Introduction Mission Statement Site Council School History Special Programs School Statistics Clubs & Athletic Activities Newsletters & Site Council Minutes   School: St. Louis Park Junior High Principal: Les Bork Address: 2025 Texas Avenue South St. Louis Park, MN 55426 Phone: (952) 928-6300 Fax: (952) 928-6383   Introduction We are a small metro school with a hometown feeling where families want to stay. We are a school that values: Children who are going through the wonderful transition to young adulthood. Culture of encouragement from relationships - connectedness to family, friends, teachers, staff, community and surroundings Education based on academic rigor in an accountable, purposeful, responsive organization Teams provide the mutual support that comes from learning together Safe environment Park Pride is a commonality of values that supports education and provides the resources that make education happen Learning success - growth and achievement of each child St. Louis Park Jr. High is a school with 676 students in 7th and 8th grade. Students are divided into grade level interdisciplinary teams of 140, making a large school seem smaller. Each family is visited by staff as students begin their junior high experience. Students are offered a strong core academic program in English, math, science, and social studies. There are also opportunities for growth in areas such as technology education, world languages (German, Spanish, and French), physical education, art, orchestra, chorus, band, general music, and drama. The Junior High has a middle level Spanish immersion program. Accelerated programming is also offered in both English and Math. The focus is on high expectations for all students with a commitment to assist each student reach his or her potential. In 1992, St. Louis Park Jr. High underwent a major remodeling project which resulted in a new media center featuring state-of-the-art technology. In 2003, we completed another extensive renovation of the entire building. This renovation included new windows, lighting, ventilation, heating, and sprinkler sytems throughout the building. The footprint of the building was extended with the addition of 2 new science classrooms and a multipurpose activity center. This summer we finished refurbishing the parking lot and supporting landscape. All classrooms are currently connected with voicemail, cable, email, and the Internet. Exploration of becoming a wireless building is currently underway. Our facilities goal is to keep our school up-to-date both physically and with infrastructure to support student achievement. Mission Statement We are a junior high school located in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, where our purpose is to: Create a safe and caring learning community Engage learners with academic rigor and relevance Ignite individual growth Site Council Click here for Site Council Meeting Minutes The SLP Junior High Site Council is an advisory board to the Principal, providing an additional source of direction and input to the operations and administration of the Junior High School. The Site Council consists of parents, school staff members, administration, a volunteer coordinator, and a school board member. Site Council meetings are open to the public. Meetings are generally held on the second Wednesday of the month at 4:00 pm in the Junior High Library Media Center. Meeting dates are posted on the St. Louis Park City/School calendar. The Site Council welcomes public input during “Open Microphone,” a ten-minute period for public comments or concerns. The following guidelines will assist individuals who wish to address the Site Council during “Open Microphone.” Each speaker is allowed from two to five minutes to address the Site Council, depending upon the number of speakers present at a given meeting. If this time limit is not adequate, consider leaving written information for the Site Council to review, or contact the chairperson or a Site Council member prior to the meeting for direction regarding your concern. Public concerns brought before the Site Council during “Open Microphone” may be placed on an agenda for discussion at a future meeting. Following “Open Microphone,” are regular updates, committee reports, the Principal’s report, and discussion of various agenda items. Members of the public are welcome to observe this portion of the meeting. School History When surging enrollments created the need for a second junior high school in St. Louis Park, the 17 acre site of the former Westwood Hills Golf Course was chosen for the construction of a new state-of-the-art facility. The new school, which was dedicated on November 1, 1959, was designed to accomodate 1100 7-9th grade students from the western half of the city, and was appropriately named Westwood Jr. High School. From the beginning, the school was noted for innovation, In the early 1970's, Westwood gained recognition by pioneering an experimental modular-flexible schedule. At the same time, St. Louis Park became one of the first communities to adopt an open enrollment policy whereby families could choose between the traditional offerings at Central Jr. High, or Westwood's more flexible program. The Westwood option immediately proved popular with parents from all parts of the community. Years later, when enrollments dramatically declined, the school district merged the two junior high schools on the Westwood site, and moved the 9th grade to the Senior High. The newly formed 7-8th grade program blended the best elements of the two respective parent schools to create a new tradition of family-friendly educational excellence. In 1980, the school was officially named St. Louis Park Junior High School. Since then, aided by the construction of a technologically advanced media center, the school has moved to a more modern middle school organization built around flexible teams of students and staff members. Today, even though St. Louis Park Jr. High has been recognized by the federal government as a National School of Excellence, it remains a work in progress. Special Programs Gifted / Talented Program English Language Learners Extended Spanish Immersion Program Accelerated Math and Language Arts Specialized Reading Support Special Education: EB/D, LD, DCD Support groups available for students with family/personal issues Olweus Bullying Prevention Program School Statistics (2007) School Enrollment: 605 Teaching Staff: 42 Support Staff: 32 Food Service Staff: 7 Custodial Staff: 5 Administrators / Deans: 5 Student Attendance Rate: 94% Teachers with advanced degrees: 40% Average Student GPA: B- Presidential Academic Education Award: 71 Junior High Sports 10 Clubs 15+ MCA Reading (Exceeds federal accountability requirements) MCA Math (Meets federal accountability requirements) Advanced Academic Opportunities for Students School Safety Policies and Progams Clubs / Athletic Activities It is our belief that students should have the opportunity to participate in activities outside the academic program. We offer several clubs and sports activities each trimester. Our goal is to have 90% of our students involved in after-school activities. Activities may be dropped or added depending on student request/involvement and available adult leadership. With the exception of Student Council, TADA (Teens Advocating Drug Awareness), and Yearbook, clubs are coordinated through the Community Education office (928-6325). Athletics are coordinated through the Junior High Athletic Director, Karen Gleason (952-928-6303). Clubs (sample) Bowling Club (Fall) Destination Imagination Drop Zone Enriched Orchestra Honors Band International Club Intramurals Jazz Band Math Team Musical Science Club Select Choir Ski / Snowboarding Club Spring Musical Student Council Synchronized Swimming TADA (Teens Advocating Drug Awareness Video Club Weight Lifting Writer's Club Yearbook Club       Athletics St. Louis Park Junior High offers 4 sports seasons. Every student who registers for a sport will play on a team. We compete against other Classic Lake Junior Highs. Each season runs for 8 weeks. Practices and events are Monday through Friday. Students will help select various sports and teams. Activities are supported by Safe and Drug Free Schools and will be starting after Fall sports. Fall Winter Spring Cross Country Running* Football Girls' Swimming Soccer Girls' Tennis Girls' Volleyball Basketball Boys' Swimming* Girls' Hockey* Nordic Skiiing* Gymnastics* Baseball* Boys' Tennis Girls' Lacrosse* Girls' Softball Synchronized Swimming* Track and Field *High school sport opportunity offered to 7-12 graders. Athletes interested in sports not offered at the junior high may practice and tryout for high school teams. All students who plan on participating in St. Louis Park athletics must have a current physical on file in the health services office before participation in chosen sport.