Please sign our petition if you are in favor of the Edina Public Schools continuing our focus on the Sciences and keeping the job of our Science Para Professionals within the Elementary Schools of the Edina School District.

Without the Science Para Professionals the "Hands-on" Science Curriculum would not be possible.

Without this job, they essentially need to order every teacher each kit that they will teach at @$600 - 800 per kit. The current Para reuses, reduces and recycles all materials. One Para's job serves not only 50 teachers at Creek Valley and Countryside by assembling all the materials they need, but also over 1000 students. Every grade level has 3 to 5 kits which means that involves preparing science materials for over 4,400 projects. It takes a lot of prep time, communication, materials, planning and organizing that the teachers just do not have the time to do.

Every Science Para prepares each kit so 3, 4 or 5 classes can use it. The Science Para copies all the materials for Science Notebooks for all grade levels. The Para raises the fish, beetles, isopods and order materials from Delta Math and Science and Carolina Biological, and pick up all materials for science forclasses from the grocery stores, Home Depot, Trans Mississppi Biological, Home Depot, Pet Smart, Sea Level, Target, Edina Pond Society, Oriental Trading Company, and Ax-man.

Even more valuable, Science Paras involve bringing parent volunteers into the schools to lead stations that are pre-prepared in math and science at every grade level. The Science Para also teach special classes that enhance the FOSS like First Grade Owl Pellets, Grasshopper observations, Planting, Play Dough Engineering, Squid Dissection for Third grade Variations and Adaptations, Star Lab for Sun, Moon and Stars, and much more. At Countryside, the Science Para organizes the Science Extravaganza - an entire day of community volunteers and presentations for the entire school. This Science Extravagana celebrated over twenty years this Spring as an annual event and Edina's commitment to science. At both schools, the Para sees the influence and enthusiasm for investigating from FOSS at the annual Science/Stem Fairs.

This position has far reaching value not only for teachers, students and parents, but also for the middle and high school science programs.

Thank you for taking the time to review this information and please consider signing this petition.

This petition will be presented on 4/24/14 at the EPS Board Meeting. So time is of the essence!! Please forward this link to anyone that has a vested interest in this.