#EWExcellence ~ Week of 02.15.2016
La ola del lago Spanish Immersion & Edgewood School
Week of February 15, 2016
The three day weekend was wonderful! I hope everyone had a chance to rest up and feels rejuvenated for the week. We have great things that lie ahead in order to help all our students reach their full potential!
My family and I celebrated Elisia's 6th birthday this weekend at IGM Gymnastics Studio in Burnsville. I was so excited, I had to attempt my own flip off of the trampoline! (See picture below)... and probably some cheesy quote should accompany the picture... like "Come and jump into the week..." or "We are so excited to be back at Edgewood we need to jump and do flips....." :-)
I have three appointments this week to be a Mystery Reader during "I LOVE TO READ" Month. Please take me up on my offer to be a guest/mystery reader in your classroom anytime during the month of February (or really anytime). I can read in English or Spanish...
February is "I LOVE TO READ" Month and Richie is a Mystery Reader!
With February being "I Love to Read" Month, what a better way to celebrate than having many mystery readers come and share their favorite books with students. I would encourage all of you to invite parents or others into read to students this month.
If you are interested, I would LOVE to come and visit each and every class sometime this month TO read some of my favorite stories. If you are interested in having me come and READ to your students, please send me an email with some times that will work out.
MN Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen visits Ms. Trina's & Ms. Kim's class
Adam grew up in Detroit Lakes, MN, and now currently lives in Savage with his wife
He doesn't have any kids, but I told him if he does soon, he knows where to send them!
Meet Ms. Rachel Higgins EL Teacher (LODL) Early Childhood EL Teacher Liaison
I have worked for PLSAS for 6 years. I enjoy working with a small team of amazing EL teachers. Between 7 of us, we teach roughly 220 K-12th graders. Other districts don’t offer opportunities for EL teachers to work with Early Childhood, so I feel very blessed to be part of the Early Childhood team. I enjoy working at EW because the students are hilarious, in a good way. Children have a way of reminding you what joy is, and why you need more of it in your life. Their natural curiosity is contagious. I also enjoy working with LODL because it helps me continue my bilingual skills. I teach more of a dual language approach, with my primary focus being academic language and phonological patterns typically found in English. It is wonderful being part of another team in PLSAS who understands language acquisition.
I have been married to my husband, Patrick, for almost 14 years. We have two amazing fur babies, Izzie and Rosie. Izzie is a 2-year-old Dalmatian/English Pointer mix, so basically a toddler on steroids, and Rosie is a 13-year-old black pug. Outside of teaching, I really enjoy traveling, reading, and listening to music. I lead Mission Projects with Adventures in Missions, based out of Georgia, each summer. This means I take groups of high school students from the US into places with different cultures (other countries, Native American Reservations, etc). Everyone wants to know where I’ve traveled outside the US, so here it goes…Canada (British Columbia and New Foundland), Mexico, Dominican Republic, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Iceland, Finland, and Tanzania. My bucket list includes vising Easter Island, The Forbidden City (China), Taj Mahal, and Australia. I also think it would be really cool to visit Antarctica.
ECFE fun
Ms. Joy at Infant ECFE Class
Ezra (and my wife Erin) began ECFE class last week
Record enrollment trends continue for La ola del lago & Circle of Friends Registration 2016-17
Kindergarten registration for La ola del lago for 2016-17 is currently at 80 - this is more Kindergarten students than we currently have!
Circle of Friends registration, as of Friday 2.12, enrollment was at 230 - and this number does not include ECSE students yet.
A major contributing factor to our growth is the stellar reputation our programming has with families and students. All of our collective hard work is paying off as we continue to strive to improve and get better so we are able to provide the very best learning opportunities for our students!
Our nature preK class went ice fishing last week at LakeFront
The DNR did a great job working with our students
How fun is this?
Throwback Thursday at Edgewood
We will be celebrating Throwback Thursday at Edgewood!!!!
When: Thursday, February 18th
What to Wear: Come dressed in attire from your favorite decade!!! Now’s your chance to dress up in neon clothes for an ‘80’s style or hippy clothes for a ‘70’s style. And, if you happen to have a poodle skirt hanging in the closet, now is the perfect time to wear it!
Who: Everyone at Edgewood!!!! This includes staff and students!!!
It will be so fun to see everyone’s outfits!!!!
Sponsored by EW Social Committtee
Mr. Trodee's class play "The Three Little Pigs"
Meet Ms. Alison Dziedzic, Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
My name is Alison Dziedzic and this is my first year at Edgewood School and Jeffers Pond. What a great beginning it has been too! What I love best about working here is the genuine, thoughtful staff and the sweet children I work with. There is never a dull moment working with kids, and I am constantly inspired by their curiosity. I also enjoy being able to give children the opportunity to learn through outdoor exploration. I've learned it provides endless possibilities.
Before becoming a part of the PLSAS district, I was a special education teacher at a St. Paul Charter school. Prior to that, I taught Kindergarten for 4 years in Chicago and was an assistant teacher in a preschool for a year and a half.
I am in the last phase of my Graduate Program at Bethel University, yay! :) Onto finishing my thesis and receiving my Master's Degree in Special Education and planning for my wedding!
When I'm not working, I love to take walks and photograph the beauty around me, try out new restaurants in the city with my fiancé, Bryan, and take weekend trips to see my family back home in Chicago, as well as trips to the North Shore.
#PLSASchat ~ Tuesdays at 8:00 PM & Twitter
I would like to commend those of you who are continuing to use Twitter to post pictures, professional articles or videos, and sharing the story of Edgewood with our community stakeholders by using hashtag #EWExcellence. I would like to remind everyone our district does a weekly Twitter chat on Tuesdays at 8:00. Please feel free to follow and contribute to #PLSASchat
Srta. Corredor (notice the #LODL hashtag?)
She couldn't be happier!
#LODL teachers and interns
Parent Spanish Classes - back by popular demand - taught by Srta. Corredor
¿Qué están diciendo? What are they saying!
Are you worried you won’t know what your La ola del lago Spanish immersion child is saying to you? Are you curious if they are talking about you without you even knowing it? Come learn how they learn! Discover Spanish through vocabulary and phrases in a fun-filled environment- an immersion classroom! Classes are open to any adult, but are most appropriate for adult family members of La ola del lago Spanish immersion students.
#2413
Thursdays,
Feb 18-March 10
4 Sessions
$39/Individual or $59 Pair
Edgewood Room TBD
La ola del lago Licensed Teacher Carolina Corredor
https://priorlake-savage.ce.feepay.com/course/ce-adult-winter-2016/que-estan-diciendo#2413w
ECFE Session 2 is up and running
More ECFE fun
ECFE stands for Early Childhood Family Education
#PLSAS Referendum Information
There will be many more meetings in the upcoming weeks re: May PLSAS Referendum. Dr. Staloch will be planning a time sometime in March to come to Edgewood to speak with our entire staff. Here is the latest update, as of last week. Please continue to ask questions, or share the input email address listed for any parents or community members that may have comments. This will definitely take the entire village!
School Board Begins Planning for Growth
The Demographic Review Committee’s research of our enrollment growth
projections, combined with a study of our current classroom capacities
and a demographer’s analysis of our district, all point to continued enrollment
growth district wide, throughout all grade levels. As a result, the
school board has begun planning for a May referendum to accommodate
this growth. While the specifics of the referendum have not yet been
decided, a comprehensive facilities plan for all of our schools, including
Edgewood, is being conducted. The facilities plan includes researching:
- A new elementary school
- Additions for classroom and core space to add capacity at multiple sites
- Facility space options for innovative programs (Bridges ALC, SAGE,
La ola del lago, MNCAPS)
The school board will be collecting input and answering questions prior to
finalizing referendum details. There will be information presented at an
upcoming Information Meeting:
7:00 p.m. on February 16 at Twin Oaks Middle School
In the meantime, the district has a web page that will continue to be
updated with the latest information surrounding our enrollment growth.
http://www.priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us/about-us/referendum/index.aspx
Shiela the Hygienist visited Circle of Friends last week
Srta. Tapia's class decorates our office
Ice Fishing!
My Professional & Personal Growth and Learning Area for this Week
Our Mission & Vision: Who We Are @ La ola del lago Spanish Immersion & Edgewood School
In closing....
Richie Kucinski
Email: rkucinski@priorlake-savage.k12.mn.us
Website: http://relevantparadigm.weebly.com/
Location: 5304 Westwood Drive Southeast, Prior Lake, MN, United States
Phone: 952.226.0903
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdgewoodPLSAS
Twitter: @RKucinski