Newsletters (NWSISD) NWSISD newsletter - June 2014

JUNE 2014 / VOLUME 10 / ISSUE 3 9201 West Broadway, Suite 690 Brooklyn Park, MN 55445 763-450-1300 www.nws.k12.mn.us Salk Social Studies Teacher named 2014 National Magnet School Teacher of the Year Congratulations to the following schools who received National Merit Awards from Magnet Schools of America! 2014 Schools of Excellence • Salk Middle School Pre-Engineering Magnet Program 2014 Schools of Distinction • Anoka Middle School for the Arts • Monroe Elementary School: Mathematics, Science and Children's Engineering • Edgewood Middle School (STEAM) • Birch Grove Elementary School for the Arts • Weaver Lake Elementary: A Science, Math, and Technology School Minnesota Science Teachers Association recognized Salk’s grade 7 teacher, Corina Sarsland, for her excellence in teaching! Congratulations! HISTORY DAY -Students explored “Rights and Responsibilities” as history came alive during annual History Day Contest. Read more on page 2 Magnet Schools of America (MSA), the national association for magnet and theme-based schools named Ron Hustvedt, Jr (pictured right), from Salk Middle School in Elk River, as the 2014 National Magnet School Teacher of the Year. Through a competitive application process, Ron was selected from a pool of regional Teachers of the Year in MSA’s eight regions. Hustvedt, a social studies teacher who has been teaching for 16 years, helped create a dynamic new magnet program at Salk that challenges and supports students. He is credited for helping integrate the humanities with the school’s S.T.E.M. theme and making its History Day competition a school-wide success. Among his many accomplishments, Ron was appointed by the Governor of Minnesota to serve on the Minnesota Social Studies Review Committee where he coordinated the state’s K-12 historical inquiry standards. In addition, he has been a pioneer in his district on the use of “flipped classroom” teaching methods and has presented on technologybased instructional practices in social studies and history. “Being selected as the National Teacher of the Year is a tremendous accomplishment and it’s a privilege for our organization to recognize Mr. Hustvedt for his efforts and leadership,” said Magnet Schools of America Executive Director, Scott Thomas. The National Teacher of the Year Award was established in 2010 and is given annually to an outstanding magnet school teacher who is acknowledged by their peers, parents and students for their exemplary contributions made to their profession. They have shown their skill and ability to inspire students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn, as well as their aptitude for building relationships with parents and members of their community. To learn more about the Magnet Schools of America Teacher of-the-Year Award, please visit www.magnet.edu. STARBASE MN - University ACES grade 4 and 5 students spend a week at STARBASE MN on the Air National Guard Base. Read more on page 3. STEP-UP BOYS - Grade 9, 10 & 11 students from across the NWS consortium participated in Step-Up Boys events. Read more on page 4.