Como Park Elementary
February 2023
From Principal Ewald
I am honored to be the new principal of Como Park Elementary. We have such amazing students, families and staff.
On February 3rd from 7:45-8:15, I am going to start a new tradition of having morning "Family Chats with the Principal". I would like to provide the time and space for us to come together to talk and answer any questions you may have. We will have childcare available if needed.
National African American Parent Involvement Day is on February 13th. We will have an assembly at 8:30 with performances from our 2nd grade, 3rd grade and 5th grade percussion group.
I look forward to partnering with you throughout the year.
Welcome our new Assistant Principal, Meera Patel, to Como Park Elementary School! She has been a teacher in early childhood and special education for over 15 years teaching in Minneapolis, Zurich, and for the past 10 years in St.Paul Public Schools. She lives in the St.Paul community with her golden doodle Nala and is excited to join the Como Park community of students and families.
National African American Parent Involvement Day
- 7:30-8:30 Breakfast and time in Classrooms
- 8:30-9:00 Assembly with musical performances with 2nd, 3rd and our 5th grade percussion group
ACCESS Testing
State and federal laws require that all English Learner (EL) students are assessed annually to measure their proficiency and progress in reading, writing, listening and speaking in English.
SPPS uses the ACCESS 2.0 (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) test as its annual assessment. EL students who receive special education services and who meet certain guidelines may take the Alternate ACCESS test instead. These tests are used to see if students are meeting the WIDA English Language Development Standards and determine if a student is ready to exit from SPPS’s EL program.
All SPPS EL students in grades K-12 will be provided the ACCESS or Alternate ACCESS tests between January 30-March 24, 2023.
If you prefer that your student not participate in the ACCESS or Alternate ACCESS testing, please provide a written note indicating that choice or complete the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Parent/Guardian Participation Guide and Refusal form and send this communication to your child’s principal.
For more information on English language proficiency assessments and the MDE Parent/Guardian Participation Guide and Refusal form, please go to:
SPPS Family Testing Information website: spps.org/Page/33916
MDE Family Testing Information website: education.mn.gov/MDE/fam/tests/
Please reach out to your child’s school if you have any questions.
Technology Tips
CYBERBULLYING
Finding out that your child has been cyberbullied is emotional. You or your child might want to retaliate, but it's best to help your child deescalate the situation. Give them strategies to protect themselves and try to stop the bullying. Here are the immediate steps we recommend for parents and caregivers: Reassure your child that you love and support them. Help your child step away from the computer or device and take a break. If you can identify the bully, and it's another child, consider talking with their parents. Consider contacting your child's school. If bullying is happening online, it might be happening offline, too. Empower your child with specific steps they can take (see below). Kids may not always recognize teasing as bullying. Some kids may also be too embarrassed or ashamed to talk to adults about it. It's important to talk about safe online behavior with kids before they start going online or get their own phone. To prepare your child for going online, or if you know they're being bullied, share these steps they can take right away: Turn off the screen. Ignore the attacks and walk away. Don't respond or retaliate. If you're angry or hurt, you might say things you'll regret later. People who cyberbully often want to get a reaction out of you, so don't let them know their plans have worked. Block the bully. If you get mean messages through social media, take the person off your friends list or block them. You can also delete messages from the person without reading them. Use reporting tools. Many apps and websites offer ways you can report or flag bullying. The site might block or suspend the user. Save or take a screenshot of bullying messages. If the harassment continues, save the evidence. This could be important proof to show parents or teachers if the bullying doesn't stop. Talk to a friend. When someone makes you feel bad, it can help to talk the situation over with a friend. Tell a trusted adult. A trusted adult is someone you believe will listen and who has the skills, desire, and authority to help you. Telling an adult isn't tattling -- it's standing up for yourself. And even if the bullying occurs online, your school probably has rules against it. For more information, check out commonsensemedia.org
From Nurse Morgan
Appointments Open for Give Kids a Smile, Offering Free Dental Care to Underserved Children
February 3 and 4, 2023
Appointments are now being taken for Give Kids a Smile, a charitable outreach program that provides free dental care to underserved children. Dental professionals volunteer to provide these services during Children’s Dental Health Month. This year, free dental care will be available on Feb. 3 and 4 in many locations throughout the state. Find a participating clinic by visiting www.mndental.org/gkas or by contacting the United Way – just dial 2-1-1 or text your zip code to 898-211. Appointments are then scheduled directly through the clinic. No eligibility questions are asked, in an effort to remove any possible barrier to care.
Counselor's Corner
Hello families,
It is a new year, and we have already been doing some amazing things in 2023! January's cardinal character theme was self-control. We continue to discuss the Zones of Regulation to help Como students stay calm and regulate their emotions.
In February, we will be celebrating Black History Month. At Como, we celebrate our students' cultures and backgrounds all year long. Our cardinal character words for February are fairness and courage. This allows us to connect these words with historical events and leaders that helped impact change.
At home, you can highlight:
- Situations where people have shown strength, courage, and bravery.
- Fairness does not always mean everyone gets the same thing. It is when people get what they need.
Friday, Feb 17th, is National Random Act of Kindness Day.
In counseling lessons, students are finishing up a Bully Prevention Unit and becoming "Bully-Buster" superheroes. Ask your child about how they are showing kindness to others.
During 3rd quarter, classrooms will engage in career exploration through our district Xello app. More info to come....
As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
Be well.
Stephanie Lee
651-744-3600
Physical Education
Pre K
Kindergarten
First Grade
Second Grade
Fourth Grade
Fifth Grade
Fifth graders have been very busy! We are learning about order of operations and math properties as well as working on algebra in math! We are creating clips projects to show our understanding of different topics in math and science too!
In reading we are still focusing on identifying theme in poems and different types of text. We continue to work on improving in our fluency and comprehension in both fiction and nonfiction texts.
In social studies we are learning about the 13 colonies. We are trying to find out how and why they were started and learn about what life was like 400+ years ago.
Our field trip to see Murray Junior High finally happened. Students had a great time meeting Murray students and staff, seeing what the building looks like and getting questions answered!
Quick Links
iUpdate
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Como Park Elementary School
Website: https://www.spps.org/comoel
Location: 780 West Wheelock Parkway, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-293-8820
Twitter: @ComoElementary