Category Archives: Uncategorized

Moving On 2013

For those who could not be at the Crosswinds Moving On Ceremony this year, JoAnn Ward, two Nathaniels, and Ms. Siskow and Ms. Romero all gave a very nice speeches, and members of the orchestra performed two pieces. See all this and more in the video below.

Nathaniel Celeste (00:09:20)
Nathaniel Schlenker (00:12:26)
Anna Boguszewski (00:18:31)
JoAnn Ward (00:21:29)
Orchestra Ensemble (00:34:58)
Kristin Siskow (00:40:17)
Special Awards (00:47:37)
Kathy Romero (01:05:07)

Crosswinds Update from Perpich

The team at Perpich preparing Crosswinds for next year wanted you to have this update:

July 30 crosswinds newsletter (PDF)

As we enter the final days of this school year, we look forward to the beginning of the next one. We are encouraged by the enthusiastic support for Crosswinds and are confident our success in the 2013-2014 school year will launch us into a strong, solid future. Crosswinds and Perpich administrative teams are working together to ensure that Crosswinds’ wonderful programming is maintained and that students and staff have a successful transition to the new school year.

Encore! Preparing for next year.

This has been quite a year, and it has firmly established the fact that both Harambee and Crosswinds will be around for many more years. The transition to new management may be a bit confusing to some, so here are a few essentials for everyone coming back next year.

Roseville has released a calendar for Harambee’s next school year and Perpich has said that this will be the basis of calendar they use for Crosswinds. So if you want to know when holidays and breaks will fall next year, grab a copy of this calendar! [UPDATE: The official Crosswinds calendar is now available.]

Crosswinds usually shares a school supply list developed by its teachers. Since staffing is still being finalized, Torria shared this school supply list from last year. Please feel free to use it as you prepare for next year. [UPDATE: the official new supply list is now available.]

Finally, the Crosswinds Orchestra had a wonderful Summer concert last night and a concert video is available if you missed it. Enjoy!

Represent Crosswinds at the State Fair!

One of the advantages of Perpich managing Crosswinds is that Perpich is always thinking about getting the word out about its schools. Part of this is visibility at the State Fair, and you can help!

This year they would love to have Crosswinds volunteers for a shift at the fair. If your schedule can’t accommodate a whole shift, they can be flexible. Each shift is also staffed by a Perpich parent, student/alumni and a staff member, but it would great to have a representative of Crosswinds around to talk to the public about the school and to promote it.

The State Fair dates are Thursday, 8/22 to Monday, 9/2. Perpich runs three four-hour shifts each day: 9am-1pm, 1-5pm, and 5-9pm.

Each volunteer can get a free Perpich t-shirt, but Crosswinds volunteers should wear any Crosswinds t-shirts you have around. Volunteers also get free admission to the fair.

If you are interested in volunteering or have questions about this opportunity, please contact Holly Hilgenberg at holly.hilgenberg@pcae.k12.mn.us.

Help us spread the Crosswinds word!

Many families met yesterday with Perpich Director Sue Mackert at Crosswinds. She shared the good news that Crosswinds will be open in the Fall and that it looks like Crosswinds is now on course to be open far beyond next year. You can listen to audio of the Q&A with Sue (please forgive the abrupt start, I missed the first minute or so since I forgot to set up the recorder). The feeling in the room was very positive, and many families registered their students to return to Crosswinds during the meeting. Please make sure you register to return too, if you have a Crosswinds student!

Meanwhile, EMID Families is planning a marketing push to make sure we let everyone know that Crosswinds is here and welcoming enrollment. We are making postcards to hand out, yard signs for our lawns, and magnets to give to kids, teachers, and legislators. This material should all be available next week and has been made possible by generous donations from families like yours.

When you get the postcards, please hang them in neighborhood places like groceries, libraries, and community centers. We need to get the word out! If you would be interested in a lawn sign, please let us know. And keep an eye out for the small magnet coming home with your Crosswinds student.

Here’s what the postcard will look like…

Explore Crosswinds

And here is a version of just the back side that can be used in other settings to advertise the school…

Consider crosswinds

Finally, make your own copies! This version is single sided, black and white, without any bleed; in other words, it is really easy and cheap to copy. You can print this PDF at any copy shop and ask them to cut it in quarters. Go for it! Hand it out everywhere!

Explore Crosswinds Handout

More to come on the lawn signs once they are ready.

Crosswinds families meet Perpich on Sunday

With the approval of the Perpich contract to manage Crosswinds, many Crosswinds families are wondering what is in store for next year. EMID Families will host a meeting with Perpich director Sue Mackert at Crosswinds, 2pm Sunday (7/14). This will be a chance for Perpich to tell us what they need from us in the coming weeks to make next year a success, and a chance for Crosswinds families to ask Perpich about its plans for the coming year. Please join us if you can!

Harambee 5th graders can choose Harambee or Crosswinds for 6th grade

The EMID Board has decided to leave both Harambee (under Roseville management) and Crosswinds (under Perpich management) open next year, and Roseville plans to expand Harambee to include 6th grade next year.

This means Harambee 5th graders will now have a choice of Crosswinds or Harambee for 6th grade next year. If you have a Harambee 5th grader, please make sure to let Principal Kathy Griebel know whether you plan to stay at Harambee or move on to Crosswinds as soon as you can, so that Roseville and Perpich can plan for the appropriate class sizes.

For those of you who have been around EMID for a while, this will have a familiar ring to it. For a few years both Harambee and Crosswinds offered sixth grade. Now they will both have sixth grade again.

Crosswinds will stay OPEN!

The EMID Board voted to keep the Crosswinds School open next year under the management of the Perpich Center for Arts Education. Since the legislature did not authorize conveyance of the building, this required EMID to reverse its earlier closure of the school and enter into a management agreement with Perpich. This is very exciting news since it means that all students are welcome to attend Crosswinds next year!

Since we are sure that many families have many questions about this development, EMID Families has invited Perpich to join us for a meeting at Crosswinds this coming Sunday (7/14) at 2pm. The short version of (most of) the answers is “it will work like it has worked in the past,” but Perpich is very interested in answering your question and making it possible for everyone who wants to stay at Crosswinds to do so. Please join us Sunday to learn about next steps.

The testimony from both families and the board tonight was very moving. We recorded it and the audio and video should be available tomorrow. Please check our wp.clst.org/emidfamilies website for an update with pointers to these recordings. Meanwhile, read the stories in the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune.

Crosswinds will be OPEN next year!

Update: we now have video of the whole board meeting available on YouTube.

On 10 July 2013 the East Metro Integration District Joint Powers Board questions Sue Mackert of the Perpich Center for Arts Education about a management contract for the Crosswinds Arts & Science School, hears public testimony in favor of the plan, and votes to approve it. Crosswinds is an inter-district integration, arts, and science magnet school which will now continue to provide services to families in “east metro” of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

EMID Board Work Session

  • Sue Mackert presents answers to questions prepared by the EMID Board (0:00:13)
  • Q&A between the board and Perpich representatives (0:42:08)

(this video includes the seven minute break between the work session and the special meeting of the board)

EMID Board Special Meeting

  • Eric Celeste, parent (2:09:48)
  • Jocelyn Stein, parent (2:15:56)
  • Bev Sellie, parent (2:17:46)
  • Holly Ingersoll, parent (2:19:06)
  • Thomas Boguszewski, alumn (2:25:25)
  • Anna Barker, teacher (2:28:30)
  • Carrie Dickson, parent (2:32:48)
  • Kim Zaiman, parent (2:38:08)
  • Susan Larson, parent and Perpich board member (2:41:45)
  • Tami Bayne-Kuczmarski, parent (2:43:30)
  • JoAnn Ward, state representative (2:46:21)
  • Bill Droessler, parent (2:48:59)
  • Discussion of approving the extension of the closure of Crosswinds to the end of the 2013-2014 school year (2:51:35)
  • Roll call on extension (2:56:12)
  • Discussion of approval of the Perpich contract for Crosswinds (2:57:18)
  • Lori Swanson, White Bear Lake (3:00:48)
  • Cindy Nordstrom, Inver Grove Heights (3:04:51)
  • Kitty Gogins, Roseville (3:06:34)
  • Amy Williams, South St. Paul (3:07:48)
  • Marilyn Forsberg, Spring Lake Park (3:09:18)
  • Jim Gelbmann, South Washington County (3:10:24)
  • Karen Morehead, Forest Lake (3:18:25)
  • Byron Schwab, West St. Paul (3:19:10)
  • Roll call on Perpich contract (3:20:00)
  • Other business (3:21:16)
  • Board forum (3:24:10)
  • Goodbye to Mary Ojile (3:28:30)

EMID Board meets tonight at Crosswinds to decide about Perpich contract

Perpich will present a management contract to keep Crosswinds open next year to the EMID Board this evening. This meeting of the board will be at Crosswinds. The board will interview Perpich about its proposal during a work session starting at 5:30pm. The regular board meeting will start with a public forum at 6:30pm and then feature a decision by the board about whether to allow the Perpich contract.

This is our last chance to keep Crosswinds open for the 2013-2014 school year. Over 260 signatures were gathered on a petition to ask the board to allow Perpich management of the school. Many current Crosswinds families indicated that they are eager to stay for next year, even if Crosswinds has to be rebuilt by Perpich. Tonight will tell.