Key Dates for Families

• 5:00-7:00 PM Tuesday, November 15th TD Kindergarten Observation Night Room # 317

• 6:15-7:45 PM Tuesday, November 15th PTO Meeting in the Media Center and on Zoom All are welcome!

• Wednesday, November 23rd - Friday, November 25 ~ No School/Fall Break

• Friday, December 2 ~ No School (District Wide PD Day)

• Thursday, December 22 to January 2nd ~ No School/Winter Break

Our Fourth and Fifth Grade students, along with our students that identify as Native American in all grade levels, had the honor and privilege of listening and learning from Laughing Fox Storyteller. He shared with the students his hand made flutes and and beautiful stories of the land. The students were so attentive and respectful to Laughing Fox! Thank you students and Laughing Fox!

November is Native American Heritage Month

St. Louis Park Public Schools exist on the land of the Dakota and Ojibwe peoples. We acknowledge the Dakota and Ojibwe community, their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. We acknowledge that our school district was founded upon exclusions and erasures of many Indigenous Peoples, including those on whose land our school district is located. We commit 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. Especially this month, we celebrate Native American Heritage Month and honor the Indigenous students and families we serve in St. Louis Park Public Schools.

At Susan Lindgren each and every student and team member are important to our community, and we strive to be an inclusive community that celebrates and honors your full humanity.

Susan Lindgren Elementary School Mission

Collectively, we nurture and inspire all learners to thrive socially, emotionally and academically in an equitable and inclusive community.

On Monday, November 14th we will be a building full of kindness! Students will also enjoy a Jonny Pop at lunch time thanks to the Jonny Pops Company right here in St. Louis Park donating for World Kindness Day. Thank you to parent Kathleen Stutzman for organizing and Jonny Pops Company for the donation!

Good luck to all the SL GOTR runners in their

 5K run on Sunday!

Student Advocacy and Student Voice

Poster made collectively by Sarah Jivanjee, Ameila Fox-Vandergon and Libby Lipschultz. They met with me to share this poster and why the message is so important to each of them!

Thank you for using your voice and skills to make all aware!

Important PTO News and Updates

Susan Lindgren’s Online Student Directory is Here!

The PTO is once again providing an online student directory. It is a wonderful resource to help families and students make connections with each other! We need your help to make the directory accurate! Please create or login to your account to verify your family information and choose your publishing preferences. You get to choose which information is published (middle names, home address, phone numbers, email addresses) and the directory is only accessible to Susan Lindgren families. Here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Register for an Account

1. Login to or create your directory account on the PTO website. (If you are creating a new account, you must use the email address on file with the school district, otherwise your family record will not be found.)

2. Make sure your family contact information is correct.

3. Decide what contact info you'd like to publish. That’s it!

Step 2: Download the Free Mobile App!

No app? No problem! You can also access the directory from your computer at:

https://susanlindgrenpto.org. If you wish to opt-out of the directory entirely, please let us know by sending an email to susanlindgrenpto@gmail.com. Be sure to include parent/guardian and student name(s). The Student Directory is a benefit funded by the PTO; thanks to Susan Lindgren family and community donations

PTO Meeting THIS Tues., Nov 15

All families are invited to attend the next PTO meeting on Tuesday, November 15 from 6:15- 7:45 p.m. This meeting will be the first hybrid meeting held in the Susan Lindgren Media Center as well as virtually over Zoom. The agenda will include:

• School & district updates from Principal Pollock & Collin Cox, school board member

• PTO budget and events/activities updates and discussion 

• Plus special guests, Michele Edwins, Restorative Practices Coordinator, and Arsenio Richardson, Elementary Support Supervisor, for a discussion on Behavior Policies: How Restorative Practice is implemented in SLP Schools on a day-to-day basis. 

All in-person attendees will be entered in a drawing, plus free childcare and pizza for children! We hope to see you there! Join Zoom with the link here (ID: 84259319788, passcode: 114702) Contact susanlingrenpto@gmail.com with questions.

Next Week is Parkway Pizza Night - Wed., Nov 16! 

Enjoy a night out for a good cause! A portion of all sales from this day supports student enrichment activities, field trips and more for Susan Lindgren Elementary!  

Save The Date! Adults Night Out - Tuesday, Dec 6, 6:30 p.m. 

Did you know that Tuesday is the new Friday?! Join us for the first Susan Lindgren Adults Night Out at Park Tavern on Tuesday, December 6, 6:30 p.m. We can’t wait to enjoy a night out together and a chance to make new connections. More details to follow and we hope to see you there! 

Winter Youth Enrichment Clubs and Classes

Engineering for Kids Jr Engineering/STEM Club (click to register)

The Engineering For Kids Jr Engineering/STEM Club brings fun, hands-on lessons every week to introduce engineering concepts at a young age.

Wednesdays, January 11-February 15

2:15-3:15 pm

$149

Chibi Art Drawing Class (click to register)

The students will learn how to draw kawaii (cute), Japanese-inspired chibi characters! 

Fridays, Jan. 6-February 10 

2:15-3:45 pm 

$99

LEGO Club (click to register)

Join us to spend the afternoon immersed in your own LEGO land.

Tuesdays, January 17-March 21

2:15-3:30 pm 

Sliding Scale Pricing: $29/$39/$49/$59

Cooking Club (no bake edition) (click to register)

Learn how to make new no-bake recipes each week while learning the basics of cooking, ingredients, and baking. 

Mondays, January 23-March 20

2:15-3:30 pm 

Sliding Scale Pricing: $49/$59/$69/$79

To view the Ultimate YEP Winter Guide with ALL the winter offerings, click here.

Questions? Contact Kelleen at obrion.kelleen@slpschools.org or 952-928-6399

Thank you, School Psychologists!

Our school psychologists partner with families, teachers, school administrators, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections between home, school, and the community. They apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. They are also important members of school safety and crisis teams.

This year's theme, “Together We Shine,” honors the hope we feel after several challenging years and emphasizes the power of our collective efforts to overcome difficulties to ensure that all our students can thrive in school, at home, and in life. While we all have our own individual strengths and attributes, we shine even brighter when we all bring our ideas and actions together to uplift the community. Through collaboration, we can empower students and adults to find purpose and possibility, all while fostering resilience. This is especially important for those who are or who feel marginalized, unrecognized, or at risk.

From all of us at St. Louis Park Public Schools, thank you, Dr. Crystal Grow, Dr. Dan Phillipe, and Katie Lail, our awesome school psychologists!

High Rates of Illness at School



Masks are Highly Encouraged. Stay Home When Sick and Slow the Spread of Illness

We are seeing unusually high rates of illness in multiple SLP schools, in particular, influenza (flu) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). These viruses can be easily spread through close contact when people cough, sneeze, and talk. 

Please help partner with us in an effort to prevent the spread of illness by following our illness guidelines:

Situations when your child should stay home:

• Fever of 100 degrees or more. The student should stay home for 24 hours after their temperature returns to normal without the use of fever reducing medication.
• Vomiting or diarrhea. The student is to stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.
• Any uncontrolled cough.
• Rashes with unknown causes. Check with your family physician/clinic before your student returns to school.
• If feeling ill/unwell and the student is unable to fully participate in school activities.

If your child displays symptoms of influenza or RSV, you can reach out to your child’s health care provider to see if testing for these illnesses is recommended. For information about influenza and RSV please refer to the Parent Fact Sheets from Hennepin County Public Health:

• Influenza information can be found HERE
• RSV Information can be found HERE

Thank you for helping to prevent the spread of illness.

COVID-19 Dashboard

St. Louis Park Public Schools continues to report weekly positive COVID-19 cases on our website. While we won’t publish them every week in our school newsletter, you can view the dashboard at any time. Visit the COVID Updates and Information webpage for more information. The dashboard is updated each week on Wednesdays by the end of the day.

Reminder: COVID-19 Guidance

St. Louis Park Public Schools will continue to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) regarding COVID-19 during the 2022-23 school year. View the MDH Guidelines/Flowsheet and the CDC Isolation guidelines 



• Masks: Students and staff will be required to wear a face covering if 5% or more of the students and/or staff who attend or work at their school site test positive for COVID-19. Students and staff can choose to wear a mask at any time.

• What If I Test Positive? Stay home for at least five days, isolate yourself from others and wear a well-fitted mask if you must be around others in your home. Isolation may end after five days, and students and staff may return to school on day six if your illness symptoms have improved, you are fever-free without fever reducing medicine for 24 hours, and are able to wear a well fitted mask on days 6-10. If a person was asymptomatic and then developed symptoms after testing positive, the 5-day isolation period starts over, with the start of symptoms being day zero.
• 
  
• Guidance if Exposed: Students and staff who have been exposed to COVID-19 do not need to quarantine.
• 
  
• COVID-19 Dashboard: We publish COVID-19 infection rate data on a weekly basis – with the exception of Winter Break and Spring Break. The information will be published weekly on our website.

Visit the COVID-19 Information webpage for more information.

Get Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests at School

Free at-home COVID-19 tests are available to SLP students. If you need one, an adult or student may pick it up in the health office. 

St. Louis Park Public Schools will continue to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) regarding COVID-19 during the 2022-23 school year. View the MDH Guidelines/Flowsheet and the CDC Isolation guidelines 

Students and staff will be required to wear a face covering if 5% or more of the students and/or staff who attend or work at their school site test positive for COVID-19. Students and staff can choose to wear a mask at any time. 

View the COVID-19 webpage for more information on COVID-19 guidance.

National Community Education Day



National Community Education Day is celebrated in Minnesota and nationwide on the second Thursday of November each year.

In honor of this day, we are sharing a special gift with you! Enroll in a Youth or Adult Class/activity today and receive 20% off your registration. Offer available on 11/10 only.

Use code: CE22

Note: Please only use this article if your newsletter goes out on or before Thursday. The image is in the Community Education folder.

We could not do the wonderful things we do at our school without all of you and your never-ending support. We are a village and family for all of our 425 learners! 



Your Proud Partner in Learning,

Clarence Pollock

Principal

Clarence Pollock, Principal

Arsenio Richardson, Elementary Support Supervisor

4801 West 41st Street

St. Louis Park, MN 55416

Phone: 952-928-6700

Fax: 952-928-6713

pollock.clarence@slpschools.org

https://sl.slpschools.org