Aquila Communicator

March 23, 2023

Greetings Aquila Community!

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. It is a significant holiday for many of our students. From March 23 to April 21, practicing Muslim students will be fasting from dawn until dusk (approximately 5:30 AM to 7:30 PM). During their daily fasts, students will not partake in any food or beverage, and celebrations often involve gatherings and prayers late into the night. Students may be more tired and hungry than usual, and we ask our school community to be patient, supportive and understanding. It’s also appropriate to say “Happy Ramadan, “Ramadan Kareem,” “Happy Mubarak,” “Ramadan Mubarak” if you wish to acknowledge the holiday.

María Graver, Aquila Principal

952-928-6502 ~ graver.maria@slpschools.org

Olivia Tolzin, Aquila Assistant Principal

952-928-6508 ~ tolzin.olivia@slpschools.org

Key Dates

Thursday, March 23 ~ First Grade Talent Development Showcase, TONIGHT - 5:00-7:00 PM

Friday, March 31 --- Friday, April 7 ~ No School, Spring Break

Monday, April 10 ~ School Resumes

Thursday, April 13 ~ Science MCA - Fifth Grade

Thursday, April 13 ~ ASD Family Meetup, 6:00 PM, AQ Library Media Center

Wednesday, April 19 ~ Reading MCA - Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grades

Wednesday, April 19 ~ AQ PTO STEAM Night, 6:00-8:00 PM

Thursday, April 20 ~ Reading MCA - Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grades

Wednesday, April 26 ~ Math MCA - Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grades

Thursday, April 27 ~ Math MCA - Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grades

Thursday, May 4 ~ ASD Family Meetup, 6:00 PM, AQ Library Media Center

Wednesday, May 10 ~ 5th Grade Band & 4th/5th Grades Orchestra Concert - High School, 7:00 PM

Friday, May 12 ~ Carnival

Thursday, May 18 ~ Fourth Grade Elders' Wisdom Event at the Middle School, 6:30 PM (New Date!)

Monday, May 29 ~ No School

Thursday, June 1 ~ ASD Family Meetup, 6:00 PM, AQ Library Media Center

Thursday, June 8 ~ Last Day of School

MCA ~ Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments

Students in Grades 3, 4, 5 will be taking the MCA in April. Grades 3, 4, and 5 will take the Math and Reading MCA. Grade 5 will also take a Science MCA. They will be completed on the students' Chromebooks at school. For more information about the MCA, click here. Here is a link to the SLP testing website.

Aquila Tentative MCA testing dates:

Science MCA (5th Grade Only) - Thursday, April 13

Reading MCA - Wednesday, April 19 and Thursday, April 20

Math MCA - Wednesday, April 26 and Thursday, April 27

Aquila Spirit Wear Sale

The Aquila spirit wear Sale is on now! Ordering

will end Tuesday, March 28 and

will be delivered the week of April 17.

CLICK HERE to see Aquila styles.

CLICK HERE to see SLP styles.

Tool of the Week ~ Eagle

Each week, students and staff will focus on a tool that helps them with their social emotional well-being. This week's tool is called, Eagle.

Standing in Mountain, press one foot into the floor.
With a little bend in your knee, cross your leg over.
Give yourself a hug or wrap one elbow under the other.
Squeeze in.
Stay here for 5-10 breaths.
Repeat on the other side.

First Grade Talent Development Showcase - TONIGHT!

First Graders hard at work on their projects.

Talent Development Recent Highlights ~ Grades 3, 4, 5

Students in Third Grade Talent Development built marble runs during their Engineering Unit. Each day, students had a new challenge. Challenge design goals included: farthest distance, turning a corner, and going uphill.

Fourth Graders in Talent Development extended their learning of Geometry by creating a tessellation. A tessellation is a pattern of one or more shapes that fit together with no gaps or overlaps. A tessellation can continue on a plane forever.

Fifth Graders in Talent Development are working on surface area. Each student designed their own city, each which contained roads and a green space. The final step after each building was designed and constructed was to find the surface area of each building. These are works in progress.

Aquila PTO ~ Parent, Teacher Organization

The mission of the Aquila Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is to enhance the educational experience of all Aquila students and support all Aquila community and staff through fundraising and community events.

AQ PTO INFORMATION ~ LINKS:

*Website

*Facebook

*Send an email

GET INVOLVED ~ LINKS:

*Volunteer Interest Form

*Cafeteria Lunchroom Help Link

Aquila Lost & Found

Aquila Lost & Found items will be cleared out and donated on Friday, March 31.

Please remind your students to collect their items. Thank you!

District News ~ City-District Calendar Survey

Families and residents can pick up the printed City-District calendar at St. Louis Park City Hall and all St. Louis Park Public Schools schools. In the interest to be fiscally responsible, we'd like to understand if families find value in having the upcoming 2023-2024 calendar printed and available to them. You can access the calendar online by clicking here.

Please fill out this 1 minute survey so we can better estimate the number of calendars to print.

District News ~ Free COVID Tests

We encourage families to pick up a COVID test before spring break from your school’s main office. Please note that the shelf life of BinaxNOW tests have been extended by 7 months. Add 7 months to the expiration date printed on the box.

District News ~ Summer Youth Programs

Summer Learning & Play - Click here!

St. Louis Park Community Education is excited to offer morning and afternoon fee-based camps as part of its Summer Learning & Play program. If a student registers for both an AM and PM camp, they can stay all day. There will be staff supervision from 12:00-1:00 PM for lunch and free-play time before afternoon classes begin. There is something for every kid including STEM camps, arts camps, sports camps, and more! These will take place at Peter Hobart Elementary. The camps are four days a week, Monday through Thursday. Transportation not provided.

Summer Kids Place - Click here!

Join in the fun at Kids Place this summer! As part of St. Louis Park Public Schools, we share the district’s mission to provide children a safe, nurturing environment that energizes and enhances the spirit.

Kids Place Summer Program 2023 Grades K- 5:

June 19 - August 18, 2023
Location: Susan Lindgren Elementary
Hours: 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
20 or more days: $53 per day
15-19 days: $57 per day

Sign into your online account to register: https://slp.ce.eleyo.com

Online Registration Window: March 1 - March 31, 2023!

Schedule changes allowed through May 19, 2023

Summer Learning Academy - Click here!

Summer Learning Academy (for students who were in grades K-5 during the 22-23 school year) is a free program that promotes student growth and exposes learners to social and emotional development and cultural awareness through the engagement of academics, enrichment and physical activities. Learners will also be exposed to on-site and off-site field trip/experiential learning to enhance the overall summer experience. This year's Summer Learning Academy will take place at Peter Hobart Elementary. Lunch is provided. June 19-30 and July 10-August 4, Monday through Friday, 8:00-12:30 PM. Bus transportation available.

Summer Learning Academy is also available for Middle School students who were in grades 6-8 during the 22-23 school year. The program is June 19 - July 28 and bus transportation would be available. Lunch is provided. Monday through Fridays, 9:00 AM-1:30 PM. Use these same links to register a Middle School student.

Registration for Summer High School Credit Recovery will be available in April.

Elementary and Middle School Registration Links:

Click here for the Registration Form in English.

Click here for the Registration Form in Spanish.

Click here for the Registration Form in Somali.