FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Chris Holden | @MonsieurHolden | 952.848.4100

Dear Normandale Families,

November and December are busy months at Normandale when Edina’s Core Beliefs of family, school and community are on display frequently. This past weekend the French immersion community came together at La Belle Soirée to support Edina’s French Intern Program. After a three year hiatus, the turnout and energy at the Gala were amazing! 



The positive vibe continued this week when Normandale’s fifth grade band students performed their fall concert. They sounded great after only ten weeks of instruction and practice! 

On the other end of the age spectrum, Normandale’s kindergarten students and teachers shared what they have learned this fall at their show, “Madame la pomme.” Even if you don’t have a current kindergartner, I guarantee you still remember many of the songs they sang! Next month Normandale will welcome prospective kindergarten families to our Kindergarten Information Night on December 8 at 5:30 PM. 

On December 12 at 7:00 PM, Normandale’s 5^th grade orchestra performs for family and friends at their winter concert. Like their counterparts in band, Normandale’s orchestra students have made great progress over the past several months. Finally, Chorale Boréale, the Normandale choir, performs their winter concert on December 6 at 6:00 PM. After two years of limited opportunities for celebration, it is fun for me to see family, school and community come together this year at these great events. 

NOVEMBER 24, 2022 - THANKSGIVING DAY MERCI MILE!

Back by popular demand - the second annual #MerciMile Turkey Trot at Rosland Park. If you'll be in town for Thanksgiving, mark your calendars and join in for the second annual turkey day community building event and Edina French Immersion fundraiser. What better way to work up an appetite while also giving back to the school? The 1.1-mile event is family friendly, casual with no timed races, and turkey themed attire is encouraged!

All are welcome! Purchase tickets through the Community Connections section of OneCause.

TOYS FOR TOTS - FIFTH GRADE AMBASSADORS

Hello Normandale families,

This week we want to inform you about our new event. The 5th Grade Ambassadors are organizing a toy drive with Toys for Tots. Toys for Tots is an organization for kids in need. It gives young kids the opportunity to have fun toys that they may not have been able to have otherwise. If you or your kids have any new toys to donate to those in need, please send them to school. From November 18 to December 8, your child can bring new toys to their homeroom teacher. This is an optional event and you do not have to participate but it would be very kind and well appreciated. Have a fun week! 

Iris F. & Price M.

WINTER TEACHER/STAFF GIFTS

The Normandale PTO wants to provide a helping hand and facilitate winter holiday gifts for Normandale teachers and staff. Participation is optional.

The PTO has created an online form that will allow families to make an electronic payment with a custom note to their chosen teachers/staff. All gifts must be submitted by Friday, December 9. You may also send notes without making a monetary gift. Additional instructions can be found at the top of the form.

In order to access the form, you must be logged in to Normandale's Membership Toolkit portal. If you have not confirmed your family's data this year, you will need to do that before the system will allow you to access the gift form. Once you are logged in, you can find Forms under the My Account menu.

The gift form is also available through the Membership Toolkit mobile app. You can find it in the top left menu under My Account > Forms. Normandale families already have an entry in the directory even if you have never logged in. If you are unsure what email address is associated with your Normandale Membership Toolkit account, or if you have any questions about the form, please email Sheri Rosen.

Once again, participation is completely optional.

JUNIOR GREAT BOOKS - LEADERS NEEDED

Junior Great Books will be back again after Winter Break! We are seeking parent volunteers to lead each Junior Great Books group. Parent volunteers make it possible to offer the program! 

Junior Great Books is available to students in grades 2-5. The program 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.

Volunteer time commitment:

• nine weekly meetings with students during lunch/lunch recess starting in January
• read each story that will be discussed
• prepare a short activity for each meeting
• ideas and guidance are available for simple activity ideas

We need parent volunteers by the end of the day on Tuesday, November 29 in order to open student registration the following day. To sign up to lead a group, or to ask for additional information, 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

ANAELLE PETIOT - FIRST GRADE

ABOUT ME: I lived near Orleans, 1h30 from Paris. I have 3 brothers. I like to play sports : tennis, running, volleyball... I do a bit of piano. I love reading, cook, travel, see movies...

IN THE US: I would like to walk in the big parks. Discovering cities, landscapes and culture. View sporting events. Eat the famous pancakes and peanut butter.

MY FAVORITE FOOD: I love snails and frog legs.... No, I'm kidding. I like raclette, cheese fondue, I love dishes with cheese. I love pasta, pizza, hamburgers but also vegetables and fruits. I love French cuisine and especially French cake.

I AM EXCITED ABOUT: I'm excited about everything. I am looking forward to meeting the students, but also the teachers, the families, the interns... I'm looking forward to discovering Minnesota, I want to see the parks, the Mall, the cities...

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]