Wildcat Pride                                     November 1 , 2017
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November 1st brings us our second chance at snow this season - make sure you're prepared by following us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest school district announcements. If there is a school closing, you will also be notified through school messenger, so make sure your phone information is updated and accurate in ParentVU E . This Saturday is the CLPTO Craft Fair at the middle school - the official start of Christmas shopping season. CL will be observing Veterans Day on Friday (11/10) and is inviting the public to join us at two events: Taylors Falls elementary is hosting their annual Veterans Day reception and CLHS is hosting a program celebrating veterans and featuring speaker Superintendent Dean Jennissen.

Music Season at CLHS: Band, Choir, and Theater

Tickets go on sale November 2nd for all performances.
   
Music season at the high school is officially underway this week with the band concert that took place on Monday. If you missed it, there are plenty of other performances coming up. The high school musical Thoroughly Modern Millie has five performances over four days running from November 16th through the 19th. Tickets go on sale starting tomorrow.

In addition to competitions, the high school band and choir will perform together on December 2nd for the Christmas in Chisago Scholarship Concert at 7:00 p.m. in the PAC. The high school choir has their holiday concert on December 11th at 7:00 p.m. in the PAC. 

The high school choir got a visit from the University of Minnesota - Duluth choir as part of their fall choir tour traveling to high schools throughout the state. The University Singers and UMD's Chamber Choir shared a variety of music from different cultures and time periods. The University Singers in UMD's top mixed choir composed of 50 students, including former CLHS alumni Wyatt Partch (class of 2016) who is majoring in music education at UMD.

November Construction Update

Many of you are probably wondering when some of the construction projects are going to start. Throughout the process, we'll be updating you on the progress through the electronic newsletter, the Chisago County Press, and the district website.
If you've been by Chisago Lakes Middle School, you've probably seen the start of the construction for the new tennis courts. The courts are the first construction project from the bond referendum to get underway.  Peterson Companies is moving dirt out and sand in to build a base for tennis courts. The process should take a couple of weeks.

Plans for renovation of the existing district office to house the Chisago Lakes Education Center are well underway. The district offices will be moving to a temporary home by the end of the year to make the current space available for renovations. The mailing address and phone numbers for the district office will remain the same for the interim period before the offices permanently move to the new elementary school site.

Other projects are still in the design phase. User groups for the Community Center and the new elementary school have been meeting to look at specific needs for offices, classrooms, and other spaces. For both projects, layouts and models are being worked on and finalized. Construction bids will go out after the first of the year, and you can expect to see pictures of groundbreaking ceremonies come spring.


Google Expeditions Allow Kids to Travel Afar
Last month's focus on field trips covered pumpkin patches and nature walks. This month many of our field trips were virtual through Google Expeditions.
Shipwrecks for some; the Guggenheim art museum for others; and volcanoes, too.

Students across the district got the opportunity to do some virtual traveling thanks to a program through  ECMECC (East Central Minnesota Educational Cable Cooperative). The cooperative  purchased a set for ECMECC members to borrow and use with students. Some of the other expeditions that kids enjoyed included The Salem Witch Trials, Underwater Exploration, The Silk Road, and Shakespeare at the high school; and America Expands West, Wonders of the World, and A Life Tale at the elementary.  You can check out the whole list of expeditions available.
On the Calendar:

November 3: End of Term 1

November 6: Staff Development - NO SCHOOL
Parent University @ 6:00 p.m. at the HS

November 8: WE Day - select CLHS students attending

November 10: Veterans Day Programs- Morning coffee and lunch at TF Elementary and Veterans Day Program (open to the public) at CLHS in the gym at 1:30 p.m. Parking by the PAC entrance recommended.

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