St. Louis Park Middle School's Weekly News |
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March 29-April 2, No school, spring break
April 5, Spring sports start for students last name A-K
April 8, Spring sports start for students last name L-Z
April 12, All students in school (except for distance learners) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
April 14 and 15, Student-led conferences
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On March 25, Boluwatife Adeuga, our St. Louis Park Middle School Spelling Champion, took the online test to compete in the Twin Cities Metro Area Spelling Bee. He placed 11th out of 42 competitors! Congratulations, Boluwatife, and thanks for representing our school so well!
Pictured with Boluwatife is David Burr, Spelling Bee Coordinator.
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Spring Student-Led Conferences April 14 and 15
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On Wednesday, April 14, and after school on Thursday, April 15, St. Louis Park Middle School will continue our new conference model with our spring student-led conferences. The student-led conference will be 25 minutes in length and students have been working throughout third quarter by placing their student work and class artifacts in their individual student portfolios to get ready for their conference.
Student-led conference times will be from 8:10 a.m.-7:40 p.m. on April 14, and from 4:20 p.m.-7:45 p.m. on April 15.
On Monday, April 5, a Sign-Up Genius will be sent to you from your child's advisory teacher asking that you sign up for the time that works best for you and your student on either April 14 or 15. Families can select whether the conference will be in-person or virtual. Please contact your student's advisory teacher if you have any questions about this.
Please note that all students and their parents/guardians are required to wear a mask/face covering and to social distance at all times with non-family members while in SLP Middle School.
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PowerSchool final grades are disabled during quarter three grading. Students and guardians will be able to view quarter three final grades on Friday, April 9 by 3:00 p.m. |
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Free Groceries for Families Who Qualified for Free or Reduced-Price Meals during the 2020-21 School Year
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Families in our district who qualify for free or reduced-price meals are now eligible for additional emergency nutritional benefits offered from the Federal government.
These benefits are provided by Federal “Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer” funds (P-EBT); a temporary food benefit to families with children who would have received free and reduced-price meals if schools were open. These additional benefits may be retroactive to September 2020, depending on when eligibility for free or reduced-meals is determined.
Families who qualify will receive separate electronic grocery cards for each student in the family. The cards would include funds (approximately $6.82/day) for each day your student was in distance learning during the school year. Cards will be mailed from the State of Minnesota in late March 2021.
If you have already qualified for free or reduced-price meals earlier this school year, you don’t need to do anything because your family will automatically receive these new Federal nutritional benefits.
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Parents/Guardians & Visitors Updated March 26 |
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Parents/Guardians & Visitors:
To maintain a healthy and safe environment we are limiting access to school as much as possible for students and employees who learn and work here. Thus, if parents/visitors have a need to come into the school an appointment needs to be made prior to coming to school to see the person you would like to meet with. Please call 952-928-6300 for assistance.
Families who need to pick up a student from school should come to the main entrance when they arrive and buzz the office, sign them out and then wait for their child in the entryway. Students will be called out of their class once their parent/guardian has arrived on campus.
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Community Project Update for 8th grade Families |
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Students should be deep in their action now for their Community Project. Students may want to have access to collecting items, making announcements, posters, etc. on the school campus. Here's a link to the schoolwide guidelines regarding those opportunities.
Supervisors will be checking in with their student groups the week after spring break. The purpose of that check-in is to reflect on the action, how it went, what was learned, etc. If students are not yet into their action, that's OK. Our message to students is to keep moving action ideas forward! Building critical consciousness is important in our world today.
Mia Waldera
IB Coordinator
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Safe Learning Plan Update: MS and HS Students Return to In-Person Learning on April 12 |
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The School Board for St. Louis Park Public Schools approved changes to the school district’s Safe Learning Plan at their Monday, March 8 meeting that will send students in Grades 6-12 attending St. Louis Park Middle School and High School back to school for in-person learning on April 12.
Middle and High School students will attend school four days per week (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, Friday). Wednesdays will continue to be student support/feedback days. Students who have selected distance learning will see no changes to their learning model.
Students who are enrolled in the hybrid learning model currently and wish to change to distance learning can do so in advance of the change by contacting their school. Students currently enrolled in distance learning will not be able to return to school in-person.
District Administration will continue to monitor COVID-19 case counts in Hennepin County and locally in St. Louis Park, all safe learning model considerations, as well as guidance from state officials, and will consider updates to the District’s Safe Learning Plan when appropriate.
Additional information about the transition to in-person learning will be provided to students and families in the coming weeks from each school. The school district will publish the “Secondary Return to In-Person Learning Guide” on March 26 with detailed information about schedules, social distancing, health and safety practices, etc.
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Parenting in a Pandemic Newsletter
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This month's Parenting in a Pandemic Newsletter from Relate Counseling Center provides information about depression and suicide. Relate is also hosting a facebook live session Monday, March 29 from 6-7 p.m. See the flyer for details.
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Student Drop Off Procedures |
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Student drop off / pick up entrance is on 22nd St.; the exit comes out onto Texas Ave. S.
Students will enter through our new temporary main entrance on the west side of the building. Staff will greet them and direct them to either breakfast or to go directly to their first period class. Click here to see the map on page 9.
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Youth Enrichment Opportunities for Students and their Family |
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Virtual Family Cooking Class w/ Mr. Deandre and Seeds Feeds
Join us for an informal cooking class where we will cook, learn new recipes, and answer your cooking & nutrition questions. We will discuss how to modify recipes based on your tastes and the food available. At the same time, we will have an opportunity to build a community, discuss food security, access, and barriers to healthy eating, and take action to break down barriers so all our neighbors can be food secure.
Class Dates: April 11 and 25, 3:00-4:30 pm
Click here for more information and to register now!
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Boys' and Girls' Spring Sports Registration Starts April 5 or April 8 |
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Spring sports will start right after spring break (April 5th) and registration is now open (see below for more information).
- Sports offered will be girls' and boys' track and field, boys' tennis and 7th - 8th girls' lacrosse.
- The plan is spring sports will compete against other schools but we will have to wait and see as we get closer to the season starting.
What middle school sports will look like in the hybrid learning model and in a full in person model:
Full in person:
When we return to full in-person students will practice and participate in games/matches on days they are in school.
Hybrid Learning:
Students with last names A-K will practice and participate in any games/matches on Monday and Tuesdays.
Students with last names L-Z will practice and participate in any games/matches on Thursdays and Fridays.
Registration
Online Registration is now open for all middle school spring sports. Click here to register: Middle School Athletics Registration (Select Middle School sport you wish to register for).
When prompted to log in, you will log in with the same username and password you use to pay your students lunch account.
The first day of practice will be April 5 for Cohort A and April 8 for Cohort B. The season will last until May 28. Practices are from 4:00 - 5:15 p.m.
The following must be received to the Athletic Director by April 5 for spring sports:
- Registration and payment (see above for instructions)
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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. Click here to download the 2020-2021 Sports Qualifying Physical Examination Medical Eligibility Form.
Transportation
An activity bus will be available after practice but will be different than it has been in the past. You will need to pre-register for the route your student athlete will ride. More information to come on how to register for the activity bus.
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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 8th grade.
Practices will be on Mondays and Tuesdays from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the middle school starting April 5.
Many team members are brand new to the sport. No experience necessary!
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Start your morning out right by joining Mr. Dennis for open gym time to play basketball and hang out with your friends.
Thursdays, 7:45-8:45 a.m.
Click here for more information and to register now!
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Leader in Training Opportunity |
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Looking for a fun opportunity for a hands-on STEM experience while helping elementary students? Sign up to be a Leader in Training (LIT) with Camp Invention. It will be held at Park Spanish Immersion (PSI) August 9-13. See Mrs. Englund with any questions ([email protected]).
Click here for more information.
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Listening Sessions with Superintendent Osei |
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COVID-19 Testing for Students and Families |
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There are many options to get tested, depending on your needs, and each option is available to you at NO COST. You can even schedule appointments for the whole family at the same time.
For more information about scheduling group appointments for your family at a community testing site, visit COVID-19 Community Testing.
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COVID-19 Testing for Students...Made Easier |
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At Governor Walz’s direction, MDE is removing yet another barrier to testing: the UPS drop box. While some kids live down the street from a drop box, it’s quite a haul for others. Students will now be able to send their Vault-at-Home tests back to the lab through their schools. Please note that this program is currently only available to students and not entire families.
How this works:
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Students or families order tests through the Vault-at-Home program (remember tests are no cost to Minnesota residents).
- Students complete their test at home.
- Students seal their sample tube and place it in the biohazard bag. The biohazard bag then gets sealed in the shipping bag that came with the test. The shipping label sticker is attached to the bag.
- Students bring their sealed shipping bag with the shipping label to school on your designated onsite testing day. NOTE: THE NEXT TESTING DATE IS APRIL 8.
To help students comply with MDH’s bi-weekly testing guidance and use at-home tests as a screening tool:
- Students should test on the same schedule as staff.
- Students will need to have a Vault-at-Home kit on hand at home to complete and bring to school on staff testing day.
- Once students receive notice that their sample is being processed at the lab, they can order another Vault-at-Home kit for the next screening day.
- If you bring your test to school on a non-staff testing day, the school will have directions to the nearest UPS drop box.
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IMPORTANT D.C. TRIP UPDATE!
2021 Trip Families (current 7th and 8th Graders), due to the ongoing Covid situation the 2021 Trip has been postponed to 2022. Please check your e-mail for a message from WorldStrides and David Burr, trip coordinator. If you did not receive the e-mail, please contact David Burr at [email protected] or 952-928-6375.
2022 Trip Families (current 6th Graders), our trip is still running as planned! Interested travelers should also contact David Burr at [email protected] or 952-928-6375 for trip information.
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Other opportunities in the district/community:
Game Coding & Graphic Art Classes
HOPE Speaks Spring Classes
Golf Squad
Softball Registration
2021-22 Student Calendar
Click here to see the flyers.
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