St. Louis Park Middle School's Weekly News |
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May 3 & 4, MCA reading test
May 5, Distance learners, (cohort C) may take MCA reading test
May 6 & 7, MCA math test
May 10, MCA makeup tests
May 11, MCA 8th grade science test
May 12, Distance learners, (cohort C) may take MCA math test
May 12, Virtual Site Council meeting, 6:30 p.m.
May 14, MCA makeup tests
May 19, Distance learners, (cohort C) may take MCA 8th grade science test
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The MCA reading test will be on May 3 and 4, the MCA math test will be May 6 and 7 and 8th grade students will test in MCA science on May 11. On those days please remember the following:
Have your school issued computer fully charged.
Bring a full water bottle.
Lastly, have activities to do when testing is done such as a book or other quiet activities.
Turn off your cell phone. If you take out your phone during the test your test is invalid.
For math and science, bring a corded headphone as a non-corded headphone is not allowed.
Get a good night of rest.
Eat a good breakfast the day of your test.
Please contact Omar Adams if you have any questions.
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Crew applications are now available for the spring show, James and the Giant Peach. This is an exciting opportunity to really think outside the box and do some crafting! You can fill it out on an electronic google form. The application is due next Tuesday, May 4. Here is the link to the application, which also contains more information about the show. Email Ms. Zumberge with questions.
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Ms. Peterson's "Welcome to the Real World" |
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This quarter, students in Ms. Peterson's "Welcome to the Real World" elective class have been learning about what it takes to land a job in the future. Students have learned the soft skills that employers look for in candidates, how to write cover letters and resumes, and how to make a good first impression at an interview.
This week, students participated in mock interviews with teachers and administrators and reflected on what they learned through the process. Here is a little bit of what they had to say about their experience.
"I learned to make a good first impression by showing respect and speaking from the heart."
"I learned that I have a lot more skills than I initially thought."
"I learned that I an be confident in the skills that I have."
"I was nervous, but I walked out of the interview feeling confident about my skills and abilities."
"I learned it is hard to complement yourself but I talked about myself in a good light and presented confidently."
Thank you to Ms. Leonard, Ms. Lashley, Mrs. Englund, Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Staib, Mr. Holmbeck, Ms. Krutina, Ms. Waldera, Mr. Boll, and Superintendent Osei for volunteering to conduct these interviews and giving students this experience!
Congratulations to all of the students- your future is looking bright!
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Some photos from Ms. Lillie's class today. |
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A Message from Site Council |
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Middle School Families,
As we prep for a likely more normal year next year, we hope you will get involved. One way to do that is participating in Site Council or various open volunteer leads.
Site Council is a group of parents/staff/administration that meets 7 times a year to discuss pertinent issues and self select to work on a strategic focus area committee. Committee break-outs this year included 1) Racial Equity, 2) Mental Health, 3) Communication, 4) Student Recognition. We anticipate continuing work on many of these areas in the 2021/22 school year. Meetings are approximately once per month on Wednesday's and were held virtually this year. No meetings in December or March due to Winter/Spring Breaks.
Site Council and Leadership open positions for 21/22 school year:
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Site Council Co-Chair - Co-lead with Julie Yakes - collaborate with administration as we build and lead meaningful content for meetings, ensure volunteer leads have support, build structure, etc. Approx time commit = 4-5 hours/month.
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Treasurer - Be in charge of finances, building and executing budget, writing checks, etc. Approx time commitment = 1-3 hours/month
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Fundraising Co-Lead - Help lead and execute the annual direct donation campaign; Approx time commitment July - September = 5-15 hours/month; Approx time commitment Oct - June = 0 hours/month
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Site Council members at large - Participate in Site Council meetings and strategic focus area committee work; Approximate time commitment: 1.5 hours/month Sept - May; All parents are welcome. We ask that you commit to attending at least 5 of the 7 meetings to maximize the committee work.
Interested, unsure or have questions? Please contact Julie Yakes (612-210-5196) or Heidi Meyer (612-462-5364) for more information.
Together, we can continue to make the Middle School a great place!
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Site Council Update: Teacher Appreciation Week is Next Week
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Next week is national Teacher Appreciation week. Please join us in showing appreciation for our fantastic St. Louis Park Middle School teachers and staff by encouraging your student to send a thank you to their teacher(s), or by sending one yourself. Thank you! |
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Grade 8 Families - Community Project Update
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We are getting close to the end of our Community Projects for the year. So many students have found profound ways to take action in these turbulent times!
As students begin to work on their presentations there are some things we want to share with families:
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Presentations are going to be captured digitally this year and are due May 19th.
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A template will be available for students who need it (Link to make a copy of that template) but students are encouraged to be creative with how they present the information.
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Presentations are going to be shown in a variety of places such as all grade level advisories and possibly the public via OT News.
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Presentations are a way for supervisors to gather evidence on the 4 criteria that will be scored (see rubrics on pp. 5-9).
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Presentations are opportunities for students to share what they did or didn't get accomplished with their projects and what they learned from the experience.
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Here's a link to an abbreviated student Community Project Digital Notebook that has a presentation checklist on page 4.
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Students will have their final check-in with supervisors during the week of May 12. Students are encouraged to present to their supervisors for feedback.
Please feel free to reach out to me with questions.
Mia Waldera
MYP IB Coordinator
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Distance Learning Expectations |
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Resource for Coping with Racial Trauma |
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Helpful resource centered around coping with racial trauma. This information was gathered from the EMPOWER lab from a group of amazing researchers at the University of Georgia.
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Looking for Host Families |
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The middle school is excited to be bringing back Global Interns for the 2021-22 school year! Global Interns are a great addition to our classrooms and make connections with many of our students. Global Interns bring an exciting energy to the classroom and are eager to be involved in the SLP community. We are looking forward to hosting two more interns at the middle school. One is Angela from Spain and we are currently interviewing candidates to fill the other intern position. We are looking for two host families for the fall semester-late August through the end of January and two more host families for next spring- late January through the end of the school year in 2022. The main requirement is the intern must have their own legal bedroom. It is a great opportunity for your family to learn about another culture while introducing the Global Intern to Minnesota and our community in St Louis Park. You do not need to be a PSI family. All middle school families are welcome to host. There is no requirement for families to know Spanish as the interns are also fluent in English. We are currently in a global pandemic and the interns will often be coming from countries with more restrictions than the United States. Information is fluid and the governments of the countries represented as well as the program that facilitates the Global Interns are dedicated to making the experience safe. My family has hosted an intern the last two years and had great experiences with lasting friendships. Please reach out to me if you are interested or have questions. Karita Bentley at [email protected]
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We are looking forward to the opportunity to have in person Summer School this year. Classes will be held at the High school. We will have breakfast at 8 a.m., continue to class and conclude with lunch and dismiss at 12:30 p.m. If you want to sign up for reading, math and science, please fill out the Summer School Link. Additional information will be sent out when registration is completed.
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Girls' Tennis Opportunity |
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Tennis opportunity for girls entering grades 6-12 in the fall! All skill levels welcome!!
June 14-July 29
8:00 a.m.-9:30/9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (assigned by skill)
Mondays,Tuesdays,Wednesdays and Thursdays
No program the week of July 4th
St Louis Park Middle School Courts
Registration Deadline: June 10
For contact or additional information:
Click here to see the flyer
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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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COVID-19 vs. Allergies: Do I Need to Quarantine? |
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STUDENT & FAMILY Information Regarding Allergy/Cold/Flu Season
Some symptoms of general illness such as seasonal allergies, colds, and/or flu overlap with symptoms of COVID-19. If a parent/guardian/family member believes their child/student has any illness - which displays the same symptoms as COVID-19 - the student, and other household members, are not allowed to attend school until:
The symptomatic student tests negative for COVID-19; or an alternative diagnosis (such as allergies, cold, or flu) is received from the child’s/student’s health care provider in written form and copied to the school health office.
If the student with symptoms does not test for COVID-19, or receive an alternative diagnosis from their health care provider, they would need to isolate at home for 10 days and household members would follow the 14 day quarantine protocol.
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Other opportunities in the district/community:
YEP Summer Learning & Play
Gardner's Swap
Paper Shredding Event
2021-22 Early Learning (Spanish)
MS Planting Class
Youth Enrichment League Summer 2021
EX.I.T.E. Camp
SLP Boys Basketball Summer Camp
Newscaster Spring/Summer 2021
Game Coding & Graphic Art Classes
2021-22 Student Calendar
Click here to see the flyers.
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