Hamline Family Newsletter

Greetings Hamline Huskies!

As I am sure you may have heard, St. Paul Public Schools will continue with Distance Learning, at least through Nov. 30th. The decision was made this past Friday that we have not yet met all of the requirements needed to return to the buildings. So onward we go, remaining committed to doing our best to support all of you through these often stressful times.

On a brighter topic, I am very excited to tell you about our new school-wide theme around Social Justice. Staff are working to develop units around Identity, Diversity, Justice and/or Action. Focusing on these areas allows educators to engage in a range of anti-bias, multicultural and social justice issues. We are using the Teaching Tolerance curriculum to help build and develop these units. Support staff is also looking at ways to bring student voice into how we do things at Hamline. We believe that empowering children and encouraging their voice will prepare them to be the change agents our world needs.

Last, I want you to know that we are continuing to look for ways to continue some of our programming with Hamline University. This has been tricky, but I am happy to say we are starting Snelling Connection! This is our school newspaper, and it will be starting up with Mr. Gjerde's fifth grade classroom. They will be working with college students and professors, using an inquiry-based approach to tackle social justice topics. Students will learn how to develop a question, into a form of communication, and work toward publishing in the school newspaper. Can't wait to see their brilliance. As we see how this goes we may extend to other grade levels.

Please hang in there and know that you are not alone. If you need anything please reach out.

In Partnership,

Principal Kristin Reilly

Please reach out to me with any questions or concerns by email, text, or phone at:

Email: jennifer.ewald@spps.org

Office: 651-744-6055

Google Voice: ‪(612) 315-0791‬

No School for PreK-5th grade due to conference prep day for teachers

The Title I program ​gives schools money(funding) that allows schools increased supplemental educational resources to ​make sure that all children have a fair, equitable, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education. Title I helps schools provide world-class educational opportunities to all students.

• Would you like to learn more about Title 1?

• Would you like to learn more about how we use Title 1 funding at Hamline?

• Would you like to be able to learn more about the School Continuous Improvement Plan?

If so, please join us virtually for our annual Title 1 presentation on Monday October 26 at 3:00 at the following Google Meet Link

Please click on the following icons for more information.

Academic Support Center

The purpose of the SPPS Academic Support Center is to provide in-person academic and/or social-emotional learning support for Pre-K-12 grade students and their families during distance learning. The centers will provide academic support, not classroom instruction.

Please talk to your child's teacher if you would like more information.

Center Hours

Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.*
Saturday 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
*Closed non-school days

Center Locations*
Washington Technology Magnet
1495 Rice Street
Saint Paul, MN 55117

As we build our inquiry-based learning model at Hamline, we have identified five competencies that we want every student leaving Hamline with: Collaborators, Communicators, Problem Solvers, Creators, and Self and Community Aware. We believe these are the characteristics needed to prepare students for the 21st century.

"Our job is not to prepare students for something; Our job is to help students prepare themselves for anything."

Please go to https://www.schoolcafe.com/spps to complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application. Having everyone complete the application is very important due to the fact that it determines how much educational funding our school receives. Even if you do not qualify for free and reduced lunch, we need 100% of families filling this form out.

Also, families must complete an application and qualify for free or reduced price meals to qualify for other assistance programs such as Metro Transit’s $1 Ride program, Comcast’s Internet Essentials, and some scholarships for summer camps

Reminder to fill out the annual iUpdate student form at Campus Parent. It is important we have updated contact information so you will receive updates from the school. If you need any help with your login or password, email karen.azen@spps.org or leave a message at 651-744-4287.

The Midway Food & Empowerment Project aims to collect and distribute resources to our community on an ongoing basis.The speed at which multiple community partners came together to make this happen is nothing short of amazing. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that our community members receive the items they need to thrive

https://www.hamlinemidway.org/TheMidwayProject

Staying Healthy as the weather gets cold!!

As the weather starts to get cold we are staying indoors more often. Here are some things you can do to help yourself stay healthy!

*Wash your hands! I bet you haven't heard that one before. Wash your hands with regular soap and water but if you don't have soap and water an alcohol based hand sanitizer is the way to go. Remember to wash them after you blow your nose, go to the bathroom, before you eat, when you get home from playing outside or shopping, just to name a few.

*Eat heathly! Try to eat fruits and veggies every day. I know, it can be harder to find fresh fruits and veggies but even frozen ones are a good source.

*Exercise! Yep, even when it's cold out, you can exercise. Turn up the music and do a good ole' fashion dance party at home! Or have a contest to see who can do the most jumping jacks or sit ups. Try to get in 20-30 minutes at least 3-4 times per week. Have a contest; kids vs adults, who can do the most. See how creative you can get!

*Get some sleep! I know, I know... kids don't have to get up early for school right now, but being on a schedule and getting 9-12 hours of sleep is important. Kids bodies need time to rest and grow. Getting good sleep helps our moods, helps us stay focused and learn better.

*Get outside and soak up some Vitamin D from the sun! I know the sun is not making many appearances right now but when it does, go outside and soak it up!

We know distance learning is hard for our children, especially the youngest ones. I wanted to share with you the power of rewarding children for positive behavior, in such a way that it will build their intrinsic motivation. Yes, rewarding children for positive behavior, makes it easier to get them to do the work without continuously reminding them. We often confuse reward for bribery. The difference is that reward is for positive behavior we want to see more of, and bribery is typically done when the parent is desperate for a behavior to stop or for something to get done. This does not help children; in fact, it leads to undesired attitudes towards getting work done. You can design an effective reward system by coming up with a list of rewards that are doable for you as the parent and exciting for the child. Have your child help in creating this list of rewards. They can be as simple as watching a movie together, baking a special treat, or extra time playing video games. The options are limitless. You would then make an agreement for when a reward becomes due. Make a check list for what they need to do to earn their reward. Have them be in charge of doing the checklist so they can measure their own progress. You will be surprised at how quickly children get in the habit of getting things done because this reward system reinforces the behavior you want to see as a parent.

- Kaltun Abdikarani, School Counselor

Holidays are right around the corner and with so much going on in our country and even in our own homes with the pandemic, financial strains, and just feeling overwhelmed with life, it can be daunting to think about the holidays. If your family could use a little extra help this holiday season, there are many resources available. The link below will provide you with a list of agencies around the Twin Cities helping families in need of a holiday meal, toys, and other helpful resources.

https://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html/hennepin-_ramsey-_anoka-_dakot.html

Lynnette Medcalf, School Social Worker

Hamline is lucky to have Change Inc. and Sharice Zaccardi as one of our community partners. Sharice is a therapist that works with students and often families, around lots of different topics. She is normally in the school building with us, but is also able to continue with therapeutic practices virtually.

Sometimes we all need a person to talk to, that can help us through a difficult time in our lives. What we are all working through right now, can put extra stress and anxiety in our lives. This is the same for our children. Sharice is able to help children adjust to what is happening in our world today, or many other challenges they may be facing. If you are interested in setting up a time to meet and talk with Sharice, please reach out to Lynnette Medcalf at Lynnette.medcalf@spps.org or Kaltun Abdikarani at Kaltunabdikarani@spps.org. You can also fill out the help form for families on the Hamline website, spps.org/hamline.

Sharice Zaccardi

Mental Health Practitioner from Community School

Please see the following link to access Hamline's Minnesota Report Card

Bridging Snelling Avenue, Hamline Elementary and Hamline University are one integrated campus. Each member of our community is both a teacher and a student, engaged in a journey of lifelong learning that provides a rich variety of resources to support this diverse education. Our partnership with Hamline University, the first of its kind in the nation, places more than 100 tutors and mentors in classrooms and provides students with access to the university campus on a continual basis. Hamline students see themselves in college students. As the saying goes, "College begins in kindergarten". We are two campuses, but one community in the heart of the Hamline Midway neighborhood.

Website: hamline.spps.org
Location: 1599 Englewood Ave, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-293-8715
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hamlineelementaryschool
Twitter: @HamlineElem