Farmington Area Public Schools

Thank you for your patience over the last several weeks as we have worked through constantly changing information and data points to plan for the start of school this fall. As the subject of this message indicates, we will begin the 2020-2021 school year in a hybrid learning model for all grades. This is based on guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and COVID-19 trend data throughout Dakota County. Please be aware that the learning model may change over the course of the school year depending on the number of COVID-19 cases in our community. As always, we will keep you informed through email, by phone, and via our website.

An important announcement from Superintendent Berg regarding back-to-school planning.

As we continue our fall planning, we feel it is important to get your feedback on potential hybrid models of learning for this fall. We still don’t know what the fall is going to look like, but it is likely students will be in buildings to some extent and we must be prepared for a possible hybrid situation. It was confirmed yesterday by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) that the Governor will be announcing a decision about the fall on Thursday, July 30.

No matter what the decision is about the start of the school year by the Governor, MDE, and MDH we know this year will look different. Our students, families and communities are facing unique challenges associated with COVID-19 and we understand that some families may not be comfortable having their child attend school in an in-person or hybrid model. We are committed to supporting those families through the creation of a distance learning academy. If you do not plan to send your child to school in an in-person or hybrid model and would like to opt into the distance learning academy, please fill out this form. You may choose to opt into or out of distance learning at a later time; however knowing those who currently plan to engage in distance learning at the beginning of the school year will help greatly in the planning process. We will continue to provide updates and information as it becomes available to us.

Dakota County is assessing safety near schools – Your input is needed

We love seeing so many out walking, running, biking and generally enjoying the beautiful summer weather! Please remember that the playgrounds at Riverview Elementary and Meadowview Elementary are reserved for our Community Education summer childcare programs and are not open to the public from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday - Friday. This allows us to follow the social distancing, group size, and cleanliness guidelines necessary to run our childcare programs safely at this time. Thank you for your consideration and cooperation!

In honor of the Farmington High School 2020 graduating class, we have been highlighting a few of our outstanding seniors. These students have been nominated by Farmington Area Public Schools staff members for exhibiting hard work and pursuing their spark with passion during their time at FHS. Today’s Senior Spotlight is: Kailey Ohlhues!

Five local high school students, including Christopher Torres, a senior at Farmington High School, were recently selected to receive a trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by Dakota Electric Association. The annual Washington D.C. Youth Tour is typically scheduled for a week in June by the National Rural Electric Association’s (NRECA), where more than 1,800 students from around the nation travel to our country’s capital. Due to COVID-19, this year’s trip has been cancelled. However, Dakota Electric still wanted to honor the students and has offered them a choice of going on the trip next year or receiving a $1,000 scholarship for college. Torres chose to receive a $1,000 scholarship.

In honor of the Farmington High School 2020 graduating class, over the next several weeks we will be highlighting a few of our outstanding seniors. These students have been nominated by Farmington Area Public Schools staff members for exhibiting hard work and pursuing their spark with passion during their time at FHS. Today’s Senior Spotlight is: Jake Nelson!

In honor of the Farmington High School 2020 graduating class, over the next several weeks we will be highlighting a few of our outstanding seniors. These students have been nominated by Farmington Area Public Schools staff members for exhibiting hard work and pursuing their spark with passion during their time at FHS. Today’s Senior Spotlight is: Sydney Hubbard!

As the 2019-2020 school year begins to wind down, each school is sharing information on how you can return school materials and pick up anything you need to take home. We are planning end-of-year celebrations at the classroom and school-wide levels. Farmington High School has organized a Prom Parade and is making important plans for graduation. See the links below and the video from Mr. Berg for this week's distance learning update.

What's happening in District 192? District Art Show, Summer iPad Checkout Now Available, May 2020 School Calendar, Happy National Nurses Week, Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, and Community Resources.

Welcome to the 2020 District Art Show! Farmington Area Public Schools, ISD 192 has held a district-wide art show since 1992. Although we are unable to hold the show in person this year, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, our art teachers were determined to bring the show to our community in their homes. To that end, they photographed all the art pieces that would have been shared at the show and have compiled them here for you to see.

In honor of the Farmington High School 2020 graduating class, over the next several weeks we will be highlighting a few of our outstanding seniors. These students have been nominated by Farmington Area Public Schools staff members for exhibiting hard work and pursuing their spark with passion during their time at FHS. Today’s Senior Spotlight is: Kailey Felch!

Happy Friday, Tigers! Today we celebrate National School Principals Day and National School Lunch Heroes Day, in honor of the amazing administrators and food service staff who help make our Tiger Community great. A big THANK YOU for all your service. Below is the updated calendar for the remainder of the school year and the weekly update video from Interim Superintendent Berg released May 1, 2020.

Happy Friday, Tigers! This week we learned that Governor Walz has extended distance learning for all Minnesota schools through the end of the school year. This is not the end of the school year we hoped for but we have faith that our strong community will make the best of it. Click "Read More" for the communication sent to families on April 23 and the weekly update video from Interim Superintendent Berg released April 24.

In honor of the Farmington High School 2020 graduating class, over the next several weeks we will be highlighting a few of our outstanding seniors. These students have been nominated by Farmington Area Public Schools staff members for exhibiting hard work and pursuing their spark with passion during their time at FHS. Today’s Senior Spotlight is: Christopher Antwi!

Today, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota State High School League announced the cancellation of all Minnesota high school activities through the end of the 2019-2020 school year.

At the April 14, 2020 Special School Board Meeting the School Board interviewed three candidates and determined that Mr. Jason Berg was the finalist for the position of Superintendent of Farmington Area Public Schools. The Board met again on Friday, April 17, 2020 and voted to offer the position of Superintendent of Farmington Area Public Schools to Mr. Jason Berg pending contract negotiations.

In honor of the Farmington High School 2020 graduating class, over the next several weeks we will be highlighting a few of our outstanding seniors. These students have been nominated by Farmington Area Public Schools staff members for exhibiting hard work and pursuing their spark with passion during their time at FHS. Today’s Senior Spotlight is: Sydney Dimapelis!

Happy Friday, Tigers! It's time for another Weekly Update video! Several FHS staff members shared their senior photos on social media this week in honor of the the class of 2020. In case you missed it, we've compiled a few at the end of this video. We would love to see your senior pictures too. Tag us @District192 | #WeAre192

In honor of the Farmington High School 2020 graduating class, over the next several weeks we will be highlighting a few of our outstanding seniors. These students have been nominated by Farmington Area Public Schools staff members for exhibiting hard work and pursuing their spark with passion during their time at FHS. Today’s Senior Spotlight is: Jack Baumbach!

We are now two weeks into our distance learning journey and I wanted to reach out to you with a brief update. As you have likely heard by now, Governor Walz has extended the Stay-at-Home order through May 4, 2020. This means that our buildings and our interactions with families will continue to be as they have been the past two weeks. Even though our buildings aren’t physically open, they are open virtually so if you need any assistance please reach out through email or call your main school office and we will respond as quickly as possible. ...

Farmington Area Public Schools, Independent School District #192, has once again been awarded the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting (COE) by The Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). This certificate recognizes districts that have met the program’s high standards for financial reporting and accountability. The school district earned the Certificate of Excellence for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended 2018.

Senior Spotlight: Samantha Suazo Lobo In honor of the Farmington High School 2020 graduating class, over the next several weeks we will be highlighting a few of our outstanding seniors. These students have been nominated by Farmington Area Public Schools staff members for exhibiting hard work and pursuing their spark with passion during their time at FHS. Today’s Senior Spotlight is: Samantha Suazo Lobo!

We know things have been different than normal. While we are physically apart, we remain a strong community in spirit. We've already seen many of our students, families, and staff showing Tiger Pride through their kindness, empathy, and dedication to meaningful learning. Here's another way to show your Tiger Pride and connect with fellow Farmington Area families...

Click "Read More" for and important message from Jason Berg Executive Director of Educational Services "& Interim Superintendent of Schools

Congratulations to the students and staff at Farmington Elementary, Riverview Elementary, and North Trail Elementary who took the initiative to get out and enjoy some winter weather before spring hit! They are the Farmington Area Public Schools March 2020 Healthy Heroes!

Four teams from Boeckman and Dodge Middle Schools competed in the Minnesota Future City Competition on January 18, 2020 at Dakota County Technical College. Future City is a project-based engineering program for middle school students, in which they imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future.Dodge Middle School’s Team Kawaakari took second place overall, and also received the People’s Choice special award.

Congratulations to the Boeckman Middle School 6AM Workout Group: Heather Ballstadt, Nicole McGuire, Jen Venz, Kendra Caduff, Manuela Mathies, Lori Lukasezck, and Amy Leafblad! These Farmington Area Public Schools staff members are our February 2020 Healthy Heroes. They were chosen by the Wellness Committee for their consistent and long-standing commitment to physical and mental wellness.

Connections in this community, on this earth, and in space have resulted in an amazing opportunity for local Farmington Area school children and the community to experience a visit from NASA astronaut, Mark Vande Hei. Vande Hei will be in Farmington on February 20-21 to visit with students during the school day at Dodge Middle School, Boeckman Middle School and Farmington High School. Vande Hei will also present a talk, titled Space is Closer than You Think, for the community on February 20 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Farmington High School in the Large Lecture Hall. During the talk Vande Hei will also share mission highlights from his time aboard the International Space Station and his related training. This event is free and open to the public.

The mission of Farmington Area Public Schools, District 192, is to ensure each learner continuously achieves one’s highest aspirations. To that end, we are continuously evaluating current practices and making improvements for the benefit of our learners. Over the past year, we have carefully considered current school hours and whether or not they are arranged in the best possible way to facilitate student learning at every level. After studying research from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other health organizations we have come to understand that a change to school start times would greatly benefit our learners by engaging them when they are most ready to learn.

The Board of Education of Farmington Area Public Schools and district administration will be holding a public forum to seek input on desired attributes for the district’s new superintendent. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. in the Large Lecture Hall at Farmington High School, 20655 Flagstaff Avenue, Farmington, MN 55024.

Congratulations to Jen Venz, Farmington Elementary School Counselor, on being chosen as the December 2019 Healthy Hero! Last spring, during the Franks for Fathers event that FES holds, Venz asked some high school students to partner with some of the elementary students. When she saw their interactions, it sparked the idea for a longer-term partnership. For four weeks, high school students showed up before school to play basketball with elementary students. They focused on sportsmanship and just having fun. Both the younger and the older students enjoyed it. One high school student was quoted as saying, “This is the absolute best way to start my day!”

As winter weather is once again upon us, we’d like to briefly review some key points regarding weather-related school closings and flexible learning days.

Jen Rauk, the Media Specialist at Dodge Middle School was chosen as the November 2019 Healthy Hero. Rauk was nominated by her colleagues Lorraine Kennedy and Connie Berg for her positive example of eating well and staying active. She is a known runner and has been seen eating her veggies in the lunchroom, but for Rauk wellness is largely about balance.

The Riverview Elementary School Running Club was named the Farmington Area Public Schools Healthy Hero for the month of October! At the beginning of the school year, Rachel Olson, Riverview Elementary Physical Education Teacher, invited all members of the RVES community to join her in running a 5K at the Big Woods Run on October 12th. As a part of preparing for the Big Woods Run, all fifth grade students were invited to participate in a running club. They met for five weeks leading up to the main event and worked to gradually improve their running.

Congratulations to Audrey Baumgartner, an Educational Assistant at Meadowview Elementary, on being named the September 2019 Healthy Hero! Audrey was nominated by her colleagues at Meadowview Elementary for always being “a positive champion for healthy living.” She is known as a good listener who connects well with others and promotes a healthy lifestyle by her example.

Farmington Area Public Schools conducts a biannual scientific survey which is key to understanding how we can best serve our community. The results of the most recent survey were presented at the joint meeting of the Farmington Area Board of Education and the Farmington City Council on Monday, July 15. Overall, the results were positive with a third of school district residents rating the quality of education as excellent! You can watch the presentation and take a closer look at the slideshow by clicking "read more."

We are excited to inform you Infinite Campus has two new and improved mobile apps: Campus Student (for students) and Campus Parent (for parents). Download your free app for real-time access to grades, attendance, schedules, announcements and more!

We are pleased to introduce online enrollment for kindergartners and families new to District 192! If you are enrolling a student in any District 192 school you may now complete your enrollment online.

This year the FHS Robotics Club took on a special project helping one of our youngest community members. Since this story first published in December, it's been covered by NBC, CBS, CNN, USA Today, the New York Post, the Daily Mail, and more! We are incredibly proud of our students and so happy they were able to help a young child move and explore. If you haven't heard the story yet, check out the original account here or see additional coverage linked inside this article.