FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Chris Holden | @MonsieurHolden | 952.848.4100

Dear Normandale Families,

By time you read this your student(s) will have completed day one of the 2022-23 school year! You survived the freedom of summer and now you and your family can look forward the routine of the school year. Normandale staff and I enjoyed kicking off this routine during during Normandale’s Open House and Connect and Assess conferences. I am confident that these collaborative events will set us all up for a great year of learning and fun. After two years of COVID impacted schooling and activities, it was energizing to see so many happy students and parents in Normandale’s hallways these past few days. Bonne rentrée!

INTERN OVERNIGHT - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Want to get to know this year's French interns? 

The French Intern overnight is coming up September 9th - 10th, and we are looking for volunteers to chaperone the event. Chaperoning is a great way to get to know your child's intern and to introduce all of our fabulous interns to a unique Minnesota camping experience. 

Chaperones are needed to drive interns and supplies to Camp Singing Hills in Waterville, MN, stay overnight in heated cabins, and drive interns home the next morning. 

We will leave from Normandale after school on Friday, September 9th at 3pm and will return Saturday, September 10th by noon.

Unable to chaperone but still want to help? We need donations for food and other supplies. 

Sign up HERE to help! 

Any questions? Contact Anne Jennen and Mandy Bai.

NOTES FROM THE INTERN COMMITTEE

We are excited to welcome 27 interns to Minnesota for the 2022-2023 school year! 21 interns will be working at Normandale Elementary, 3 at Valley View Middle School in Extended French, and 3 interns at Edina High School in the Extended French program. We are thankful to our host and partner families and we need help throughout the year from additional families who are interested in getting involved with our Intern Program. 

Each school year, there are many opportunities to get to know the interns through helping with rides, participating in school events, and inviting your child(s) intern to do things with your family. The interns are all very excited to try everything they can that is “Minnesotan.” Nothing is too silly! Interns LOVE getting together and getting to know their students' families. If you are nervous about what to expect……invite other families and other interns to join. It is a great way to get to know one of the wonderful interns we are lucky to have during the school year!  

New this year: 2022-2023 intern volunteer hub which will house all the current volunteer needs. Please check the website often for new opportunities. We are always needing help with rides and food donations for school sponsored events. We appreciate every little bit of help! Thank you so much!

Current Needs:

Intern Overnight 

Intern Appreciation 

Fall Leaves Event 

NORMANDALE PICTURE DAY

Normandale Picture Day is scheduled for Tuesday September 13th, 2022.

Retakes: Thursday September 29th

2022-2023 School Picture Provider: Josten's. 

Jostens asks children to NOT wear GREEN on picture day.

NOTE: You do NOT order pictures before you see them! Josten's allows parents/caregivers to look at student pictures before ordering. 

Regardless of order status ALL students will have their picture taken for the 2022-2023 school yearbook. Pictures will be taken throughout the day with your student's classroom. More details to follow.

Questions? Please contact Kelly Ingvaldson.  

ORDER YOUR 2022-23 NORMANDALE YEARBOOK

This year our Normandale Yearbook will be printed by Jostens.

For the lowest yearbook price, order your yearbook through Jostens before October 14!

Pricing is as follows:

Order until 10/14/2022 - $22 per yearbook

Order after 10/15/2022 - $25 per yearbook

SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH

This year, lunch and breakfast will be available for purchase daily. Note that all Kindergarten students receive a free breakfast in the classroom daily, starting the second week of school. Manage your students' account, payment methods and payment history in Infinite Campus through the Parent Portal. Click HERE for instructions.

Families that qualify for free and reduced lunch must complete the Educational Benefits application found here. 

Students should bring a healthy nut-free snack and a labeled water bottle to school each day. See page 12 of the Parent/Student Handbook for details about snack.

LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS

Do you love books? Do you love kids? Are you an organizer? Do you like to be active in our learning community? Sign up to volunteer today! “Many hands make light work.” Check out the media center calendar to view the schedule of classes. https://bit.ly/3e8sPdc Thank you! Merci!

EVERY MEAL PARTNERSHIP

Healthy eating is very important for children. Research shows that children who eat regular, nutritious meals are more likely to attend school and be engaged in learning.  As a part of this, we are excited to partner with Every Meal to offer a free weekend meal program to all our students. 

Every Meal is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to fight child hunger through community and school partnerships. They strive to make a difference in children’s lives by focusing on food gaps like weekends, school breaks, and summer when they can’t receive food in school. 

• Free for all families 
• No qualifications required 
• Students enrolled in the program will receive a 4-5 pound bag of nutritious, nonperishable food each week 
• Every Meal does not collect information from families; privacy is protected 
• Families may choose to participate in the program anytime throughout the school year
• Families may choose from a variety of different weekend food bag options 

Please contact Lisa Rapke Hoffman, School Social Worker at [email protected] or call 952-848-4108 to participate or for more information .

CIRCLE DROP-OFF & PICK-UP

Here are a few important notes about morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up from the circle at door 10 (the Normandale main door.)

• The Normandale Circle is for quick drop-offs and pick-ups only. If your student(s) need assistance getting in or out of your vehicle, please park in the lot and walk them up to the sidewalk.
• Please do not exit your vehicle during drop-off and pick-up.
• Please pull as far forward in the circle as you can before dropping off or picking up your student(s).
• To enter the circle, use the OUTSIDE lanes of the parking lot. You may not enter the circle from the middle lane of the parking lot.
• Please exit the circle as quickly and safely as possible. If you need to check your phone or take care of other tasks, move to the parking lot so you are not blocking the flow of traffic behind you.

For more information, check out the Normandale Traffic Plan. Thank you for helping to keep traffic moving!

EDINA GIVE AND GO

As you begin to register for activities this fall, did you know that Edina Give and Go grants financial assistance to students who couldn't otherwise afford to participate? This includes grants for students to participate in academic, arts, and athletic activities at Community Education (the financial assistance form can be found here.

This also includes grants for students to participate in other programs, including instrument rental, drivers ed classes, ACT prep fees, swim lessons, tutoring, and more. The financial assistance form for all non-Community Education classes can be found here.

Edina Give and Go provides up to $1,000 per student per school year for qualifying students.

Don't miss the annual Edina Give and Go Gear Swap!

Donation day is September 10 and shopping day is September 11!

EDINA COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Community Ed Fall Registration is open! Check out our before and after school enrichment, evening and weekend classes, and non school day opportunities. Register on Edina Eleyo. Enter ‘Normandale’ in the search bar to find opportunities at our site. 

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 including an annual Bastille Day festival on July 14. Learn more about Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul at www.afmsp.org.

Normandale PTO| [normandalepto.org]