Lighthouse School Newsletter
September 1, 2021
See translation information below / Consulte la información de traducción a continuación.
Dear Lighthouse families,
Today, we officially welcomed Lisa Cisewski to her new role leading the Lighthouse team. You’ll hear from her next week after she’s had a chance to get oriented. Lisa did jump right in today and enjoyed meeting many of you at today’s in-person Meet and Greet. We are thrilled Lisa is here and she’s looking forward to getting to know all of you.
Virtual Meet and Greet on Thursday
Facilitators will host virtual Meet and Greets tomorrow, Thursday, September 2, 12-1 p.m. Students and families can connect with their facilitator via WebEx as noted:
- Barnette - https://meet-springlakeparkschools.webex.com/meet/mbarne
- Endrizzi - https://springlakeparkschools.webex.com/meet/mendri
- TisonPovis - https://springlakeparkschools.webex.com/meet/kpovis
- Pouliot - https://springlakeparkschools.webex.com/meet/lpouli
Health and Safety: Face Masks
We continue to experience high COVID-19 transmission rates in Anoka County. Following the district COVID-19 Face Mask Decision-Making Guide, all students, staff and visitors are required to wear face masks in Pre-K through grade 6. Because we are a mixture of grade levels at Lighthouse, all students and staff are required to wear masks when Anoka County is experiencing high transmission.
There are some additional reminders in today’s newsletter that you may find helpful before the school year begins next Tuesday, September 7. Please take a moment to review. Please reach out if you have questions.
We’re excited to see all of our students next week and get this school year started. Enjoy the last days of summer break and this Labor Day weekend.
Tony Mayer
Director of Student Services
Student Drop-off and Pick-Up Information
Morning Information
- District students have the option to ride a bus to and from Lighthouse School.
- 15-minute parking spots are available in the parking lot for parents who drive their student(s). Avoid parking on Able St. as you may get a ticket.
- Students may not arrive before 7:45 a.m., as there is no supervision. If before-school care is needed for your child, please contact Learning Ventures at 763-600-5050.
- The cafeteria serves breakfast each day from 7:45-8:05 a.m.
- Lighthouse School classes begin at 8:10 a.m. and students are marked tardy starting at that time.
- Late Arrival: Students who arrive after 8:10 a.m. MUST check in with the Lighthouse office before heading to classes at either Lighthouse or Spring Lake Park High School.
Afternoon Information
- Lighthouse 9-12th grade students, who ride the bus, are dismissed at 2:55 p.m.
- All other students will be dismissed at 3:00 p.m. A staff member will be supervising the students as they await pick-up until 3:15 p.m. If you are unable to pick up your child before 3:15 p.m. you must seek after-school care. Spring Lake Park Schools offers Learning Ventures.
- For any transportation changes (e.g. parent pickup instead of usual bus after school), parents must notify staff by noon of that day by calling the Attendance Line at 763-600-5209.
- Parents may use the 15 minute parking spaces in the parking lot or once all buses have departed, parents may swing into the bus lane.
Media permission and directory information
Photos, video, stories and other information highlighting student learning and achievement captured in our schools is considered public record. We share positive achievements in yearbooks, on the website, in newsletters and articles and the district’s other official communication channels that often include images and names.
Families can request specific “directory information” (student name, picture, other information) remain private by submitting a written request to the school principal or administrative assistant. Requests should include the student’s name, school, relationship of the person requesting and the specific information that is to remain private.
You can read the Media Permission/Directory Notification in English and Spanish and review our district policy on this topic, Policy 515: Protection and Privacy of Pupil Records.
Technology responsible use policy notification
Technology allows people access to hundreds of thousands of networks and the Internet. It is an extremely useful educational tool available to staff and students in our school district. Access to our schools' technology systems area networks, including the Internet, is governed by school district policy. We ask that students use computers/devices in a responsible and ethical manner. You can view the full policy on the district website or by requesting a copy from the office of your student’s school.
Parents/guardians have the option to request alternative educational activities not requiring Internet access and the material to exercise this option. If you DO NOT want your child to use the Internet while at school, please fill out this brief technology use form and return to your child’s homeroom teacher or the school’s main office. El documento está disponible en español.
First day of school signs and more on the Back-to-School Hub
We love to see students on the first day of school, so we created first day of school photo signs for each grade that families can print or pull up on their iPad and use in their first day of school photos. Most signs are available in English and Spanish. Don't forget to tag us and use #SLPantherProud when you post your photos! Find the signs on the Back to School hub.
Along with first day of schools signs, the Back-to-School Hub contains other information and resources for families as we prepare for the 2021-2022 school year. You’ll find:
- School supply lists
- Free and Reduced-Price Meal and Education Benefits application
- Health Services – immunization forms, nut aware classroom guidelines and more
- Staff directory information
- Technology support and resources
- And more!
Guidelines for families on peanut/nut aware classrooms
Spring Lake Park Schools is continuing to emphasize practices that make our schools safe for all students. This work includes partnering with parents in adopting peanut and nut-aware practices. Many students in our schools have severe allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, and/or products that contain nuts. Strict avoidance is the best way to prevent a severe allergic reaction. Accidental ingestion or even touching a tiny trace of a nut may cause a potentially fatal reaction for some students.
In an effort to ensure all students are safe throughout the school day, we are asking parents to partner with us to ensure the safety of our students. We need help in supporting the following guidelines to make our classrooms peanut/nut aware:
- All classrooms will be peanut/nut aware throughout Spring Lake Park Schools.
- Please do not send any classroom snacks containing nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, or other nut products for daily snacks
- Students who have nut products in their lunch or snack will be removed from the classroom (for classes who are eating lunch within their classroom) to eat in an alternate location.
- Please be aware of products that may be produced in a plant that contains peanuts/nuts
- Check out the Snack Safely website to reference what snacks and lunch items are safe to send.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the SLPHS Health Office at 763-600-5104.
Download the MyStop Bus Tracking App
Is your student riding the bus this fall? MyStop is a web-based application which allows parents and students access to live GPS information for morning and afternoon school bus routes. MyStop displays the school bus’s approximate location on a map, as well as the estimated time of arrival (ETA) to a specific student’s bus stop.
To download the MyStop app, go to the iTunes store for iOS devices (iPhones and iPads) or Google Play for Android devices. Look for “Versatrans MyStop” and click to download.
COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan
Find a summary of the health and safety measures in place in our school at the COVID-19 hub. Anoka County continues to experience high transmission rates. Following our COVID-19 Face Mask Decision-Making Guide, students, staff and visitors in our preK-6 settings are required to wear face masks during times of high transmission. At grades 7-12, face masks are strongly recommended.
Lifetouch Picture Day October 11, 2021
In case you missed important information from last week's newsletter, check out the topics below and click to learn more.
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