Around the District: October Updates from Superintendent Hines
Around the District: October Updates from Superintendent Hines
We are now into a good cadence for the school year. I would like to begin by thanking the school board, under the leadership of Chair Virginia Mancini, in their endless effort to pursue academic excellence for each student. Their focus has been on academic excellence for each student, and I am excited to share some of the ways we are using data to monitor the educational experience of each student.
NextPath
Staff members have access to our internal data dashboard, NextPath, that will help keep a pulse of the whole student's experience. This tool will help us to organize a broader student success picture, connecting academic signals, activities, transportation and more.
Public Tableau
Additionally, we have rolled out a public facing data dashboard for you to have an additional data source beyond the Minnesota State Report Card to monitor our impact on student achievement.
Access our Public Tableau/Data Dashboard
This data is essential to our students’ success, but more importantly it plays a key role in building belonging within our schools. Last month, I asked you to share what belonging looks like, feels like and sounds like to you. Here is what I learned:
Community and Belonging
Families generally describe a positive sense of community and connection, particularly through school events and relationships with teachers. There are opportunities to continue strengthening relationships between families and school and district leadership to build trust and shared partnership.
Diversity and Inclusion
Families value the diversity of the school community and appreciate welcoming environments that reflect a variety of cultures and backgrounds. Participants expressed interest in additional opportunities to celebrate diversity and build connections across cultures.
Communication and Transparency
Families appreciate regular communication from teachers and would welcome continued efforts to strengthen communication from school and district leadership. Clear, timely updates and greater visibility into how community feedback informs decisions may help deepen trust and engagement.
Student Support and Well-Being
Participants expressed interest in continued investment in special education, mental health and student well-being. Feedback highlighted opportunities for additional staff learning, resources and supports that foster empathy, understanding and inclusive learning environments.
Academic Excellence and Opportunities
Families value the educational and extracurricular opportunities available to students. They also expressed interest in ensuring students at all levels are appropriately challenged and supported, with continued attention to academic achievement, growth and high expectations alongside belonging and well-being.
This year, we will continue to work towards being a district where each student is seen, heard, and inspired.
As we continue to become more transparent into the intra-workings of our school system, we are excited to begin our district advisory committees. We will kick off our first unified meeting on Oct. 5 at St. Louis Park Middle School, located at 2025 Texas Ave South, St. Louis Park, MN 55426.
This new structure will provide an opportunity for us to share more about what is happening within the district. As we develop these committees and consider feedback from stakeholders, one question each committee will ask is,”what voice or perspective is missing and how do we gather feedback from them?” This will encourage leaders to seek that perspective before making the final decision. After each meeting, the community can look forward to a summary of the conversations for each committee in the following district newsletter.
What other topics are you interested in?
Lastly, this week is Homecoming Week, and I love seeing school spirit on full display across our schools! There’s nothing quite like the energy and excitement that comes with Homecoming.
Come out and celebrate with us this Friday! The parade starts at 4:30 p.m., the tailgate runs from 5–7 p.m., and the game kicks off at 7 p.m. Bring your Oriole pride, cheer loud and help us make it a night to remember. Let’s have some fun and Go Orioles!