Happy Black History Month! This month we celebrate black history and the many black leaders who have come before us, and the great contributions they have made to our lives and world today. I was in a classroom this past week listening to children talk about why black history is important. I encourage us all to talk with our children about the "why". Why is understanding the past important? I heard all sorts of answers from, "We wouldn't have Fortnite", to "Martin Luther King Jr. taught us about civil rights and we need to know where we came from". We want every child to know that their lives contribute to today and to our future.

This week we welcome back our third through fifth graders to in person school. We can't wait to see their faces and feel their energy in the building again. We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Our community has held strong through all of the ups and downs. Your trust in us to continue to educate your children has never been more appreciated and heartfelt. Our commitment to supporting you and your children, whether in Virtual Learning School or in person remains unwavering.

In Partnership,

Principal Kristin Reilly

Hamline Huskies-

It was wonderful to see so many of our students these past two weeks in person and also virtually.

Starting on Tuesday February 16, we will start our in-person learning for our students in grades 3-5. Many of our regular routines are changing. Please take the time to go over some of the videos we have made to explain some of our new changes.

As always, please call, text or email me with any questions or concerns.

Email: jennifer.ewald@spps.org

Office: 651-744-6055

Google Voice: ‪(612) 315-0791‬

Parent Drop Off: 7:15-7:30

If you are planning on dropping off your child in the morning, our Parent Drop Off is through the parking lot on the Hubbard side of our building. (Front parking lot will be blocked by buses dropping off). A car line will form and as you pull up to the back doors off the parking lot, adults will be waiting to help your children out of the car and into school. Please do not get out of your cars, or leave your car in the car line as it creates a back up. Principal Reilly, and Ms. Lori our PreK Teaching Assistant, will be waiting outside to help kindergarteners and PreK students get to their classrooms for the first time. We know this is hard for parents and we promise to watch out for them like they are our own. If you are walking your children to school feel free to drop off on either side of the building outside of the doors. Ms. Kaltun and Mr. Eli will be waiting on the Englewood side of the building to greet kinders and PreK students as well.

Parent Pick Up: 1:55-2:15

We will begin dismissal at 1:50. Students who will be picked up will be brought to the cafeteria to wait for their parent or guardian. This allows us to maintain cohorts, as well as safe distancing. We will have two staff members outside and as you pull up they will walkie staff inside letting them know who to send out. We know this may take a bit more time, but we have to be sure to maintain safe distancing. Please remember to wait outside for your children if you are walking home with your children. Let a staff member know you are there and they will walkie inside.

If you need to drop off your child late:

• Drop your child off in the front of the school in the parking lot on Englewood.
• Your child will walk to the front door and press the buzzer to be let in.

• SPPS must reduce the number of adults visiting our buildings to help ensure the health and safety of our students and staff.
• Students must be dropped off outside school building entrances. Students cannot be escorted by family members to their classrooms or anywhere else inside the building. In addition, families will not be allowed to have lunch, observe a class, volunteer or engage in any other activities in school buildings.
• We understand this is disappointing for many of our students and families. We are implementing these changes to minimize risk and help ensure the health and safety of our students and staff.

We want to make sure that everyone feels protected while learning, working in or visiting Saint Paul Public Schools. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has directed that masks or face coverings must be worn throughout Minnesota in all indoor public spaces - including school buildings. This executive order applies to all visitors, staff and students (kindergarten and older). Pre-K students are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings if they can do so in accordance with CDC guidelines.

Watch this short video from members of the Hamline staff on wearing a mask.

• Students will bring iPads to school and back home everyday.
• Please charge the iPad every night.

Families returning to school should familiarize themselves with these guidelines, which are updated regularly and cover prevention strategies, health screening and monitoring, exclusion guidance, and the SPPS COVID-19 Reporting System.

Please click on the following link for COVID-19 Student and Family Guidelines

Families should conduct a health screening every morning before sending their student to school or the bus stop. School staff will also monitor for symptoms throughout the school day. If your child is exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms, do not send them to school. Report the absence to your child’s school and submit a report to the COVID-19 Reporting System the same day for next steps.

Please click on the following link for the Health Screening form

Students who become sick during the school day will be isolated (under supervision) until they can be picked up. It is important that sick students are picked up as soon as possible to limit the risk to other students and staff. Please make sure your contact information is up to date in Campus.

Doneta Johnston is our nurse and Joyce Boston is our assistant. Please watch the video to hear a message from Ms. Doneta and Ms. Joyce.

Hello Families! It has been such a joy to see many of your students in person these last two weeks and I look forward to meeting our in-person 3rd-5th grade students next week. As you may know, February is African American History Month and I just wanted to share some free, fun & educational events that you and your family can enjoy virtually.

Additionally, if you need any resources within the community or have any questions or concerns regarding your student/family, I am here to help. I can be reached the following ways:

Email: lynnette.medcalf@spps.org

Office: 651-744-5588

GM: Mslynn

Events

• Tuesday, February 16th at 5pm: Soul Food Live
  Join the University of Minnesota's Black Student Union's live Instagram to learn how to cook a soul food dish with a special guest chef! https://www.instagram.com/bsu_umn/
  Join our Instagram live and
• Wednesday, February 17th at 7pm:

  Join Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page for a dialogue about items from the “TESTIFY Exhibit,” which debuted at Minneapolis Central Library’s Cargill Gallery in 2018. The program will revisit items from American history curated by the Diane and Alan Page Collection, helping to ground and provide a context for current events. For more info, and to register go to https://bit.ly/TESTIFY_HCL.

• Tuesday, February 23rd at 7pm:
  

  As part of its monthly Peacebuilding Film Series, the Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute is inviting community members to a screening of the acclaimed documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble.” The film offers an intimate account of legendary U.S. Representative John Lewis’s life, legacy and more than 60 years of extraordinary activism.This screening is free and open to the public. To register, go here.

  
  

• ALL month long: February 2021
  Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, many museums and cultural institutions around the country are opting to shift their Black History Month line-ups for the month of February from in-person to online-only affairs. The result is a creative curation of art exhibitions, concerts, panel discussions and other events designed to celebrate, but safely through virtual means. Here are more than a dozen (free!) events to mark on your calendar https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/celebrate-black-history-month-these-free-virtual-events-180976969/

One of the counseling lessons this week explored a book titled Even Superheroes Have Bad Days. The book normalizes that all feelings are okay to experience. It also promotes the idea of self-care and actively meeting our emotional needs. It also teaches how to express our emotions in healthy and safe ways. Your student will benefit from reading this book together and exploring different things they can do when they are feeling big emotions. You can talk about times you had bad days and what strategies you used to feel better. You can help them create a list of ideas and activities that will help them calm down and refocus. You can find the book read aloud on YouTube. Enjoy.

Hello Hamline Huskies,

We know that school is for advancing our learning and having fun with our friends, but sometimes trouble and problems arise. Parents, in the event that your scholar is sent to my office due to a behavior incident, the scholar and I will work together to solve the issue and get the scholar back in the classroom and ready to learn. I will also reach out to the family and explain what happened and how we will move forward. Thank you for understanding

Meals for Students Learning In-Person

Free breakfast and lunch will be provided to all students during in-person learning. Menus are available at schoolcafe.com/spps.

Free Meal Kits to go- starting February 16

Families can pick up free meal kits from school on Tuesdays from 9:30-10:30. Drive around through the parking lot, on Hubbard side of building, and a Nutrition Services staff member will be ready to hand you a meal kit. Families are asked to pre-register to pick up these kits. Please click here

For more information about how meals will be served and eaten when students return to school, visit spps.org/reopen.

Midway Project

The Midway Project provides food and other care supplies on Wednesdays from 11:00-1:00 out of our attached Hancock Recreation Center. Tables are set up so that you are able to drive thru the parking lot on Hubbard side of our building to pick up supplies. All are welcome!

Monday-Friday Meal Pick Up Sites 8:00am-3:00pm

• Battle Creek Middle

• Central High School

• Como Park Senior High

• Open World Learning

• Harding High School

• Highland Complex

• Johnson High School

• Washington Tech Magnet School

Please click on the following icons for more information.

"Our job is not to prepare students for something; Our job is to help students prepare themselves for anything."

As we build our inquiry-based learning model at Hamline, we have identified five competencies that we want every student leaving Hamline with: Collaborators, Communicators, Problem Solvers, Creators, and Self and Community Aware. We believe these are the characteristics needed to prepare students for the 21st century.

Should you consider Mental Health Therapy for your child?

Life has been turned upside down for everyone. The current life events that are happening should not be processed alone. Therapy can help children begin to process and make sense of their worlds with a Mental Health Professional.

Paying attention to the mental health of children can help reduce problems at home, school, and in social interactions with others.

If you would like more information about starting therapy services for your child please reach out to our School Social Worker, Lynnette Medcalf at Lynnette.medcalf@spps.org or School Counselor, Kaltun Abdikarani at Kaltunabdikarani@spps.org. You can also fill out the help form for families on the Hamline website, spps.org/hamline.

Thank you,

Sharice Zaccardi

Community School Mental Health Practitioner

The Midway Food & Empowerment Project aims to collect and distribute resources to our community on an ongoing basis.The speed at which multiple community partners came together to make this happen is nothing short of amazing. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that our community members receive the items they need to thrive

https://www.hamlinemidway.org/TheMidwayProject

Reminder to fill out the annual iUpdate student form at Campus Parent. It is important we have updated contact information so you will receive updates from the school. If you need any help with your login or password, email karen.azen@spps.org or leave a message at 651-744-4287.

Bridging Snelling Avenue, Hamline Elementary and Hamline University are one integrated campus. Each member of our community is both a teacher and a student, engaged in a journey of lifelong learning that provides a rich variety of resources to support this diverse education. Our partnership with Hamline University, the first of its kind in the nation, places more than 100 tutors and mentors in classrooms and provides students with access to the university campus on a continual basis. Hamline students see themselves in college students. As the saying goes, "College begins in kindergarten". We are two campuses, but one community in the heart of the Hamline Midway neighborhood.

Website: hamline.spps.org
Location: 1599 Englewood Ave, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-293-8715
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hamlineelementaryschool
Twitter: @HamlineElem