The Shannon Park Kindness Council has been busy! At our January meeting, we had Beth Burnett from the Dakota Woodlands homeless shelter in Eagan as a guest speaker. She talked about the facility, what they offer, and who they help. As a result of the visit, Kindness Council members decided to organize a supply drive. Fifth graders brought in diapers, soap, shampoo, and other necessities, and those were delivered this week. What a difference it will make to residents of Dakota Woodlands! Shown in the picture are Kindness Council members carrying the many donations.

At the February meeting, Officer Katie Ruesink from the Rosemount Police Department came in to speak to the students. She shared about her job and role as a Rosemount police officer, as well as how she became an officer. She talked about the role of officers in schools and why students might see a police officer at Shannon Park. She also had many ideas of how the students can spread kindness in our community, and how important being a role model is. We are so thankful for her time and message!

Yearbooks will be available to order for $15.00 each - now through April 1, 2023. Order online at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order The Shannon Park Code is 4946023. The Yearbook Delivery Date is late May. There are very FEW extras that will be available for purchase.

Shannon Park students in grades 3-5 will take the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment between April 10 - May 3. While illness cannot be helped, we are asking families not to schedule any appointments or vacations during this testing time. Make-ups are very limited. Please click the button below to access the testing schedule and any testing samplers. The item samplers are used to familiarize students and educators with how the content is presented in the test.

• Grade 3 Reading: April 13-14
• Grade 3 Math: April 26-27

• Grade 4 Reading: April 10-11
• Grade 4 Math: April 24-25

• Grade 5 Reading: April 10-11
• Grade 5 Science: April 18-19
• Grade 5 Math: May 2-3

Do you know a child who will be 4 years old by September 1, 2023? Connections Preschool will be available for the 2023-2024 school year at Shannon Park. Applications for Connections Preschool for the 2023-2024 school year will be available sometime in February. You can sign up to be notified when the application window opens. Connections Preschool gives children an opportunity to interact with other children in fun, engaging activities while learning important skills. The curriculum supports young children in developing skills in the following areas: creativity and the arts, language and literacy, mathematical and scientific thinking, physical and motor, and social and emotional. Children in Connections Preschool assume increasing personal responsibility and independence as they grow and develop. For information, click the link below or contact Connections Preschool teacher, Kathy Adams, at kathy.adams@district196.org . The link for further information is:

https://ce.district196.org/early-childhood/connections-preschool

• Cory Johnson, Chairperson
• Sachin Isaacs, Vice Chairperson
• Sakawdin Mohamed, Clerk
• Jackie Magnuson, Treasurer
• Joel Albright, Director
• Art Coulson, Director
• Bianca Virnig, Director