We have so enjoyed our first few days with your students back in the building here at Lester Park. We spent much of this week learning and revisiting our school-wide expectations. Here at Lester Park, we ask ALL staff and students to be respectful, responsible, safe, and kind. Students heard from several different staff members throughout the building this week what this looks, sounds, and feels like in all areas of our building, and we have been very impressed with the positive choices students are making this week! You can see what we call our "behavior matrix" below. I encourage you to talk with your child about what they learned about positive choices at school--you could even talk about what respectful, responsible, safe, and kind look like at home!
I am hopeful for and excited about a year filled with joy, curiosity, and great growth for our students. We are blessed with an amazing staff, families, and school community, and our Labs couldn't be better supported. As always, if there are ways we can help to support your family, please don't hesitate to reach out.
Enjoy the weekend and we can't wait to see everyone back for week two!
In partnership,
Mrs. Cawcutt, Principal
Uff Da! We forgot how busy the office is the first week of school!
Emailing us is the best way to ask questions, because if we can't answer them then we just forward them to the person who can. If you call and we don't answer, please leave a voicemail. Half the day there is only 1 person in the office, and she may be on the phone or away from her desk. Even if there are 2 of us at the desk, we may be unable to answer your call. Thank you!
Per the school district's security policies...we are unable to put any staff emails in the school newsletters. So you may often see lesterpark@isd709.org instead of a direct email. If you know the staff's email, you can always use it. Otherwise we will just forward the email on to the specific staff member you are trying to reach.
~Tracy Thompson & Brianna Solberg
Lester Park Admin Assts
Sept 9...First day of school for Preschool
Sept 13...PBIS K-5 assembly
Sept 17...5th Grade Forestry Field Day
Sept 18...6-7pm PTA meeting - All are welcomed!
Sept 19-25...Fun Run Week
Sept 26...The FUN RUN!
Oct 2...Picture Day (more info in the next week)
Week of Oct 7...Parent/Teacher Conferences
Oct 14...NO SCHOOL (Teacher PD day)
Oct 17-18...NO SCHOOL (MEA weekend)
Lester Park Calendar can be found HERE
2024-25 District Calendar with 4 day rotation can be found HERE
(PD=professional development/NO SCHOOL for students)
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. Please contact your child's teacher at least 24 hours prior if you prefer that your child does not participate in one of our lockdown drills. Note: drill dates are subject to change; families will be notified in the event that the date of a drill is changed.
Fire Drills:
September 11
September 23
October 9
May 13
May 22
Lockdown Drills:
September 13
October 22
November 19
December 13
March 3
Grades 4 & 5...Friday morning, Nov 8
Grades K & 1...Tuesday morning, Dec 17
Grades 2 & 3...Friday morning, May 23
More information on these 3 programs will be provided a few weeks before each one.
The Backpack Program provides a supplemental supply of weekend food to children in need.
Students receive a 3-6 pound bag of food twice a month to carry home from school in their own backpack or book bag. Deliveries start September 18.
Availability varies but often includes shelf-stable entrees like soup or pasta, fruits and vegetables, cereal, snacks and more.
For more information, contact:
Heather Rappana
Lester Park School Social Worker
218-336-8700 x2429
Starting Monday, September 9th...
We will switch from using orange "visitor" stickers to red badges per a new school district policy. These badges are only for adults. We don't have enough for any children accompanying the adult to wear.
If we run out of badges, we will put out the stickers. Please return these badges when you leave the school. Missing badges cost the school district money.
You will still need to sign in and out of the GREEN binder. We will still need to buzz you into the main hallway.
Hey, hey, hey, ba-de-ya, say do you remember?
Ba-de-ya, dancing in September
Ba-de-ya, never was a cloudy day
In 2023-2024 the Lester Park Elementary School Foundation (an independent 501-3C non-profit organization) was able to reinvest $33,124 in enriching activities and material upgrades for students and teachers at our school.
Highlights include Lu Wall support, materials requested by teachers, Spanish club, Lego league, winter gear for kids, library books, garden maintenance and the fabulous new 4th and 5th grade “pod” furniture. (see below for pictures) This was possible only because of the awesome support of your kids, family, friends and local businesses during last year’s Fun Run fundraiser.
This year’s Fun Run will be September 26th and you can begin donating the week before. Stay tuned to future newsletters for details on the new and improved format so that we can ensure the maximum amount of funds get to the school.
Each school year, parents must fill out a new online Blended Learning Agreement. This allows their child/children to have full access to Duluth Public Schools Digital Resources (Chromebook, tablet, curriculum online programs and testing, etc.). More information here: https://www.isd709.org/academics/digital-innovation
Below is the link. You do NOT need to enter your child's school email.
Duluth Public Schools Blended Learning 1 to 1 Agreement for 2024-2025 - Digital Form
See below on how to look up your child's Student ID #
How do I find out my child's Student ID # (Lunch #)?
* Log into Infinite Campus:
https://duluthmn.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/duluth.jsp
* Click on your child's picture
* Their Student ID # is under their small picture.
The K-5th Grade 2024-25 School Supply Lists can be found on our school website or by clicking here: https://secure.smore.com/n/29kef
- On school days, the interior vestibule doors unlock at 7:30am, then lock again from 7:45am-2:15pm.
- All other exterior doors are locked during the school day, and most are locked 24/7.
- The Office door is only unlocked from 7:15am-8am
- There is a blue lit doorbell to the right of the office door that you push to speak to the office staff.
- Visitors sign themselves into the green book and grab an orange "visitor" sticker" if they are coming into the building. (stickers will change to badges Sept 9th)
- Parents sign in/out their child in the yellow book if they are coming in late or returning to school.
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
Does Lester Park School have a Family Handbook?
We sure do! It is here: Handbook for Lester Park Families
Does the School District have a Family Handbook?
Yep they do! It is here: Family/Student Handbook
Who do I contact about a charge on my child's lunch account?
Who do I contact about my child's immunizations showing up as non-compliant?
If your child is going into kindergarten, or you are a new family, the nurses will be entering them during September. If you are missing something, they will be sure to let you know.
Why can't I see my child's email and password in Infinite Campus?
This is likely because you haven't filled out the Blended Learning form. Scroll up in this newsletter for more information.
How do I change my phone #?
Parents can change their phone #s and emails in the Parent Portal.
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.
How do I volunteer in my child's classroom?
This information is on our website HERE
ABOUT US
Email: lesterpark@isd709.org
Website: https://lesterpark.isd709.org
Location: 5300 Glenwood Street, Duluth, MN 55804
Phone: (218) 336-8875
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lester-Park-Elementary-1900216436910729