St. Louis Park Middle School's Weekly News
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Calendar
- March 11, World Language rollerskating party at RollerGarden 6-8 p.m.
- March 14, 6th grade field trip
- March 22, All school party, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Monday is an A day
Tuesday is a B day
Wednesday and Thursday is an A day
Friday is a B day
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School Start-End Times Team to Recommend Two Options
The 2018-19 School Start-End Times Project Team held its fourth and final meeting on Monday, March 4. The group reviewed stakeholder feedback for the four options they developed in February and selected their first and second choice options to recommend to the School Board.
Click here to see their recommendations.
The team will make its formal recommendation to the School Board at the Monday, March 11 Study Session. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the High School, Room C350. Please note: Open Forum is not on the agenda for this meeting.
Multiple opportunities exist in March to share your thoughts about the two options:
Wednesday, March 13: Public Meeting with Facebook LIVE
High School, Room C350, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Monday, March 18: School Board Listening Session
Middle School, Media Center, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Monday, March 25: School Board Meeting with Open Forum
High School, Room C350, 7:00 p.m.
March 11 through March 20: Thoughtexchange
Participate electronically by sharing your thoughts and rating thoughts shared by others. Link to be shared with stakeholders and available from school district website.
Additional information about the 2018-19 School Start-End Times Study is available on the school district website at
www.bit.ly/SLPStartTimes
.
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6th Grade Field Trip, March 14
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The sixth grade field trip on March 14
is fast approaching. We will be leaving school around 9:00 a.m. and returning at approximately 2:00 p.m. that day. Please plan appointments for your student accordingly.
Individuals & Societies teachers will be turning in the order for school bag lunches on
Monday, March 11
. If your student needs to order a school lunch for the field trip, please have them notify their teacher to be included. Lunches are prepared ahead of time and cannot be ordered the day of the field trip.
If your student does not order a school lunch for the field trip, they will need to bring a lunch from home. There is no place to purchase food at the History Center.
We are also still in need of chaperones for the field trip. If interested, please sign-up on our
Sign-Up Genius
.
If you have any questions, please contact your student's Individuals & Societies teacher.
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The Student Action Team (SAT) is sponsoring a coin drive, through the WE Organization, to help raise money to purchase goats for villages in Kenya. $50 will buy one dairy goat for a family.
Starting on Monday, March 11, St. Louis Park students can bring in change to their OT teachers that will then be collected by members of the SAT at the end of each week. As an incentive, the first OT to $50 will get a cookie party and the OT that raises the most money overall, will get a pizza party. Their goal is to raise $500, or 10 goats, by March 29.
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Congratulations to 6th grader Arun Ferran-Sapatnekar, who recently qualified to participate as a finalist in the Minnesota State Geography Bee on Friday, March 29. After winning the Middle School Geography Bee in January, Arun took an online exam. His score ranked in the top 100 in the state, so he earned a spot at the state competition.
If Arun wins at the state level, he’ll proceed to the National Geographic GeoBee Championship in Washington, D.C., in May. The winner there will receive a $25,000 college scholarship, $1,000 in cash, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society, and a trip to the Galápagos Islands. Please wish Arun the best!
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Arun Ferran-Sapatnekar pictured with individuals & societies teacher, Belva Peterson and Principal Les Bork.
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Congratulations to 6th grader Lathan Harmston. He is the runner-up in the school wide geography bee. He is pictured below with his individuals & societies teacher Molly Rosen and Principal Les Bork.
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SLPMS Spelling Bee
8th Grader Amira Abidrahman, our SLPMS Spelling Champion, took the online screening test for the Twin Cities Metro Area Bee on Feb. 5. Her score on the test allowed her to advance to the next round, which will be an oral bee held at the Neighborhood House at the Wellstone Center on Tuesday, March 19. We wish her all the best as she represents SLP!
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Quiz Bowl
Three quiz bowl teams represented St. Louis Park in Mounds View on Saturday. They played six rounds in the morning. Qualifying teams went into single elimination rounds during the afternoon for playoffs.
SLPMS Quiz Bowl Team A advanced to afternoon playoffs. Our Quiz Bowl Teams B & C were in attendance to fully support Team A. SLP lost to Wayzata but it was really close. We are new to the Quiz Bowl Arena and are going up against other districts who have been participating in Quiz Bowl since elementary school. We keep improving as the year progresses.
Our last Quiz Bowl Meet for this school year is on Saturday, March 16 at De LaSalle.
Our Quiz Bowl A Team that were in the playoffs include (see photo below) Finn Gidden, Rose Huse, Axel Abrahamson, and Ryan DuSaire.
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Musical, Frozen Jr., Update 3-8-19
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Frozen Jr. Rehearsal Update
Monday and Tuesday are full cast until 4:30 p.m.
Thursday: “In Summer” and “Let the Sun Shine” until 4:30 p.m. Leads, Summer Chorus and Townsfolk in these numbers should be at rehearsal.
Friday: “In Summer” will rehearse until 3 p.m.. “Let the Sunshine” and “Build a Snowman” chorus and leads are needed until 4:30 p.m.
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Sign up now for Spring Sports
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St. Louis Park Middle School will be piloting an online registration and payment portal this spring. This is an exciting change which allows families to register and pay for middle school athletics digitally in a safe and secure way for sports.
Spring sports registration is now open for the following sports:
Girls' Lacrosse - 7th & 8th grade
Boys' Track - 6th-8th grade
Girls' Track - 6th -8th grade
Boys' Tennis - 6th-8th grade
The following must be received to the Athletic Director by March 25 for spring sports:
- Registration and payment (see above for instructions)
- Proof of sports physical exam (exam date can be found on PowerSchool) given within the previous three years (which clears the athlete for full participation) on file in the Health Office. If the physical expires during the season, a new physical must be provided before the athlete may begin participation. A well child check-up or immunization records do not count as a sports physical.
The first day of practice is Monday, March 25.
The season lasts approximately 8 weeks. Practices are from 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. There is no after school activities on Wednesdays.
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International Skate Party
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Monday, March 11 from 6-8 p.m. at the Roller Garden in St. Louis Park
, is the
11th Annual
International Skate Party
for Middle Schoolers and their soon-to-be schoolmates!
Hosted by the
World Languages Department at the Middle School
, we will be playing fun international tunes in multiple languages from around the globe! We'll be dancing on the rink, there will be trivia games and prizes. Kids can mix -n-mingle with their future World Language teachers and learn about the languages offered at the Middle School.
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Greetings, the St Louis Park Police Department is hosting our 2nd annual
“Jobs in the Park”
program. The City of St. Louis Park, Police Department, Parks & Rec, Maintenance, Nature Center, Human Resources Departments and Methodist Hospital (new this year) are all collaborating to find young adults (over 14 years of age) looking for summer employment. This event is tentatively scheduled for March 19-21, at the high school, from approximately 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. each of the three nights. Assistance will be provided in completing applications, interviewing skills etc. Please send any interested students to any of the School Resource Officers in the district for more information.
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National Spanish Exam, March 18 and 19
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Spanish Immersion Program
ESP-8
th
grade
National Spanish Exam - March 18 and 19.
The dates for taking the National Spanish Exam are approaching. The ESP-8
th
grade students will be taking the exam on the 18th and 19th of March during the Spanish class time (4th hour -first group, and 6
th
hour -second group).
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On Thursday, March 21, the Middle School will be celebrating the beauty of the African Continent at our very first Africa Exploration event!
Come enjoy learning about different African countries through song, dance and presentations. This celebration will be joined by students of the African Student Association from the University of Minnesota and Alumni of the Afrika organization from Macalester.
WHEN
: Thursday, March 21
TIME:
2:30 - 4:30 p.m. - Students will be able to take the 4:30 bus home.
WHERE:
Middle School Library & Media Center
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Maslon UPLIFT Mock Trial
8
th
Grade Maslon UPLIFT mock trial students are preparing to try the criminal case of
State of Minnesota v. Langley Parker
on March 19 at 6:00 p.m. at the University of Minnesota Law School. Students brought home permission slips
(click here if you need one)
this week, as they will have the opportunity to take a bus to the Law School on the afternoon of March 19, meet law students and professors, and then prepare for their mock trials in the courtrooms at the Law School. Family and friends are invited and encouraged to attend the trials at 6:00 p.m., which will be an exciting opportunity for the students to showcase their hard work and trial skills. Please contact Catherine Ahlin-Halverson, Maslon UPLIFT Director, with any questions.
Catherine.ahlin@maslon.com
or (612) 672-8314.
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Build Your College Game Plan Workshop, 3-12-19
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Dear Parents, Families and Students,
You are all invited to “Build Your College Game Plan” a post-secondary education planning workshop!
Helping your son/daughter make post-secondary* educational plans can be complex, and the financial stakes have never been higher. Having the right help can make a difference.
Mark your calendars and plan to attend:
March 12, 6:30-8 p.m.
grades 6-11
St Louis Park High School Auditorium.
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Parent Education Workshops
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The high school is hosting parent education workshops on the first night of high school conferences, Thursday, March 21st. They have opened up this opportunity to Middle School parents as well.
See the flier for details.
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Communication of School Closing, Late Start and Early Dismissal
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Snow has arrived in Minnesota. Are you prepared for a school closing, late start or early dismissal due to bad weather?
Click here for details.
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Please keep collecting your Box tops points. The last submission date of the year is coming up just after conferences. Box tops help raise money for field trips, binder buddies and our global intern programs!
Bring your points to school at any time and put them in the bin in the office.
You can find points on General Mills cereals, Kleenex brand, Progresso soup, Motts, Nature Valley granola bars and many more brands! Every point is worth $.10 and clearly they add up quickly.
Thanks for supporting our school programs!
Don't Forget your Food Shelf Donations!
Help us "fill the shopping cart" for the Middle School food shelf by dropping off food donations.
Top 10 Middle School Food Shelf Needs
:
1. Cereal
2. Fruit (pineapple, oranges)
3. Ramen
4. Deodorant
5. Shampoo
6. Canned corn
7. Mini mac and cheese
8. Spaghetti O's (and similar canned meals)
9. Pancake mix (complete)
10. Syrup
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The Binder Buddies program serves over 100 students a quarter by replenishing school supplies and helping them organize their binders. We are completely out of binders! We are looking for school supply donations to keep this great program going. Please consider bringing donations to upcoming conferences. Donations can be dropped off in the field house. Amazon Prime members, to make things easier, we have created a Binder Buddies Wish List on Amazon. This is a convenient way to select items that are vitally needed for the program and have them sent directly to the school.
To donate to the Binder Buddies program through the Amazon Wish List:
- Click here.
- Select the item(s) you would like to donate
- When checking out, please select the middle school address for shipping
- Place your order
Thank you in advance for your donations!
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“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
Benjamin Franklin
Please consider making an investment by donating to the
Dollars for Scholars Scholarship Fund
to help a St. Louis Park graduating senior afford post-secondary education. The St. Louis Park Chapter of Dollars for Scholars is an all-volunteer organization that provides financial support to local students. Our
newsletter
explains more about our community program to help local students with college expenses. You can also check out our website at
www
.
stlouispark.dollarsforscholars.org
for more current information.
A Dollars for Scholars scholarship supports the St. Louis Park Children First initiative as it underscores community support for our children. Investing in the education of young people not only has an impact on their lives, but on the community as a whole. A small contribution from each household in your neighborhood will add up to a significant scholarship! Awards will be announced in May 2019. It is easy to make a donation. Just choose one of the following options:
Mail your donation to
:
SLP Dollars for Scholars
P.O. Box 16403
St. Louis Park, MN 55416-0403
Donate online by visiting our Website at:
and follow the easy directions for online donations
Thank you
for your generosity! If you have any questions, please contact a member of the Dollars for Scholars Neighborhood Organizing Committee.
Tammy McCanna
Chair – St. Louis Park Dollars for Scholars
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Looking for other opportunities? Check out these programs
Teen Tech Workshops
Spring Youth Enrichment Programs
Heart of the Matter Community Discussion
Art of Sciences Summer Camp
Joy of the People Summer Camps
Spring/Summer Programs in SLP
Teen Tween Cooking Matters (Plant Based!)
Driver's Education
St. Louis Park Community Education Youth Enrichment Programs is now offering Teen Driver’s Education with Safeway Driving School right here at SLP Middle School. Classes begin Monday, April 8th from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in the Media Center. Students who are 14 1/2 years old can enroll in the program. We will also have summer classes! Go to our website for more information and to sign up:
https://slp.ce.eleyo.com/course/4604/spring-2019/driver-s-education-with-safeway-driving-school
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Co-Ed Ultimate Frisbee Team
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St. Louis Park has a Co-Ed Ultimate Frisbee team for kids in 5th through 8
th
grade.
Practices for middle school students will be on Mondays and Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. at the middle school or a nearby park starting April 8. Practices for 5
th
graders will be on Fridays at 4:00 p.m. at Browndale Park. Middle school students are also welcome to come to Friday practices.
Many team members are brand new to the sport. No experience necessary!
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D.C. Trip, 2019 (current 7th Graders)
1. The final registration and payment deadline is
March 30
. Please contact WorldStrides directly at 1-800-468-5899 as soon as possible if you need to make changes to your payment schedule.
2. If you want to travel and haven't registered yet you can register through the WorldStrides website:
www.worldstrides.com/signup
. Our
Trip ID is 160201
.
3. Please try to attend our special guest speaker event! We have a former docent from the Holocaust Museum coming to chat with our group. He will be at the Middle School Media Center on
Tuesday, March 19, at 7:00 P.M.
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