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LOOKING AHEAD
5/3
Fair Oaks Multicultural Night, 5:30 pm
5/4
Woodland Elementary School of Excellence Celebration
Crest View Super Kids Day, Grades K-4
5/8
National Teacher Day. Take a moment to thank a teacher today!
5/10
North View Jr Knight Pride Night, 7 pm
5/15
Brooklyn Jr Gr 7 & 8 Band and Jazz 2 at Park Center, 7:30 pm
5/20
Maple Grove Sr Academic Recognition Ceremony
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| May 03, 2012
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Two Osseo Senior High students named Gates Millennium Scholars
 Olufunmilayo Arogbokun and Elizabeth Johnson have been named Gates Millennium Scholars, marking the second consecutive year that Osseo Senior High seniors have earned this prestigious award.
The Gates Millennium Scholars Program awards good-through-graduation college scholarships to 1,000 students selected from a nationwide pool of 23,000 applicants. The scholarships can be used to pursue degrees in any undergraduate major at the accredited college or university of the recipient's choice. Originally funded by a $1 billion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the scholarship program promotes academic excellence and leadership development.
Arogbokun will attend Butler University (Indiana), where she plans to pursue a doctorate in pharmacy. Subsequently, she plans to pursue a degree in public health from Northwestern University (Illinois).
Johnson will attend the University of Minnesota-Morris next fall to major in library science.
Dr. Robert Perdaems, Osseo Senior High principal, noted with pride that in the past two years, the school has produced three Gates Millennium Scholars. Congratulations, Olufunmilayo Arogbokun and Elizabeth Johnson!
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Osseo Area Schools earns national recognition for music education for fourth consecutive year
 For the fourth year in a row, Osseo Area Schools has been named one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” by the NAMM Foundation. Osseo is the only Minnesota school district to have received the award for the past four consecutive years. The NAMM Foundation’s annual “Best Communities for Music Education” survey acknowledges schools and districts across the U.S. for their commitment and support of music education in schools.
In a recent report to the School Board, Dr. Wendy Barden, K-12 music coordinator, noted that in Osseo Area Schools, every elementary student takes music, and the music participation rate of senior high students in our district is nearly double the national average (35% in ISD 279 vs 18% US).
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Leadership changes for 2012-2013
Gretchen Peel, award-winning principal of Weaver Lake Elementary: A Science, Math & Technology School, will retire at the end of this school year. Peel will be succeeded by Dennis Palm, current principal of Basswood Elementary. Patrick Smith, a current principal in Robbinsdale Area Schools, will succeed Palm as Basswood Elementary principal.
Maple Grove Senior High Assistant Principal Peg Vickerman will retire at the end of this school year. She will be succeeded by James Donovan, currently assistant principal at the Osseo Area Learning Center (OALC). The assistant principal position at the OALC will be eliminated.
Rich Melvin, assistant superintendent of human resources, will take an extended leave of absence beginning in July 2012.
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ACHIEVE program to relocate to former Osseo Elementary site
Planning has begun to relocate the ACHIEVE program to the former Osseo Elementary site by Fall 2013. ACHIEVE currently serves secondary-age students who require special education services in a separate facility due to their disability. Osseo Elementary was closed in 2008 as part of a districtwide $15 million expenditure reduction.
Supt. Maguire said, "We are pleased with the opportunities that this move will provide for the school district, both in terms of improved facilities for our students and in financial savings for taxpayers. The plan will allow us to gradually move out of leased facilities, saving District 279 taxpayers more than $450,000 each year."
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Park Buddies volunteers offer homework help, other opportunities to students in Brooklyn Park apartment complex
 Local volunteers are contributing to community and helping students hone their academic skills through the Park Buddies program, a collaboration between Park Brook Elementary and Park Haven Apartments in Brooklyn Park.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, volunteers provide homework help and teach students games such as chess. Brooklyn Park Police Officer Samantha Brown recently arranged a Park Buddies field trip to a community library, and the Park Haven management plans a year-end BBQ to celebrate the success of the community partnership.
According to Park Brook Principal Scott Taylor, plans are underway to continue the program through the summer, with a focus on art projects.
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Like us on Facebook to stay in touch
 If you’re not following Osseo Area Schools on Facebook, here’s what you missed in the past month: photos of students and staff; late bus notifications; and notices about upcoming events.
Check it out here.
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