Spring Lake Park High School
December 2, 2020 Newsletter
See translation information below / Consulte la información de traducción a continuación.
A Message from Principal Boucher
SLPHS Families,
I hope your break was restful, safe and satisfying.
End of trimester
This is the last week of the trimester. Here are a few important updates:
- December 4: Students will have classes, learning and assessments. Originally, this was a teacher workshop day and that day was moved to beginning of the year for planning.
- December 7: There is no school – as previously scheduled. Teachers use this day for end of trimester grading and reporting.
Trimester 1 Final Grades: We will report on student learning progress at the end of the trimester. Students and families will be able to see/access final grades through Infinite Campus Parent Portal on Wednesday, December 16. Please see important information included below in the Need to Know section about Report cards and grading.
Thank you for supporting and encouraging your student(s) to finish trimester 1 strong!
Share your experience
We’ve been in Extended Flexible Learning model for a few weeks. We want to hear how it’s going. This 1-page overview outlines the expectations you should have of this experience. And, this story - Experiences from distance learning - showcases the reality compared to last spring.
If your experience is not reflective of the expectations we’ve communicated, please reach out. We are working every day to support our teachers and staff in working with students to make this an engaging and effective learning experience.
Pausing at-school learning
Targeted at-school learning is paused this week. This includes center-based special education. As health care infrastructure reaches a breaking point, we are working closely with our regional team to navigate what can happen in our schools.
We are assessing what can safely continue forward given the public health situation in our community and impacts to staffing in our schools. We’re hoping to resume some targeted services as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.
At this point, we can expect to be in Extended Flexible Learning (distance) through at least winter break. This is not what families and certainly staff wanted, but it is our current reality considering the COVID-19 impact in our community. My colleagues and I are eager to be able to offer in-person learning when possible and in accordance with the Minnesota Safe Learning Plan. Until then, I know that we are all in this together – One School, One Community, United and #SLPPantherProud!
Matthew Boucher
Principal
Free meal pick-up and community distribution
Spring Lake Park Schools will continue to support students’ nutritional needs. We will provide a bagged breakfast and lunch option to all children ages 1-18 at no cost.
We will be distributing free meals on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 locations throughout the community. On Tuesdays, families will receive two-days’ worth of meals. On Thursdays, families will receive three-days’ worth of meals. Students and families should visit the website for updated information and to find the interactive map of the 10 distribution locations.
Webex Meetings for Spanish-Speaking Families to Connect
As of last April, SLP has been hosting open WebEx meetings with families in Spanish. These take place every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. and Saturday from 10-11 a.m. in Emily Byers-Ferrian's WebEx room. Any parent is welcome to participate; the purpose of these gatherings is to maintain a sense of community, exchange ideas and resources in support of students, and help one another stay informed.
Reuniones de Webex para que las familias hispanohablantes se conecten
¿Habla usted español? Le invitamos a juntas virtuales de apoyo con otros padres y personal de las escuelas que hablan español. Resolvemos dudas, intercambiamos ideas y nos lo pasamos bien. Ver más información aquí.
Technology, Resources and Log Ins page now includes translated video tutorials
The Technology, Resources and Log Ins page include important information and tutorials for families on all the technology tools used in the district. The page now includes translated video tutorials on key topics to help students and families navigate the technology tools we use in the district. The videos are translated in Arabic, Hmong, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese in the following topic areas:
- How to translate the SLP website
- How to translate the SLP mobile app
- How to translate school newsletters on a mobile device
- How to upload assignments to Seesaw
- How to submit assignments on Schoology
The "How To" translate the website, mobile app and school newsletter videos can be found under the School Operations System header. The Seesaw and Schoology videos can be found under the Digital Learning Systems: Schoology and Seesaw header.
Panther Store Online Black Friday Sale
Shop the Panther Store Black Friday Sale now through December 4 – Take $20 off $100 and $10 off $50. New arrivals and sale items available. Free SLP Decal with every purchase! Visit the Panther Store online for more details.
Counseling Office to host career speakers and 1-on-1 interview opportunities
As Career Exploration month wraps up, the Spring Lake Park Counseling office would like to extend a very much deserved thank you to all our students and community members who have participated in Career Exploration Month activities. Although we didn’t fit everything into one month, we have developed new relationships with many employers that will continue to benefit our students all year long.
For this week, we will be hosting career speakers in online classrooms and 1-on-1 interview opportunities. A full list of speakers can be found in Schoology and on our Career and College Hub website.
The counseling office continues to be here to support students in their post high school planning, as well as academic success and social/emotional health. Reach out to your counselor today for any needed supports.
OEC hosts 25th annual Adopt a Family Fundraiser Drive
The Opportunities in Emergency Care (OEC) program is kicking off its 25th annual Adopt a Family fundraiser drive to help families in our community.
The purpose of the fund drive is to raise money to purchase Christmas gifts for students and families in Spring Lake Park Schools and Alexandra House. Since it began in 1996, this annual fund drive has raised more than $91,000.
Because students in the OEC program cannot collect donations through classroom visits this year, the primary way of fundraising will be through this GoFundMe page
The fund drive is open now until Wednesday, December 16. The OEC program thanks you in advance for your generosity!
Trimester 1 Secondary Report Cards (Grades 6-12) - Reporting on student learning during COVID-19 and extended flexible learning
Report cards are just one of many ways that we report on student learning throughout the year. Report card grades reflect student learning, and teachers look at evidence of learning, over time, to determine where students are at in their learning at the time of report cards.
- Course grades for Trimester 1 are based on student learning for academic outcomes that were designated in the Trimester 1 overview, developed for each course at Grades 6-12 and shared with students and families in Schoology at the beginning of the trimester.
- Students will receive a grade of NY (Not Yet) for any year-long courses where they have submitted evidence of learning but have not demonstrated proficiency in their learning to result in a grade of A, B, C, or D. Grades of NY will replace an F for Trimester 1 for year-long courses.
- Students will receive a grade of NE (No Evidence) for any year-long courses where they have submitted no or limited evidence of learning in Trimester 1.
- Students who receive grades of NY or NE during Trimester 1 will continue to work with their teachers on demonstrating their learning for the course outcomes. Once students demonstrate proficiency report card grades of NY or NE will be updated.
Class of 2021 – Be sure to order your cap and gown by December 31
COVIDaware MN app is now available
Senior Liz Bradley to play college golf in South Carolina
“Liz has a true passion for playing golf and has worked very hard over the years on her development, concentrating on the more detailed components of her game. She has worked herself into being a very complete player from tee to green and I’m looking forward to watching her showcase herself this spring in the Northwest Suburban Conference and next year at Lander University.” - Tom Benson, head Panther girls’ golf coach
Read more: https://bit.ly/36tSBCu
Senior Joey Sorenson makes the 2020 Star Tribune All-Metro first team defense
"Heart and soul of a Panthers' defense that posted more shutouts (five) than touchdowns allowed (four). Rang up 80 tackles and six interceptions." - David La Vaque, Star Tribune
In case you missed important information from last week's newsletter, check out the topics below and click to learn more.
Translate This Newsletter / Traducir Este Boletín
To translate this newsletter information to another language, please click anywhere on the newsletter to open it in a web browser and at the top of the page, select your language from the dropdown menu.
Para traducir este boletín de noticias a otro idioma, por favor presionen en cualquier lugar del boletín para abrir el boletín en un navegador web y en la parte superior de la página seleccione su idioma del menú.