NORTH JUNIOR HIGH

After months of planning and preparing to implement our C day schedule, the day has finally come! Today was the roll out of our first C day schedule!!

There are many moving parts to make this day successful and there were also a few hiccups, however, our hope was that with over communicating and taking each hour step-by-step, we were able to move students and staff through the day with minimal confusion.

Several cool things things happened today:

Reading and Royal Roundup - This is a concentrated time for students to read during the day as we strive to impress upon them the importance of a love of reading. Students also spend time watching the Royal Roundup which is a means for community building.

Genius Hour - We believe that all our students are geniuses. Now, this is their time to tap into their passions and let their genius shine. Students will use the design cycle to explore ideas and express their creativity in ways that are unique to them. With guided support from staff, we are excited to see what ideas will come out of their shark tanks!

Teachers collaborated - Our Language/Lit and Design teachers took the day to begin the foundational work of aligning their subject area work with the IB framework. Teachers will be writing and planning within their departments and across both junior highs. This is unprecedented! This is a critical step to ensuring that all of our courses espouse the tenets of what it means to be an IB World School.

As I mentioned above, there are many moving parts in making this day happen. Our intentional work stems from our Vision 2031 efforts to: engage students in different ways, reimagine schools, crowdsource ideas, create fearless teams, ensure inclusive equity and support innovation. We have a terrific staff who have jumped ALL IN to ensure that every C day is meaningful for students.

I talked to a few students today, and I heard a variety of responses: "It was confusing", "It was better than I expected", "I didn't know where to go", "It was good". Despite some of the confusion, they seemed to trust that each week would get better and had an overall positive attitude.

Thank you for supporting the work we are doing to make Vision 2031 a reality for every student, every day.

Irene Stewart

• In ELA 8, we are starting the novel Bronx Masquerade soon!

• Global Studies: Students this week will be using our newly learned formula of how to create a good claim in order to investigate an ancient crime scene. They will ask questions, formulate a conjecture, investigate, and then ultimately analyze what they discovered to create a claim to explain what they think happened.

• Please encourage your child to use his/her planner every class, every day

• Intermediate Algebra is studying cultural perception of risk in their probability unit
• Health 9 is making neurons out of play-doh
• Yearbook staff is currently immersing themselves in their graphic design software by making pages about themselves using last year’s style guide. This was a suggestion from last year’s staff as a way to get them “in the game” sooner and thinking about what they want THEIR yearbook to look like
• Geometry students are connecting geometric language and constructions

At North, we talk a lot about collaboration. ​We work hard to create opportunities for students to work with each other in many different types of situations, both with friends and with people we don't know yet - we know that solving problems in the real world requires learning how to work with others well.

In an IB school, it's just as important for teachers to practice the ways of thinking and working together that we want to create for our students. In this spirit, teachers are finding new and exciting ways to collaborate with each other to create units, within and across subject areas. Every unit will give students an opportunity to think about big, relevant ideas; learn the skills and mindsets that will help them become life-long learners, leaders, and problem-solvers; and prepare them for being critical thinkers and academic risk-takers as they move to Hopkins High School and out into the world beyond.

We are proud of the fact that our teachers are prioritizing collaboration and hope that our students and families see the benefits of our efforts in the rich experiences provided in our classrooms.

The NJH Royal Council is looking for energetic, creative, and responsible people who want to develop their skills as leaders and represent the student body. This group is an organization within NJH conducted by students and supervised by staff. In addition to planning school-wide events, council members contribute to community welfare by being the voice of the student body. They help share ideas, hopes, interests, and concerns within the school community.

To participate in the Royal Council, students must keep in good standing with both academic and behavioral responsibilities. Additionally, students will have to be committed to regular attendance at Royal Council meetings and be active in council-sponsored events. The council meets once a week during WIN sessions and may have scheduled meetings after school throughout the school year.

If your student is interested, please have them fill out the application below.

Contact RoCo Coordinators for more information:

Jessica Castrello: Jessica.castrello@hopkinsschools.org

Ben Dickens: Benjamin.dickens@hopkinsschools.org

Paris Timmons: Paris.timmons@hopkinsschools.org

There will be a pre-season meeting on Wednesday, October 9th, at 3:15 pm in the Lindbergh Center classrooms.

Open to Girls in grades 7-12.

Starting on Monday, Sept. 30th:

Y-Start is run by the Ridgedale YMCA. It offers leadership development, challenges, and other activities that integrate education, recreation, and service-learning. There is no cost for this program and students will be paid a small stipend for their participation. Transportation is provided and students will be returned to NJH to ride the Activity Bus home.

Fall Session runs Mon./Wed.: Sept. 30-Dec. 4

Come to the SSC for an application.

Applications Due: Wed. Sept. 23.

The first 13 students are in!

Debate is a fun collective of critical thinking students that meet twice a week and discuss both current issues and prepare for competitions on set topics.

Practice is held on Mondays and Wednesdays at HHS.

Contact Trevor Martinez, Head Debate Coach, Hopkins High School, for more information.

trevorvmartinez@gmail.com

Are you interested in getting involved with Hopkins Public Schools? We are looking for additional members for the district Educational Services Advisory Committee, and your voice is needed!

Hopkins School District is looking for interested parents and community members to serve on the Educational Services Advisory Committee (ESAC) this school year. The purpose of ESAC is to provide advice, direction, and support to our school district regarding the design, integration, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to support the district's strategic plan and Vision 2031. Members of ESAC include Hopkins parents, guardians, community members and staff. This year we will be meeting from 5:00-7:00 pm at the Eisenhower building in November, January, February, and April.

For more information, please contact Nancy Anderson in the department of Innovation, Design and Learning at nancy.anderson@hopkinsschools.org.

Website: https://www.hopkinsschools.org/schools/secondary-schools/hopkins-north-junior-high
Location: 10700 Cedar Lake Road, Minnetonka, MN, USA
Phone: (952) 988-4800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopkinsNJH/
Twitter: @HopkinsNJH270