April 28, 2021 | Volume 1 • Issue 31
Vaccine Information for Students Ages 16 and Up
The Minnesota Department of Health is launching “Roll Up Your Sleeves, Teens” week beginning Tuesday, April 27 extending through Saturday, May 1. During this week, appointments will be prioritized for 16- and 17-year-olds and their parents at Minnesota’s Mall of America Community Vaccination Site.

Students and families should use this link to schedule an appointment at the Mall of America Community Vaccination Site: http://bit.ly/SLPVaccine16

Only the Pfizer vaccine has been authorized to vaccinate youth ages 16 and older and will only be administered to those ages.

Children under the age of 18 must have consent signed on their behalf by a parent or guardian when scheduling an online appointment. It is very important that the scheduling forms are filled out correctly in advance and to have a parent or legal guardian go to the vaccine appointment with their 16- or 17- year-old to learn about the COVID-19 vaccine and provide consent for the child to receive the vaccine. Click here for additional information on parental consent.

If children under the age of 18 arrive at the Mall of America vaccination site without a parent, The Community Vaccination Program will vaccinate if the attestation box on the pre-registration form is checked and the parent has signed the consent. If the parent/guardian has not signed the consent in advance, The Community Vaccination Program can accept written consent from a parent/guardian accompanying the minor child to the appointment. If a parent/guardian is not present, staff will request that the patient call their parent/guardian and staff will attempt to obtain verbal consent. If staff are not able to obtain pre-registration or onsite verbal/written consent, staff are not allowed to vaccinate the patient. 
COVID-19 Testing Recommendations for Students and Families
The Minnesota Department of Health is now recommending that all school-age youth attending school in-person, and their families, get tested for COVID-19 every two weeks through the end of the school year. Kids involved in any extracurricular activities or sports should get tested every week.

There are many COVID-19 testing options, depending on your needs, and each option is available at no cost to you. You can even schedule appointments for the whole family at the same time. There are COVID-19 community testing sites across Minnesota, in addition to local hospitals and clinics. You can make an appointment ahead of time or walk in. You can also use the COVID-19 test at home program to have a test mailed to you.

Learn more about testing site safety and access, as well as how to register the whole family at COVID-19 community testing.
Updated COVID-19 Dashboard
COVID vs. Allergies: Do I Need to Quarantine?
Some symptoms of general illness such as seasonal allergies, colds, and/or flu overlap with symptoms of COVID-19. If a parent/guardian/family member believes their child/student has any illness - which displays the same symptoms as COVID-19 - the student, and other household members, are not allowed to attend school until:
 
  • The symptomatic student tests negative for COVID-19; or
  • An alternative diagnosis (such as allergies, cold, or flu) is received from the child’s/student’s health care provider in written form and copied to the school health office.
 
If the student with symptoms does not test for COVID-19, or receive an alternative diagnosis from their health care provider, they would need to isolate at home for 10 days and household members would follow the 14 day quarantine protocol.
Good News Regarding Healthy Meals for Children
The Biden administration recently issued an extension for free school lunch through 2022 as part of its effort to reopen schools safely amid the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will allow school meal programs to resume serving FREE MEALS to students this fall and will extend the programs through the school year. It will still be important for families to complete the Application for Educational Benefits also known as the Free and Reduced Meals application to help generate additional funding to support students districtwide.

Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer Reminder

Students who elected to remain in distance learning continue to be eligible for Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) funds. To be eligible, K-12 students must qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Students who chose to participate in distance learning this year will receive $130 for each month they were doing distance learning for at least 19 school days in the month and $75 for each month they were doing distance learning for between 11 and 18 school days. If you have yet to apply for these benefits, they can be retroactive to the beginning of the year.

More information is available in multiple languages at https://mn.gov/dhs/p-ebt/.
The dashboard will be updated every Wednesday and can be found on the District's COVID-19 News & Updates page at www.slpschools.org/covid19.
VIDEO: Middle School Construction Update
Construction projects at St. Louis Park Middle School are scheduled to be completed by this Fall, but much has already been done. Watch the following the video to get a glimpse of the changes that will enhance student learning for years to come.
Support the Class of 2021
Show support for the class of 2021 and the Park Public Schools and Community Foundation with a lawn sign! Proceeds from lawn sign sales will help make the 2021 Senior Party free for all students and will help fund future innovative classroom grants for St. Louis Park students for years to come.

Lawn signs are available for a $25 donation. Click here to order yours today!
May 3-7 is Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
St. Louis Park Public Schools will celebrate Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week May 3-7. This year more than ever, all St. Louis Park Public Schools teachers and staff have gone above and beyond to keep all students learning and engaged. Look for signs at schools, the Central Learning Center and District Office to celebrate and be sure to follow us on our social media channels to participate in daily themed shout-outs to your favorite staff members. Join us in celebrating our teachers and staff by using the hashtag #IAmBecauseWeAreSLP.
New District and School Websites Coming Summer 2021
St. Louis Park Public Schools is developing new websites for the district and all six schools that will go live Summer 2021. The new design will improve overall performance and usability of the websites. Features will include: simplified navigation, more options for photos and videos, and integrated social media channels.




6311 Wayzata Blvd. | St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Phone: 952-928-6000 | Fax: 952-928-6020