Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.

Monday, January 16th is a day to remember this amazing leader and what he was passionate about regarding our country. At Susan Lindgren we strive to teach our students the truth about our country's history, and know that students are at the center of this learning. We need our black, hispanic, latino, indigenous, asian and white students to know that when they work hard and we support them, they can be whatever they choose to be!

No School on Monday, January 16th for students and the school team

Winter MAP Testing

Error in last week's Communicator



Winter MAP Testing starts next week for all students in Grades 2-5. This test is taken on the computer in the areas of Reading and Math. 

MAP Reading and Math: January 17th - 20th

MAP Make-up Testing: January 23rd - 25th

Student results will be shared during February Family Conferences on Thursday, February 16 from 2:30 -6:30 PM and/or Friday, February 17 from 7:30 AM–3:30 PM. 

February Family Connections

(Previously called Parent/Teacher Conferences)

*All Family Connections will be in person at the school*

Sign Ups will be sent out on Monday, January 30th in a special edition of the Susan Lindgren Communicator, as well as on our school website for your convenience. 

Family Connection Dates:

• Thursday, February 16th from 2:30-6:30 PM (20 minute sessions)
• Friday, February 17th from 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM (20 minute sessions)

First Semester Progress Reports will be sent home with students in sealed envelopes in backpacks on Thursday, February 2nd.

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 428 learners! 

Your Proud Partner in Learning,

Clarence Pollock

Principal

Key Dates for Families

• Monday, January 16 - No School - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

• Tuesday, January 17 - PTO Meeting- 6:00 to 8:00 PM located in the Media Center

• January 17th - 20th - Winter MAP Testing Grades 2-5 (Reading and Math)



• Thursday, January 26- Festival of Nations- 6:00-8:00 PM at Susan Lindgren

• Friday, January 27 - No School - End of Semester Grading/Work Day



• Thursday, February 2nd - First Semester Progress Reports send home is student backpacks

• Friday, February 3 - No School- Districtwide Professional Development Day



• Thursday, February 16th - Family Connections (Conferences) 2:30-6:30 PM

• Friday, February 17 - No School- Family Connections (Conferences) 7:30AM - 3:30 PM

• Thursday, February 16 and Friday February 17- Book Fair in the SL Media Center during Family Connections

• Monday, February 20 - No School - Presidents' Day Holiday

For the safety of students, and the consideration of our neighbors as well as all, please remember to:

• Know the different zones: DROP OFF, PARKING and NO PARKING.

• Drop off the student/s ONLY in the DROP OFF ZONE.

• Have student/s exit from the RIGHT side of vehicle, ready with supplies.
• If a parent or guardian needs to assist the student/s, go to the END of the drop off zone.

• Stay with your vehicle.
• If you need to pick up your student, park in PARKING ZONE and wait along the sidewalk.

• Move with the flow of the traffic.
• Don’t TURN AROUND on 41st Street. Instead, consider W 40th Street or W 40th Lane.

• Pull all the way up BEFORE dropping off or picking up your student.
• Staff will help students get to and from their vehicles.

Thank you for doing your part in keeping students safe!

Please remember students go outside for recess every day! Make sure they have outdoor clothing. Label all clothing.

Students will always go outside unless the regular temperature is below 0 degrees or the windchill temperature is -10 degrees or below. We will watch the temperature to keep our students safe.

We are always in need of gently used or new winter gear, especially waterproof mittens/gloves.

If you are in need of winter gear, please contact our Social Worker Michelle Bryant at bryant.michelle@slpschools.org

Fundraisers:

Gotsneakers?: We would truly appreciate a donation of any sneakers (tennis shoes) that you are going to be getting rid of this year. Please bring them to the front office of Susan Lindgren or send with your student to drop off. Please see the attached document to learn more about Gotsneakers. 

Chipotle: Mark your calendar: March 7th 4-8 PM any purchase from Excelsior Blvd. (by Park Nicollet) Chipotle will give Susan Lindgren Spotlight kids 30% of the sales. You will need to bring the upcoming flyer either electronically or in hard copy. 

Donations: 

Snacks: We will be serving approximately 100 students snacks twice a week for 17 weeks. Any donations of snacks would be greatly appreciated. Please send snack donations to the front office. Here is a Sign Up Link for Snack donations.

Carpentry Supplies: If you have a connection or extra construction materials at your residence please let us know. We will be constructing sets and will need all of the supplies to make that happen. Email: Meg Schauer: schauer.meg@slpschools.org 

Fabric: If you have a connection or extra fabric at your residence please let us know. We will be constructing costumes and will need all of the supplies to make that happen. Please email so we can give you more specifics of what we are looking for. 

Email: Meg Schauer: schauer.meg@slpschools.org 

UPDATE for Susan Lindgren Spotlight Kids: 

The first dates of rehearsal will be 1/10/23 and 1/12/23.

We are excited for this opportunity and greatly appreciate any and all support! If you have any questions or concerns please reach out.

Sincerely,

Ms. Schauer schauer.meg@slpschools.org (Director)

Mr. Thomas thomas.joseph@slpschools.org (Musical Director)

Ms. Bertram bertram.emilie@slpschools.org (Choreographer) 

Ms. Nelson nelson.robin@slpschools.org (Producer) 

Important PTO News and Updates

PTO Meeting - THIS Tuesday, January 17, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

All families are invited to attend the next PTO meeting this Tuesday, January 17. Starting at 6 p.m., there will be an informal time for parents to connect, then the meeting will be held from 6:15 -8:00 p.m. (this is a new end time). This meeting will again be a hybrid meeting held in the Susan Lindgren Media Center as well as virtually over Zoom. The agenda will include:

• Lead Teacher updates, plus school & district updates from Principal Pollock & Collin Cox, school board member
• PTO budget and updates on upcoming school events & activities
• Kelleen O'Brion with SLP  Community Ed Youth Enrichment will share summer programming & offerings   
• Plus special guests from The HOPE Speaks Project. Created by two SLP educators, HOPE Speaks offers workshops for adults and children around building an anti-racist community. 
• All in-person attendees will be entered in a drawing, plus free childcare and pizza for children!

Festival of Nations - Thursday, January 26, 6-8 p.m.

View the Festival of Nations Flyer in SPANISH and SOMALI. Contact susanlindgrenpto@gmail.com with any questions! 

Volunteer for Festival of Nations 1/26

All the great activities at Festival of Nations won’t be possible without volunteers!! Please consider signing up for a shift- before, during, or after the event. We also know families want to attend the event with their students, so please consider asking older siblings, SL alumni, and grandparents to volunteer! Share this Sign Up link and give SL supporters a fun opportunity to give back! 

Wed., January 18 is Parkway Pizza Night! 

It’s that time - save the cooking and clean up for another night! Dine in, take out, or delivery - a portion of ALL sales from this day will help fund events and activities like Festival of Nations, Student Showcase, June Jamboree, field trips and more for Susan Lindgren students!  

Holiday Gifts were a Success

Thank you Susan Lindgren families for your contributions to group holiday gifts; close to $5,000 was gifted to all 20 teachers and 52 staff! What a wonderful show of appreciation, in addition to the countless other ways families and students showed their appreciation during the holiday season. A big thanks to Class Ambassadors for your help sharing this opportunity!  

A Look Ahead….

Tues., Jan. 17 - PTO Meeting, Media Center, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 26 - Festival of Nations, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Susan Lindgren 

Thurs., Feb. 16 - Fri., Feb 17 - Staff Appreciation meals during Family Connect Meetings 

Thurs., Feb. 16 - Fri, Feb. 17 - Book Fair, Media Center   

Thurs., Mar. 9 - Math Night, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Susan Lindgren Gym

Winter Youth Enrichment Clubs and Classes

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

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

Family Class Opportunity from Youth Enrichment Programs and The HOPE Speaks Project

We See Color! Grades K-2 w/ caregivers

This six-week course is designed for children in grades K-2 with their caregivers. Rather than instill false notions of "colorblindness" that ignore parts of our identity, this course will teach kids and caregivers how to engage in meaningful conversations that celebrate and honor our unique differences. Raise the racial consciousness of your child rearing and have fun in the process! 

Cost per family: $99 (includes dinner at each class for all attending members

Day/Time: Tuesdays, January 24-February 28, 5:30-7:00 pm 

Location: Susan Lindgren Media Center 

Click here to register now: We See Color!

Raising Racially Conscious Kids (Grades 3-5 w/ caregivers) 

This six-week course is designed for children in grades 3-5 and their caregivers. Students and caregivers will be given tools to engage in uncomfortable conversations, develop key terminology and concepts to understand racism and promote healthy racial identities of all people centered in love and humanity. Caregivers will be able to begin to unpack how everyday child-rearing choices can be obstacles to equity. 

Cost per family: $99 (includes dinner at each class for all attending members

Day/Time: Tuesdays, January 24-February 28, 5:30-7:00 pm 

Location: Susan Lindgren Media Center 

Click here to register now: Raising Racially Conscious Kids

2023-24 Calendar Now Available

The School Board approved the 2023-2024 school calendar at the December 13, 2022 Board Meeting. Visit the calendar page on the website and click on the calendar for next school year (23-24).

Want to receive District emails and phone recordings in Spanish or Somali?

Families can now receive district-level communications (emails and phone recordings) in a preferred language such as Spanish or Somali. Some families currently receive messages in Spanish or Somali and may wish to receive information in English.

If you wish to update your language preferences, please contact your school and ask that the preferred guardian language be updated in our student information system (PowerSchool). This will ensure you receive district-level communications such as closures and emergencies in your preferred messages.

Whenever possible, we will do our best to ensure SLP phone recordings go out in your preferred language. 

Share the Mic Podcast with Suwaydah Aden, Erin Enright, and Ibtisam Ahmed whose climate action project inspired the Idle Free SLP Campaign

Seventh Graders Suwaydah Aden, Erin Enright, and Ibtisam Ahmed coined the term "Idle-Free SLP" during their Climate Action presentation last spring during science class. Their slogan and presentation have since served as inspiration for a new initiative in St. Louis Park to reduce carbon emissions in parking lots all across St. Louis Park. Listen to episodes 1-3 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Missed the December episode? Listen or Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6satuElql-c&t=6s 

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