November 18, 2020 | Volume 1 • Issue 13
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A Message from Superintendent Osei |
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I hope each of you had a relaxing and enjoyable fall break. This was the first time in over 20 years that I did not spend time with my family back home in Illinois. Initially, I was disappointed and angry that COVID-19 had taken away yet another experience that is important to me and my family. After I got past the emotion and sense of loss connected to not being able to go back home to Illinois, I realized that instead of being frustrated about what was or what could have been, that I had a tremendous opportunity to engage my immediate family in ways that I had not previously done during this time of year. I was able to more clearly see the opportunity in front of me.
In many ways, my experience over fall break has similarities to my experience this school year. Schooling as I have traditionally known it has changed. As I have come to grips with this reality, I believe we have a couple of tremendous opportunities ahead of us; re-envision what learning and teaching looks like and learn from our experiences this year to create a better St. Louis Park Public School District.
As we continue to evolve our educational delivery models, I encourage you to continue to offer feedback. The feedback you have provided throughout this process has been helpful and has influenced the changes you are experiencing in our educational delivery models. There are a couple of opportunities coming up for students, parents/caregivers, and staff to continue to share feedback with me. Below I have listed the dates/times and Zoom links for the upcoming Superintendent Listening Sessions. Please know that if you are unable to attend the listening session that you can always call or email me to share your thoughts. It is also important to mention that you can always share information about your child’s experience with your building principal or site leader.
Upcoming Listening Sessions
December 7 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Students | Zoom Link | Meeting ID: 91868227793 | Password: 965140
December 15 | 5:00-6:00 p.m. | Parents/Guardians - English | Zoom Link | Meeting ID: 934 2061 5183 | Passcode: 520346
December 15 | 6:00-7:00 p.m. | Parents/Guardians - Spanish | Zoom Link | Meeting ID: 967 9287 9471 | Passcode: 029610
Thank you for your continued support of St. Louis Park Public Schools. I firmly believe that our collective efforts during this turbulent time will allow us to continue to improve the educational experience for each student and provide a safe and nurturing environment that energizes and enhances the spirit.
Respectfully,
Astein Osei
Superintendent
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Immersion Information Night is Thursday, December 3 |
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Immersion Information Night will take place virtually beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 3. Please visit enrollment.slpschools.org to register for the event!
Immersion Information Night is a great opportunity for parents/guardians to learn about about immersion education in St. Louis Park before the Kindergarten enrollment process begins.
This open house-style event will include a welcome by Superintendent Astein Osei as well as presentations by PSI Principal Corey Maslowski, teachers, parents, and students. There will also be time for a question and answer session with Principal Maslowski.
Parents/guardians should also plan on attending Kindergarten Information Night for the three neighborhood elementary schools (Aquila, Peter Hobart and Susan Lindgren) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 9.
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How to Find Calendar Information on the Website |
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St. Louis Park Public Schools strives to keep students, families, and staff updated on key dates and important events throughout the school year. The District uses a number of different calendar tools in order to communicate these important events. For the most up-to-date calendar information, St. Louis Park Public Schools stakeholders should always refer to the Calendars page on the website, which can be found at www.slpschools.org/calendars. This page can also be found under the "About Us" tab on the District homepage.
On this page you will find links to the online District calendar, the annual city-school calendar, and the student at-a-glance calendar. It is important to always refer to this page on the website as opposed to doing a Google search or using the search function on the District website, as those searches can yield outdated information.
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3rd Annual YEP Sock Fundraiser |
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St. Louis Park Community Education Youth Enrichment Programs is proud to announce our 3rd annual Winter Sock Sale beginning Dec. 1st! We will once again be partnering with local company, Sokguru, to sell socks to fundraise for scholarships for our programs. In the last two years, we have been able to provide scholarships for students to take piano lessons, attend robotics camps, and take drawing classes all thanks to our annual sock sale.
This year, like most things, the sale is going virtual. All purchases made on the Sokguru website in the month of December will benefit SLP YEP. We will receive 40% of each sale.
Head over to sokguru.com to start shopping now! All orders will be shipped within two days of the order being placed.
If you have any questions about the socks, sizing, or the order process, please contact Anthony Rhines, owner of Sokguru, at 763-587-8916.
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High School Offering Free Screening of Screenagers Documentary
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St. Louis Park High School in partnership with CARE Counseling is offering students and families a free screening of the documentary Screenagers: Next Chapter - Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience through December 16.
Filmmaker and physician Dr. Delaney Ruston takes the conversation around screens and teens to the next level with Screenagers Next Chapter - Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience—a film that examines the science behind teen’s emotional challenges, the interplay of social media, and most importantly, what can be done in our schools and homes to help them build crucial skills to navigate stress, anxiety, and depression in our digital age.
Anyone interested in viewing the film can click here to register. The High School will also host a live panel discussion and Q & A session at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, December 15 via Zoom. Click here to register for the panel discussion and Q & A session. Click here to download an informational flyer.
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Middle School Materials Pickup on December 3-4 |
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The Middle School will hold an all-student supply pick-up on December 3-4. This will be the final all-student supply pick-up for first semester. Also know that all of these expectations are to limit any physical contact between you and the staff member assisting you, so we are keeping everyone as safe as possible. Please contact us at 952-928-6300 if you have difficulty picking up your student's supplies.
1. Pick-up times are Thursday, December 3, from 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and Friday, December 4, from 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
2. Please enter our student drop-off lane from 22nd Street and exit onto Texas Avenue. See map.
3. Please write your student’s full name and grade on a piece of paper. Be ready to show this through your window to the staff member assisting you.
4. The staff member will go back into the school to get your child's supplies. At this time, please exit your vehicle and open your vehicle's trunk or be ready to have a window open that is not physically close to you. Upon returning, the staff member will place all materials into the trunk or through the window of your vehicle.
5. Each student has a box that will hold these materials. We are keeping the box so if we need to do future material and supply pick-ups later in the school year, specifically at the start of second semester, we have a box for your child already created that teachers can easily get supplies to their students.
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District Hiring Critical Childcare Support |
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St. Louis Park Public Schools is hiring critical childcare support for children of Tier 1 Workers. Pay rate is $15-19 per hour depending on qualifications. Apply online at www.bit.ly/workforslp.
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Support Park Public Schools & Community Foundation |
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Show your Park Pride with this custom reusable mask! This full-size mask, with sublimated SLP imaging, includes a nose guard, adjustable ear straps, and chin flap. With every mask sold for $10, one additional mask will be donated to St. Louis Park Public Schools for families who need one.
The proceeds from the sales of the masks will support the Park Public Schools and Community Foundation to nonprofits supporting youth programs inside and outside of the classroom. Masks will be mailed to directly to purchasers within about one week from ordering.
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Urgent Action Needed: Free and Reduced Applications |
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Students in households that meet the free or reduced-price meal income guidelines will generate compensatory revenue for the district. Schools must use compensatory revenue to meet the needs of students who are behind their peers, such as remedial instruction, instructional materials including digital learning and technology, bilingual programs and additional teachers and teacher aides. However, the household must complete and return the forms, or complete the online form, no later than December 15 so the district can calculate eligibility and report to the Minnesota Department of Education. This will not impact your students’ eligibility to receive free meals during the 2020-21 school year because meals are free for all students this year.
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Free Meals Program Information |
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While the District is in the distance learning model, free meals will continue to be available to students and families. The District will continue to utilize five school sites as grab-and-go pickup locations on Mondays and Wednesdays between 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Please note that that the Middle School is no longer a free meals distribution site due to the fact that the school kitchen is under construction. The High School and four elementary schools will continue to serve as distribution sites. Anyone with questions about the District's free meals program can call the School Nutrition Department at 952-928-6146. |
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District to Hold Annual Truth in Taxation Meeting On December 14 |
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Minnesota's Truth in Taxation Law requires school districts to provide a Truth in Taxation public hearing before adopting a tax levy for the following year. This hearing includes a presentation about the current budget and proposed tax levies. The hearing will be held virtually by Zoom before the December 14 School Board Meeting.
Click here to access the Zoom link for the annual Truth in Taxation meeting. Anybody wishing to make a public comment at the meeting will be able to do so by clicking on the "Raise Your Hand" Zoom feature.
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