Northpoint Elementary
November 11, 2020 Newsletter
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Northpoint families:
November 11 is Veterans Day, a day to pause and honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. At Northpoint we often celebrate this day by inviting in family members who have served in our military. Although we won’t be able to hold these festivities this year, we want to extend our appreciation to all veterans and their families for their commitment past and present in support of the United States of America and democracy across the globe.
At Northpoint and throughout our school district, we also recognize and appreciate our noncertified staff who are a very valuable part of our team. In many cases, our administrative assistants, paraprofessionals, custodians, nurses, and food service workers are unsung heros. As parents, you may not get to know these amazing people as well as you do our teachers. If you had the good fortune to see them in action everyday, you would understand what our teachers and I know. We couldn’t do our work without their partnership. Ask your student about these folks, and maybe even work together to write them a thank you card or note of appreciation!
We continue to track COVID-19 infection rates in Anoka County and in our district and schools. A message was shared with all Spring Lake Park Schools families on Friday about what the district is tracking and how we’re approaching decision-making. We want nothing more than to continue learning at school. We also want all students, staff and families to learn safely. We are working with our regional support team to make decisions that balance health, safety and learning. Please continue to watch for more information in the coming days and reach out if you have questions.
Teachers, families and students who have been doing distance learning this fall are sharing their perspectives on the experience and how it’s changed from the spring. See their story in today’s newsletter along with a compelling video featuring two veterans who work in Spring Lake Park Schools.
Have a good week.
Judi Kahoun
Principal
Extended Flex Learning Families: Requesting Changes, Important Dates
Greetings,
My heart is filled with deep appreciation today. It is with great honor that I thank our veterans for their sacrifice and willingness to serve our country.
The article in this week’s newsletter about the distance learning experience describes so well what many have shared with me over the last several weeks. It is written from the perspective of students, families and teachers. I hope you will take a couple of minutes to read it. I’m sure it will leave you smiling, as I am.
Requesting a learning model change
As we near the end of Trimester 1 and the beginning of Trimester 2 you may be considering a change for your family from the Extended Flexible Learning (distance) model to the Modified Campus (hybrid) model.
If you are planning to request this change, please contact your home school’s main office to make your request by November 15, 2020. The switch to the new learning model would begin December 8, 2020. Students making a transition will likely not remain with current teachers or classmates.
Here are a few important dates to note:
- November 18: Our distance learning teachers (Kindergarten, Grade 3, Grade 4) will be participating in professional learning. Teachers will be communicating details about this day in upcoming class emails.
- November 26-27: Thanksgiving (no school)
- December 4: End of Trimester 1
Have a great week!
Kim Fehringer
Thank you to our Veterans
We had the opportunity to hear from two of our very own SLP Veterans. Thank you to all Veterans who have served our country.
Experiences from distance learning
There are 1,973 Spring Lake Park Schools students at all grade levels who have been learning in the SLP Extended Flexible Learning (distance learning) model this fall. There are more live interactions, creative ways to engage students and more and more personalized feedback.
COVID-19 dashboard available on the website
Spring Lake Park Schools is working with our regional support team – including public health experts from Anoka County and Minnesota Department of Health – to understand county infection rates and trends, rates within the district zip codes and impacts to our local schools. A dashboard is now available that shows county 14-day numbers, daily county infection rates and key data points from our school district. This dashboard will be updated each Friday going forward. See the dashboard. This will be updated on the 2020-2021 School Year page on the district website.
Request change in learning model by Nov. 15
We are nearing a district trimester transition. Families can request a change to your student's current learning model — to or from Modified Campus (hybrid) or Extended Flexible Learning (distance) — for the second trimester (through March 11). Please note that the Modified Campus (hybrid) model may be subject to change should the public health situation deteriorate.
Communicate your request by Sunday, November 15 to our front office by calling the main office number, 763-600-5600, or emailing HRoger@district16.org.
We'll review requests against current staffing plans and communicate with requesting families the week of November 30 for any transitions to begin at the start of the trimester on December 8. Please be aware that with any transition, your child would likely be learning with a different teacher and group of learners.
Carline Arrival/Dismissal Reminders
- Do not exit your vehicle when dropping off or picking up students. Staff will be available to assist your student if needed.
- Have students enter and exit on the curbside only.
- Pull all the way forward before dropping off or picking up your student.
- Display your student's last name on your dashboard for dismissal.
Thank you for helping keep our arrival and dismissal process safe and efficient!
EFL Picture Day Ordering Information
Please visit Lifetouch to order your student's pictures online. This link is active for 48 hours after picture day. Once this code expires, families can still order pictures through MyLifetouch.com for their students with the codes (Portrait ID & Access Code) that are provided on the proof sheet that you will receive 3-4 weeks after picture day. Every student that has their picture taken will receive a proof sheet.
Northpoint Novel Study: 4th grade students make comparisons using Venn diagrams and Jamboard
Northpoint 4th grade students in Mr. Harren's class have been reading through their first novel study called The Thing About Georgie. This story focuses on a 4th grader named Georgie who has dwarfism. They have also been reading the book, Fish in a Tree, about a girl who learns that she has dyslexia. They have been using Venn diagrams and the Jamboard app to compare these two main characters. Although these stories are unrelated, they have been making so many connections to the ways Ally and Georgie handle conflicts in their lives. The focus has been point of view as we consider how these characters navigate their unique disabilities.
- November 26-27 - NO SCHOOL
- December 4 - End of trimester 1
- December 7 - NO SCHOOL
- December 11 - NP Picture Retake Day
- December 23-January 1 - NO SCHOOL/Winter Break
Community Education Youth Take-Home Kits
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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