Newsletters 2013-14 Focus newsletter, [1] fall

A N O K A - H E N N E P I N S C H O O L A progress report on strategic investments The school has been planning the program for the past year; some classrooms have been remodeled to meet the needs of the new courses. Like the CEMS Program (Center for Engineering, Mathematics and Science) at Blaine High School, this will be a rigorous and relevant program for students. They will be learning math and science in a context that makes them more meaningful,” said McGonigal. “It is just a terrific opportunity for students and there is a lot of interest.” TelePresence has made its mark With the help of a grant from Cisco Systems, Anoka-Hennepin installed cutting edge TelePresence Immersion technology in a classroom at each regular high school and the Educational Service Center last year. The technology allows a teacher to simultaneously teach students in several schools at the same time. This made it possible for the district to cost-effectively provide rigorous courses, such as German V, that would otherwise not have been possible because of low enrollment. “Instruction has been going well, the teachers are adapting their strategies to the technology and D I S T R I C T (continued from page 4) the kids are being very successful,” said McGonigal. “It is going very well.” During the coming year University of Minnesota professors will teach two college credit courses for seniors in the TelePresence rooms – Creative Problem Solving and Culture Industry and the Creative Economy. In addition, the TelePresence rooms have been used for a variety of other purposes, such as enabling staff to participate in a national technology conference and the Cisco Global Executives Exchange without leaving the school district, allowing teachers from various buildings to work collaboratively without leaving their schools and allowing high school debate teams to work together. “We could use a second room in each high school to allow us to connect with colleges and universities for various lectures, to interact with students in other countries, and more,” said McGonigal. “The opportunities are unlimited, but at present they are full with classes all day.” Online learning high school opens this fall The district just received approval from the Minnesota Department of Education to open an online high school called StepAhead. The program will allow students in grades nine through 12 the opportunity to take all of their high school coursework online and earn an AnokaHennepin diploma. “What sets this apart from other online high schools is the ability for students to earn free college credit for many courses they take as juniors and seniors,” said Jessica Lipa, principal of StepAhead. “It will be a rigorous program that we believe will appeal to students who are self- motivated and want to work at their own pace.” The program will open with courses for students in grades nine and 10 this first year. Grades 11 and 12 will be added next year. For more information visit the school’s website at www.stepahead.com. Student support investments Social workers were added at the middle and high school level to provide additional help for students and families. According to McGonigal the addition has proved to be a wise investment. “I believe it has played a role in reducing discipline problems. When the school climate and culture improves, everyone is more comfortable and every child benefits,” he said. Title IX Equity coordinator Jennifer Cherry was hired last summer to lead the district’s efforts to eliminate bullying and harassment. Among other things, she has headed up the district’s effort to provide additional training for staff and the district’s process for responding to reported incidents of bullying and harassment. Mental Health Consultant Nita Kumar was hired last summer. She studied the services the district has provided to support mental health for students and put together the district’s comprehensive School-Based Mental Health Program that will provide clinical mental health services at school for students who are struggling with mental health concerns. (see article below for more information) ■ New program will meet students’ mental health needs S tudents who are struggling with mental health concerns and need help will be able to get clinical mental health services in school from licensed mental health professionals. The convenience is critical because families’ busy schedules are often a barrier to treatment, according to Dr. Nita Kumar, mental health consultant for Anoka-Hennepin School District. The district developed a new School-Based Mental Health Program that will go well beyond the prevention and intervention services the district has provided to this point through a contracted service. In the past, if it was determined that a student needed clinical mental health services, the family was required to make arrangements and bring the child to a community-based mental health provider. This often meant parents had to take time off work to transport their child. Sometimes they were simply unable to follow through, especially if they didn’t have health insurance coverage or had coverage with high cost-sharing. Dr. Kumar stressed that parents will be required to give consent for their children to receive clinical mental health services. The district signed a contract June 24 with Headway Emotional Health Services to provide 14 full-time clinician

Newsletters 2013-14 Focus newsletter, [1] fall | Page 5