South metro school briefs: Campus Faith Clubs to hold dessert banquet

Students, parents and teachers are invited to the Campus Faith Clubs Dessert Banquet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Legends Golf Club in Prior Lake, located at 8670 Credit River Blvd. in Prior Lake.

The banquet is being held to help promote and support Campus Faith Clubs across the state. The clubs began seven years ago and are led by students, with teachers serving as advisers.

Currently, there are 26 middle and high schools in the south metro with Campus Faith Clubs.

For more information on the clubs or the event, contact board member Paul Nyquist at 952-854-4596.

The Prior Lake-Savage School District has launched its new website, which includes a number of new features.

Staff and students can log onto Schoology, the district's learning management system, from the site, and parents can customize their own calendar by selecting school and district events.

The site now has a social media page called "Laker Network" that pulls together all of the school's social media in real time and in one place. The public can also request information, from enrollment numbers to transportation information or job openings, using a button at the top of the home page. School board meetings can still be accessed as well.

Parents who have a preschooler can learn about the district's kindergarten options through two free one-hour "Curious about Kindergarten" information sessions at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, and at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Both sessions will be held at the Diamondhead Education Center in the Staff Development Conference Room (room 208, upper level, enter through door 3). The Diamondhead Education Center is located at 200 W. Burnsville Pkwy. in Burnsville.

Topics will include all-day kindergarten programs and magnet options, along with other early childhood topics. A principal and teacher will be there to answer questions.

Kindergarten registration is now underway at the district's Welcome Center at Diamondhead Education Center. Open houses will take place at each elementary school in January. For more information, call 952-707-4180.

Two seniors at Mounds Park Academy (MPA) in Maplewood are teaming to offer free portraits to metro area high school seniors who cannot afford them or do not have access to a professional photographer.

The two dubbed the endeavor "KP Photography," after taking it over from 2013 MPA graduate Callan Shackor. Shackor had shot her portraits as part of her senior service project and as a Girl Scout project, too.

"For Girl Scouts, it had to be sustainable, so over the summer Kendra and I took it over," Thao wrote on the MPA website.

Last year, the project was tied to Breakthrough St. Paul, a partnership between MPA and the St. Paul public schools. But Thao and Stone have expanded its scope to the entire Twin Cities area, and are encouraging seniors who wish to schedule appointments to e-mail them at kpphotographymn@gmail.com or to message them at their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Photography.by.KP.

Sample portraits can be seen on the Facebook page and are drawn from photo shoots held in St. Paul and Stillwater, among other locations.

After the shoots, Stone and Thao send free CDs containing the portraits to each of their photo subjects.

Each student at MPA's upper school must complete at least 60 hours of service over four years to graduate, "culminating with an intensive senior service project," according to an MPA news release.

Child Care Aware of Minnesota is holding several Parent Aware information sessions in Dakota and Scott counties in the coming month.

The sessions help parents choose high-quality child care options that meet their needs so their kids can be ready for kindergarten. More information can be found at www.parentawareratings.org/en/information-sessions.

The sessions, which are all scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m., are:

• Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Robert Trail Library, 14395 S. Robert Trail, Rosemount. RSVP to Olga at 952-985-4046 or oahumadaforero@ 360com munities.org .

• Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Galaxie Library meeting room, 14955 Galaxie Av., Apple Valley. RSVP to Olga at 952-985-4046 or oahumadaforero @360com munities.org .

• Monday, Nov. 18, at CAP Agency, 712 Canterbury Road S., Shakopee. RSVP to Linda at 612-254-3717 or poikonen@capagency.org .