St. Louis Park Middle School's Weekly News
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A limited supply of the 2020 yearbook is available for purchase at
Jostens.com
until June 1st or when they are sold old.
The price remains $35. Delivery date is not yet known. Distribution plans will be made when they arrive.
If you are not sure if you ordered one, contact customer service 1-877-767-5217.
for assistance.
Click
here
for a special message from Lisa Becker, yearbook coordinator.
Thank you for your kindness and support. #slpstrong
Please email
Lisa Becker
if you you have any questions.
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Interested in Girls' High School Soccer?
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We hope this message finds all SLP families safe and well. In preparation for the fall sports season, with many unanswered questions (like will there be a season?), we felt it was important to try to connect as a program. We have info for returning players and want to encourage new participants to get involved.
So, the St. Louis Park High School Girls Soccer team will be doing two online meetings (Zooms) this weekend at these links:
and
The coaches, captains and returning parents will share information on plans for the upcoming season and answer general questions related to participating. New and returning parents are encouraged to attend.
Middle School Families: I am now finishing my second academic year at the middle school. We have another coach that will come on board this season from the middle school. We have several great ideas with the new schedule to expand our program offering to give kids a leg up into starting high school soccer. The high school athletic department and soccer community have been extremely supportive of our program.
For the past 8 years, our program has included 10-15 middle school students, mostly 8th graders, but a few 7th graders have gotten involved. The SLP School District provides transportation to the high school for practices and home games. Students will be picked up for away games at the middle school.
We realize this is a holiday weekend, but wanted to get this meeting in before the end of the year. So, if you have questions, time conflicts, or just want to communicate with me or the captains at another time, our contact information is below:
The captains can be reached at their school email addresses:
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Interested in joining cross-country this fall? If your student will be in 7th or 8th grade, they can join the high school cross-country team. It is a grade 7-12 sport and considered a high school athletic program. Obviously we have a lot of uncertainty at this point, but we are starting to plan, for hopes that we have a normal season. We do have summer practice options which will be communicated as we gather more information about social distancing regulations. Please reach out to me at
[email protected]
if you have any questions.
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Student Council Information for 8th Grade Students
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Are you civic minded? A leader? Looking to expand your circle of friends? Or, just interested in trying something new? If you said yes to any of these, then the High School Student Council is for you! Please join Mrs. Wyffels and current student council members for a virtual Q&A session on Wednesday, May 27th at 1pm. Interested students should email Mrs. Wyffels (
[email protected]
) by Tuesday, May 26th so she can send you the link to the Google Meet.
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Important Information for 8th Grade Students/Families
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Freshman Orientation - Class of 2024
At this point, we are moving ahead as if we will be starting school in the fall (until more information is available from state leaders). Freshman Orientation is planned for Wednesday, September 2, from 8:30-11:30 a.m., with a parent orientation that evening at 7 p.m. Students will get their class schedules, be able to tour the building and attend the Activity Fair to learn about all the great things going on at SLPHS. More information regarding both these events will be in the back to school mailing in August.
Barb Nelson
9th Grade Counselor, St Louis Park High School
Google Voice Number 612-562-9760 - Spring 2020 during Distance Learning
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As we close out the year we want to celebrate together and put a positive close on the year for each of our students, especially given the unexpected interruption of this school year. This will be our students’ “end of the year” party. Parents, watch for information from your student's advisory teacher.
The advisory class will celebrate 8th graders by
reading two teacher comments to each student that have been collected throughout the year. 6th and 7th grade advisories are also planning fun events for the students.
Teachers are planing this celebration
between May 26th and June 4th. Look for more information from your student's advisory teacher.
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SLPMS Spelling Bee
The Twin Cities Metro Area Bee, hosted by Metro ECSU, has been officially canceled for this year. Originally scheduled for late March, the Bee was postponed until June 24 in the hopes that we might still be able to have the event. Early last week notification went out from Metro ECSU that they decided to cancel the event due to safety concerns regarding COVID-19.
Our hearts go out to Arun Ferran-Sapatnekar, our champion of this year's SLPMS Bee, who would've represented us at the event. We appreciate all of your studying and hard work, Arun, and hope that you'll compete again next year!
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We are Upstanders!
At the Middle School, students exhibit greatness! In February, students had the chance to give a shout out to a peer they felt demonstrated the qualities of an Upstander. What are those qualities? Upstanders are Principled, Balanced, Caring, Communicators, Open Minded, Risk Takers, Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Reflective.
They did this at lunchtime by scanning a QRO code with their phone or a parent helper’s phone and filling out a short form. Students provided so many wonderful examples that the system was maxed out. Distance Learning was implemented before we could re-open it in March.
Last week in OT News, we shared the first round of student peer shout-outs. Here's the next glimpse of our fantastic students.
- Audrey M. nominated Ingrid K. for always being supportive and nice.
- Allison P. and Blessing M. nominated Ja’shelle T. for being kind, a good dancer and for caring for people and putting everybody before herself.
- Liam H. nominated Jack L. because he is looking to help keep the hallways under control and stand up against bullying.
- Ivy M. was nominated because she always has others backs no matter what. You can always count on her to be there. She stands up for people.
- John. Q. nominated Jack M. because he is always an upstander and helps people.
- Reyanna H. nominated Jacob B. because he helped when I needed help on stuff.
- Maleah F. nominated Amara B. because she gives me food.
- Amaya S. was nominated because she’s really nice.
- Aide M. nominated Amun S. because at lunch she lets me sit with her and gives me some of her lunch and when I’m sitting alone, she invites me over.
- Ana Z. was nominated because she is open minded and caring.
- Lily G. nominated Ana Z. because she is kind and loving and not scared to stand up for me and be her entire self.
- Annie T. was nominated because she is super caring, funny and a great friend.
- Addie V. nominated Annie T. because Annie is always sweet and kind to everyone and really cares about her friends.
- Jordyn M. was nominated because they are nice to other students.
- Josie D. was nominated because Josie is really nice and cares for her friends.
- Zara F. nominated Annika K. because she is very kind and funny and I love her!
- Wesley S. nominated John L. because he always helps me with my work.
- Juliana M. was nominated because she is very nice and helps people.
- Aurora D. nominated John H. because he’s always very kind to people.
- Zara F. nominated Josie D. because they are funny, kind and care about other people.
- Emmett M. nominated Juan B. because he is a good person and always helps me out.
- Marquen L. nominated Judah J. because they are always nice to me.
- Kit P. nominated Juliana H. because she is a really great friend and has helped me through rough times.
- Olivia W. nominated Katie H. because Katie is a very kind person who cares about your feelings and makes you feel happy. One time, I was feeling sad and Katie made me laugh so hard that I started crying.
- Kaitlyn N. was nominated because they are the kindest person ever and they help you up when someone is down.
- Sylvia T. nominated Kaylee R. for her amazing smile and for laughing with me.
- Zara F. nominated Stella K. for being an awesome teammate in badminton.
- Charlotte C. nominated Sylvia T. because Sylvia is sooooo kind and always listens to your problems. She always asks if you need help. She is just so nice, kind and caring.
- Lily N. nominated Taliah E. because Taliah is a great friend.
- Crew L. nominated Tanner H. because he is really nice and a good friend.
- Elijah G. nominated Tanner R. because he is really cool and chill and the best basketball player ever.
- John L. was nominated because he makes students chuckle.
- Lily N. nominated Tess N. because she helps me with my math.
- Noah F. nominated Thomas H. because he’s nice and helpful.
- Amara B. and Khaalid A. nominated Meleah F. because she is so helpful and helped me with my work.
- Nicholas G. nominated Liam W. because they are nice and care for everyone they meet. And could be the nicest person I know!
- Audrey M. nominated Torrin L. because they are understanding and considerate.
- Addison C. nominated Lucia M. because she is very kind and always talks to me. She also helps me with my schoolwork.
- Alivia O. nominated Maimoona Y. because she’s so nice and helps me when I’m down.
- Mashayla E. and Sharah S. nominated Makiyla W. because she always helps us with our work.
- Paxton R. nominated Marit G. because she is an amazing friend. We have helped each other through hard times. She helps people in need and helps me with math.
- Kiran A. nominated Masie C. because she is always there to listen to whatever I have to say and she helps everyone whenever they need it no matter what and she’s the greatest friend anyone can ask for.
- Jacob B. nominated Thomas H. because he is super cool and nice and a guy you would hang out and play video games with.
Way to go Middle School Students! Watch next week for even more stories of our amazing kids being Upstanders!
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Summer School Information
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Summer school is a great opportunity to continue learning over the summer in the subject areas of math, reading and science. Summer school will be in session from July 6-August 6, Monday through Thursday, in a distance learning format
from 8 a.m. to noon.
There will be live interaction with a teacher. Please sign up on the link below:
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Ms. Ahrens Photography and Painting & Illustration Students
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Ms. Ahrens and her photography, and painting and illustration students, created Quarenthings Portraits using things that were important to them during these times of distance learning and sheltering in place. The photos were inspired by the work of photographer Gregg Segaland. Here is Ms. Ahrens example portrait, and please
click the link
to see the students portraits. Ms. Ahrens was really proud of the work that they produced. Enjoy!
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From all Global Interns in SLP
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From all Amity Interns in SLP to the Spanish students and native speakers.
Dear students and families,
The 11 Amity Interns of SLP have been working on a web page in Spanish where you can learn about our home countries (Spain, El Salvador and Colombia), about ourselves, and practice your Spanish. You will find fun workout challenges, tongue twisters, creative crafts, music and short stories, and short movies.
We also want you to be able to interact with us, so don't forget to tell us something about MN so that we can build this together and learn with you as well! If you have any requests, questions or ideas, just tell us so that we can continue creating content.
We hope you enjoy it!
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Site Council Opportunities for 20-21 School Year
Interested in getting more involved with SLP Middle School next school year?
Come put your talents to use as a member of the Site Council leadership team!
We are currently recruiting for the following positions for the 20-21 school year:
- Incoming Co-Chair – do you like being organized, setting meeting agendas, and being in on setting strategy? Learn to keep the Site Council wheels in motion as incoming Co-Chair. We’ll show you the ropes.
- Fundraising Co-Leaders – make Spirit Week happen. Raise important funds for things like field trip for every student. This job is big enough for two – bring a friend…a great role for organized extroverts!
- Communications Lead – coordinate Site Council content for Oriole Times and lead the Site Council Communications work group to strengthen communications to families. Great for someone passionate about connecting school and families.
- Coffee with the Principal Coordinator – choose dates, pick up coffee, and join “CwtP” twice a year. A great way for coffee lovers to contribute with a smaller time commitment.
No prior experience is required – just your willingness to jump in and help out! Site Council meets approximately 7 times during the school year.
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Host Families Needed for Global Interns 2020-2021
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The middle school has had another successful year with our two Global Interns, Carlos and Irene! They have been a great addition to our classrooms and have made many connections with our students. They continue to assist teachers during this time of distance learning choosing to stay here and help contribute to the school as well as the community. We are looking forward to the next school year with two more interns. One is Angela from Spain and we are now excited to announce Bryan from Colombia will joining SLP Middle School as well! We are looking for two host families for the fall semester-late August through the end of January and two more host families for next spring- late January through the end of the school year in 2021. The main requirement is the intern must have their own legal bedroom. It is a great opportunity for your family to learn about another culture while introducing them to Minnesota and our community in St Louis Park. You do not need to be a PSI family. All middle school families are welcome to host. The interns are also fluent in English. My family has hosted an intern the last two years and had great experiences with lasting friendships. Please reach out to me if you are interested or have questions.
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Databases
The list of SLPMS databases, including BrainPop, CultureGrams, EBSCO, Discovery Ed Streaming, Encyclopedia Britannica, Gale and ProQuest, and their corresponding login information is on page 6 of your student's agendas. They can log into any of the databases with this information when they are not in school.
Here is a link to a View Only document with this information.
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Click
here
for the April issue
of tips, activities, and helpful information for families
.
Click
here
for the May issue.
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How to Sign-Up for Schoology
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Click
here
to see a video about setting up a parent schoology account in English.
Click
here
to see a video about setting up a parent schoology account in Somali.
Click
here
to see a video about setting up a parent schoology account in Spanish.
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Please remember that during distance learning your student must register their attendance by logging into their advisory class in Schoology. This must be completed by 1 p.m. each school day. If you would like to excuse an absence, please call the middle school attendance line at 952-928-6394 or send an email to
[email protected]
. If your student is experiencing any difficulties engaging in distance learning, please contact your student's teachers or grade-level dean.
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Support for Students and Parents
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The Grade Level Deans are here to help and are available to consult with students and/or parents. They can be reached as follows:
Individual Support
: Theresa Weber-Sexton (School Counselor) and Kara Fahey (School Social Worker) are also offering individual meetings for support of students and/or families on Wednesdays. To sign up click here:
Counselor / Social Worker Meeting Signup
The COVID-19 global pandemic is an unprecedented challenge, which can cause increased worry, stress, anxiety, and confusion for students and adults. During this time of Distance Learning, school counselors, psychologists, social workers and multicultural liaisons are available as resources to families. Please feel free to reach out to any of these staff members via email if your student needs support.
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Looking for other opportunities? Check out these programs
2020-20 Student Calendar at a Glance
Online Youth Enrichment
Camp Invention - Extended Discount
Growing Vegetables in Containers
Makeup Bootcamp
Feldenkrais
How Do You Pay for It?
Beginning Knitting
Women in Islam
St Louis Park Mountain Bike Team
Click
here
to see the website.
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DC Trip 2020/2021
In conjunction with WorldStrides, Mr. Burr decided to postpone this year's DC Trip to June of 2021 and join them with next year's trip to create one
LARGE
7th and 8th grade trip! Registration is still open if you'd like to travel in June of 2021 and you'll be a
7th or 8th grader next school year
. Please contact David Burr at
[email protected]
for more information. There will also be a parent information session held next fall.
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Support the Class of 2020
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The St. Louis Park Public Schools Foundation is launching a community-wide effort to celebrate our seniors. Show your Park Pride for the class of 2020 by planting a lawn sign in your front yard for all to see!
The Class of 2020 will finish its senior year at home, instead of cruising the halls with friends, attending prom, starring in one final performance or playing in one last game.
Your donation will help fund future innovative classroom grants for St. Louis Park students for years to come.
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