Kindergarten Transition Days, Formerly 'Bridge to School' Now Free for 2021-22
To prepare incoming kindergarteners for the start of school, students will participate in two half-day transition days August 30 and 31, prior to their first day of regular class on September 9. Formerly called Bridge to School, these transition days will provide students an opportunity to meet their teacher, visit their classroom, check out the school building and ride the school bus.
During the May 10 School Board meeting, Community Education Director Khia Brown explained that the transition days will count as regular school days for kindergartners, and, to ensure all students have this important opportunity, it will be provided at no cost to families.
"Evidence shows that increased access to high-quality early learning and child care programs results in short- and long-term benefits to individuals and society," Brown told the board. In fact, some programs have demonstrated that every dollar invested in high-quality early childhood education generates significant returns to society based on improved social and economic outcomes."
More information regarding our Kindergarten programming, dates and information for families is forth-coming. Any family who has a kindergartener they need to enroll/register for school is encouraged to do so at this time. If you have any questions about kindergarten and wish to know more about our school, please reach out to the main office at 651-683-8570 or email Principal Henderson at adriana.henderson@district196.org. We are looking forward to a great start to a new school year this coming fall!
SAVE the Date! 2021 Eagan Art Block September 11-23
In celebration of our community's love for the arts and in partnership with the city of Eagan, GHESAS is proud to announce that we will host an event for the 2021 city wide Eagan Art Block!
Glacier Hills & Dakota County Wescott Library will host A Celebration of Music Featuring Torres-Peña on Thursday, September 23rd outdoors at GHESAS from 5-7 PM. See below for details.
Enjoy a lively musical performance by Torres-Peña, who will sing songs and play traditional music from Mexico. Bring a blanket and your own picnic dinner to enjoy before the show. Optional: Visit Wescott Library between Mon, Sept. 11–Thu, Sept. 23 to pick up a take & make kit with supplies for creating your own instrument and bring your creation to the concert to play along. Co-presented by Dakota County Library and Glacier Hills Elementary School and sponsored in part by the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage fund. Geared for ages 5 and older.
GHESAS Raises Approximately $6500 for Library Books!
The Library/Media Center has been in great need of replacing existing popular books, as well as supplying new titles that our students LOVE TO READ. This past spring, members of our school community and our Booster Club families raised approximately $6500 toward our school library to purchase books in our TitleWish Fundraiser Campaign. This fundraiser has helped us update our Media Center/Library materials and purchase new books for ALL OF OUR STUDENTS to enjoy for years to come! Thank you to our GHESAS Boosters and school community for their generous donations to our school library!!! Ms. Behlmer, media specialist at GHESAS, shares her sincere gratitude and appreciation for this tremendous fundraising effort! Many thanks to Talia Campbell, GHESAS Volunteer Coordinator, for her vision in organizing this great fundraiser!
News from the STEAM Room - Ms. Hosek, Science Specialist
The final six weeks of school have been a very exciting and busy in the STEAM room. Every grade level will have the opportunity to participate in indoor or outdoor learning activities. Here is what is happening at every grade level.
Kindergarten
In person students are talking about signs of spring while in the STEAM Room. They are going on an exploratory hike outside to look for and photograph signs of spring they see on the Glacier Hills’ property. They will be creating their own project to share their learning about spring.
First Grade
Students walked to Fish Lake Park to look for and record insect homes they found. They are also learning about beetles in the STEAM room, focusing on what they prefer to eat by doing a scientific investigation with different types of food. Students are loving learning about insects!
Second Grade
Students have been studying force and motion in their classrooms and will join me in the lab to extend their understanding. They will focus on forces that move objects and learn through the investigation process that includes choosing a variable, writing a question, collecting data and sharing a conclusion. They are learning how real scientists do their jobs.
Third Grade
Our third grade students participated in a variety of STEM building challenges that involved strategy, team building and cooperation. Students worked together to build a tower out of notecards, a building out of marshmallows and spaghetti, a boat out of foil, and a tower out of pencils and paper tubes. There was a lot of positive teamwork happening in the STEAM Room.
Fourth Grade
In person students will participate in a variety of activities while spending time at Patrick Eagan Park. They will make observations of changes over time and work together in teams to complete challenges. In addition to outdoor learning, fourth graders will learn about renewable energy in the STEAM room. Solar energy and wind power will be the focus of these lessons.
Fifth Grade
Students will wrap up their elementary school experience at Glacier Hills Elementary School of Arts and Science with various team building activities. Students will work in groups to complete a variety of challenges that will incorporate team communication, collaboration, and fun. We will be celebrating a wonderful group of students and the end of their Glacier Hills’ careers as they move on to middle school.
Digital Academy
All Digital Academy students in kindergarten through fifth are working on weekly outdoor exploration activities. They are encouraged to spend some time outside looking for different living and nonliving things each week and are asked to share what they’ve found with me or their teacher on Seesaw or Schoology. Some things they’ve looked for are textures, colors, plants, animals, rocks and much more. Several Digital Academy classes have joined or will be joining me at Glacier Hills to walk to either Fish Lake Park or Patrick Eagan Park to extend our outdoor learning together.
Site Council & Booster Club News and Updates
Thank you to our Glacier Hills families for your amazing donations for Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. With your contributions, we were able to:
-Provide a popcorn bar and movie snacks
-Stock the lounge with drinks and treats
-Provide breakfast items and Vendella coffee
-Raffle 55 gift cards for staff and teachers!
Thank you to the following donors for their support: Eagan Home Depot for a donation of 40 mini succulent plants, West St. Paul Lowes for a donation of 40 mini succulent plants, Cafe Zupas for their donation of a pick-two meal gift card for all staff members, and to Vendella for providing coffee. We appreciate your willingness to support our incredible staff and teachers!
Our next Site Council/Booster Club meeting is Monday, June 7th, at 4:15 p.m. via Zoom. If you would like to attend, please email glacierbooster@gmail.com for the meeting information. All are welcome!
Glacier Hills Elementary School of Arts & Science
Email: GH.Attendance@district196.org
Website: https://gh.district196.org/
Location: 3825 Glacier Drive, Eagan, MN 55123
Phone: 651-683-8570
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlacierHillsArtsandScience
Twitter: @GlacierHills