Teachers Bring More Than Academics in Time of Tragedy: Parents Talk

As you give your child an extra hug, send out your thoughts to Oklahoma and share what makes the educators in your child’s life special.

Last week, I had the opportunity visit with a few children at the Excelsior Farmers Market. Not surprising, they knew the exact number of days left until summer break. While many of our kids in Minnesota are eyeing the calendar with anticipation for summer break, I was reminded this week how much we owe our educators. As parents, we send our children off to school each morning expecting another typical school day until we pick them up. It becomes a parents worst nightmare when unexpected tragedies and circumstances hit a school – situations that seem to have been all too common nationwide during the 2013-2013 school year. Yet, time and time again, we hear about educators that put their life on the line to save those students they are …

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Breck School Aims for Construction Completion in 2013

The Golden Valley-based school is adding to their school space off of Ottawa Avenue North.

If construction continues on schedule, students and staff at Breck School in Golden Valley can expect a few changes to their building by the first day of school in the fall. “We are on schedule and on budget and expecting to be ready for the start of the 2013-14 school year,”  Breck School Director of Communications Jill Field told Patch. “We're very grateful to our neighbors for their patience and understanding in the face of the additional traffic, noise and activity during the construction process, and we're looking forward to scheduling an open house for neighbors and friends in the early fall.” Plans for the expansion provided to the Golden Valley Planning Commission last year included highlights such as: According to the Breck School…

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Parent’s Talk: Finding Activities for Kids During Winter Break

The winter break hiatus from school is coming up soon for kids. How will you embrace the break?

I’m assuming most youth attending school – from elementary to high school – are ready and waiting anxiously for the upcoming winter break. While kids of all ages tend to look forward to a break from school, sometimes it can be a little challenging for parents. From finding alternate daycare to combating the “there is nothing to do” phrase or just being the sole source of transportation, winter break from school can be both a blessing and a curse for parents. This week, we’re asking parents to help out each other this holiday season. SHARE: What ideas do you have for kids and families to do during winter break? What are your favorite “go to” places in the winter months? How do you handle daycare challenges? Share your ideas and thoughts in …

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Back To School Fashion: What’s Hot, What’s Not?

It’s in with the new and out with the old as students head back to school.

As the fall semester approaches, middle and high school students start to think about what they will wear on the first day of classes. Grade school students have it easy—they willingly wear whatever mom or dad lays out for them. But for teenagers, deciding what to wear—and what to buy at back to school sale—is a little more complicated. “Most high school students are very particular about what they like,” says Tania Richter, owner of Shop Karizma, a fashion boutique in Shakopee. “They wear what their friends wear, but they also want to be their own person and show who they are.” And middle-schoolers: “They look at what’s popular with the high school students and that’s what they wear.” Complicating the issue even further: the extremes of …

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Robbinsdale Schools Spotlight

RMS Students Hold the World in Their Hands

Postcards to students say much more than 'wish you were here.'

Wading through more than 400 postcards, Lauren Hildebrand gestures across a large table filled with just a sample of what has come in from Alaska, Tanzania, Thailand, Italy and Israel. “We’ve seen cards from pole to pole, from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle," she says. The postcard program at Robbinsdale Middle School (RMS) began last fall to give students a truly hands-on experience about cultures and locations thousands of miles away. “We are dealing with lots of kids in poverty.  Some of them have never traveled outside of the metro area,” says Hildebrand, coordinator of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at RMS.  “We are trying to break through the assumptions and deal with ‘what ifs.’” 'What ifs' are at the heart of…

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Robbinsdale Schools Spotlight

Eighth Graders Receive Explore Test Results

Scores reflect ACT preparedness and career options.

Pencils are down and the results are in.  Eighth grade students at Robbinsdale Middle School (RMS) and Plymouth Middle School (PMS) recently received the results of the Explore Test.  This test, created by the same company that writes the ACT, provides students with nationally normed scoring information to help them better prepare for the ACT college entrance exam and also provides feedback on possible career choices. According to the district office, 419 PMS and 163 RMS eighth grade students chose to take this optional exam offered in November. Because the test is written by the ACT Corporation, it gives students an early look at the style of the exam questions and provides both subject specific and a composite scores.  Students are …

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Video: How a Few Noble Elementary 2nd Graders Plan to Spend Their Winter Break

Sledding, exercising and going to Mexico are just some of the things that kids at one Golden Valley school have planned for these next two weeks.

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