FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Chris Holden | @MonsieurHolden | 952.848.4100

Dear Normandale Families,

In the spirit of the New Year, the Normandale PTO is hosting a meet and greet with Edina Schools Superintendent Dr. Stanley on January 17 @ 5:00 PM. Join Dr. Stanley and myself for an update on efforts in Edina and at Normandale to connect with the District’s vision to help each and every student thrive. PTO leadership will also share plans and projects for 2023. Who knows, since we are meeting in person there may even be some post-holiday treats at this gathering!

RALLY MONTH IS COMING!

During the month of January, we are recruiting Host Families for the 2023-2024 school year!

The success of our Edina French Immersion program depends on having warm, welcoming host families for our amazing French Interns. Without French Interns, we could not sustain our position as a top immersion program.

To continue this momentum, it is critical we secure 60 Host Families by January 31st. With 60 Host Families, we can support 27 French Interns, meeting our ideal allocation of Interns across all schools:

Normandale French Immersion

Kindergarten: 5 interns, 1 per class

1st grade: 4 interns, 1 per class

2nd grade: 5 interns, 1 per class

3rd grade: 3 interns

4th - 5th grade: 2 interns per grade

Valley View/EHS Extended French

Valley View: 3 interns

Edina High School: 3 interns

To learn more, check out our Rally Month hub on the Normandale PTO site.

Already know you want to host next year? It's not too early! Sign up now!

Our Normandale students will celebrate Rally Month with fun theme days! Here is the schedule:

Friday 1/6: Pajama Day – get up and go!

Friday 1/13: Edina Day – wear your Edina green or Normandale apparel.

Thursday 1/19: Wacky Day – get silly with your hair & clothes! 

Friday 1/27: French Day – rock your blue, white, and red.

INCOMING KINDERGARTEN PREFERENCE FORM

Current French Immersion families who have an incoming kindergarten student for the 2023-24 school year must submit the Program Preference Form in order to receive Sibling Preference for Edina residents. The Preference Form is available online and is due by 4:00pm on January 6. If you have any questions about the process, please contact the Normandale office at 952-848-4100.

STUDENT MEAL ACCOUNTS

The district has resumed sending out low balance reminders for student meal accounts. Instruction for adding funds to your students account can be found here.

JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS - REGISTRATION OPEN

Junior Great Books is a reading enrichment program available to students in grades 2-5. The program costs $40 and includes nine stories with various themes for different grades. It's a great way to encourage English reading and to cultivate interesting discussions with your students.

Registration is open now through Tuesday, December 20 through Normandale's Membership Toolkit platform. Thanks to our parent leader volunteers, we are able to offer 30 spots for second grade students and 20 spots per grade for students in grades 3-5.

Weekly sessions will begin after winter break. Meetings will be held inside classrooms over lunch and recess. A peanut-free bag lunch will be necessary on days when JGB meets.

For additional information about the program please email Julie Lovaas, Normandale’s Junior Great Books coordinator, at [email protected]. 

NORMANDALE SPIRIT WEAR!

The Normandale Apparel Team has some new cozy merch just in time for the snow and the holidays! 

Check out our Apparel website anytime: normandale-apparel.square.site

CYRIELLE CHESNAY - SECOND GRADE

ABOUT ME:  I'm living in Angers, it's small city in the Loire Valley. I have 2 siblings, one brother and one sister and I'm living with my parents in the countryside. I like to read and discover new things.

IN THE US:  I want to discover a new culture but also a lot of new places because it will be my first time in the US.

MY FAVORITE FOOD: I want to discover new kind of food but I don't like when it's too spicy.



I AM EXCITED ABOUT:  I'm so excited to spend some time in Edina and discover Minnesota ! It will be a great opportunity for me as a teacher but also as a person.

EDINA EARLY LEARNING CENTER - A TASTE OF FRENCH

Do you have a 3, 4 or 5 year old at home? If so, check out this offering at the Early Learning Center - A Taste Of French.

Students will begin to get a "taste" of the French language and culture. Simple vocabulary will be introduced as well as some at home activities for the whole family. Classes start Jan 3^rd and are from 11:30-2:00pm. Students do not need to be currently enrolled in the ELC to attend.

EDINA COMMUNITY EDUCATION WINTER/SPRING CLASSES

Registration for the Edina Community Ed Winter/Spring Catalog is open! Register online at edina.ce.eleyo.com. Find a place to belong with Edina Community Ed!

EDINA VACCINATION CLINICS

December COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic

Edina Public Schools is hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic Saturday, Dec. 17, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at South View Middle School in partnership with the Chinese Community Center and Homeland Health. Please pre-register here so that Homeland Health can staff the clinic appropriately and minimize wait times. Bring your vaccination card for second and booster doses. Available vaccines and eligible age groups will be posted soon at edinaschools.org/VaxClinics

December Flu Shot Clinics

Edina Public Schools is hosting an influenza (flu) vaccine clinics on Thursday, Dec. 15, 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the Edina Community Center room 166 (park in the Green Lot and enter Door #3). Flu clinics are run by Bloomington Public Health (BPH) and all BPH vaccine clinics are open to the public. Click on the registration link and scroll down to find the clinic you'd like to register for. You may register for ANY clinic on this website (not just the clinics hosted by EPS).

MEAL FUND FOR EDINA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

In this season of gratitude, please consider supporting Meal Fund for Edina Public Schools with a tax-deductible donation. (Learn more)

While it is only November, school staff have already reached out to ask how they can access funds to erase debt - and stigma – for students. DONATE HERE

This growing need is brought by a trifecta of factors putting a strain on budgets for families with school age children, especially for those who may also face medical bills and employment instability:

1. Federal COVID relief funding offering lunch at no cost for all has ended.

2. Edina Public School lunch prices have increased by 10 cents per meal – which adds up fast, especially for cost-burdened households.

3. Grocery prices are expected to increase over 10% this year.

Your support at any level is needed, welcomed, and tax-deductible.

Donor generosity during our COVID relief program enabled us to provide food and meals to families and students learning in their homes. Now Meal Fund is returning to our original mission: to take care of our district families, struggling to make ends meet, by easing the burden of school meal debt. Please join us. DONATE HERE

With deepest gratitude,

Meal Fund for Edina Public Schools

a fiscally sponsored group of Edina Education Fund 

ALLIANCE FRANCAISE

The Alliance Française is the non-profit French cultural center serving the Twin Cities and is a proud partner of French immersion schools and their families. Alliance Française offers a library, summer camps for children of all ages and levels, French classes for adults, cooking classes, and more than 150 cultural events each year. Learn more about Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul at www.afmsp.org.

Normandale PTO| [normandalepto.org]