Falcon Ridge Elementary Newsletter
September 2020
Important Information:
Office/Main Line: 952-758-1600
24/7 Attendance Line: 952-758-1605
FR Nurse: 952-758-1606
Fax: 952-758-1699
- Nutrition Services: 952-758-1774 and Lunch Menus/Times
- Transportation: 952-758-1480 and FR Drop Off/Pick Up
- Campus Portal: Campus Portal and Instructions
- Calendar/Dates to Note: Falcon Ridge Calendar
- School Supply Lists: Falcon Ridge School Supply Lists
- MN Dept. of Revenue K-12 Tax Benefits: K-12 Tax Benefits
- Parent Advisory Committee (PAC): FR PAC Webpage
- Facebook: Like Falcon Ridge Elementary on Facebook.
- Twitter: Follow FalconRidge721 on Twitter.
- Instagram: Follow FalconRidge721 on Instagram.
- Website: https://www.npaschools.org/falcon-ridge
PAC: Parent Advisory Committee
If you would like to be a part of our Falcon Ridge Parent Advisory Committee for the 2020-21 school year, please sign up by clicking this link: PAC Member Form.
2020-21 PAC Meetings
6 p.m. on Thursdays - virtual meetings, unless otherwise noted
- September 17 (click link for meeting access)
November 5
January 14
March 11
For more information, please click on this link: https://www.npaschools.org/falcon-ridge/pac.
NEW Drop-Off / Walkers Procedure (adult supervision in place for walkers)
We have made some adjustments to our drop off procedure, due to the high volume of traffic that we are anticipating each morning. Please follow these directions, and refer to the map for guidance.
When arriving, plan to form two lines as you pull into our parking lot. You will drive the outside perimeter of the lot, and then pull ahead to form one line when directed.
We will have 6-7 vehicles at a time pull up to our Northeast doors, stop, drop students off, and then leave as a group by taking a right turn, and driving in front of our building.
When exiting in front of the building, please travel slowly, and be respectful of the buses that are dropping off students at our main entrance.
SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND REMINDERS:
- Please do not park or leave your vehicle in the drop off line; only students should be getting out of vehicles, and entering the building.
- Do not pass a vehicle in front of you, exit the Falcon Ridge lot as a group.
- For those kids opting to walk to/from school, we are planning to have adult supervision in place near the roundabout at Columbus Avenue and 12th St (8:45-9:00 and 3:45-3:55). To ensure the safest way to cross either of these streets, please talk to your kids about crossing at the actual roundabout, as this is where our adult supervision will be.
NEW Pick-Up / Walkers Procedure
In addition to our drop off procedures in the morning, we are also making some adjustments to our pick-up procedure, due to the high volume of traffic that we have had in the afternoons. Please follow these directions, and refer to the map for guidance. As a reminder, office pick-up is no longer permitted.
When arriving, plan to form two lines as you pull into our parking lot. You will drive the outside perimeter of the lot, and stay in your two lines when directed to move ahead after the buses have left. When buses are still at Falcon Ridge, the first car will wait at the southeast corner of the north parking lot. When the buses are dismissed, a FR staff member will signal for the first 6-8 vehicles to pull up in front of the building.
We will have 6-8 vehicles at a time pull up in front of our northeast main doors, stop, wait for students to get into your vehicles, and then leave as a group by taking turns driving in front of our building. When exiting in front of the building, please travel slowly, and be respectful of the other parent vehicles exiting. Vehicle 2 cannot leave until vehicle 1 is gone. Vehicle 4 cannot leave until vehicles 1, 2, and 3 are gone. When all vehicles are gone, a staff member will signal for the next group of cars to pull up in front of the building.
SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND REMINDERS:
Please do not park or leave your vehicle in the pick-up line; only students should be getting in and out of vehicles.
Do not pass a vehicle in front of you; exit the Falcon Ridge lot as a group.
For those kids opting to walk to/from school, we are planning to have adult supervision in place near the roundabout at Columbus Avenue and 12th St (8:45-9:00 and 3:45-3:55). To ensure the safest way to cross either of these streets, please talk to your kids about crossing at the actual roundabout, as this is where our adult supervision will be.
Attachments area
Apex Fun Run Fundraiser
FR PAC & Team Apex
Welcome to the 2020-21 School Year!
Falcon Ridge Families,
We are very excited to get our 2020-21 school year underway, and look forward to partnering together with you. Our staff has been working very hard to set up schedules and routines that will be accommodating as we begin the year in a hybrid model. It was great to see so many families at last week's Meet-and-Greet Conferences! We have set up procedures and expectations that will help to keep our students and staff safe, and provide for meaningful learning opportunities for your students. Below is information that will help in getting our year off to a great start, with information specifically for our hybrid learners and our distance learners.
Hybrid Learners
Transportation: Transportation information for regular education students can be found on your child's Campus Portal. Please be sure to check it often, as adjustments may be made to routes frequently. Parents of special education students will be contacted by phone with transportation information. In addition, children will be required to wear a mask when being transported on school vehicles.
Nutrition Services Updates:
- Snack - By signing your child up for snacks through the Infinite Campus School Store, you are ensuring that your child will get a snack each day. If your child declines the snack, or if they are absent on a day they are supposed to be in school, their meal account will not be charged.
- Lunch Menu - Due to an industry supply & demand issue with pre-wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we will not be able to offer a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a daily second option on the elementary lunch menu to start the year. We know this is a popular choice for many students, so as soon as they become available, we will return the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the lunch menu as a daily second option.
Attendance: When your child is attending via a hybrid at home day, grades K-5 parents will log into Campus Portal to “check-in” the child’s daily participation between the hours of 5:00 am-11:59 pm. Instructions are linked on page 5 of this document.
Arrival/dismissal: We are asking that parents not drop their child off at school before 8:50 am. We will begin dismissing students at 3:42 pm each day; please see our website and video for information on the arrival/dismissal process. As a reminder, visitors are not being allowed in the building, and our office pick-up will not be utilized until further notice.
Communication: We ask that understanding be given to our teaching staff on your student's hybrid at home learning days. Although staff should be able to return phone calls and emails within 24 hours, they may be able to get back to you sooner than that regarding questions you may have on your child's assigned work. We appreciate your understanding.
Distance Learners
Material Pick-Up: This past week, we had our student material pick-up in the front entryway of our building. Moving forward, the fourth Wednesday of every month will be our material pick-up day where you will be able to receive new materials from your child’s teacher. We will continue to offer this grab-and-go opportunity in the front entryway of the building.
Attendance: Grades K-5 parents will log into Campus Parent to “check-in” the child’s daily participation each day between the hours of 5:00 am and 11:59 pm. Instructions are linked on page 5 of this document.
Looking forward to a great school year!
Sincerely,
David Giesen
Falcon Ridge Elementary Principal
(952) 758-1601 and dgiesen@isd721.org
Fundraising Made Simple
In working with our Falcon Ridge PAC, I want to make all of our families aware of some easy ways to support our students at Falcon Ridge by using a few simple steps with businesses that you may already be spending money with:
- Coborns School Rewards - Coborn's, Inc. is committed to donating $150,000 to local entities during the 2019-2020 school year. The points your school earns will help grow their share of the $150,000 total. It's like a pie; the size of your school's slice will depend on how many points they have received. Schools should encourage their supporters to register for their location at moreRewards.com: 1. Go to moreRewards.com, 2. create a login, 3. proceed to login, 4. go to "manage my membership," 5. choose school rewards, 6. select Falcon Ridge, and you are done! It is just that easy! You can also easily add it through the More Rewards phone app: 1. go to rewards, 2. slide the school rewards button to green, 3. below the button there should be an option for you to change to your school, 4. search for Falcon Ridge, and 5. select Falcon Ridge.
- Amazon Smile - when you shop online at Amazon. This will help raise money for the Falcon Ridge PAC, which supports all students and all staff! Again, it's easy to do so: 1. Sign in to smile.amazon.com in your desktop or mobile phone browser, 2. from your desktop, go to "Your Account" from the navigation at the top of the page, 3. select the option to "Change your Charity" from the options at the bottom of the page, 4. choose Falcon Ridge Elementary PAC. For every eligible purchase you make on smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate 0.5% directly to our Falcon Ridge PAC.
2020-21 Falcon Ridge Monthly Character Traits
R-espect (September)
E-ffort (October)
A-ttitude (November)
P-ride (December)
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C-ooperation (January)
A-ssertion (February)
R-esponsibility (March)
E-mpathy (April)
S-elf Control (May)