South school briefs: Cassellius visits Jackson Elementary

Minnesota Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius visited Jackson Elementary in Shakopee last week to tour the new kindergarten addition.

Construction started last March and finished just before school began this year.

Cassellius stopped in one classroom to read "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" to the kids.

Shakopee Dollars for Scholars has been awarded a $10,000 matching grant from Scholarship America, the parent organization to Dollars for Scholars organizations across the U.S.

The grant, if matched with an equal amount of money raised locally, will allow students the opportunity to receive renewable scholarships.

That's in keeping with Scholarship America's goal of helping students complete their degree or program with less debt.

Only 17 chapters nationwide were offered these matching grants, officials said.

In 2014, the group surpassed its dollar amount for scholarships by giving out $68,050 to 101 Shakopee students in May.

An elementary media specialist in the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage district, Nancy Meyer, will present at the upcoming Information and Technology Educators of Minnesota annual conference Oct. 2-4.

Meyer's presentation, called "Using Technology to Bring Books to Life," will cover ways to enrich teaching with tools such as the QR codes inside book covers, which link students to reviews and author interviews.

Meyer also uses an application called "Aurasma," which takes pictures from books and turns them into three-dimensional moving images.

On Thursday, the Inver Grove Heights district and TriDistrict Community Education will hold a grand opening for the new IGH Learning Center, attached to Hilltop Elementary.

The grand opening starts at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the center, 3203 68th St. East, Inver Grove Heights.

There's a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a chance to tour the facility and meet staff. Refreshments will be served and there will be family-friendly activities, including music.

Community Preschool and ECFE classes began this week. For more information on programming, visit www.tridistrictce.org.

A repair and maintenance plan is being developed by an engineering firm to deal with uneven concrete at Farmington's Tiger Stadium. But experts believe the structure is safe during football season.

The deterioration of the concrete is probably a result of several years of harsh winters and wet springs.