Lester Park School Newsletter #35

Boy, is the school calendar packed next week! Here are 4 of the events that affect the whole school:

1. All Week - Teacher Appreciation Week
2. Wednesday - Walk/Bike to School
3. Thursday - School Spirit Day
4. Friday - Spring Concerts

Information on these events can be found further down in this newsletter.

Please keep up to date on emails from your child's teacher about upcoming events. We also try to include them on our school calendar.

~ Tracy Thompson & Brianna Solberg

Lester Park Admin Assts

Handbook for Lester Park Families

• May 6-10...Teacher Appreciation Week!
  

• May 8...Walk/Bike to School!
• May 8...4-6pm OEMS open house for current 5th graders
• May 8...6pm Welcome Home Parade for Roya
• May 9...School Spirit Day - wear teacher's favorite color
• May 10...Spring Concerts (ONLY come to ONE program)
• May 14...3rd-5th Grade Fit & Run Run at UMD
• May 21...Battle of the Books
• May 21...All Library Books due back to School
• May 24...Annual Field Day at school
• May 31...PAWS Assembly (more info to come)
• June 4...5th Grade Celebration (more info to come)
• June 5...Last day of school for students
• June 7...Last day of school for teachers
• June 21...School Office closes for the summer

More events on the Lester Park School Calendar HERE.

The Specialist (Day 1-4) Calendar can be found HERE.

2024-25 District Calendar can be found HERE (PD=professional development/NO SCHOOL)

Our PTA would like to thank all of our wonderful teachers and staff for the work they do every day with our students! Please consider bringing in a treat for them during our Appreciation Week next week.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DADAF29AAF9C52-49435117-lester

Tuesday - Nacho Bar items for lunch

Wednesday - Treats & Beverages

Friday - Energy treats & Beverages for Program Day :)

Walk/Bike to School Day is next Wednesday, May 8.

Students are encouraged to walk or bike to school as able.

At this time, the long range weather models are indicating a chance of rain in the morning. A decision will be made on Monday if the event should be rescheduled to Wednesday, May 15.

Students who ride the bus will also be included in this event. Instead of being dropped off at the school, they will be dropped off at the Anchor Point Community Church parking lot (5202 Colorado Street) and walk up 52nd Avenue to the school bus doors. For those who filled out the "Opt Out" form...it is the parent's/guardian's responsibility to notify and remind their child to remain on the bus. The bus drivers will be aware of the names.

Many volunteers will accompany the students. If you would like to volunteer, sign up below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040D4CABAD29AAF58-48744299-walkbike

• There are 2 Identical 45-minute performances in our gym...9am & 1pm on Friday, May 10. Please attend only ONE performance. We want to have seating for everyone, and there will be A LOT of parents, siblings, grandparents, etc, coming to hear our students sing.

• For Safety Reasons…families will be unable to take their child home after they sing at the afternoon program. They will need to wait until the normal 2:15pm pick up time. With the amount of visitors expected at the programs, it is important that students follow their normal after-school routine.

• For Safety Reasons…visitors will NOT be allowed to visit classrooms before, during, or after the programs.

• Front Doors will unlock at 8:15am and 12:15pm. Anyone who arrives earlier will need to wait outside of the school.

• Similar to Grandparents' Day, we will have a shuttle that will run to/from the Good Hope Church parking lot. This church is located on the corner of 51st Ave E & Glenwood St and was previously One Life Community Church earlier this year. The school bus will run from about 8:50am-10:30am & 12:30pm-2:15pm. Due to the bus driver shortage, we are unable to start the shuttle earlier than 8:50am.

• Please be respectful of our neighbors and do not block their driveways. Thank you!

Wondering what your child should wear? Ms. Simon, our fabulous Music Specialist, says there is no official dress code, just bring your singing voices!

Our next School Spirit Day has been changed to Thursday, May 9. This is due to the Spring Concert on Friday, May 10. Below is a list of all our teachers' favorite colors:

Grade/Teacher(Last Name)/Favorite Color

We are looking for more 4th graders to join our Crossing Guard team during the 2024-25 school year when they are 5th graders! If your child may be interested, please read the information below and fill out the online form. We will start training the new crossing guards in a couple of weeks.

It is an honor to be selected for this position, but we ask that you consider and discuss the following expectations with your child before granting permission to accept this responsibility:

1. School patrol members scheduled for morning crossing guard duty are expected to be at school by 7:10am and on duty from 7:15am - 7:40am, so they cannot be morning bussers…but can be afternoon bussers.

School patrol members scheduled for afternoon crossing guard duty work from 2:05 pm - 2:25 pm, and are not able to be afternoon bussers…..but can be morning bussers.

2. Average or better academic achievement is expected of all patrol members.

3. Model behavior, on and off duty, is expected of all patrol members. Failure to do so may result in being dismissed from crossing guard duties temporarily or permanently, and no invitation to the end of the year celebration.

4. Respect and careful handling of the crossing guard flags and safety vests is a must.

At the end of the 2024-25 school year, crossing guards will be invited to a School Patrol Celebration put on by the Duluth Police Department. For several years now it has been held at Adventure Zone.

If your 4th grader is interested in being a Lester Park School Crossing Guard during the 2024-25 school year, please fill out this online form: 2024-25 Lester Crossing Guard Form I will also ask the 4th grade teachers for recommendations.

Thank you! If you have any questions, please contact Tracy Thompson in the school office

https://www.startribune.com/bipartisan-bill-proposes-student-teacher-stipends-to-combat-teacher-shortage-in-minnesota/600362698/

Bipartisan bill proposes student teacher stipends to combat teacher shortage in Minnesota

The 12-week pilot program is slated to start in the 2024-25 school year in collaboration with colleges in Duluth, St. Cloud and elsewhere in Greater Minnesota.

Student teacher Caitlin Efta asks students in Elise Campbell’s first grade class about their weekend at the start of their class on Monday at Lester Park Elementary School in Duluth.

Caitlin Efta's path to becoming a teacher began with helping her younger siblings with homework, navigating their daily hurdles and cheering them on from the front row at all of their sporting events. This passion led her to pursue a career in teaching when she left for college. But the journey hasn't been easy. The financial burden of unpaid teaching experiences, often far from home, has forced Efta and many of her peers to question their fate as educators.

"It's just a lot of hard work, a lot of late nights and long hours," said Efta, a 22-year-old senior majoring in integrated elementary and special education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. "There are a lot of people in my major who are dropping out, switching majors or leaving the career entirely, because once we get to this point, a lot of people can't handle the financial burden."

State lawmakers are now proposing a solution — one they believe will help lessen the financial burden on aspiring educators like Efta, encourage more people from underrepresented communities to become teachers and help ease Minnesota's teacher shortage.

The proposed student-teacher pilot program would provide stipends of up to $7,500 to eligible student teachers enrolled in teacher training programs at seven Greater Minnesota colleges and universities, including St. Cloud State University, Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and the University of Minnesota Duluth. If the Legislature approves funding for the program, the 12-week program could launch in the 2024-25 school year and help nearly 900 aspiring educators.

There are approximately 2,300 student teachers in Minnesota each year, according to the Minnesota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE).

Permission forms were sent home with students last week. They are due back TOMORROW, May 2.

• The event is during the morning on Tuesday, May 14.
• Please sign the permission forms and send back to your child's teacher by May 2
• If you have questions about your child's participation, email your child's teacher
• The event is at UMD. Students will ride a bus to and from the event.
• If you need to pick your child up from the event, you will need to sign a school district field trip release form ahead of time.
• The Rain Date is Thursday, May 16
  
• These dates are on the school calendar
• If you would like a digital copy, click here: Digital Copy

In order to support all of the kids interested in Lego Robotics, the Lester Park Foundation is seeking additional volunteer coaches for the Fall 2024 season (~Aug-Dec).

The national group "First Lego League" provides a detailed playbook, so technical expertise in robotics is not required! Our goal is for each team of 4-6 kids to have 2 volunteer coaches.

Please e-mail Gabi Hester (gazimbric@gmail.com) for more info if you might be interested.

Fun Run Parent Volunteer Sign Up Link

There will be a SURPRISE parade on Wednesday evening, May 8th!

Roya and her family are going to meet at Lakeside firehall at 5:45pm

(Sounds like the DFD would love for her to ride in the truck!)

The Parade will start at the corner of 43rd Ave & Superior St, and continue up to Peabody St, then left on Peabody St all the way to her home (Peabody/Tioga) .

Please join us in welcoming Roya home! Encourage friends, family & community to attend with posters, balloons, silly hats & noise makers!

Remember that this is a Surprise. Thank you to everyone who has helped plan this special homecoming for our sweet 1st grader, Roya!

https://cota.org/cotaforroyashope/events/walk-cota-for-royas-hope/

https://cota.org/cotaforroyashope/events/walk-cota-for-royas-hope/

What is Field Day?

Field Day is a K-5th grade event that we try to have every school year. 3 grades participate in the morning, and 3 participate after lunch. Here is this year's schedule:

Date ~ Friday, May 24 (No Rain Date)

Grades 1, 4, 5 ~ 8:15am to 10:00am

Grades K, 2, 3 ~ 12:15pm to 2:00pm

Volunteers are needed to make this event happen! If you would like to volunteer please click here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050F4CA8A829A3F58-49297223-lester#/

You can sign up for the morning session, the afternoon session, and/or the extra help for set up or a floater. Feel free to sign up for one area or the whole day!

For safety reasons...we are unable to allow visitors to this event due to the large amount of students on the field. However, you are more than welcome to sign up as a volunteer!

Dear Lester Park Families,

We are asking all parents/guardians to fill out our school climate survey. Your input is extremely valuable to us and provides schools with a comprehensive understanding of how families perceive school climate. This information will be used to inform school and district plans to make improvements.

The survey is anonymous and voluntary and you do not have to provide your name and have the option to select “Prefer not to answer” on all items including demographic information. Thank you for taking the time to complete this to help us move forward at Lester Park!

Lakeside/Lester Park Soccer Club

CSS Saints Football All-Sports Youth Camp

Lakeside-Lester Park Community Club:

GIGANTIC LIQUIDATION BOOK SALE !

Friday & Saturday, May 3rd & 4th

9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

All books 50 cents, unless posted otherwise

May 15th - BUNCO NIGHT

Salad or Dessert Potluck - 5:15 p.m..

Play Bunco - 6:15 - 8 p.m.

Previous Community Flyers can be found HERE.

Website: https://lesterpark.isd709.org/
Location: 5300 Glenwood Street, Duluth, MN 55804, USA
Phone: (218) 336-8875
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lester-Park-Elementary-1900216436910729