Woodcrest Spanish Immersion
October 27, 2021 Newsletter
See translation information below / Consulte la información de traducción a continuación.
Greetings Woodcrest families,
Back from break!!!
I hope this note finds you well after a great break last week. I’m hearing from students during Morning Meeting and in the hallway about what they did during their break. It’s fun to hear their stories.
On Monday and Tuesday of last week, Woodcrest staff participated in professional learning about the design and implementation of learning experiences tailored to student needs. We dedicated our Wednesday to communication with families and conference conversations with families. Deepening the connection between classroom and home is key to the success of our Woodcrest community. Thank you for making time for these connections.
It is hard to believe that we’re mid-way through the first trimester. Looking back at the last few weeks, there is a lot to celebrate. What is more exciting is looking forward to another stretch of solid learning before Thanksgiving. Your child’s teachers have been designing learning experiences with their students in mind, and I look forward to sharing some of the highlights of that with you in the coming weeks.
As teachers and students continue to engage in learning, I want to express a note of gratitude to you for your continued partnership in maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment. Please continue your daily health checks. It does help in keeping all our students healthy.
Some families have inquired about how their child will receive access to the classroom experience while away on vacations and or due to a COVID-related absence. Please know that while students are absent, they will have access to assignments posted in Seesaw of Schoology. There will not be scheduled synchronous (“live”) learning experiences when students are absent from school.
If you have any questions about what you or your child may be experiencing, please do not hesitate to reach out. Let’s make the rest of this fall and trimester a “gran éxito!”
Con gratitud,
John Franke
Watch for an email request: Information needed by the state of Minnesota
Families will be receiving individual requests in the next few days to complete information for their student/family based on new requirements from the state of Minnesota. The information requested covers ethnicity and race as well as student access to Internet and electronic devices at home. The information schools report to the state and federal government is confidential and not identifiable at the individual level.
Watch for an email from info@campus.district16.org with the subject line "Update student information by Nov. 30" that will arrive in the next few days with instructions for completing the requested information in Campus Parent Portal. The process should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
Optional, rapid COVID-19 now available in all schools
Each of our school health offices now has the ability to conduct rapid COVID-19 tests, Cue Test, during school hours each day. The tests provide reliable results in about 30 minutes. In-district rapid testing is one way we can limit school absences for those who are symptomatic or have had close contacts with a positive case in school or outside of school.
Rapid testing is available during the school day at each school health office. Testing is also available after school this week during limited hours at the District Service Center and can be coordinated through your school’s health office. School nurses will communicate directly with families to determine eligibility and secure consent before any testing is completed.
To inquire about the rapid testing for your student due to symptoms or potential exposures, contact your school’s health office.
We also continue to offer optional, free COVID-19 testing kits to take home. Students can pick up the saliva testing kits in the health office, complete the test at home and return their completed test the following school day. School nurses submit the tests for processing.
Thanksgiving Baskets and Holiday Support Programs
It's that time of year when the holidays are approaching. If you celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas and are in need of some extra support during this upcoming season, there may be programs within the local community that we can connect you to. Please reach out to either your child's teacher or Rachel Perez, the Social Worker & Community Resource Liaison at Woodcrest (763-600-5825) for more information on how we can get you some extra support.
Are you interested in adopting a family for Christmas? Please reach out to Rachel Perez (763-600-5825) to find out more information or be added to a list of volunteers to help support district families.
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!
Con la clase de Sra. Korbel
Here we have students from Sra. Korbel working on creating patterns using fish scales during math class.
En el Jardín de Woodcrest
Woodcrest kindergarten and 1st graders were excited to explore our Prairie Garden with PTO volunteers this week. Although not as colorful right now as in the summer, this outdoor classroom provides tons of positive benefits, including:
- reversing nature deficit disorder
- service learning
- historical connections to Dakota/Ojibway and social studies state standards
- science connections to life, earth and physical sciences state standards
- math lessons (area, height, population study)
- worldview/geography with Monarch butterfly migration and cultural connections
AND on top of all that - prairie plants clean water, filter air, build soil and provide habitat for insects and animals!
Last chance - sign up for enriching after-school programs!
There are still spots available for upcoming after-school elementary programs. Sign your student up today for Multi-Sports with AKASPORT, Holiday Gift Making with Kidcreate, and Little Xplorers Robotics with STEM Builders.
The deadline to register is today, Wednesday, October 27. All classes will begin next week. Don’t miss out on these fun enrichment opportunities!
Conociendo a la Srta. Jackie
When she is not at Woodcrest, she volunteers as a small group leader at Eagle Brook for 7th grade students. For fun, she likes to go hiking and spend time with family and friends.
Join us for a special virtual screening of "Angst" on November 4
Mark your calendars for a free virtual viewing of the IndieFlix documentary "Angst" on November 4 to raise awareness of anxiety disorder in children and teens, hosted by Spring Lake Park Schools, as well as five other metro school districts and the Mental Wellness campaign. The goal of the screening is to help people identify and understand the symptoms of anxiety and encourage them to reach out for help. All students and families are welcome to tune in.
A panel discussion will follow the film with experts who will share resources and do a Q&A.
Viewing information
- When - Thursday, November 4, 6-7:30 p.m.
- Where - Virtual
- Trailer - Watch the "Angst" trailer
- Registration - register for the screening
Save the date: There will also be a virtual screening and panel of the IndieFlix documentary "Like" on January 20, 2022 from 6-7:30 p.m. that will explore the impact of social media on our lives and the effects of technology on the brain. Watch the "Like" trailer.
Book Fair Success
Thank you to all the volunteers who made our Book Fair possible and to everyone who stopped by to make a purchase, making it a huge success. Thanks to this outstanding support, each teacher received a minimum of eight books for their classroom libraries. Teachers were surprised with their stacks of new books during a special morning meeting Friday, October 15.
Spirit Night / Dine-to-Donate
Come join other Woodcrest Families and do Culver's for dinner on Tuesday, November 9 from 5-7 p.m! Mention Woodcrest and a percentage of your purchase will be donated to our PTO on all drive-thru, call-in, dine-in, and online to-go orders (enter Woodcrest in the comments). Culver's in Blaine is located at 10550 Baltimore St. Blaine, MN 55449 (Corner of Hwy 65 and 105th) and their phone number is 763-784-5899. Proceeds will help fund our annual events such as art adventure, family fun, staff appreciation, prairie garden education, community outreach, mileage club, literacy initiatives, and more!
Free Kinder Shirts
Kindergarten parents should receive a form sent home in backpacks this week about selecting a size for a FREE red Woodcrest T-shirt for your student. Please return to your teacher by Friday, November 5.
Birthday Board Display
We are looking for a volunteer to make the November and December birthday bulletin board display that hangs inside school each month to celebrate student birthdays. Sign up here on Konstella
PTO Meetings
Our next PTO meeting will be Monday, November 8, at 6 p.m. on Zoom.
Grant decision team plans to meet Monday, November 8, at 7 p.m. on Zoom.
Zoom Meeting Link
Meeting ID: 767 9988 6422
Passcode: PTO2021
Student Experience Grants
Does your student have a great idea for an activity at school? Have them team up with a staff member to apply for our student experience grants. Past grants have included nine square in the air, mandolins, cardio drumming equipment, xylophones, digital camera, green screen, and lots more. Applications are due October 29. If you are interested in being on the grant decision making team, sign up for the committee. It will meet at 7 p.m. on November 8.
Important Dates
- Tuesday, November 2: Voting Day
- Monday, November 8: WCSI PTO Meeting 6-7pm
- Tuesday, November 16: Fall Picture Retakes
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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