Wayzata Public Schools (ISD #284) is an American public school district in the northwestern area of Hennepin County, Minnesota, serving all or part of the cities of Corcoran, Maple Grove, Medicine Lake, Medina, Minnetonka, Orono, Plymouth, and Wayzata.
The school district includes seven elementary schools (K-5), three middle schools (6-8) and one high school (9-12).
The superintendent of Wayzata Public Schools is Dr. Chace Anderson. The district employs more than 1,280 employees, including 695 teaching positions and has a total enrollment of 10,168 students. The district operates with a total revenue budget for the 2009-10 school year of more than $138.3 million, which includes about $106.2 million for the general operations of the schools.
The district also has a community education department.
District facts:
The district consists of the following schools:
As an interesting side note, only one school, West Middle School, is still located in Wayzata; all the other schools are located in the city of Plymouth. The majority of the district lies to the north of Wayzata in the city of Plymouth and as the population in the area increased, schools were built closer to where the new students lived. West Middle School was at one time the high school for the district.
Contents |
Wayzata High School is located at 4955 Peony Lane in Plymouth MN 55446. Mike Trewick is the principal and the student day is from 7:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. The current enrollment is approximately 3,234 students in grades nine through 12.
The Wayzata High School building was opened in 1997[1] to replace the former high school which is now Central Middle School. It is located north of Highway 55 in Plymouth at the intersection of Peony Lane and Schmidt Lake Road. The school's mission is to create opportunities to build "Character and Scholarship for Life." All of the efforts of staff at WHS go into supporting students as they develop knowledge, skills and confidence to become capable and global citizens.
WHS's graduation rate is approximately 98 percent. Typically, 90 percent of graduates plan to attend either two-or four-year colleges and universities.
WHS offers a rigorous academic program including 26 advanced placement courses, one of the most offered in the state. More than 85 percent of students score three or higher on AP exams, making them eligible for college credit. There are more than 60 co- and extra-curricular activities available at WHS. On statewide tests, more than 90 percent of 10th grade students were proficient on the MCA II reading test and more than 70 percent of 11th grade students were proficient on the MCA II math test. WHS students also score consistently higher than state and national averages on the ACT and SAT exams. The WHS average score on the 2009 ACT was 26, compared to 22.7 at the state level and 21.1 at the national level. On the SAT, WHS students in 2009 scored an average math score of 642 and an average critical reading score of 610 - compared to 609 and 595 at the state level and 515 and 501 at the national level. Three students also earned perfect scores on the 2009 ACT and one student earned a perfect score on the 2009 SAT.
Central Middle School is located at 305 Vicksburg Lane in Plymouth MN 55447. The principal is Steve Root and the student day is from 8:20 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. The current enrollment is approximately 883 students in grades six through eight.
The Central Middle School building was opened in 1961 as the senior high school and converted to Central Middle School in 1997. It is located on the southeast corner of Gleason Lake at the intersection of Gleason Lake Road and Vicksburg Lane. The school's mission statement is based on the district's vision statement of "Becoming a model of excellence among learning communities. It is the district's mission to prepare all students for the future by providing a challenging education which builds academic competence, develops responsible citizenship, encourages creativity, promotes lifelong learning, advances critical thinking skills, instills a commitment to personal wellness and fosters respect for self and others.
There are many activities for students to participate in. Some extracurricular include Art Club, Spring Musical Cast, wrestling, and the Stock Market Game. Any student at the school can join these clubs for a fee of $25, which lets them join as many clubs as they wish to. 6th, 7th and 8th grade students are also allowed to join sports teams such as football, basketball, and swim team which all require a separate fee. (6th graders can not join a sports team such as Cross Country or the Swim team. They can only play on a team that is recreational and doesn't play for the district.)
Each year, students are assigned to one of three "teams": Blue, Gold, Silver, or White. A student's team determines which teachers he or she will have, as well as their lunch period.
Unlike other Wayzata schools, Central does not have a swimming pool, but has an ice rink instead.
In addition to the standard curriculum, all Wayzata middle schools offer special services and Vision 21 (gifted) curriculum.
East Middle School is located at 12000 Ridgemont Avenue West in Plymouth MN 55411. The principal is Paul Paetzel and the student day is from 8:20 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. The current enrollment is approximately 775 students in grades six through eight.
East Middle School was opened in 1967 and is located approximately one mile east of Xenium Lane on Ridgemont Avenue in Plymouth. The school's mission statement is "Wayzata East Middle School strives to be peaceful, challenging, innovative and respectful." The staff practice procedures based on the district's vision statement of "Becoming a model of excellence among learning communities." It is the district's mission to prepare all students for the future by providing a challenging education which builds academic competence, develops responsible citizenship, encourage creativity, promotes lifelong learning, advances critical thinking skills, instills a commitment to personal wellness and fosters respect for self and others.
East Middle School prepares its students for the future by following the district's directions that include applying the vision statement to all components of the district, erasing organizational barriers that limit participation of all cultural groups, striving for smaller class sizes, working toward a more individualized model of education and promoting a "client-centered" district.
Youthful energy, curiosity and idealism are appreciated by the staff at all Wayzata Public Schools middle schools. Middle school students are placed on a core team where they take math, science, health, communications or language arts, social studies, history or geography. During "core" time they also receive reading and flex curriculum, which offer enrichment opportunities.
Students in Wayzata middle schools are required to take three years of physical education and a performance-based music course from the Encore department. Students must also take one quarter of industrial technology, family and consumer science, art and world language in sixth and seventh grades. In eighth grade, students have the opportunity to explore two of these four offerings in a more in-depth semester-long course.
In addition to the standard curriculum, all Wayzata middle schools offer special services and Vision 21 (gifted) curriculum.
West Middle School is located at 149 Barry Avenue North in Wayzata MN 55391. The principal is Susan Sommerfeld and the student day is from 8:20 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. The current enrollment is approximately 737 students in grades six through eight.
The West Middle School building was opened in 1951 as a junior/senior high school and was converted to West Middle School in 1961. It is located at the intersection of Barry Avenue and Wayzata Boulevard in Wayzata. The school's mission statement is based on the district's vision statement of "Becoming a model of excellence among learning communities."
Wayzata High School is located at 4955 Peony Lane in Plymouth MN 55446. Mike Trewick is the principal and the student day is from 7:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. The current enrollment is approximately 3,234 students in grades nine through 12. It is the district's mission to prepare all students for the future by providing a challenging education which builds academic competence, develops responsible citizenship, encourage creativity, promotes lifelong learning, advances critical thinking skills, instills a commitment to personal wellness and fosters respect for self and others.
West Middle School prepares its students for the future by following the district's directions that include applying the vision statement to all components of the district, erasing organizational barriers that limit participation of all cultural groups, striving for smaller class sizes, working toward a more individualized model of education and promoting a "client-centered" district.
Youthful energy, curiosity and idealism are appreciated by the staff at all Wayzata Public Schools middle schools. Middle school students are placed on a core team where they take math, science, health (only in 8th grade), communications (only in 8th), language arts, social studies(6th grade), history (7th Grade) or geography (8th Grade). During "core" time they also receive reading and flex or enrichment curriculum, which offer enrichment opportunities. Also started 2010-2011 school year 8th grade was introduced to block scheduling. Where they have 3 cores a day instead of 5.
Students in Wayzata middle schools are required to take three years of physical education and a performance-based music course from the Encore department (Band, Choir, Orchestra and Music Ex in 8th grade only). There are also extra curricular music programs such as Jazz Band, Touring Choir and Chamber Strings. Students must also take one quarter of industrial technology, family and consumer science, art and Spanish in sixth and seventh grades. In eighth grade, students have the opportunity to explore two of these four offerings in a more in-depth semester-long course.
In addition to the standard curriculum, all Wayzata middle schools offer special services and Vision 21 (gifted) curriculum.
Birchview Elementary School is located at 425 Ranchview Lane in Plymouth MN 55447. The principal is Tom Koch and the student day is from 9:10 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. The current enrollment is approximately 652 students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade.
Birchview Elementary School was built in 1969 and is located in Plymouth just one block east of Central Middle School. At Birchview Elementary, staff members strive for academic excellence, emotional and physical well being and social success for the students within a safe and caring environment. The staff at Birchview Elementary has set goals to improve their instructional practices and student outcomes in the areas of reading, mathematics, health and technology integration.
Through a committed partnership of staff, parents and community members working together, Birchview Elementary provides a strong sense of connection to the school that encourages learning. Grade-level team and school wide efforts to provide quality instruction are enhanced through a collaborative exchange with the University of St. Thomas. The learning of students and staff are always a focus at Birchview Elementary.
Birchview Elementary was recognized as a 2006 Blue Ribbon School by the Department of Education. The Blue Ribbon Schools program honors schools whose students, regardless of background, achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests.
All Wayzata Public Schools elementary schools have a volunteer parent organization that works closely with the school to provide many wonderful experiences for the students. Parents also provide enrichment experiences through the Partners in Literature and Partners in Arts programs. Specialists at district elementary schools also provide many unique experiences. In addition to their homeroom teacher, students are presented with valuable education experiences including art, physical education, music, media, technology, Vision 21 (gifted) and Spanish. All Wayzata Public Schools elementary schools also incorporate technology into the classroom to maximize learning and children's understanding of technology used by today's work force.
Home Base, a school-age child care program is available for parents from 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. throughout the district. Each school also has several teacher-led club experiences that are available for students after school.
Gleason Lake Elementary School is part of the U.S public primary schools. It is located in Plymouth, Minnesota. Gleason Lake serves students in the communities of Minnetonka, Wayzata and Plymouth. There are about 700 students, kindergarten to fifth grade (also a peppermint fence preschool located in the kindergarten hallway) that attended Gleason Lake. Gleason Lake is the newest of seven elementary schools in the district. It opened its door to new students in 1989. Currently, Gleason Lake is run by Mary McKasy Gleason Lake has been previously awarded the Blue Ribbon by the Blue Ribbon School Program.
Gleason Lake offers the option of extended day kindergarten. for families that want their children to be in all day kindergarten. The Wayzata school district an after school program for students in kindergarten to fifth grade. Gleason Lake has an annual fall festival to welcome in the new students and welcome back the returning students, staff, and families. The fall festival usually takes place at the end of September. Gleason Lake has a student council, which is made up of two representatives of each third through fifth grade classroom. Another activity that Gleason Lake provides for the children is musicals. The students are directed in a musical with the rest of their grade. They have rehearsals all year to get ready for their big performances. They perform the musical twice once to the school and once to the parents. The biggest attraction is the school carnival that is open to all students and their family members. The carnival takes place in the spring.
Plymouth Creek Elementary School's school mascot is the panther and the principal is Dr. Karla Thompson. For a couple of years in a row, this school has won the Minnesota School of Excellence award. Plymouth Creek has a nine month school year from September to June. Every morning a team of 5th graders produce a news show, supervised by Mrs. Toma.
Each day students go to a specialist. They attend Spanish, gym, art, vocal music, or technology for an hour. A highlight of the year is Book Month, which takes place in February. During this month students collect money based on the number of pages they read. This money goes to the PTA.