closer look.  These pig-tailed, fuzzy socked and jean clad Noble Elementary students were so quiet you’d think it was the principal’s office. What’s amazing about these kindergarten through 5th grade students is just their focus, but that their focus was on college. Noble Elementary in Golden Valley is getting the word out that college education is for everyone and the time to start dreaming is now.  From Africa to Antarctica, teacher Jackie Smith explained, “Your learning can take you anywhere you want to go.” Two tiny kindergarten boys who have barely learned to spell their names now got to tell the bigger boys and girls about Australia…

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