Wildcat Pride                    December 1, 2015
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Happy December! As the calendar year wraps up there's still lots going on in the district.  The high school musical Grease kicked off the music season - check out some of the pictures from the performance. November wrapped up with the Children's Choir Concert made up of 4th and 5th grade students from Taylors Falls and Lakeside Elementary led by Leah Steffen and Jacquie Undem. With the first real snow of the season, you might be wondering about how decisions about school closings take place, so check out the article on that, too. As always you can keep up with us on Facebook for the latest news!

Choir and Band Concerts Scheduled Throughout December

This December you'll be able to catch a wide assortment of choir and band concerts that highlight our district music programs. December 5th will be the 5th Annual Scholarship Christmas Concert put on by the top high school band and choir combined.  Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.  Proceeds go to fund two $500 scholarships given out in May to a band senior and a choir senior. You will find all the dates and times below, or on the district calendar. All middle school choir and band programs are free and open to the public, as is the all high school choir concert on December 14th.

Hour of Code Comes to Lakeside and Taylor Falls Elementary
Starting on December 7th, students in grades 3-5 will be participating in Hour of Code™. 
The Hour of Code™ a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week ( csedweek.org) and Code.org to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming. The programming at the elementary schools will be in conjunction with the Science Specialist who works with both groups of kids.  They will be introduced to the ideas in December and programming will continue in the new year as part of the STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology, Math) education covered by science teacher Jessica Fitzgerald. Hear more from some people who support the program in this  video.

School Closing: How Decisions are made at the District Office

The winter season brings all sorts of wonderful things, as well as a few difficulties - school closing is probably one of those things that fits both categories, depending on whether you're a child or a parent.  

Luckily, we live in an age where information on things like school closing is available in many ways - automated phone calls and emails, Facebook, Twitter, television and radio stations, and the district web site. You can read the entire district explanation here.
On the calendar:

December 5: Secret Santa Workshop at the Primary 9:00 to 2:00
December 5: HS Music Department Christmas Program in 
the PAC at 7:00 p.m. [Scholarship Fundraiser]

December 6: Unexpected Company Christmas Concert in the HS 
PAC at 3:00 p.m.

December 7: Middle School Choir Concerts at 6:30 in HS PAC

December 8: PTO Night at the Northern Tavern and Grill
December 8: Middle School Band Concerts at 6:30 in HS PAC

December 10: HS Parent/Teacher Conferences from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.
December 10: School Board Meeting:Truth & Taxation at 6:30 p.m. in the 
 district office boardroom

December 14: North Pole Workshop at the Family Center 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
December 14: HS Holiday Choir Concert in the PAC at 7:00 p.m.



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