ATTENTION 5TH GRADE PARENTS!
5th grade parents! Calendar sales are now overdue. Please return all calendar sale packets with the money no later than tomorrow, Thursday, October 3rd. Calendars for you to distribute, along with balance due sheets will be sent home on Friday.
Anyone who did not sell calendars or has a balance due for Wolf Ridge, including chaperones, needs to be paid in full by Monday, October 7th. Chaperones/Students with an outstanding balance will not be able to attend Wolf Ridge. Cash or Checks made out to “Congdon Park Elementary” with “Wolf Ridge” in the memo line. Cash is also acceptable for payment. Thank you for respecting this time line!
Important Dates
Oct 8 & 10 Conferences
Oct 11-13 Wolf Ridge
Oct 14 No School, Prof Dev for staff
Oct 17-18 MEA - no school
Oct 21st PTA Meeting
Oct 30 Picture Retakes
Nov 18th PTA Meeting
Nov 27 Prof Dev for staff - no school
Nov 28-29 Thanksgiving - no school
Dec 23 Prof Dev for Staff - no school
Dec 24- Jan 1 Holiday Break
Jan 6th PTA Meeting
Jan 17 - No School Report Card Day
Jan 20 No School - Martin Luther King Jr Holiday
Feb 10th PTA Meeting
Feb 17-21 No School - Winter Break
Feb 24 No School - Prof Dev for Staff
March 10th PTA eeting
March 31-April 4 No School - Spring Break
April 21st PTA Meeting
May 12th PTA Meeting
May 26 No School - Memorial Day
May 27 No School - Prof Dev for Staff
June 5 Last Day of School
FAQ
How do I request a change for my child's bus stop?
Email heidi.klassen@isd709.org
How do I change my phone # or email?
Parent Portal
How do I volunteer in my child's classroom?
Please watch for information from your child's teacher and complete the mini background check form
Who should I let know about a health concern?
The teacher and also our health office joan.wick@isd709.org
Who do I contact about my child's immunizations showing up as non-compiant?
If your child is going into kindergarten, or you are a few family, the nurses will be entering them in the next few weeks. If they are missing any info, you will receive an email later in September.
Who do I contact about a charge on my child's lunch account?
Will I still receive messages from the school and teacher if I do not have a ParentSquare account?
Yes, as long as your contact information is correct in Infinite Campus.
Safety Drills at Congdon Park
Throughout the year, we practice several different safety drills in order to be prepared for an unexpected event at school. Below are the dates we plan to hold each of these drills.
Fire Drills:
September 10
September 24
October 4
April 30
May 20
Lockdown Drills:
September 18
November 13
January 14
March 12
May 12
Tornado Drill:
April 10
Important Info about Riding the Bus
Students are NOT allowed to ride a different bus even if the family sends a note, they can only ride the bus they are assigned to.
Students are NOT allowed to get off at a different stop (even if it’s the same bus.)
Students are NOT allowed to ride a bus if they are not assigned to a bus.
Nurse's Corner
Important things to know from the Health Office:
1) The deadline for your child to be compliant with immunizations is October 21st. The exclusion date for immunizations is Oct 28th. If your student is non-compliant with their immunizations, the health office has already reached out to you. If you have any questions please call the health office 218-336-8825 ext 1845
2) The health office DOES NOT PROVIDE over the counter acetaminophen, ibuprofen, cough drops, over the counter antihistamines, sunscreen, bug spray or lice treatment. Students are allowed to keep cough drops in their desk or locker.
3) For a medication to be administered at school, either over the counter or prescription, the meds must be provided by the family along with a doctors orders to be administered. Meds cannot be expired and must be in original packaging with student's name on it.
4) If your child is injured and has limitations placed on their acitivty and/or if they are on crutches, in a boot or cast the Physical Activity Recommenations/Restrictions form must be filled out by a doctor and signed by both doctor and parent. See form below
5) Covid no longer has any guidelines, it is treated like all other flu like illnesses. If your child has a fever, vomiting or diarhea or just overall does not feel well, please keep them home.
6) There is no exclusion for pink eye or head lice. Pink eye is still very contagious and common sense should apply. Head checks at home for head lice are also a common sense practice. Once a week, take a peek.
7) Watch the weather and dress your student for the weather. We do not have enough extras to accomodate those who don't plan.
8) Please label your students clothing, especially their outwear. Please try to avoid buying black as 80% of the school has black outwear, making it very difficult for a child to find what they lost. Hats and mittens especially need to be labeled. After Bentleyville we end up with 50 of the same hat in the lost and found and no idea who it belong to. Please also label water bottles.
IT'S SOCKTOBER TIME AGAIN!
Congdon Park Student Council is running a new sock donation drive during the month of October - Socktober! Adult sock donations will be given to CHUM and children's sock donations will be given to Kid's Closet. While all new socks would be great, warm winter ones that are longer than ankle length would be best. Students can bring in donations to their classrooms throughout the month of October. Collection boxes will also be available in the lobby during conferences. Thanks for caring for our Duluth community!
Return those library books
Did you know there are about 700 books checked out from the library at any given time? Help your child remember to return or renew books on their Media Class Day:
Day 1: Novak, Velander, Francisco, Forbort, Kelley (first grade), and Chumich
Day 2: Boyson, Cuneo, Ardren, Hietala, Renier, and Kolar
Day 3: Geissler, Huibregtse, Kelley (third grade), Gates, Fisher, and Pederson
Check the little circles in the middle of the days on the DPS Specialist Calendar
Parent Teacher Conferences
Invitations were sent out Friday, Sept 27, from your child's teacher to sign-up for a time to meet with the teacher for conferences. The sign-up will be through Signup Genius. Conference dates are October 8 and 10. We will also be having the Scholastic Book Fair during conferences.
Book Fair runs in conjunction with the Book Fair
Tuesday, October 8th - open 8 am to 7 pm, student previews all day from 8-2
Wednesday, October 9th - open 8 am to 2 pm
Thursday, October 10th - open 8 am to 7 pm,
Volunteers are needed for the book fair. It's super easy!! Please sign up for a shift. https://signup.com/go/DhHDcjD
Fire Prevention Contest - Win a Ride on a Fire Truck
Last week a Fire Prevention Contest form was sent home with every student. Please do not send completed Fire Prevention Contest Entries back to school. They are to go to a Fire Hall or the address on the form or listed below. Any that we receive will be sent back home with the student.
Life Safety Office
615 W. 1st St
Duluth, MN 55802
Do NOT turn it into the school. The completed form is due on October 14th, not post marked Oct 14th. The winners will be contacted on 10/17.
PTA
We have some volunteer needs coming up in the next two weeks at Congdon!
The Scholastic Book Fair is next week! Help is needed to set up, operate cash registers, and tear down. Sign-up to help here: https://signup.com/go/DhHDcjD
Congdon teachers and staff work so hard! During conferences, our PTA loves to support them on these long days by providing dinner. Sign-up to provide part of the meal or to help set-up or clean up: https://signup.com/go/tDhEOKJ
October 10th is Apple Crunch Day! Sign up to help during lunch at this fun celebration of eating local: https://signup.com/go/WAbRhbA
Other volunteering opportunities:
Kindergarten and 1st grade lunch help: https://signup.com/go/tVGgadD
Congdon Park Garden Care Volunteering: https://signup.com/go/sSEWZQA
Thanks for considering and helping to make our Congdon community great! If you haven't joined as a member yet this year, you can sign up here: https://congdonparkpta.givebacks.com/
Teacher Wish List
Teachers have many needs for their classrooms. Our PTA helps to gather those requests and create a sign up for those parents that would like to purchase something for a teacher. Here is the sign up:
Family Directory
Each school year, the Congdon Park PTA provides a directory for families. This is a great resource for connecting with other families. This year's directory will provide the following information: Student's Name, Grade, Teacher, Parent Name, Phone Number, and Email Address. If you DO NOT want some or all of this information printed in the directory, you must return the following form, which will also be sent home with students. Thank you!
MN Great Apple Crunch Day
Apple Crunch celebrates National Farm to School month allowing students to crunch into delicious local apples. Duluth District is planning to participate in Apple Crunch again this year! The date of the Crunch is Thursday, October 10 during lunch shifts in the school cafeteria. The Duluth District Nutrition Department ordered MN Grown Apples from Westcott Orchards. Volulnteers are needed to hellp distribute apples during lunch.
KIDS CLOSET
Kids Closet has free clothes for early childhood-5th grade school children who are in need. They outfit your child for school - gym shoes, socks, underwear, school outfits and winter outerwear, including boots. All donated locally for local children, they have both new and good quality used items.
Families will need to first obtain a referral from the school social worker. Congdon Families should contact:
Corinne McMahon
Congdon Park School Social Worker
218-336-8825 X 1270
Elizabeth (Beth) Larson - Para Professional
I started at Congdon February of 2022, then worked at Lester Park the last 2 years, and now I’m back at Congdon.
My family: I just got married a little over a year ago to my husband Andrew, and we have a dog named Jovie. Andrew was diagnosed with cancer last December, but after several surgeries and weeks of radiation he’s doing well and appears to be cancer-free now.
In my spare time I like to read, bake, and go on walks with Andrew and Jovie.
My hope for the school year is to make a positive impact on the kids I’m working with.
Jim Lundorff - Mr. L - Setting III Para Professional
My wife and I have two (soon to be 3) grandsons right here in town. We enjoy camping, fishing, hiking, etc. My hope for the year is to make meaningful connections with students and staff.
Jennifer McDowell - ELL
Hello! I'm the new English language teacher for our multilingual learners here at Congdon. I have taught EL for 16 years, 7 here in Duluth. I have two children, August and Violet – ages 18 and 14. I love to hike with my dogs, spend time with my family, and travel. This summer we traveled around a few countries in Europe. I love learning about other cultures and languages – so this was really special! I have taught High School English since 2020. I am so excited to be back in elementary, which are my favorite grade level!
Infinite Campus, Parent Square and Parent Portal
We have received a lot of questions about what these 3 are and how they work together. Below will hopefully help explain the difference
Infinite Campus
Program containing the database with all our student and guardian information, schedules, bussing, etc.
Parent Portal
Parent/Guardian access to Infinite Campus and how they view their child's information, as well as change their own contact information.
ParentSquare
The communication system our school district uses to send emails and phone calls to families, and families can respond back in a secure way. It uses the contact information set up in Infinite Campus. ParentSquare syncs with Infinite Campus every night, so any updates will go into effect the following day.
Click HERE for more information on ParentSquare
Click HERE for instructions on signing up for ParentSquare
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO REACH MY STUDENT'S TEACHER OR OTHER STAFF? EMAILING IS BEST
We have a list of staff and their extensions that you can access by clicking HERE. You can also find this on our website. Click on "About Us" then look for link on the right side of the page directly under the Classrooms title.
On the list you will also find their full name to use for an email:
email: (first name).(last name)@isd709.org
About Us
Kathi Kusch Marshall - Principal
ISD709 SCHOOL DISTRICT UPDATE CENTER
Website: https://www.isd709.org/congdon-elementary
Location: 3116 E. Superior St
Phone: 218.336.8825
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cpsduluth