Currents

Watershed Happenings

Mar 15 Finance Committee, 3:45 p.m.
Mar 16 Info Night, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Mar 22 Board Meeting, 3:45 p.m.
Mar 29 – April 2 Spring Break, NO SCHOOL

April 13 Info Night, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Apr 14 Teacher Workday, NO SCHOOL
April 20 & 22 Senior Projects

ADMIN NOTES
–Phil Grant, Administrator

School Safety
Many thanks to those who alerted us to the Minneapolis Public School (MPS) lockdown situation this week. We pay attention to what’s happening, even though we’re not part of MPS. Fortunately, we’re in a good neighborhood and our door is always locked and/or monitored. Furthermore, national safety data indicate that schools continue to be among the safest places in the country.

Watershed does have a safety plan in place. However, the incident has caused us to review our safety plans and procedures so that they are fresh in our minds.

Charter Day at the Capitol
Last Tuesday was Charter Day at the Minnesota State Capitol. Board member Nell Ubbelohde and Phil attended on behalf of Watershed. They met with state Senator Linda Berglin and state Representative Jeff Hayden, in whose districts Watershed is located. They also met with Rep. Paul Kohls and Sen. Julianne Ortman of Carver County. It was a great opportunity to tell the Watershed charter story to all four legislators. Indeed, all four are supporters of charters, but they wanted to know more about us, and how they can help.

Right now, we’re most concerned about our cash flow and overall budget, since 27% of state funding has been delayed for many months. While we’ve secured a loan to carry us over, we incur extra cost due to interest and fees. We’re following the state budget deliberations with great interest, and we urge you to do so as well.

Senior Projects
Senior Projects are scheduled for Tuesday, April 20, and Thursday, April 22. Watch for more details in the next issue of Currents.

Well Kept Secret
In the last issue of Currents we talked about Watershed being a well kept secret. Our current families, staff and students are our best sources of promotion of the school. What did you do this week to dispel this belief? Who did you tell about Watershed?

We are focused on marketing Watershed and increasing recruitment. To this end, we have brought on a marketing company which has identified three focal areas.
1. A targeted mass mailing to this year’s 7th, 8th and 9th graders in specific zip codes across the area.
2. Bringing on a Recruitment Coordinator to lead the charge.
3. Forming a Recruitment Team of parents, students, alumni and staff to assist the Recruitment Coordinator.

We need people interested in staffing booths for upcoming events, making phone calls to prospective students and parents, going to artsy and creative institutions around the area to speak about Watershed, and more. If you are interested in dispelling the belief that Watershed is the best kept secret in town, please give Phil a call today at 612-871-4363. If you have a particular interest in being the Recruitment Coordinator (a temporary, paid position), let him know that as well.

Info Nights
Our next Info Nights are March 16 and April 13. They provide an excellent opportunity for current families to introduce friends and neighbors to Watershed. They will meet Rachel, Phil and several other teachers and hear about the type of educational experience available only at Watershed. They will view an informative video (recently completed by Rachel), have a tour of the facility and receive enrollment forms. The potential students will also be encouraged to spend a day shadowing. Contact your friends and neighbors today with an invitation to attend an Info Night on March 16 or April 13. Better yet, invite them and then come with them! For more information, call Rachel, our enrollment coordinator, at 612-871-4363 x219, or email her at rkoniar (at) watershedhs.org.

First Annual Garage Sale
The big event will take place May 12-14. The first two days concentrate on setting up, with Friday, May 14, being the sale day. Until then, please continue to bring your garage sale items to the school. We are accepting toys, games, clothing, small appliances, household items, knick-knacks, furniture, tools, etc. Donations may be dropped off during school hours. Please see the front desk for a tax deductible donation receipt. Pick up for larger items can be arranged.

We will also need plastic bags and paper bags of all shapes and sizes. These may be dropped off in the school offices as well.

Thank you to all who already donated items and thank you to those who have already volunteered to help with the event. We are well on the way to making this a successful event!

Please email Ann Goehner at anngoehner (at) msn.com for more information, to volunteer or to arrange for pick up.

Calendar Notes
Can you believe that Spring Break is around the corner? This year, it’s March 29 through April 2. There are no classes that week, but the school office will be open on a limited basis.

April 13 marks the end of Main Lesson 6 and Quarter 3. There will be NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, April 14. It is a teacher workday. Teachers use it to evaluate work and plan for the final quarter of school.

Watershed Happenings

Mar 9 Charter School Day
Mar 15 Finance Committee, 3:45 p.m.
Mar 16 Info Night, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Mar 22 Board Meeting, 3:45 p.m.
Mar 29 – April 2 Spring Break—NO SCHOOL

Apr 5 School Resumes
Apr 13 Info Night, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Apr 14 Teacher Workday, NO SCHOOL

ADMIN NOTES
–Phil Grant, Administrator

Best Kept Secret in Town!
We don’t want to be the best kept secret in Minneapolis! Watershed is a place with unique students and staff, and a place with a unique approach to education. Let’s get the word out about how special we are! In order to do this effectively, and to help us increase enrollment, we have brought on a marketing company, Education Innovators, with extensive experience in charter public schools. They have identified three focal areas. These emphases are:
1. A targeted mass mailing to this year’s 7th, 8th and 9th graders in specific zip codes across the area to be done in March.
2. Bring on a Recruitment Coordinator to lead the charge.
3. Form a Recruitment Team of parents, students, alumni and staff to assist the Recruitment Coordinator.

We need people interested in staffing booths for upcoming events, making phone calls to prospective students and parents, going to artsy and creative institutions around the area to speak about Watershed, and more. If you are interested in spreading the word about what a great place Watershed is, please give Phil a call today at 612-871-4363. Let’s not continue to be a well kept secret. Let’s get the word out that Watershed is awesome!

Info Nights
Our next Info Nights are March 16 and April 13. They provide an excellent opportunity for current families to introduce friends and neighbors to Watershed. Visitors will meet Rachel, Phil and several other teachers and hear about the type of educational experience available only at Watershed. They will view a wonderfully informative video (recently completed by Rachel), have a tour of the facility and receive enrollment forms. Potential students will also be encouraged to visit during a school day. So, contact your friends and neighbors today with an invitation to attend an Info Night on March 16 or April 13. Better yet, don’t just invite them, come with them! For more information, call Rachel, our enrollment coordinator, at 612-871-4363 x219, or email her at rkoniar (at) watershedhs.org.

Painter Robert Bleehert visits WHS
A touring artist treated Watershed students to a special visit on March 2. Seattle –based painter Robert Bleehert was in town and visited two drawing and painting classes. Robert has painted professionally in the Twin Cities and in Seattle for more than twenty years. He is known for portraiture, landscape, and most famously in the Twin Cities for doing posters of noted Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Vikings players and this year, four posters of Timberwolves players. Bleehert grew up in St. Paul and had returned home to sign posters at Target Center. Robert is a personal friend of Special Education teacher, Steve Andrews. They have been friends many years through playing football and softball on Saturdays. Steve had given Rob a standing invitation to visit Watershed, and the timing turned out right this week.

Rob had never been to a charter school and was happily surprised at the small class size and at the friendly and outgoing students and staff. He expected a high school of several hundred students. He remarked on how interested the students were in learning about color and shape and his technique. He also enjoyed meeting the staff and working with Maggie. A few students left with signed posters, including the famous Adrian Peterson Vikings poster given out two seasons ago. Judging from the reactions of everyone involved, Robert will be returning next time he is in town.

Beautification Class
The Beautification Class would love your extra paint and bed sheets. We are ready to beautify the walls and do something about the overhead lighting. We’ll accept paint of any color and plain colored bed sheets of any size. Drop off items in the lobby or give directly to Kristin. Our eyes thank you!

First Annual Garage Sale
The big event will take place in May. We are still in the process of locking the dates in, but expect to do this by the next issue of Currents. In the meantime, please continue to bring your garage sale items to the school. We are accepting toys, games, clothing, small appliances, household items, knick-knacks, furniture, tools, etc. Donations may be dropped off during school hours. Please see the front desk for a tax deductible donation receipt. Pick up for larger items can be arranged.

We will also need plastic bags and paper bags of all shapes and sizes. These may be dropped of in the school offices as well. Thank you to all who already donated items. We are well on the way to making this a successful event! Please email Ann Goehner at anngoehner (at) msn.com for more information, to volunteer or to arrange for pick up.

Reminder - Lunch Invoices Due
If you have any questions or concerns about your Lunch bill, please contact Kristin at kaa321 (at) gmail.com. By the end of the school year, all outstanding bills must be paid. This is especially important for graduating seniors as well as students who may wish to transfer. Diplomas, transcripts and grades cannot be released until all outstanding invoices have been paid.

Music at Watershed • New program!
Watershed partners with West Bank School of Music (WBSM) to offer music education right here on campus. Current offerings are on Monday after school and in the evening. If you’re interested in learning music, WBSM is a great program. Their brochures are now available in the school office. If you’re interested in their programs, pick one up, call them at (612) 333-6651 or go to www.westbankmusic.org.

Calendar Notes
Can you believe that Spring Break is around the corner? This year, it’s March 29 through April 2. There are no classes that week, but the school office will be open on a limited basis.

April 13 marks the end of Main Lesson 6 and Quarter 3. There will be NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, April 14. It is a teacher workday. Teachers use it to evaluate work and plan for the final quarter of school.

Charter School Day, March 9, school board member Nell Ubbelohde and I will visit the state capitol to tell our charter school story to legislators. Look for a report next week.

Kitchen and other space available
We have a great kitchen and several office/studio spaces that we don’t need this year. Know anyone who’d like to use a good kitchen for baking or other food prep? Need a meeting room or other space for events, projects, crafts? Space is available for short or longer term needs. Give Phil a call for more information.

Comments? Questions? Call Phil at 612-871-4363 x130 or email pgrant (at) watershedhs.org