Elementary

We encourage students to pursue their interests, discover their strengths, and find their purpose. Our elementary programs will ensure your child has the toolkit necessary to thrive at the middle school and high school level.

Your child's elementary years are the basis for how they will learn throughout the rest of their lives. From their very first day of school, Hopkins students are immersed in a learning environment that is responsive, academically rigorous, and supportive. Our six elementary schools serve students in preschool through fifth grade.

Beyond the basic skills of literacy, math, sciences, social studies, physical education, and the arts, individual student needs are important. We meet those needs through:

Personalized Learning
Spanish and Chinese language immersion options
Multiage Learning
Spanish instruction begins in kindergarten
Schoolwide Talent Development
STEM curriculum and technology-rich learning environments
Orchestra and band
Special education
English Language Learners (ELL) programming
Outdoor Learning
Online Learning and blended learning (VirtualEDU)
Other support systems — nurses, guidance counselors, and social workers

Hopkins places a priority on world language and STEM to set students up to have a brilliant future.

Urban Boatbuilders from Hopkins Public Schools on Vimeo.

To register your student, please visit HopkinsSchools.org/enroll or email Enrollment@HopkinsSchools.org, or call 952-988-4110.

For questions about elementary curriculum, please contact Kristina Shirokova: Kristina.Shirokova@HopkinsSchools.org or 952-988-4133.

We Believe in Personalized Learning

In Hopkins, we believe in the brilliance of our scholars. In our schools, you will find education opportunities that are tailored to the unique needs of each child. Personalized learning is for all students ages birth to 21 and provides flexible pathways to academic success with a common goal of helping each student reach their full potential. Your child’s voice is important in our learning environment, which values relationships, community, and each child’s unique heritage. Research shows that children who feel connected to their learning have increased levels of engagement and academic performance.

Elementary Programs

Elementary Spanish

We are committed to providing high-quality world language instruction to all Hopkins students starting in kindergarten. All Hopkins elementary schools have Spanish language instruction integrated into their regular curriculum. This language instruction is not a full language immersion program — to learn more about elementary language immersion, please see the Language Immersion tab in this section.

Program Description

Students have Spanish instruction for 60 minutes per week in grades K-6.
The goal of the program is to develop Spanish language proficiency and cultural knowledge and understanding.
Curriculum is content-related and aligned to Hopkins content standards for language arts, social studies, and science.
Instruction is primarily in Spanish.
Students completing the K-5 Spanish program will be ready for Intermediate Spanish I in middle school, or they may choose to apply their language skills to the learning of a new language starting in grade 7.

Elementary World Language: Spanish from Hopkins Public Schools on Vimeo.

Language Immersion

Hopkins Public Schools offers students a unique opportunity to develop language and cultural proficiency through two language immersion programs: XinXing Chinese immersion and Juntos Spanish Immersion. Both programs provide rigorous and innovative curriculum that opens the door to global competency for Hopkins students.

Elementary XinXing Chinese Immersion

XinXing is a fully articulated K-12 Chinese immersion program. XinXing attracts students from all parts of the Hopkins School District, as well as from other school districts in the Twin Cities area through open enrollment. XinXing Academy opened at Eisenhower Elementary School in 2007. It provides an early total Chinese immersion education for students in kindergarten through grade 5. Students will join our XinXing Chinese immersion program at West Middle School and Hopkins High School.

More about XinXing Academy

Elementary Juntos Spanish Immersion

Kindergarten Spanish Immersion began in fall of 2020. We will add grade 1 Spanish immersion next year. The Elementary Spanish Immersion program at Eisenhower Elementary complements the existing English and Chinese immersion pathways already in place and fits into our larger vision to develop holistic, global thinkers. The program will grow into a full K-12 Spanish Immersion Program one grade level at a time through grade 5. Students will join our successful Juntos Spanish immersion program at North Middle School and Hopkins High School.

More about Spanish Immersion

Multiage Learning

Tanglen Elementary, Glen Lake Elementary, and VirtualEDU have multiage classrooms. The multiage system affirms that children of the same age are different in their development and needs and believes that learning should be a child-centered process. This is accomplished through a relationship-based, family-oriented setting. Multiage classrooms are sometimes referred to as looping and allows students to develop relationships with the same team of teachers and classmates over a two-year period. Multiage classrooms promote collaboration, personalized learning, and social learning.

Why multiage learning?
Children learn and grow at varied times and rates and therefore there are advantages to a more flexible, multiage classroom model.

Multiage classrooms build strong relationships among teachers, students, and families.
Since students are with a teacher for two years, there is a lengthened teacher/student relationship. The teacher is more aware of a student’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning habits, as well as what engages the student.
Less pressure on rigid benchmarks during these crucial elementary years frees students to learn where they are.
Studies show that there is a correlation between positive feelings about school and increased social skills in a multiage classroom.
There are natural leadership opportunities embedded in the classroom as a result of having two grade levels.
Academically, children perform better or equivalently in multiage classrooms than in traditional classrooms.

Here are some benefits of multi-age learning:

Peer Learning: Older students can serve as mentors and role models for younger students, fostering a sense of responsibility and leadership. Younger students can learn from their older peers, while older students reinforce their own learning by teaching concepts to others.

Social and Emotional Development: Multiage classrooms promote a sense of community and collaboration among students. Younger children have opportunities to learn from older peers, while older children develop empathy and patience as they support younger classmates.

Flexible Grouping: Teachers can implement flexible grouping strategies based on students' needs and interests rather than solely relying on age or grade level. This allows for more dynamic and varied instructional approaches.

Relationships: Students have the opportunity to develop long-term relationships with their peers and teachers over several years, which can contribute to a stronger sense of belonging and continuity in their educational experience.

Research Sources

Edutopia: A Child First Approach to Classroom Design (April 2019)
Designing a Montessori Classroom

Website: Multi-Age Classrooms: Frequently Asked Questions - See section called “What does the research on multi-age education say?” Not current, but lists resources that may be worth exploring further. Multi-Age Classrooms: Frequently Asked Questions

Website: American Montessori Society In Montessori schools, multi-age groupings enable younger children to learn from older children and experience new challenges through observation.

The Atlantic: Inside a Multiage Classroom - Dividing students by arbitrary birthdate ranges doesn’t make sense, advocates say (2017)
Multiage Classrooms May Improve Learning, Student Experience

Multiage Education: An Exploration of Advantages and Disadvantages through a Systematic Review of the Literature - Australian Journal of Teacher Education (2019)
Multiage Education: An Exploration of Advantages and Disadvantages through a Systematic Review of the Literature

Broader Strokes: The Curricular and Pedagogical Possibilities of Multiage Educational Settings (2019)

The Multi-Age Learning Community In Action By Barbara Cozza, Chapter 1

An empirical model of mixed-age teaching (June 2015)

LETRS

LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) is a professional development program approved by the International Dyslexia Association and the Minnesota Department of Education to support solid instruction for students with dyslexia or dyslexia characteristics. In Hopkins Over 75% of our K-2 teachers are LETRS trained. This training is vigorous and takes about 80 hours to complete. We anticipate that 100 percent of our K-2 staff will be trained next year so we can support all of our learners' literacy needs.

STEM

STEM Education

STEM is not just about learning science, technology, engineering, and math in silos. The most effective and true STEM learning is a hands-on integration of all these disciplines, through experiments and development of real-world problem-solving skills.

Students need STEM's project-based learning to build 21st century skills. Science and engineering jobs are growing 70% faster than other occupations. This means our students will be at an advantage when competing for the high-tech, high-wage jobs of the future.

Learning by doing is inviting and exciting so students remember more. Successful, hands-on experiences exploring engineering can have a major influence on motivation and confidence in learning. Ultimately, we hope to inspire students to challenge themselves and consider careers in STEM fields.

Schoolwide Talent Development

Hopkins' Schoolwide Talent Development framework is grounded in the belief that gifted behaviors are a skillset to be mastered. Talent Development capitalizes on the natural curiosity that all children innately have. Our program is affirming to all learners and provides pathways for each of our students to discover their talents, develop their strengths, and reach their full potential. This pathway looks different for every scholar.

Through gifted exploration, practice, and application, Hopkins' Talent Development approach encourages self-directed learning based on students’ interests and passions. Through our program, scholars will grow concepts like risk taking, resilience, empathy, responsibility, and collaboration. We use academically rigorous concepts to develop gifted behaviors and complex problem solving skills in all scholars.

Outdoor Immersion

Learning and exploring in nature

Your child will build connections to the natural world as they spark their curiosity, inventiveness, and excitement for school. While each of our elementary schools prioritize outdoor exploration and observation, both Eisenhower Elementary and Gatewood Elementary have dedicated outdoor immersion classrooms.

Gatewood Elementary is an environmental focus school and has an outdoor immersion kindergarten program, a greenhouse, and other outdoor spaces where students can connect with nature and engage all of their senses in learning.

When scholars have opportunities to go outside to learn, they become motivated, observant, collaborative, and self-directed. Lessons held outdoors increase student engagement in school — even after students return to indoor learning spaces.

Benefits of Outdoor Learning

According to research, an outdoor learning environment has a positive effect on the brain and can lead to better learning outcomes.

Other benefits include:

• Increased engagement and focus
• Enhanced curiosity and discovery
• Connects children to the outdoors
• Encourages exploration and inquiry
• Develops resilience and confidence

International Baccalaureate (IB)

a child explores a natural classroom outside

Nurturing learners who are curious, confident, and empathetic

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program builds on the belief that children are naturally curious and learn deeply when they are engaged in relevant topics. Children ask questions that guide their desire for knowledge, lead to discovery, and make education an adventure!

IB provides a rigorous curriculum framework that encourages students to think critically and solve problems. Hopkins' Eisenhower Elementary and Gatewoood Elementary are currently an IB candidate schools. In each of our elementary schools your child will discover relevant and engaging subjects, instructors that encourage curiosity and exploration, and inquiry-based learning.

Why families choose IB

IB promotes conceptual based understanding, student agency, and inquiry that helps students build critical thinking, care, and connections in our diverse and interconnected world. (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2022).

Other benefits include:

Learning about multiple perspectives
Development of the whole child through engagement with the IB Learner Profile
Building student confidence and collaboration skills
Rigorous learning opportunities that encourage engagement, critical thinking and action

Gatewood is a Candidate School* for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Gatewood believes is important for our students.

*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP), or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org.

VirtualEDU Online and Blended Learning

Flexible options for K-12 scholars to thrive

Whether you choose our fully online program or our blended option, learning at VirtualEDU is designed to bring out the best in your child. VirtualEDU students learn at their own pace with supportive teachers who care about them and understand their needs. Our closely connected school community offers strong peer and teacher relationships and our families are encouraged to partner with us. From kindergarten through grade 12, our program will meet your student's unique needs throughout their learning path.

Our smaller class sizes, multiage classes, and strong teacher-student relationships allow for a deeply personalized learning approach that meets your student where they are at and guides them to advance. Your child can dive deeper and take on new challenges or stay on a topic until they feel ready to move forward. Real-world project based learning with a social-change focus lets students pursue their passions, develop their talents, and reach their full potential.

Blended learning (online + in-person) is here!

New for 2023-24, VirtualEDU is the first (and only) fully-accredited public school in the state of Minnesota to offer blended learning — a combination of in person and online learning (sometimes known as hybrid learning). Our blended learning model offers enhanced social interaction and in-person school community along with the flexibility that online learning provides. Our blended learning option is available within the VirtualEDU K-12 school, allowing your child to stay connected to one school community.