October 27, 2021 | Volume 2 • Issue 11
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Last night at the School Board meeting, I had the opportunity to experience the most genuine and heartfelt expression of gratitude and grace. As a part of the meeting, members from our American Indian Parent Advisory Committee (AIPAC) facilitated a traditional Indigenous ceremony in honor and celebration of the recently adopted School Board land acknowledgement. The experience for me exemplified our core values.
In St. Louis Park Public Schools we believe in:
- The brilliance of ourselves and others. Everyone has the capacity and responsibility to foster the growth and brilliance of others.
- Authentic community engagement. Engaging and supporting our employees, families, and communities will enhance the healthy development of each learner.
- High expectations. Instilling and upholding high expectations empowers students and staff to higher levels of achievement.
- Collective responsibility. Embodying the collective and urgent responsibility of anti-racist practices enriches a work and learning environment and community.'
- Persistent effort. Through persistent effort we will create anti-racist schools and academically successful learners.
- Racial consciousness and cultural competence. Racial consciousness and cultural competence are essential to each person’s ability to be a catalyst for change.
- Advocacy for equity. Everyone has equal intrinsic worth and we will advocate for the historically marginalized.
The experience was humbling and during the ceremony I wrestled with the feeling of not being worthy of such a gracious recognition. I struggled because traditionally in public education settings we have not always seen, inspired or empowered Native American children. Yet, the members of AIPAC still showed up with an overwhelming amount of grace and gratitude for their hope in our future intentional action to see, inspire, and empower each of their children to live their brilliance in an environment that centers their students voice and experience to create racially equitable learning that energizes and enhances the spirit of our community.
There is so much to be learned from the wisdom of our indigenous community. I continue to be thankful for our school community and the manner in which we all accept our collective responsibility to create safe, welcoming, and engaging learning environments for each student.
More than ever it is important that we choose gratitude over negativity and that we give ourselves and each other grace during these challenging times. Every day, I see a news article or reports about how school districts are facing criticism, hostility, threats and sometimes even violence. The fact that this is not our reality in St. Louis Park is commendable and I am grateful to live and work in a community that recognizes that we are much stronger and better together. In an effort to continue to hear from you about your experience we will be hosting listening sessions for students, staff, and families (please see the listening session information below). I hope you are able to participate in the listening session as I look forward to our continued partnership.
Thank you for your commitment to St. Louis Park Public Schools and I continue to believe that collectively we can accomplish great things for students.
With much appreciation,
Astein
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District Holds Land Acknowledgement Ceremony at October 26 School Board Meeting |
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On Tuesday, October 26, members of the District’s American Indian Parent Advisory Committee (AIPAC) led School Board Members and community members in attendance in a traditional ceremony to honor the approval of the District’s Land Acknowledgement.
The ceremony included a spiritual smudging - a ritual practiced by Indigenous people to purify or cleanse the body and spaces. Following the smudging, a traditional prayer was recited and an honor song was performed. A traditional spirit dish consisting of gabubu bread, buffalo, wild rice, wojapi berry sauce, and mushrooms was prepared and presented to School Board members. At the end of the ceremony, St. Louis Park Indigenous students presented School Board members with star quilts to show their appreciation for the Land Acknowledgement, which can be read below:
We are gathered on the land of the Dakota and Ojibwe peoples. I ask you to join me in acknowledging the Dakota and Ojibwe community, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. St. Louis Park Public Schools also acknowledges that it was founded upon exclusions and erasures of many Indigenous Peoples, including those on whose land this school district is located. This acknowledgement demonstrates a commitment to dismantling the ongoing legacies of colonial power and the district’s desire to support the ongoing work of local Indigenous communities to thrive in our schools.
Thank you to AIPAC members, special guests Stephanie Autumn and Austin Owen, students, Todd Goggleye, Freida Bailey, Julia McBride Bibby, and everyone who contributed to the success of the event.
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Upcoming Listening Session Opportunities |
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Stakeholders have a number of opportunities to attend listening sessions and share feedback with both the School Board and Superintendent Osei in the coming weeks.
Listening Sessions with Superintendent Osei
As a part of the process to hear stakeholder perspectives, Superintendent Osei will be hosting Listening Sessions this fall for students, parents/guardians, and staff. Listening Sessions will be held virtually via Google Meet.
November 8 | Somali speaking parents/guardians | 4:00-5:00 p.m. | Google Meet Link
November 8 | Spanish speaking parents/guardians | 5:00-6:00 p.m. | Google Meet Link
November 16 | English speaking parents/guardians | 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Google Meet Link
School Board Listening Session
All stakeholders are invited to attend St. Louis Park School Board Listening Sessions to ask questions and have a conversation with school board members. Up to three school board members will attend to listen to stakeholders. It is not an official meeting and no official action will be taken. Please be aware that the school board members will end the listening session 30 minutes after the posted start time if there are no stakeholders in attendance.
November 16 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | In-person - location TBD
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Vaccination Clinic Updates |
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12+ Vaccine Event
A reminder that we will be hosting Pfizer vaccination point of distribution events for eligible people ages 12 and up. If you are receiving a second dose or booster dose, please bring proof of vaccination. Event details:
- Dates: Saturday, November 6, 2021 and Saturday, December 4, 2021
- Time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Location: St. Louis Park High School Fieldhouse - Door 15
- The vaccine is free and no insurance is required
- Individuals 18 and older receiving a first dose will receive a $50 Visa gift card (while supplies last)
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Register by using your phone to capture the QR code or click the following link: Vaccine Registration & Scheduling (hennepin.us)
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Booster Information:
- Pfizer boosters will be available during both events (November 6 and December 4).
- To be eligible for a Pfizer booster, individuals must be: 18 years of age or older, have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, and have received their second dose six or more months ago.
- Boosters are not eligible for the $50 Visa gift card.
Where else can I get a Pfizer booster right now?
- Hennepin County’s Public Health Clinic is offering booster shots. You can schedule an appointment by calling 612-543-5555 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The public health clinic is located at 525 Portland Ave S, Minneapolis on the 4th floor.
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You can also refer to Vaccine Locations / COVID-19 Updates and Information - State of Minnesota (mn.gov) to find community locations to receive a booster.
Save the date! Vaccine clinic for ages 5-11
In anticipation of and pending FDA approval for COVID vaccinations for children age 5-11, St. Louis Park Public Schools has partnered with Community Care Clinics to hold two vaccination events on the afternoons of Monday, November 15 and Monday, December 6. Vaccination events for ages 5-11 will be held at the Middle School. More details will be communicated once FDA approval is announced.
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New Quarantine Guidance for Bus Riders |
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The district will begin contact tracing and quarantining bus riders who were in close contact with positive COVID cases, even if the students were wearing masks. This aligns with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommendation.
If a student who is identified as positive for COVID rode the bus, the school district will begin contact tracing as follows:
- Review the school bus routing system to determine if students were on the route for 15 minutes or more. Bus riders who came in contact with positive COVID students for LESS THAN 15 minutes do not need to quarantine.
- The school district will review the bus seating charts for riders who were in contact with the COVID positive students for 15 minutes or more.
- Students who were seated two rows in front, two rows behind and the row next to the COVID positive student - this applies to all students, even if masked - will be asked to quarantine.
- Schools will call families to inform them of the close contact to a COVID positive student and provide information about quarantine.
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Quarantine Reminders for Students Identified as Close Contacts |
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Families are reminded that according to current MDH quarantine guidance, a student who is identified as a close contact after being exposed to a positive COVID case at school, needs to quarantine for 10 days without a negative test, or 7 days with a negative PCR test.
It's important to note that the BinaxNOW COVID tests that are available for free to families at the District's four elementary schools are NOT PCR tests. The State of Minnesota's Community Testing Sites are one of the many options where families can obtain a PCR test.
Teachers and staff at each of our buildings are committed to ensuring that students continue to learn while at home during those times of quarantine.
Click here to view detailed information by grade level (K-5, 6-8 and 9-12) on what school will look like for your student during quarantine.
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Jessica Davis Spends Week in Washington, D.C. as Minnesota's 2019 Teacher of the Year |
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Jessica Davis, Racial Equity Instructional Coach at St. Louis Park High School, recently traveled to Washington, D.C., Oct. 17-22, for a week of professional development, celebration and meetings with lawmakers. The week's events included a White House ceremony hosted by the President and First Lady Joe and Dr. Jill Biden. Davis was invited to Washington along with other 2019 and 2020 Teacher of the Year recipients from across the country. |
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Davis and 2020 Minnesota Teacher of the Year Qorsho Hassan |
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Davis, Minnesota U.S. Representative Angie Craig, and Hassan |
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Connecticut U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes and Davis |
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High School Senior Named to All-National Symphony Orchestra Honor Ensemble |
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St. Louis Park High School senior Fiona Petrie has been selected to the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) All-National Symphony Orchestra Honor Ensemble for the second straight year. Petrie is one of two violinists and one of three Minnesota students to be named to the ensemble.
Petrie will now partake in a virtual 2021 All-National Honor Ensembles program, January 22-24. The 2021 virtual event will include several rehearsals with the 2021 All-National Honor Ensemble Conductors, workshops with renowned clinicians, and each ensemble will create a final, recorded performance which will be premiered online during the 37th-annual Music In Our Schools Month.
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District Choral Festival is Thursday, October 28 |
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Stakeholders are invited to attend the District Choral Festival at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 28 at the High School Fieldhouse. Click here to watch the Park Singers rehearse their song The Road Home.
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2021-23 Teacher Contract Agreement Approved by School Board |
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The Park Association of Teachers (PAT) and St. Louis Park Public Schools are pleased to announce that the school board voted unanimously in favor of the 2021-2023 teacher contract agreement at their October 26, 2021 meeting.
“We are thankful for the strong relationship and collaboration throughout the negotiation process,” said PAT President Nathan Tangen.
“I would like to thank the PAT Negotiations Team and PAT Executive Leadership Team,” said Richard Kreyer, Director of Human Resources. “Throughout all of our meetings they (PAT) were collaborative, thoughtful, persistent but always student-focused.”
The contract is focused on work-life balance to attract and to retain the best teachers in St. Louis Park Public Schools to educate all learners and fulfill our mission. “We both listened to the problems we were having and tried to work on a reasonable solution,” Kreyer said.
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District Hiring Multiple Positions |
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St. Louis Park Public Schools currently has a number of job openings in various departments. Click here to view current job postings.
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Reminder: Face Coverings are Required on Buses
and in Schools & Centers
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Please remember that masks are required to be worn by all students (K-12) on buses. Please be sure to send your students to the bus stop with a mask. Masks are also required to be worn by students and staff in district schools and centers when indoors with the exception of when individuals are eating breakfast or lunch.
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Keep Schools Open: Stay Home When You Are Sick |
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Families are also reminded to keep students home when they are sick, including if they have any COVID-related symptoms such as a fever, difficulty breathing, loss of taste or snell, muscle pain, chills, cough, runny nose/congestion, sore throat, headache or fatigue.
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