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St. Louis Park Middle School's Weekly News
Please note: For the most up to date information please click on the Middle School website. (Language Translations available)
December 14, 2023
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Dear Middle School Families,
As a building staff, we’ve been noticing a need to promote positive and respectful language among students. This week, we rolled out a building plan to educate students around language that is disrespectful and harmful to others. Many times, students say that they are “joking around” or “that’s just how we all talk to each other.” However, these comments are crossing a line when they include deragatory terms related to race, culture, religion, ableism, gender identity, sexuality, etc. While as staff, we work to interrupt these comments when they are heard, we are commiting to a broader plan to hold students accountable for these comments when made. We are also rolling out “Oriole Honors” where students will be recognized for positive language. We appreciate your support in your conversations at home about language that is respectful, postive and restorative.
Thank you for your continued support of your student here at SLPMS!
In partnership,
Melissa Kalinowski
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| Dec. 18 | Band 6 Winter Concert | | Dec. 19 | Band 7, 8 & Jazz Band Winter Concert | | Dec. 22 - Jan.1 | Winter Break | | Jan 2 | School Resumes | | Jan 10 | Site Council | | |
Interdisciplinary Team Websites | |
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Dear MS Caregivers,
If you are new(ish) to the Middle School or have general questions, please be aware that we have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on the MS website. Click here to access this informational page. Please give us a call, too, if you have questions that are beyond the scope of this page. Thank you!
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Greetings,
We had the opportunity to host two teachers from Anderson Middle School (Minneapolis) this past Monday. Their Middle School is currently a candidate as an IB World School. As they progress in moving toward authorization they are taking time to fully develop their programming. We enjoyed their visit and conversation with us regarding our Keystone class. Our recent IB evaluation found many strengths on our campus, one of them was evidence of the following standard:
Lifelong Learners: Students pursue opportunities to explore and develop their personal and cultural identities.
Our Keystone class is one of several ways that the evaluators collected evidence of this standard. They also interviewed a variety of students and staff and those conversations showed evidence of this as well.
Respectfully,
Mia Waldera
MYP IB Coordinator
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Picture of the Keystone student tour guides
Breella and Shiloh
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Pictured are visiting teachers:
Robert and Hannah
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After School Spectators for MS Sporting Events
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Due to limited space/capacity in our field house and for health/safety, we will need to limit the amount of spectators attending Middle School after school events. Spectators will be limited to parents/guardians of players playing in the current game. Staff, other family members, friends and students will not be allowed to attend games due to the limited space available. | |
Family Engagement Parent Survey
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So far in the 2023-2024 school year, we have had three building-wide opportunities for families to engage with our staff - Family Connect Day in August, Teacher Meet and Greet in October and Student-Led Conferences in November. Please complete a survey around these family engagement events and how helpful and valuable these opportunities were for you. We will use the information to plan for future family engagement events. You can access the survey by clicking here.
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Boys' Basketball Starts January 8th!
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Registration is open for all 6-8th graders and practice starts after school on Monday, January 8th. Registration and information can be found on the Middle School Athletics page on the Middle School website. You must have an updated sports physical before you are able to register.
If you have any questions please email Derek Wennerberg - [email protected]
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Quiz Bowl Results from Saturday, December 9th, 2023 at Eagle Ridge Middle School in Savage, MN.
SLPMS Quiz Bowl Students had strong results for our first tournament of the year. All the teams that were competing made it to the afternoon playoffs.
Our teams placed 5th and 9th out of 18 teams beating some tough competition from Wayzata and several private schools.
An All Star award was presented to 8th grade student, Elise Hogg for scoring 3rd place individually out of 71 students!
My noticings included our students high "five" one another in a respectful way. They encouraged one another and understood that mistakes are learning opportunities. I saw handshakes with other teams wishing them "Good Luck," then "Congratulations," or "Good Game." Working together as a team with each student bringing their strengths in various areas was a joy to watch! A huge thank you goes to the parents who help me with assistant coaching and scorekeeping. I always appreciate you all so much.
Ms. Lisa Lillie
Quiz Bowl Coach
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Every Meal Weekend Food Program
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Please click here for more information to sign up. If you have questions, please contact Kristen in Student Services: [email protected] or 952-928-6389
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As the weather has turned, it is important that students dress warmly in order to go outside for Phy Ed class, and coming into school as this is often the coolest part of the day. Students who use a blanket as a jacket will be required to put their blanket into their locker. Blankets cannot be worn in Phy Ed class for warmth for safety reasons. It is recommended that students consider leaving a sweatshirt in their lockers as different parts of the building are often differing temperatures throughout the day. | |
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Classes are kicking off! Sports and Clubs are getting back into gear. Before you get too busy, it's a perfect time to order your yearbook. Use the link to order your book today while the price is low.
https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A04145660
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Washington DC Trip for 7th Graders | |
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Attention all current 7th graders! You have an opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. this spring with your classmates.
Trip Dates: June 14-17, 2024
Price: $2274
Family members and dependents of current educators, the military, and first responders receive a 5% discount off the base trip price.
Deposit: $99 to secure your spot!
Our Registration Deadline is: March 1, 2024
Registration link: WorldStrides
Trip ID: 207712
Trip website : 2024 D.C. Trip
We have a lot planned for this trip and I hope you can join us.
Samantha Wyffels- I&S teacher
[email protected]
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Just a reminder that there is no Site Council meeting scheduled this month. We will resume our monthly calls on Wednesday, January 10th, 2024.
If you are interested in joining Site Council for the last half of the school year, and have not yet signed up,
contact me directly.
Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year!!
Keith Richardson
Site Council Chair
[email protected]
(612)462-9862
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Renewal Information for Families who use Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare Insurance
Keep your health. Keep your insurance. Learn more about renewing your Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare insurance. Visit mn.gov/dhs/renewmycoverage.
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Home Athletic Events Expectations for SLP Schools
For all home High School athletic events where admission is charged:
- Any child in 8th grade or below must be accompanied by a paying adult who is responsible for them, their behavior and their whereabouts at the event. The student must be in the bleachers unless with the accompanying adult.
- No bags, backpacks or outside food/drink will be allowed in at home football games and there will be no reentry.
- All tickets must be purchased electronically, either in advance, or at the event. There will be no cash options available. No refunds.
- For football, admission will stop at the end of the third quarter.
Please purchase your tickets here: https://gopark.hometownticketing.com/embed/all
If you have questions, please reach out to Andy Ewald, Athletic Director, [email protected] 952-928-6118
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Our Community Education Winter Catalog is here!
Checkout our new activities today - registration is available online now. The catalog will arrive in St. Louis Park residents mailboxes in early December.
Link: https://slp.ce.eleyo.com/
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Help Review What is Taught in Classrooms: Join the District Instructional Programs Advisory Council (DIPAC)
Want to help review what is taught in St. Louis Park Public Schools classrooms? We invite families to apply to join the District Instructional Programs Advisory Council (DIPAC). You do not need any educational background to join. The Committee will review the process of our curricular and instructional program offerings.
- Apply by December 22, 2023
- No background required (just your interest to participate!)
- Seeking diverse perspectives
- Attend approximately 4 meetings (1.5 hours each)
DIPAC will strive to reflect the racial, gender, language, and ability balance of the school district and will actively recruit participants from underrepresented groups.
Learn more about DIPAC and what we hope to do.
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SLP Staff Directory
We’re pleased to announce that the new searchable online staff directory is now available to the public. You can search the directory by name, department, location, and position. For example, search keywords such as principal, nurse, or counselor. View the staff directory.
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New ParkTV channels for SLP board meetings and other programming
ParkTV is updating its Comcast cable channels to include more high definition (HD) channels, while still maintaining standard definition (SD) viewing options. St. Louis Park Public Schools programming, including concerts, plays, school board meetings and sports, can now be viewed on HD Ch. 859 and SD Ch. 16. View the airing schedule.
Additionally, you can watch school board meetings and other videos on our Youtube channel.
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In the Loop SLP Construction Update
View updates from Knutson Construction and St. Louis Park Public Schools about construction projects in the school district. November highlights include project milestones and progress for the High School and Middle School.
Fun Fact:The new synthetic turf field installation consists of 199 tons of sand and 174 tons of fine rubber pellets installed on top of the turf to ‘fill in’ the turf fibers and reduce the impact of the field users. This volume of sand is enough
to fill over 300 backyard sandboxes and this amount of rubber is roughly the equivalent of over 28,000 car tires! View the construction updates webpage.
In the Loop: SLP Construction Newsletter
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Middle School Youth Enrichment Programs
Middle School Cooking/Baking Club
Join us to learn basic cooking skills by making a new recipe every week!
Wednesdays, Jan. 17-Feb. 21
4-5:15 pm
Pick your price: $39/$49/$59/$69 (pay the price that works best for your family)
Click here to register now!
Middle School Gaming Club (winter session)
Join us in the Cafeteria on Tuesdays to game with your friends!
Tuesdays, Jan. 16-March 26
4-5:15 pm
Pick your price: $20/$30/$40/$50 (pay the price that works best for your family)
Click here to register now!
Middle School Chess Club
Mondays, Jan. 29-March 25
4-5 pm
$145
Click here to register now!
Middle School Musical Theatre
Acting, singing, and dancing for the stage! See what it takes to put together your favorite Broadway musicals and put together a performance for family and friends!
Saturdays, Jan. 27-March 2
1-2 pm
$105
Click here to register now!
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