Dear Neighbors,
I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. I have a few updates from St. Paul, and wanted to be sure to wish you all a blessed New Year and provide some information on fun holiday activities near us!
Helping Veterans Find Employment
As many of you know, there is a crisis in our nation when it comes to employment for our veterans. Last week, I was invited to tour LockLeed International, an organization that works hard to ensure that our highly trained and skilled veterans are connected with employers. As I learned that day, their "mission is to develop partnerships with world-class organizations and assist with the process of placing talented candidates into great positions."
More specifically, LockLeed, headquartered in Anoka, works with employers to identify, understand, and translate the job skills of our nation’s veterans.
We are lucky to have LockLeed working in our community and I encourage you to contact them if you are a veteran or an employer. Their website is http://www.lockleed.com/.
Anoka-Hennepin School Visit
In addition to my tour of LockLeed, I was invited to join Education Commissioner Brenda Casselius and Anoka-Hennepin School Superintendent David Law on a visit to one of our local “Reward Schools”.
Reward Schools are in the top 15 percent of Title I schools based on the state’s Multiple Measurements Rating (MMR). They represent the highest-performing schools according to the state’s testing model.
The tour was very informative and I was happy to see some innovative teaching methods in place, including a greater emphasis on non-verbal cues/communications to help transition classes between activities. Since the school implemented this system, they have experienced a drastic reduction in disciplinary actions resulting in office visits or suspensions.
While I believe we have much yet to do in terms of increasing student achievement, not only to close the achievement gap but increase our global competitiveness, it was encouraging to see what one school has found to work well. We also discussed assessments (namely, that too much time is spent on testing versus teaching) and the new reading standards, which may be too technical for elementary students.
I look forward to continuing to address these and other issues as we move forward next session.
Body Cameras
Finally, last Wednesday, the House Civil Law and Data Practices Committee met jointly with the House Public Safety and Crime Prevention and Senate Judiciary Committees to discuss body cameras for law enforcement officers.
This is an issue that has come to the forefront in light of recent incidences between law enforcement and communities around the nation.
When weighing such a proposal, there are a number of things that must come into account including the privacy of everyday citizens.
If you have suggestions or comments regarding body cameras and their use, please contact my office and share your ideas with me. I welcome your input!
Season's Greetings
There are many fun things to do in and around our community to celebrate the Holidays.
Last minute Christmas shopping? Or just a fun walk through an historic downtown? See: http://www.discoveranoka.com/events/anoka-hometown-holiday/
Love live theater? For Christmas/Holiday shows, as well as visiting Santa, see: http://www.anokacountyonline.com/community-events.html
Looking for family-friendly New Year's Eve ideas? See: http://www.familyfuntwincities.com/twin-cities-new-years-eve-events/
Of course, more important than the activities is the people you get to do them with - be it running around town or staying at home in front of a fire, I hope you have a blessed year-end.
In the Season,
Abigail