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ArtHop on Main
Update Hopkins Public Schools
The community’s guide to the District. HHS Responds Hosts Fishbowl Conversation on Immigration
Winter Edition 2018/19
Kindergarten Roundup Events
An exhibit of artworks by Hopkins Community Education students and their teachers! Now showing through January 6
Join us in February to receive important registration information for fall 2019 kindergarten and get to know your child’s school.
Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins
Check your school’s Roundup date by visiting: HopkinsSchools.org/kinder
Royal Bash
the Save ! date
Mingle with friends and neighbors, dance, and enjoy live music, all to support Hopkins Public Schools. Tickets on sale in early January. Saturday, February 23, 6 p.m. Marriott Minnetonka Southwest HopkinsEducationFoundation.org
Elementary Ecosystem Creates StudentCentered Learning Environments Elementary classrooms are shifting to spaces that promote student choice
In November, 72 Hopkins High School students gathered for a fishbowl conversation on the complicated subject of immigration. The fishbowl was organized by HHS Responds, a student group that brings together people of different backgrounds and ideologies to gain new perspective and understanding. For 90 minutes, students from Russia, China, South Korea, Somalia, and the United States spoke their truth and shared their personal stories while also considering opposing points of view. Two Hopkins Teachers Receive EconFest Awards
Two Hopkins Public Schools educators were honored at the Minnesota Council on Economic Education (MCEE) 2018 EconFest at the University of Minnesota in October. Business education teacher David Braaten received the Thrivent Personal Finance Leadership Award, and Glen Lake Elementary teacher Hannah Swaden took home the Thrivent Personal Finance Educator Award. Both teachers are passionate about what they teach and hope to continue making a difference in the lives of their students.
Julie Schlecht is in her 36th year of teaching and she believes that the future has never looked brighter. In the last three years, her second-grade classroom has embraced fundamental shifts that have not only changed how her students access their learning, but also how she approaches teaching. Her classroom represents a learning environment that Hopkins is embracing called the Elementary Ecosystem. It’s a blend of personalized learning, flexible seating, and 1:1 technology access. “I have never been so excited in my whole life about teaching than I have been in these last few years,” said Schlecht. “It’s a total change. Kids have a choice in the way they access their learning. It’s amazing, and it’s reaching every kid.” The Elementary Ecosystem represents the second wave of technology-supported instruction and flexible seating in Hopkins. It was made possible in 2017 when the community voted overwhelmingly to renew the capital projects levy for another 10 years. However, this shift is about much more than devices and flashy furniture. It’s a teacher-driven change, creating powerful learning experiences that promote student choice and increase the ability to coteach. The experience was co-created by elementary teachers and the technology department, who spent much of last year engaged in conversations about the technology tools and classroom structure that could meet the needs of all students.
Second-grade Glen Lake students solve a math problem projected from teacher Julie Schlecht’s iPad.
projectors that can mirror the screens of any iPad within range, making it possible for students to demonstrate their learning in real time from anywhere in the room.
One thing that
I had to give up was the concept that the kids had to be quiet to be learning. If students are getting their work done, I am okay with however they are getting it
In this environment, teachers spend more time creating collaborative learning experiences where students can show each other how they solved a problem, rather than relying on memorization. While technology is central to these classrooms, teachers are intentional about how they use it, being careful to promote moderation.
“It’s also important that we teach students that there is a healthy balance,” said Rachael Ramy, a third-grade teacher at Meadowbrook Elementary. “We don’t use technology all day long. It’s really cool what you can do with an iPad, but there is also a benefit to using paper and pencil.”
done.
“I firmly believe that nobody understands the academic abilities and needs of Hopkins students better than Hopkins teachers,” said Ivar Nelson, director of technology and information systems. “Our department is committed to providing teachers with tools they can use to produce sustainable and powerful solutions in the classroom.” Creating the right environment for students What makes the Ecosystem unique is not necessarily the individual parts, but rather how technology, personalized learning, and customization work together to create a better learning environment for students. “That’s why we call this the ‘Ecosystem,’” said Nelson. “It’s about identifying all the components and making sure they fit so we can realize the full potential of this investment.” In this environment, elementary students have 1:1 access to iPads. Gone are the interactive white boards that for years have been the gold standard of technology in the classroom. Replacing those boards are interactive
“Before, when I wanted to work at my computer, I felt like I was stuck at my screen,” said Karin Brinkhoff, a fifth-grade teacher at Eisenhower Elementary and XinXing academy. “The 1:1 technology is so engaging for students, especially the mobility to be anywhere in the room.”
Student choice Ramy is one of the teachers who volunteered to be part of the first wave of the rollout. With full support from the District, these teachers are embracing a concept that is both simple and brilliant — it does not matter how you learn, just learn. In her classroom, and those like it, students are empowered to make a number of choices for themselves that were not possible before. They choose how to demonstrate their learning, where and how they want to sit in the classroom, and when they would like to collaborate with their peers. These small shifts add up to a significant pivot from a traditional classroom where a teacher talks and students listen. In the Ecosystem, teachers facilitate learning, and students are active problem solvers. The energy is high, and voices can be loud. see Elementary Ecosystems inside