The Scoop

Welcome to the final issue of The Scoop for this school year. The Scoop is a newsletter dedicated to the Young Scholars Program of District 196. This publication features stories and information about your Young Scholars in school, after school, and outside of school. This newsletter also includes information that you might find helpful to your family- places to go, books to read, people to know about. We hope you enjoy learning all about this program and some of the opportunities our district can provide to you.

The Young Scholar Specialists of District 196

Nature's Engineers Day Camp, a week long experience for students in Gifted and Talented Services and Young Scholars, will take place at Oak Ridge Elementary in Eagan, June 19-23. This is our tenth year of camp and we look forward to another wonderful, enriching experience for our students!!! All registered students will receive a confirmation letter with their report cards or prior to the last day of school. If you have any questions about your registration or your child's transportation to camp please call the day camp hotline at 651-423-7943 or email Pam.McDonald@district196.org. If you would still like to register, please call Community Ed. at 651-423-7920. We look forward to seeing all your Young Scholar students this summer.

Summer can be a great time for our Young Scholars. It can give them the opportunity to explore learning they don't get to explore during the school year. Here are some ideas for how to help your student use summertime to engage in the fun of learning.

Deepen Interests or Learning Something New

We know our Young Scholars are interested in many things. The library is a great place to wander among the books, DVDs, the MakerSpace at Wescott, and magazines to find wonderful information. Library cards are free and available at all our county libraries. Visiting a regional park would also give students who are interested in learning more about nature an opportunity to explore this venue. Try Lebanon Hills in Eagan or Whitetail Woods in Farmington. Caponi Art Park in Eagan is also a free space that combines nature and art... a great place for a family walk. Caponi also features many summer events for families. You may want to call the park at 651-454-9412 for more information. Dakota Electric sponsors a free night at the Minnesota Zoo this July. Go to Dakotaelectric.com for more information.

Relax and Renew

Kids are busy during the school year. School runs at a frenetic pace and can easily "burn out" our most precious learners. This summer try focusing on using "down time", encouraging your students to imagine and dream. Since fresh fruit and vegetables are inexpensive during this time, visit a local farmers market and encourage your student to try new healthy foods. Take time with family and friends by enjoying many of the free concerts and events in our area. Visit Kelley Park in Apple Valley and enjoy the splash pad.

We look forward to seeing all of you back this fall!

This article adapted from Richard Cash Ed.D.

Almost 400 Middle Schoolers from the Twin Cities took part in the Regional History Day Competition. Students taking part had already advanced from their own school's competition and their exhibits, websites, papers or performances all connected with the 2017 theme "Taking a Stand in History". Congratulations to Nadra Sayid and Ashley Xiong who represented Scott HIghlands Middle School. Their topic was the history of Martha George Ripley, who opened a maternity clinic for poor and unwed mothers in Minneapolis in 1886.

Third Grade Young Scholars at Parkview researched different planets, asteroids, stars, and comets. The students created a large scale replica of our solar system. Each student painted and labeled the essential information on each planet. The students loved learning more about our solar system and of course painting the planets!

As part of the fourth grade Life Science Unit, which focused on human anatomy, Young Scholars researched the differences between infectious and non-infectious diseases, viruses, and bacteria. Students now have a greater understanding of who makes them sick and how to prevent illnesses in the future.

Fifth grade Young Scholars just finished Rube Goldberg Projects. They used recycled materials to build a machine that will complete a simple task. Students worked on their projects for several weeks and shared them with other Parkview students.

Recently some of the eighth grade Young Scholar students at Scott Highlands had a chance to reflect on what the Young Scholars Program has meant to them. Here are some of their thoughts:

What does being a Young Scholar mean to me?

"Being a leader in every element of Middle School"

"Having special opportunities"

"Being acknowledged by teachers"

"Doing the right thing even when no one is watching"

"Focusing on being academically prepared"

"Seeing the world and encountering it"

"Being part of a group of smart, great kids"

"Being gifted and talented"

What do you remember most about being in Young Scholars in elementary school?

"Being given opportunities"

"Biz Town and Summer Camp"

"Challenged me to think outside of the box"

"Going to a play.... I had never been to one before"

"Mrs. Thomas was a great reader!"

"The fingerprint unit was so interesting"

"Meeting with my Young Scholars group every week. It let me know I was smart and had potential"

What message would you give students entering Middle School in the fall?

"Make new friends"

"It goes by so fast... work hard and enjoy the experience"

"All of you have the potential to be great"

"Do your homework and study"

"Don't procrastinate"

"Sometimes it will be hard and sometimes it will be easy.... Keep running the race"

"Stick with Young Scholars"

Scholastic Scrimmage is a contest in which three teams of up to five students, each from a different middle school, go against each other testing their knowledge of academic trivia to see who can get the most correct answers from a set of fifty questions. Contests are usually held at Scott Highlands Middle School once a month after school from 3:20 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Teams don't compete to win or lose, they compete for fun, developing new friendships along the way. Many students who participate are in Young Scholars.

Students really love the competitions for several reasons. Jeffrey Chen says, "I like the competition. I like going against people from other schools, who you may or may not have met before. That is what makes it fun! It's fun to see how different schools do in a competitive format." Ben Leiran adds, "I like that the practices are full of fun. The range of trivia is really nice because you have some people on your team that might specialize in science, while others are good at English."

Sixth grade Gifted and Talented and Young Scholars (GTYS) students at Scott Highlands helped Mrs. Back pack donated food into her car. The students organized this project which resulted in 800 pounds of food being donated to Rosemount 360 Communities. One of the families in GTYS uses this service so the kids like to help this great organization.

Young Scholars is a program that is in every one of the eighteen elementary buildings and six middle school buildings. It seeks to identify and serve potential high ability students who may go unnoticed due to cultural differences, language barriers, and socio-economic factors. The Young Scholars program is one of eight exemplary national programming efforts serving families from a variety of backgrounds. The ultimate goal of Young Scholars is for students to see themselves as ready to experience rigorous coursework in the middle and high school level to prepare them for college. Students are identified each year and are offered programming with the Young Scholars teacher based on their exhibited potential. Young Scholars serves students in Kindergarten through sixth grade. A key part of the Young Scholars program is the week-long day camp that is offered to students completing first through fourth grade. This camp extends the school year for students and exposes them to the science standards they will learn the following school year through hands-on activities and field trips. For more information about the Young Scholars program in your building you can contact your building Young Scholars teacher or Pam McDonald at 651-423-7945.

Molly Andersen, Westview

Sheila Pagois, Highland

Trisha Miller, Thomas Lake

Maureen Greenberg, Woodland

Karol Hanson, Shannon Park

Becky Hanson, Northview

Kathy Howell, Deerwood

Susan Deming, Parkview

Molly Hammel, Greenleaf

Stephanie Madson, Southview

Jen Maloney, Cedar Park

Kim Webster, Rosemount

Jill Marsh, Pinewood

Traci McCarthy, Red Pine

Ellen Krueger, Glacier Hills

Jody Paulsen, Oak Ridge

Judi Thomas, Diamond Path

Angela Grace, Diamond Path

Beth Wakefield, Echo Park

Michelle Pollei, Falcon Ridge Middle School

Mary Spychalla, Valley Middle School

Theresa Back, Scott Highlands Middle School

Eric Schmidt, Dakota Hills Middle School

Tiffany Kienitz, Rosemount Middle School

David Herem, Black Hawk Middle School

Pam McDonald, District Office, District Lead Teacher