Eye on ECCS

NOTE: Each week throughout the school year, we will visit a school across Eastern Carver County Schools. Some weeks the plan may be to stop in multiple classrooms by grade, or by subject. Other weeks it may highlight a certain specialist group. The purpose is to give families and our community a glimpse into the every-day learning environment happening in our buildings. A chance to spotlight the incredible work our teachers and staff do on a daily basis for our students, and to showcase the incredible work our students produce as well. So, keep your Eye on ECCS!

If there’s one message that technology departments want to share, it’s “stop, look and think!” If it looks suspicious, it probably is.

Recently, two large school districts in Minnesota, Minneapolis and Rochester, were subjected to cyber attacks.

The Minneapolis Public School District announced in March that personal records of students, parents and staff were stolen and released on the dark web. Cyber criminals threatened to release more highly sensitive information if the district didn’t pay a $1 million ransom.

Earlier in April, Rochester Public Schools detected “unusual activity on the district’s network.” This forced them to shut down the network and most of its technology systems while an investigation was conducted. The district decided to cancel classes one day as buildings would have been without internet or district systems.

Craig Larsen, information systems administrator for Eastern Carver County Schools, said detecting an intrusion quickly is the most important factor in cyber attacks.

“It’s likely that something will happen. It’s about knowing how to shut it down as quickly as possible,” he said.

ECCS uses an outside vendor for an annual cyber assessment to validate procedures and controls are current. Internally, ongoing internal assessments look for vulnerabilities. Larsen said technology departments have to work to “stay ahead of the trends.”

Larsen said the district is actively monitoring 24/7, via an outside vendor providing a constant scan of the district’s network. “We can’t be here all the time, but rest assured, someone’s always watching,” he said.

Staff training is also crucial. One of the ways hackers attempt to steal information, such as passwords, is through phishing scams. That’s where “stop, look and think” comes into play. 

Staff training comes in all shapes and sizes. Technology support teams share monthly newsletters with staff. Recent topics included fake search engine advertisements, extortion, tax season scams, and ChatGPL; how cybercriminals are using the popular artificial intelligence to lure in those new to the chatbot.

KEEPING STUDENTS SAFE
The district’s IT department isn’t just about keeping systems safe - it also works to keep students safe. ECCS promotes six core values for students in order to be a good Digital Citizen. We use grade level appropriate lessons around these six core values to help students learn about Digital Citizenship (click her to learn more).

• Media balance and well-being

• Privacy and security

• Relationships and communication

• News and media literacy

• Digital footprint and identity

• Cyberbullying, digital drama & hate speech

Additionally, an acceptable use policy provides guidance on proper technology use in the classroom.

Other tools that are used are:

• Securly: Monitors and filters internet traffic on district-provided Chromebooks regardless of where the device connects to the internet.

• Google SafeSearch: Enabled on district-provided Chromebooks to protect students from seeing inappropriate Google search results. 

• YouTube Restricted Mode: Access to YouTube is restricted on district-provided Chromebooks. Restricted mode is on for students in order to protect students from seeing inappropriate content.

• Student District Google Accounts: Blocked from sending and receiving any external email and sharing of Google files within Grades K-8.

• Ensuring Online Data Privacy: Following guidance from the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and Minnesota State Law (HF 2354), ECCS reviews digital and online tools that support student learning and ensure that your child's data privacy is protected. The digital/online tools inventory is posted at this link.

NOTE: Each week throughout the school year, we will visit a school across Eastern Carver County Schools. Some weeks the plan may be to stop in multiple classrooms by grade, or by subject. Other weeks it may highlight a certain specialist group. The purpose is to give families and our community a glimpse into the every-day learning environment happening in our buildings. A chance to spotlight the incredible work our teachers and staff do on a daily basis for our students, and to showcase the incredible work our students produce as well. So, keep your Eye on ECCS!

 

The commons area at Chanhassen High School was unusually busier on the morning of April 6 as more than 30 National Honor Society students assembled care packages for troops.

After months of organizing the event, asking for donations, and coordinating with local corporations who were sponsors, Chanhassen High School senior Griffin Duff filled his pick-up truck, and more, for delivery to local resident Molly Ambrose, the president and founder of the non-profit Semper Fi Flo Foundation.

Ambrose is a mother of four Chanhassen High School graduates, including son, Nick (Class of 2014), an active member in the Marines. It was through the Minnesota Marines Moms organization that Ambrose began creating care packages for troops and supporting families and veteran homes.

Ambrose estimated Semper Fi Flo sent out 350 care packages alone in December 2022.

Duff, who plans to attend the University of Iowa next fall, and will join the Army ROTC, said he wanted to “do something to give back, to say thank you” to those that already serve. Duff’s brother, Carter, played baseball with Ambrose’s youngest son, Patrick, so he knew the family.

“Griffin reached out to me to see if there was anything he could do to help. My daughter, Megan, was able to do a care package project for her Capstone project when she was in high school, so I asked Griffin if he’d want to do something like that,” Ambrose said.

Duff, through the Key Club at Chanhassen High School, began with a donation drive. He said his favorite part was organizing it all, creating spreadsheets to keep tallies of donations. Paige Lepak, a school counselor at Chanhassen and first-year National Honor Society advisor who has family in the military, aided Duff in making the drive happen.

Chanhassen National Honor Society members came together April 6 to pack up the boxes, which included 1,500 Girl Scout cookie boxes as well as 16 cases of granola bars from General Mills. Ambrose said 100 percent of the care packages are donated or purchased through donated funds.

“I said, ‘I think we started something, Grif,’” Ambrose said as care packages filled up her Ford Expedition in addition to Duff’s truck. “Grif has come through so much for our foundation.”

Lepak met with Chaska High School NHS advisor Sally Reed later in the day about combining forces for future drives.

“I’d love to make this a yearly event, like the Honor Society Blood Drive. These care packages support people from our community. That’s what the NHS is all about,” Lepak said.

For Ambrose, she crosses her fingers and hopes her son, Nick, can finish out his four years of service in July without any more deployments. Even when he is no longer serving, the mission will continue for Molly.

“My life has totally changed. It’s a passion,” she said.

NOTE: Each week throughout the school year, we will visit a school across Eastern Carver County Schools. Some weeks the plan may be to stop in multiple classrooms by grade, or by subject. Other weeks it may highlight a certain specialist group. The purpose is to give families and our community a glimpse into the every-day learning environment happening in our buildings. A chance to spotlight the incredible work our teachers and staff do on a daily basis for our students, and to showcase the incredible work our students produce as well. So, keep your Eye on ECCS!

Do you remember school lunch from when you were a student? Rectangle pizza and pineapple tidbits seemed to be a weekly staple in my elementary days.

 

Luckily for current students, lunch choices have improved, and in Eastern Carver County Schools, the dedicated Nutrition Services staff have worked with many local vendors to create meals from scratch and to provide variety to students.

 

Some recent additions to the line-up:

• Every Friday at the high school, there are build-it-bars that feature Nashville Hot and Caprese Chicken Sliders, served with classic baked french fries, and of course lots of fresh fruit and veggie options.
• The Bahn Mi Pork Sandwich features duroc pork from Swanson Meats, baguette from Breadsmith, and homemade pickled veggies. 
• The newest scratch made menu item at elementary schools, Suugo Suqaar, a Somali pasta dish, was a hit with its January release.
• Whole wheat cinnamon rolls with fresh fruit and milk are breakfast options for elementary students every other Thursday.
   

ECCS Nutrition Services’ focus on scratch cooking and working with local producers results in some amazing food. 

“We will always strive to create menu items from scratch when possible,” Kim Franta, director of Nutrition Services for District 112, said. “We have been strategically outfitting our kitchens with upgraded equipment such as tilting skillets, commercial food processors and blenders, etc. that allows us to purchase whole foods, often from local farmers and producers, that are very high quality. A few of our favorite local partners are Ben Penner (organic flour), Doubting Thomas (organic oats), Ames Farm (honey), and Ferndale Market (free range turkey).”

Overall, ECCS Nutrition Services served 440,735 breakfasts and 1,076,633 lunches last school year. Our child nutrition programs help our students get the nutrition they need to learn, play, grow and develop. 

GIVING STUDENTS A VOICE
Nutrition Services offers kids’ choice days at elementary schools. Students at Carver Elementary designed a menu of spaghetti with homemade beef marinara, steamed corn, pea pods, grapes, strawberries, and brownies earlier this school year.

Recently, student council members at Jonathan Elementary had a chance to meet with Franta and Laura Wacker-Hansen, assistant director of nutrition services, to sample some new menu items for the current school year.  Students taste-tested bagels, macaroni and cheese, and yogurt smoothies. 

“I would love this,” one student said of the smoothies.

Franta explained to students that they would be back yet this school year to talk about potential new items for next school year.

“I would like more of a variety of foods from other countries,” another student said. 

“We want to make sure you have choices too,” Franta said. “Did you try the Suugo Suqaar?”

“It was delicious,” the student said.

Franta and Wacker-Hansen told the students that upcoming new lunch options will include Swedish meatballs, Samboosa (a traditional pastry stuffed with ground beef) and chicken enchiladas with Sonoran red sauce.

WORKING WITH STUDENTS

Lucas Almendinger was hired in 2022 as the district’s first chef. The position is made possible through designated funding that must stay within the nutrition services department. Almendinger, with previous experience as a chef in multiple restaurants, as well as a senior living center, was excited for the opportunity.

 

“Lucas has taken the lead on initiatives such as our department's cultural sharing menus, local procurement, and staff culinary training, to name a few,” Franta said. 

 

“The progression of our school food menus is definitely a team process. There are no rules in restaurants, there very much are rules, budgetary concerns, in schools, so it’s about problem-solving, finding ways to make it happen,” Almendinger said.

 

Franta said Eastern Carver County Schools are in a unique position. The district is big enough to have buying power with vendors, yet small enough where most of the kitchens have the resources to produce high-quality meals for entire buildings.

 

“There have been hardships in getting basic products since COVID. I feel very fortunate that we have become less reliant on the supply chain. It’s a great place to be,” Almendinger said.

 

Asked about his favorite additions to school menus this year, Almendinger teased about an upcoming menu item at middle and high schools, jerk chicken. 

 

“The fact that we were able to make a homemade cookie, have it be delicious and stay compliant within the rules, was so exciting. I would also say the Suugo Suqaar pasta. It’s fun to learn new cuisines, one that is really underrepresented. It’s a great gateway into some exciting food options,” Almendinger said.

 

In addition to developing new recipes, Nutrition Services staff venture into schools to work with students. Almendinger worked with La Academia third graders to make banana bread as a part of their unit on the country of Guatemala for Hispanic Heritage Month last October. The leadership team worked with Chaska Middle School West Discover program students to collaborate on a functional cooking lesson. After making apple nachos in their first time together, strawberry banana smoothies were on the menu in the second lesson of the pilot program.

 

“In Nutrition Services, we view our kitchen and cafeterias as an extension of the classroom where students are learning about nutrition and food as a life skill. We know that well-nourished students will perform better in the classroom, and we take that responsibility very seriously, always trying to create food that is both nutritious and something students are excited to eat,” Franta said. 

NOTE: Each week throughout the school year, we will visit a school across Eastern Carver County Schools. Some weeks the plan may be to stop in multiple classrooms by grade, or by subject. Other weeks it may highlight a certain specialist group. The purpose is to give families and our community a glimpse into the every-day learning environment happening in our buildings. A chance to spotlight the incredible work our teachers and staff do on a daily basis for our students, and to showcase the incredible work our students produce as well. So, keep your Eye on ECCS!

Beth Holm remembers the wise advice she once received: When you become a building principal, make sure you have great specialists.They have every student in the building in their classroom. Holm, now in her second year as Bluff Creek Elementary principal after previously serving as the building leader at Chaska Middle school East, fully understands that sage advice.

 

The art room

With the school’s PTO Parents Night event just around the corner, Julia Wilcox and students were hard at work painting, each taking a section of a large wall art canvas that will be among the auction items. 

 

Today’s art time for fifth-grade students gave them a choice in a project. Some decided to be visual with drawings, others designed and built models. One group of boys constructed a soccer stadium, another student built an airplane from cardboard. Two other boys were working nearby on a boat. One group was well into rebuilding their cardboard gingerbread house by the end of the class period. Two girls were putting the final touches on their clay project, a Diplodocus dinosaur. 

 

Looking around Mrs. Wilcox’s room at any given time throughout the hour you would have seen every student active in one project or another.

 

“I think it’s important to really build on each year we have them in elementary school. By the time they leave, I want them to all feel art is in them,” said Wilcox.

 

The gymnasium

Stacy Godwin was among the teachers that opened Bluff Creek Elementary in 1997. With more than three decades in the district, she’s proud to be among the most tenured and her enthusiasm hasn’t changed a bit. You can see it in her deep love for students, the district and getting kids active in school.

 

At Bluff Creek, two classrooms come to the gymnasium each period. Bowling was up on the roster this period, and classes started the unit with some bowling trivia. Each question brought a warm-up exercise to be completed after finding out the answer. “Seal jacks,” yes, imagine a seal performing jumping jacks, was certainly a hit, introduced as part of Jump into January.

 

Godwin and Student Supervisor Cameron Nelson, filling in for PE teacher Tim Bergslien who was on paternity leave, introduced the students to proper techniques on throwing a bowling ball. Nelson, a bowler in high school, said he was taught a method where the bowler “shakes hands with the headpin.” Godwin used Spiderman’s web shooter as an example of finger placement into the ball. After some final reminders such as “bowling is rolling,” the students were off to the lanes. 

 

The school’s PTO purchased pins and rubber bowling balls about 20 years ago, Godwin said. And they’ve held up. While the largest celebrations came from the crew trying to capture the elusive turkey, Godwin was one proud teacher when she helped one boy break down his throwing machine and get it more on target. Strike!

 

In the music room

Casey Barker never imagined herself in an elementary music room setting. She envisioned working with high school choirs. But, as a K-12 licensed teacher, she found through her student teaching placement of both elementary and secondary levels that her place early in her career is with the youngest music learners.

 

“I think the most important part is engaging kids in different ways. They all learn differently. They all see music differently. Some hear it, some see it, some feel it. That’s why I incorporate hand signs, visuals, the wrist and toe tapping, into their singing, so they all can understand,” Barker said.

 

“That way we all have a chance to be together, all in one,” she added.  Engagement and activity are high on her list for students.

 

The class toggled between games that incorporated rhythmic movements and active bodies and staff music reading. Even with the Do-Re-Mis, Barker split the class in half, setting up a challenge that ironically ended with the two teams in a tie. Who knew third graders had such amazing singing voices? Barker does. She facilitates a before-school choir as well.

 

In the media center

Can you imagine the joy of being a kindergartner that is getting their first time with stations in the Innovation Learning Center?

 

Programmable Bee-Bot floor robots! Marble runs and Magic Tracks! Osmo tablets! Media time isn’t just about checking out books – though there was time for that.  Claire Torrey is Bluff Creek’s media specialist. The media center is definitely among students’ favorites. On this day, Ms. Torrey even had two volunteer students behind the reference desk checking books in and out for students while she walked around the library stacks helping children select proper books.

 

When all students had their books for the week, Torrey introduced them to the four stations. Naturally, most gravitated toward the Bee-Bots, but the teacher had pre-arranged groups for each station to keep things in order.

 

Media time is about exploring. For these kindergartners, it was all about creativity. It was all about using their brains to create something fun!

 

Thanks for having me, BCE Lions!

NOTE: Each week throughout the school year, we will visit a school across Eastern Carver County Schools. Some weeks the plan may be to stop in multiple classrooms by grade, or by subject. Other weeks it may highlight a certain specialist group. The purpose is to give families and our community a glimpse into the every-day learning environment happening in our buildings. A chance to spotlight the incredible work our teachers and staff do on a daily basis for our students, and to showcase the incredible work our students produce as well. So, keep your Eye on ECCS!

 

The white board had terms you would associate with a math class. Geometric net, vertices and Euler’s Theorem (Google confirmed this is indeed math), but it was apparent from the start this wasn’t going to be a traditional math lecture.

There were no textbooks. At this point, there was no arithmetic. However, there was a task of finding creativity. Teacher Jennifer Williams introduced the project of first sketching, then second implementing a wearable geometric sculpture. 

Williams told the class the math would come later. But first, art.

That is the overall theme of Eastern Carver County Schools’ Integrated Arts Academy, a high school founded on linking academic success to the arts and hands-on learning experiences. 

Integrated Arts Academy, or IAA, opened its doors in 2012, located at the District Education Center on Peavey Road in Chaska. The curriculum embeds culinary, horticulture and visual arts into core subjects such as English, math, science, and social studies.

Students can enroll at the school if referred by school counselors, self-refer due to an interest in the course work, or meet one of the state’s criteria of being at risk of not graduating on time. The school has a number of open enrollment students as well.

Amy Spinello, visual arts teacher – she’s been a bit of everything, she said – has been at IAA since it first opened its doors 11 years ago. Spinello was part of the task force headed by former ECCS community education director Jackie Johnston to develop an alternative learning environment for students.

“I’ve been in education for 28 years. I started in Owatonna in their ALC program and I realized from the start those were my kids,” Spinello said.

EXPLORING WITH THEIR MINDS

Williams shared with the students that she went shopping, picking up a number of items that could go a long way in helping them create their geometric sculpture. Some students drew inspiration from web searches, others were visualizing their creations in their own minds.

The beginning stages of the sculptures ranged from simple to complex. Some were creating headwear, as well as arm, wrist, and hand bands. Two students were collaborating on designing wings.

The students were scheduled to present their creations in a fashion show on Jan. 19.

Williams is also in charge of Deja Brew, a student-run coffee shop that is open on Tuesdays and Fridays. The shop was recently reopened to the entire district office building, drawing a line with staff and students the first day.

Baristas Peter and Justice make a mean mocha, latte, and hot chocolate if you’re ever in the area.

Next door in the culinary room, teacher Remy Roper, a District 112 alumni, tasked teams from the Prostart class to cook an appetizer; a project each group had been working to develop as part of an overall meal plan.

A trio of juniors, who have plans to present next month in a competition at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, worked on scallops with a pea puree drizzle and lemon zest marinade. The tasks were split among each group member, each handling part of the process from cutting, sauteing, mashing, preparing, and serving. Communication among the team is key in competition as there is a 60-minute time limit to create an appetizer, entree, and dessert.

Another group was working on a risotto side dish with onions, while the other group was frying pickles. 

Roper bounced between the three groups to check on their progress and answer any questions and share suggestions.

Spinello’s classroom, like many of the spaces at IAA, is one for every kind of learner. Some students choose tables, others choose a couch and chairs with a table in the middle. The class’s task on this day is brainstorming ideas for a cartoon character.

To warm the students up, she asks them to research the history behind cartoons. In exploring the topic, the class learns about the different types of cartoons, how the subjects of them vary from human to animal, and how their facial features, their body, their posture, can explain their emotions and their personality without explicitly telling the reader.

Some students jump right into the project. Sketches take shape. Some of the students have been exploring their characters before the class has even begun.

One of the students, Echo Pendlebury, had a hand-drawn portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. on a digital platform spotlighted at the Chaska Human Rights Commission MLK Breakfast at the Chaska Event Center on Jan. 16.

Many of these presentations will be on display at the school’s annual gala in May. An opportunity to invite back past students, families and friends, and the school’s supportive community, to celebrate the work and talent of many.