Northpoint Elementary
September 22, 2021
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Hello to our Northpoint Families,
As we hit the middle of Week Three of the 2021-2022 school year, I have much to be appreciative of as your principal. Here are just a few:
- Our students are simply delightful. They are good citizens and students.
- Our staff continues to serve our school community with dedication, putting their all into getting to know kids and families in order to provide a compelling learning experience for each child.
- Our families have partnered with us to establish routines, provide insights, feedback and questions which help us do our very best work.
I value each member of the Northpoint family for the very important collaboration we engage in each and every day.
October is almost here when we will use 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. This is not intended 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 and reach out with questions.
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.
It is so good to be back in the swing of school and to see the kiddos each day interacting with teachers and peers. I think we are all enjoying being at Northpoint each day!
Judi Kahoun
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.
Northpoint students will participate in the reading assessment on October 5, 6 or 7 and the math assessment on October 13. 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.
Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have questions.
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!
Important Arrival & Dismissal Information
Thank you to our Northpoint families for following the routines for arrival and dismissal in the carline. A few reminders for safety and efficiency of this process:
- All adults must stay in their vehicle will dropping off or picking up their student(s)
- Be aware of and stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk
- Post a sign on your dashboard of your student's name/teacher for dismissal
The hunt for the gingerbread man
Northpoint PTO Sponsored Fun Run Fundraiser
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!
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!
- October 4 - NP PTO Meeting, 6 p.m.
- October 11- K-4 Picture Day
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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