April 20, 2022 | Volume 2 • Issue 32
August Special Election
Over the past couple of years we have made significant improvements to our physical facilities across the district. I am thankful for the support of our community as we have engaged in a process to ensure that our facilities:
 
  • enhance the daily lived experience of students;
  • stabilize costs and conserve energy; and
  • improve safety and security.
 
While we have made great strides in these areas through facilities improvements, the pandemic has had a profound impact on our ability to complete all of the projects connected to the 2017 bond referendum. Our construction management team has done a great job of leveraging the resources provided, and due to increased labor cost and supply and materials shortages there are several projects we were not able to complete as a part of the 2017 bond referendum. I am excited that at the end of this summer we will have made substantial physical facilities improvements to our early learning center, elementary schools, and middle school, but there is still more work to be done to ensure that our facilities enhance the daily lived experience of students.
 
At the School Board meeting on April 12, School Board members unanimously approved ballot questions for a bond referendum and capital project levy on the August 9, 2022 special election. Question one asks voters to renew and expand the Capital Project Levy for Technology by $500,000, and Question two seeks approval for a $136 million bond referendum.
 
I am looking forward to having the opportunity over the next couple of months to share more information about these ballot questions and the impact they will have on our school community.  
 
Please stay up to date with information pertaining to the upcoming special election by visiting slpschools.org/community/2022Referendum
 
Thank you for your continued support of St. Louis Park Public Schools.
 
With much appreciation,
 
Astein
Summer Learning Academy and Summer Learning & Play Opportunities Available for K-5 Families
St. Louis Park Public Schools and St. Louis Park Community Education is excited to announce a number of summer program opportunities for families with K-5 students.

The K-5 Summer Learning Academy provides enrichment in the areas of literacy, math, wellness, global & social justice, and arts. This year's Summer Learning Academy will take place from June 20 through August 4 at Peter Hobart Elementary School.

St. Louis Park Community Education is also excited to announce more than 40 afternoon fee-based camps as part of its Summer Learning & Play program. There is something for every kid including STEM camps, arts camps, sports camps, and more!

Click here to download a flyer with more details.
District Office Staff Members Relocate to District Buildings
Staff in the departments of Human Resources, Business Services, and the Enrollment Center vacated their office space at the District Office (6311 Wayzata Blvd.) last week. Employees in these departments have moved to open office space at buildings around the District. The new locations of these departments is as follows:

  • Enrollment Center - St. Louis Park High School circle entrance (6425 West 33rd Street)
  • Business Services - Lenox Community Center (6715 Minnetonka Blvd.)
  • Human Resources - Lenox Community Center (6715 Minnetonka Blvd.)

Other administrative departments including Assessment, Research & Evaluation, Communications, Curriculum & Instruction, Facilities & Safety, Multicultural Liaisons, Student Services, and the Superintendent's Office will remain at the 6311 Wayzata Blvd. location until June. 

Please note that there will no longer be a receptionist seated at the main door of the 6311 Wayzata Blvd. building. If you have a meeting with a staff member at the building, you will need to make a phone call to be let in the building.
Incoming 6th Grade Rally Night is Thursday, April 21
St. Louis Park Middle School will host Incoming 6th Grade Rally Night at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 21. Please note that this will be an in-person event with some content available virtually through recorded video.

Rally Night is great opportunity for incoming 6th grade families to become acquainted with the Middle School prior to the 2022-23 school year. The event will begin with a welcome from school leaders at 6:30 p.m. in the new performing arts space and will then transition into a variety of informational sessions and experiences including the following:

  • Student-led Tours
  • Fieldhouse Fair & Information Stations (Athletics, Clubs/Activities, Student Leadership Opportunities, Library Media Center, etc.)
  • Student Panel
  • Specialized Programming Information (International Baccalaureate, Extended Spanish Program, Restorative Practices, etc.)
  • 10 Myths About Your Adolescent's Life at SLP (geared toward parents and guardians)
  • St. Louis Park Swag Giveaways
High School Theatre Department to Present Mutually Assured Destruction April 29-May 1
The St. Louis Park High School Theatre Department will present Mutually Assured Destruction: 10 Plays about Brothers and Sisters, April 29-May 1 in the High School Auditorium. Spanning ten decades, Don Zolidis’ Mutually Assured Destruction highlights the tensions and touchstones of sibling relationships. Each vignette features brothers and sisters tackling the issues of their era (and at times, each other) as family conflicts build to a humorous breaking point.
 
Performances of Mutually Assured Destruction are Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, May 1 at 2:00 p.m. All performances will be held in the High School auditorium, located along the West 33rd Street entrance. Tickets are free with an SLPHS student ID, $5 for all other students and senior citizens, and $7 for adults. Click here to purchase advance tickets online at purchase at the box office 30 minutes prior to the performance. Though not required, patrons are strongly encourage to wear masks while in the building.
Elementary Schools to Take Part in "Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song" Celebrations
Elders’ Wisdom, Children's Song is an intergenerational multicultural curriculum. Elders' Wisdom, Children's Song staff have been working with our Talent Development teachers to support the development of this program so it will honor the elders of our St. Louis Park community while fostering the brilliance, empathy, and artistry of our 4th grade scholars.

Elders’ Wisdom Children’s Song (EWCS) incorporates the tools of community organizing, education, and celebration through storytelling in song and spoken word. At the heart, EWCS is an educational process called collective song-writing. It combines the collection of oral history, or oral literature, with the teaching of song-writing and poetry.  

This year, through our Talent Development program, all fourth grade classes across the District participated in this amazing program, concluding with a performance showcasing their amazing talents and brilliance. 

Each class has adopted an elder from their community to tell his or her story. Each story was recorded, transcribed, analyzed and interpreted by students. Inspired by the life story of the elder, a song or spoken word piece was written and will be performed by the class, for the community. 

The Celebrations will take place at 6:30 p.m. on the following dates:

Aquila Elementary School | May 10
Park Spanish Immersion Elementary School | April 28 | Held at Middle School
Peter Hobart Elementary School | May 12 
Susan Lindgren Elementary School | May 17

Please feel free to attend and support our students and community!
COVID Dashboard
In order to be in alignment with the updated Policy 808 - COVID-19 Face Coverings, the dashboard has been updated to include data with a reporting period that begins at 12:00 a.m. each Monday and concludes at 11:59 p.m. each Sunday. The dashboard will continue to be published in the SLP Communicator on Wednesdays and can also be found on the District's COVID Updates & Information page at www.slpschools.org/families/covid-updates-information.
COVID Reminders
Parents and guardians are reminded that if a school or center passes the 5% threshold of positive COVID cases among its student and staff population, in conjunction with Policy 808, students and staff will be required to wear a face covering inside the building for two weeks with a few exceptions.

Hennepin County has also updated its COVID Fact Sheet. Click here to download this fact sheet in English. Per Hennepin County, translations are in process and should be available in the coming weeks.
Enrollment News for 2022-23 School Year!