Hopkins School District #270

Summer is just around the corner. If you are looking for fun and inexpensive activities to do with your children over summer break, look no further than the SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) Parent Community Fair. The purpose of the event is to give parents ideas for how to have the best summer ever with children of all ages.

Hopkins Public Schools has completed a five-part video series called "Excellence in action at all levels,"which highlights each program level. The Overview video is the final installment of this work and ties all the videos together. More importantly, it shows the excellence of Hopkins Public Schools, which is defined by an exceptional teaching staff, a rigorous program and focus on the future that never waivers. This is what we mean by our motto -- Excellence: every student, every school, every day. Visit our video channel to see us in action.

The junior high science department made the decision to swap textbooks for iPads at the beginning of this school year. Due to this change, teachers have been able to provide transformed, customized learning experiences for students and enhanced instruction. Learn how teachers have turned the iPad into a powerful learning device in the April/May edition of "The Update." Next year, the entire seventh-grade will go digital.

The Hopkins School Board preliminarily approved a Digital Content and Access plan at the March 15 School Board meeting. Starting next year, every seventh-grade student will be provided with an iPad that they will use to access digital content throughout their junior high experience. Preschool and elementary students will have more access to iPads, and a variety of digital devices will be introduced at the high school.

Did you know that Hopkins High School students can attend college classes without leaving the high school campus? College in the Schools is a University of Minnesota program that allows students to earn credits through the U while still in high school. Hopkins has six College in the Schools classes available to students. Learn more in the March edition of "The Update."

The Hopkins Youth Art Exhibit runs from March 1 to April 8 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. The annual exhibit features student art work from all schools in the Hopkins district in grades K-12. A reception hosted by Hopkins visual arts staff will be held for students and families on Tuesday, March 6, from 4 - 6 p.m. in the Charles Redepenning Gallery of the Hopkins Center for the Arts.

Hopkins Education Foundation will host its second-annual online auction from Feb. 11th through the 20th. Everyone is welcomed to bid on the over 200 items in a variety of categories. The auction is an extension of the Royal Bash fundraising event on Feb. 25. You can bid here.

The Hopkins School Board approved the calendars for 2012-13 and the 2013-14 school years at the Feb. 2 School Board Meeting. A basic version of these calendars is now available. A more polished version will be posted within the week.

Hopkins Public Schools is making sure its students are well versed in the hard sciences. The February edition of "The Update" is dedicated to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Hopkins has a robust STEM program that begins in grade three for all students. In junior high, Project Lead the Way classes challenge students and allow them to experiment with hands-on learning. The High School offers several STEM options, including three Project Lead the Way courses.

Join us on January 24 for an evening of parenting workshops featuring speaker David Walsh, Ph.D. Develop new parenting strategies to allow your child to reach their full potential. This event is free and open to the public.