STEM Newsletter

October 2023

Greetings Weaver Lake Families,

Thank you for your support in making the start of our school year a success! We've had volunteers in the cafeteria, at recess, walking to the lake, and other STEM activities. We are grateful that you partner with us to create a community of STEM learners.

This week was bus safety week where all classrooms completed bus safety training. Did you know that Weaver Lake has over 37 bus routes every day? We need your help in reminding students to be safe bus riders. This includes listening to the bus driver, staying in their seats, using kind words, and keeping their hands and feet to themselves and out of the aisles. Here's a bus safety video that you could watch at home as well.

We have a lot of things coming up in October including our Color Run! We hope you can come out and join us in cheering your child on October 6th. We will see you the following two weeks for our Fall Parent Conferences and the Scholastic Book Fair. Weaver Lake STEM is an exciting place to be!

Please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher, the office or me with any questions, concerns, and compliments!

With Warm Regards,

Lena Christiansen, Principal

christiansenl@district279.org

• October 6: Color Run
• Kindergarten Run Time: 10:30-11:15am
• 1st Grade Run Time: 9:45-10:30am
• 2nd Grade Run Time: 11:15-12:00
• 3rd Grade Run Time: 12:45-1:30pm
• 4th Grade Run Time: 2:00-2:45pm
• 5th Grade Run Time: 2:45-3:30pm
• 4 Star Run Time: 1:30-2:00pm
• October 9-16: Scholastic Book Fair (PTO Sponsored)
• October 10, 12 & 17: Fall Parent Conferences
• October 13: Picture Day
• October 13-November 1: Butter Braid Pastries, Luige's Pizza & Wooden Spoon Cookie Dough Fundraiser (PTO Sponsored)
• Thursday, October 19 & Friday, October 20: No School for Students - Conference Release Day
• October 26: Dine 2 Donate - Noodles & Company (PTO Sponsored)

Fall Parent Conferences will be held on the following dates. All conferences will be held in-person this year.

• Tuesday, October 10 (7:50-9:10am, 4:30-7:30pm)
• Thursday, October 12 (7:50-9:10am, 4:30-7:30pm)
• Tuesday, October 17 (7:50-9:10am, 4:30-6:30pm)

Families can schedule conferences via ParentVUE. Parents are able to schedule their student's conference beginning on September 26 at 4:30pm. The conference scheduling window will close on October 3 at 4:30pm.

After October 3, the program will not allow parents to schedule conference times and families will need to contact your student's teacher for scheduling.

If you do not have a ParentVUE account, families may set up their account on the ParentVUE website.

Picture day at Weaver Lake Elementary is Friday, October 13th. Picture retake day is scheduled for Friday, November 3rd. Please see the flyer below for school picture day and ordering information.

Kemmetmueller Photography, Inc. has been hired by ISD 279 to serve as the school photography provider. Feel free to contact them if you have any questions about your student’s school picture experience, need help with ordering photos, or have any other concerns:

info@k-photography.com

(952) 473-2142

All students NOT currently enrolled at Weaver Lake Elementary in grades Kindergarten-5th Grade must apply through NWSISD and be accepted to attend our school. Applicants who currently have a sibling attending Weaver Lake Elementary in grades K-4 will have sibling preference through the NWSISD lottery process. To be considered for sibling preference when filling out the application, you must check the box, "Check here if the applicant has a sibling currently attending their first choice school," and complete the rest of the page. All students who apply during the priority application period will be considered for assignment before any students who apply after the priority period.

The application is available on the Northwest Suburban Integration School District website: http://www.nws.k12.mn.us/

If you have any questions, please contact the Northwest Suburban office at 763-450-1300 or the Weaver Lake office at 763-420-3337.

Weaver Lake Elementary: A Science, Math & Technology School has an official Facebook page!!! Please follow us to see what is happening at our school in the world of STEM. This page will showcase our love of learning through hands-on experiences and using technology in new and innovative ways. https://www.facebook.com/WeaverLakeSTEM

Talent Development, Academic Challenge and Gifted Support (TAG) services are available to Weaver Lake students in third through fifth grade to strengthen interests, extend grade-level content, and apply skills and concepts in authentic ways. To learn more about TAG services, please click on Weaver Lake TAG Services community letter.

Greetings Weaver Lake Elementary Volunteers!

We are off to a great start with volunteers this year! Over 200 of you have registered to volunteer already! As a reminder, you do have to re-register each school year if you want to volunteer. The application is found online at https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/Nzg0OmVuLVVT. Be sure to sign up now so you don’t miss any of the great opportunities we have coming up!

The Weaver Lake Color Run will be held on Friday, October 6. Every student in the school participates in this fun run, and we need a lot of volunteers to make this event a success. There are many ways that you can help, so click the link and find a job that fits you! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F48AAA72EAAFECF8-2023#/

If the Color Run isn’t something you can help with, don’t worry! We have a lot of great things planned for the year. Here are some upcoming events we’ll need volunteers for that you can keep your eye out for!

• Fall Scholastic Bookfair 10/9/23-10/16/23
• Picture Day 10/13/23
• Picture Retake Day 11/3/23

If you’re not receiving emails about upcoming volunteer opportunities, but are curious about what’s available, check out the volunteer website at https://bit.ly/WVRvolunteer.

Stephanie Clark, Volunteer Coordinator/ESP

clarks@district279.org

Office Hours M-F 9:15am-2:15pm

763-391-8873

https://bit.ly/WVRvolunteer

This year, Unity Day will be celebrated schoolwide on Wednesday October 18th. We invite all staff and students to wear orange as a sign that bullying is not acceptable, and that all students deserve to be safe in school, online, and in the community. Why orange? Orange is a color often associated with autumn as well as safety and visibility. Students will also participate in activities throughout the day to unite as a classroom and school community.

Osseo Area Schools use a variety of digital tools to support student learning. Technology vendors and software is utilized to support work as we help all students develop the skills necessary to succeed in an ever-changing world. The district provides an inventory of system wide approved and adopted tools that can be found on the district website. In addition to these tools, Weaver Lake uses additional digital resources to enhance your students' learning experience, they can be found on this document.

SmartSchoolK12 is now EduTrakConnect. Same program, new name! Families can find the EduTrakConnect link under the 'Family Access' tab on the Weaver Lake Elementary website.

Beginning September 2023, all Minnesota K-12 students attending school in person will have one free breakfast and lunch available to them each academic school day due to the state’s recently passed Free School Meals for Kids bill. A la carte items outside of a complete meal will still incur a cost (milk will incur a cost unless taken as a part of a school meal).

So what happens if the school building funding request - Building a Better Future, Phase II - is not approved by voters?

• School building projects to improve safety/security would not proceed.

• Crowded conditions and large class sizes would continue. Attendance boundary adjustments would be required at the elementary, middle and high school levels to provide relief, which is estimated to move 6,000 students from their current schools. Such changes would be recurring because of continually growing student enrollment, resulting in increased service costs and longer bus rides.

• School buildings and learning spaces would continue to age and become less relevant. This would limit learning resources demanded by our students and families, particularly in math, science and career learning spaces, specialized learning spaces and library media centers.

• Inconsistent learning experiences would continue.

• Budget cuts would be required. These cuts are projected to be at least $31 million or approximately 300 jobs.

You don’t have to wait until election day to vote. You can vote early by mail or in person between now and Nov. 6:

• To vote early by mail, request an early voting ballot via the City of Brooklyn Park's website.

• To vote early in person, head to Brooklyn Park City Hall’s multipurpose room at 5200 85th Ave. N. between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Note: These voting processes apply to all Osseo Area Schools voters, including those that reside in the cities of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Corcoran, Dayton, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Rogers and Osseo. Please go to the Secretary of State’s website to find Nov. 7 election day polling place locations.

Learn more by attending a Community Informational Meeting. One is being held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 3 at Osseo Senior High School’s forum room and at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at Maple Grove Senior High School’s cafeteria. There you’ll hear details on why a bond referendum is being held and the school building needs that would be addressed if the Phase II plan is approved by voters. Continue to stay tuned to district279.org/BetterFuture.

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