Lighthouse School Newsletter
Lighthouse families,
October is just around the corner! Students have been working hard on all of their learning goals and learning the beginning steps of the co-created inquiry. Our advisories have been spending time in the Discover phase of the SLP 3D Design process, which focuses on inspiration and insight.
One advisory is leveraging the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen to provide inspiration on survival and how the concept of survival transfers to beyond wilderness survival skills.
The other advisories have spent time this past week gaining a deeper understanding of what makes a quality inquiry question. True inquiry questions, or essential questions, are "mental Velcro" that provides focus and direction to engage learners in fulfilling the mission of the learning quest.
Inquiry questions tend to be open-ended questions that don't have a right or wrong answer and you can't Google to find an answer to. Rather, they require a student to understand concepts from an area or areas of study and apply those concepts to answer those big questions such as, why do we need values and beliefs?
The inquiry question your child will co-design with their facilitator will guide their learning and inquiry project throughout the trimester.
Also in October we will communicate opportunities to connect with facilitators on student learning progress in the coming weeks.
Reminders and Updates:
- Lighthouse PTO Back the Bus Fundraiser: The fundraiser is underway and will wrap up on Friday, October 6. We appreciate your support to help fund buses for our field trips and other opportunities for our students.
- Extended Learning Day: Our first Extended Learning Day will be this Friday, September 29. These days are designed for students to do work related to their inquiry project which cannot easily be done in the classroom such as library research, talking with an expert, conducting experiments, or a field trip. Students that are taking courses at Spring Lake Park High School should still check in at the Lighthouse prior to their class. To be dismissed at the end of the school day, students will need a written note from their guardian or a guardian to pick them up. If your child is taking band at Westwood they will need to be picked up in the main office after class.
- Safety drills –There will be a lockdown drill on October 5: Each year, we are required to conduct several safety and security drills. This is practice for staff and students to respond to a variety of scenarios. If you do not want your student to participate in this lockdown drill, please notify the office before October 5.
- Homecoming: Next week, the week of Oct. 2, is Homecoming for Spring Lake Park High School. Lighthouse will get in the school spirit with the following spirit days. Plus, there’s a fun opportunity to help us name the SLP Panther and participate in the Panther Pride Sweepstakes. See more information in the newsletter. This is always a fun week of community building and we hope to see our Lighthouse students and families participate!
- Monday: Pajama Day
- Tuesday: Jersey Day
- Wednesday: College gear
- Thursday: Dress for your favorite “season”
- Friday: Panther Spirit Day
With Gratitude,
Lisa Cisewski
Coordinator of Lighthouse School
Spring Lake Park Schools
3D Design Process
Students are using the 3D Design process with their co-created inquiry. Learn more about the SLP 3D Design Process.
SLPHS Showcase! A Children's Concert with the SLPHS Bands
Come and enjoy an evening of music geared for children and the young-at-heart at the SLPHS Showcase: A Children's Concert with SLPHS Bands on Monday, October 2 at Spring Lake Park High School. Starting at 6 p.m., there will be games and crafts in the lobby area. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center.
Families will enjoy a particularly special performance of a brand new piece of music called Monarch Migration, which paints a picture of the migration of monarch butterflies from Canada to Mexico, composed by Mexican composer Nubia Jaime Donjuan and based on the storybook by St. Paul author Ann Hobbie.
The concert is entirely free! The SLP High School Band Boosters will have a raffle and guests can purchase tickets for the raffle drawing which includes Gophers football tickets.
The Back a Bus fundraiser has begun!
The Back the Bus fundraiser is in full swing. Students are reminded that they have until Oct. 6 to collect donations and that families are welcome to join students to celebrate their collective fundraising efforts with prizes and games that afternoon. Parent volunteers are needed to help bring, run (& play!) outdoor & indoor games at our Celebration Day on October 6 from 1:15-3 p.m. Please email lhppto@gmail.com with your interest or questions. Thanks in advance for helping us to make the celebration a great one!
Feel free to share the following link (and QR code) with friends and family: givebutter.com/LHPTO
Finding joy at school
Arthur, an energetic kindergartener, spent quality time one morning reading a book with a friend on a comfy couch in his classroom. When asked his favorite part of being in Sr. Mateo’s classroom this year, he was quiet at first, seemingly deep in thought. Then he suddenly exclaimed very loudly “EVERYTHING!” His smile showed his happiness and pleasure – his joy.
Across Spring Lake Park Schools and across grade levels, among friends and seat mates, in the midst of assignments and instructions and collaboration and conversations, there have been sightings of joy. Joy has been spotted at recess, in the lunchroom, during morning meeting time, in hallway exchanges between students and staff and even during math class.
Read how students and staff are finding joy at school.
SLP alum gains apprenticeship opportunity through Pathways
Last fall, senior Owen Adwan was encouraged to attend an apprenticeship open house for Bühler Group, a company with ties to food and mobility. They manufacture equipment for food production and parts for vehicles.
That encouragement paid off. A Class of 2023 graduate of Spring Lake Park High School, Owen is now part of a two-year apprenticeship program. He gets paid to attend classes, works hands-on for the company, and will earn an associate's degree and graduate debt free.
We recently caught up with Owen to hear how his time at Spring Lake Park Schools prepared him for this apprenticeship opportunity and his plans for the future.
Name the Panther
Help us name our Panther! We are taking name submissions September 27-30. Then starting October 1-4, vote for your favorite name. The Panther’s name will be revealed at the Homecoming Game on Friday, October 6.
Get your tickets to “7,000 Miles of Broadway”
This year's Live on 65 season kicks off with "7,000 Miles of Broadway" on Saturday, October 7, 2023. J. Robert Spencer will take audiences on a musical journey through different genres including some favorites from the Jersey Boys of which he performed on Broadway. Tickets for adults are $15 and students are $5. Get your tickets online. If you didn’t see the story earlier this month, check it out.
Panther Pride Sweepstakes is starting soon – enter for a chance to win
The Panther Pride Sweepstakes starts on Sunday, October 1. The Panther Foundation is posting a new question on the sweepstakes page each day. Each day, families and staff members can submit their entries. The more entries you have in by Thursday, October 5, the more chances you have to win.
Students who win earn a $500 cash prize for their school and will choose where to direct the funds from several pre-determined projects. The winning student will also win a $50 Panther Store Gift Card. The winners will be randomly drawn on Thursday, October 5 at 5 p.m. Good luck, Panthers!
