Hello Aquila Families,
I hope you had a nice MEA break. Our construction team from the summer was back and tackled some of the items they were not able to finish before school started. One item was more coat hooks in each classroom. These are critical with colder weather coming. With students bringing heavier jackets and snow pants, we needed more hooks. Students also need a hook for their backpacks.
There will be district-wide vision screenings for all Third Grade students this year. Nurses and nursing students were at Aquila last week to assess vision. Parents will be notified if there's any concern about their students vision. Thank you from your health office team!
Tomorrow we kick off our only student-led fundraiser for the year. It is called Aquila Read$. You will get a special edition newsletter tomorrow giving you all the information. Please help us support our students as they read a little more every day and try to raise money for field trips, enriching experiences, and learning resources.
I want to end with a little story that touched my heart. In previous newsletters, Mrs. Tolzin and I have talked about the social emotional learning our staff and students are working on this year. September was all about Zones of Regulation (
developed by Leah M. Kuypers, MA Ed. OTR/L)
. As you know we practiced many fire and lockdown drills in September. After our last drill was completed, I was walking around the building checking on classrooms. When I came to a First Grade classroom, students walked up to me and asked me what zone I was in. I had to think for a minute but then said, "Yellow and working my way back to green!" The students then gave me a few pointers on how I might get to green which included taking a few breaths!
This month we are working on circles. There are three types of circles, but the most common is a community building circle. We work to have a circle every day at Aquila. This is often called a morning meeting. Mrs. Tolzin will talk more about circles in the next newsletter.
Shelley Nielsen
Aquila Elementary, Principal
|
|
Outdoor Clothing & Lost And Found Reminders
|
|
Please remember to label your child's outdoor gear. Label coats, hats, boots, snow pants, etc. Many of the coats and gear look exactly the same. Students accidentally pick up the wrong jacket or snow pants. If we find outdoor clothing with names in them, we can get them back to your student.
We do have a "Lost And Found" at Aquila. It is located by the Cafeteria and it is already bursting with items. Have your student check the "Lost And Found" if they are missing an item.
|
|
AQ PTO - Parent, Teacher Organization
|
|
The Aquila PTO partners with families to enhance the education experience of all Aquila students, families and staff! If you are interested in being involved, please contact AQ PTO President Rachel Bohn at rrbohn@live.com.
Please click here to visit our Facebook page
!
TONIGHT: Thursday, October 24 ~ 7:30 PM
***AQUILA READ$***
INFORMATION COMING HOME TOMORROW FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25TH!
***PANCAKE BREAKFAST***
SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, November 16th
|
|
BOX TOPS!
Box Tops are going digital! No more clipping Box Tops and sending them to school. Instead, download the free mobile app, choose Aquila Elementary, scan your receipts and continue earning cash for our school. Remember, every ten cents adds up!
Click here
to see how.
Prints Box Tops will continue to be collected until they expire.
Please bring your points to school and drop them off in the office or feed them to this monster in the foyer.
Fall deadline for turning in Box Tops is TOMORROW - Friday, October 25th!
|
|
|
PANERA BREAD FUNDRAISER!
Come join Aquila families at Panera Bread (Knollwood Mall) on Wednesday, October 30th from 4:00-8:00 PM for food, fun and fundraising. Bring the attached flyer into the store or enter "PRFUND" as your Promo Code for online orders to have a portion of your proceeds donated to Aquila.
Click here for flyer!
|
|
|
|
SPOT THE SPIRIT
Come join us at one of our Aquila PTO restaurant fundraisers throughout the year. These events are a great way to support Aquila while meeting other families in the Aquila Community. When you go to the restaurant wear your
ORANGE
and
BLACK
to show your
AQUILA SPIRIT
. If you are spotted by a PTO member wearing your spirit you could win a gift card!
|
|
|
|
Aquila Read$ Author Night - Tuesday, October 29th
|
|
Aquila will host its annual FREE Author Night from 6:30-7:30 PM on Tuesday, October 29, in the gymnasium, with local author and Aquila Parent Aurora Whittet, as this year’s guest author.
Every child attending Author Night will receive a FREE book by various authors.
*Aurora will be selling and autographing her books after the presentation!
Aurora started out as a wild red-haired child in Minnesota dreaming up stories for her friends to read. Today, she has completed her first Young Adult series - the Bloodmark Saga - and has made her debut as a children's author with Mama's Knight: A Cancer Story of Love and How to Turn Your Mom into a Monster. She is a trained birth doula and a national award-winning graphic designer.
Author Nights in St. Louis Park Public Schools are part of SLP Read$ -- an initiative in October that encourages student and family reading through elementary school read-a-thons, while raising funds for their school parent organizations.
|
|
Parade of Schools - All Community Members Welcome!
|
|
Kids Voting is a program that helps educate students about the voting process on Election Day. Many volunteers are needed on Election Day to help make Kids Voting run smoothly. Please click on the link below to find the Sign Up Genius links. Thank you!
Kids Voting St. Louis Park is supported by the St Louis Park Public Schools, St. Louis Park City Council, League of Women Voters St. Louis Park, MN Civic Youth, and other community leaders.
|
|
Aquila Service Club - New Toy Drive
|
|
Aquila Elementary School Service Club
is currently collecting
NEW TOYS
in support of the
2019 STEP (St Louis Park Emergency Program) Holiday Toy Drive
Now through November 7th, Aquila students and staff are invited to bring NEW toys to school and place them in the bins by the school office.
Toy purchases in the $15-$40 range are ideal; and Target gift cards with values of $10, $20, and $30 are needed. Toys can be purchased online through Amazon and Target too.
|
|
Estamos emocionados de invitarlos a nuestra Noche Latina!
Celebraremos nuestra cultura, comida, tradiciones, y más! Por favor
trae un plato de comida para compartir!
Cuándo: jueves, 7 de noviembre
Donde: Escuela Aquila
Hora: 5:00-6:30 pm
Nos vemos ahí!
|
|
Boozhoo! Ms. Shanita's Announcements
|
|
"No person among us desires any other reward for performing a brave and worthy action, but the consciousness of having served his nation."
Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea)
Mohawk
My name is Ms.Shanita and I am the Native American Liaison for the St.Louis Park School District. I will be working with our Native American students and families here at Aquila and visiting classroom periodically. I am currently working on a student count appeal, which means that I am working towards finding our Native American families with North American Indian heritage. If I have not reached out to you, I may not know that you or your child has North American Indian heritage. Please reach out to me so we can get your child/ren involved in the activities we will have at Aquila, in the district, and in the community.
Contact info:
763-200-2495 call or text anytime
Site Support:
Contact Ms.Shanita if you would like to volunteer at Aquila. Volunteers are needed to collaborate with students and staff in planning and supporting events and activities. Your support is needed and appreciated.
506 Forms:
I am still waiting on a couple of returns of the 506 forms. If you need another form, please contact Ms. Shanita.
September & October Updates:
- In collaboration with Julia McBride-Biby, African American Liaison, we held a Kindergarten Welcome Meeting with families at Aquila.
- A book was given to every Native student that we have enrolled as Native or part Native at Aquila.
- We had an AIPAC (American Indian Parent Advisory Committee) meeting last week.
- Ms. Shanita met with Native American and interested families, staff, and community members during four days and conference times at Aquila.
- Still to come in October will be a student focus group with grades 3-5 for planning.
Upcoming November Events:
- Native American Family Involvement Week - Aquila Breakfast Event & District Family Event
- Continued work on student count appeal in the district.
Ms. Shanita Resource Recommendations:
Thank you, Aquila, for your support!
Ms. Shanita
Quote/Image:
The Wisdom of The Native Americans. Edited by Ken Nerburn. Chapter 5 The Ways of Leading Others, page 23.
|
|
Third Grade Acorn Snack Fun
|
|
Second Grade Fall Party - BINGO
|
|
|
- Oct 24: AQ Parent Social Club, 7:30 PM TONIGHT!
- Oct 25: Aquila Read$ Fundraiser begins
- Oct 29: AQ Author Night, 6:30 PM
- Oct 30: Panera Bread Fundraiser, 4:00-8:00 PM
- Nov 1: No School
- Nov 7: Noche Latina, 5:00-6:30 PM
- Nov 13: Picture Retake Day
- Nov 13: Eat Parkway Pizza to benefit AQ PTO
- Nov 16: PTO Pancake Breakfast
- Nov 19: Chipotle Fundraiser, 4:00-8:00 PM
- Nov 27: No School
- Nov 28: No School
- Nov 29: No School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
