3/07/2024

As part of the Osseo Area Schools operational plan and strategic direction, the district's communication team is working together with schools to help create improved communications between the district and its families and community members. Our new e-newsletters are more accessible and translatable, and they can be shared for easily in a variety of formats. We hope you enjoy catching up with the latest Zanewood Community STEAM School news in this new format.

Hello Zanewood Families,

I hope your scholars had a wonderful first half of the school year. I want to express my gratitude and appreciation to everyone who makes it possible for our scholars to come to school ready to learn every day. In addition, I also want to thank all the caregivers, parents, volunteers, community partners, staff, and students for coming to our Winter Engineering Night, Waffle breakfast for National African American Parent Involvement Day, and Spring Conferences.

The first and second trimesters have been extremely successful at Zanewood. Report cards will be available on Parent Vue starting on March 19th. I encourage you to contact school staff with any questions/concerns about your child’s progress or attendance.

I also want to take this opportunity to provide you with the following updates:

Do you have or know a preschool scholar ready for kindergarten next year? Do you have a friend hoping to enroll a student at Zanewood? Please help us spread the word that preschool and kindergarten registration for the 2024-2-25 school year is open. Join us for Kindergarten Orientation on April 25th from 4:30-5:30. Please see our website and click on the Enrollment link for more information. Also on our website is an exciting new link to Schedule a Tour for those who would like a first-hand look at our fabulous school!

Lastly, if you are looking for work Osseo Area Schools is hosting a Spring Career Expo at Zanewood on March 26th from 10:00-3:00.

I am so grateful and honored to serve as your principal.

Ms. Pendelton

Zanewood scholars enjoyed working with many of our Community Partners this trimester! Three Rivers visited each classroom to share a science lesson in our outdoor classroom. Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Second grade all signed up to go snowshoeing, however, Mother Nature had other plans, so the instead of using snowshoes, scholars wore boots to explore our schoolyard! Scholars made observations about nature in winter. First and Third grade scholars explored the area by our school to uncover the secret world of animals. They examined track patterns and recorded data to determine which tracks were most common. Fourth grade scholars investigated different turtle species and used their knowledge to determine which turtles are best suited for life in the river. In Fifth grade, scholars studied small animal species found in Minnesota and how they survive the subzero temperatures. Scholars then applied their knowledge to design and engineer their own solutions to thermal regulation.

Boston Scientific sponsored our Winter Engineering Night on January 28th. We had so much fun seeing all the families engage in engineering and science activities with scholars. Scholars enjoyed using a human body model and removing kidney stones, exploring forces with fizz rockets, and coding various robots. Zanewood is so grateful for createMPLS, Code Savvy, and Science from Scientists for their help in making this a fun and educational event for scholars and families. You can read more about the event here.

createMPLS worked with scholars in the Engineering Lab to deliver 12 engineering lessons this trimester to the following classrooms: Ms. Brezinka's class, Ms. Heule's class, Third Grade: Room 34, Ms. Lofquist's class, Ms. Wariebi's class, Mr. Lewis's class, and to our Pre-K scholars in both sessions. Each classroom at Zanewood visit the Engineering Lab with createMPLS and Ms. Bennett, the TAG teacher, for one trimester. Scholars work with different LEGO kits and use the Design Process to complete different builds while they collaborate with their peers.

Code Savvy is another one of our Community Partners who has been instrumental in helping Zanewood develop Computer Science activities Pre-K through 5th grade. Learn more about Computer Science at Zanewood by watching the video from our School Board presentation, which took place on Tuesday February 20th. Thank you to all staff, scholars, and families who helped support this presentation.

We have loved having your students in Media, Music, Gym and Art this trimester!

Ms. Radaj in the Media Center has loved working on ZWTV with our fifth grade scholars! In December our Media lessons focused on Coding through tools like Ozobots, Scratch Jr, and Code.org. Scholars learned about coding vocabulary that they can use to advance their computer science knowledge or in every day life! We also studied research and participated in "I Love to Read Month" Activities in February.

K-2 scholars also participate in the Minnesota Youth Reading Awards by reading 10 books and voting on their favorite with students across the state! Zanewood's favorite book was John's Turn by Mac Barnett.

Scholars in the music room have been very busy! Scarves, sign language, drum circles and music from all around the world has been our focus for the past few months. In the younger grades, games like “Charlie Over the Ocean” and “Grizzly Bear” have been very fun. In our older grades, scholars have learned about Hip Hop, played keyboards and drums. In March, as we celebrate “Music in our Schools Month”, each class is participating in a bracket activity where students get to vote on their favorite songs. At the end of the month, we will find out Zanewood’s favorite songs!

Mr. Lane has been working with scholars on practicing fitness through games. This winter, students worked on team activities to encourage sportsmanship and friendly competition, such as cup-stacking, basketball and volleyball. Second through fifth grade students will be practicing their fitness components, like pushups, sit-ups and the mile run. He is looking forward to hosting Sports Day on June 4th!

With Mr. Hill in Art, scholars have been studying symmetry and the fundamental nature of balance in art. Third grade had fun creating symmetrical monsters, and fifth grade scholars have studied textile arts around the world. They are working to create a quilt mural using fabrics and markers with the Million Artist Movement.

Save the date for our next STEAMfest on Thursday May 16th from 5-6:30 pm! Scholars will be sharing projects they have worked on with project-based learning at the center! We will have food, many community partners, and the Scholastic Book fair as well. Come celebrate our scholar's hard work in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math!

Join your scholars for outdoor lunch and recess on Thursday, May 30th from 11:30-1:30. More information coming soon.

Join us for a day of outdoor activities with your scholars on June 4th! More information coming soon.

If you have a fifth grade scholar, join us to celebrate their move to middle school on June 6th from 3-4pm.

Zanewood Community School STEAM hosted Waffle Breakfast on February 12th. February 12th was National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID). Families were invited to enjoy a waffle breakfast with their scholar, take a tour of the school, visit Community Partners, and observe a lesson. Thank you to everyone who came!

On February 20th, Zanewood staff and scholars were invited by Dr. Hiel to present at the School Board meeting. Watch the presentation: "Byte-sized Brilliance: Scholars Showcase the Magic of Code" here.

Dismissal

Families, please be courteous at the Parent Pick-up Area and follow all traffic laws. There is a no turn left sign on school days. This ensures the safety of all staff and students. Thank you.