News and events

At University Avenue,

WE are committed to honoring and developing the greatness in each student so that THEY are able to find THEIR VOICE.

February, 2023

• Friday, February 17: Grade 4 Field Experience - Bell Museum
  
• Monday, February 20 and Tuesday, February 21: NO SCHOOL for Students
• February 21, 23 and 28th - Conferences - Sign up at: www.myconferencetime.com/universityave

Greetings University Avenue Families,

We have so much to celebrate this month! Click on this link for our very exciting news!
https://youtu.be/bBKgdaByDqQ

We are thrilled to be recognized by Magnet Schools of America as a Top Magnet School. We know this directly reflects YOUR engagement and our amazing University ACES Community! Congratulations!

Our annual fundraiser came to a close and...drumroll please...we exceeded our goal and raised $24,000 for our school!!!! 🎉
We look forward to adding a piece of playground equipment to the playground and continue to empower our students to grow as leaders. Our students and staff had so much fun DANCING and Friday Ms. Weisser's 2nd Grade Class got to pie the principals in the face with whipped cream to celebrate their top earning classroom success!

Conferences are coming up in February. Please mark your calendars and remember to sign up as soon as possible at www.myconferencetime.com/universityave.

University ACES is a Leader in Me school. We believe that every student is a leader and strive to help students find what they are most passionate about. We continue to focus on the 8 Habits, which are woven through our culture at UAE. Ask your student how they live the habits and take a few minutes to talk about the Habit of the Month - Habit 6 - Synergize. Synergizing means valuing differences and learning from each other. It is working with others and ending up with an idea or a result that is better than our initial ideas. Habit 6 aligns with the principles of creativity, cooperation, diversity, and humility.

UAE Schoolwide W.I.G (Wildly Important Goal) - 100% percent of UAE students will engage with their math and reading calendar and turn it in after the last day of the month each month.

Help us meet our math and reading goals this year by supporting your child to work on their math and reading calendars at home. Extra copies are available in your child's classroom. Thank you so much for your partnership at home. WE are committed to greatness together.

Registration is open for our Spring Girls on the Run Team! Registration is online and open to girls in grades 3-5th. Practices will start Monday, March 27 and run Mondays and Wednesday from after school until 5:30PM. Participants must register online and get confirmation of their spot. If more than 20 girls register there is a lottery process. The 5K will be on Friday, June 2 and transportation from school will be provided. Learn more here.

We are so impressed by all of you wonderful families at UAE and the generosity you have shown the school. We will be looking forward to ways that we can improve the school.

We had a great movie night on Friday. Thank you all for coming!

University Avenue's annual Spring Fling will be coming up in March. We are so excited to gather in community with other families to have a great time. Be watching for more information soon. If you would like to help plan the Spring Fling, please let us know at universityavepto@gmail.com. We have a planning meeting coming up.

We recently began a new partnership to support science for both 4th and 5th grade with Science From Scientists. This amazing organization works with our teachers to bring real scientists into our classrooms to teach and support science content. Our 5th grade students will get two hour-long sessions and our fourth graders will have eight additional hours of dedicated standard-based science.

We also have some field experiences coming up this and next month.

February 17 - Grade 4 to the Bell Museum

March 2 - Grade 3 to the Bell Museum

The Bell Museum is a special added-value partnership experience for our grade 3 students. With the changes to availability during COVID our 4th graders were never able to attend last year. Therefore, we are excited to send them this year.

March 23 and 24 - Grade 2 students to Jackson Middle School Observatory

March 24 - Raptor Center to UAE for Kindergarteners and Families

March 26 - Ron Schmit, Observatory Expert at University ACES (Grade 3,4,5)

The Clothing Closet will be open during February Conference Nights. The clothing closet is open to ALL families to shop through and all clothing items are free! We have sizes from 4t to Adult Medium.

We will also be accepting donations at the same time. We are looking for new or gently used clothing and shoes. We will accept all clothing sizes but are in need of sizes 10 through 16. If you have any questions please reach out to School Social Worker Caitlin Morris at (763)506-4573 or email at caitlin.morris@ahschools.us.

Thank you so much to all of our wonderful volunteers. You make a greater difference to our school than you can possibly know.

Upcoming Volunteer Needs:

• Crock Luck (Volunteers provide a meal for the staff during conferences) - Tuesday, February 28th. Crock Luck Volunteer Signup Link
• Spring Fling - March 31st. A signup link will be available at the end of this month.
  
• Track & Field - Friday, June 2. A signup link will be available in May.
• Click here to complete or update your Volunteer Application
  

Five reasons you should get involved:

1. It takes a village: This is true for creating and maintaining a positive and nurturing school environment.

2. A little goes a long way: Anything helps!

3. Everyone has something to offer: What are you good at? How can you apply your skills and passions to your child’s school community?

4. Your child will benefit: The majority of book fairs, teacher help and special events are organized and implemented by volunteers who believe children are worth the extra effort. Helping to oversee some of these programs and projects will give your child a more meaningful school experience.

5. You’ll feel good: Doing for others feels right, and it’s contagious.
   

Please contact Debbie Blatz at Debbie.Blatz@ahschools.us with any questions.

Minnesota is starting to see an uptick in influenza cases, according to new data from the state department of health. Now is the perfect opportunity to remind your students about healthy habits to prevent the spread of germs and illness. Use these conversation tips at home to stay healthy this school year:

• Wash hands frequently: Scrub hands and fingers with soap and clean water for at least 20 seconds.

• Cover coughs and sneezes: Use an elbow or a tissue.

• Avoid touching your face: Germs can enter your body through your eyes, nose and mouth.

• Practice healthy eating habits: Food is your body’s fuel. Choosing well-balanced meals boosts energy and health. Avoid sharing food/drinks/utensils with others.

• Get plenty of rest: Sleep is important and restores your mind and body.
  
  

When to stay home
If your child does get sick, keep them home from school so they don’t share their illness with others. Reference school district guidelines to help with this decision:

• If a student has had a fever of 100 degrees or more, the student must stay home for 24 hours after the temperature returns to normal without fever reducing medication.

• If a student has vomited or had diarrhea, the student must stay home until 24 hours after the last episode.

• If a student has had any rash that may be disease-related or the cause is unknown, check with your family physician before sending the student to school.

• If a student is ill, please call the school daily to report the illness.
  
  

For more resources and information contact Robin Broen, RN-LSN in your school health services office at 763-506-4524, visit ahschools.us/healthservices or review the Is My Child Well Enough document.