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)

September 19, 2024

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Principal's Message

Dear Middle School Families,

Thank you to all parents and guardians who attended Curriculum Night this week. As a building, we are committed and proud to share with you what your student will learn and experience in their classrooms this school year. Throughout the school year, you will hear from your student’s teacher about upcoming units and end of unit summative assessments so we can partner in supporting student success!

As has been shared by our math teachers in emails to families and at Curriculum Night this week, we have adopted a new math curriculum “Inspiring Connections” published by CPM. As a school and department, we are aware of the concern in the community around our current Math MCA scores and we are committed to ensuring that our students are grade level proficient in math. This curriculum was selected because districts and schools of a similar size and demographic who currently use this curriculum have much higher rates of proficiency on the MN MCA tests and have maintained higher level of proficiency over the past few years. Implementation of this curriculum ensures that students are learning all grade level standards and learning the skills of mathematicians. The curriculum spirals over the course of the year and over the years to provide exposure, practice and deepening of math concepts. We believe that all students are capable of learning mathematics at a high level but it takes perseverance. All students have nightly homework that should allow them the opportunity to think deeply about mathematics.

Thank you for your support of your student here at SLPMS!

In partnership,

Melissa Kalinowski

Upcoming Dates

Sept. 19 - Beginning Band Registration Night (Grade 5-6)

Sept. 20 - SLP Homecoming Game - See information below regarding tickets and parameters for middle school students

Oct. 3 - No School - Rosh HaShanah

Oct. 16-18 - No School

Oct. 28 - 7pm - SLPMS Spelling Bee

Nov. 1 - End of Quarter 1

Nov. 5 - No School - Grading Day and Election Day

Nov. 7 - District Choral Festival - 7pm at the High School

Nov.. 13-14 - Scheduled Conferences with Advisors - 4-8pm

Nov. 15 - Drop In Conferences - 8am-12pm

International Baccalaureate Update

Greetings,

As an IB World School, we work collaboratively on developing learning experiences for students that promote inquiry. The IB found the following in place on our campus last year during the evaluation visit, “Students are actively involved in their own learning as demonstrated by the examples of independent inquiry, self-reflection and peer evaluation shared.”

Developing ways for each student to be successful and engaged in the content is part of our collaborative team planning. The 8th grade science teachers gathered together on Monday to review the launch of their unit on measurement. They were reflecting on the independent/collaborative inquiry that students were engaged in as they measured the soccer field and talked about how students could measure it, the effectiveness of their strategy, as well as the role of common units of measurement in our world. This kind of collaboration is commonplace at the Middle School. The 8th grade science team is finding connections with 8th grade math teachers on measurement as well. Finding interdisciplinary connections brings relevance and authenticity to the learning experiences and is a hallmark of an IB World School.

Shown here are 8th grade science teachers: Scott Meyers, Tammy Englund, and Sara Haugo.

A special note that Ms. Haugo was dressed up for Homecoming Week - Pajama Day ;).

Respectfully submitted by,

Mia Waldera, IB Coordinator

Personal Device & Cell Phone Policy and Expectations

We have a Personal Devices Away All Day Policy. Students should store their cellphones, airpods/earbuds and/or headphones in their lockers or backpacks starting at 8:50am when they enter the building until the end of the day bell at 3:52. Personal Devices that are seen or heard during the day will be turned into the office and parents will be notified. See more information on this policy in our Student Handbook.

Health Services

Please see the recent Minnesota Department of Health guidelines for COVID-19. If guidelines evolve, we will include the most up to date information in OT News.The Middle School has already seen cases of COVID in students and staff this school year. As a reminder, the schools are no longer supplying masks or COVID-19 tests.

St. Louis Park Debate Team

Do you like talking and arguing? Or would you like to be better at talking and arguing? Look no further than Debate! In debate, you'll compete in teams about interesting and important topics, such as education, police reform, and space exploration.

We launch with a PIZZA PARTY on Wednesday, October 2, from 4-5pm You must have your own ride home. If you need to register for the Activity Bus, see Kellen in the YEP Office.

Practices will be Mondays & Wednesday from 4:00-5:20 pm starting October 9.

Questions? Reach out to Miss Rosen (room 209) or Kellen (YEP office)

Join the Environmental Club!

The Green Team, middle school Environmental Club, will start meeting next week on Wednesday, September 18th! We will meet in room 100 after school from 4p-5p. This is a free program open to all interested students. For more information, please contact Mehgan Setten (setten.mehgan@slpschools.org) or Ellyn Swenson (swenson.ellyn@slpschools.org).

The Many Disguises of Robin Hood!

Congrats to all who were cast in our Fall Play. Our rehearsal schedule is a living document and can change so check it often HERE. Crew applications can be found HERE and are due on Monday. The cast list can be found HERE. Please contact zumberge.lillian@slpschools.org or schmerler.jennifer@slpschools.org with any questions or concerns.

Yearbooks

The cost of the yearbook is $46 if you purchase prior to September 22. All sales are done online at https://jostensyearbooks.com/?REF=A04145660

Attendance Matters

Students are expected to be in class on time, every hour, every school day. School is in session from 9:05am to 3:52pm. If your student will be absent, please call to report the absence to 952-928-6394, send an email to msattendance@slpschools.org or complete this Google Form. Please be prepared to report the student’s information (name, grade, student ID) and any relevant information about the absence. All absences are marked as Absent Unexcused (AU) until the absence is reported. Students can not excuse themselves.

Expectations for Athletic Events

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, entry will stop at the end of the third quarter.

Please purchase your tickets here.

Homecoming Events Schedule

Homecoming 2024 is September 16-20 – we are so excited!

Check out the homecoming schedule, view game and dance ticket information, and sign up to be in the parade – all community clubs and organizations are welcome!

Homecoming Game - Friday, Sept. 20 at 7pm

Tickets will ONLY be sold online, no tickets will be sold at the game.
Online ticket sales will end at 3pm on Thursday, Sept. 19.
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.
Entry will stop at the end of the second quarter.

Please purchase your Homecoming football game tickets here.

Join Superintendent Dr. Carlondrea Hines

Join Superintendent Dr. Carlondrea Hines at an Upcoming Community Event!

Join St. Louis Park Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carlondrea Hines at upcoming community events!

Listening Session for SLP Jewish Families, September 23, 7 p.m. at Beth El Synagogue

High School Ribbon Ceremony

Check out this special celebration for the high school construction project! Families are welcome to hear from district leaders and high school principal LaNisha Paddock about the exciting new changes at the high school.

Free Family Opportunities through

St. Louis Park Community Education

Free family opportunities! Limited space available, register today at slpcommunityed.com

Site Council

Our first site council meeting was a success! Students, families, staff, and Board members co-created their hopes and dreams for this year's site council. It's important that our site council reflects our student population and that Black, Indigenous, and families of color who have been institutionally marginalized share their stories and dreams to impact practices and policies that will build a just, equitable learning community. Come to our next meeting on 10/9, and contact aalowonl@gmail.com or krichardson58@hotmail.com

with any questions.

Our annual fundraising drive continues through Friday.

If you have not yet had the chance to donate, you still have time!

Please use Venmo account @SLPMS-SiteCouncil

OR, send with your student to school in the envelope that was handed out.

Keith Richardson

krichardson58@hotmail.com

Ali Alowonle

aalowonl@gmail.com

Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for (audience)? Why should they care (benefit)? What do I want them to do (call-to-action)?

Create a great offer by adding words like "free," "personalized," "complimentary," or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take action, so consider inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!"

Community Education

After-School Clubs with Youth Enrichment Programs

Newspaper Club

Join us in writing our school newspaper, The Report Card!

Thursdays after school in the LMC Classroom from 4-5:15 beginning on Sep. 26

Sliding Scale Pricing: $20/$30/$40/$50 (pay the fee you can)

Click here to register now!

Gaming Club

Come spend Tuesday after school gaming with your friends!

Fall Session begins Tuesday, Oct. 1st through Dec. 17th in the cafeteria, 4-5:15 pm.

Sliding Scale Pricing: $20/$30/$40/$50 (pay the fee you can)

Click here to register now!

Middle School Chess Club

Want to work on your game by learning new skills and playing against your teammate? Join us on Mondays in the LMC Classroom from 4-5 pm. Fall session is Oct. 21st-Dec. 9th.

Price: $145

Click here to register now!

Dungeons & Dragons Club

No experience is required to join this immersive RPG game!

Sessions will be on Thursdays afterschool 4-5:15 beginning on Oct. 10th in Room 235.

Sliding Scale Pricing: $20/$30/$40/$50 (pay what you can)

Click here to register now!

Questions about after-school clubs at the Middle School? Contact Kelleen at obrion.kelleen@slpschools.org or 952-928-6399