ISD 423

Celebrating lifelong learning and building a school community that encourages learning, respect and communication.

Park Elementary News

Volume 9 May 8, 2017

Contact Information

Park Elementary Office 587-2837

Dan Olberg Principal Email

Lori VanderHeiden Assistant Principal Email

Building Nurse 234-2734

School Website www.isd423.org

Vision Bus Company 234-0888

Important Dates

May 9 –Fifth Grade Band Concert—7:00 PM

May 12—Reading Celebration Day

May 12—PTO Carnival, 5:00-7:30 PM

May 16—Last Day of School for K-8 Students/Report Cards Sent Home

May 17—Last Day for K-12 Staff

August 30—Open House, 4:00-7:00 PM

September 5—First Day of School

Check out the 2017-2018 School

Calendar

The staff and students of Park Elementary want to sincerely thank all parents and guardians for your support throughout the school year. We make a great team! Here is some important information that may prove helpful as you plan ahead: Report cards will be sent home on the last day of school with students. If you plan on moving over the summer, please contact District Office at the following:

320-587-2860. The Park Elementary Library will be open each Wednesday throughout the summer.

Hours will be from 8 AM through 2 PM. More information is provided on page 4. Please encourage your child(ren) to read on a daily basis during the summer months.

Let’s continue to foster a love for reading! If your son or daughter is entering 4th, 5th, or 6th grade and does not know his/her

multiplication facts, set a goal to have them memorized before the conclusion of summer. This is a great way to boost your child’s self-confidence in math for the future.

Postcards will be mailed in the middle of August informing students who their assigned teacher will be for the 2017-2018 school year.

Park Elementary’s Fall Open House will be on Wednesday, August 30th. The first day school is Tuesday, September 5th.

Click here to view the 2017-2018 School Supply List. This form will be available in the Park Elementary Office and numerous local stores.

Notes from Mr. Olberg

A Year of Accomplishments Comes to a Close

Park Elementary Office is Moving! Stay tuned for further information as our office is relocated from its current

spot to the southeast end of the building, adjacent to the Foyer and Auditorium. Construction will commence at the end of May and continue for

the duration of the summer.

#thankAteacher

National Teacher Appreciation Day

The week of May 8th has been declared as Teacher Appreciation Week. As part of the celebration, Park Elementary teachers were posed with the question, why do you love teaching? Here are some of their responses: I love weaving the storyteller’s spell over children, inviting them to live vicariously

around the world, throughout time, in all that has been or may be in stories...Out of [reading] springs empathy, curiosity, rich vocabulary, a sense of history and many, many more incredible outcomes.

I love being a teacher because no two days are ever the same! I also love learning alongside my students and making a lasting impression.

I went into this position to be an advocate...There are a lot of students out there that have no one they can count on. It is up to us as educators to be that advocate (a Superhe-ro) for these students and show them what their true potential is!

Teachers, we appreciate the tremendous impact you have on our students.

Park Elementary Page 2, May 8, 2017

Department Updates

Bonnie Hahn and Maggie Mueller

From the PE Office

Health Office

Department Spotlight

Be in the Know

PTO Carnival

School nursing is a specialized branch of the nursing field that provides a variety of services to K-12 students. These professionals promote the well-being and health of students, administer medications, provide first-aid, and follow through with student care plans. Park Elementary has one full school-day nurse, Mrs. Jessica Neid, and another, Mrs. Jan Sebesta, who assists during peak office hours. This year, the Park Nurses have seen an average of 70 students per day; the record has been 92 visits. In years past, Nurse’s Office visits have exceeded 100 students in a single day! Our two nurses have a cumulative 34 years of nursing/health assistance experience, with 12 years spent at Park Elementary.

This year, our country celebrates National School Nurse Day on Wednesday, May 10th. We thank Jessica and Jan for their commitment to providing exemplary care to our students!

Fifth Grade Band Finale

The last band concerts will be held on Tuesday, May 9th. An afternoon performance for staff and students will be held at 2:30 PM. The concert for family and friends will commence at 7 PM. Please

come to witness and support the students’ budding musical talents!

There were some exciting things that we were able to catch on video during Phy Ed this spring! Rousing rounds of Hungry Hungry Hippos were

played. This activity is modeled after the popular board game from years past. Does it look familiar?

Table Ball is a great game for kids of all ages that you can play at home. Equipment needs are simple: a table and some type of ball that bounces.

Learning the names of our muscles is important. Check out this video of students reciting the following: biceps, triceps, pecs, abs, quads, hamstrings and calves.

Have a safe and active summer!

The PTO’s final family event of the school year is fast approaching. The

annual PTO Carnival is going to be held this Friday, May 12th. Please click here

to view the event’s flyer. We hope to see you and your family

there!

Elizabeth Hauth and Judy Hoeft

Music Notes

Thursday’s Cast Friday’s Cast

Mrs. Lauinger’s class Mrs. Mallak’s class

Mr. Nornes’ class Mrs. Schumaci’s class

Mrs. Langins’ class Mrs. Macemon’s class

Mrs. Rude’s class Mrs. Wheatley’s class

Mrs. Padrnos’ class

Special Announcement Hey parents! Want your child to keep up on his/her reading and math skills while school is out of session? Click here to

check out a great resource packet.

Bravo to the third grade students who wonderfully performed a musical adaptation of The Quiltmaker’s Gift. There were two casts who performed on different evenings. See the table below for the performance schedule. Pictures can be found on page 6 in this newsletter.

Pictured left to right: Jessica and Jan

Park Elementary Page 3, May 8, 2017

From around the Building

Getting Real-World Experiences

Running Biz Town for a Day

After weeks of preparation, fifth grade students had the memorable opportunity to work in a fictitious community for a day. Biz Town is a 10,000 square foot kid-sized city housed within the Junior Achievement headquarters in Maplewood. Weeks prior to the field trip, interviews were held for the various positions; each student was assigned an occupation. At Biz Town, students were able to enjoy hands-on activities that gave them a taste of what their assigned job is like in the real world. From CEO to file clerk, students were exposed to the jobs needed to run a community. Below are various images of students

A Literary Keepsake

4th Graders Pen Project

Students in Mrs. Kegley’s class participated in a school year writing project that culminated in every child receiving his/her very own printed book! Each student took a series of their compositions through all the steps of writing: prewrite, draft, revisions, editing, and finally– publication! A few poems and delightful artwork completed each student’s book. Various staff members, including Mr. Olberg (pictured left), were invited to come to the classroom and hear students

read various pieces from their book. Pictured right is Mrs. Kegley’s students, proudly holding their finished projects.

Our teachers celebrated the accomplishments of fellow Park

Elementary staff and students while evaluating data at a spring meeting--they

even wore festive hats!

Many thanks to our local Walmart for donating flowers to the fifth grade science department.

The flowers were dissected during a recent plant/biology unit. It was a great hands-on learning

experience for our students!

A Note of Thanks

Reasons to Celebrate

Park Elementary Page 4, May 9, 2017

Park Elementary Library Lowdown

Summer Reading Opportunities

Starting May 24th and continuing throughout the summer, the Library will be open on Wednesdays, from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. for book check-out. The only date that we will not be open is Wednesday, July 5th. Don’t know what to read? There are some great book recommendations that can be found at: www.symbaloo.com/mix/parklibrary. Get rewarded for reading: Check out the first page of this document for different opportunities to earn rewards of various values.

Research says students who don’t read over the summer lose skills.

Reading at least 6 books over the summer keeps skills. (Allington, Bridging the summer reading Gap)

Get Caught Reading this Summer!

Park staff and students are challenged to make reading throughout the summer a priority. Reading in the summer should be exceptionally enjoyable and geared towards each child’s interests. As a fun way of celebrating the joy of reading wherever you go this summer, Park will have a photo contest. It will start once school is over and will end prior to the first day of school. The rules are as follows: Snap a picture of a Park Elementary student “caught reading”. Bring picture to the Library or email the image to our Librarian, Naomi Shadis by September 1st.

Note: All photos submitted to the contest may be featured in the morning announcements or online.

Take time this summer to READ

Pictured above, left to right: Emma R. and Ali-

son L. enjoyed the outdoor setting while diving

into their respective books.

Pictured above: this photo was taken last

summer, when Griffen H. decided to

stop and read while visiting the local

sanctuary.

Students Cast their Ballots for Favorite Books

Minnesota Star of the North Picture Book Award Ranking Back in March, Park Elementary second grade students had the opportunity to vote online for the “Star of the North

Picture Book Award”. Any student who read at least 8 of the 10 nominated books could participate. Here are the results according to how our second graders voted in comparison with the remainder of the state.

PARK STATE

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

Student Book Choice Award

PARK

Last month, fourth and fifth grade students at Park Elementary selected their choice for recipient of the “Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award”. The Division 1/State Winning Titles are provided below, along with how Park students voted.

STATE

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

Page 5, May 9, 2017 Park Elementary

3rd Grade Performs, The Quiltmaker’s Gift

From Practice to Production

Park Elementary Page 6, May 8, 2017

Third grade students spent many months preparing for their performances of the musical. The performances were held at the beginning of the month. Many congratulations to the students, Ms. Hauth, and Mrs. Hoeft! Below is a

collage of photos taken during practices and rehearsals. Click here to view a short video!