Happy Fall! Students have been busy learning and reviewing routines, expectations, and content materials. There have also been changes to the arrival and dismissal process - again, thank you for your cooperation, since these changes were made abruptly and with short notice. Due to the changes in our dismissal process, please remember to call the office at 651-744-7440, before 3:15 pm if your child will be going home differently than their normal routine so we can notify classroom teachers of the change. Thank you for your partnership and I look forward to continuing this work together.

If an emergency happens at a school or an office, there usually is not much time to warn students, staff, and visitors about what is happening or what to do. That is why SPPS has adopted and implemented the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) in all of our buildings. SRP is not based on individual scenarios, but rather on the response to any given scenario. Linked are the protocols used for safety at our school.

Guidelines for Bus Safety in Saint Paul Public Schools

Saint Paul Public Schools provides transportation services to students who are attending Saint Paul Public Schools and programs, or who are attending non-public schools, and some charter schools that are located within the city of Saint Paul. Transportation is provided for students who meet eligibility requirements contained in the Board of Education Policy 707.00 Eligibility for Student Transportation.

The District is responsible for the student supervision as soon as they enter the bus in the morning and until they leave the bus or are released to a parent/guardian. Bus drivers and school staff are responsible for teaching, modeling, and reinforcing positive behavior expectations to all students. Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that their children know and understand these standards of conduct. The bus and bus stops are an extension of the school. Misbehavior on the bus could lead to consequences at the school as well.

Students who continue to engage in unacceptable behavior will result in loss of busing privileges, including bus transportation for field trips. The Principal will determine what the student’s consequences are for the misbehavior utilizing the guidelines found below. A manifestation determination will happen before initiating any loss of bus privileges of a student with a disability (Minn. Stat. § 121A.43(d)). If there is a loss of busing privileges, it would apply to all busing services for the District, unless otherwise specified by school staff.

Under Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education Policy, each student who has lost bus privileges due to unacceptable behavior, must attend a School Bus Safety Class and must successfully re-demonstrate knowledge of the school bus safety competencies. The Transportation Department will help facilitate and conduct this training with the school.

Minnesota Statute 121.59 provides that transportation service is a privilege, not a right, that is granted to the student contingent upon proper behavior in accordance with the District behavioral standards, but not limited to, and are linked below:

PreK-12 Grades Behavior Guidelines and Consequences

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month!

This is a time which celebrates the contributions, heritage and culture of Hispanic and Latino Americans as well as the anniversary of independence for several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Chile.

EDL is a free program that offer students academic support and learning activities focused on math, reading, science, social studies and/or science for grades 1-5. The program is held immediately after school and begins the week of October 21, 2024, and run through the 4th week of May 2025. Visit spps.org/alted to view the Elementary EDL for program dates and times. A snack will be provided at 4:00pm.

School bus transportation is not available at this time. Families will be notified if and when school bus transportation becomes available.

If you're interested in having your child participate, please fill out this EDL link.

SPPS Covid protocol has changed. If your child tests positive for Covid, they may return to school when they feel better and are fever-free for 24 hours. Call the Health Office with questions, 651-888-7651.

+IS MY CHILD OKAY TO GO TO SCHOOL?

• If your child has a fever of 100°F or more, keep them home for 24 hours after their temperature returns to normal without using fever reducing medication

• If your child has vomited one or more times, keep them home for 24 hours following the last episode

• If your child has diarrhea, is uncomfortable due to abdominal cramping, and needs to use the bathroom frequently, keep them home for 24 hours following the last episode

• If your child has a rash from an unknown or infectious cause, check with a health care provider before sending them to school

FREE Flu and Covid vaccine clinic- Thursday Oct 10 from 4-6pm at Nokomis Montessori NORTH, 985 Ruth St N, St Paul, MN 55119. Free for students and families! Sponsored by M Health and Ramsey County.

FREE Covid tests: https://aspr.hhs.gov/covid-19/test/Pages/default.aspx

Hello Nokomis community! The first month of school is done and fall is in the air. PTO is busy this month preparing for the Fall Festival which will be Thursday October 24th from 5:30-7:30. We will have games, a bounce house, crafts, face painting, and food trucks! We will put out a flyer closer to the event looking for mini pumpkin donations. We currently have our Domino’s fundraiser going on right now until October 14th. Purchasing a card will get you unlimited BOGO large pizzas now through June of 2025. Not a Dominos fan but still want to help? You can always donate to the PTO through our square link! Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday October 14th at 5:30, hope to see you there! Also if you haven’t signed up for Box Tops 4 Education yet a new flyer will be going out soon. If you have signed up make sure you scan a receipt through the app to trigger the referral bonus, the first scan doesn’t have to have any box tops eligible items so scan away! As always we could not do what we do for the school without the support of our Nokomis families and community. Thank you so much for your generosity. We are excited for another fun school year with you all!

Thank you Nokomis

Becky Johnson - President

Nokomisnorthpto@gmail.com

• Thurs., Oct. 10 - Vaccination Clinic, 4:00-6:00 pm
• Thurs., Oct. 10 - Montessori Night/Title I Information
• Mon., Oct. 14 - PTO Meeting, 5:30 - 7:00 pm
• Thurs., Oct. 17 & Fri., Oct. 18 - No School - Education MN MEA Conference
• Mon., Oct. 21 - EDL begins, 4:00 - 5:45 pm
• Thurs., Oct. 24 - PTO Fall Festival, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
• Fri., Oct. 25 - No School - Teacher Conference Prep Day
• Thurs., Oct. 31 - Dress as your favorite character day

Our school is based on the Montessori method: students learn at their own pace in multi-grade classrooms, independently cultivating their interests and natural abilities. Teachers help students choose their work in carefully prepared, peaceful environments; students use beautifully designed hands-on materials to practice and understand skills and concepts. Teachers are Montessori certified and use the Montessori philosophy to guide instruction.

Website: https://www.spps.org/nokomisnorth
Location: 985 Ruth Street, Saint Paul, MN 55119
Phone: (651) 744-7440