Woodcrest Spanish Immersion
September 22, 2021 Newsletter
See translation information below / Consulte la información de traducción a continuación.
Del Escritorio del Sr. Franke
Fall begins and we are in full swing
Greetings Woodcrest families,
On this first day of fall, we are finding ourselves more and more comfortable with our daily routines and activities here at Woodcrest. It has been a pleasure watching students make their way through our halls to their classrooms each morning with ease and comfort. In fact, I have been waved off by students who were normally asking to walk with me to class.
I am thankful to you all for your patience and feedback while we refine dismissal process. Students are feeling much more comfortable with both parent pick-up and getting to their busses at the end of the day.
With October just around the corner there are a few things I want you to be aware of:
- MAP assessments: In October, we will be using a tool called Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) to check in on student learning progress. This is an assessment tool that helps us understand student growth over time in reading and math. We do not want this to be a stressful activity but is one input for us to use to personalize learning for each student. Find more information in today’s newsletter about the administration of the assessments as well as information on assessment in our target language of Spanish.
- Conferences: Also in October, families plan for parent/teacher conferences. We will communicate opportunities to connect with teachers on student learning progress in the coming weeks.
To families of students in grades K-2, I also would like you to know that starting tomorrow, your child will be sent home with their school-issued iPad. We provide the iPad is to ensure equity of access to technology and to reinforce that students can always have access to learning. That said, when the iPad is at home, it is used following the boundaries you establish for home use.
With great thanks,
John Franke
Principal
Checking in on student progress using MAP
In October, your student will be engaging in brief Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessments in reading and math. While your child's teacher is regularly assessing your child's progress in learning, assessments like these provide additional information about progress in reading and math over time.
- Grade K-2: The MAP Reading Fluency assessment is one way to check on progress in reading. The assessment is developmentally friendly, feels more like a game than a traditional “test,” and takes about 20 minutes. For math at K-1, we use assessments within the curriculum to understand progress in learning. For math at Grade 2, we use the MAP Growth assessment.
- Grades 3-4: The MAP Growth assessments are used for both reading and math. Each subject takes about 45 minutes.
In alignment with our goals for immersion programming, we assess students in English and Spanish in alternating years (Grade 3 in English, Grade 4 in Spanish, Grade 5 in English, etc.) to be able to check on progress in both languages.
Woodcrest students will participate in the reading assessment on October 5 and the math assessment on October 6, 7, or 12. There is no need for special preparation.
Teachers will use this information to personalize learning experiences and will share information with families during upcoming conferences. Our school and district use information from these assessments to look at overall math and reading performance over time. This helps us determine how learning is going for all students.
Update immunizations by November 1
Minnesota School Immunization Laws currently require all students enrolled in school to be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTap/Td/Tdap), polio, measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), Hepatitis B, and varicella (chickenpox). One dose of the meningococcal (MCV) vaccine is due in 7th grade, and a booster dose at age 16.
Students whose immunizations are not up to date by Monday, November 1 will be excluded from school until their immunizations are current.
If you have questions about whether or not your child is due for immunizations, please contact their healthcare provider. If you are interested in access to low-income options for vaccines, please reach out to Anoka County Public Health at 763-324-4240.
Reminder: Send students to school with a face mask
Face masks are currently required for grades K-6 due to high COVID-19 transmission rates in our community. Please send your student(s) to school with a face mask to wear and an extra in case their mask gets dirty. Thank you!
Conociendo al Sr. O
Yes, he is the tall man you see standing outside during arrival and dismissal!
He has two boys of his own of which he gets to employ all his behavior strategies on and enjoys good food, great company, and sports. He loves to read, specifically non-fiction in the areas of organizational development, leadership, and personal improvement. Feel free to say hi when you see him as he enjoys conversation or send him an email.
Con el Sr. Mateo
Announcement of Game Coming, Starting September 27
Win $500 for your school and $50 Panther Store gift card for you! Starting Monday, September 27 visit the sweepstakes page to enter the daily Panther Pride Sweepstakes. Show your Panther Pride and Spirit by answering a trivia question daily, September 27 – October 6. Families can enter one time each day and can include all students in the family. A student winner and a staff winner for each school will be drawn on Thursday, October 7 and winners will be acknowledged at the Spring Lake Park High School Homecoming game on Friday, October 8. Good luck!
PTO Meeting
Scholastic Book Club
Deadline Extended one more week for Scholastic Book Club orders! September is a great time to stock up on new books. Using the code NJ89V (Woodcrest PTO is teacher name) will support literacy initiatives at Woodcrest throughout the year. During the month of September, PTO earns almost 4x as many reward points as other months meaning we can purchase 4x the books to donate to students!
There are LOTS of new titles in Spanish and English. If your order is $25 or more use code READS and choose a free up to $5 book with code. Books will be delivered to your student’s classroom when they arrive.
Check out the Club Leo section for Spanish.
**Please enter your student's FIRST AND LAST name (or last initial) on all orders.
Enter code NJ89V on Scholastic
Family Social Night
Please save the date Friday, October 8, for our PTO Outdoor Family Social Night & Bookfair (Weather Dependent) 4:30-6:30 p.m. All activities will be outside with no access to the building. More information to come next week!.
Last chance - sign up for after-school enrichment classes!
We still have limited spots available for our upcoming Fall elementary programs. Sign your student up today for Myth Busting with Science Explorers, Drawing Class with Young Rembrandts, or Chess with Twin Cities Chess Club. Registration closes this Thursday, September 23 and all classes will begin next week, September 27. Don’t miss out on these fun enrichment opportunities!
Important Dates
- Monday, October 4-Friday, October 8- Spirit Week
- Monday, October 4- Fun Run Kick-Off
- Tuesday, October 5-MAP testing
- Wednesday, October 6- MAP Testing
- Thursday, October 7-MAP Testing
- Friday, October 8- PTO Outdoor Family Social and Bookfair (weather dependent)
- Monday, October 11 – Fall Picture Day
- Monday, October 11 –PTO Meeting at 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, October 12-MAP Testing
- Monday, October 18-Friday October 22- No School for students
- Tuesday, November 16 – Fall Picture Retakes
Celebrating our retirees
Congratulations to the 25 staff members who retired during the 2020 and 2021 school years and who were honored and recognized at yesterday's retirement event. As a learning community, we gather to recognize their tremendous contributions to our schools and community and celebrate their next steps with them.
Read more as staff members shared words they wanted to convey to our Spring Lake Park Schools community about their journey and plans for the future.
In case you missed important information from last week's newsletter, check out the topics below and click to learn more.
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