Our Linwood Family ROAR
August 28th, 2022
Message from Ms. Mattson
Hello Linwood Families!
Linwood will be busting with excitement this week when our staff return to get ready for the 2022-2023 school year! We will all be very busy catching up with each other, learning about new things and changes, and preparing for our amazing Linwood students to return for the first day of school on Tuesday, September 6th!
Breakfast and Lunch is NOT free this year at school. Make sure that you have a plan about what this may mean for your family. You can add money into your child's account so they can eat at school. If you would like, there is an easy form to complete to see if your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch. You can get the form at Open House.
Our new teachers (Mr. Crothers-Phy Ed, Ms. Loppnow-5th grade, and Mrs. Voth-Special Ed) spent last week learning all they need to know about the Forest Lake Area School district and all about Linwood. They were even able to take a trip out to our School Forest to explore. We took a few pictures of them on their adventure. I cannot wait for you to meet them at Open House!
Katie, our PTA president, wrapped up painting the Media Center this week by finishing some accent walls with a Forest Lake maroon. She did a fantastic job and it looks amazing! I cannot wait for you to see how updated, nice and clean the walls in the Media Center look now. It needed a little updating. Mrs. Hibbard, our Media/Innovation Specialist, will work with Heather to add some new touches to make the Media Center a fantastic and cozy place to be at Linwood. A HUGE shout out to Heather and Katie for all the time they spent painting the Media Center!!
Enjoy the last week of your summer! I can't wait to see you all at Open House on Wednesday, August 31st! I cannot wait to have our staff and students back in the building!!
LINWOOD OPEN HOUSE (Posted 8/14/2022)
Pre-K through 6th grade families are welcome to attend
Wednesday, August 31st from 4:30-6:00 pm
Doors open at 4:25 pm
Families of 4th-6th graders should bring $5 for your child's planners. Planners are daily agenda notebooks for homework. ($5 cash or $5 check to Linwood PTA).
Open House is a time to meet teachers, find classrooms/lockers, drop off school supplies, and see old friends.
Our PTA will provide hot dogs and chips! Our beverages will be provided by Bernick's!
6th Grade Update (NEW)
Our class sizes were getting to be quite big for two 6th grade classes. We hired Paige Peterson to be our third 6th grade teacher this year. We are excited for her to join our Linwood staff. Families who checked their child's teacher on ParentVue Friday may have said their teacher is Heather Karstens, that is because our new teacher, Miss Peterson, was not added in the system yet. So, as much as Mrs. K would like to teach in the classroom, we would miss her way too much in the office. :)
NEW K-6 LITERACY CURRICULUM (8/21/2022)
We had four pallets of new literacy curriculum arrive at Linwood last week. As you know, we worked really hard on choosing a K-6 Literacy curriculum and this Fall we finally get to implement Benchmark Advance. Teachers are so excited to dig in and begin teaching this rigorous curriculum. I will continue to share information about the new curriculum. If you have questions, do not hesitate to reach out.
SCHOOL BUS INFORMATION (Posted 8/14/2022)
Bus assignments with pick-up and take-home locations and times will be sent to you from the transportation department approximately ONE WEEK prior to the start of school. Keep an eye out for these postcards in your mailbox!
View the real-time locations of your child’s bus at: herecomesthebus.com (More information below)
Over the summer, ALL buses have had camera's installed on them to ensure safety for all drivers and riders!!
WHO IS MY CHILD'S TEACHER? (Posted 8/28/2022)
All families were able to log in to ParentVue last Friday, August 26th to find out who their child's teacher will be for the 2022-2023 school year!
If you do not have ParentVue, please contact Mrs. K at hkarstens@flaschools.org
UPDATED BREAKFAST & LUNCH INFORMATION (Posted 8/28/2022)
This is a HUGE shift away from the past two years of FREE breakfast and lunch for all students. Please know that breakfast and lunch will NOT be free and will need to be paid for by families starting the first day of school.
The Food & Nutrition Department will return back to normal operations. What does that mean? Food & Nutrition Department Back to Normal Operations
Meal Prices, Interactive Menus, Using PayPAMS, Meal Benefit Application Information (if needed) can all reviewed at flaschools.org/nutrition
Families can click on the link to fill out your free or reduced meal application online for your child's Breakfast and Lunch at school. Families should complete only one application per family.
LINWOOD FAMILY FUN (NEW)
I am excited to join in on all the fun Saturday, September 10th for the annual Linwood Family Fun event!! You might even some of our Linwood staff walking in the parade. Make sure you stop by out Linwood PTA and School Forest Committee booth. We love seeing our Linwood families and students at this fun community event.
STUDENT DROP OFF & PICK UP PROCEDURES AT LINWOOD (Posted 8/14/2022)
If you are planning to drop off your child at Linwood for school in the morning, students need to stay in the car until 9:00 am. ALL student enter through Door 2 from 9:00-9:15 am. You can drop your child off on the sidewalk on the side of the building by the Kindergarten classrooms, which is BEFORE you get to the front entrance of the building. (picture below) ALL BUSES MUST BE ABLE TO PARK AND DROP OFF STUDENTS IN THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING. NO CARS SHOULD BE MIXED IN BETWEEN BUSES OR PULLING IN FRONT OF BUSES. When ALL buses are gone, staff will direct families to drive around to drop off their children in front of Door 2.
Our family pick up procedures for the end of the day will remain the same as last year. Families will use the parking lot at the end of our building by Door 16 to pick up their children in a drive through fashion. (Refer to the Map below) Families will stay in their vehicles and we will bring your children safely to your vehicle when you get to the sidewalk. This will ensure a quick and easy flow for families to get through the pick up lane. When there is a long line, please plan to line up on the shoulder of Typo Creek. Please plan to have an ID on you if you do not regularly pick up your child so we can ensure students are safe.
A few reminders for Parent Drop Off and Pick up:
- If you plan to pick up your child before the end of the day, PLEASE let your child's teacher or the front office know about this change.
- If there will be any changes in how your child arrives or leaves school, please notify the front office and your child's classroom teacher before 3:00 pm.
- If you drop off your students at Linwood in the morning PLEASE do not park in the parking lot. We need families to get in the Parent Drop off line and wait patiently. We have many staff whose hours start at 9:00 am and they have had trouble finding a parking spot.
- If you pick up your child at Linwood anytime after 3:15 pm, you will need to go through the Parent Pick Up Line.
- PLEASE do not get out of your car! Our amazing Linwood staff will help your children get in and out of your car so we can keep the line moving.
- Do not pull up to pass other cars! We are putting cones to prevent this from happening so that we can keep all families and children safe.
- Continue to be patient and so gracious as we do all we can to keep everyone safe and get you in and out as quickly as possible.
READING CORPS POSITION AVAILABLE AT LINWOOD (Posted 8/14/2022)
We have an opening for a Reading Tutor at Linwood. The position would be working with small groups of students in the area of reading. This position provides some flexibility around the amount of hours you want to work weekly. There is also lots of training and support around the work you would do with students. If you are interested in applying, please email me at gmattson@flaschoools.org.
DON'T FORGET:
- Linwood K-6 School Supply List for the 2022-2023 school year
- Linwood is only open Monday-Thursday this week. Staff will not be at school on Friday!
- Open House is Wednesday, August 31st from 4:30-6:00 pm
- Updated Breakfast & Lunch Information
- Families can click on the link to fill out your free or reduced meal application online for your child's Breakfast and Lunch at school. Families should complete only one application per family.
DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL
Please do not reply to this email, it never makes it into my inbox. If you would like to contact me, please email me at gmattson@flaschools.org or call me at 651-982-1901. I really do not want to miss any emails from a Linwood family.
Thank you for your continued support and do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE LINWOOD!
Gretchen
651-982-1901
TEACHERS AT LINWOOD ELEMENTARY 2022-2023
Kindergarten: Ms. Sparby and Miss Hinze
1st Grade: Mrs. Davis, Miss Riedeman, and Miss VanBergen
2nd Grade: Mrs. Abrahamson and Mrs. Koenig
3rd Grade: Mrs. Bothun and Mrs. Mullen
4th Grade: Miss Koenig and Mrs. Marleau
5th Grade: Ms. Loppnow and Mrs. O'Rourke
6th Grade: Mr. DeBreto, Mrs. Guptil, and Miss Peterson
Special Education: Mrs. Cyzscon, Mrs. Angell, Mrs. Denkers, Mrs. Voth, Mrs. Waldoch
Music: Mrs. Gorsegner
Media: Mrs. Hibbard
Phy Ed: Mr. Crothers
Monday, August 29th - School Forest Meeting @ 5:00 pm (Linwood Township)
Monday, September 5th - NO SCHOOL! Labor Day
Tuesday, September 6th - First Day of School for the 2022-2023 school year!
Saturday, September 10th - Linwood Family Fun Day
Monday, September 12th - First day of school for Pre-K Families (4 year olds)
Tuesday, September 13th - First day of school for Pre-K Families (3 year olds)
Tuesday, September 20th - PTA Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Tuesday, September 27th - PICTURE DAY!
Monday, October 3rd - NO SCHOOL
Monday, October 3rd - School Forest Meeting @ 5:00 pm (Linwood Township)
Thursday, October 13th - CONFERENCES 4:00-8:00 pm
Tuesday, October 18th - CONFERENCES 4:00-8:00 pm
Tuesday, October 18th - PTA Meeting @ 6:00 pm
Wednesday, October 19th - CONFERENCES 8:00 am-4:00 pm
Wednesday, October 19th through Friday, October 21st - NO SCHOOL
Friday, November 4th - Last day of 1st Quarter
Monday, November 7th - NO SCHOOL
Monday, November 7th - School Forest Meeting @ 5:00 pm (Linwood Township)
Friday, November 11th - Veteran's Day
Tuesday, November 15th - PTA Meeting @ 5:00 pm
Thursday, November 24th through Friday, November 25th - NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving)
Monday, December 5th - School Forest Meeting @ 5:00 pm (Linwood Township)
Tuesday, December 20th - PTA Meeting @ 5:00 pm
Friday, December 23rd through Monday, January 2nd - NO SCHOOL (Winter Break)
Tuesday, January 3rd - Return to School
Monday, January 16th - NO SCHOOL
Friday, January 20th - End of 2nd Quarter
Monday, January 23rd through Tuesday, January 24th - NO SCHOOL
Monday, February 20th - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, February 28th - CONFERENCES 4:00-8:00 pm
Thursday, March 2nd - CONFERENCES 4:00-8:00 pm
Friday, March 3rd - CONFERENCES 8:00 am-4:00 pm
Friday, March 3rd through Monday, March 13th - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)
Friday, March 31st - End of 3rd Quarter
Thursday, April 6th through Friday, April 7th - NO SCHOOL
Monday, April 15th - 6th Grade Choir Concert @ 7:00 pm FLHS
Tuesday, April 16th - 6th Grade Orchestra Concert @ 7:00 pm FLHS
Thursday, April 18th - 6th Grade Band Concert @ FLHS
Monday, May 29th - NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)
Thursday, June 8th - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!
Monday, September 5th - NO SCHOOL!!! Labor Day
Tuesday, September 6th - Breakfast: Breakfast Sandwich & Lunch: Hamburger or Cheeseburger on a Bun
Wednesday, September 7th - Breakfast: Assorted Pop Tarts & Lunch: Dunker with Marinara Dipping Sauce
Thursday, September 8th - Breakfast: Bagel Bites & Lunch: Frosted Cinnamon Roll with Scrambled Eggs
Friday, September 9th - Breakfast: Oatmeal Brekkie & Lunch: Thin Crust Cheese or Pepperoni Pizza
*Menu is subject to change due to availability of product.
*Here is a LINK to the Monthly Breakfast Menu and a LINK to the Monthly Lunch Menu.
UPDATED SCHOOL BREAKFAST & LUNCH INFORMATION (Posted 8/14/2022)
Beginning August 1, 2022, the Food & Nutrition Department will return back to normal operations. What does this mean?
Breakfast and lunch will still be available to all students; however, they will not be free to all students. That means families will need to complete the meal benefit application to qualify for free or reduced priced meals. The students who do not qualify for free or reduced-priced meals must pay full price for breakfast and lunch. Please see the 2022-2023 school meal prices below.
Forest Lake Food & Nutrition Services follows USDA guidelines for all school meals. These standards ensure meals are healthy, well balanced, and provide adequate nutrition they need to succeed at school. Any à la carte food items sold to students outside the breakfast and lunch program follows the USDA Smart Snacks guidelines. Smart Snacks guidelines have reduced calories, sodium, fat and sugars to ensure students are only offered tasty and nutritious foods during the school day.
Interactive Menus
The Food & Nutrition Department has interactive online menus. My School Menus™ allows easy access to complete nutrition information for the school meal program anytime, anywhere. Features of My School Menus™ include:
Complete list of all food choices available to students
Nutrient data for menu items
Ability to Build-A-Meal and create customized meals
Ingredient information for certain menu items
Allergen identification within menu items
Translations to 180 languages using Google Translate
Download My School Menus™ mobile app in iTunes or the Google Play Store.
Visit our Online Menus at: https://www.myschoolmenus.com/instance/845/district/865
Using PayPAMS
PayPAMS is designed to provide parents with a safe and convenient way to prepay for students’ meals online. Register at paypams.com and you can:
Prepay for school meals
Schedule automatic payments
Receive low balance email reminders
View daily spending and cafeteria purchases
Free Breakfast in Kindergarten
State lawmakers approved legislation that provides all kindergarten students a free school breakfast at no cost to families. Forest Lake Food & Nutrition Department also offers kindergarteners milk during milk-break at no charge to families.
Meal Benefit Application Information:
District families who qualify for meal benefits based on their income qualify for free and reduced price meals. These families can receive free breakfast and free lunch along with other educational benefits through the district. Additional benefits include: reduced activity fees, musical instrument rentals and other reduced costs.
To qualify for these benefits, families must renew a meal benefit application each year. To apply for these benefits, you can either: Apply online for meal benefits at flaschools.org/nutrition or complete the paper application included in the center of this newsletter. Please return all paper applications to the District Food Service Office, Forest Lake Area Schools Education Center, 943 9th Ave SW, Forest Lake MN 55025.
Linwood Family Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures (Posted 8/14/2022)
If you are planning to drop off your child at Linwood for school in the morning, students need to stay in the car until 9:00 am. ALL student enter through Door 2 from 9:00-9:15 am. You can drop your child off on the sidewalk on the side of the building by the Kindergarten classrooms, which is BEFORE you get to the front entrance of the building. (picture below) ALL BUSES MUST BE ABLE TO PARK AND DROP OFF STUDENTS IN THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING. NO CARS SHOULD BE MIXED IN BETWEEN BUSES OR PULLING IN FRONT OF BUSES. When ALL buses are gone, staff will direct families to drive around to drop off their children in front of Door 2.
Our family pick up procedures for the end of the day will remain the same as last year. Families will use the parking lot at the end of our building by Door 16 to pick up their children in a drive through fashion. (Refer to the Map below) Families will stay in their vehicles and we will bring your children safely to your vehicle when you get to the sidewalk. This will ensure a quick and easy flow for families to get through the pick up lane. When there is a long line, please plan to line up on the shoulder of Typo Creek. Please plan to have an ID on you if you do not regularly pick up your child so we can ensure students are safe.
A few reminders for Parent Drop Off and Pick up:
- If you plan to pick up your child before the end of the day, PLEASE let your child's teacher or the front office know about this change.
- If there will be any changes in how your child arrives or leaves school, please notify the front office and your child's classroom teacher before 3:00 pm.
- If you drop off your students at Linwood in the morning PLEASE do not park in the parking lot. We need families to get in the Parent Drop off line and wait patiently. We have many staff whose hours start at 9:00 am and they have had trouble finding a parking spot.
- If you pick up your child at Linwood anytime after 3:15 pm, you will need to go through the Parent Pick Up Line.
- PLEASE do not get out of your car! Our amazing Linwood staff will help your children get in and out of your car so we can keep the line moving.
- Do not pull up to pass other cars! We are putting cones to prevent this from happening so that we can keep all families and children safe.
- PLEASE be patient as we do all we can to keep everyone safe and get you in and out as quickly as possible.
HERE COMES THE BUS APP (Posted 8/14/22)
- View the real time location of your child's bus
- Access the app from your cellphone, tablet, or computer
- Receive push notifications or email alerts
- Send your child to the bus stop at just the right time, every time
How to get started:
- Download the Here Comes the Bus app (available in the app store or Google Play) or visit herecomesthebus.com
- Click "Sign up" (top right corner on the website)
- Enter school code 38313 and click "Next" followed by "Confirm"
- Complete the "User Profile" box
- Under "My Students" click "Add" Enter your child's last name and student ID numbers-- Student ID number can be found on ParentVue
- Once you have confirmed your information, you are ready to start using Here Comes the Bus!
TIPS:
- For student safety, we continue to request that students arrive to their bus stop five minutes early
- Notifications for your bus are based on a radius and distance away from your bus stop. You can customize that radius to provide the best timing for notification
- Students who live in dual households can be added separately. One household will be entered with the regular student ID number and the other will be entered with the student ID number plus * (for example: 12345*)
- Email notifications sent from the Here Comes the Bus app have no FLAS letterhead or FLAS email address. They may use the app to send out emails to alert families to bus change routes.
Linwood Forest Committee Information (Updated 8/14/22)
Join us for our next meeting on Monday, AUGUST 29th at 5:00 pm at Linwood Township!
Our Linwood Forest Committee is always looking for more families to join. There is currently one position open and all you need to do is write a short explanation of why you would want to be a part of the committee.
Do not forget to add our Linwood School Forest page (Linwood School Forest) on Facebook so that you can stay up to date on what is happening or coming soon.
We appreciate your support of our wonderful Linwood School Forest!
Linwood PTA Information (Updated 8/14/22)
We have our next meeting on Tuesday, September 20th at 6:00 pm in the Media Center at Linwood. We hope families will attend to hear more about the amazing things our PTA does for our school and find out ways to help. Everyone is welcome to attend to help support our Linwood staff and students.
OPEN POSITIONS FOR THE 2022-2023 PTA
The Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer position are open on the PTA starting the Fall of 2022-2023. The terms for each of these positions is two years. If you are interested in either position, please email the PTA.
AmazonSmile
Did you know you can help our very own PTA by using AmazonSmile when you make a purchase through Amazon? AmazonSmile is a program where Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organizations selected by Amazon customers. It is easy to show your support. Visit smile.amazon.com. Find Linwood Elementary by searching either: PTA Minnesota Congress 023510 Linwood PTA OR EIN: 41-1660214
Box Tops for Education
A Box Tops for Education has changed - no more clipping!! Participating brands are starting to change their packaging from a traditional Box Tops clip to the new Box Top label. When you see the new labels on products, use the new Box Tops app to scan your receipt. Box Tops are still worth 10¢ each for your school. The app will find participating products purchased at any store and instantly add cash to your school's earnings online.
Click this link for more info: BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
5th Grade Parent Meeting & Instrumental Rental Night UPDATE (Posted 4/3/22)
This is all the information that was shared at the Instrument Rental and Parent Information night that was held last Monday, March 28th. The documents below were shared at the event and we wanted to ensure all of you had the information. Please reach out to Gretchen or any of the staff below if you have further questions.
2022-2023 6th grade Band Instrument Rental Purchase Information
2022-2023 6th grade Orchestra Instrument Rental- Purchase Information
Forest Lake Rental and Delivery Program
Band
Linwood khartman@flaschools.org
Orchestra
Linwood nmontzka@flaschools.org
Choir
Linwood dgorsegner@flaschools.org
FLAS Digital Backpack (Updated 9/20/21)
FLAS Bus Shortage Information (8/14/2021)
Important reminders:
- Know your child's bus number! If any bus routes are canceled, a district-wide message will be sent each evening stating a specific bus # is not going to be running the following day.
- Make a contingency plan. Decide ahead of time what you will do if your bus route is canceled.
- If a route is canceled, students may still attend school if you can transport your child(ren). Door #2 is used for 9:00 am drop-off and 3:40 is the pick-up time. You will need to use the pick up line. (refer to more info above about pick up line)
- If families are not able to transport their child(ren), please do the following:
- Kindergarten-4th grade students: Access and use the e-learning choice boards using this link
- 5th-6th grade students: students should email their homeroom teacher for assignments which can be found in their Google Classrooms
Important Linwood Elementary Information
School Office Hours
Office Hours (School Days): 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Student School Hours
- Student drop off starts at 9:00 a.m.
- School starts at 9:15 a.m.
- School dismisses at 3:40 p.m.
Important Phone Numbers
Office Phone Number: 651-982-1900
Ms. Mattson (Principal): 651-982-1901
Health Office: 651-982-1902
Attendance Line: 651-982-1956
School Social Media
Contact and Connect with Linwood
Email: gmattson@flaschools.org
Website: https://www.flaschools.org/lw
Location: 21900 Typo Creek Drive Northeast, Wyoming, MN, USA
Phone: (651) 982-1900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/linwoodelem