Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Get information about the upcoming school year during a series of back-to-school orientations and open houses coming up at District 196 schools.
Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Get our newsletter | Blog for us Editor's Note: The following is a press release from Independent School District 196. District 196 elementary schools, middle schools and high schools have all scheduled back-to-school open houses, orientation sessions and/or information nights that will be held in August and September. The schedule is listed below by level and by school. On Aug. 21 and 22, all elementary students will be meeting individually with their teacher to take a literacy assessment. These 45-minute assessments must be scheduled by the parent or guardian, on a first-come, first-served basis. To schedule an assessment, go to the school website and click on the “Schedule a Summer Literacy …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The District 196 School Board on Monday authorized staff to draft a purchase agreement for the Apple Valley building that houses alternative high school and special education programs.
The District 196 School Board on Monday unanimously authorized staff to move forward with plans for the $5 million purchase of the Apple Valley building it currently leases to house alternative high school and adult special needs programs. The purchase of the building and land—which Dakota County property records show is valued at about $3.2 million—should create a savings of between $112,000 and $120,000 per year for taxpayers, district Finance and Operations Director Jeff Solomon told Patch on Monday. The district would no longer have to pay property taxes on the building, and would be eligible for the state's alternative facilities levy program to fund future maintenance, Solomon said. "It's of value to us at that price," he said of the…
Mandates in the federal Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act will require schools to provide more specific categories of food and work toward price equity for all students' meals, resulting in a need for increased lunch prices.
The District 196 School Board on Monday approved a 10-cent lunch price increase for elementary and high school students, as well as for adults, by a 6-0 vote. The increase brings lunch prices for 2012-13 to $2.20 for elementary, $2.35 for high school and $3.40 for adults. Middle school pricing will stay at $2.25. The price increase was necessary, district officials said, because of mandates from the federal Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 that focus on nutrition and something called price equity, an effort to have all students contributing the same amount of money to their school-provided meals. If the board had voted against the measure, the district would have lost about about $3.6 million in federal funding for its meal programs—…
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Federal mandates will require schools to provide more specific categories of produce and fewer breads, as well as decrease meals' calorie values.
Next school year, School District 196 students will have to remember something extra when it comes to filling their cafeteria lunch tray: They must pick up either a fruit or vegetable at every lunch. And it's likely that many of them—and their parents—will notice another, related change: an increased lunch price. The district's school board members on Monday heard a proposal for a 10-cent lunch price increase for elementary and high school students, as well as adults, in 2012-13. They're slated to vote on the measure at their May 14 meeting. The increase would bring lunch prices to $2.20 for elementary, $2.35 for high school and $3.40 for adults. Middle school pricing will stay at $2.25. But the price increase will need to occur, district …
Monday, April 30, 2012
The School District 196 board will be asked on Monday to consider a lunch price increase for the second year in a row, because of federal mandates and increasing food costs.
The School District 196 Board of Education will be asked at its Monday meeting to consider a 10-cent lunch price increase because of federal mandates and increasing food costs. The board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Monday at Dakota Ridge School in Apple Valley. This will be the second year in a row district officials will bring a potential lunch-price increase before the board. The reason, according to a memo to the board, is twofold: Last year, the board voted 4-2 for the 5-cent lunch price increase across the board, bringing this year's lunch prices to $2.10 in elementary schools, $2.25 in middle and high schools and $3.30 for adult meals. The current 10-cent increase proposed is for elementary and high school, as well as adults' …
44.7408
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Dakota Ridge School
4629 144th St W, Apple Valley, MN
/articles/another-lunch-price-increase-possible-in-district-196
1585005
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Friday, April 6, 2012
In recent years, the district has added more fresh, local fruits and vegetables to its school meals. The district also hosts a monthly local lunch day.
In 2010, Independent School District 196 only offered six fresh, local fruits and vegetables on the monthly menu. But by 2011, that number jumped to 21, and included unusual, adventurous items like korabi, eggplant and watercress. Why the sudden change in the menu? School district officials say it's part of a district-wide push to beef up the nutritional value of the food served at local schools. The district's efforts caught the eye of Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Ed Ehlinger, who visited Woodland Elementary School in Eagan on March 22 to participate in the school’s monthly local lunch day. The local lunch day is one of several initiatives the district has implemented in recent years to improve the nutritional quality of school …
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
On Monday night, the District 196 school board unanimously approved two measures that would give teachers more time to assess and train, but would mean less classroom time for students.
For District 196 School Board Chairperson Jackie Magnuson, it's a matter of quality over quantity. Magnuson and her fellow school board members unanimously approved two measures that will shorten the school year by three days for the district's middle and high school students, and five days for elementary students, at their Monday meeting at Dakota Ridge School. Although students will spend less time in the classroom, Magnuson believes the adjustments will allow teachers to thoroughly analyze classroom data and test results and hone their teaching to better address student needs, she said. "We feel like what we give up isn't horrendous," Magnuson said following Monday's meeting. "Can we work smarter, can we give teachers more time to …
44.7408
-93.157364
Dakota Ridge School
4629 144th St W, Apple Valley, MN
/articles/district-196-trades-classroom-time-for-teacher-training-individual-testing-ac10616e
1585005
/locations/6577521
Monday, March 12, 2012
The School District 196 School Board will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday evening at Dakota Ridge School in Apple Valley.
School District 196 officials want to make two changes to the 2012-13 academic year that would give staff more professional development and assessment time, but may mean students spend less time in class. The District 196 School Board is expected to vote on the measures on Monday evening during of the board's regular meeting at Dakota Ridge School in Apple Valley. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. The first of the proposed changes includes the addition of three training days throughout the school year for district teachers. The second proposed change is the implementation of one-on-one assessment meetings between elementary-level teachers and students before the start of the school year. Proponents say the changes will improve students' …
44.7408
-93.157364
Dakota Ridge School
4629 144th St W, Apple Valley, MN
/articles/district-196-school-board-expected-to-vote-on-calendar-changes
1585005
/locations/6563424
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
March 9 was added this year as an additional teacher in-service day.
A reminder: School District 196 elementary and middle school students will get an extra day off this Friday, March 9, thanks to a change in the school calendar approved this year. The district's high schools already were scheduled to have the day off while high school teachers participated in staff development sessions. The extra vacation day for all students will give teachers an additional day to analyze student assessment data and collaborate on instruction as part of an increased emphasis on personalized learning, according to a press release issued by the district office. District 196 Superintendent Jane Berenz said teachers need time at regular intervals throughout the school year to analyze student data, collaborate with colleagues …
Since 1999, the number of students eligible for the free and reduced-price lunch program in District 196 has more than doubled.
Why are more and more students eligible for School District 196's free and reduced-price lunch program? The answer is simple, district officials say. It’s the economy. In 1999-2000 school year, 8.5 percent of District 196 students were eligible for the federal program, which is a form of economic assistance for qualifying low-income families in the district. Fast forward to the 2010-11 school year, and 20.7 percent of the district's 27,494 students were eligible for the program. That number dipped in the 2011-12 school year, but it still remains at roughly 18 percent—much higher than pre-recession tallies. In Apple Valley, the numbers have been even higher. In 2011, 25.7 percent of students attending schools located in Apple Valley …
Allison Wickler
12:12 pm on Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Also, I noticed this morning that District 196's lunch menus list grams of carbohydrates next to the different foods—wow! more ›