16 December 2021
Coming Up
View the 2021-22 Year-at-a-Glance Calendar here.
View our Parent Google Calendar here.
COVID-19 Update
COVID Coordinator Update

We have hired Allison Barosko into the temporary part-time position of COVID Coordinator. Kelsey Goth, who had taken on COVID Communications in addition to her role in Advancement, will now be able to focus on event planning, including the upcoming Minds of All Kinds. Kelsey stepped up to this challenge just when COVID rates rose rapidly in Minnesota. Thank you Kelsey for your time and energy with COVID Communications over the past two months! Please direct any correspondence related to COVID to Allison at [email protected].

As COVID Coordinator, Allison manages all activities related to COVID including testing programs, contact tracing, communications to families, and reporting required information to the Minnesota Department of Health. Allison earned a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration from Northwestern University. She has extensive experience managing payroll, benefits, and HRIS from positions at MacPhail, Caribou Coffee, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Macalester. She has volunteered in the Children’s Minnesota Families As Partners program for over 10 years. Her long-term assignments have included serving on the Patient and Family Education Council, and serving on a quality improvement team for the NICU, dedicated to improving the outcomes of premature infants through increased parent participation.

Check out the COVID-19 Update section of our website for the latest information.
Family Corner
Staffing Updates
We are excited to welcome our new employee at AOWL!
Canesha
School Behavior Therapist
School Cancellations & Early Dismissal
Now that the snow and cold weather days are upon us, we want to remind you about our notification process:
  • When school is closed due to weather, you will receive an email, text, and voicemail by 6:00 am to the emergency contact numbers you provided stating that school is closed. We also report our closings on KARE 11 and WCCO - TV. 
  • For a mid-day closure due to weather, we will send out similar communication asking that you come to pick up your child at your earliest convenience. For the safety of students and families, the building will continue to be staffed throughout the day so that supervision is provided while students wait for pickup.
  • Please keep in mind when there is a closure there also will be no after-school activities.  
  • If you would like to update or add other numbers to the emergency list, please contact the main office.
E-Learning Days
When school is closed due to weather, we will initiate an E-Learning Day.

By 9:00 a.m., online work will be assigned by teachers as is relevant for their class. We trust that parents will do what is best for their students, if necessary helping students to prioritize and choose work that is possible at home.

The goal is to continue academic learning; however, if a parent is finding it difficult to either help their student with the work or their student is not able to complete the work, the teacher will assist the student with the assignment when they return to school.
Student Reunion Basketball Tip-off
Come join us for our second ever student reunion basketball tip-off hosted at the Academy of Whole Learning on Saturday, January 8th! We would love to see you back at AOWL for a night of basketball, pizza, and catching up.

  • Time: 6:00-7:30
-6:00 pm - Basketball Game
-6:30 pm - Pizza Party
  • Where: AOWL Gym, 3500 Williston Road, Minnetonka, MN 55345
  • Who: All former and current AOWL students and families!
COVID-19 Details:
For the safety of the community, we require one of the following options:
  1. Proof of vaccination.
  2. Proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken 48 to 72 hours prior to the event date.
Bring a copy of your vaccination card or a copy of your test results on January 8th!
If you are feeling sick or experiencing any of these symptoms, please stay home.
 
Email [email protected] with any questions.
AOWL Book Club January - March 2022
Calling All Readers! We are contemplating creating an AOWL Book Club and want to gauge interest from our AOWL community. We are thinking of meeting monthly over the winter to start - January, February, and March. Group members would help select which books to read and discuss.

  • If you are interested in learning more, please email Maureen at [email protected] with your name, email address, and a time that would work well for you for the Book Club to meet. Thank you!
Annual Fund
Yesterday marks 18 years since Academy of Whole Learning was founded as a non-profit.

In honor of AOWL Day of Giving, a supporter generously donated a matching grant.
For the rest of this week, we have TWO matching grants!!!

Gifts will be tripled for everyone, up to $20,000!

Click this link to see some AOWL memories through the years!
Therapy Services
Please visit us at www.academyofwholelearning.org/therapy/ or contact Karla Przybylski at [email protected] for more information about our therapy services.
Beyond the Bell
Reminder that there is no school or activity day tomorrow, December 17th.

Session 2 Clubs
  • Session 2 clubs will begin on January 3rd and will run through March 11th.
  • Please register at Smarttuition.com.

Owl's Nest Before and After-School Care Winter Hours
  • Friday after-school hours will end at 4:30 pm so that we can honor our lease agreement, requiring that we be out of the building by sundown.
  • General information on Owl's Nest can be found here.
  • To notify AOWL Staff that you are here to pick up your child from Owl's Nest, call 952-737-6923.

Activity Days
  • Winter Activity Days are set for Dec 27-30th from 9-3pm.
  • If you need Owls Nest for activity days please note that Owls Nest will be available from 8am-9am and 3pm-4:30pm.
  • For questions and information on remaining spots available please email Nicole at [email protected]


For more Enrichment information, see the Beyond the Bell page on our website.
Dr. Wyayn's Words
As winter break begins, I have been reflecting on the last year and thinking about what is to come. I am grateful for all that you and your students bring to our community.

For me, winter break offers a time for quiet contemplation and an opportunity to see the world and myself more clearly. I had an opportunity to begin this reflection last week as I decorated our Christmas tree with my grandsons. When we were finished, I found myself thinking about how I could choose to see the lights we wrapped around the branches as more than a simple festive decoration – I could choose to see them as a reminder that while the wintry darkness can often be discouraging or overwhelming, I have an opportunity to shine light on that darkness every day. Sometimes the transformative experience we often speak of here at AOWL means illuminating something that someone else may view as scary or strange, or having something illuminated for us so that we can see it in a new way. During the holidays, this symbolism can be seen all around us: in the lights emanating from menorahs throughout Chanukah; the clay lamps of Diwali; and the candles atop the kinara during Kwanzaa. I hope you will never hesitate to shine light in the darkness, not only throughout the holiday season, but into the new year and beyond.

On behalf of everyone at Academy of Whole Learning, I want to offer you our best wishes for the holiday season and for a happy and healthy 2022. I hope that over the break you will do what feels right to you to renew and recharge. I hope you have the opportunity to relax, reconnect with your friends and family, and enjoy this break.

We look forward to seeing the students back on campus in January.

Dr. Wyayn
View from the Nest
Hot chocolate, snow, and poinsettias - we are feeling the holiday spirit!
Contacts
PTO Co-chairs

Principal
Executive Director