September 26, 2024

Dear Park Spanish Immersion Elementary School Community:

This week has been full of celebration, appreciation and learning! We are so excited to share about all the wonderful things that are happening at PSI tonight at our annual Welcome Night.  The purpose of Welcome Night is to foster a continued conversation between teachers and families about students regarding connections/relationships, student learning, expectations, routines, and community.  Please see below for more information.

Yesterday, we had an all-school assembly.  We came together to celebrate our community and to acknowledge and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.  See here for some photos.

Tomorrow, our school will begin our annual PTO-sponsored Leer-a-tón.  The goal is to keep our students reading and to raise funds for the annual Amity Intern program.  See below for more information about this and many more important items.

Take care, have a great week, and thanks for sharing your children with us.

In partnership,

Corey Maslowski, Principal

Megan Paulis de Rangel, Assistant Principal

PSI Welcome Night

PSI Welcome Night is tonight at our school! The purpose of Welcome Night is to to foster a continued conversation between teachers and families about students regarding connections/relationships, student learning, expectations, routines and community. Choose the time slot below that best suits your family. 

Click HERE to register for FREE child care for children ages 3 and older provided by St. Louis Park Public Schools staff members. Registering for child care ensures there is adequate staff for this event.

We are looking forward to getting to know you better!

Garden Build Day is this Saturday- Join Us!

Come join us this Saturday, September 28, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, for a fun and rewarding garden build day! It looks like we'll have beautiful fall weather! 

We’ll be assembling garden beds, filling them with soil, weeding and more. No experience? No problem! Everyone is welcome to lend a hand.

Date: Saturday, September 28

Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Breakfast and snacks provided!

Help us make this garden grow! Don’t forget to RSVP if you are able to attend.

*Those of you who are planning on joining us on Saturday, please consider bringing tools and supplies if you are able (adult gloves, shovels, wheelbarrow, large clippers for cutting shrubs, garden waste bags, etc).*

October A-E Day Calendar

10 Best Practices to Protect Kids Online

Families can teach their children best practices in navigating the internet to keep them safe. Please click here to view an article on the 10 best practices to help protect children online.

School District News

Illness Protocols

As we enter the fall season, this is a time when illnesses like colds, flu, and other respiratory viruses tend to spread more easily. To help prevent the spread of illness within our school community please follow these important guidelines: 

Situations when your child should stay home:

• Fever of 100 degrees or more. The student should stay home for 24 hours after their temperature returns to normal without the use of fever reducing medication.
• Vomiting/diarrhea more than twice in the preceding 24 hours. Stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
• Any uncontrolled cough, respiratory virus symptoms that are worsening or not improving and not better explained by another cause such as seasonal allergies * 
• Rash with a fever and/or unknown cause. Check with your family physician/clinic before your student returns to school.
• If feeling ill/unwell and the student is unable to fully participate in school activities.

 CDC Respiratory Virus Guidelines:  Respiratory virus symptoms can include fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose, and headache, among others. The guidance for common respiratory illnesses (flu, COVID, RSV) is to stay home for 24 hours until both:

1. Your symptoms are getting better, and
2. You have not had a fever without taking fever-reducing medication.

Practice Good Hygiene: 

• Remind your children to wash their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Encourage them to cover their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or their elbow and avoid touching their face. 

Vaccinations:

• Keep your child up-to-date with vaccinations to reduce the risk of contracting vaccine preventable diseases and prevent serious illness. 

Communicable Disease Alerts 

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

There is currently an outbreak of Pertussis (Whooping Cough) in Hennepin County and cases have been reported in our school district community. The first symptoms of pertussis are similar to a cold. After a week or two, the cough worsens and may occur in sudden, uncontrollable bursts. Sometimes coughing will lead to vomiting or a high-pitched whoop sound when breathing in.

Anyone with symptoms should stay home, contact their healthcare provider and consider getting tested for pertussis. 

MDH Pertussis Fact Sheet

Measles

There is currently a measles outbreak in Minnesota. The outbreak began in May 2024. It is primarily affecting unvaccinated children in the Twin Cities metro area. However, anyone who is not up to date on their measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is at risk of getting measles. 

The MMR vaccine is safe and extremely effective at protecting kids, families and the entire community. Unvaccinated people exposed to measles need to stay home and away from others (quarantine) for 21 days. 

MDH Measles Fact Sheet

Shout Out Loud - Free Family Event

Shout Out Loud to Host it's 5th Annual Suicide Prevention Wellness Carnival

Saturday Sept. 28th, 2024 11am – 3pm

St. Louis Park, Rec Center ROC – 3700 Monterey Dr, St Louis Park, MN 55416

(Rain Or Shine – Event is Outdoors yet covered with a Canopy from the elements)

It is a SUPER fun day for kids, teens, and families! 

We also need a lot of volunteers to pull this off. It is a perfect event to have your teens volunteer at if they need volunteer hours. Quick 2 hour shifts!

Sign Up Here --> Here

PTO News

LEER-A-TÓN

What is Leer-a-ton?

Leer-a-tón is the annual readathon to excite kids to read, raise awareness and funds ($25,000) for the amity program, and build community. Students set a reading goal, ask sponsors for donations, and read (mucho) between September 27-October 11. All participants win a kids meal with ice cream and the class with the most participants wins a field trip!  

Who are our amity interns? Learn more about this year’s amity interns (native Spanish speaking adults who assist teachers in the classroom): poster & bios. 

How do I donate? https://tinyurl.com/Psileeraton 

Leer-a-tón Events:

• September 27: Book Swap at PSI 
• Bring a book to school to trade for another. If you donated to the book drive, you do not need to bring another book.
• Leer-a-tón September 27-October 11: 
• Check backpacks on September 27 for reading logs/fundraiser information.
• READ! READ! READ! Collect donations.
• Families have the option to listen to recorded stories read by the amity interns
• October 1 & 2 (2:30-7:30): Scholastic Book Fair at PSI, Orange Room
• October 1 (5-7pm): Bingo for books / amity story night at PSI, Cafeteria 
• Play bingo & win prizes: Scholastic dollars to spend at the book fair, signed copies of Pizza and Taco books, book lights, bookmarks, and books. Our amazing amities will read stories between bingo rounds! 
• October 9 (4:30-7:30): Book Tasting at the SLP Library 
• Need help picking out your next great book? Come to the SLP library and talk with children’s librarian Dana Strahson, sample books of many genres, and build your “to read” list.
• October 9: Book orders for signed Stephen Shaskan and Trisha Shaskan books due. (see below)
• October 15: Return leer-a-tón forms and donations (get a prize!)

October 2: Stephen Shaskan & Trisha Speed Shaskan Assembly

We are super excited to welcome authors and illustrators Stephen and Trisha to PSI on Wednesday, October 2nd! They are selling signed copies of their books at a discounted price for our students. A paper order form will be sent home, or you can order online here. Please order your books to be signed and personalized by October 9th.

Please click here to view the paper order form.