Dear Normandale families,

I saw the first snowflakes of the season yesterday! That means real winter weather is around the corner. It also means we will be shifting home lunch students from outside into the auditorium. Our auditorium is large enough to allow for social distancing for students eating home lunch. Please note that we need parent volunteers to help in the auditorium each day.

Finally, please review the winter guidelines below as you prepare your students for the winter season.

Common Expectations for Outerwear:

1. If it is below 40 degrees students should wear a jacket. (If they are hot, they can unzip their coat.)

2. Snowpants and boots are required when there is accumulated snow on the ground. 

3. Boots worn outside cannot be the same boots worn inside. (Students should have separate footwear for inside versus outside)

4. Hats, mittens, etc. required below freezing (32 degrees). 

Students will go outside for recess each day unless the temperature is below 0°F or the windchill is below -10°F. Please label your students hats, gloves, mittens, jacket and snowpants with their first and last name. Also, please send your students with their outerwear every day as conditions can change during the day and students will go outside if possible.

INTERN THANKSGIVING

The French Interns will be preparing a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner on November 7th. We need some volunteers to donate food to help make this event a success. 

Please sign up to donate food here. Items should be dropped off by Friday, November 5th at the Jennen home: 6720 Valley View Road, Edina, MN 55439.

Please show your appreciation for our French Interns by making a donation to our annual Thanksgiving event. Thank you for your support! If you have any questions, please contact Anne Jennen: anne.jennen@gmail.com.

LOST AND FOUND

Please check out the lost and found in the Normandale lobby all this week.  All items will be laid out on tables in the lobby for easy viewing.  Parents can stop in all week from 7:30am-6:00pm to look for any lost items. 

Any items not claimed by 3pm on Friday, November 5th will be donated.

Need name stickers? Use this link for Name Bubbles and Normandale PTO will receive 20% of the subtotal of your purchase.

LUNCHTIME VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We need volunteers EVERY DAY to supervise home lunch (warmer days outside and colder days inside). Please sign up HERE if you are able to help. Volunteers are what allows us to offer a separate space for home lunch students.

NEW WEBSITE: WHERE DO I FIND...?

Edina Public School's new website is fresh and current, but is navigated a little differently from our former website. Please bookmark Normandale's new homepage address: https://normandale.edinaschools.org/

You can use the "Find it Fast" menu at the top of any webpage for a one-click navigation to the Parent Portal, COVID/Illness Reporting Form and more. You can also use the search menu to find what you are looking for (please note this searches the entire EPS website.)

The main banners for Normandale are Our School, Learning, Resources, Student Life and Get Involved. Here is a sampling of what you will find:

• Our School
• All school announcements/event information (which used to be on our homepage)
• Attendance information
• Email and phone numbers for Normandale teachers and staff
• Learning:
• Media center information
• Information on curriculum and academic programing
• Resources
• School calendar
• Parent Portal link and information
• Food services, health services and transportation

Please contact the office at anne.anderson@edinaschools.org or 952-848-4100 if you are unable to find what you are looking for on the website. 

THANKSGIVING MEAL BASKETS

If you are interested in receiving a donated Thanksgiving Food Basket from the Edina Rotary, please contact the Edina Resource Center.

Requests for baskets are being taken until 4:00 PM Thursday, November 11th

If the number of requests exceeds the number of baskets available, a lottery will be held. You will be notified by email.

Basket includes: cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, canned veggies, pumpkin pie, loaf of bread, and a bag of oranges.(No meal substitutes) Plus hats and mittens for the kids.

To sign-up, provide: name, address, email, phone number, ages of child(ren) and school(s) attending.

Someone must be available to receive the basket delivery at the address you give us between 12:00pm-3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 24th

CANASTAS DE COMIDA PARA EL DIA DE GRACIAS 2021

Si le interesa recibir la donación de una Canasta de Comida para el Día de Gracias por parte de Edina Rotary, contacte por favor al Edina Resource Center.

Se están tomando pedidos hasta el

Jueves 11 de Noviembre a las 4:00 PM

Si la cantidad de solicitudes excede la cantidad de canastas disponibles, se realizará una lotería.

Las Canastas Incluyen: Pavo cocido, puré de papas, relleno, y gravy, batatas, salsa de arándano, vegetales enlatados, pan, naranjas y gorros/guantes para los niños.

Debe proporcionar: nombre, dirección, número de teléfono, edades del(los) niño(s) y escuela(s) a las que asisten.

¡Alguien tiene que estar disponible para recibir la canasta en la dirección que nos dé entre el 12:00pm - 3:00pm el Miercoles 24 de Noviembre!

Edina Resource Center

952-848-3938

Krista.Phillips@edinaschools.org

Sign up to receive a free bag of food every weekend. There are no qualification requirements and your family's privacy is protected. Once you have signed up, please check your child's backpack for the food bag each Friday starting November 5.

Please contact our school social worker, Lisa Rapke Hoffman with questions.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL: PARKING LOT REMINDERS

Our priorities during student drop off and pick up are safety and civility. Please be patient with and cautious around other drivers and pedestrians when maneuvering in the parking lot and drop off circle. Here are some procedure reminders:

• 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.

Thank you for helping to keep traffic moving!

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS - SIGN UP TO HOST!

Community Connections are events of all sizes for students, parents, or families hosted by Normandale, Valley View Middle School, and Edina High School families in the French Immersion Community. Community Connections are designed to bring together our community while raising funds to benefit our fantastic Edina French Intern Program. Sign up on the Normandale PTO site to host an event! Deadline to submit an event is November 9.

Vaccines for 12-17 year olds:

“Kids Deserve a Shot,” a vaccine incentive program consists of two sets of rewards: a $200 Visa gift card for 12-17-year-olds who start and complete their vaccine series between October 18 and November 30, and five drawings of $100,000 Minnesota college scholarships for any 12-17 years old in Minnesota with a complete vaccine series.

Full program details and rules and online registration are available here.

Vaccines for Under 12:

FDA Panel recommends Pfizer vaccine for ages 5-11! Read the NPR article for more info.

Edina is holding vaccine clinics for our under 12 crowd, SAVE THE DATE! More details to follow.

The Minnesota Department of Health is requesting that schools continue to track COVID related cases among their student population.  

Covid/Illness Reporting Form - Please use this form to report your child’s absence due to illness. It is helpful to us in tracking illness related absences and which families we need to follow up with to guide through the decision tree.

As always, call if you need consultation on whether or not your child should stay home, get tested, and where to get tested. We’re here to help!

ROMANE PEJOUX - FOURTH GRADE

About me...: I live in a small city but I love to move around to see my friends and family. My parents and I love to go hiking or visiting new places. Sport is a huge part of my life as I have been swimming for 10 years, but I also like to run with my mother, as well as other type of sports. During my free time I like to read (I read a lot of books), to do sports, or sometimes to remain at home and enjoy a good movie.



In The US...: I consider myself very lucky to go to the US and I want my time in the US to be full of discoveries and traveling. If I had one place where I want to go, I would automatically say: New York. However, since I am a person very connected to nature, I would love to visit national parks, canyons... I would be very glad if I can visit as much places as I can and to share my travels with other interns.

My favorite food…:  I do not have any particular type of favourite foods. Yet, I love pastas in general, as well as pizzas. There is nothing in particular that I do not like.

I am excited about…: I am so excited to go to Minnesota for the upcoming year. I think that coming in Minnesota and being intregrated in a family is extraordinary. I am glad to be part of this program and being able to communicate and share my culture to young kids. I am excited to live this experience.

Cake-Off is back! Join us in person (or via Zoom) on Friday, November 19th 10:00 AM at Church of St. Patrick. Enjoy coffee, time with fellow community members and of course, cake! The program begins at 10:30 and will highlight Ed Fund’s work with EPS in STEAM, Literacy & Mental Health, remarks from Superintendent Dr. Stanley and a live auction to finish the event.

Learn about all the programs and lives you touch through your donation and hear what's next for our kids. The event is free, please register here: https://www.edinaedfund.org/s/cake-off

Are you a baker? Check out the virtual Cake-Off Home Edition, get creative and have some fun! Bake a cake, cupcakes, pie, cookies, any baked good you love! Email us a picture of your creation and enjoy your baked good with your family. Entries accepted NOW through Friday, November 12th. All entries will be featured on the Ed Fund website and prizes awarded for most votes. Click here for more information: https://www.edinaedfund.org/s/cake-off

Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram to find out more about this fun event!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

-Edina Education Fund

Normandale PTO| [normandalepto.org]