Brain Power Walk/Run

Despite the grey skies and on/off sprinkles, the 4th Annual Brain Power Walk/Run went off without a hitch this past Saturday. All proceeds from the event go directly to the New Prague Education Foundation, which supports the work of teachers in all of our district schools. The NPEF has been very supportive to the requests made by Falcon Ridge in the last few years awarding grants for technology, supplemental curriculum, and resources that help to support student learning. Thank you to all who showed up to participate in the walk/run!

Homecoming week in New Prague!

This week is Homecoming week in New Prague and our students are excited to show their Trojan Pride throughout the week. Friday will be red and black day and the annual parade will go right by Falcon Ridge where over 600 students will excitedly see the floats and bands pass by.

The fourth graders at Falcon Ridge have been especially excited for this week to arrive.  They have been working to prepare and sell homecoming buttons to interested staff and students in connection to a social studies/economics unit. We learned a little this morning about supply and demand as just about all of the buttons sold out! Hopefully some additional manufacturing will get more buttons out for the remaining buyers in the days to come. Happy homecoming week.  Go Trojans!

ECFE September News

Early learning is essential for school success!  Get started now!

 

Research indicates that Early Childhood Education and Preschool experience greatly effect school success.  For class opportunities for ages birth to five in the New Prague Area School District call 952-758-1670 or search the site at  ce.isd721.org  Daytime and evening classes are offered at the Early Childhood Center in New Prague and the Early Childhood wing at Eagle View in New Market.  Classroom fees are based upon income.  NO ONE is turned away because of inability to pay. You may join class at anytime. Come learn and play with us! 
 

District Preschools have the Highest Rating!

The District 721 preschool program recently received a Four-Star Rating in Minnesota’s Parent Aware Program. Parent Aware is a Minnesota Child Care Program that provides free tools and resources to help parents find quality care and early education identified by research, that help children succeed in school.  A four-star rating indicates that a program has adopted the highest standards for care and curriculum, and is committed to quality child care and education. The District 721 preschool program has 3 different sites; Central Education Campus, Early Childhood Center and Eagle View Elementary in New Market.

New Prague MCA Results

Below you will find data and information that was included in a recent article in the New Prague Times as it relates to our MCA test scores as a district. You will see that not only are we consistently scoring well above the state average, we are also scoring higher in just about each of the tested areas as compared to some of our neighboring districts. The information below underscores the fact that our academics give us a great deal to be proud of here in New Prague. The 2012-13 statewide data reflects that:

·         As a district, 76% of our New Prague students are proficient in science.  This is 24% above the state average of 52% proficiency.  This ranks New Prague 3rd highest in the state out of 341 school districts.  New Prague ranks #1 in science when compared to our nine neighboring school districts.

 

·         As a district, 79% of our New Prague students are proficient in math.  This is 17% above the state average of 62% proficiency.  This ranks New Prague 8^th highest in the state out of 341 school districts.  New Prague ranks #1 in math when compared to nine neighboring school districts.

·         As a district, 71% of our New Prague students are proficient in reading.  This is 13% above the state average of 58% proficiency.  This ranks New Prague 15^th highest in the state out of 341 school districts.  New Prague ranks #2 in reading when compared to nine neighboring school districts.

School District	Mathematics	Reading	Science
New Prague	79.1%	71.2%	75.5%
Belle Plaine	60.0%	54.2%	56.1%
Faribault	49.2%	44.5%	36.8%
Jordan	67.7%	64.0%	60.7%
Lakeville	76.5%	72.9%	62.3%
Le Sueur-Henderson	44.2%	46.5%	34.9%
Northfield	70.1%	66.4%	53.7%
Prior Lake	77.5%	70.0%	68.0%
Shakopee	66.8%	60.7%	53.9%
Tri-City            United	57.8%	60.1%	48.6%
STATE	60.2%	57.6%	52.4%

Chip Shoppe and Bus Safety

This past week we kicked off our annual Chip Shoppe fundraiser with an all school gathering. All students were reminded that in order to safely help raise funds for our school, the best people to call were our friends, neighbors, and relatives. Each classroom teacher also took time to discuss the importance of bus safety. The week was capped by all of our students safely evacuating a bus. Enjoy the weather, and have a great weekend!

Showing our R.E.A.P.

Check out the awesome R.E.A.P. bulletin board found in Mr. Blank's 4th grade classroom. His class has done an awesome job of modeling and showing how they can best display their R.E.A.P in the different parts of their day. Not sure what R.E.A.P. means? Ask your Falcon Ridge student!

Week one in the books...

We are off and rolling here at Falcon Ridge. The first week has been a great one as we have welcomed all of our students back for the 2013-14 school year. It's safe to say that there were some nerves and some tears, but all in all things have gone really well. As a staff, we have worked very hard to provide an environment where students feel safe, and high levels of learning take place each and every day. We truly believe that Falcon Ridge is a special place to be, and each day-especially the first few of the year-should be days that are celebrated. The pictures below help to capture some of that excitement; through our Welcome Back Picnic, and a special greeting for our students by our high school band, the royal red carpet treatment, and high fives from our staff and Superintendent Dittberner. Thank you, parents, for your ongoing support. Together we can make great things happen!

 

First Day at Falcon Ridge

We had a great first day of school at Falcon Ridge! Our busses arrived and departed on time, our lunch and recess went well, and the weather cooperated for us. All in all, a great day!