South school briefs: Free parent education conference Nov. 2

This year's Parent Education Conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Eastview High School, 6200 140th St. W. in Apple Valley.

The conference will feature keynote speakers Tom Cody and Paul Bernabei, who will talk about how to develop your child's unique qualities. After that, participants can choose from more than 20 breakout sessions to attend on a variety of parenting topics.

There also will be a resource fair with many family-oriented organizations. Register for this free event online at http://tinyurl.com/l86tk4c or call 651-423-7920 for more information. Childcare is available for $10 per family.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Rosemount High School marching band took first place in Class AAA and was named Grand Champion of all bands at the Minnesota Youth in Music Marching Band Championships on Oct. 12.

In all, 17 bands competed in this year's event. ­Individual awards went to senior French horn player Madison Holtze for best performer. Best drum major went to Tony Hanto, George Tangen, Emily Brossart and Jessie Cox.

The Workforce Center and the South of the River Education Center will host an open house on Wednesday, Oct. 30. The event is also hosted jointly by Inver Hills Community College, Metropolitan State University and the Minnesota Workforce Center Dakota County-Burnsville.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facility will take place from 4 to 4:30 p.m. on that day and staff will be available to advise students until 6:30 p.m. The Workforce Center and South of the River Education Center are located at 2800 County Road 42 in Burnsville.

The 6th Grade Minnesota History Pass grants all Minnesota sixth-graders free admission to any Minnesota Historical Society historic site or museum through Aug. 31, 2014.

This is the first year of the program, which is being put on to support the new social studies standards, which designate Minnesota history and government as a main focus for sixth-graders. Siblings and parents aren't included in the pass.

For more information or to request a pass for your sixth-grader, visit www.mnhs.org/education.

The sixth annual college fair at Burnsville High School will feature representatives from more than 50 colleges and universities from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the gym at the main campus at 600 E. Hwy. 13, Burnsville.

Students in grades nine through 12 are invited to attend the free event, along with the public.

State Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius stopped by Gideon Pond Elementary in Burnsville to help celebrate the school's status as a Reward School for the third consecutive year.

The designation is based on the school's Multiple Measurements Rating performance, a Department of Education rating.

Reward Schools are those scoring in the top 15 percent in the state among schools that receive Title I funding, which goes to schools with higher numbers of students in poverty.