June 2011

COMMUNICATOR

The district receives about 68 percent of its funding from the state. At this writing, the legislature has not yet established final revenue levels for school districts. Because of this, the budget will likely be adjusted after final revenue numbers are provided by the state. State law requires school boards to approve the budget for the next school year by June 30. The 2011-2012 general fund budget includes adjustments to cover a $2.5 million gap between projected revenue and expenditures. Per pupil funding from the state has not increased for three years, which is the primary cause of the district’s budget gap. The following adjustments were made as part of the budget development process. These adjustments may be changed, depending on the legislature’s final action. The 2011-2012 budget adjustments totaling $2.5 million include the following: •EliminatecontributionstoseveranceandOPEB(otherpost-employment benefits) funds -- $500,000. The district’s actuarial valuationsindicatethattheseveranceandOPEBfundsarefullyfundedto cover future obligations so the district can suspend payments into these funds and still be adequately covered for the future. •Useportionofbuildingandcategoricalbudgetcarryovers--$500,000. The district currently has some budget funds that have carryover or surplus amounts, which can be used to balance the budget without harming current programming. •Transferamountfromcapitaloperatingfund--$500,000.Forthepast three years, the legislature has allowed districts to transfer funds from the capital fund to the general fund to assist in budget balancing. Wayzata made these transfers, but has not until now used part of these funds to balance the budget. •Combineintegration,specialeducationandregulartransportationcontracts -- $300,000. The terms of the district’s transportation contracts allow for financial modifications for these three areas of district transportation, which gives the district an opportunity to negotiate favorable rates for all three areas under our current provider. •Increaseinresidentstudentenrollmentreferendumamount--$210,000. The district is experiencing an increase in the number of resident students who attend district schools. Resident students generate about $1,500 per student more than open enrollment students. This change generates more revenue for the district. •Shiftcostofbusgarageleasetocapitalfund--$170,000.Thedistrictcurrently leases a bus garage facility and pay for this cost from the general fund. Shifting this cost to the capital fund will mean a savings to the general fund. •Useaportionofthefederaljobsallocation--$150,000.Twoyearsago, the district received $600,000 in stimulus funds from the federal government.InAugust2010,thedistrictreceived$750,000infederaljobs money. The $600,000 in stimulus funds is expiring, which leaves a net amount of $150,000 that can be used to balance the budget. •Saveutilitycostswithenergyretrofits--$100,000.Lastyear,thedistrict issued bonds to complete several energy retrofit projects such as window, lighting and boiler replacement. These retrofits will bring significant savings in energy cost, which comes from the general fund. •Increasehighschoolactivityfeesorothersavings--$70,000.Thefees charged for students to participate in activities at Wayzata High School are currently below many other metro area districts. A small increase in these fees would bring the district closer to the metro average and generate additional revenue. •TOTAL--$2.5million

Board approves budget for 2011-12 school year

t its June 13 meeting, the school board of Wayzata Public Schools approved the 2011-12 budget. The general fund budget, which covers the overall operations of the district, totals $117,781,779 compared to $120,400,096 for the 2010-11 school year.

A

The process has been guided by consultant DennisCheesebrowwithTeamworksInternational,aTwinCitiesbasedconsultingfirm specializing in strategic planning for school districts and other organizations. The strategic road map includes the following components: •Mission–identifiesthecorepurposeofthedistrict

•Vision–identifieswhatthedistrictintendstocreate and experience •Corevalues–identifiesthedriversofthedistrict’s words and actions •Strategicdirections–identifiesthefocusedallocation of resources The implementation of the strategic road map willalsoincludetheuseof“VisionCards”(amodified version of what are often referred to as balanced scorecards) which identify the measures and metrics to assess the district’s progress toward achieving its vision. Work on the strategic road map will continue throughout the summer. Plans are underway to plan and conduct community input sessions in the fall to seek input from community members, parents, and staff members on the strategic road mapbeforeitisfinalized.Moreinformationwillbe provided on these input opportunities in late summer or early fall.

arlier this year, the district’s school board, administrative team and principals began the process of developing a strategic road map,

strategic directions, vision, mission and core values to serve as a guide for the district’s future work.

Survey provides community insights of district

(NOTE: This is the first in a series of stories about the community survey conducted for the district in April 2011. More information will be included in future editions of the Communicator.)

The latest survey was completed in April 2011 byDecisionResources,Ltd.,anationalpollingfirmbasedinMinneapolis.Thefirmhasconductednumerous surveys for the district in the past several years. Survey respondents were asked to “rate the quality ofeducationprovidedbyWayzataPublicSchools.”Seventy-five percent of respondents gave a response of“excellent”tothequestion.Thechartaboveshows

the responses from the April 2011 survey and from similar surveys in 2005 and 2008. Respondents were asked to respond to several statementswitharesponseof“stronglyagree,”“agree,”“disagree,”or“stronglydisagree.”Forthestatement,“Ourcommunityreceivesagoodvaluefromitsinvestmentinlocalpublicschools,”21percentstated“stronglyagree,”and70percentstated“agree.”Onlythreepercentgavea“disagree”or“stronglydisagree”responsewithsevenpercentgivinga“don’tknow”response. Ninety-four percent of respondents gave a “stronglyagree”or“agree”responsetothestatement,“The high quality of the Wayzata Public Schools increaseshomevaluesforresidentsinthisdistrict.”Twopercentdisagreedandfourpercentgavea“don’tknow”response. Additional results from the survey will be included intheAugustCommunicator.

s part of its interest in gauging community attitudes and perceptions of the district, the school board and administration of Wayzata Public

Schools regularly conduct a survey of community residents.

District continues work on strategic road map

E

A

2

?More than 90.5 percent of the students in

the Wayzata High School class of 2011 are making plans to attend two or four

year colleges or universities. This compares to about 88 percent for the class of 2010. The total number of students in the graduating class was 825. The summary of post-high school plans for the class of 2011 includes the following: •UniversityofMinnesota,allcampuses — 144 students •Minnesotafour-yearstateuniversities — 200 students •Minnesotafour-yearprivate colleges/universities — 102 students •Minnesotaone-andtwo-yearcolleges — 30 students •U.S.ServiceAcademies–1student •Out-of-statefour-yearpubliccolleges/universities — 245 students •Out-of-statefour-yearprivatecolleges/universities — 112 students •Out-of-stateone-andtwo-yearcolleges

— 6 students •Collegebound,schoolundecided—48students •NonU.S.colleges—3students •Totalcollegeboundstudents—747students The remaining Wayzata students have indicated the following choices for their post-high school plans: •Technicalschools—25students •Military—7students •Work—19students

•Otherplans—27students The top 10 colleges chosen by 2011 Wayzata grad-uatesaretheUniversityofMinnesota,TwinCitiescampus;IowaStateUniversity;UniversityofWiscon-sin,Madison;UniversityofNorthDakota;UniversityofSt.Thomas;UniversityofMinnesota,Duluth;MinnesotaStateUniversity,Mankato;NormandaleCommunityCollege;St.CloudStateUniversity;andUniversityofKansas.

Post graduation:

Where are WHS grads

headed

Wayzata High School’s class of 2011 celebrates graduation with the traditional hat toss following the commencement ceremony.

Seniors in the class of 2011 listen and celebrate as their classmates’ names are called to receive their diplomas.

Wayzata High School senior class president Drew Donlin addresses his classmates as the first of three senior commencement speakers at graduation in the Target Center.

Twelve WHS students named Scholars of Distinction

TwelvestudentsfromWayzataHighSchoolhavebeennamed2011MinnesotaScholars of Distinction. This years Scholars of Distinction from WHS are seniors:

•IshmamAhmed–dualawards–ScholarofDistinctioninMathandScience •EvanChen–ScholarofDistinctioninScience •AnnaHashizume–ScholarinTheaterArts •DuligurIbeling–ScholarofDistinctioninScience •NaveenJain–ScholarinScience •HaleyKurr–MeritoriousinTheaterArts •ParthaNaidu–ScholarinScience •DanPiering–ScholarinTheaterArts

•AlecSpencer–MeritoriousinScience •BoSun–ScholarinScience •LawrenceWang–ScholarinScience •JeffZhang–MeritoriousinScience MinnesotaEducationCommissionerBrendaCasselliushonored43highschoolstudentsfromMinnesotafortheirachievementintheMinnesotaScholarsofDistinctionprogram,which encourages high school students to perform at highly rigorous levels in five specific academic areas and rewards their depth of knowledge and skill in application. TheprogramwasdevelopedbytheMinnesotaDepartmentofEducationthroughapartnership with professionals and educators with expertise in each specialty area.

3

During the 2010-2011 school year, Wayzata Public Schools has been implementing a Professional LearningCommunities(PLC)modelfor teachers in every school. The

PLCmodelhasbeenimplementedinschooldistrictsacross the country and is a proven method to provide teachers more concentrated time to meet together to address specific student needs. ThePLCmodelisasimple,butpowerfulidea.Teachersmeetingradelevelorsubjectareateamstodiscuss student progress, review assessment and test data, and plan strategies to assist individual or small groups of students. By regularly meeting to discuss student needs, teachers can more effectively personalize learning for students. Wayzata’sinitialimplementationofthePLCmodel has been met with great success. While some adjustments will be made for the 2011-2012 school year,theworkofthePLCshasproventobeanotherpowerful tool to help teachers meet the needs of students. Oneofthechangesforthe2011-2012schoolyearwill be an adjustment in school schedules at elementary schools and Wayzata High School to make more time forthePLCstomeetduringtheschoolday.Thespecificchanges to be implemented at each level are included below.

Elementary schoolsThe school start and end times will not be changed at elementary schools to accommodate for the change inthePLCimplementation.Instead,teacherswillbe provided with 20-30 minutes daily to meet in PLCteams.DuringthetimethatteacherswillbemeetingtogetherinPLCs,studentswillreinforcetheirlearning and be supervised by other school staff in their classrooms. Students with special needs will be supervised by staff members who know them and are trained to meet their needs. Specific implementation may be different for each school, but the outcome willbeeachteacherhavingtimetomeetwithPLCcolleagues.

Middle schoolsNo change in schedule is needed at the middle schools because the current schedule allows time for grade-level teacherstomeet.PLCmeetingswilloccurduringthetime already dedicated to grade-level meetings.

Wayzata High SchoolTheadditionalPLCtimeatthehighschoolwillbeaccomplished by having late starts on the following Wednesdays during the school year: •September14,21,28 •October5,12,26

•November2,16 •December7,14 •January4,11,18,25 •February1,8,15,22,29 •March7,14,21 •April11,18,25 •May2,9,16,23,30 Onthesedays,teacherswillmeetinPLCsfrom7:15-8a.m.Classesforstudentswillbeginat8:09a.m.onlate-startdaysratherthan7:30a.m.forallotherdays.Onlate-startdays,buseswillrunonregularschedules and structured instructional supervision will be provided to students who arrive prior to the start of the school day. Students with special needs will be supervised by staff members who know them and are trained to meet their needs. Students who drive will be expected to arrive in time for the start of the school day at 8:09 a.m.. There will be no change in school end times. ThePLCmodelwillalsobeimplementedwithourearlychildhoodspecialeducation(ECSE)staff.TimeforPLCmeetingsforECSEstaffwillbeincorporatedinto regular weekly meetings so no change in schedule is necessary. Moreinformationanddetailsabouttheseschedulechanges will be provided to parents and students in August.

District to implement scheduling adjustments to better implement professional learning communities model

AtitsMay23worksession,theschoolboardofWayzata Public Schools heard a report from Wold Architects on the progress of the district’s facilities

study, which began last summer. The study was commissioned by the board and administration to provide a comprehensive facilities analysis and educational adequacy analysis of all district-owned buildings and facilities. The executive summary from the study is organized in the following five major areas: •Studentenrollmentandcapacity •Conditionoffacilityequipment,systemsand infrastructure •Safe,secureandhealthyenvironmentsforstudents and staff •Optimizethestudentlearningenvironment •Minimizingimpactofoperatingcosts The highlights from each of the five major areas are included below.

Student enrollment and capacity •Thedistrict’sstudentenrollmentisprojectedtobe relatively stable for the next 5-10 years. •Thedistricthasverylittleexcessbuildingcapacitybased on current class sizes. •Corefacilitiesinsomebuildings–suchascafeterias,

kitchensandgyms–areundersizedtomeetexisting building capacity needs. •TheenrollmentsatBirchview,KimberlyLaneand PlymouthCreekelementaryschoolshavebeenrunning above building capacities.

Condition of facility equipment, systems and infrastructure •Maintainingdistrictfacilitieshasbeenahighpriority for many years. •Maintenanceneedsareongoingandrequireregular investment. •Statefundingformaintenanceoffacilitiesdoesnotkeep pace with the ongoing need. Additional investment will be needed to keep pace with building repair and maintenance needs. •Thefirstimpressionareasoffacilitiesaregood,butsome improvements are warranted.

Safe, secure and healthy environments for students and staff •Safetyandsecurityissueshavebeenwellmaintained,but need continued investment. •Thedistricthaseffectivelymaintainedhealthy environments in its schools.

Optimize the student learning environment •Somespacesinexistingschoolfacilitiesarenotequitable based on state guidelines or are too small for their current function. •Theongoingchallengeoflearners’needsinspirescontinual evaluation and change. •Evolvingprogramneedswillrequiresomespace redefinition. •Otherprogramsinthedistrict–suchasextendedday kindergartenandearlychildhood–aregrowing and emerging. •Co-curricularneedsaregrowing. •Futurechangesinthedeliveryofeducationmaycallfor reworking school buildings to accommodate an expanded or flexible learning day.

Minimizing impact of operating costs •Currentoperatingcostsofdistrictfacilitiesarelowerthan mostMinnesotaschooldistricts. •Continuedinvestmentinenergyefficientbuilding components will result in potential energy savings.

MoredetailsfromthefacilitiesstudyreportwillbeincludedintheAugustCommunicator.

Board hears progress report on facilities study

District leases space in new IOCP facility

The school board of Wayzata Pub-lic Schools recently approved an agreementwithInterfaithOutreach

andCommunityPartners(IOCP)toleaseaportionofIOCP’snewfacilitynearCountyRoad101andCountyRoad6inPlymouth.SeveralHennepinCountyprogramswillalsobe housed in the facility. The district’s community education depart-ment will occupy a portion of the building and will offer early childhood programs, adult basiceducation,adultEnglishasasecondlanguage, classes for active older adults and seniors,academicsupportforK-12students,

and high school service learning opportunities at the site. The department will continue to offer programming at its current locations in the district. “TheopportunitytosharespaceinIOCP’snew facility is exciting for our district’s com-munityeducationprogram,”saidBobWitt-man, director of community education. “We will be able to expand our programming to reach more people in the community and do itaspartofapowerfulpartnership.” ThedistrictprogramsintheIOCPfacilitywill be available beginning fall 2011.

T he school board of Wayzata Public Schools approved a new transportation contract

withFirstStudentforJuly1,2011throughJune30,2014atitsMay9regular meeting. ThedistrictnegotiatedrateswithFirstStudent,Inc.forthesecondthree-year

period of the current regular and special education transportation contract. The contract represents a savings in the district’s transportation costs over the three school years since the district is using a single provider and has combined all of its transportation needs.

WPS approves 2011-14 district transportation contract

The Wayzata High School synchronized swim team won its fifth consecutive state championshiponMay27.

The team placed first in 13 of the 15 events and scored a meet high 169 points. The team took 23 routines to the state meet this year and 21 of these routines earned points by placing in the top seven. This is the first team in Wayzata High School’s history to win five consecutive state championship titles. Inadditiontotheteamvictory,severalindividual first-place awards were earned by WHS swimmers including: •HannahOgrenandAmandaUrke–Firstplaceinsolo •HannahOgrenandColleenDonlin–Firstplaceinshort duet •KatrinReeandHaleyRugemer–Firstplaceinlongduet •NatalieBodinandCaylaEbert–Firstplaceinextended duet •ColleenDonlin,LucyLiuandTrishaMorrison–Firstplace in short trio •KatrinRee,HaleyRuegemerandAmandaUrke–Firstplaceinlongtrio •ColleenDonlin–Firstplaceinshortfigures •AmandaUrke–Firstplaceinlongfigures •NatalieBodin–Firstplaceinextendedfigures

•LydiaBoike,ColleenDonlin,MorganFoote,KaitlynHaller,LucyLiu,TrishaMorrison,HannahOgrenandEmilyTurnquist–Firstplaceshortteam •AmyErickson,GillianMangan,KatrinRee,HaleyRuegemer,AmandaUrkeandHannahWeas–Firstplacein long team •NatalieBodin,CaylaEbert,AleseHalvorson,PaigeMuncy,KjirstenRee,RuthSchaefer,LaurelStreedandTaraWilliams–Firstplaceinextendedteam FivestudentswerealsonamedAll-StateathletesandincludeseniorsNatalieBodin,CaylaEbertandAleseHalvorson;andsophomoresPaigeMuncyandKjirstenRee. TeammembersoftheWHSsynchronizedswimteamincludethefollowing:SeniorsNatalieBodin,LarissaBorg,CaylaEbert,AudreyElsner,AleseHalvorson,

BeccaHunkins,RileyMangan,KatelynOsmek,ErikaWeimerandTaraWilliams;juniorsNicoleKullback,EllieMagnuson,KathleenPoppendeckandLaurelStreed;sophomoresMorganFoote,MaraHalvorson,MeganHe,GillianMangan,PaigeMuncy,KjirstenRee,RuthSchaeferandSamanthaSnidarich;freshmenLydiaBoike,KaitlynHaller,TrishaMorrisonandEmilyTurnquist;eighthgradersAmyErickson,KatrinRee,HaleyRuegemer,AmandaUrkeandHannahWeas;andseventhgradersColleenDonlin,LucyLiuandHannahOgren. TeamcaptainsareNatalieBodin,CaylaEbert,AudreyElsner,AleseHalvorsonandTaraWilliams The team is coached by head coach Signe Hensel, Ali Bodin, Rachel Hoffart and Ann Rushfeldt.

4

F our students from Wayzata High School scored at the 90th percentile oraboveonthe2011NationalGer-manExamandanadditionalthree

students placed as state winners scoring above the 80th percentile. Thenationalwinnersare:juniorRachelMohrandsophomoresAkashBatra,GretchenStruck-meyerandKallanSwenson. Thestatewinnersare:juniorZacharyBaren-burgandsophomoresShaiAnnCainandKatieCorwin. ThestudentsaretaughtbyBarbaraMelbyeJanssenandKarenNickel.

Seven WHS students place well on 2011 National

German Exam

WHS synchronized swim team wins fifth

state championship

The 2011 WHS syncrhonized swim team celebrates their trophy for their fifth consecutive state championship season.

Abram Sanderson, a sophomore at Wayzata High School, placed in the top 15 in the country on

theUnitedStatesofAmericaJuniorMathOlympiadwhichisanine-hourexamtosolvesix problems. Sanderson is part of the Wayzata Public Schools district math program and a member of the WHS state champion math team.

WHS student places in top 15 nationally on

USAJMOF illing a bowl with soup for dinner seems such a simple task,

but far too many people have neither the bowl, nor the soup and spend the evening listening to their hunger and

wondering when they will have their next meal. IhavewatchedstudentsatWayzataHighSchoolgraspthisconcept for 20 years and have been amazed by the level of talent these students achieve as they craft art bowls to raise money for hungryTwinCities’residents.ButIamalsoprofoundlytouched,and especially this year, by the hundreds of patrons who arrive at ourannualWayzataHighSchoolEmptyBowlseventtodonatetheir time and money for this cause. A very special thank you is deserved by the many local businesses that provided the meals, financial support and talent to make this year’s event the most financially successful the school has hosted

inthelast20years.Thisyear’seventraisedmorethan$7,000tobenefitInterfaithOutreachandCommunityPartnersanditsfightagainsthungerintheTwinCities. Your contributions have made it possible for many residents to know when their next meal will be, promoted the arts among our children, brought together our community for a good cause and instilledinmeanothermomentofaweandrespectasIwatchedasimple lump of clay transform into a bowl, then a meal and finally into a community of love and nourishment.

Sincerely,Nancy Hanily-DolanWHS pottery instructor

Thank you to the sponsors and patrons of Empty BowlsThe 2011 Empty Bowls event raised more than $7,000 for Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners to fight hunger.

5

EightstudentsfromWayzataHighSchoolplacedwellatthestateSkillsUSAcompetitionheldtheweekendofMarch26. JuniorAndreaCaflischandsophomoreMaddyMakitookfirstandsecond

place,respectively,intheSkillsUSAculinaryartsstatecompetition.JuniorsKelanMcQuinnandBradyPateearnedfirstplaceinvideoproduction.SeniorBriRosenandfreshmanKittyMcKeetooksecondplaceinvideoproductionandjuniorsMaxUlmenandBenLeightontookthirdplaceinvideoproduction. ThisisthesecondstatewinforCaflischandthesecondtimeWHSstudentshaveplaced first, second and third in video at state.

Eight WHS students place well at SkillsUSA competion

The 2011 Wayzata High School yearbook has been inducted into the Walsworth Publishing

Company’sGalleryofExcellence. TheGalleryofExcellenceisashowcase of the company’s top yearbooks.Gallerybooksdemonstratetrue mastery of a yearbook’s purpose –toprovidethoroughcoverageoftheschool year with interesting stories that highlight all types of students using well-written copy, stunning photography and trendydesign.Onlyasmallpercentageof yearbooks published by Walsworth entertheGalleryeachyear.

The selection of the 2011 WHS yearbook is an acknowledgement of the yearbook staff’s dedication to producing a high-quality publication. TheWayzataHighSchool“Wayako”Yearbook is the largest yearbook that theWalsworthPublishingCompanyprints, at 412 pages of full-color, ad-free content. WHS is one of only a select fewschoolsinMinnesotawhodonothaveads.Inaddition,WHSprintsa36-page supplement with a turnaround timeoflessthanoneweek.Eachyearthe school sells 2,200-2,500 yearbooks.

WHS 2011 yearbook inducted into gallery of excellence

Eleven Wayzata High School students placed well at the 2011 Business Professionals of America competition. The following WHS students competed and placed this year:

•LeahBolin,junior,managementmarketinghumanresources •LeonaChao,senior,entrepreneurship •EddieChen,senior,administrativesupportconceptsandmanagementmarketinghuman resources •AakashDeshpande,senior,C++programming •GenetJean-Pierre,junior,entrepreneurship •JonathonLiou,senior,visualbasicprogramming •RichardLu,senior,Javaprogrammingandmanagementmarketinghumanresources •WillMarshall,senior,computernetworkingtechnologyconcepts •SeanMonson,senior,financialmathandanalysis,PCservicingandtroubleshooting, information technology concepts and Java programming •CharlieWusands,senior,administraticesupportconcepts •BenZhang,sophomore,computersecurity Business Professionals of America is a national organization for high school and college students preparingforcareersinbusinessandofficeoccupationsandprovidesnetworkingopportunitiesamongeducation, business and industry and contributes to the preparation of a world-class workforce through the advancement of leadership, citizenship, academic and technological skills. The students are advised byWHSteacersTikaKude,CandyLeeandTylerShepard.

11 WHS students place well in 2011 BPA competition

Six Wayzata High School students placed well at the state debate tournament. JuniorMeghnaSohoni,andsenior

MirandaEhrlich,earnedsecondplaceinvarsitydebateattheMinnesotaStateHighSchoolLeagueTournamentinJanuaryattheUniversityofMinnesota.TheywerescheduledtodebateseniorLukePlutowskiandjuniorAlexBahls,another team from WHS in the semi-final round. All four of these students were recognized for their incredible dedication and hours of work to be ready for some of the most intense tournaments

in the nation. These four students were on the school’s traveling team and competed with distinction at select national tournaments. They allreceivedthe“ArtsoutFront”awardforbeingin the top four teams at the state competition. NaveenJainandAlexKristensen,bothjuniors,wontheJuniorVarsityStateChampionshiprunbytheMinnesotaDebateTeachersAssociationtohonor the best second-year debaters in the state. ThestudentsarecoachedbyWHSteacherGailSarff.

WHS debate students place well at state tournament

Jack Alexander, a senior at Wayzata High School, won first place in the state andnationalSIFMAFoundation’sInvestWritestudentessaycompetition,

sponsoredbytheSIFMAFoundationandSIFMAmemberfirmsattheBestPrepawards event. Alexanderwillbeawardedwitha“WallStreetExperience”andhewilltraveltoNewYorkCitythissummerforthreedayswherehewillvisitfinanciallandmarksandevengoontheflooroftheNewYorkStockExchange. Best Prep is a statewide, nonprofit organization with a mission to best prepare Minnesotastudentswithbusiness,careerandfinancialliteracyskillsthroughex-periencesthatinspiresuccessinworkandlife.TheSIFMAFoundationisproudtopartnerwithBestPreptodeliverTheStockMarketGameandInvestWriteinMinnesota.

WHS senior wins first place nationally for InvestWrite essay

AnnaLaCombe,ajunioratWayzataHighSchool,wasawardedaone-yearscholarshiptotheAllianceFranciasedeMinneapolis/St.Paul’snon-profitculturalcenter and language classes. Since2003,theTwinCities’AllianceFrançaisehasofferedstudentsthe

opportunitytostudyFrenchlanguageandcultureatnocosttothemortheirfamilies.ThesescholarshipsincludemembershiptotheAlliance,booksandtuitionforfourclasssessions(onecalendar year), a total value of $2,000 per participant.

Alliance Franciase de Minneapolis scholarship awarded

Four WPS teams place in top 20 at Destination ImagiNation finals

All four teams from Wayzata Public Schools that competed in the DestinationImagiNationGlobalFinals

onMay25-28placedinthetop20. ThefollowingresultsarefromtheGlobalFinalscompetition: •ThePermanentMarkersfromOakwoodElementarytookfourthplaceintheelementarylevelforChallengeC,TripleTakeRoadShowandwerestatechampions–TeammembersareDuffyDavidson,AliGabler,ConorGreenberg,MaraMcCollor,ElizabethPage,DavidSandallandEricaSvendahl;teammanagersareJeffPageandPete Sandall •PsychedelicHippieKaleidoscopesfromCentralMiddleSchooltook17thplaceinthemiddlelevelforChallengeD,MythologyMissionandwerestatechampions–Teammembersare

JustinGreenberg,MaiaMiller,DavidMo,ArmanShah,AbbyTrouthandLeightonZhao;teammanagersareRobbGreenbergandDianeMiller •SixDIgreesofDImaginationfromOakwoodElementarytook11thplaceintheelementarylevelforChallengeB,SpinningaTale–TeammembersareChristopherCaryotakis,AbbyKassmir,ElizabethMack,DerekRosenberger,EllieShaverandClaireWeiss;teammanagerisPaulaCaryotakis •TheDInamitesfromWestMiddleSchoolandOakwoodElementaryschoolreceivedan“excellent”ratinginthemiddlelevelchallengeforProjectOutreach–DynamicNetworks–TeammembersareSimranChugani,KyleEckman,FrankFetrow,HannahHagen,MadelineTapper,IsaacPolumandLucasWaskosky;teammanagersareHollyTapperandKristinTollison

WHS student named 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholar

Wayzata High School se-nior Rohit Agrawal was namedaU.S.Presiden-

tial Scholar. He will be honored for his ac-complishments during the national recognition weekend, held in June in Washington,D.C.Duringthistrip,Presidential Scholars are guests of the commission and enjoy an expense-paid trip to meet with government of-ficials, educators, authors, musicians, scientists and other accomplished people. Scholars have the opportunity to visit museums and monuments and to attend recitals, receptions and ceremonies.Tocommemoratetheirachievement, the scholars are awarded the Presidential Scholars medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House.

Rohit Agrawal

6

The2010-11CareerTeacherAwardrecipientswerehonoredwithaceremonyheldApril26atCentralMiddleSchool.CareerTeacherHonoreesfor2010-11areMaryColeman,sixthgradeteacheratWestMiddleSchool;NancyHanily-Dolan,potteryinstructor

atWayzataHighSchool;CandyLee,businessmarketingandtechnologyteacheratWayzataHighSchool;andDebbieMossefin,mediacenterteacheratKimberlyLaneElementarySchool.

2010-11 Career Teacher Award recipients honored

Mary Coleman Nancy Hanily-Dolan Candy Lee Debbie Mossefin

Wayzata High School received a national recognition for excellence in global education by theEducationFirstFoundationforForeignStudy,theleaderinhighschoolexchangeprograms.

Awardedannually,theGlobalEducationExcellenceAwardispresentedtoschoolsthatdemonstratean extraordinary commitment to international understanding and global awareness. WHS was one ofaselectgroupofschoolsrecognizedacrosstheU.S.forthe2010-11schoolyear.Thisyear,WHSwelcomedEducationFirstFoundationexchangestudents.Notonlywerethestudentsacceptedintotheschool, they became an integral part of the school’s academic and extracurricular life.

WHS receives 2011 Global Education Excellence Award

Four Wayzata High School students placed wellatthe2011InternationalDECAcompetitionheldApril30-May4in

Orlando,Florida. The following WHS students placed well at state and earned a trip to the international competition: •ShannonMcDermott,senior,earnedsecondplace at state in retail merchandising •MonicaWilson,senior,earnedthirdplaceatstate in hotel lodging •MaxHanson,junior,earnedthirdplaceatstate in quick service management •AliHeiring,junior,earnedfirstplaceatstatein retail merchandising

DECA,anassociationofmarketingstudents,provides students marketing-related and leadership-development activities that enhance classroom study toward careers in marketing, managementandentrepreneurship.MinnesotaDECAcombinescareerexplorationwithschool-based learning and sponsors a competition at the district, state and international levels. ParticipationinDECAdevelopsskillsinleadership, management, civic consciousness, job responsibility, motivation to excel, good work habits, critical thinking and problem solving. The students are advised by WHS teacher David Chvojicek.

Four WHS students place well in DECA

EightWayzataHighSchoolstudentsplacedwellintheFutureProblemSolverscompetition. Thefollowingstudentsearnedtophonorsinthe2011FutureProblemSolverscompetition:

•LydiaBoike,9thgrade,secondplaceatstateintheMiddleDivisionWrittenCompetition •IsaacFoote,9thgrade,secondplaceatstateintheMiddleDivisionWrittenCompetition •ChristinaGu,10thgrade,secondplaceatstateintheSeniorDivisionWrittenCompetition •JennyLai,10thgrade,secondplaceatstateintheSeniorDivisionWrittenCompetition •SoumyaMarasakatla,9thgrade,secondplaceatstateintheMiddleDivisionWritten Competition •TrishaMorrison,9thgrade,secondplaceatstateintheMiddleDivisionWritten Competition •AmyXiong,10thgrade,secondplaceatstateintheSeniorDivisionWrittenCompetition •ZacharyYan,10thgrade,secondplaceatstateintheSeniorDivisionWrittenCompetition The students are advised by WHS teacher Jonathan Honza.

Eight WHS students place well in Future Problem Solvers

WHS students earn high marks on 2011 National

Spanish Exam

Alarge number of Wayzata High School students placed well on the 2011 National

SpanishExam. TheNationalSpanishExamisanonline, standardized assessment tool for grades six-12 and measures proficiency and achievement of students who are studying Spanish as a second language. The following students earned high marks on the exam:Gold awardsAlyTisthammer,9thgrade,level1Silver MaxwellAnderson,9thgrade,level1PaigeFellows,9thgrade,level1AditiGoel,10thgrade,level2KaitlynHaller,9thgrade,level1MargaretJames,9thgrade,level1AlyssaLe,9thgrade,level1AnneliesOdermann,9thgrade,level2LindseyPalasek,11thgrade,level4Rohan Patnaik, 9th grade, level 1MichaelPearce,10thgrade,level2MattPrisby,9thgrade,level1CarolineQian,11thgrade,level4Brett Schnobrich, 12th grade, level 3KatherineSpurlock,9thgrade,Level1CourtneyWalker,9thgrade,level1LewinXue,12thgrade,level3

Bronze EricaAarons,10thgrade,level2LeahBenthin,11thgrade,level3Julia Bevington, 11th grade, level 3BrianaCullimore,10thgrade,level3Anne Denniston, 10th grade, level 3Nicklaus Dotzenrod, 12th grade, level 4AveryGault,9thgrade,level1DoyeonKim,10thgrade,level3SarahLerner,12thgrade,level4CaseyLiveringhouse,12thgrade,level3CarlyMacDonald,10thgrade,level2AmyMueller,9thgrade,level1MadelineNaffziger,10thgrade,level2EmilyNewman,9thgrade,level1Drew Paige, 11th grade, level 3LiesePeterson,9thgrade,level1Alicia Poplett, 11th grade, level 2Shreya Ramanujan, 10th grade, level 2LahiruSamarasinghe,10thgrade,level2Samantha Schmidt, 11th grade, level 5KatherineSherman,9thgrade,level1Amelia Stach, 9th grade, level 1RyanTisthammer,10thgrade,level2SarahUrke,12thgrade,level4NathanVolkman,11thgrade,level3Arthur Walther, 10th grade, level 2David Watts, 11th grade, level 3ChristopherWipson,10thgrade,level2GrahamWrase,10thgrade,level2

DuligurIbeling,ajunioratWayzataHighSchool,earnedaperfectscoreonthe2010-11NationalLatinExam.Only586studentsoutofmorethan137,000haveattainedthisdistinction.

WHS junior earns perfect score on National Latin Exam

In Brief

Wayzata Public Schools is looking for potty-trained 3-, 4-, or 5-year-olds to par-ticipateintheTrojanTotsprogramtaughtbychildpsychologyIIstudentsatWayzataHigh School. Dates and times are September 19 through November 3 from 9:30 a.m. to noononMondaysandWednesdaysorTues-days and Thursdays. Forregistrationmaterialsormoreinformation,contactMiriamLejonvarnat763-745-6884orbyemailatmiriam.lejon-varn@wayzata.k12.mn.us. The new-child registration form is also available for parents to complete on the district’s website at www.wayzata.k12.mn.us.

Trojan Tots Registration open for fall 2011

7

Wayzata Public Schools community edu-cation department is opening Peppermint FenceWestinthenewInterfaithOutreachandCommunityPartnersbuildinginPlym-outh at 1605 Highway 101. The new location includes the same licensing, curriculum, enrichment activities, parent involvement, resources, and interna-tional accreditation for which Peppermint FencePreschoolisknown.Theleadteacherwill be Janet Stroebl, a seasoned, highly regardedprofessionalonPeppermintFence’sstaff. PeppermintFencewillopenup10spotsforfour-year-olds(5girlsand5boys)infall2011. TolearnmoreaboutPeppermintFenceprograms, curriculum, and additional services, go to www.wayzata.k12.mn.us/ces selectBirthto5,thenFamilyLearningCen-ter.OnAugust1,informationregardingregistrationforPeppermintFenceWestwillbeavailableatthiswebsiteorat763-745-5294.

Peppermint Fence Preschool West will

open in IOCP building

AtitsMay9regularmeeting,theschoolboard of Wayzata Public Schools approved a priceincreaseforCulinaryExpresslunchesfor the 2011-12 school year that reflects the increased cost in food. Lunchpricesforthe2011-12schoolyearare as follows: •Elementarylunchpriceis$2.50–anincrease of $.20, of which $.05 is attributed to milk or beverage •Secondarylunchpriceis$2.85–anincrease of $.25, of which $.05 is attributed to milk or beverage •Adultlunchpriceis$3.65–anincreaseof $.35, of which $.05 is attributed to milk or beverage •Milkpriceis$.50–anincreaseof$.05due to market conditions •Eliminationofthe$.95processingfeecharged to families who chose to pay elec-tronically

Culinary Express price increase approved

Important School Board Election Dates for 2011August 2, 2011................................... First day to file as a candidate for school board

August 16, 2011................................ Last day to file as a candidate for school board

August 18, 2011................................ Last day to file affidavit of withdrawal as a candidate for school board

October 19, 2011............................... First day absentee ballots must be available to voters

November 8, 2011............................. Election Day

Wayzata Public Schools plans to launch its new website on August 5. The address for the site will remain www.way-

zata.k12.mn.us and during the weekend of the switch, visitors to the site may continue to see the old site as the system updates itself with the new content. The new website offers many features for parents that include subscriptions to individual teacher pages, sections of the website and buildings newsletters. The site continues to offer methods to pay for lunches and products online.

Itisimportantthatparentemailsareup-to-dateinthedistrict’sdatabase for both the new website parent login piece and the district’s Alertnow emergency notification system. Please take a moment to verify you have your correct address for receiving notificationsandsubscriptionsonyourFamilyAccesspage. Moreinformationabouthowtousethesiteandsignupforsubscriptions to newsletters and teacher pages will be available in theAugustissueofthe“Communicator.”

District plans new website launch August 5

Twelve Wayzata High School students qualified for the nationalQuizBowlcompetitionthisyear. The following students qualified for the national

competition:seniorsRohitAgrawal,NickAhamed,MohamadAkef,LarryLee,GaneshRaman,GauravSingh,BrianTuandLewinXue;juniorsMitchCroal,OliverHeandDuligurIbeling;andsopho-moreNirupaGalagedera. MinnesotaHighSchoolQuizBowlisagameofquestionsandanswers on all topics of human knowledge. A moderator reads

questions to two, four-person teams, whose players endeavor to buzz in first with the correct answer, scoring points for the question. The team with the most points at the end of the match wins the game. AtypicalQuizBowltournamentinvolvesfourtosixpreliminarymatches followed by playoff rounds. This year, 12 WHS students representedthedistrictattheNationalQuizBowlTournamentinChicagoduringMemorialDayWeekend. ThestudentsarecoachedbyWHSteacherMeaghanDecker.

12 WHS students qualified for national Quiz Bowl competition

Eight Wayzata High School students placed well on the 2011StateandNationalFrenchExam.

The following students placed well on the exam: •SamuelCady,12thgrade,thirdplacenationalexam,firstplacestateexamatlevel4E •JenniferFlanery,9thgrade,seventhplacenationalexam,secondplacestateexamatlevel1E •MeganGrappa,9thgrade,12thplacenationalexam,fourthplacestateexamatlevel1E •SamHlywka,10thgrade,seventhplacenationalexam,firstplacestateexamatlevel3E

•TatumOdland,10thgrade,14thplacenationalexam,firstplacestateexamatlevel2E •CeciliaPompeo,9thgrade,11thplacenationalexam,thirdplacestateexamatlevel1E •IsabelRayas,9thgrade,firstplacenationalexam,firstplacestateexamatlevel1E •JustinWhite,9thgrade,fifthplacenationalexam,fourthplacestateexamatlevel3C The2011NationalFrenchContest,orLeGrandConcoursisa 60-minute examination taken by students across the country thatareenrolledinFrenchcourses.

Eight WHS students place well on State and National French Exam

8

Wayzata Public Schools

210 County R

oad 101 N.

P.O. B

ox 660W

ayzata, MN

55391-0060

Nonprofit O

rg.U

S PostagePA

IDW

ayzata, MN

Permit 43

The Com

municator is published for residents and staff of W

ayzata Public Schools. Contact B

ob Noyed, director of com

munication, at

763-745-5068 or robert.noyed@w

ayzata.k12.mn.us w

ith questions or comm

ents.

Central Middle School students in Amanda Leddy’s language arts class wrote persuasive letters to create change for their last written assess-ment. Sixth grade student Grace Huenemann wrote to the Blue team teachers to ask the team to think about the organization 363 days and making sandwiches for the founder to deliver. Her letter successfuly persuaded the team to pursue this action and with help from students and parent volunteers, the group made 450 sandwiches on June 3 to deliver to those in need.

CMS students make sandwiches for those in needCOMMUNICATOR

June 2011

Employees of the MonthTwo employees have been recognized as Employees of the Month since the previous edition of the Communicator.They are:• May 2011 — Kathy Cartwright, office paraprofessional at Sunset Hill Elementary School•June 2011 — Yvonne Lachmiller, second grade teacher at Sunset Hill Elementary

W ayzataPublicSchools’yellow“ChangeofEnrollmentNotification”cardswillnolon-ger be sent home with students and instead,

the form should be filled out on the district’s website at www.wayzata.k12.mn.us. Thedistrict’sChangeofEnrollmentNotificationformshould be filled out by families moving out of the district, moving to another address in the district or not attend-ing Wayzata Public Schools for any reason in the 2011-12 school year.

Tofillouttheformonline,visitthedistrict’s the registration page on the district’s website and find the form under the enrollment menu item, or search change of enrollment on the site.Smart phone users can scan the code above to complete the change of enrollment notification form on the district’s website.

Change of enrollment notification needs to be completd online

Requirements for early entrance into WPS

Minnesota law states that children must be five years of age by September 1 of any given year in order to enter kindergarten. Wayzata

Public Schools offers an early entrance option for children in the district with birthdays between September 2 and October15. Childrenwhodemonstratesuperiorintellectualability and advanced social/emotional development can be considered for early entrance to kindergarten. This acceleration through early entrance is a way to provide for the educational needs of a small number of decidedly more capable children.

Ifyouwouldlikeyourchildtobeconsideredforearlyentrancetokindergarten,contactGabrielLofton,directorofacademicexcellenceandequity,at763-745-5094,oremailGabriel.Lofton@wayzata.k12.mn.usbyMay6,2011, for more information and to request an application. Students under consideration will be interviewed in June and a decision will be made by June 30. The state of Minnesotadoesnotprovidefundsforthisassessment.Ifyou choose to proceed with this process, the fee is $250 payableatthetimeofapplication.Financialassistancemaybe available.

Smart phone users can scan the code above to view more information on current and past employees of the month.

J ason Wenschlag will be the new principal at Birchview Elementary School.

Wenschlag is currently the principal at Sheridan Hills Elementary School in Richfield, Minnesota. He received his bachelor of science degree from North Dakota State University, his master’s degree from the University of Minnesota and his education specialist degree from St. Thomas University. “We are pleased to recommend Jason to the board as the next principal of Birchview Elementary School and are excited about his potential to continue the school’s strong tradition of excellence,” said Superintendent Chace Anderson.

Birchview Elementary principal hired

A ndrewTitus,athirdgradestudentatPlymouthCreekElementarySchool,wonthe2011NationalChessChampionshipinthe

primary(K-3)championshipsectionheldinDallas,TexasonMay6-8.

Tituswonthefirstplaceinathree-waytiebecomingtheNationalPrimaryCo-Champion. JoshuaTitus,asecondgradestudentfromPlymouthCreekalsoplayedinthetournamentandwon14thplaceintheK-3Under800section.

Plymouth Creek student wins National Chess Championship

Jason Wenschlag