Sunset Hill Snippets
Snippet N: Small piece of information or news.
March 24, 2023 - wk 30
Colleagues,
- Staffing update: Our enrichment program will be moving to halftime next year. Danielle Miller, currently the enrichment teacher at BV, will split her time between BV (.5) and SH (.5).
- Please let me know if you have students who are participating in Ramadan and need a place to pray or fast and need an alternative space to be during lunch.
- PTSA will sponsor a baked potato lunch on Tuesday with all the toppings!! Yum!
- Summer School Planning and CLP's
- Summer School Tutors
CALENDAR AND IMPORTANT DATES
3/27/23 - 7:30 am WRAP Meeting/9:40-11:40 and 12:40-2:40 Trout in Classroom grade 5
3/28/23 - Staff Meeting is Canceled; Baked Potato lunch provided by PTSA
3/29/23 - 7:25 am PLC/1:45 pm Staff vs 5th Grade Basketball game
3/30/23 - 7:30 am CST; 4th Grade Concert at 6:30 pm
3/31/23 -
SPIRIT WEEK:
Monday, 3/27: Dress like a Sunset Hill Staff Member
Tuesday, 3/28: Stuffed Animal Day (Stuffies must fit in your backpack)
Wednesday, 3/29: Black OUT (Dress in Black day)
Thursday, 3/30: Dress like a food day
Friday, 3/31: Wayzata Spirit Day
SSH MCA dates for 3-5
- April 17-18 - 3-5 Reading
- April 24-25 - 3-5 Math
PTSA Events
- Monday, April 17 -- Meeting 7:30 to 8:30 pm
- Friday, May 12 -- Carnival 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm
- Thursday, June 1 -- Family Picnic 5 to 7 pm
PTO DATES NO LONGER AVAILABLE
For everyone's planning, I will keep these dates in our Snippet. Please do not make vacation plans (like buying tickets) if you have not heard your requested date has been approved.
March 30, March 31, April 10, April 11, April 12, May 4, May 5, May 12, May 15
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
James See -- March 29
Morgan Hoglund -- April 2
Shanthi Rengaraju -- April 4
Betty Pellegrineschi -- April 8
Joette Johnson Rispalje -- April 10
SUMMER SCHOOL PLANNING - CAMP EXPLORE
Below is the information that Abhi shared on March 22nd. Please ensure CLPs are completed by the end of the day on April 11th. If you have any questions, please let me know.
"Thank you for all your work in sharing Camp Explore information with families and helping them complete the registration process. Our deadline for families to register was March 12. We are in the process of verifying registration for a handful of families and have enrolled the majority of students into Camp Explore.
The next step in the process is for the family to review and sign off on the student’s Continual Learning Plan (CLP). This report in Illuminate (requires that you are logged into Illuminate first) includes all students who are enrolled in Camp Explore. This report is also linked on the summer learning data starter links document you used to review academic data prior to making recommendations. There are approximately 30 students whose families completed the registration process but for whom I do not have a teacher recommendation. In a separate email, I will send those names to school principals for verification.
As outlined in the Summer Learning Process - 2023 document, please follow these steps to complete the CLPs -
Teachers create CLPs in Skyward for students who have been registered.
Sample CLP Goals (please use goals from this document)
Teachers notify families of CLPs in Skyward, to review and sign. (Signed CLPs are an MDE requirement.)
Buildings follow up with families to ensure that CLPs are signed. Parents can sign the CLP electronically or approve phone/text/email/Zoom or in person. If CLP is not signed electronically, teachers should indicate on CLP how parent approval was obtained.
The CLP directions handout linked above also provides directions on how to indicate a family’s approval when an electronic signature is not possible. It also includes directions on how to check if the family signed off on the CLP electronically.
Our target deadline for all CLPs to be shared with families is April 11, and for families to sign off by April 21.
SUMMER TEACHER TUTORS AT SH AND KL
We work closely with buildings and grounds each summer to determine which facilities are available for summer programming. It is typically a delicate balance between construction schedules and busy summer programs like Camp Explore and Wayzata Kids.
This summer, teaching staff that will be tutoring should use Sunset Hill and Kimberly Lane and can reserve rooms for tutoring. The following guidelines are shared with teacher tutors:
- Teachers will follow district tutoring policy and regulations and be on the tutor list. Please email Caroline Gossen or call her at 763-745-5000 to be added to the district tutor list. Additional information about tutoring is also available on the staff intranet.
- Tutoring needs to take place during normal summer building office hours. Custodians are unable to extend their hours to accommodate tutors.
- Tutors need to meet the child he/she tutors at the front entrance of the school, and drop the child off at the front entrance with “hand-to-hand” contact with the parent/guardian. (This eliminates the main office or other non-tutoring staff from supervising the child, needing to find the tutor for the parent, doing an all-call, etc.)
- Tutors may or may not have the same space in the building for each tutoring session. We will try our best to provide a consistent space, but flexibility will be needed due to other activities happening in buildings.
- Tutors will be responsible for any copying or laminating needs on non-school equipment. School supplies needed for the tutoring session need to be provided by the tutor or the family. (e.g., paper, markers, etc.)
Attached you will find the District Provided 2023 version of the Women's History Month handout. I know these can be overwhelming with information, so I wanted to note these two resources that I found the most applicable for elementary settings!
15 Children's Books to Celebrate Women's History Month
DISTRICT SECURITY AWARENESS
MCA TRAINING AND INFORMATION - GRADES 3-5
It's MCA time. Below is the information needed to start MDE's required training before testing. I've created this deck as a one-stop shop for MCA information to consolidate information. Please review it at your convenience.
Training:
Training information for online test monitors (all classroom teachers) can be found here. To clarify, your first 4 modules are online and should be completed independently. The 5th module will be an in-person meeting.
5th grade: your training modules should be completed by March 17th.
3rd and 4th grade: your training modules should be completed by April 13th.
MCA Dates:
Science (5th grade only): March 21
Reading: April 17 & 18
Math: April 24 & 25
The building's MCA schedule can be found here.
KUDOS
Thank you to our Media Center volunteers. Our library would not be successful without their help. The time they give us is truly appreciated by our entire school!
Thank you to:
Nichola Schoenfelder. Nichola began volunteering in our library several years ago when her daughter Abigail Schoenfelder was here. Abigail is now a sophomore at WHS. Nichola also is a literacy volunteer and reads with one of our 5th grade students weekly.
Miranda Spence. Miranda's daughters Emily and Ashley are currently in 5th and 3rd grade. Miranda has volunteered while the girls have been here at Sunset Hill. Nichola and Miranda both visit once a week to return books to the shelves and keep our Media Center in order.
Renee Nielsen. Renee has been our "Book Doctor" for more than 8 years. She began volunteering when her boys Joe and Jake Hotovec (a senior and sophomore at WHS respectively) were in school here. Her attention to detail and ability to repair our books has helped us to make the most of our collection.
Monica Manuell retired from Sunset Hill as our tech para many years ago. She has continued to support our Media Center by covering new books to ready them for circulation. She also shared her sewing skills with us by recovering our fabric covered endcaps when our Media Center was remodeled.
We are grateful for the many, many years each of our volunteers have shared with us. We appreciate that they continue to come back and support our community of readers, each in their own way.
Our Media Center Volunteers ROCK!
Kristina Terhaar
I am very privileged to work "across the street" from Shaunna Lavery and feel so lucky to call her a colleague, mentor, and friend! As you probably already know, this woman has HEART! I have witnessed on more than one occasion the devotion she has for the betterment of her students and am in constant awe at the length she goes to make sure her students can find success at school. Not only does she collaborate with other professionals on behalf of her students' very diverse needs, but she also uses her incredible professional experience to creatively modify lessons/practice work/behavior goals to lift up her student's individual strengths. Shaunna's empathy and compassionate heart for others makes her very deserving of this "You Rock" award. For many students, Shaunna is the rock that her students lean on. She is a foundation of love and consistency. This foundation helps her students feel safe to explore new horizons and helps them to shine their own unique light. Sunset Hill is lucky to have you, Shaunna Lavery! Thank you for being exactly who you are! You are a true treasure!
Holly
Jenn
HUMAN RESOURCE UPDATE
Reporting Obligations During Emergency Closings - This information was updated and shared with staff on 2/21/23.
Please take a few moments to review the important information in this memo from Human Resources. This was initially sent out by Stacie Vos on 1/19/23. There is some clarifying information regarding unpaid leave and information about student teachers as we coordinate our efforts to mentor new teachers.
Employee Well-Being Flyer - Updated information regarding the district's wellness and staff support program.
COVID
STUDENTS - The most updated family information can be found on our district website. You can refer covid specific questions to Lissa in our health office or our district site.
STAFF - See the button below. It will take you to the communication HR sent to all staff regarding Covid and reporting.